Bordallo Commemorates Veterans Day

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo today issued the following statement in commemorating of Veterans Day.  

On Veterans Day, our country honors and celebrates the men and women in uniform who have dedicated their lives to serve our nation. We reflect on the sacrifices that our veterans and their families have made so that we may all live safer lives and enjoy the freedoms we have today. We also renew our commitment to working on behalf of our veterans so that they and their families have the care and support they need when they return home.

We have made great strides as a community to improve on recent issues affecting our veterans, but there is still work to be done. I continue to work with federal officials and local policymakers and stakeholders to ensure that our veterans have access to quality and consistent healthcare on Guam. I have worked with the VA to prioritize an expansion of the Community-Based Outpatient Clinic. The initial design phase of this project will begin this fiscal year after Congress passes an appropriations bill, and we anticipate that construction funding will be identified in the forthcoming VA budget for fiscal year 2017. I have also been in constant contact with the Hawaii Veterans Affairs Office to address staffing issues at the CBOC and to improve recruitment and retention of professional medical staff, and we are also working with the University of Guam to add to the recruitment and retention efforts by hiring local graduates. These are just a few milestones we have reached, but I remain committed to advocating for our veterans issues in Congress.

I join our community in thanking all of our veterans for their service to our nation. I will continue to do my part to fulfill our responsibilities to those who have sacrificed much to defend our freedoms. On behalf of the people of Guam, I extend my sincere Un Dangkulo na Si Yu’os Ma’ase to all our veterans and their families.