Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) thanked our veterans for their service to our country at Downey’s Veterans Day ceremony held outside in front of the Downey Theatre. Pictured in the group photo from left to right: Downey Councilman Roger Brossmer; Councilman David Gafin; U.S. Army Captain Abel Hernandez; Congresswoman Roybal-Allard; and Councilman Mario Guerra.
The congresswoman’s remarks are as follows:
“Thank you Councilman Guerra for the introduction and to the rest of the Downey City Council for the invitation to be here today. Thank you also to Captain Abel Hernandez of the United States Army for participating in today’s ceremony.
It is truly my honor to join the community in paying tribute to our brave men and women who have honorably worn the uniform of our armed forces. Whether they served in time of war or peace, our veterans share the common bond of unwavering love of country. Their stories are the stories of our nation’s history because America rose to greatness on the shoulders of our veterans.
As the wife of a former Marine Officer and Vietnam veteran, and the step-mother of an Iraq veteran, I am fully aware of the fact that the debt we owe our veterans is immeasurable and can never be fully repaid.
Nevertheless, it is our unfailing duty to remain vigilant in our efforts to ensure that the tributes we pay our veterans today go beyond words, and that their selfless service to our nation is not forgotten once they come home.
To that end, over the past two years, Congress has passed landmark legislation to ensure veterans receive the services and benefits they have earned and so richly deserve. These victories for veterans under a Democratic leadership have included the largest federal funding increase in the 78-year history of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs to enhance our veteran’s medical care and make badly needed improvements to VA medical facilities.
The new GI Bill of the 21st Century provides our brave men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with federal funding toward a college education.
Tax credits are also going to businesses that hire veterans in need of a job.
And I was extremely pleased to have secured $7 million in federal funding for the University of Southern California’s military social work and veterans’ services program to help those who struggle with the psychological and emotional stress of combat when they come home.
While more needs to be done, these are some of the steps in recent years taken by Congress to demonstrate our gratitude and to honor our sacred commitment to you, our veterans.
Without a doubt we are the beneficiaries of your courage, sacrifice and vigilance in protecting our freedoms and democratic way of life.
You and your families truly embody the selfless patriotism which ensures our country will always remain free.
To the heroic service men and women of all our outstanding armed forces, whether deployed overseas, preparing to be deployed, newly enlisted or no longer wearing our nation’s uniform, on this Veterans Day, I join our community in saluting and thanking you on behalf of a grateful nation.
God Bless you, your family and the United States of America. Thank you.”
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