Gov. Gregoire honors veterans at Tahoma ceremony

For Immediate Release: May 26, 2008

KENT � Gov. Chris Gregoire today marked Memorial Day by honoring the thousands of Washington men and women who have served in the military, and called for continued support of veterans returning from service.

Speaking at a Memorial Day service at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Gregoire said attending funeral services for the Washingtonians who have fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan has strengthened her resolve to honor this nation�s veterans.

�We must help Washington families who have served their country, be it through new programs to help them ease back into society with counseling, education and training, or by helping to relieve the stresses of spouses while husbands and wives are at war,� Gregoire said.

Washington is one of just five states to offer assistance to returning troops and their families for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Washington spends $2.5 million a year to help servicemen and women and their families with PSTD, focusing the resources on rural areas rarely reached by federal Veterans Administration dollars.

In addition, First Gentleman Mike Gregoire, a Vietnam combat veteran, is working with Department of Veteran Affairs Director John Lee on the �Helmets to Hardhats� initiative, which connects veterans with skilled family wage jobs around the state.

And since the Veterans Innovations Program was established two years ago along with $2 million in funding, more than 400 National Guard veterans returning from deployment and their families have received immediate cash and help to find living wage employment.

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