i'm going to single out paul reickhoff, thank you very much for being here. but more portly thank you for your advocacy for the veterans. very much appreciate. even a bulldog. crystal nicely, thank you very, very much for being here. we always say when a soldier goes to work their spouse goes with them. we appreciate you being here. it's going to be a great perspective to hear. the welfare of young men and women who defend this country is always at the forefront of our mind. and questioned whether to send into harm's way to begin with is something that can never be taken lightly. in doing so we have to prepare ourselves for the human and monetary costs of the decisions. it's not just about providing the troops armaments and equipment they need and tools they have to be successful in the missions. it's about ensuring we are fully capable of caring for them and their families when they return home. to quote the vfw commander, today this nation cannot afford to take care of her that is, something we should keep in mind as our veterans. for entries both seen and

we will first year from paul reickhoff, executive director and founder of iraq and afghanistan veterans of america. next we'll hear from doctor james hosek, senior economist from the rand corporation. we will hear from mrs. crystal nicely the smh am an opening statement is a caregiver and spouse of an operation enduring freedom veteran. following her testimony we will hear from mrs. lorelei st. james, the director physical infrastructure for the government accountability office, and closing out a pen will be mrs. heidi golding who will be testifying on behalf of congressional budget office. she is cdos principal analyst for military and veterans compensation and the national security division. so thank you again to all of you for being here this morning for the support and. mr. reickhoff, we weekend with you. >> thank you, madam chair, members of the committee. on behalf of iraq and afghanistan and over to a thousand of her members and supporters, many of them are here today, thank you for inviting us to testify in the long-term costs of war for our generation of veterans. i served in i