Vets fighting back with letters written on brown paper bags

Vets fighting back with letters written on brown paper bags
By Lawrence C. Hall

Thousands of military retirees are joining a grass-roots effort to restore a medical-care promise made to World War II and Korean War military retirees by our federal government more than 50 years ago. House Bill 3474 and Senate Bill 2065 in the 108th Congress filed by Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., titled “Keep our Promise to America’s Military Retirees Act,” would require the U.S. government to honor the commitment made to veterans of World War II and the Korean War. These bills were bottled up in congressional committees without action during the 108th Congress. It is hoped that language from these bills will be reintroduced in the 109th Congress that convenes Jan. 4. However, military retirees are wasting no time in letting Congress know that action must be taken this year.

It was suggested that a letter-writing campaign, using a unique communications tool, be implemented. Messages are being sent to Congress on less than typical writing stationary, by ripping a piece of out of a brown grocery bag approximately 8 by 10 inches. Notes are written using magic markers saying: “You failed to keep the medical care promise made to World War II-Korea era military retirees.” These brown bag pieces are inserted into an envelope and mailed to congressional representatives and senators. Brown bag letters are to be sent once per week until we get positive results.

If the U.S. government can break promises to the “greatest generation” and treat them as “used bags” without accountability, what will it do to our current military veterans? Military personnel entering service prior to Dec. 7, 1956, were told throughout the chain of command, from the highest levels of government to lowest levels of military leadership, “give us 20 or more years and you and your dependents will receive free medical care for life.”

This medical care was provided in a subtle decreasing fashion until 1995, when all military retirees over 65 years of age were forced out of military medical care and onto Medicare. This was financially disastrous for many retirees and spouses.

Col. George Day, a Medal of Honor recipient, former prisoner of war in Hanoi and attorney, initiated a legal action against the government in 1996 to correct the medical care injustice. But the case was eventually lost on June 2, 2003, when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear it. However, the impact of the legal case generated enough pressure that Congress passed a significant advance in military retiree medical care – TRICARE for Life – in 2000. But that fell short of the total care promised.

Since the Brown Bag Project has been under way for several weeks, Congress should find brown bag notes on their desks when they return Jan. 4. More than 5,000 bag notes already have been sent.

Former and present military members, from the “greatest generation” to our Iraqi-era veterans, must request and require accountability from our government. An injustice against one veteran is an injustice against all veterans.