'I Give Thanks To You': Andy Beshear Praises Veterans During Remarks At VFW Convention

3 months ago

At the 125th VFW National Convention on Monday, Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) spoke about veterans in the United States.

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Transcript

00:00Well, thank you, Commander, for that introduction, and I could not be more proud to look out

00:14and see thousands of American heroes in Louisville, Kentucky, happy 125th VFW Conference.

00:29I recognize that we are land of the free because of the brave.

00:35I am a grandson on one side of a Baptist preacher and on the other side of a World War II veteran.

00:47So I give thanks to God, and I give thanks to you.

00:51I recognize that every opportunity that we have in this country, every opportunity that

00:57our kids, that my kids have, is because of the service and the sacrifice of our veterans

01:04since the inception of this great nation.

01:07Our job is to repay your service by treating our veterans better every single day and creating

01:15more opportunities for your kids and your grandkids than we ever could have imagined.

01:20I am so proud of Kentucky's Department of Veteran Affairs, which is now one of our fourth

01:26straight Abraham Lincoln Pillars of Excellence Award, meaning we provide some of the best

01:31customer service for our veterans in the entire country.

01:41I'm proud of how we serve our veterans that need the most help.

01:45All of our long-term care facilities are either four- or five-star rated, five being the very

01:50highest, and the commander just said it, after 10 years of trying, we are finally building

01:56another veterans nursing home in Bowling Green, the Spiller Center.

02:00It was a long time coming, but we are going to serve our veterans in that community.

02:10And in Kentucky, I am so excited about what we have coming for your kids and for your

02:15grandkids.

02:16See, we are building the biggest, best economy in our history.

02:21Since I've become governor, over 1,000 new location and expansion projects.

02:25We've broken every record for private sector investment, new jobs, best two-year wages,

02:31broken the record for exports, broken the record for tourism.

02:35We're building the two biggest battery plants on planet Earth, 5,000 jobs, and they are

02:40prioritizing hiring our veterans for those jobs.

02:49My promise to you here today, and it's something that's been weighing on my heart, is that

02:54I promise you I will never politicize your service, nor do I think that the United States

03:01ever should.

03:02It became very personal to me after the attack on Tower 22.

03:08The attack on Tower 22 was an attack on our nation.

03:12It took the lives of three service members in Georgia.

03:15What most people didn't know is the Kentucky National Guard was at and was leading the

03:20mission at Tower 22.

03:23And I still remember getting that call, turning on the TV, and seeing an office holder in

03:31Washington, D.C.

03:33The first thing they did was use it to attack somebody in the other party.

03:38They didn't say we're praying for the families of those three service members that were lost.

03:43They didn't say this was an attack on our country and we should all come together.

03:47Because when people attack the United States, we stand up as one people and push back.

03:59We have got to get back to a place where we are Americans first and Democrats and Republicans

04:05second.

04:13And I recognize through my service that the things that people worry about most when they

04:18wake up in the morning aren't political at all.

04:21They're not thinking about polls.

04:22They're not thinking about parties.

04:24They're thinking about their job and whether they make enough to support their family.

04:28They're thinking about their next doctor's appointment.

04:30And I am proud here in Louisville, we are working on a $600 million VA project.

04:36It'll be the newest and best hospital available to our veterans.

04:46People think about the roads and the bridges they drive.

04:48There was a little bit of traffic coming in this morning, but I know whose fault that

04:52is.

04:53They're thinking about the public safety in their community.

04:55They're thinking about the schools they drop their kids off at.

04:59I think we govern best when we don't try to move a country to the right or the left, but

05:04we try to move it forward for all of our people.

05:07It is our veterans that have helped bring us together time and time again, helped us

05:13remember who we are by the example that you set.

05:17You set an example of freedom, where everyone would have the opportunity to pursue their

05:23dreams in this great state, in this great country.

05:26I am grateful for your service.

05:28I am grateful for your sacrifice, but I am also grateful for your leadership.

05:34And at a time when things seem to be boiling in this country, when some neighbors yell

05:38at other neighbors just because a registration box they checked when they were 18 years old,

05:43we need your continued leadership to say there are real enemies out there.

05:49Our enemy is not each other.

05:51And it is our job in this difficult and dangerous world to stand as one country, to show the

05:57rest of the world that the United States is the greatest nation that has ever existed,

06:02and we will continue to be a leader on this world stage.

06:06Welcome to Kentucky.

06:07Thank you all very much.

'I Give Thanks To You': Andy Beshear Praises Veterans During Remarks At VFW Convention

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