MonticelloLive

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence and set the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. This year, as always, we’ll mark this most American of holidays with parades, fireworks, and backyard barbecues. But as we celebrate the birth of our Nation, we must never forget those whose sacrifices have secured and preserved our freedom. Whether they fought in France during World War II or cleared roadside bombs in Iraq, our veterans deserve our respect, our gratitude, and our support.

Returning home from a war zone can be one of the best moments in one soldier’s life, while causing another soldier significant distress. It is critical that we provide every serviceman and woman with the opportunity to succeed when returning stateside.

I am proud to announce the formation of the Arkansas Yellow Ribbon Taskforce. This group will study Arkansas’s current veterans’ reintegration efforts and make specific recommendations about what actions our State can take to improve its support of our troops in the months and years after their return from the battlefield.

George Westmoreland of Rogers, who serves as Arkansas’s civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army, will join with representatives of the National Guard and Veterans Administration; State agencies and commissions; legislators and universities; business leaders and nonprofit organizations in leading this effort. The Taskforce is created with the express purpose of ensuring that returning Arkansas servicemen and servicewomen receive every support, benefit, protection, and opportunity necessary during the reintegration process.

The Arkansas National Guard has supported the mobilization of more than 8,000 troops to the Iraq and Afghanistan since September 11, 2001, and many of these men and women have been deployed twice or even three times. Their friends and families share in the sacrifice our soldiers make in answering our country’s call.

I want all of the heroic members of the armed forces in Arkansas to know that we are grateful for that sacrifice. During this holiday, we are especially aware of your selfless commitment to defending our traditions and our security as you represent our country on the other side of the globe. We are committed to creating a State government that honors your service by stepping up when you need our help.

Although I have never served abroad, I spent six years in uniform as a reservist. I have been called “general” only in civilian life, but I served as a Spec-5 for a long time.

I have witnessed the difficulties some of our troops can face when returning home: friends and family who can’t relate; a community that is ill-equipped to respond; a bureaucracy that doesn’t provide adequate, timely benefits. These are just a few of the roadblocks that I want this Taskforce to investigate and address. We owe our servicemen and women nothing less than our best effort.

I wish each and every one of you a very happy and safe Fourth of July. As we celebrate this day, let us all embrace a new patriotism, in which each of us is able to lend our energy, talents, and abilities to building a brighter future for our State and Nation.