Rescue Our Ailing Veterans

"Department officials revealed last month that 23 deaths of veterans were linked to delayed cancer screenings dating back four years. More recently, a retired doctor, Sam Foote, alleged that 40 other veterans died because of treatment delays." - USA Today, May 14, 2014 Dear Patriot, Do you agree it is 100 percent UNACCEPTABLE for Americans to allow our courageous troops -- who survived foreign enemies on the battlefield -- to simply die here at home from neglect while waiting months for medical treatment? If your answer is YES, please sign your petition to Congress titled,Rescue Our Ailing Veterans, Right Now! Your Congressional Petition will be added to the others we receive and quickly delivered to all 25 Congressional Representatives on the House Veterans Affairs Committee. That message is: Fix the problem and rescue our ailing veterans - or else! America's veterans are national treasures who have risked their lives defending our magnificent country, which is why all patriotic Americans will honor their painful sacrifices on Memorial Day. Memorial Day is the perfect time to call attention to this crisis, which is threatening the lives of our heroic veterans and devastating their families. I'm David Walker, President of the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, which provides emergency financial aid for troops severely disabled in the war on terrorism. My blood is still boiling after learning that dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of veterans who should be alive and well are dead - or dying - because of our government's negligence. Our ailing military heroes are dying needlessly because they are being forced to wait for months and sometimes years for routine medical tests at government hospitals. One example is 44-year-old Army veteran Barry Coates, who was forced to wait more than a year for a doctor-recommended colonoscopy to see if his suffering resulted from early stages of cancer. When the routine medical test was finally performed it showed Barry had advanced colorectal cancer, which could have been treated more effectively if it had been detected right away. In April, the 44-year-old Army veteran told the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, "It is likely too late for me.  "The gross negligence of my ongoing problems and crippling backlog epidemic of the VA medical system has not only handed me a death sentence, but ruined the quality of life I have for the meantime." You can help prevent more military veterans like Barry Coates from being handed a death sentence by sending your Rescue Our Ailing Veterans, Right Now! Petition to Congress. According to a recent article in USA Today, many of the 6,300 veterans treated at ONE government clinic in Fort Collins, Colorado waited months to be seen. USA Today reports, "Department officials revealed last month that 23 deaths of veterans were linked to delayed cancer screenings dating back four years.  "More recently, a retired doctor, Sam Foote, alleged that 40 other veterans died because of treatment delays at a VA hospital in Phoenix." Think about it: If the government itself revealed that 23 veterans probably died at one hospital and 40 at another, it's likely that several hundred veterans have already died needlessly - at the hands of their own government! This is outrage - and it must be stopped right now. The upcoming Memorial Day holiday is a perfect time to shine a spotlight on this crisis and pressure Congress to do the right thing. Sadly, many of our veterans are too sick or too frail to speak out for themselves. So I'm asking you to help me speak out for them. Please sign your Rescue Our Ailing Veterans, Right Now! Petition to Congress. The government's own rules say ailing veterans seeking potentially life-saving medical screenings must be seen within 14 days. But because of government incompetence - and worse - our veterans are being denied medical screenings for cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. Many have already died as a result, and many more may die soon unless you and I and other Americans stand up and say, "Enough Is Enough!" Predictably, many policy-makers are trying to pass the buck for their failure and blaming hospitals and doctors for the delays. That won't wash! You and I can't let our elected officials escape the blame for this shameful national scandal. Congress is responsible for funding and overseeing all government agencies, including the VA.  Therefore Congress must be held accountable and forced to act. Please send them an immediate message by sending Congress yourRescue Our Ailing Veterans, Right Now! Petition. They were there for us. Now it's our turn to be there for them. Sincerely, David W. Walker, President and CEO Coalition to Salute America's Heroes P.S. I'm told you're a patriotic American. So you probably agree with me that it is 100 percent UNACCEPTABLE for Americans to allow our courageous troops -- who survived foreign enemies on the battlefield -- to simply die here at home while waiting months for medical treatment. The upcoming Memorial Day holiday is a perfect time to shine a spotlight on this crisis and pressure Congress to do the right thing. So please sign your petition to Congress titled, Rescue Our Ailing Veterans, Right Now! Your Congressional Petition will be added to the others we receive and quickly delivered to all 25 Congressional Representatives on the House Veterans Affairs Committee. P.P.S. I'm working with the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes because our government is failing our troops and veterans in another area as well: Because of bureaucratic delays our troops and veterans severely disabled in the war on terror are waiting an average of 10 months - and sometimes a year or more - to get their first government disability check. As a result, many military families are unable to feed their children or facing evictions, utility cutoffs and other financial disasters. The Coalition's faithful, patriotic supporters have launched a Memorial Day Emergency Relief Drive to help them, and when you sign your Petition you'll be able to find out how you can help, too. Providing Emergency Aid to Troops Severely Disabled in the War on Terror Coalition to Salute America's Heroes | PO Box 96440 | Washington, DC 20090-6440 | www.saluteheroes.org | 1-888-447-2588 CSAH is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization and contributions are tax-deductible.