As published in The Hill on Nov. 9, 2017

Each year, we honor our veterans on November 11, a day that marks the end of World War I when the armistice went into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

Veterans Day is an important reminder for all of us to take a moment to stop and reflect on the service and sacrifice of our veterans. As we honor the men and women who’ve fought and risked their lives for our country, it’s important to remember that while their service may have concluded, our duty as a country to support and honor our veterans continues.

America’s veterans fought to protect our freedoms and ensure our way of life, and the top priority of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is to make sure we take care of the veterans who dedicated their lives to serving our country. As chairman, I am passionate about our committee’s mission to help care for our veterans and empower them in their lives and careers. Every day, our committee is working to make sure that the care and support that our veterans earned, fought for, and sacrificed for, are available to them.

For those who say Congress isn’t working because of partisan politics, I would simply point to all we have accomplished on behalf of our nation’s veterans, and it’s because we are committed to working in a bipartisan fashion. There aren’t Republican soldiers or Democrat soldiers on the battlefield. There are only American soldiers who have fought for all of us.

For that reason, every single one of us on the committee took our labels off, we put our armor on, and we marched ahead. We didn’t say ‘no’ to problems that looked like they were too hard. We said ‘yes’ to solutions that are right for our veterans.

So far this year, we have had seven major veterans bills signed into law. All of these bills make great strides in improving the daily lives of our veterans through the care and benefits they receive at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. We must continue to see to it that the Department of Veterans Affairs lives up to the promises we have made to our veterans.

With the full cooperation of Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, a dedicated president, and a Congress working in a bipartisan fashion, I am proud of all that we are accomplishing on behalf of our veterans.

We live in the greatest country on the face of this earth, and it is in large measure because of the great men and women who fought in our military to preserve the liberty that our founding fathers established. For without our veterans, there would be no America.

I’m proud to honor our veterans on Veterans Day and every day. May God bless them, and may God bless America.

Related:

Isakson delivered remarks on the Senate floor on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017, to honor Veterans Day and thank the veterans and service members who fought for our freedom and liberty. Isakson also highlighted the work that has been accomplished through the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on behalf of our veterans. 

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The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., in the 115th Congress. Isakson is a veteran himself – having served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966-1972 – and has been a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs since he joined the Senate in 2005. Isakson’s home state of Georgia is home to more than a dozen military installations representing each branch of the armed services as well as more than 750,000 veterans.