Veterans Day gives Americans the opportunity to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of U.S. veterans, both in wartime and in peace. Formerly known as Armistice Day, the November 11 date commemorates the end of World War I.

Although having a holiday dedicated to you is nice, most veterans will tell you that, after years of neglect, a tangible support network would be even better.

Hearing this call, VA funding for veterans’ health care has increased three times in the past three years. In fact, the increase in 2007 set a record as the single largest increase for veterans’ health care in the history of the Veteran’s Administration.

But that’s not the only way the government has taken to caring for the latest generation of veterans that earned their stripes in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Last month the government raised the ante again. Congress passed and the President signed into effect the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act. In a nutshell, the legislation requires Congress to appropriate funding for veterans’ health care one year in advance of the start of each fiscal year, essentially giving the program a one-year head start on other federal programs so that veterans can be given the treatment they deserve.

In 2008, the Veterans Disability Benefits Claims Modernization Act made instant payments to severely wounded veterans and repaired the flawed and broken system of processing claims. The result was a nearly 50% reduction in backlogged claims and that number has continued to improve.

In addition, in light of the gruesome realities of counter-insurgency warfare, the Department of Defense has stopped misdiagnosing psychologically wounded warriors.

Take for example the case of Donald Louis Schmidt of Chillicothe, Illinois. In 2006, while being treated for PTSD after his second combat tour in Iraq – one of his duties entailed picking up body parts left behind by IEDs – his commanders at Fort Carson decided he was no longer mentally fit and discharged him claiming that a “pre-existing personality disorder” made him unfit for duty.

The discharge left Schmidt ineligible for disability pay and benefits. He was also required to return more than $10,000 of his $15,000 re-enlistment bonus.

Since then, the Department of Defense has ceased the practice of misdiagnosing psychologically wounded warriors and two years following his discharge Schmidt has received his benefits check.

More recently, in May, the Help our Homeless Veterans Act was introduced by Rep. Phil Hare. It will mandate that the secretary of veterans affairs dedicate funding for a national media outreach campaign on homelessness, with a special focus on women and veterans with children.

In addition to the proposed bill above, the new G.I. Bill of Rights guarantees access to education and training.

In the recovery from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, our veterans of war need to be awarded the necessary tools and mechanisms that provide access to a job, education and training, health care, and a roof over their head – the things they fought to protect for us.

On this November 11, we should all seek to honor our veterans in deeds, not just words.