ORLANDO — A dozen wartime years are winding down, but the job of caring for veterans new and old is only just beginning, President Barack Obama told thousands of veterans in Orlando on Saturday.

“So long as I’m the United States’ president, I will make it my mission to make sure that America is right there beside you every step of the way,” Pres. Obama told the Disabled American Veterans National Convention.

“This time of war may be coming to an end, but the job of caring for veterans goes on, and our work caring for our newest veterans has only just begun.”

The President and First Lady Michelle Obama addressed a Hilton ballroom loaded with military caps, motorized scooters, wheelchairs and more than 3,000 veterans before heading to Martha’s Vineyard for a family vacation.

“We are not where we need to be, but we are making progress,” Pres. Obama said. “Finally the backlog is shrinking. In the last five months alone, it’s down nearly 20 percent. We’re turning the tide.”

The president outlined a new, $100 million initiative for research into brain injuries and mental health challenges, including post-traumatic stress disorder and what he called “this epidemic of suicide among our veterans and troops.”