Letters to the Editor – 7/16/14

Travesty for vets

I was in the Military Order of the Purple Heart vehicle at the Kailua Fourth of July Parade. This was my third year. I noticed each year the number of us in the parade decreases. This year there were only six total. At the beginning of the parade, I felt thankful that the people appreciate us, even if it is only once a year. It was heart-warming to see people stand up, clap, cheer, salute, place their hand over their heart and slightly bow. Thank you to all.

And as we drove down the road, my appreciation slowly turned to despair then disgust. One day a year, they come out and clap. Yet the majority of these people (by looking at who gets re-elected into office and the laws they pass), care more about illegal aliens, multiple-generation welfare recipients, and giving aid to countries that want to destroy us, than the veterans that fought for this country’s freedom.

None of us went to war so our country could become socialistic. We did not fight and bleed to have illegal aliens fill our hospitals and drain our money. We did not go to war so our government could give our hard-earned tax money to countries that hate us and want to destroy us. And we surely did not go to war expecting that if we got wounded, our country would put illegal aliens and terrorist countries ahead of taking care of us.

Every month I get letters asking for urgent help from Paralyzed Veterans of America, the USO, Wounded Warrior Project, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Operation Homefront, American Legion, Vietnam Veterans Association, Military Order of the Purple Hearts Freedom Alliance, etc. They only exist because our government is not doing its job to care for our heroes.

We have Purple Heart Veterans living on food stamps, in dumps, barely surviving, some even homeless, while illegal aliens and welfare recipients are living in nice apartments with big screen TVs, computers and iPhones, paid for … by my taxes. Why?

We have Purple Heart Vets waiting, in pain, for months and years, for substandard care (the care I got was so bad, I quit going to the VA), with some even dying before they get care (finally the government admitted this), while illegal aliens and welfare recipients get free care any time they want. Why?

When are the majority of the people going to do the morally right thing and vote for representatives who will take care of our vets, the very people this country owes its freedom to?

Rand Pellegrino, Purple Heart,
Vietnam

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