ICYMI: On Veterans Day, Kelly Reflects on Military Service and Honoring Veterans

“When I think about Veterans Day, I think about those people I served with, the men and women serving today, and the generations of patriotic Americans who have signed up to risk their lives for our country.” In case you missed it, Arizona Senator and 25-year Navy combat veteran Mark Kelly penned an essay in The Ripon Forum ahead of Veterans Day reflecting on his military service, the importance of teamwork and sacrifice, and the responsibility to ensure veterans receive the care and support they have earned. Click here to read the full essay in the Ripon Forum . See key excerpts below: On the lessons learned during his first combat mission… Military service isn’t usually about the medals, it’s about accomplishing a mission, together. […] That clicked for me on my first combat mission. I was flying an A-6E Intruder with my bombardier navigator Paul Fujimura. One of my primary jobs as the pilot was to fly the plane and get us safely over the target. The bombardier navigator’s job was to navigate us to the target, identify it and track it with the weapons system. We started taking anti-aircraft fire and I saw a surface-to-air missile coming right at us. I told Paul about the missile, and his response was simple: “Roger, I’m tracking the target.” I told him again and again and got the same response each time. That’s when I realized that to accomplish the mission, Paul had to do his job, and I had to do mine. On honoring the sacrifices of veterans and military families… I flew 39 combat missions, but I never flew any of them alone. And supporting all of us were families back home making sacrifices of their own. When I think about Veterans Day, I think about those people I served with, the men and women serving today, and the generations of patriotic Americans who have signed up to risk their lives for our country. In return, our country makes a promise that after their service, they will receive the care and support they earned. On keeping our promise to veterans… As a combat veteran, I take that promise personally. I helped pass the PACT Act to expand VA health coverage for servicemembers who were exposed to toxins during their service. I worked with my Republican colleagues to pass the ACES Act to study cancer rates among military aviators and aircrew. And I’ve successfully passed a bill to help build a veteran’s center in Gila County, Arizona. On what Veterans Day means to him… When I was 22 years old, I swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. That oath stayed with me through 39 combat missions and four trips to space. This Veterans Day and every day, I’m proud to stand alongside the millions of Americans who have answered the call to serve. Like I told those students, when you talk with a veteran, know that they didn’t do it for the medals or the recognition. They did it for their country and their fellow service members. And now serving as a U.S. Senator, swearing the same oath to the Constitution again, I remember the same lesson from that first combat mission. We all have a job to do, our piece to accomplish the larger mission for our neighbor and our country.