Honoring Southeast Wisconsin Veterans

November 10, 2023

Friend, 

In honor of Veterans Day tomorrow, I want to say thank you to all the veterans in Southeast Wisconsin for your incredible service to our country. Wisconsin is home to over 330,000 veterans. As of last year, veterans made up over 6% of the adult population in Wisconsin. 

Serving Veterans

It's crucially important that we support our veterans not only in word, but in action. Below are some of the veterans bills I am working on in Congress.

• The Survivor Benefits Fairness Act ensures the Veterans Affairs Department (VA) cannot demand the families of beneficiaries pay back their monthly benefits in the event of a surviving spouse’s death.
• The Honoring Our PACT Act, which was signed into law, provides health benefits to veterans who were exposed to burn pits or other toxins while serving our country.  
• The Expanding Veterans’ Options for Long Term Care Act creates a pilot program for eligible veterans to receive assisted living care paid for by the VA. 
• The No Veterans Fall Through the Cracks Act requires all veterans get a follow up call to reschedule their mental health appointment from the VA regardless of how they canceled their appointment.  

Honoring Veterans

Tomorrow on Veterans Day, join me in honoring our veterans.

Veteran of the Year Award

Last week, I had the privilege to present Janesville veteran Sergeant Al Pacheco with the 2023 Veteran of the Year Award.  

Since bravely serving in the Vietnam War, Sgt. Pacheco has remained committed to service and his fellow veterans. He is widely recognized as a force for good in the veteran community where he dedicates his time to many veteran focused organizations. Sgt. Pacheco has made it his life's mission to be a soldier's soldier - someone who any veteran can lean on at any time.   

Blue and Gold Star Mothers Event

It is important to honor our veterans, but it is also vital to honor their families for the sacrifices they have made. Especially those who have lost a loved one in service to our country. This year I attended the Blue Star and Gold Star Marker Dedication and Unveiling at Pritchard Park-Veterans Memorial in Racine. 

A Blue Star Family is a military family with a loved one serving in the U.S. military during a conflict. A Gold Star Family is a military family that has lost a loved one during war. The tradition of Blue and Gold Star families came from a custom in which families of servicemen and women hang service flags in the windows of their homes. These flags have stars that represent the family’s loved one. Blue stars represent servicemembers who are living, and gold stars represent servicemembers who have lost their lives. 

The first organized meeting of Blue and Gold Star Mothers occurred in 1942 in Michigan. New chapters quickly sprouted up across the country. The memorial markers in Racine are a tribute to Blue and Gold Star Mothers across Southeast Wisconsin.


Sincerely,

Bryan Steil
Member of Congress

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