The Department of Veterans Affairs is updating its outdated motto with one that is more inclusive and gender-neutral not to exclude female and nonbinary veterans and military families. “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan,” Lincoln said in his second inaugural speech on March 4, 1865. Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough released the new mission statement on Thursday. It reads, “To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise to care for those who have served in our nation’s military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors.” McDonough committed to examining the slogan upon becoming office in 2021, after years of pressure from campaigners who pointed out that by 2040, women veterans will comprise one out of every five veterans in the United States.