Please vote for and comment on my 120th LTTE

http://www.thedailylight.com/articles/2008/01/11/opinion/doc4787b500e8452974608975.txt
(The letters are rate on a voting system and by most read-and have a place for reader comments..Thanks!!)

To the Editor,

Believe it or not, we remain at war. You might have forgotten. It’s not mentioned anymore. A total of 3,911 troops have been killed in Iraq, 754 killed in Afghanistan, with 28,661 wounded in Iraq and 7,154 wounded in Afghanistan.

Our nation has shown a pathetic disregard for its care of our veterans of war. Here are a few tidbits for you to consider:

• Since the end of the Vietnam War, 100,000 Vietnam veterans have committed suicide.

• According to numbers recently released by the VA, approximately 245,000 OIF/OEF troops will suffer from PTSD.

• Since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom, 22,000 soldiers have been discharged with a Section 8 (dishonorable) discharge, describing “Personality Disorders” as the reason for discharge. This is a loosely veiled way to avoid paying disability to these veterans with PTSD.

• There were 378,000 disability claims pending in the VA in FY 2006, 84,000 of which had been waiting greater than six months.

• 1.8 million veterans lack health insurance (86 percent of which are employed).

• Nearly 400,000 veterans are homeless.

• Of the 700,000 veterans who served in the Persian Gulf War, 150,000-200,000 are sick. Depleted uranium, Sarin gas and controversial vaccines have left these brave troops with severe neurological disorders, immune system disorders and cancer. Our government has largely refuted any existance of “Gulf War Syndrome.”

I could go on and on. My son and father, uncles and cousins use the VA system for healthcare. They have all served at least once in battle (my son, three times).

According to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, our Texas representatives perform poorly when it comes to “supporting our troops.” Sen. Hutchison is rated a “D” based on her voting record, Sen. Cornyn is rated a “D-” and Congressman Barton is rated a “C.” These are the same individuals who want the common man to keep sending their sons and daughters to a war judged by profit, with no end in sight. We have elections coming up soon in Ellis County. I strongly encourage everyone in Ellis County to do some research on voting records for all our candidates. A photo-op with an amputee does not indicate support. Our veterans deserve sincere support from the government and people they so bravely defended.

and a kick for saturday readers.