Those Who Have Borne the Battle

"... let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan."

These words, spoken by President Abraham Lincoln in his second inaugural address, at a time when in our nation, many on both sides of the Civil War had suffered physical and mental wounds that would affect the rest of their lives, recognized the moral responsibility that our government must provide for the welfare of veterans and their dependents.

These words have become the mission of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. They are at the core of every organization and program within the Department.

The roots of the modern VA began even before our country became an independent nation. In 1636, the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony passed a law that stated that disabled soldiers would be supported by the colony.

To encourage enlistments, the Continental Congress provided for pensions for disabled soldiers. Individual states and communities provided healthcare to Veterans.

The federal government authorized the first domiciliary and medical facility for Veterans in 1811. In that period, the nation's Veterans assistance program was expanded to include benefits and pensions not only for Veterans, but for their widows and dependents.

In 1917, Congress established a new system of Veterans benefits, including programs for disability compensation, insurance for military personnel and Veterans, and vocational rehabilitation for the disabled.

By the 1920s, three different federal agencies administered the various benefits: the Veterans Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions of the Interior Department, and the National Home for Disabled Veterans.

On August 9, 1921, Congress combined all World War 1 Veterans programs to create the Veterans Bureau. This period marked an ambitious expansion of hospitals to cope with the large numbers of patients suffering from both physical and mental trauma from the horrors of World War 1. Many soldiers had been exposed to mustard gas and other chemicals and fumes that required specialized treatments unknown in civilian hospitals. Tuberculosis and neuro-psychiatric hospitals were opened to accommodate Veterans with respiratory or mental health problems.

On July 21, 1930, President Herbert Hoover signed Executive Order 5398, which elevated the Veterans Bureau to a federal administration - creating the Veterans Administration to "consolidate and coordinate Government activities affecting war veterans."

The Department of Veterans Affairs has continued to evolve to offer additional benefits and services, such as the unemployment benefits, educational assistance, and the VA Home Loan Guaranty Program under the World War II G.I. Bill.

President Reagan elevated the VA to a cabinet-level executive department in October 1988. The Veterans Administration was then renamed the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Through all these changes, the VA has remained faithful to its mission to "to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan."