Veterans: Sacrificial Lambs

All Americans should contact their respective members of Congress and Senate and advise them to do what is right for our veterans.

(MEDIA, PA) - Our Legislators have no qualms sending our men and women in uniform into harms way. We who served and those who continue to serve do what is expected in service for our Country, even if it means the giving of our life. Eventually we become Veterans.

Some of us at some point need help from our government, usually in the form of VA benefits. A Senate Bill S.1982 would have included disability compensation, pensions, survivor benefits and education, vocational training rehab, opening of new VA clinics and medical facilities and cost of living adjustments for military retires; naming a few benefits.

S.1982, titled: Comprehensive Veterans Health and Benefits, a Bill to improve provisions of service and benefits to veterans. The Bill failed passage in the Senate by a vote of 56 to 41, needed was 60 Yea votes. All Democrat Senators voted Yea. The Bill failed because of the Republican vote of Nay. Those Senators who disagreed was due to

$21 billion budget spread out over ten years. Our veterans are not worth the dollars. Where does that place the veterans, they still have to continue to beg for VA benefits.

Where is the accountability when it come to veterans benefits? It seems many of our legislators do not understand accountability. Must veterans continue to carry budget cuts on their backs?

There is still an active House Bill HR-543, The Vietnam Agent Orange Act for Blue Water Navy. Will this Bill fail as well? We used to be able to count on our elected Congress and Senate who would send us off to war. We counted on them to do the right thing when we would be in need of help, no more, so what happened?

All Americans should contact their respective members of Congress and Senate and advise them to do what is right for our veterans.

By: John J. Bury, U.S. Navy, retired