For more than one hundred years, Americans have paused on Memorial Day to remember and mark the sacrifice of those who gave the “last full measure of devotion.” It is about our fallen heroes — children and spouses, siblings and cousins, friends and neighbors — and their fight for our freedom.

On this Memorial Day, let’s recall that President Lincoln first tasked our nation’s Department of Veteran Affairs with the noble responsibility: “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.” While many veterans are well-served by the VA, many, many others report to me that the VA has failed them and this sacred duty.