>
> MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY
>
> On Christmas Day, 1878, the New York State
> Soldiers and Sailors Home in Bath, New York,
> opened its doors for the first time, serving
> Christmas dinner to Veterans of the Civil War.
> Around that Christmas table were 25 Soldiers, who
> had fought to preserve the Union during a difficult period of divisions.
>
> By all accounts, the Home was spectacular, built
> in large measure through the leadership of the
> Grand Army of the Republic, with charitable help
> from caring New York residents and the
> communities surrounding the facility. Similar
> festive Christmas meals followed as the number of
> Veterans at Bath grew. By 1907, over 2,100
> Veterans found comfort, care, and communion there among fellow Veterans.
>
> In 1928, Bath became the last of eleven
> installations to come under the Federal
> Government’s national system of Civil War
> Soldiers Homes, which President Abraham Lincoln
> authorized during the last weeks of the Civil
> War. In 1930, when the Veterans Administration
> was established, these eleven facilities
> represented the cradle of American health care
> for Veterans, a legacy the Veterans Health Administration continues today.
>
> The bonds of service around the table at Bath
> remain important. The compassion and devotion we
> owe our Veterans will never diminish, even as the
> services we provide them grow, evolve, and
> greatly transform. Today, the spirit of
> Christmas 1878 endures through Adult Day Health
> Care, Home-Based Primary Care, Community Living
> Centers, and many other options tailored to
> Veterans' needs and preferences. Every day, some
> 134 Community Living Centers across our country
> care for nearly 10,000 resident Veterans, who
> have sacrificed for our well-being as a Nation.
>
> So as we celebrate the Holidays, let us remember
> those who broke bread together around the first
> Christmas dinner table in Bath, New
> York. Remember, as well, all the men and women
> who, in an unbroken line of service since 1775,
> have found themselves on duty during a Holiday
> Season. We at the Department of Veterans
> Affairs, some 330,000 strong, thank them, salute
> their past and present valor, and we pray for
> them and their families and all of our Veterans,
> who have so selflessly given us the gifts of freedom and liberty.
>
> Eric K. Shinseki
>
> MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY
>
> On Christmas Day, 1878, the New York State
> Soldiers and Sailors Home in Bath, New York,
> opened its doors for the first time, serving
> Christmas dinner to Veterans of the Civil War.
> Around that Christmas table were 25 Soldiers, who
> had fought to preserve the Union during a difficult period of divisions.
>
> By all accounts, the Home was spectacular, built
> in large measure through the leadership of the
> Grand Army of the Republic, with charitable help
> from caring New York residents and the
> communities surrounding the facility. Similar
> festive Christmas meals followed as the number of
> Veterans at Bath grew. By 1907, over 2,100
> Veterans found comfort, care, and communion there among fellow Veterans.
>
> In 1928, Bath became the last of eleven
> installations to come under the Federal
> Government’s national system of Civil War
> Soldiers Homes, which President Abraham Lincoln
> authorized during the last weeks of the Civil
> War. In 1930, when the Veterans Administration
> was established, these eleven facilities
> represented the cradle of American health care
> for Veterans, a legacy the Veterans Health Administration continues today.
>
> The bonds of service around the table at Bath
> remain important. The compassion and devotion we
> owe our Veterans will never diminish, even as the
> services we provide them grow, evolve, and
> greatly transform. Today, the spirit of
> Christmas 1878 endures through Adult Day Health
> Care, Home-Based Primary Care, Community Living
> Centers, and many other options tailored to
> Veterans' needs and preferences. Every day, some
> 134 Community Living Centers across our country
> care for nearly 10,000 resident Veterans, who
> have sacrificed for our well-being as a Nation.
>
> So as we celebrate the Holidays, let us remember
> those who broke bread together around the first
> Christmas dinner table in Bath, New
> York. Remember, as well, all the men and women
> who, in an unbroken line of service since 1775,
> have found themselves on duty during a Holiday
> Season. We at the Department of Veterans
> Affairs, some 330,000 strong, thank them, salute
> their past and present valor, and we pray for
> them and their families and all of our Veterans,
> who have so selflessly given us the gifts of freedom and liberty.
>
> Eric K. Shinseki
>
No comments:
Post a Comment