Scott Walker writes:
We have the obligation and privilege to thank those who served to protect our freedoms - both during war and peacetime. We are so proud of the brave men and women of the 32nd Infantry Brigade who recently returned home, as well as all of our veterans and those in active duty, for their service to our nation.
They are among the thousands of returning veterans of active and reserve status to our state who need our support as they return to their families, jobs, and communities. We must be ready to meet their needs and provide them access to the programs that our state promised as a result of their service.
I pledge to honor Wisconsin’s veterans and their families, just as I have as Milwaukee County executive. The single best way to honor these heroes is to make veterans’ programs and services a top budget priority for the state. I pledge to make the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs a strong agency that is free from partisan politics.
This will be accomplished by a bipartisan State Task Force on Veterans Issues that will assist my administration to strengthen our state’s commitment to veterans, enhance its efficiency in the delivery of services, and reorganize the current Department of Veterans Affairs so that it will meet the needs of our brave men and women. I will continue to work diligently to make our veterans aware of benefits and services available to them, guarantee the best educational opportunities, training, and health services possible, as well as ensure aging veterans don’t fear for interruptions in their care.
As the Milwaukee County executive, I have worked with the state to move our veterans service office to the VA grounds, which made it easier to connect with our veterans. In turn, more veterans received access to benefits.
We also started Operation Freedom in 2003 to support our military families and to thank our veterans. Last year, we had more than 17,000 people in for a free day at the Milwaukee County Zoo.
We have a moral obligation to meet the needs of each generation of serving veterans and their families, and it’s time for our leaders in Madison on both sides of the aisle to work together to strengthen that commitment.
In the past, Wisconsin was a national leader when it came to thanking those who have sacrificed so much for us. It’s time to lead once again.
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