BELLEVILLE — Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years and is a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today celebrated Veterans Day. Duckworth honored Veterans and their families today during the City of Belleville’s 26th Annual Veterans Day Ceremony alongside Belleville Mayor Patty Gregory and John Lawson, Superintendent for the Veterans Assistance Commission at St. Clair County.
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“Veterans Day is a day of celebration, it’s a moment for all of us to take some time to recognize and honor the service of everyone willing to put on the uniform and sacrifice to keep our great nation safe,” Duckworth said. “Despite the risks, despite the danger, thousands of the bravest people that you and I could ever meet still volunteer to serve in our country’s uniform every year. And when these heroes come home, they deserve more than just an ovation on Veterans Day itself. They deserve to be honored the other 364 days of the year, as well. They deserve access to good-paying jobs, high-quality accessible health care, affordable housing and much more.”
Duckworth began the day helping distribute meals with the St. Louis Area Food Pantry and meeting with food-insecure Veterans in Belleville. Photos from this event are available on the Senator’s website.
Duckworth has been a fierce supporter of and an effective legislator for our Veterans. She helped pass the Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, historic legislation that was signed into law to overhaul the VA’s processes for toxic-exposed Veterans to include presumptions for several illnesses associated with burn pits and Agent Orange exposures to help deliver long-overdue VA healthcare and benefits across all generations of Veterans. Duckworth’s bipartisan Protecting Moms Who Served Act was signed into law to help address the maternal mortality crisis among women Veterans by helping improve care at VA facilities and shed light on the scope of this crisis, particularly among women of color. Duckworth has also pushed to expand IVF coverage for Veterans and has been a leader in protecting and supporting immigrant Veterans and servicemembers who have proven they are willing to make tremendous sacrifices to defend our nation.
The St. Louis Area Foodbank said thank you to Sen. Duckworth and her family for stopping by our Veterans Day food distribution today in Belleville.
"We appreciate the service of our Veterans and active military members," Foodbank reps said. "The need for food assistance in our military community is great, and together, we can make positive changes."
