Legionnaires,
Victory is within sight for granting VA healthcare to toxic-exposed veterans – but we need your help and every Legionnaire in the fight. Act now by contacting your Senators and urge them to vote YES for the Honoring Our PACT Act.
In April, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that he would bring the Honoring Our Pact Act to a vote on the Senate floor around Memorial Day. However, there is opposition from those who believe this comprehensive toxic exposure legislation is too expensive. There is a significant chance the bill will fail without bipartisan support. It is for this very reason that it took decades for VA to provide relief for veterans of Vietnam exposed to Agent Orange. The U.S. government still has yet to finish its work for Vietnam veterans, and we have begun the cycle anew with the current generation of service members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We must break this cycle of care that is considered “too little, too late” for our veterans. They cannot wait decades to receive the care they need and rightfully deserve. As our National Commander Paul E. Dillard said at this week’s Spring National Executive Committee meeting, “President Lincoln’s promise –‘To Care for Him Who Shall Have Borne the Battle’ defines who we are as an American Legion. Does it define us as a country?”
We need you to follow our National Commander’s lead and contact your Senators. Please tell them to vote “YES” in support of this landmark legislation and share with your fellow Legionnaires and veterans advocates.
Daniel J. Seehafer
National Legislative Commission Chairman
Author: National HQ
Published with permission. The American Legion is built on a promise from men and women who swore with their lives to defend and protect the United States through military service. The promise begins at enlistment, grows through training and discipline in the U.S. Armed Forces and continues after discharge, as veterans in service to community, state and nation.
