Veterans deserve full care and benefits. Barack Obama is committed to those who serve.

Having served in the Army Reserves in Bosnia and the Maine Army National Guard in Iraq, I’ve seen the service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform.

In Iraq, I served alongside 500 other Mainers. We built schools, medical clinics and repaired much of northern Iraq’s infrastructure. We worked long hours and were proud of what we accomplished. We also saw our share of casualties from roadside bombs, mortars and a suicide bomber attack in our chow hall in Mosul.

The soldiers I served with carried out their mission with commitment, honor and bravery. But too often, American soldiers return home to find themselves fighting another battle – a battle to get the care and benefits they earned.

I returned from Iraq with a service-connected disability and received medical treatment though the Veterans Administration. While VA staff work hard to help service members, veterans’ care is underfunded and understaffed. As more service members return from combat, we need a president who will make veteran health care a priority again.

This is what makes me proud to support Sen. Barack Obama for president.

I support Obama because he believes keeping faith with those who serve is a cornerstone of American patriotism that begins at enlistment – and should never end. As Americans, we must recognize patriotism is a two-way street. We’ve seen those who have served honorably struggle with unemployment and homelessness. And, we’ve seen the terrible consequences of a system ill-equipped to handle the reality that, for many soldiers, wars do not end when the battles do.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Although many aspects of the war in Iraq have gone wrong, caring for our nation’s veterans is one thing we can still get right.

That is why I have chosen to lead Maine Veterans for Change, a group of veterans working to elect Barack Obama as president. We are hosting town hall meetings and talking veteran-to-veteran about why we believe Obama is the best choice in this election. The first was held this week in Lewiston.

Obama will provide new leadership and a strong commitment to those who serve. As a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, he led bipartisan efforts to improve outpatient facilities at critical places like Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

He has fought to ensure claims of disabled veterans were heard fairly and pass laws to give military families health care and a year of job protection, so they never have to choose between caring for a loved one and keeping a job.

As president, Obama has committed to building a 21st-century VA that gives every servicemember the care they need, when they need it. He would fully fund VA health care, add more Vet Centers and allow every veteran into the VA system – no more red tape, no more shortfalls, no more delays and no more means-testing.

And Sen. Obama has a simple principle about homeless veterans: zero tolerance.

The war doesn’t end for troops or their families when they come home. Only half of returning troops diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) receive treatment they need. We must do better than this.

In the Senate, Obama helped lead bipartisan efforts to stop unfair practice of discriminating against troops who suffer from PTSD. As president, he would improve mental health screening and treatment at all levels, including for the other signature injury of this war, traumatic brain injury.

America faces threats and must be tough and smart in the age of global terrorism. Obama has the strength to refocus America on its broader security threats and understands making America more secure requires sending troops into the right battles for the right reasons. He had the foresight to stand against the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and has the vision and ability to re-deploy our troops safely and responsibly now.

It’s time to elect a commander-in-chief who will rededicate America to serving those who have worn the uniform of the United States. It’s time to give our veterans the change they deserve.

Adam Cote is chair of Maine Veterans for Change, a committee of the Obama For America campaign.