Remarks of Sen. Chuck Grassley
Des Moines Veterans Day Ceremony 2015
Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015

I am honored to be here with so many Americans who have served our country in uniform.  

Thank you for defending freedom.

Margaret Thatcher once said, “Americans and Europeans alike sometimes forget how unique is the United States of America.

No other nation has been created so swiftly and successfully.

No other nation has been built upon an idea—the idea of liberty.

No other nation has so successfully combined people of different races and nations within a single culture.

Both the founding fathers of the United States and successive waves of immigrants to your country were determined to create a new identity.

Whether in flight from persecution or from poverty, the huddled masses have, with few exceptions, welcomed American values, the American way of life and American opportunities.

And America herself has bound them to her with powerful bonds of patriotism and pride.”

What binds us together as a people is not a common ethnicity or loyalty to a ruling family.

Our common bond is allegiance to a set of founding principles based on natural rights and individual liberty.

That makes our country the exception among nations.

And, it means that those who take up arms in service to the United States can be assured that their service and sacrifice was for a cause that is timeless.

American veterans deserve to be proud of that.

And those of us that cherish our freedom ought to be grateful to them.

Throughout human history, free societies have not been the norm.  Liberty must be defended constantly or it risks being extinguished.

If it hadn’t been for generations of patriotic and selfless Americans willing to put their lives on the line, the freedom we take for granted would have long ago disappeared.

Our commitment to liberty should not waiver; therefore, neither should our commitment to those who have defended it.  

Last year, Congress passed legislation in response to the VA waiting list scandal.  

However, the Choice program that was created in that legislation has been implemented in a way that makes it less helpful than intended.

Congress has stepped in to fix some of the shortcomings, but more needs to be done.

I am supporting legislation to clarify the intent of Congress that veterans should not have to drive more than 40 miles to get the care they need.  There is more the VA can do as well to make it more user friendly.

The legislation passed last year also gave the VA Secretary additional ability to deal with mismanagement.

When I met with Secretary McDonald before his confirmation, he promised me he would fix the culture in the VA.

He said he would support the many dedicated employees in the VA and encourage whistleblowers, while weeding out any bad eggs.

The Secretary has since suggested that he does not have all the tools he needs to deal with those who were responsible for the waiting list scandal, so I am supporting legislation to give him those tools.

I am also working on a bill with Senator Kirk to ensure whistleblowers in the VA are not retaliated against.

This is an ongoing process.  Anyone who thinks that it is possible to pass a bill to fix a problem and walk away has an overly optimistic view of government’s ability to get things right.

Congress has a role in oversight and legislation, but to do our job, we need to hear from folks firsthand about the problems they are facing.

That’s why I created a veterans fellowship program in my office.  

I wanted to have a dedicated person on my staff who is a veteran and who can get out and hear directly from veterans what they need help with.

Don Bailey is the first person to serve in this capacity and he is here today if you would like to meet him.

Veterans Day is a time to renew our commitment to veterans, but also to the principles they fought for.

Unlike nations that honor their veterans for bringing glory to their fatherland or expanding their territory, we avoid war and seek no gain in wealth or territory when war becomes necessary.

Instead, we honor our veterans for preserving liberty at home, and where possible, restoring or expanding the blessings of liberty abroad.

Veterans know better than anybody the cost of freedom.  

Veterans also tend to be some of the most patriotic Americans because they understand that what America stands for, what they fought for, is deeply good and deserving of pride.  

That’s a lesson we can all learn from our veterans this Veterans Day.

God bless our veterans and God bless the United States of America.

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