Washington, D.C. (November 11, 2017) Congressman Steve Pearce released the following address in recognition of Veterans Day:

“On this Veterans Day, we remember, and we say thank you. We come together to honor the sacrifice and service of the men and women who courageously fight for our freedoms. I made a commitment to ensure our service members have the resources they need to succeed, and what that means is if they’re in combat, they have the tools – they have the weapons – they have the body armor to protect them. After their service, we have to honor the promise we made to make sure they get the care they deserve. This week, honoring our veterans, we passed over a dozen bills to expand health care, improve benefits, and to ensure we always remember the ultimate sacrifices that were made for the liberties we enjoy today.

I’ve also been working on legislation to improve opportunities and services for our veterans. Today’s service members face dangers in an ever-evolving battlefield, including IEDs, suicide bombers and a host brutal tactics that have left countless soldiers permanently injured. Many times, these members want to continue serving their country but are unable due to their combat or service related injury. To honor their valor, I’ll be introducing a bill to create a program for these wounded warriors to continue their service in the emerging field of Remotely Piloted Aircraft, sometimes referred to as RPA, as both pilots and operators. I’ve also introduced legislation to make vital changes to the Beneficiary Travel program and the Service Disabled Veterans’ Life Insurance program.

Our service members courageously went into harm’s way and for that we are grateful. Our service members courageously went into harm’s way and for that we are grateful. I’m thankful for those serving our country today at home and abroad. May God bless each of you and your families. Today, let’s keep our fallen heroes and our current service members in our thoughts and prayers. Because of the brave, we are free. Happy Veteran’s Day, and God bless you.”

To watch Rep. Pearce’s address, click on the image below or here.



Rep. Pearce’s upcoming legislation will allow wounded warriors to continue their military service in the Remotely Piloted Aircraft program as both pilots and operators. RPA’s provide airstrike capabilities, convey over watch, target development, disaster relief, close air support and a number of other roles for our deployed forces.