This month, our Nation honors the strength and sacrifices of the families, caregivers, and survivors of our veterans and our current service members.  They may not wear uniforms, but their service is essential to our national security and the character of our Nation.  We owe them a debt of gratitude that we can never fully repay.

Constant tours, deployments, and rotations are difficult for our military families.  Jill and I have personally experienced the anxious pride that parents feel seeing their child in uniform.  We have marveled at the devotion of military families and their resilience to uproot their lives every few years and move to new communities.  We honor the stalwart courage and resolve of veteran families caring for their loved ones when their service in uniform concludes.  We grieve alongside families of the fallen who have lost a piece of their soul.  That is why I take so seriously the sacred obligation to prepare and equip our service members when we send them into harm’s way and to care for them and their families when they return home. Continue reading here…