On this Veterans Day it is a time for all of us to reflect in gratitude upon the contributions our fellow citizens have made for us all when they donned the uniform of the United States military.
It is a time to visit, either in person or in our thoughts, the graves of the thousands of men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that the commitment to individual freedom—to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—and the country that has championed it from the start, would flourish in spite of every danger and opposition.
California is the home not only of a number of important military bases, but also of hundreds of thousands of veterans. While many of these of our fellow citizens have gone on to great personal success, many still also struggle with homelessness, with lingering physical and psychological trauma, with financial challenges.
Our state works hard to keep the promise we have collectively made, in the immortal words of President Abraham Lincoln, “to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan.”
We have a great team at our Department of Veterans Affairs, led by Roger Brautigan, whom the Governor appointed Secretary just yesterday. Ted Puntillo serves as deputy secretary for veterans’ services, and Bob Beamer and Stewart Mackenzie do an outstanding job as DVBE advocates.
We have a long way to go to ensure that we fulfill the promise to every veteran. The United States is still waging hot wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and maintains an alert presence in foreign bases around the world. When our California veterans return here from their service, they want to get a job, start a business, or continue their education. Too many find it difficult to get there, and need a helping hand.
We in the Office of Small Business Advocate proudly serve as statewide DVBE advocates as well, and gratefully work with our allies both in and outside of government to promote business opportunities for all of our veterans, and especially those disabled in the line of duty. We salute the men and women of the Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise Alliance, of the Elite SDVOB Network, the National Veteran-Owned Business Association, and the countless others who have dedicated themselves to helping veterans help themselves and our economy by establishing successful businesses.
Let us all take the responsibility as citizens to support our veterans in gratitude for the responsibility they undertook—as do the current serving members of our armed forces—to defend freedom and the United States.
Today is Veterans Day, but every day is Keeping the Promise Day.