By Tribune-Review

Published: Saturday, January 12, 2013, 8:56 p.m.
Updated: Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Vietnam vets low priority

The new 113th Congress is now seated. The 112th Congress failed veterans of the Vietnam war. The bills to restore the Agent Orange Equity Act did not make it out of committee. They're dead and must be re-introduced.

Although there are 435 members of the House and 100 senators, only 126 representatives and 14 senators co-sponsored the bills. What does this say about those who didn't?

Vietnam veterans are a low priority. We've become a liability to the budget. Our quality of life means little to our Congress.

Every day, another veteran falls ill to a disease attributed to the deadly herbicide Agent Orange. Every week, approximately 500 Vietnam veterans die. Our government does not care.

We Vietnam veteran advocates will again try to convince our legislators to do what is right. We'll do the legwork and meet with members of Congress.

But we need help. We ask all Americans to urge our legislators to pass laws providing equitable VA health care and compensation for sick Vietnam vets so they can have a better quality of life.

John J. Bury

Media, Delaware County

The writer is retired from the U.S. Navy.

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