As a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army National Guard, I am uniquely aware of the importance and sacrifice of our men and women serving in the military. Unfortunately, the unemployment rate among returning veterans is much higher than the national average, and I have introduced multiple pieces of legislation to give small businesses incentives to hire them. Helping these heroes find good-paying jobs when they return home is a top priority of mine. I also led the charge against the disgraceful situation involving misidentified graves at Arlington National Cemetery, co-sponsoring a bipartisan law to prevent another tragedy like this from happening again. As a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, I held a congressional field hearing in Quincy to hear directly from our local veterans about challenges they face getting benefits from the VA.
