(Up goes the diary from Charlie. We’ll have video from the Calitics interview soon. – promoted by Brian Leubitz)
Yesterday was a powerful press day in CA 04, most notably on the Opinion page of the Auburn Journal.
As all of you know, the treatment afforded American veterans has long been a national disgrace—and like so many of the challenges we face, it’s not a new problem either. That’s why Charlie is not waiting for January of 2009 to make a difference for America’s veterans–donating 5% of campaign contributions to help those most in in need in our community.
Last week here in CD4, some of our well travelled, career politician opponents actually attacked Charlie for his Promises Kept Veterans Charity Challenge.
The Auburn Journal weighed in with an editorial here.
And then somthing else happened—30 local veterans, including more than a dozen vets of Iraq and Afghanistan submitted a response of their own. Wanted to share their comments with all of you, below the flip.
A MESSAGE TO CAREER POLITICIANS FROM ARMED FORCES VETERANS
It’s no secret that career politicians like to talk tough about national security, spout empty slogans, and spend their campaign war chests on mail and TV ads describing their supposed “support for our troops.”
Most haven’t worn the uniform, or fought for our country. They haven’t sent their own children off to war – just other people’s kids. And they haven’t seen the men and women they served with be-come casualties of war long after they returned home.
But we have.
Last week, something unprecedented in our country’s history happened here in Roseville. While politicians in both parties used the Iraq War Anniversary for pontificating and armchair quarterback-ing, a local candidate for office (himself a 26-year vet with a son going back for his fifth rotation in Iraq) made good on a pledge to donate 5% of money raised in his congressional campaign to non profit organizations helping veterans and families in need. He gave away $17,500 last Thursday – just a down payment.
It’s not widely publicized, but community based nonprofits do a lot of heavy lifting in terms of out-reach and service delivery for veterans – and there’s a lot of heavy lifting to be done.
War carries lasting scars that aren’t always visible. 1 in 3 homeless is a veteran – and we don’t come home that way. Veterans are twice as likely to commit suicide, and are at greater risk for sub-stance abuse, family and other problems than their civilian counterparts. Chronically under funded by politicians, the VA is already stretched to its breaking point – and even with recent funding in-creases, will be for decades to come. That’s where community based services, like the ones Charlie Brown is supporting, play the crucial role of filling in the gaps.
Instead of applauding the effort, or matching Charlie with 5% of their own, Doug Ose and Tom McClintock attacked Brown for putting attention and resources towards solving a problem that politi-cians have ignored for generations.
McClintock called the plight of American veterans a “non story.” Ose, who spent the past two years and thousands of his riches defending another career politician named John Doolittle, attacked Brown’s historic pledge as “politically expedient.”
Marine Sergeant and Iraq War Veteran Cody Conway introduced Charlie on Thursday. Cody was injured outside Baghdad, but stayed in the fight. When he got home, he was abandoned by his gov-ernment, and began spiraling towards rock bottom.
Cody will tell you that it was his friends, community based veterans groups, and fellow veterans like Charlie who were willing to listen, really understand, and take action on his behalf that saved his life.
And that’s why today, Cody is a parent, a college student and an officer in one of the nation’s pre-mier campus veteran’s organizations at Sierra College. He’s working to help fellow Iraq War veterans find solutions – veterans like Josh Steward.
Josh Steward’s story began like Cody’s – with a dream of becoming a soldier. After he graduated from Independence High School in Roseville, he enlisted in the Army and became a Paratrooper. He was sent to Iraq, serving as a combat engineer charged with finding and disarming I.E.D.’s (Impro-vised Explosive Devices).
During a training jump with his Airborne Unit back in the states, Josh’s life and career got side-tracked. Something went horribly wrong with his parachute and he hit the ground with a force that literally shattered both of his legs.
Despite a desire to continue serving in any capacity he could, the Army Medically Discharged Josh, but denied him disability compensation. Today, Josh is unable to work, with no money coming in, and wheelchair bound in a home not adapted to his physical needs.
Frustration comes and goes for Josh. His government let him down, but his community and family are the ones working in the trenches every day, to right a terrible wrong, and to prevent Josh from falling through huge cracks in a veterans aftercare system that was grossly unprepared for war.
We won’t let Josh get left behind, but Josh is one of the lucky ones. He’s already lost three mem-bers of his unit in Iraq to suicide.
Josh was there on Thursday too, and those who attended got to hear his story. So were many other veterans, whose stories will never be told, but they should be.
As veterans, we would hope that the voters of District Four understand that tough talk by career politicians usually masks the coward within. Ose and McClintock are birds of a feather, flocking together.
We are soldiers. We believe in keeping promises. We believe in leading by example. We believe that patriotism trumps partisanship, action speaks louder than words, and we know, first hand what it takes to defend America. And for all of these reasons and more, we are proudly supporting Retired Lt. Col. Charlie Brown for Congress.
Rank Name Branch Years Served/Tours City
Sgt Mark Blackwood Usmc 5 years 2 tours Iraq Rocklin
Cpl Scott Bonham Usmc 4 years 1 tour Iraq Rocklin
Cpl Phillip Fulgam Usmc 5 years 2 tours Iraq Rocklin
E-5 Meagan Smith Usn 5 years 2 tours Iraq Granite Bay
Sgt Nathan Yuongman, Usmc 4 years, 2 tours Iraq Grass Valley
Cpl Marshall Eason Usmc 4 years 2 tours Iraq Rancho Cordova
Sgt Rich Cervantes Usmc 4.5 years 3 tours Iraq Roseville
Sgt Douglas Ginther Ang 6 years 1 tour Iraq Rocklin
E-4 Chris Sederquist Usa 4.5 years 2 tours Iraq Lincoln
Sgt. Cody Conway Usmc 5 years 1 tour Iraq Roseville
E-4 Joshua Steward Usa 1 tour Iraq Citrus Heights
Ssgt Mathew Zane Usaf 5 years Afghan Vet Carmichael
E-4 Jessica Miller Usn 4 years 1 tour Gulf Lincoln
E-4 Brain Guardiola Usn 5 years 2 tours Gulf Citrus Heights
E-5 Dayna Scorsone Usn 6.5 years 1 tour Gulf Gold River
E-4 Kevin Miller Usn 4 years 2 tours Gulf Loomis
E-4 Richard Smith Usn 3.5 years active duty Roseville
Lcpl Gary Cerar Usmc 2 years active duty Fair Oaks
Cpl Jamie Mcdonald Usmc 4 years active duty Roseville
Ae3 Timothy Marsh Usn 4.5 years active duty Lincoln
Ssgt Eddie Einst Usaf 7.5 years active duty Roseville
Sra Bryan North Usaf 4 years active Folsom
Wo Christina Holsworth Usmc 10 years active duty Lincoln
Sgt David West Ii Usmc 5 years active duty Sacramento
Msgt Margaret Ervin Usaf 24 years active duty Placerville
Dale Kehoe Usn Vietnam Vet ’66-67 3837 Auburn
Doc Kauffman Usn Vietnam Vet ’69-’70 5224 Carmichael