Schakowsky Statement on Protections and Support for Our Veterans

CHICAGO – Rep. Jan Schakowsky released the following statement in honor of Veterans Day:

“This Veterans Day we pay our deepest respects to our nation’s brave veterans and the tremendous sacrifices they have made on behalf of the United States. We remember those we’ve lost, who fought and served to protect our freedom. We must also remember the families of these veterans – they too have made sacrifices while their loved ones risked their lives for the good of our country.

On Veterans Day and every day we must focus on how we can better serve veterans in our communities. Illinois is home to over 720,000 veterans. We must ensure that when our veterans return home they have access to good jobs, affordable housing and education, and the quality healthcare they need and have earned through their service. We have an obligation to meet their needs, and as a result we must make sure that our nation’s veterans’ programs receive sufficient funding to treat our veterans with dignity.

A great champion of these protections for our veterans was Congressman Lane Evans of Illinois, who unfortunately passed away last week after suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Lane Evans was a good friend of mine, and a true champion for veterans’ issues. Congressman Evans, who was a Marine, served on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Throughout his career, he fought relentlessly for our service members, working to highlight the dangers of Agent Orange exposure, to ensure access to earned veterans’ benefits, and to meaningfully address the dangers of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which many veterans face as they return from combat situations. Congressman Evans treated every day as Veterans Day. We have lost an incredible public servant, but let us carry on his cause as he would have wanted.

I will continue to fight to make sure our veterans are properly cared for upon returning home. I ask that you all take time this week and whenever possible to honor the lives of these courageous women and men who risk their lives for our nation.

If you are a veteran yourself or have contact with a veteran who you believe may need assistance, I encourage you to click here to visit my website’s Veterans’ page. This page contains information about pending and passed legislation and links to a host of additional resources to benefit veterans.”