Chairman Takano Leads Congressional Delegation Over Memorial Day

During weeklong trip, delegation honored fallen servicemembers and met with currently serving members of U.S. Armed Forces

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) issued the following statement after leading a bipartisan Congressional delegation over the Memorial Day holiday to honor fallen servicemembers buried abroad, meet with currently serving members of the U.S. Armed Forces to develop informed policies that serve veterans and their families, and show support for regional allies. The bipartisan delegation included Representatives Amua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-American Samoa), Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.), and Ed Case (D-Hawaii), and traveled to Tunisia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland, and England.

“As we planned our trip – and prepared to depart during the week leading up to Memorial Day – it was important that this Committee honor and remember the ultimate sacrifice that hundreds of thousands of servicemembers made during one of the darkest chapters of our history,” said Chairman Takano. “The best way to honor our fallen servicemembers is to care for our veterans, and continue to support our current servicemembers. Throughout our tour of Europe and North Africa, the delegation had the opportunity to meet with servicemembers and veterans from different walks of life and learned first-hand about their experiences in the military and serving abroad. These conversations, held around dining tables and roundtables, will help us create stronger policies that continue to serve our nation’s veterans.  

“Early in the trip, the delegation laid a wreath in honor of our fallen servicemembers at the North African American Cemetery in Tunisia. On Memorial Day, we visited the Cambridge American Cemetery to pay our respects to the almost 4,000 veterans buried there and laid a wreath on behalf of the U.S. Congress. These solemn moments remind us that the freedoms we enjoy as Americans come at a tremendous cost and that it is our duty to repay that debt to our nation’s veterans.

“I want to thank Representatives Radewagen, Lawrence, and Case for joining me in visiting our servicemembers, veterans, and allies in Tunisia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland, and the United Kingdom.”

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