The sacrifice, support and devotion our veterans have shown this country makes me proud to be an American. It’s only fitting that they also receive the recognition they deserve. Some of the greatest and most rewarding experiences I have had as a congressman are the opportunities I have to present veterans and their families with service medals. These medals are a powerful memory of their service and we must honor their commitment. I encourage my colleagues to ensure the legacy of our veterans live on with replacement service medals. These are given to veterans whose medals were misplaced or just not received at the time of discharge. If the next of kin of a deceased veteran requests a set of replacement medals, there is a charge, something that needs to change. The U.S. Army is leading the way. A new initiative between the Army and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) allows one free set of replacement medals to next of kin of deceased veterans whose military files have been archived. The U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy should change their policies to reflect this well deserved opportunity.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 at 9:00 am and is filed under Politics .