Husted backs bills to support veterans and honor fallen heroes

WASHINGTON - Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) joined two bills to support veterans, the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act and the Service Dogs Assisting Veterans (SAVES) Act.

The Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act would identify American-Jewish servicemembers buried under grave markers that do not represent their religious heritage and conduct a grave marker change.

"American-Jewish servicemembers who gave the last full measure in defense of our nation deserve to be honored according to their faith. This bill would provide the means to locate Jewish servicemembers buried under a Christian Cross, notify families of the mistake and begin the process of replacing the headstone with a Star of David. Families and descendants of Jewish servicemembers should be able to visit their ancestors' final resting place knowing the United States honors their faith and devotion to their country," said Husted.

The Service Dogs Assisting Veterans (SAVES) Act would create a pilot program at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide grants to experienced, non-profit service dog organizations. The grants would fund service dogs for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), limb loss, blindness, deafness and other afflictions.

"Our veterans sacrificed their health, safety and well-being in service to our country. Too many of them are dealing with the consequences of war on their own. As many War on Terror veterans continue to deal with the aftermath of their service, Congress has a duty to make sure they have the resources they need-including service animals. I'm proud to support the SAVES Act to provide hurting and disabled veterans with a K9 companion," said Husted.

Full text of the bills is available here and here.