By this author

williamgast@wesupportthevets.com

meet me in St Louis Mr. President July 24,2003                                 

The pressure is on July 18,2003

This week's progress May27,2003

Define Hypocrisy June 12,2003

where are they now? June 15,2003

Promises made, promises kept? June 2,2003

We have a question..   June15 2003.

Where are they now???

WE have heard the usual message year after year from the Veterans Service Organizations after Restoration of Retired Pay for disabled Military Retirees is defeated. “We tried; we just couldn’t get it passed” and such painful excuses as “This administration is just not going to permit benefits and retired pay.”

The choir sings from the same sheet and they all have their photos taken and return to their offices and go on to another issue that will bring membership attention.

Where are these major VSO’S now? Now that this legislation is in a critical phase of review and voting, they are not to be heard.

The media is playing the same hide and seek game. No mention of the most important legislation for disabled veterans in years. Not one major news program has faced the subject of Senator Reid’s floor vote or Congressman Jim Marshall’s discharge petition.

As a matter of fact, we called the clerk of the House to see why the discharge Petition was not on the website---anywhere. There is a section called “Discharge Petitions” on a page with ONE l listed from this 108^th Congress.

http://clerk.house.gov/legisAct/votes.php

Why??

We have contacted by e-mail and letter thirty-six major news organizations and talk show programs and not one has returned a single e-mail or letter. We have linked to other veteran’s organizations that support this fight for injustice of military retired pay offset. The USDR was the very first to not only contact us by phone but their officers and  webmaster turned out in force to assist in any way they could to help us get the word across to the public. These are sincere, dedicated individuals that have been in the fight for a long time and we are proud to have them on our team.

If the larger veterans service Organizations such as VFW, American Legion, and FRA were truly representative of their membership, they would be out in force on TV, radio and printed media about what is going on in Washington right now.

They are silent—why??

 Yesterday I received a letter from one of the above organizations requesting why I had not sent in my enrollment.  The plea for my membership was stated thus:

“It is imperative that *** maintains a strong enlisted voice on Capitol Hill to prevent enlisted personnel concerns from being overlooked or ignored. (Obviously, one way to garner influence on the hill would be for *** to establish a political Action committee (PAC) that targets money to certain officials and /or political parties. But this is something *** vehemently objects to and will not participate in, *** is a nonpartisan, individual-member organization that does not have a PAC and does not give money to any elected official or political party.}”

The letter continues, “”You are needed because we have found from our extensive experience in Washington, the size of our membership combined with our focused efforts and strength of character is what work….” (This organization has approximately one hundred thirty-five thousand retired, active and reserve personnel.)

And the line that hit a nerve? “By returning your enrollment today, you lend more clout to our hard work on the hill- to ensure that your COLA doesn’t get cut, and to strive for “concurrent receipt” ( not having your military retired pay cut back when you receive VA  compensation,….”

This letter pretty much says it all. The larger VSO’s want ; A. larger membership. B. Don’t want to shake the boat by acting aggressively like a PAC, and;  C.. Want membership to support THEM  as (what they consider, as important issues) a stronger voice on the hill.

It’s up to the individual to make known our concerns and (yes) demands. If this organization I have just described above would ask their membership of 135,000 to each send a check for fifty cents to the President and the VFW would do the same and on and on, would there be a voice heard in Washington then? You bet.

But for now, we will have to do it on our own.

And we are doing it.

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