Our veterans have sacrificed everything to protect the freedoms we hold dear — and they deserve a country that honors that sacrifice not with words, but with action. Too often, politicians praise veterans on stage and then turn their backs on them when the cameras are off. That ends here.

I come from a family that understands service. My paternal grandfather was a Flying Tiger in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, and my maternal grandfather served as a Marine through World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Their legacy taught me that patriotism isn’t about slogans — it’s about responsibility.

We owe every veteran the dignity, care, and support they’ve earned. That means:

• Fully funding and modernizing the VA so veterans can access timely, high-quality care without bureaucratic delay.

• Expanding mental health services and suicide prevention programs, including peer counseling and community partnerships.

• Ensuring veterans have access to affordable housing and ending veteran homelessness once and for all.

• Streamlining benefit claims and appeals so veterans aren’t left waiting years for what they’re owed.

• Protecting GI Bill benefits and expanding access to education and job training for veterans and their families.

• Investing in transition programs that help service members successfully reenter civilian life and find meaningful careers.

• Expanding community-based care and rural outreach so veterans in small towns and remote areas can get the support they need close to home.

• Increase support for military spouses and families through career assistance, childcare, and mental health resources.

• Improve coordination between the VA and Department of Defense so medical records, benefits, and care follow service members seamlessly from enlistment to civilian life.

• Holding the VA and contractors accountable for waste, abuse, and mismanagement — because veterans deserve results, not excuses.

• Improving care for women veterans and ensuring equal access to reproductive and mental healthcare.

We made a promise to those who served: that we would have their backs when they came home. It’s time to keep that promise — not with speeches or symbols, but with real action and lasting results. Because we can’t just say “thank you for your service” — we have to prove we mean it.