During remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) spoke about President Trump's 'peace through strength' policy.
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00:00Mr. President, I rise today to honor Military Appreciation Month.
00:05This is a time to renew our commitment, our nation's commitment, our individual commitment,
00:09to those who defended our nation. They defend our freedom.
00:13They've done it in the past, they're doing it today, and they will continue to do it into the future.
00:18Most importantly, it's a time to say thank you.
00:22In Wyoming, our pride in the military runs very deep.
00:26This Saturday in Wyoming, there will be a welcome home ceremony.
00:29It will actually be in a number of communities throughout the state.
00:32This originally began as a welcome home to Vietnam veterans,
00:36who were never given the proper welcome home when they came home from the war.
00:41This weekend, all Wyoming veterans will be honored and welcomed home.
00:46Tens of thousands of service members, veterans, and military families live in Wyoming.
00:52Our airmen at F.E. Warren Air Force Base maintain our nation's nuclear deterrent.
00:57Our Wyoming National Guard, they are ready to serve, and they're ready to serve at a moment's notice.
01:03All of them embody America's spirit.
01:06It is a privilege to represent each and every one of them here in the United States Senate.
01:10Let me take you back a moment to the changing world happening in 1945, May 8, 1945.
01:18It was Victory in Europe Day, VE Day.
01:23On that day, the world celebrated the triumph of liberty over tyranny.
01:30That triumph of liberty was paid for by the blood and the bravery of 16 million Americans who served.
01:37And one of those was my father.
01:40I have his dog tags with me. I carry them whenever I travel overseas, whenever I visit our veterans,
01:46whenever I visit our men and women in uniform.
01:49I did it earlier this year in Jordan and in Syria.
01:53I did it at Thanksgiving in the Middle East.
01:56I did it last spring in Djibouti, where we had members of our Air National Guard serving there.
02:03I also have his prayer book called My Military Missile.
02:09These were given out in World War II in the Battle of the Bulge.
02:13They used them. On the back was a rosary.
02:16The beads printed in there as if in Braille with a crucifix.
02:20And this rosary has been well-worn, used by his thumb because he was walking and had it in his pocket on patrol.
02:29He signed up three days after Pearl Harbor, my father did.
02:33He fought through the war, through the bitter cold of the Battle of the Bulge, didn't come home until the war was over.
02:39My dad called the men who were in uniform at the time, ordinary men with extraordinary courage.
02:47Their lessons endure today.
02:50Weakness provokes, but strength deters.
02:55Here we are 80 years later, and we face a dangerous world.
03:00Our enemies are aggressive, menacing, and powerful.
03:04Very few of those men who fought in World War II are alive today.
03:09Very few.
03:12We celebrated the Battle of the Bulge and had ceremonies with those few in Bastogne this past December.
03:24They are gone. There is a next generation today and a generation after that.
03:29And under the bold leadership of President Trump, our military is rising to meet the challenge that we are facing today.
03:36And we are today restoring peace through strength.
03:41In 100 days, President Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth have made our military stronger and, of course, more respected around the world.
03:50Recruiting is soaring.
03:52The last month was the best month in almost 40 years.
03:57I was in Mills, Wyoming, for a pancake breakfast at the Lions Club.
04:02On Saturday morning, I met two young men who were helping to volunteer serving pancakes.
04:08One is going to go to the Naval Academy and one to West Point.
04:14The next generation, ready to serve, ready to defend, ready to protect.
04:22So what we're seeing today is maintaining military strength at a time where investment is needed.
04:29And that's what this Congress is debating.
04:31Because the greatest generation built the arsenal of democracy.
04:34And we carry on that by modernizing our military.
04:39Under unified Republican government, America is embracing the new technology, such as artificial intelligence, to outpace our adversaries.
04:48We're rebuilding our industrial base.
04:51We're expanding shipbuilding, so our Navy remains the world's finest.
04:56And, boy, what a reputation the Navy SEALs have, Mr. President, in your long and distinguished history of service to our nation.
05:06Now in the Senate, but prior to that in the military.
05:09And your wife as well.
05:11We're improving the quality of life of service members and their families.
05:15Because a supported military is a strong military.
05:20We're creating an iron dome for America, so our nation is safe from danger.
05:25In all, we are investing more than $150 million in peace through strength.
05:30These efforts, backed by bold leadership, equip our military to deal with the lives in a dangerous and menacing world.
05:39Military strength is not enough.
05:42VE Day reminds us that defending freedom also demands moral clarity.
05:47That means championing the values of liberty and justice.
05:51The values that Americans have always stood for.
05:54The Minutemen of Lexington and Concord stood for them.
05:58The Paratroopers of Normandy stood for them.
06:02Wyoming's troops serving around the world today continue to stand for them.
06:08I visit with Wyoming troops every year overseas at Thanksgiving.
06:13I go wherever they are.
06:14It started in 2007, my first year in the Senate, when I visited troops in Iraq, outside of Baghdad, Anbar Province.
06:23I try to visit every deployment of our National Guard.
06:26I just got back from visiting the troops in the Middle East in March.
06:30I go for the purpose of thanking them for their service and bringing a little piece of Wyoming to wherever they are in the world.
06:40When you go visit with them, you ask, do you have everything you need?
06:42Is there anything we can be helpful?
06:43But they want to talk about home.
06:45They want to talk about how the hunting was, how the weather is, how the football team has done.
06:51They want to talk about their families, which community they were from, and then their mission to make sure that the folks at home are protected so they can return to Wyoming and be with them once again.
07:07Those currently deployed overseas are eight time zones away.
07:12You know, you want to make sure they have everything they need, and they do in terms of what they're getting in terms of supplies.
07:18They just miss a little bit of home in Wyoming.
07:21We are blessed to have these soldiers.
07:23We're blessed to have soldiers from all of our states serving like this.
07:28People from all different backgrounds come to serve, and today I just want to be here to remember our history and think about the sacrifices that so many continue to make.
07:43We honor them by doing what we need to do here to make sure that they are equipped to fight the modern threats that they face.
07:52We honor them by uniting as a nation to support them.
07:56We honor them by making sure that they have veterans' health care available to them in their communities.
08:06We talked to Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins about making sure that the veterans have what they need, and he, as a veteran, is committed to that.
08:16Today we celebrate Military Appreciation Month, so let's thank our heroes who fought for our liberty.
08:21Thank them who served today.
08:23Thank their families.
08:25Thank them who sacrificed, as you and your family have done.
08:28That's their commitment.
08:31Because of their courage, America remains safe.
08:34It remains free.
08:36And with bold leadership that we have today, it will stay that way.
08:42Thank you, Mr. President.
08:44I yield the floor.