STILL SERVING AMERICA

A Salute to Montana Veterans
By Senator Max Baucus

On Veteran's Day and every day, I join you in saluting the brave men and women from Montana who have nobly served our country in the armed forces.

There are more than 100,000 veterans residing in Montana. I am proud that we are home to the second highest number of veterans per-capita and the highest military volunteer rate in the country. It says a lot about our state.

Our soldiers represent the best of America – strength, compassion, commitment and triumph. Serving in the United States Military is one of the most noble and meaningful jobs that any American can have and these honorable men and women deserve our thanks.

Their willingness to make sacrifices to keep us safe and free is not something I ever forget or take for granted. As a Montanan and a United States Senator, I feel it is my duty to honor our veterans and active duty service men and women by making sure they are taken care of every step of the way.

I have always worked hard to ensure that the military has the equipment and funding it needs to perform its mission. Yet, my commitment to the troops does not stop when their deployments end, it only intensifies.

When our warriors return home to Montana, I fight to get them the resources and medical care necessary to help them settle back into their lives here.

We must give our veterans the respect they deserve by maintaining a comprehensive health care system that ensures they have access to the care and facilities they need and deserve.

The prevalence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and suicides among our veteran population is deeply troubling. We need to work harder to identify at-risk veterans in need of health care, treatment and support. I recently introduced legislation that will require the military to provide additional medical screenings to combat troops before and after they deploy to help identify and treat post-combat related behavioral health issues. This bill is modeled after a successful Montana National Guard program and will help treat our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffering from PTSD or behavioral health issues.

I was proud that my measure to save American service members' lives was recently signed into law. If we can prevent just one more terrible tragedy from happening – this effort will be well worth it.

I was also a strong supporter of advanced appropriations for the VA health care system and I am proud that Congress recently passed this important legislation. Advanced appropriations will help make the VA health care budget more timely and predictable, and avoid unnecessary delays and uncertain budgets for Montana's VA hospital and clinics.

To stay aware of the issues our heroes face when they return, I make a point of listening to their unique perspectives every day. I currently have two Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans on my staff and we're able to work together to make things right for Montana's veterans. I started the Defenders of Freedom Fellowship so a Montana vet can join my D.C. staff to work directly on the problems and address the issues our veterans face.

Whether it is creating good paying jobs, improving the GI bill, or fighting for access to health services, I will do what's right for our bravest, most honorable of all Americans – our soldiers – past, present and future.

Veteran's day is a time to thank our veterans for their service and renew our commitment to making sure they are treated right. God bless you all and God bless America.

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