 Last year we saw our members rally together, both here in Washington and across the country, to fight for a common goal, advanced appropriations for Veterans Benefits payments. By the close of 2014, we had achieved our goal. This week and throughout the year, we will once again launch into operation Keep the Promise, with our eyes fixed on realistic, actionable goals that we know. We will be addressing some very critical topics. Caregivers and Women Veterans. It breaks your heart to see families who really need this kind of care and this kind of help, who are basically kept out of the system to do an arbitrary date. The World War II, the Vietnam, the Korean War Veterans suffer just as much as the post-911 guys, and the inequity in that is something that's a little bit hard to swallow, and it's certainly hard to explain to an 88-year-old woman who just wants somebody to care. As you fill the halls of Congress on Tuesday, and meet with your representatives and senators throughout the week, your message must be clear. We are Veterans. We take care of Veterans. And we expect the government to do the same for those who've sacrificed and for their families and survivors. It's very important to be able to speak up and to say, hey, we're important, too, that we're Veterans also. You know, to be able to meet with our congressmen and senators and to be able to say, we have major concerns and these are what they are. With the being such a large Veterans Service Organization, we can definitely make an impact by bringing that important measure to our now-run congressional leaders but to the public. Men or women, young or old, no matter the branch of service, we stand up for our fellow Veterans because it's the right thing to do. We have sacrificed for this nation. We have upheld our end to the contract, and now Congress has to ensure that they stay true to it as well.