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Nov. 10, 2008 – Senator Louis Patrick Hill is asking all residents of the Virgin Islands to begin Tuesday, Veterans Day, with a prayer that our Virgin Islands service members, who are serving and stationed overseas, return home safely.
"Having served in the Armed Forces," stated Senator Hill, "as my eldest child is now doing in Iraq, I know well that the good will of the populace, in recognizing the contributions to the security of our nation, means a great deal to our service men and women."
Senator Hill continued. "This also holds for our veterans and their families, for their contributions in all conflicts including World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan, who put their lives on hold to serve their country. In addition, we must encourage employers to assist with participation in the National Guard and Reserve by ensuring that their employees who serve on military duty return to their civilian jobs without impediments of any kind."
Senator Hill went on to say that we benefit from our support of service members because of their leadership training, professionalism, technical training, and positive attitude on the job. "Veterans Day in the United States Virgin Islands is particularly significant when we note that on a per capita basis, our territory contributed to the Armed Forces more volunteers than any state in the Union; each and everyone of us should express our gratitude to a veteran tomorrow for their dedication and sacrifice", Hill concluded.