I was a college student when I was called back from reserves to active duty. The war broke in the middle of spring semester and we rushed to the northern border with little time to prepare for the long months we were to spend atop a mountain just behind the front line. My unit was responsible for coordinating flight missions between the air force and the troops on the ground: bombing enemy tanks, dog-fighting enemy planes and rescuing our injured from the battlefield. The days blended into nights. The calls for help on the radio and the matter-of-fact announcements of our losses merged with the pilots’ pronouncements of success. We held back the tears and cheers and kept working.
This was not my first experience with war. My childhood was punctuated by quite a few of them. In the first one, my generation lost fathers and uncles. In the second, cousins and neighbors. In this, the third, we lost our friends and classmates. Throughout, we watched the agony of those who returned with physical and mental scars. Living through these hostilities made me understand the true cost of war. We all recognize and honor the incredible loss of life, but the injuries, grief and economic hardships of the families of our men and women in uniform are not always considered when our leaders send our children to war.
Today I want to express my appreciation for all our women and men in uniform who gave their lives to protect our country, our freedom, and our way of life. I want to acknowledge the sacrifices made by those service members who returned home, often with lifelong disabilities. To all the families remembering loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice, you are in my thoughts.
As a US Senator, I will work to end our protracted wars, to bring our troops home, and to keep the promises we made to our veterans and their families.
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