WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today issued the following statement on the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor:

“National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day commemorates much more than America’s entry point into World War II, it also serves as a reminder of the debt we owe to the servicemembers who sacrificed their lives to keep our country safe,” Brown said. “The Americans stationed at the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor and the Army airfields that surrounded it knew that they were doing their nation a great service by leaving home, putting on a uniform, and pledging to sacrifice their lives to keep our country safe. They served as an inspiration to those who would defeat tyranny and would become our greatest generation. Today, we honor their service – and sacrifice.”

Brown, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, is the author of several legislative initiatives that would strengthen our nation’s commitment to veterans by improving education reimbursements, enhance access to VA health care, and expand employment protection for former service members. Brown has also worked to reduce VA benefits disparities for Ohio veterans and cut down on the VA claims backlog. Brown cosponsored legislation to help provide job training skills to veterans that was recently signed into law. The Vow to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 provides tax credits to companies that hire unemployed veterans and helps ease the transition to civilian life for returning members of the Armed Forces.