Staff Sergeant Travis Atkins

TOP STORY – HONORING FALLEN MONTANA HERO, STAFF SERGEANT TRAVIS ATKINS

On March 27th, I had the honor to attend the White House Ceremony that posthumously awarded Army Staff Sergeant Travis Atkins with the Medal of Honor. Born and raised in Montana, Staff Stg. Travis Atkins enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2000 at age 24. He served in Afghanistan, was honorably discharged in 2003, and reenlisted two years later. Shielding his fellow soldiers from a terrorist attack in Iraq, Atkins died on June 1, 2007 as he tackled and pinned down a suicide bomber who detonated a bomb. Atkins’ quick thinking and selfless actions saved the lives of his fellow soldiers. Atkins initially received a Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism, but after a review by the Department of Defense, he was awarded a Medal of Honor.

SUPPORTING THE MILITARY, VETERANS, AND THEIR FAMILIES

Brigadier General Colleen McGuire, U.S. Army Women’s Hall of  Fame inductee

On Thursday, March 7th, I had the pleasure to meet Brigadier General Colleen McGuire, U.S. Army (retired) from Kalispell. BGen McGuire was inducted into the U.S. Army Women’s Hall of Fame on March 7th and nominated as the Montanan of the Week. A summary of her achievements were inserted into the Congressional Record.

Also on Thursday, March 7th, I had the privilege to speak at the Montana State Society of D.C. breakfast. Dr. Bill Whitsitt, Chairman, USS Montana Committee provided an update on the construction of the USS MONTANA, a Virginia Class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine authorized and funded by Congress.

Honoring the U.S.S. Montana with the Montana State Society. 

 

 

 

REPRESENTING MONTANA AT THE CAPITOL

In March, I was pleased to join Democrat and Rebuplican alike to introduce the following defense and veterans-related bills:

• On March 27th, I introduced S.900, a bill to designate the VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic in Bozeman as the ‘Travis W. Atkins Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic’.

• On March 28th, I was pleased to join Senator Elizabeth Warren’s (MA) S.Res.118, designating April 18, 2019 as Military Retiree Appreciation Day. As an original cosponsor of this legislation, I believe it is important to recognize service members who serve more than 20 honorable years in uniform!

• Currently, we have veterans that served during 12 war eras and are not recognized for membership into the American Legion. It’s time for that to change that! On March 6th, I joined Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s (AZ) S.504 Legion Act. This bill expands the Legion membership authority to include those veterans.

• On March 11th, I joined Senator Tom Udall’s (NM) S.554 Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act.This legislation ensures the burn pit registry is updated with the cause of death of registered individuals, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of the health of individuals on the registry, including if any of their health complications or cause of death were the result of burn pit exposure.

• Understanding the dire need to add more medical providers to VA medical facilities in Montana, I joined Senator Cory Gardner’s (CO) S.450 Veterans Improved Access and Care Act of 2019 on March 11th. This bill requires the VA to carry out a pilot program to expedite the onboarding process for new medical providers. This program seeks to reduce wait times to less than 60 days.

• On March 13th, I joined Senator Jackie Rosen’s (NV) S.537 Hire Student Veterans Act to expand the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) for student veterans using their GI benefits and taking advantage of paid internships or work opportunities while in school.

• To authorize the mint of coins that commemorate the centennial establishment of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, I joined Senator Tom Cotton’s (AR) S. 639 Tomb of the Unknown Solider Centennial Coin Act on March 4th.

• On March 12th, I joined Senator Johnny Isakson’s (GA) S.743 Merrill’s Marauders Gold Medal Bill to honor the clandestine special forces known as Merrill’s Marauders (5307th Composite Unit – Provisional) that bravely fought Japanese forces deep in the mountains of Burma during WWII.

Feel free to share your thoughts!

Best Wishes,

Steve Daines
United States Senate