Obama salutes vets for ‘extraordinary burdens’

“We cannot, will not, and we must not, balance the budget on the backs of our veterans,” Obama said.

Obama salutes vets for ‘extraordinary burdens’
Veterans eye job initiatives as president speaks at American Legion convention
By Julie Pace - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Aug 30, 2011 13:38:37 EDT
MINNEAPOLIS — Recalling “those awful attacks,” President Obama saluted the 9/11 generation of veterans Tuesday and publicly relished the prospect of U.S. forces getting out of both Iraq and Afghanistan.

“They have borne an extraordinary burden, with more than 2 million of our service members deploying to the war zones,” Obama said. “Hundreds of thousands have deployed again and again, year after year. Never before has our nation asked so much of our all-volunteer force — that 1 percent of Americans who wears the uniform.”

Speaking before thousands of veterans and their families attending the American Legion’s annual convention, Obama said the Americans who have worn the uniform since Sept. 11 have put the nation in a position of strength and have earned their place among the greatest of generations.

“Every day for the past 10 years, these men and women have succeeded together as one American team,” Obama said.

Following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. launched wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; more than 6,200 American troops have been killed and tens of thousands wounded.
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