Prominent legislators, members of Wisconsin Department of Veteran Affairs and veterans from six different wars celebrated Veterans Day Tuesday in the Wisconsin State Capitol.
Complete with a veteran’s band, color guard, the national anthem and bagpipes, veterans and civilians came together to remember those who have died fighting for the country and those who have returned home.
Among the speakers at the event were Gov. Jim Doyle, U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, and Maj. Margaret Frittitta.
Doyle focused in part on the election that happened exactly one week ago, which he saw as a reaffirmation of all that veterans have fought so hard to preserve.
“One candidate was one of the most revered military veterans … on the other hand, a young man who represented the future of the United States and again what our veterans fought so hard for — for one generation to turn the country over to another generation,” Doyle said.
Doyle also talked about all the benefits Wisconsin offers veterans who have served in the war as one of the best comprehensive packages in the nation, including free public college to veterans as well as services to help veterans find jobs and successfully transfer from military to civilian life.
“This isn’t just to be nice to people we should be nice to. … This is about making the best for the people who will lead this nation for generations to come,” Doyle said.
Baldwin expanded upon this by talking about the G.I. Bill of 1944 and the Expanded G.I. Bill passed by Congress in 2008.
The original G.I. Bill assisted veterans with home mortgages, education and many other facets of life to help veterans return home and settle easily into civilian life.
“It returned $7 back into the economy for every $1 put in,” Baldwin said. “Now that’s what I’d call a good investment.”
She added that Congress is making major steps today to help veterans and give them the respect they deserve. With the passage of the Expansion Bill of 2008, veterans are now eligible for double the amount of benefits including free tuition to any public college.
The keynote speaker of the event was Frittitta, who is with the 452nd Combat Support Hospital in Milwaukee and is a mental health nurse practitioner at the Zablocki VA Medical Center.
Frittitta focused on post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues that plague veterans, describing PSTD as “a natural reaction to an unnatural environment.”
“I see life as a continuum, with birth on one end and death on the other,” Frittitta said. “The military may be a little part of that continuum, but it stays with you.”
She spoke about her experience with veterans who attempt to cope with the atrocities they witness in war through alcohol or drugs. VA programs take in these veterans, detoxify them, educate them and give them a job.
However, not all veterans come back with this disease, as most come back to contribute their skills and leadership to society to make Wisconsin and their nation better for their service.
— Cam Stanley contributed to this report.
