Press Release
Posted:
Washington – Today Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05), a Vietnam veteran, released the following statement marking Memorial Day.
“Today we honor our veterans, military members, and their families to whom we are forever indebted. Your sacrifice protected the freedoms and values we savor so dearly as a nation – liberty, justice, virtue and the pursuit of the American dream.
“Our men and women in uniform have seen the horrors of war firsthand. Today as we honor them, we must also recommit ourselves to taking meaningful action. This means ensuring a roof over the heads of soldiers when they returned and caring for those wounds from the battlefield that still remain. And it means working and praying toward peace. Sending our service members into conflict is not a sacrifice to be taken lightly. As President John F. Kennedy said and as every veteran who’s been in combat knows: ‘Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.’ Know that I am committed to peace and ensuring we live up to President Kennedy’s wise words.
“I am committed to doing all I can in Congress to support our veterans and their loved ones. Just this week, the House passed bipartisan legislation I worked on as Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee on Select Revenue Measures repealing a tax hike that the Republican tax bill imposed on our Gold Star families. This is unjust – they are the most honorable families in our nation. Today, we mark another Memorial Day with much work left to do, but we stand together, shoulder to shoulder, as a community committed to a future for our veterans and a future free of war.”