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Dear Fellow Veteran, We share a bond that can never be broken. We served in our armed services out of a sense of duty to our country and because of a deep, underlying belief in the values that make us so proud to be Americans. As a veteran, I hold a deep respect for the service and dedication of all the men and women who have worn the uniform of our nation.
I have tried, in all those years since I returned from Vietnam, to turn that respect into action -- to stand up to special interests and protect the national interest, to remind politicians that the first definition of patriotism is how a grateful nation treats its veterans.
Together, we stood up with John McCain and forced our own government to help give peace of mind to thousands of families through an accounting of missing POW/MIAs in Vietnam. We have battled at every opportunity to protect and expand VA medical benefits (and when over 235,000 fellow vets wait as much as six months to see a doctor at the VA today, we know our fight has just begun.)
We've fought for fair and equitable treatment for those with illnesses related to Agent Orange and the Gulf War. We continue to press for equitable pay and retirement benefits and health care. And now, with our soldiers engaged in active combat again, we fight for their rights -- beginning by making it clear to this Administration that likes to talk about patriotism, that there is nothing patriotic about charging our injured soldiers for the meals they eat in our hospitals while recovering the wounds they suffered protecting our freedom.
And it's time we right a great injustice against America's disabled veterans by providing full concurrent receipt of disability pay and pensions -- promises made should always be promises kept.
We need to rally behind our men and women on active duty today, particularly those serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. Bold leadership in the White House can bring together a true coalition of support for our soldiers, enabling us to win the victory and bring our men and women home with heads held high and mission accomplished in actions, not just the words of politicians.
If you feel as I do, that we need experienced leadership in the White House, leadership that will bring our allies back to our side with real and not token support, leadership with a vision for national service, I need your help to make it happen. I need your support, your endorsement, and most of all, your vote as we attempt to place the leadership of our country back in more the hands of someone with a lifetime commitment to veterans.
In all our struggles, it's vets who have fought for vets -- and I hope you will help put a Veterans' Veteran in the White House who will get up every day and fight for our brothers and sisters in arms. Fellow veterans, please join me in this battle.
I wish all of you, and your families, a most blessed Veteran's Day. Let us never forget those men and women who have lost their lives in service to our country. We owe them more than we can ever express.
Warm Regards, John Kerry http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/veterans/letter2.html
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