Recently, I had the great pleasure of meeting with a group of Kansas veterans taking an Honor Flight to Washington to see their memorial. Honor Flight is a nonprofit organization that takes World War II veterans to Washington D.C. to see the World War II memorial and other sites honoring the men and women of the armed forces.

I met up with the group at the Marine Corps War Memorial, which depicts one of the key battles in the United State’s Pacific campaign, Iwo Jima. You know the memorial, a gripping sculpture of the Pulitzer Prize winning photo of five young marines raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi. In Washington, the flag flies high over a sweeping view of the National Mall.

My father, a Marine Air Ground Major, saw action on Iwo Jima and Okinawa with the 27^th Marine Division. It was his service that inspired me to join the Marine Corps.

For any American, it would be moving to visit with these veterans at this very special place, but for this former Marine, and U.S. Senator, it was a poignant reminder of the many generations of men and women who have sacrificed so much for our freedom and American way of life.

In the Senate, I have been proud to work on a number of bills to better care for our men and women in uniform.

First, I strongly supported the Wounded Warriors Act. This law cuts through the red tape to provide the care our wounded service members deserve. It focuses on the signature injuries of current military engagements, Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Likewise, we’ve also got to make sure current veterans are receiving proper health benefits. I continue to support ways to expand health care access for our veterans. Just a few days ago, I stood with VA Secretary James Peake in Hutchinson to help dedicate the Hutchinson Community Based Out-Patient VA Clinic. This clinic expands access to more rural Kansans who live in medically underserved areas, helping reduce the long drives for many to Wichita or Denver for more routine medical care.

Any member of the Armed Forces will tell you that to better carry out their mission, they need to know their families are taken care of at home. I helped introduce legislation to allow service members the ability to transfer earned Montgomery GI Bill educational benefits to their spouses and children. GI Bill benefits generally cover 36 months of education at a value of about $40,000. Today, 97 percent enroll, but only 70 percent actually use the benefit, with very few using all of it. The legislation will enable soldiers to make full use of this earned benefit by transferring it to an immediate family member.

I support increasing GI Bill benefits. While most of my colleagues agree, there is much debate in the Congress about how best to do this. As we consider legislation, I continue to work toward ensuring that the GI Bill is updated to enhance and expand educational benefits for our veterans. Our veterans deserve a comprehensive, modern plan.

I have also cosponsored legislation to improve the process for active duty forces to vote no matter where in the world they serve. Thousands of men and women in uniform are serving our country or protect our freedoms, but their ability to exercise their right to vote is often hindered by their very service. That’s not right. I believe we can improve the system so that military personnel’s votes always count.

Finally, we cannot forget the youngest voices who are in our military system. I just passed a resolution in the Senate to recognize the sacrifices of children in military families. The resolution designates May 15 "Military Kids Day." The challenges faced by our military children, particularly in times of deployment, are unique and difficult. With this resolution, we honor those children for their bravery and understanding that their parents are working to protect them, and our entire country.

So to mark this Memorial Day, we remember those who have perished in defense of our nation and we thank our veterans, servicemembers and their families for their defense of our liberty. We will never stop working to honor their service and sacrifice.

And from this former Marine, Semper Fi.