WASHINGTON (Aug. 28, 2010) -- President Barack Obama called on the American people today to provide new care, opportunity and commitment to the million military men and women who've served in Iraq.
After more than seven years, the United States "will end its combat mission in Iraq and take an important step forward in responsibly ending the Iraq war," he said during his weekly radio address.
That responsibility, he stressed, includes caring for the men and women in uniform who volunteered to fight.
"What this new generation of veterans must know is this: our nation's commitment to all who wear its uniform is a sacred trust that is as old as our republic itself," he said. "It is one that, as president, I consider a moral obligation to uphold".
He called upon the the nation to pay tribute to all who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, noting the two wars are America's longest continuous combat engagement.
"For the better part of a decade," he said, "our troops and their families have served tour after tour with honor and heroism, risking and often giving their lives for the defense of our freedom and security".
Some U.S. troops will remain to support and train Iraqi forces, partner with Iraqis in counter-terrorism missions, and protect civilian and military efforts, he said. But he pledged all U.S. troops will be home from Iraq by the end of next year.
More than a million U.S. troops have served in Iraq and more than a million who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan have joined the ranks of America's veterans. Obama said his administration has worked to make the nation's veterans policy more responsive.
"We're building a 21st century VA, modernizing and expanding VA hospitals and health care, and adapting care to better meet the unique needs of female veterans," he said. "We're creating a single electronic health record that our troops and veterans can keep for life. We're breaking the claims backlog and reforming the process with new paperless systems".
Obama added that wounded warrior facilities are being built throughout the Defense Department, and more is being done to help those suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
"For many of our troops and their families, the war doesn't end when they come home," he said. "Too many suffer from Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - the signature injuries of today's wars - and too few receive proper screening or care. We're changing that".
"We're directing significant resources to treatment, hiring more mental health professionals, and making major investments in awareness, outreach and suicide prevention," he said. "And we're making it easier for a vet with PTSD to get the benefits he or she needs". U.S. Army
