To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate a week as "Battle Buddy Check Week" for the purpose of outreach and education concerning peer wellness checks for veterans, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to all the men and women who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States and risked their lives to defend our freedoms and way of life and took and lived the oath to ``support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.''

Our Veterans have borne ``true faith and allegiance to the same, an obligation they took freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion.''

Veterans are truly heroes walking among us.

I want to thank all of our armed servicemen and women for their selfless dedication to our protection every day.

Veterans Day is a reminder to all of us who live in freedom that as President Kennedy said, ``The price of freedom is high, but Americans have always paid it.''

This Veterans Day is a welcome opportunity to remember the fallen who gave the last full measure of devotion to their country on battlefields around the world--in places whose names may be unforgettable--or locations that have slipped into the pages of history.

We will never forget:

Revolutionary War--Valley Forge; York Town;

Civil War--The Battle of Antietam; The Battle of

Gettysburg;

World War I--The Battle of Argonne; Flanders Field; Verdun;

World War II--Pearl Harbor; Battle of Bataan; The Battle of

Midway; D-Day; Battle of the Bulge; Battle of Anzio; Battle

of Corregidor;

Korean War--Inchon; Heart Break Ridge; Pork Chop Hill;

Vietnam--Tet Offensive; Battle of Hue;

Desert Storm--September 11, 2001; Pentagon Attack (125

killed);

Operation Enduring Freedom; Battle of Kandahar;

Operation Iraqi Freedom; Second Battle of Fallujah;

Operation Allies Refuge; Operation Allies Welcome.

The memory of the fallen is never forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, each Veterans Day, Americans come together to remember those who have served our country around the world in the name of freedom and democracy.

The debt that we owe to them is immeasurable.

Their sacrifices, and those of their families, are freedom's foundation.

Without the brave efforts of all the soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and Coast Guardsmen and women and their families, our country would not live so freely.

I offer my deepest gratitude to our nation's 1.4 million troops and reservists, their families, and the 16.2 million veterans, including 22,809 here in the 18th Congressional District.

16.2 million brave men and women are veterans of our nation's military service.

This includes more than 1.7 million women, 2.7 million African American men and women, 1.32 million Hispanic men and women, 342,000 Asian American Pacific Islanders, and 113,000 American Indians.

Of the veteran population in the country, 1.5 million veterans call Texas their home.

We use Veterans Day to show our veterans and military families how important they are to us and how grateful we are for them each day.

November is National Caregivers Month to show our caregivers how grateful we are for them.

It is only fitting that we thank those caregivers who serve our military today.

5.5 million spouses, parents, children, and other loved ones care for our wounded warriors and 15 percent of caregivers spend 40+ hours a week providing care for our military families.

As a senior member of the House Committees on Judiciary and Homeland Security, I care deeply about our veterans.

In Congress, I have sponsored many legislative proposals and co- sponsored more than 50 pieces of legislation that will positively benefit our veterans and their families.

Including H.R. 232, the Real Justice for Our Veterans Act of 2023, which looks to prioritize veterans court treatment programs, ensuring equal access for women, as well as racial and ethnic minorities who have served.

Additionally, I introduced H.R. 236, which would create a ``Battle Buddy Check Week,'' meant to provide outreach and education, as well as peer wellness checks for Veterans.

On the battlefield, the military pledges to leave no soldiers behind.

As a Nation, let it be our pledge that when they return home, we will leave no veteran behind.

This day and every day, let us honor their service with actions that fulfill our commitment to our troops, their families, and our veterans--and that are worthy of our grateful Nation.