In October 1988, the Cold War was still simmering.World War II was just a generation ago, fresh in many veterans’ minds and in the hearts of families who lost their parents and grandparents in the conflict. More recently, many Americans had fought in the Korean andVietnamWars, and many returned home in need of health care and in search of employment.
October 1988 was the month President Ronald Reagan signed the Department of Veterans Affairs Act, which transformed the independent Veterans Administration agency into a Cabinet-level Department of Veterans Affairs. Congress recognized the government’s sacred obligation to care for America’s veterans by passing the bill, and President Reagan did the same when he signed it.
“I’ve said before that America’s debt to those who would fight for her defense doesn’t end the day the uniform comes off. For the security of our nation, it must not end,” President Reagan said before signing the bill.
