George W. Bush Aims to Help Vets

Former President George W. Bush Aims to Help Vets
Stars and Stripes
by Jon Harper
Feb 20, 2014

WASHINGTON — Former President George W. Bush hosted a Military Service Initiative Summit on Wednesday, and spoke about the many problems facing post-9/11 veterans and how his institute hopes to address them.

“A lot of people ask me, you know, do I miss much about being president. The answer really [is] no, [but] I do miss saluting men and women who volunteer to defend our nation during war. Many are coming home and are preparing for new missions as civilians. And I intend to salute these men and women for the rest of my life … And through the Military Service Initiative, the [George W.] Bush Institute is going to help [them],” Bush said at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas.

“Since 9/11, more than 2.5 million Americans have worn the uniform … They are the 1 percent of America who kept the 99 percent safe. And we owe them and their families a deep debt of gratitude. Our country can never really fully repay our vets, but we ought to try.”

Bush said his institute’s plans have been shaped by a joint study that the organization conducted with the Syracuse University Institute for Veterans and Military Families, which he described as “one of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted of post-9/11 veterans.” The full results won’t be released until the spring, but Bush gave the audience a preview of the study’s findings. He said the study yielded the following insights:

Of the 2.5 million post-9/11 veterans, more than 2 million served in Afghanistan or Iraq

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