Sign the Healthcare for Our Heroes petition today

I have written a number of times about my family's and friends' connection to the military: My Dad was Airborne... my husband was career Navy... our oldest and youngest sons are active Navy and Army, respectively, the third son was Navy, a sister was a Marine... a nephew is active Air Force... a high school chum who was career Coast Guard... one that was Army and a few that were Navy, our neighbor on one side is a Navy vet (a corpsman from Korea), and our neighbor two doors down the other side has a son-in-law in the Marines. Through this blog and other family support sites, we now have many more dear friends that are current or veteran military.

We have been fortunate given the number in our family "circle" that have served or are serving. My Dad lost his left arm above the elbow at the end of WWII. Those of you that are regulars will remember the terrifying night we got the "your son has been wounded by an IED" and the weeks and months that followed. These men and women -- and their families -- have served and do serve this Nation well.

More than 2,000 brave men and women have lost their lives in the war on terror and over 20,000 have been wounded. This is a sobering reminder of the risks our soldiers face every day and the tremendous sacrifices they make for our country. Despite these great sacrifices, Congress recently tried to slash the budget for the VA’s traumatic brain injury care centers so many of our wounded troops are counting on. And there are insufficient resources for the HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of veterans and soldiers that do need or will need mental health services for post-traumatic stress and other mental health needs.

Our veterans should not have to fight for the high quality healthcare they’ve earned.

Congress needs to know that anything short of fully funded healthcare and benefits for our veterans is unacceptable. Especially when VA claims backlogs have reached a record high of over 800,000! Those claims represent hundreds of thousands of veterans and their families who are waiting for the healthcare and benefits they need to survive. These are real people who did their duty for our country. But, unfortunately, the country is not holding up its end of the bargain… We owe them a debt that can never be re-paid in full... but there is something that you can do.

The VFW has launched Healthcare for Our Heroes, a month-long Veterans Day campaign to demand full funding of veterans healthcare and benefits. Join the campaign today by signing the Healthcare for Our Heroes Petition to Congress and help the VFW reach their goal of gathering 20,000 signatures to deliver to Congress by Veteran’s Day.

Let us honor the men and women who’ve served our country by calling on Congress to fully fund healthcare and benefits for our veterans.

Sign the Healthcare for Our Heroes petition today.