Weekly Address
The White House
November 9, 2013
Hello everyone. Veterans’ Day Weekend is a chance for all
of us to say two simple words: “Thank you.” Thank you to that greatest
generation who fought island by island across the Pacific, and freed
millions from fascism in Europe. Thank you to the heroes who risked
everything through the bitter cold of Korea and the stifling heat of
Vietnam. And thank you to all the heroes who have served since, most
recently our 9/11 Generation of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Now that more of them are coming home, we need to serve
them as well as they served us. That requires more than a simple “thank
you” – especially from those of us who’ve been elected to serve.
I’ve often said that my top priority is growing the
economy, creating new jobs, and restoring middle-class security. And a
very important part of that is making sure that every veteran has every
chance to share in the opportunity he or she has helped defend. In
addition to the care and benefits they’ve earned – including good mental
health care to stay strong – that means a good job, a good education,
and a home to call their own.
If you fight for your country overseas, you should never
have to fight for a job when you come home. I’ve made sure the federal
government leads by example, and since I took office, we’ve hired about
300,000 veterans to keep serving their country. Our new transition
assistance program is helping veterans and their spouses find that new
job and plan their career. And I’m going to keep calling on Congress to
do the right thing and pass the Veterans Jobs Corps. Put our veterans
to work rebuilding America.
Our troops gain unmatched skills while serving in harm’s
way. So we’re also doing everything we can to connect more businesses
with highly-skilled veterans. More help with job searches. More tools
to connect veterans to job openings. More chances to earn licenses and
credentials for civilian jobs. And new tax credits for companies that
hire veterans and wounded warriors – tax credits which Congress should
make permanent.
And America’s businesses have worked with Michelle and
Jill Biden’s Joining Forces campaign to help returning heroes find jobs
in the private sector. They’ve already hired or trained 290,000
veterans and military spouses, and they’ve committed to hiring over
400,000 more.
We’re also committed to giving today’s veterans and their
families the same shot at a great education this country gave my
grandfather when he came home from World War II. We’re helping more of
them earn their degrees under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. We’ve worked with
thousands of schools across the country to set new standards to protect
against dishonest recruiting and predatory lending practices that target
our veterans. And we’re helping hundreds of community colleges and
universities do more to welcome and encourage our veterans on campus.
Thanks to these efforts, and the efforts of the private
sector, we’ve made progress getting our vets back to work. But we’ve
got a lot more to do. And as more than a million of our troops return
to civilian life, we’re going to have to work even harder. Because the
skill, dedication, and courage of our troops is unmatched – and when
they come home, we all benefit from their efforts to build a stronger
America and a brighter future for our kids.
So to all our veterans, on behalf our entire nation, thank
you for everything you’ve done and will continue to do for our
country. As your Commander-in-Chief, I’m proud of your service, and
grateful for your sacrifice. And as long as I'm your President, I will
make it my mission to make sure that America has your back, not just on
one day or one weekend, but 365 days a year.
Thanks. God bless you, and have a great weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment