On Tuesday, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell welcomed an accomplished Vietnam veteran from Leitchfield to his office in the U.S. Capitol.
Carl Kaelin not only served in Vietnam, but is a former National Chief of Staff of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Kaelin, along with other veterans, thanked McConnell for utilizing his role as Senate Majority Leader to be a vigorous advocate for Kentucky’s veterans, service members and military families.
Kaelin said Kentucky’s veterans know they have a champion in McConnell, as he listen to their needs and then works to get their needs met.
“Sen. McConnell’s many accomplishments for our veterans—including securing full funding for the new Louisville VA Medical Center and the passage of the VA MISSION Act—keep our nation’s commitment to those who selflessly defended our way of life,” Kaelin said. “The VFW presented Sen. McConnell with our Commander-in-Chief Gold Medal of Merit award in 2018 in recognition of his unwavering support for veterans, service members and their families. Kentucky is proud to have one of the top congressional leaders fighting for us, and I’m confident we will continue to benefit as a result.”
McConnell said that honoring the men and women who serve our country in uniform is one of his “highest callings.”
“I’m grateful to work with the members of the VFW to support the organization’s extraordinary impact on communities throughout our country,” McConnell said. “Partnering with President Trump, we have invested record funding into the VA and finally secured the remaining funding for a new, modern hospital in Louisville to serve Kentucky veterans. No government program can completely repay the debt we owe to our veterans, but I’ll keep working as Senate Majority Leader to support those who have risked their lives to keep us safe.”
McConnell has long been a leader in Congress for Kentucky veterans and has been a vigorous advocate for Kentucky’s service members and military families. In December 2019, McConnell secured the remaining $410 million needed for construction of the new Robley Rex Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Louisville, in the Fiscal Year 2020 government-funding agreement.
Additionally, this legislation provided a well-deserved pay raise for service members — the largest increase in a decade. The legislation was signed into law by President Trump.
(Headline photo: L-R: Carl Kaelin, Sen. Mitch McConnell, Martha Lain of Louisville, James Curry of Harlan)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
