Each year on Memorial Day, our country comes together to pay tribute to our fallen heroes - the men and women in our armed services who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom. 

Throughout the history of our nation, brave men and women have answered our nation's call to duty, from the War for Independence to the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.  As grateful members of a free and democratic society, we are forever in their debt. 

We pray this year in particular that our soldiers currently in harm's way will return home safely and as soon as possible.  Sadly, more than 3,700 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since March 2003 - including more than 385 Californians.  We honor those brave men and women, as well as the more than 26,600 U.S. troops who have been wounded in these conflicts.

We must commit, on Memorial Day and every day, to remember our fallen men and women by keeping our promises to our nation's more than 24 million veterans who are still with us. 

Our new Democratic Congress is doing this through a GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century, investing in veterans' health care, strengthening benefits for our men and women in uniform and providing long overdue benefits for veterans and military retirees.

In working to fulfill our commitment to our veterans, our new majority in Congress has already passed a budget that provides the largest increase in veterans' health care in our nation's history. We are committed to ensuring that our veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan receive the quality care they deserve.

The new Congress is also renewing our commitment to the grieving families of fallen heroes.  The recently passed Defense bill increases military pay by 3.5 percent, and helps the 60,000 survivors and spouses of those who have died from service-connected injuries, who currently lose survivor benefits under the Military Families Tax.  It also takes another step toward ending the Disabled Veterans Tax by expanding special compensation for combat-related disabled retirees who have served at least 15 years. 

As a nation, this stepped-up investment is the best way for all of us to recognize and honor the sacrifices of our fallen service members and the tremendous contribution made by all of our nation's veterans.
 
Let us join together this Memorial Day as a community to remember our lost soldiers and renew our commitment to all those who have worn our nation's uniform, with a special prayer for our men and women currently in harm's way.  We must do everything we can to remember, honor and thank them for their courageous service to our country.

(Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard's office offers a wide variety of services to the community, including resolving problems with federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Social Security Administration, and the Internal Revenue Service.  She also offers financial aid workshops, a service academy workshop, a scholarship directory and constituent casework services to assist district residents.  More information about federal services can be obtained by visiting Congresswoman Roybal-Allard's web site at www.house.gov/roybal-allard or by calling her district office at (213) 628-9230.)
 

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