Klobuchar Statement on Veterans Day 2024

MINNESOTA - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the statement below in honor of Veterans Day.

"Veterans Day is a time to focus on what unites us: an unwavering gratitude for the men and women who put their lives on the line for our nation.

It's our sacred obligation to pay respect to the heroes who fought for our rights and our freedoms. This means guaranteeing veterans can get their disability claims processed. It means ensuring they can get their G.I. benefits. And it means making sure they can get the health care they deserve, including for exposure to burn pits and Agent Orange.

Honoring our veterans is a duty we all take seriously in Minnesota. I'm thinking about Earl Meyer, a war hero from St. Peter.

During World War II, at the young age of 17, Earl joined the Merchant Mariners. On one mission, his ship hit a minefield. The crew had to cut the ship's engine and sit as still as possible while Navy ships came in to clear the mines out of the waterway.

As a teenager, Earl had already risked his life for our country. But Earl's service didn't end there. Just years after he returned home from the war and started farming, he joined the Army and went to the front lines of the Korean War.

In June 1951, his unit was pinned down by mortar fire, and Earl was struck by shrapnel. Only four soldiers from his unit made it out alive. The medic who bandaged Earl said he'd put his name in for a Purple Heart, but Earl never saw that medic again.

Decades passed and Earl still hadn't received his Purple Heart, so his daughters reached out to my office. Together, we worked through the bureaucracy, and in May, Earl finally got his Purple Heart. Standing before a thousand people in the Gustavus chapel, he turned to me and said, 'You know, this wasn't really that big a deal.'

But it was a big deal. Because in Minnesota, we stand with those who stood with us.

To all our service members and veterans - we honor you on Veterans Day and every day. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.."

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