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Honoring veterans every day

John E. Lee and Dawn Morrell

Ronald Reagan liked to say that America has the world's only national anthem that ends with a question each generation must answer: "Oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"

This Veterans Day we can answer "Yes" — our American flag still proudly waves over the land of the free, but only because we are still the home of the brave.

We join all of Washington and America on this Veterans Day to honor the men and women whose honorable service keeps our country free and strong. The patriotic parades, speeches and tributes taking place across our nation today have been earned with blood and sacrifice.

But we believe our state and country have a duty to honor veterans every day of the year, and not just on Veterans Day. We should honor them not just with words, but also with practical programs and services, because their sacrifice does not end when the battle is over.

Gov. Chris Gregoire, our state Legislature, the state Department of Veterans Affairs and the state Military Department have recently made huge strides toward repaying a greater measure of our debt of honor.

In just the past few years, our state has created policies that:

 ·                    Promote veterans’ home ownership with down payment assistance for veterans and property-tax exemptions for disabled veterans.

 ·                    Expand college opportunities with tuition waivers for veterans and scholarships for members of the National Guard.

 ·                    Increase economic opportunities for veterans by recognizing veteran-owned businesses and creating a wounded combat veterans’ apprenticeship program and a Veterans Conservation Corps.

·                    Outlaw discrimination against veterans and the military in housing, credit, insurance, and other areas, and

·                    Assist poor veterans and their families.

We also created special armed forces license plates to honor military service, and we honored the fallen by authorizing a new Eastern Washington state veterans’ cemetery and outlawing cruel and disruptive behavior at military funerals.

Veterans Innovations

Every veteran is different and no fixed set of services can meet every need. We’re excited about Washington’s new Veterans Innovations Program (VIP) because it tailors help to the individual needs of veterans making the transition from active duty overseas to life at home.

VIP offers one-time emergency grants of up to $1,000 to members of the National Guard or Reserve who served in Operation Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, or Noble Eagle.

VIP also offers the Individual Grant Program, which promotes family-wage jobs with flexible help for college tuition, job-training or apprenticeship programs and job- or training-related needs such as transportation, housing and child care.

In addition, the VIP Defenders Fund lets any citizen or business contribute support to their local veterans.  A new Veterans Family Fund Certificate of Deposit program announced on Nov. 8 even enables citizens to support veterans while saving for themselves.

 

Washington honors its veterans

One challenge to helping veterans is lack of awareness about available services.  Fortunately, a toll-free number (1-800-562-2308) and website (www.dva.wa.gov) gives veterans easy access to all of Washington’s veteran programs and services, including the VIP program.

Parades and holidays are important symbols of support for our veterans. Yet symbols are hollow if they aren't backed by real support -- or if our veterans don't know where to get help.

We bet you have family members, friends or neighbors who are veterans. Or maybe you are a veteran. We join you in thanking our heroes this Veterans Day and in recognizing that every man and woman who puts on the uniform made a choice to protect us. It is our duty to return that favor once they've come home.

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John E. Lee, a Vietnam War veteran and retired Command Sergeant Major of the U.S. Army, is the Director of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. Dawn Morrell represents the 25th District in the state Legislature and is a member and former Co-chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans' & Military Affairs.

 

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