Sen. Claire McCaskill is set to launch a new television ad across Missouri on Memorial Day that emphasizes her record on veterans issues.

The spot highlights the Democrat’s work to address mismanagement at Arlington National Cemetery and seeks to bolster her credibility as a government watchdog. Visuals of headlines about the scandal at the hallowed burial ground fade on and off the screen over B-roll of gravestones.

“The ultimate sacrifice,” a male narrator says, “met with unspeakable dishonor. At our national cemetery: grave sites misplaced, millions of dollars missing, waste, fraud, the ultimate abuse.”

“So Claire McCaskill passed new laws to toughen oversight and hold the bureaucrats accountable,” the narrator says.

“Because when heroes are laid to rest,” he says over video of a folded flag being handed to someone who appears to be a widow, “the least they deserve is a Senator who never will.”

National Republicans slammed the ad and accused the vulnerable incumbent of attempting to use the sacrifices of military veterans to score political points.

“It’s an interesting strategy by Senator McCaskill to use the gravesites of our fallen heroes to help advance her uphill re-election bid,” said Brian Walsh, communications director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. “But no amount of campaign commercials from Senator McCaskill will cause Missourians to forget that on issue after issue she has been a loyal vote for President Obama and his big government agenda.”

A Democratic source told Roll Call that the ad was backed by $200,000 and scheduled to run for one week.

It’s part of a larger rollout from the campaign on similar issues.

McCaskill will face the winner of a GOP primary between former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman, self-funding businessman John Brunner and Rep. Todd Akin. Roll Call rates this race a Tossup.