{"id":31889,"date":"2013-11-11T08:56:47","date_gmt":"2013-11-11T14:56:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/?p=31889"},"modified":"2013-11-11T09:20:00","modified_gmt":"2013-11-11T15:20:00","slug":"thank-you-veterans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/?p=31889","title":{"rendered":"Remembering to Fight for our Veterans"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Eric-Martz\"<\/a>By Senator Heidi Heitkamp – <\/b>Nov 8<\/b><\/p>\n

Six years ago, Eric Marts was in Iraq.\u00a0 He had joined the National Guard and was deployed to Fallujah for 22 months.\u00a0 While on patrol outside Fallujah, he was hit by a roadside bomb that exploded.\u00a0 Eric survived, but the bomb fully blinded him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After returning home, Eric visited a blind rehab center, undergoing months of rehabilitation, and received a guide dog, Deacon, who has been Eric\u2019s eyes ever since.\u00a0 Dedicated to helping and inspiring others, Eric now has his own radio show in Fargo on WDAY AM 970 on Saturday mornings called Heroes of the Heartland<\/i> that focuses on servicemembers, veterans, and families \u2013 offering an outlet for those who have served to reach each other and share their stories.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Eric\u2019s is a story of a man overcoming great obstacles and persevering.\u00a0 It\u2019s a story of success.\u00a0 But it could have turned out very differently.\u00a0 All across the country we hear about servicemembers coming home from Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places across the globe, struggling to catch themselves and integrate back into society.<\/p>\n

\u00a0We hear about the high rates of suicide and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among veterans, and see the internal pain so many of them face.\u00a0 We hear about the large numbers of unemployed young veterans struggling to transition to civilian jobs. And we hear about the high rates of homelessness among veterans of all ages unable to support themselves.<\/p>\n

\u00a0These aren\u2019t just statistics \u2013 they\u2019re real, personal stories for so many families.\u00a0 And I\u2019m determined to make sure we do everything we can to give our veterans the care and support they have courageously earned.<\/p>\n

\u00a0When I met with veterans, including Eric, in six cities across North Dakota in July, I listened to their stories, witnessed the pain on many of their faces, and pledged to fight for them.\u00a0 It\u2019s our responsibility to make sure that we don\u2019t just thank our veterans for their service \u2013 an important first step \u2013 but that we actually fight for them, just as they fought for us.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0That means making sure they get the job training they deserve so they can get good jobs after leaving the military.\u00a0 It means making sure they get the mental health services they need to combat PTSD and heal other mental wounds.\u00a0 It means making sure they get the compensation and benefits they absolutely earned.\u00a0 And it means making sure they get the education they deserve.<\/p>\n

\u00a0In our state, we understand the call to service as North Dakotans serve in the military at four times the rate of other states.\u00a0 There are nearly 60,000 veterans in North Dakota, and we have had 19 Medal of Honor winners \u2013 the highest military distinction.\u00a0 We all have parents, grandparents, siblings, or neighbors who have answered that call.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The strong support for our military and veterans can be seen in every day North Dakota families.\u00a0 We are a state that waves American flags because we are deeply proud of our country, freedoms, and those who work so hard to defend them.\u00a0 We\u2019re dedicated to making sure our children have the same sense of thoughtful patriotism and understanding of service.\u00a0 And we refuse to take for granted what so many before us have fought so hard to protect.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0We also see the proud sense of service throughout the state in our Air Force Bases, National Guard units, veterans clinics, and VA medical centers.\u00a0 Just recently, the Fargo VA added health care professionals to provide more extensive support for veterans.\u00a0 Soon the Devils Lake veterans clinic will become a reality, offering tele-health service for veterans in rural communities to connect them with the best doctors across the state, and offer on-site staffing for veterans in the area.<\/p>\n

\u00a0These are important signs of progress, but we still have a very long way to go to make sure each and every veteran who needs help, is able to find it.\u00a0 That\u2019s my commitment to the veterans of North Dakota \u2013 I will continue fighting for you, just as you fought for me.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Around this Veterans Day, and every day, I encourage North Dakotans to say thank you to our veterans and to also pledge to fight for them.\u00a0 They have served us with great courage, dedication, and selflessness.\u00a0 And they deserve nothing less than our 100 percent commitment to standing up for them.<\/p>\n

\"SenatorHeitkampofficial\"<\/a>Article submitted\u00a0by Senator Heidi Heitkamp,\u00a0 November 8, 2013 .\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eric Martz & Deacon photo from http:\/\/freedomguidedogs.org\/veterans\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Senator Heidi Heitkamp – Nov 8 Six years ago, Eric Marts was in Iraq.\u00a0 He had joined the National Guard and was deployed to Fallujah for 22 months.\u00a0 While on patrol outside Fallujah, he was hit by a roadside bomb that exploded.\u00a0 Eric survived, but the bomb fully blinded […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":31891,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-state"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31889"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31905,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31889\/revisions\/31905"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}