Two years ago, I met a young man with character a lot of old men will never know. His name is Jon Soltz.
Jon is a veteran who served his country in Kosovo and Iraq. For five long months from May to September of 2003, he was a Captain with the 1st Armored Division. Jon was called back up to our country's service in 2005 when he spent a year at Fort Dix, training soldiers as they prepared to go serve in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Between Jon's tours, he worked day and night on my presidential campaign in Pennsylvania. I'll never forget what Jon said to me as I stepped off a plane back in 2004. He's told me I was the first veteran he met after he came home. Nothing anyone said to me on the campaign trail made me prouder. It was an honor to tell him something too many vets haven't heard enough: "Welcome home."
There's not enough understanding of what it's like to try and transition from the life of a soldier on the battlefield into the life of a civilian overnight. Jon says, "I'm not the same person I used to be." War changes you. It makes you think about life differently. Simple things. Some of my closest friends have an expression: 'Every day above ground is extra.' You live for the guys who didn't make it back. Jon is living that way every single day whether he's heard those words or not.
And that's why I want to introduce you to Jon today -- to let everyone know about his latest battle. Jon is the head of a terrific group called VoteVets.org whose mission it is to not only get young Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans like Patrick Murphy elected but also to hold our nation's leaders accountable for the decisions they make that impact our soldiers, their families and our veterans. Politicians should have to answer to veterans, not just try to use them as backdrops to speeches. Jon and his group have worked incredibly hard and they're going to keep fighting right up to November 7th and for a long time after that. I'm hoping you'll consider joining them on their mission. Please visit their site for more information, of if you would like to support them with their mission by donating, please click here.
Jon, I'll never forget what you did in 2004. Welcome home -- and keep fighting.