Grand Canyon Times

On Nov. 11, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey released a statement via a video on his YouTube channel in honor of Veterans Day.

“On this Veterans Day, Arizona recognizes the brave men and women who have honored their country with their selfless service," he said in the message. “These patriots have defended our freedoms, our liberty and our democracy – something we as a nation practiced this week.

“President Ronald Reagan once said, ‘Veterans have given their best for all of us, and we must continue to do our best by them.’ In Arizona, we work every day to live by those words and do right by our veterans. We’ve lowered barriers to help veterans find work. We’ve decreased financial burdens so they may keep more of their hard-earned money. We’ve created resources to help them connect with mental health services and other members of their community. And we’ve found more ways to honor the devoted people who stand behind veterans no matter what – their families. This year, we launched a program to waive in-state higher education tuition for veterans’ spouses.

“Our veterans embody service before self. For many of these heroes, their sense of duty doesn’t stop when their service ends. As citizens, our veterans are natural leaders and problem solvers. These excellent qualities are why we launched AZHiresVets! this year to double veterans in the state workforce."

One measure cited that supports veterans is the Arizona Roadmap to Veteran Employment, which was developed in partnership by the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services, the Arizona Coalition for Military Families, and public- and private-sector partners; a news release from the governor's office said. The Roadmap is a statewide plan that engages organizations to connect service members and their families to employment opportunities and other resources.

“In spite of some of the challenges they face after service, our veterans are some of those who make the biggest impact in our communities," Ducey continued. "They inspire all of us.

“So on this Veterans Day, I encourage every Arizonan to find ways to give back to our veterans. Thank them for their sacrifices to preserve what we hold dear. Listen to their stories. Learn from their experiences.

“To all our veterans in Arizona and around the country — thank you. You are one of the many reasons why this is the greatest country on Earth. God bless our veterans, God bless our troops, and God bless the United States of America."