When General Douglas MacArthur retired from the Army, he made these three little words not just famous, but alive.  Duty- Honor- Country!  Today is a day we say thank you to the men and women who not only live those words, but are prepared to die for them.  To those men and women of our Armed Forces, I say thank you.

America is the greatest country in the world and as we continue to make history, we must remember that much of our past, present and future is shaped by those men and women who serve in uniform.  They possess the willingness to sacrifice their selves for the greater good of our country.

I am continually reminded of the dedication of our veterans each day by my husband, Brian Rodgers, who was active duty in the Navy for 26 years.  His service on the USS Enterprise, USS Ranger, USS Independence, and USS Carl Vinson are a continual reminder to me of the courage, strength and loyalty our men and women have for our country. 

Today, we remain a nation at war.  While discussion and debate takes place and while we think about the future of our country and the world, we must remember that there are men and women serving overseas now.  Our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines are actively engaged in the conflict; we cannot forget them. That includes the men and women from Eastern Washington who make up the 81st Brigade and are spending this Veterans Day in Iraq.

Our country must offer the best for our military each step of the way.  It is our responsibility to provide our military with the most advanced training in the world and to make sure that they are fully trained and confident in their tasks before we give them a mission.

Fairchild is critical to our national security and our economic security, that is why I am working with General Lichte, General Lowenberg, as well as leadership at the base to continue to bring together the associate relationship between the 141st and 92nd.

We also need the next generation of air refueling tankers based at Fairchild Air Force Base and keep the 36th Rescue Flight helicopters based at Fairchild.

We need to remember our military families.  The return home for our service men and women can sometimes be difficult.  We must make every effort to ease that transition and ensure peace of mind for our service-members and their families.  That is why I introduced the PRO VETS bill to make the transition easier. 

It is important we do everything we can to support our current and past members of the Armed Forces.

This Veterans Day, we pause to thank them for their patriotism and sacrifice, the key role they have played in the freedom and quality of life we enjoy today.

I wish all of you the very best and sincerely thank you for your service and loyalty.  God bless you all on this great Veterans Day!