In today's Global War on Terrorism, our military men and women are performing incredible work and sacrificing so much to defend American families. In addition to our active military forces, since September 11^th members of the National Guard in every state and Reservists across every military branch have made immeasurable sacrifices for our nation while accepting an even larger role abroad. Our own South Carolina National Guard has deployed air and army units to Iraq and Afghanistan, and in Afghanistan today, the 218^th Brigade Combat Team, my former unit, led by Brigadier General Bob Livingston, is doing a remarkable job training Afghani police.

Under current law, National Guard members and Reservists, unlike regular active military, must wait until the age of 60 before they are eligible to receive retirement benefits. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2008 addressed this situation by creating a credit system for those that served active duty, allowing Guard and Reserve members to receive retirement benefits before the age of 60. The bill provides that for every 90 days of combat duty, three months of credit will be given toward retirement. Thus, a Guardsman mobilized for 12 months would start receiving retirement benefits at the age of 59, instead of age 60.

More than 600,000 Guardsmen and Reservists have been mobilized since September 11^th and more than 145,000 have served multiple tours of duty. Unfortunately, their active duty service will not be counted toward this early retirement credit system because current law only applies to those who serve active duty after the 2008 NDAA was enacted into law.

As someone who has seen firsthand the incredible work our National Guard and Reservists do - both as a member of the Guard and father of sons serving - I am disappointed that this gap in eligibility remains.

At the end of last year, I introduced H.R. 4930, the National Guardsmen and Reservists Parity for Patriots Act, which simply amends the date of enactment of the early retirement provision to September 11^th. That would cover all the Guardsmen and Reservists who were mobilized and honorably served our nation in the Global War on Terrorism. It ensures that all of our Guardsmen and Reservists who have fought on the front lines get their due recognition. I am pleased with the bipartisan support this legislation has garnered so far, and I am encouraging my colleagues here in Congress to take up this initiative.

These soldiers are on the front lines of the Global War on Terror. They deserve our support and appreciation.