Democratic presidential contenders Monday took time on Veterans’ Day to laud the sacrifices of the nation’s veterans and their families, pledging to shore up services and keep the promises made in the past as President Trump participated in New York’s parade.

The comments came as the Veterans’ Administration is in the midst of attempting to modernize by converting to electronic health records and improving access by making it easier for veterans to see doctors outside the VA system. More than 8,000 VA employees have been fired since President Trump took office for failing to fulfill their duties, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie told a press conference Friday.

At New York’s parade, Trump bragged to the crowd about killing Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his second-in-command.

“And we have eyes on No. 3,” Trump said. Earlier he tweeted thanks to veterans.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1193852154060197895

But Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said it’s not enough to thank veterans.

“We have to back our platitudes with meaningful action and policies that support our military both during and after service – not just today, but every day,” she said, noting all three of her brothers served in the military.

https://twitter.com/ewarren/status/1193881950710386688

Former Vice President Joe Biden noted less than 1% of Americans serves in the military, shouldering the responsibility for keeping the country safe.

“Our one truly sacred obligation is to properly prepare and equip our troops when we send them to war, and to take care of them and their families – during deployments and when they return home,” his campaign said in a press release.

Biden, whose late son, Beau, served in Iraq, said he would work to ensure service members are paid a competitive wage, support military families and provide services to the children of military members.

“Today, more military families are struggling to make ends meet, and some report food insecurity, lack of quality childcare, and poor financial health. That is totally unacceptable,” the campaign press release said.

Warren has pledged the same level of support and also proposed expanding mental health services, rejected proposals to privatize the Veterans’ Administration and make sexual assault a standalone crime under military law.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who chaired the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said he spent years attempting to ensure “that veterans receive the care and benefits they’ve earned.”

“ As president, I will finally ensure our nation keeps our promise to our veterans,” he tweeted.

South Bend (Ind.) Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who was deployed to Afghanistan as a member of Navy intelligence, said in New Hampshire Monday he would appoint a woman to lead the VA if he is elected and accused the president of letting veterans down.

In other election news, former coal executive Don Blankenship, who lost his third-party bid for the U.S. Senate in West Virginia last year, announced Monday he will run for president as a third-party candidate. Blakenship, who spent a year in prison for violating mine safety standards while he was at Massey Energy, said Trump’s ego prevents him from getting anything done.

“President Trump means well, but he simply cannot get it done because he is too busy mending his self-inflicted wounds and tripping over his ego,” Blankenship said in announcing his candidacy as a Constitution Party candidate. The announcement channeled Trump, with Blankenship pledging to “flush the swamp” and “tightly secure our borders.”

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