Editor:

Veterans are the Foundational bedrock on which this nation was founded. Once our republic was established, veterans then became the supporting pillars which kept us intact war after bloody war after bloody war.

There are 700,000 Veterans in Georgia. Of those, around 59,000 have a serious employment handicap (SEH) who, due to their disability are rated 100 percent disabled or individual unemployable (TDIU).

Nationwide those figures jump to 1,274,000. It’s been reported that since 2012 more service members have died from suicide than in combat, annually in the 20-22 per day range. These 1.2 million severely disabled veterans are the most susceptible to becoming one of those fatal terrible statistics, and that includes 59,000 Georgians.

The VA has a benefit proven to help those disabled Veterans from becoming one of those 20/ day but have all but stopped granting it the last 6 years or so.

So what about our veterans?

In the last several months, I’ve probably seen or heard more than a thousand commercials for folks who are currently in office and want to stay there or those who want to replace them. The phone has undoubtedly rung many hundred times begging for support from incumbents and candidates alike. And through the postal system have come enough mailings that if stacked would be higher than Jack’s beanstalk.

So what about our veterans?

Not one of the incumbents or one of the candidates have found it necessary to promise to address this national dilemma, even though they have been made aware of it, some of them repeatedly. One sitting member of the jouse has said privately “I’m working on it, but these things take time.” Of course he’s been saying that for 6 years.

For the incumbents and the wanna-be’s to neglect those who have and are paying a heavy price for our Republic is unconscionable?

WHY SHOULD OUR NATION’S VETERANS SUPPORT YOU WHEN ALL WE HEAR FROM YOU IS DEAFENING SILENCE?

Bruce A McCartney, SFC, USA (ret – CH61) RVN 7/68 – 7/72 DUSTOFF Medic Combat Medic