Kerry and Edwards Pledge to Relieve Strains on Overburdened Military

The Kerry-Edwards ticket stopped in West Virginia today where the two Democrats pledged to keep faith with those who serve in the Armed Forces. With experts around the country expressing concern in recent months that our military is overstretched, the Democrats said we must take steps to alleviate strains on our overburdened military.

“As President, I will always remember that America’s security begins and ends with the soldier, sailor, airman, and Marine – with every man and every woman in our armed services standing a post somewhere in the world,” Kerry said. “Today, we must do more to keep our commitment to the men and women who wear our uniform.”
Operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have left our military stretched too thin – a concern expressed just this week by General Richard Cody, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army. The Bush administration’s answer has been to put band-aids on the problem – calling-up members of the Individual Ready Reserve, extending tours of duty, delaying retirements, preventing personnel from leaving and using a stop-loss policy as a back door draft.

“When you add it up, we are in danger of creating another hollow Army,” Kerry said. “I will modernize our military to match its new missions and fight for a constant standard of decency and respect for those who serve their country in our armed forces.”

As commander in chief, Kerry’s first order of business will be to expand America’s active duty forces to relieve this current overstretch and to prevent and prepare for other possible conflicts. This step will increase our security and alleviate strains on our overburdened military.

Kerry and Edwards will also fight for a Military and Family Bill of Rights that will treat members of the military and their families with the dignity and respect they deserve.

A comprehensive plan, the Military Family Bill of Rights will ensure that service members and military families are treated fairly. It will make sure troops do not face pay cuts and give them the protections they need on the battlefield and at home, like allies by their side, body-armor and other equipment, health care for all military reservists, assistance for families affected by extended deployments, support for small business and reservists and up-to-date and accurate information about deployments.

“We need a commander in chief who will keep the American people safe, who will keep our military strong and who will stand up for the men and women who serve this country,” Edwards said. “John Kerry will stand up for the young men and women who serve us abroad and who serve us at home. And, he’ll stand up for the millions of Americans who have served us before—our country’s veterans.”