R.I. Sen. Jack Reed: Clinton best suited to lead troops
Regardless of gender, Secretary Clinton is the person most capable of both leading our nation’s troops and fulfilling our sacred responsibilities to them when they return home.
I had the privilege of serving with Clinton on the Senate Armed Services Committee, where I witnessed firsthand her dedication to our troops and their families.
In fall 2003, then-Senator Clinton and I traveled together to Afghanistan, where we met with members of the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division and shared Thanksgiving dinner with troops at Bagram Air Base. During that trip, and throughout her time as a lawmaker, Clinton was laser-focused on ensuring our forces had the resources and equipment they needed, and a strategy that matched their sacrifice.
My father, like Clinton’s, served in the military during World War II. We both were taught from a young age the value of serving our country and the debt we owe to our nation’s veterans.
Unfortunately, Congress and the Veterans Administration have too often failed to stand up for our veterans. In recent years, we have seen some veterans wait months for medical appointments and sometimes years for final decisions on disability claims. As president, Secretary Clinton will ensure veterans’ access to timely and high-quality health care and simplify the claims process. She has announced plans to refocus the Veterans Health Administration as a veteran-centric provider of service-connected care and appoint an oversight board to ensure the VHA remains true to the mission of putting veterans first.
At the same time, Secretary Clinton understands that the solution some have recommended — privatizing the VA — would be a major disservice to our veterans.http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20151117/OPINION/151119423
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This seems a curious turn of phrase. 
But if this is what it takes, we'll take it! 
