thank you all veri much __PUNCT__
command rob reynold __PUNCT__ thank you for the kind introduct __PUNCT__
nation adjut art wilson __PUNCT__ senior vice command rai dempsei __PUNCT__ auxiliari nation command kathryn wilei __PUNCT__ auxiliari nation adjut judi hezlep __PUNCT__ past nation command brad barton __PUNCT__ and senior vice command sandra dobmeier __PUNCT__ i thank you all for the warm welcom __PUNCT__
i am honor to be in the compani of all my fellow member of the dav __PUNCT__ includ all my friend in the arizona deleg __PUNCT__
better than most __PUNCT__ the men and women in thi room know the hardship and cost of war __PUNCT__
you were there when your countri need you __PUNCT__
you shoulder heavi burden and accept great risk __PUNCT__
i sure mani of you will also recal from your experi in war __PUNCT__ as i do from mine __PUNCT__ that when you somewher on the other side of the world in the servic of america you pai attent to the new from back home __PUNCT__
it affect moral __PUNCT__
and even dure thi elect season __PUNCT__ with sharp differ on the wisdom and success of the surg in iraq __PUNCT__ american need to speak as on in prais of the men and women who fight our battl __PUNCT__
thei ar the best among us __PUNCT__ as you were befor them __PUNCT__ and i know you will join me in applaud the courag and skill that will see america through to victori __PUNCT__
though victori in iraq is final in sight __PUNCT__ a great deal still depend on the decis and good judgment of the next presid __PUNCT__
the hard __PUNCT__ won gain of our troop hang in the balanc __PUNCT__
the last advantag of a peac and democrat alli in the heart of the middl east could still be squander by hasti withdraw and arbitrari timelin __PUNCT__
and thi is on of mani problem in the shift posit of my oppon __PUNCT__ senat obama __PUNCT__
with just three month to go befor the elect __PUNCT__ a lot of folk ar still try to squar senat obama vari posit on the surg in iraq __PUNCT__
first __PUNCT__ he oppos the surg __PUNCT__
then he confid predict that it would fail __PUNCT__
then he tri to prevent fund for the troop who carri out the surg __PUNCT__
not content to mere predict failur in iraq __PUNCT__ my oppon tri to legisl failur __PUNCT__
thi wa back when support america effort in iraq entail seriou polit risk __PUNCT__
it wa a clarifi moment __PUNCT__
it wa a moment when polit self __PUNCT__ interest and the nation interest part wai __PUNCT__
for my part __PUNCT__ with so much in the balanc __PUNCT__ it wa an easi call __PUNCT__
as i said at the time __PUNCT__ i would rather lose an elect than lose a war __PUNCT__
thank to the courag and sacrific of our soldier __PUNCT__ sailor __PUNCT__ airmen __PUNCT__ and marin and to brave iraqi fighter the surg ha succeed __PUNCT__
and yet senat obama still can't quit bring himself to admit hi own failur in judgment __PUNCT__
instead __PUNCT__ he commit the greater error of insist that even in hindsight __PUNCT__ he would oppos the surg __PUNCT__
even in retrospect __PUNCT__ he would choos the path of retreat and failur for america over the path of success and victori __PUNCT__
behind all of these claim and posit by senat obama li the ambit to be presid __PUNCT__
what miss is the judgment to be command in chief __PUNCT__
in short __PUNCT__ both candid in thi elect pledg to end thi war and bring our troop home __PUNCT__
the great differ is that i intend to win it first __PUNCT__
it will also fall to the next command in chief to make good on the oblig our govern accept everi time ani man or woman enter the proud rank of the unit state militari __PUNCT__ and again when thei receiv their dd __NUM__ __PUNCT__
those we depend on as troop should know __PUNCT__ when thei becom veteran __PUNCT__ that thei can depend on us __PUNCT__
the dav ha defin some of these oblig in your stand up for veteran pledg __PUNCT__
and though it not my practic to sign pledg as a candid __PUNCT__ i will give you my word that as presid i will see that these oblig ar kept __PUNCT__
the sacrific made by veteran deserv to be memori in someth more last than marbl or bronz __PUNCT__ or in the fleet effect of a politician speech __PUNCT__
your valor and devot to duti have earn your countri abid concern for your welfar __PUNCT__
and when our govern forget to honor our debt to you __PUNCT__ it is a stain upon america honor __PUNCT__
the walter reed scandal wa a disgrac unworthi of thi nation __PUNCT__
as washington __PUNCT__ lincoln __PUNCT__ and other great leader remind us __PUNCT__ american who fought to defend thi nation should alwai rank among the highest of nation prioriti __PUNCT__
in practic __PUNCT__ veteran must be treat fairli and expediti as thei seek compens for disabl or ill __PUNCT__
we ow them compass and hand __PUNCT__ on care in their transit to civilian life __PUNCT__
we ow them train __PUNCT__ rehabilit __PUNCT__ and educ __PUNCT__
we ow their famili __PUNCT__ parent and caregiv our concern and support __PUNCT__
veteran should never be depriv of qualiti medic care and mental health care coverag for ill or injuri incur as a result of their servic to our countri __PUNCT__
as presid __PUNCT__ i will do all that is in my power to ensur that those who serv todai __PUNCT__ and those who have serv in the past __PUNCT__ have access to the highest qualiti health __PUNCT__ mental health and rehabilit care in the world __PUNCT__
and i will not accept a situat in which veteran ar deni access to care on account of travel distanc __PUNCT__ backlog of appoint __PUNCT__ and year of pend disabl evalu and claim __PUNCT__
we should no longer toler requir veteran to make an appoint to stand in on line for a ticket to stand in anoth __PUNCT__
and it even wors if the line wind eventu to substandard care for america veteran __PUNCT__
i not here to tell you that there is a cost that is too high to be paid in the care of our nation veteran __PUNCT__
i will make sure that congress fund the va health care budget in a suffici __PUNCT__ time __PUNCT__ and predict manner __PUNCT__
but i will sai that everi increas in fund must be match by increas in account __PUNCT__ both at the va and in congress __PUNCT__
and thi requir an end to certain practic and abus that serv neither our veteran __PUNCT__ our countri __PUNCT__ nor the reput of congress itself __PUNCT__
exactli becaus fund va program command bipartisan support __PUNCT__ some in the congress like to attach unrel appropri and earmark to va bill __PUNCT__
the result is to mix vital nation prioriti with wast and often worthless polit pork __PUNCT__
earmark show up in bill of everi kind __PUNCT__ and not just va bill __PUNCT__
that how we end up budget hundr of million of dollar for bridg to nowher __PUNCT__ or lesser sum for woodstock museum and the like __PUNCT__
when that earmark for a million buck to fund a woodstock museum didn't come through __PUNCT__ i don't imagin that mani veteran had to chang their vacat plan __PUNCT__
and the principl here is simpl __PUNCT__ public monei should serv the public good __PUNCT__
if it me sit in the oval offic __PUNCT__ at the resolut desk __PUNCT__ those wast spend bill ar go the wai of all earmark straight back to the congress with a veto __PUNCT__
when we make it clear to congress that no earmark bill will be sign into law __PUNCT__ that will save mani billion of dollar that can be appli to essenti prioriti __PUNCT__ and abov all the care of our veteran __PUNCT__
but reform doesn't end there __PUNCT__
we must also modern our disabl system to make sure that elig servic member receiv benefit quickli __PUNCT__ base on clear __PUNCT__ predict __PUNCT__ and fair standard __PUNCT__
and we must address the problem of capac and access within our va health care system __PUNCT__
while thi will involv a wide rang of initi __PUNCT__ i believ there is a simpl and direct reform we should make right awai __PUNCT__
my administr will creat a veteran __PUNCT__ care access card to be us by veteran with ill or injuri incur dure their militari servic __PUNCT__ and by those with lower incom __PUNCT__
thi card will provid those without time access to va facil the option of us high __PUNCT__ qualiti health __PUNCT__ care provid near their home __PUNCT__
mani of these provid ar alreadi familiar with the most common need of veteran __PUNCT__
and often what miss is a system for share medic record among va __PUNCT__ dod __PUNCT__ and civilian hospit and doctor __PUNCT__
thi reform will improv care __PUNCT__ reduc risk __PUNCT__ and broaden access all at the same time __PUNCT__
thi card is not intend to either replac the va or privat veteran __PUNCT__ health care __PUNCT__ as some have wrongli charg __PUNCT__
i believ the va should alwai be there to provid top __PUNCT__ qualiti care for our veteran __PUNCT__
and i believ that the va should continu to provid broad __PUNCT__ spectrum health care to elig veteran __PUNCT__ in addit to special care in area such as spinal injuri __PUNCT__ prosthet __PUNCT__ and blind __PUNCT__ servic in which the va set the standard in medic care __PUNCT__
even so __PUNCT__ there ar veteran elig for care who ar not current abl to receiv it __PUNCT__ on account of distanc __PUNCT__ wait time __PUNCT__ or the absenc of certain specialti __PUNCT__
and for thi group __PUNCT__ the new card i propos will offer better altern __PUNCT__ to provid the benefit thei have earn __PUNCT__
reform must also recogn that greater care is need for certain type of injuri __PUNCT__
in the senat __PUNCT__ i co __PUNCT__ author the wound warrior act __PUNCT__ which wa the first major legisl initi to address post __PUNCT__ traumat stress disord and traumat brain injuri __PUNCT__
as presid __PUNCT__ i will build on thi legisl to improv screen and treatment for these sever injuri suffer by mani who have serv in iraq and afghanistan __PUNCT__
the va must also broaden it care for the women who ar enter the arm forc in greater number than ever __PUNCT__
the grow rank of women in uniform have left the va lag behind in the servic it provid __PUNCT__
and here the veteran care access card will prove especi valuabl __PUNCT__ afford women medic option while the va improv capac and expand servic __PUNCT__
all reform bring chang __PUNCT__ and even the best chang can be a littl unsettl __PUNCT__
what you should know about thi reform is that it is an extens of the current system __PUNCT__ not a replac __PUNCT__
as a matter of duti and of honor __PUNCT__ whatev our commit to veteran cost __PUNCT__ those commit will be kept __PUNCT__
mani veteran of war will tell you that best among us never came home __PUNCT__
those of you in thi room rememb the name and face of mani such hero you were privileg to call comrad and friend __PUNCT__
i recal more than a few myself __PUNCT__
and that is onli on reason that america must care for the famili of the fallen __PUNCT__
dure the last two major militari conflict __PUNCT__ i work to increas death gratuiti payment __PUNCT__
i sponsor legisl dure the first gulf war to increas the death gratuiti payment and to doubl the soldier and veteran __PUNCT__ group life insur __PUNCT__
i cosponsor legisl to doubl the death gratuiti payment in __NUM__ for servic men and women kill in the line of duti __PUNCT__ and also increas the survivor benefit plan for widow or widow of retir veteran __PUNCT__
there is more to be done on behalf of the famili that our fallen troop leav behind __PUNCT__ and as command in chief i will never break faith with the on who never came home __PUNCT__
the next presid will have mani respons to the american peopl __PUNCT__ and i take them all serious __PUNCT__
but i have on respons that outweigh all the other and that is to us whatev talent i possess __PUNCT__ and everi resourc god ha grant me to protect the secur of thi great and good nation from all enemi foreign and domest __PUNCT__
it is everi veteran hope that should their children be call upon to answer a call to arm __PUNCT__ the battl will be necessari and the field well chosen __PUNCT__
but that is not their respons __PUNCT__
it belong to the govern that call them __PUNCT__
as it onc wa for us __PUNCT__ their honor will be in their answer not their summon __PUNCT__
whatev we think about how and why we went to war in iraq __PUNCT__ we ar all humbl by and grate for their exampl __PUNCT__
thei now deserv the distinct of the best american __PUNCT__ and we ow them a debt we can never fulli repai __PUNCT__
we can onli offer the small tribut of our humil and our commit to do all that we can do __PUNCT__ in less try and costli circumst __PUNCT__ to help keep thi nation worthi of their sacrific __PUNCT__
mani of them have serv multipl tour in iraq and afghanistan __PUNCT__
mani had their tour extend __PUNCT__
mani return to combat sooner than thei had been led to expect __PUNCT__
it wa a sad and hard thing to ask so much more of american who have alreadi given more than their fair share to the defens of our countri __PUNCT__
few of them and their famili will have receiv the new about addit and longer deploy without aim a few appropri complaint in the gener direct of peopl like me __PUNCT__ who help make the decis to send them there __PUNCT__
and then thei shoulder a rifl or climb in a cockpit and risk everyth __PUNCT__ everyth __PUNCT__ to accomplish their mission __PUNCT__ to protect anoth peopl freedom and our own countri from harm __PUNCT__
it is a privileg beyond measur to live in a countri serv by them __PUNCT__
i have had the good fortun to know person a great mani brave and selfless patriot who sacrif and shed blood to defend america __PUNCT__
but i have known none braver or better than those who do so todai __PUNCT__
thei ar our inspir __PUNCT__ as i suspect all of you were onc their __PUNCT__
and i prai to a love god that he bless and protect them __PUNCT__
thank you __PUNCT__
