“I know this decision before us can be painful for everyone involved, ... But I also know the BRAC process was created because the institutional adjustments necessary to meet the changing needs of a [developing] environment, while painful, are absolutely necessary.”
“It's important for our nation that our military and our society be close together. That's important for democracy. And it's important for recruiting. It's important for retention. It's important for building support for our engagements overseas.”
“Kids coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan . . . deserve to come back to 21st-century medical care, ... Whatever it costs, we need to incur that cost to provide that world-class care to an extraordinary group of men and women in harm's way.”
