I am passing this to everyone in my address book and pleading with you to take a moment to read this, and follow up with action. Our soldiers and their families are depending on us to truly support them. Thank you for your concern and efforts on their behalf. It takes all of us to participate, don’t be the one who did nothing. We are all responsible to make this UNITED states truly stand for something each of us can be proud of. Carla
Dear Friends,

We are asking all concerned citizens to contact their Congressional representatives and Senators to ask them to support H. R. 3043l and to pledge to override a threatened presidential veto. In asking you to take this action, we do not intend in any way to let Congress off the hook for their continued funding of the Iraq war. The funding in this bill is a totally separate issue from war funding votes and our support for it demonstrates our commitment to our mission to “take care of them when they get home”.

While most veteran-related programs are funded through the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services also provide vital services to help our veterans, especially for the two-thirds of recently returning veterans who have not enrolled in the federal veterans’ health care program.

Specifically, H.R. 3043 would provide:
a.. $231 million for Veterans’ Employment and Training programs to assist returning veterans to find and train for good paying jobs b.. $23.6 million for the Homeless Veterans’ Program. Currently 23% of America’s homeless are military veterans. c.. $10 million for those veterans suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBI), for their rehabilitation, hospital care and long-term support. Thousands of returning National Guard soldiers rely on community-based systems of care that are not funded by the VA. d.. $3.4 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. With Army suicides recently reaching a 26 year high, our returning veterans suffering from PTSD and depression have an urgent need to rely on this funding. This bill is currently being debated on the House floor. Bush has said he will veto the bill because it does not include $3.6 billion in cuts below last year’s total funding levels. As military family members, we are outraged that this administration and Congress can continue to spend $5 billion dollars a week in Iraq and yet not care if our soldiers and veterans are denied practical help in finding jobs, shelter for homeless vets, and medical and mental health care.

Please take a simple action today. Call, send a postcard to or write a letter to your representative and senator and ask them to approve H.R. 3043. Ask them not to back down from overriding a Bush veto.

To find your Member of Congress and their local mailing address, you can go to www.congress.org. You can call toll free using one of the following numbers that go right to the Capitol switchboard (ask for the office of your Senators, Representative): 800-828-0498, 800-459-1887 or 800-614-2803.

Tell them that passing the provisions in this bill demonstrate the kind of authentic support for our troops that every soldier and every American understands.

In peace and solidarity,

The Board of Directors of MFSO
board@mfso.org
Military Families Speak Out P.O. Box 300549 Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 617-983-0710 mfso (at) mfso (dot) org ____________________________________________________________

Military Families Speak Out P.O. Box 300549 Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 617-983-0710 mfso (at) mfso (dot) org ____________________________________________________________
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