Rep. Rosemary Brown told the gathering at the Veterans Day program at the American Legion Post 927 in Gilbert that the number one function of government is to protect the people, and part of that protection comes from the military and veterans.

"Our veterans have and continue to work oversees and in our homeland to ward off acts of violence, and protect Americans and our freedoms," she said.Brown focused on how Americans would respond if their daily lives were hindered and their freedoms were taken away."Freedom is not free ... but we must slow down every day to respect and recognize the work of our veterans."She also said we must have a deeper appreciation of veterans and recognize their leadership skills, integrity and ethics that make them tremendous individuals, especially with re-entry into the workforce when they return home."To each and every veteran and their families, thank you," she said.Judge Colleen Mancuso talked about her 20-year law career in which she has prosecuted veterans, defended veterans and now as a district court judge she hears cases of veterans.She said they deal with alcohol and drug issues, which she believes comes from the stress of being in the military. The divorce rate is high. Grass-roots organizations have sprung up to help. One such organization is the Veterans Treatment Court, which hears veterans cases' and can deal with their specific needs."It's a good idea, but it needs work. Needs to be expanded. That's where your organization (American Legion) needs to contact the Supreme Court to let them know it needs to be expanded," she said.The Monroe County Veterans Affairs office tries to answer veterans' questions and issues."We're trying. It's only going to get better. Things need to get better for our veterans," Mancuso said.Tara Furman, president of the Post's Ladies Auxiliary, said every American soldier since the Revolutionary War dreams of hearing the words, "welcome home" and being greeted with a hero's homecoming. "Welcome Home" transforms a soldier into a veteran. But some veterans will keep unspeakable memories hidden "but never forgotten."U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mitchel Costa of Effort spoke about his experiences over the past 18 years of service.From 2001-2002, he worked with state police, Homeland Security, and customs in Newark, New Jersey. As a newly promoted sergeant, he was in charge of a team of five soldiers working with civilian authorities to aid the United States in recovery from Sept. 11, 2001.He served in Operation Iraqi Freedom from June 2008-June 2009 that led to the U.S. successful withdrawal in 2012. He was part of a reconnaissance team that worked alongside Special Operations Command conducting small unit tactics with the 10th, 1st and 5th Special Forces Group. He was in charge of managing, training, supervising hundreds of Iraqi soldiers in preparation of the United States drawdown involvement. He was responsible for millions of dollars in assets and several lives spanning over a year while in country.From September to November 2010, he was hand-picked by to lead a platoon for a high visibility overseas multinational European "training mission" with 1-1 Infantry and 193rd Airborne.His list of accolades and awards is lengthy and impressive.Post Commander Thomas Franklin began his address with the fact that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the GI Bill but in 1933 told the American Legion National Convention that "No person because he wore a uniform must thereafter be placed in a special class of beneficiaries over and above other citizens."Franklin said, "What he and others failed to realize at the time is that veterans were not asking to be parts of a 'special class.' They just wanted a shot at the American Dream that they fought so hard to defend."He related how soldiers endure long separations from families."Warriors need advocates, and that is why the American Legion exists. We are here to serve veterans, their families and our communities. Veterans need each other, but more importantly, our country needs our veterans.He implores companies to hire a veteran and for citizens to support veterans."Veterans have given us freedom, security and the greatest nation on earth. It is impossible to put a price on that. We must remember them. We must appreciate them. God bless you all for being here. God bless our veterans and God bless America."