Bernie Sanders, champion of vets
Veterans Day is a great time to remember the American heroes who have served our country in war and peace in the far corners of the world, and a great time to express appreciation to political leaders who have been powerful voices for the interests of veterans in the halls of government.
One such champion of the cause of veterans is Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt), who has long served on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, was chairman of the committee when Democrats controlled the Senate, and is now the ranking Democrat on the committee with Republicans in control of the Senate.
Sanders has supported some military actions, such as the military response to the crisis in Kosovo during the Clinton years and the campaign in Afghanistan after the terrorist attacks in 2001, and has opposed other military actions, including his strong and consistent opposition to the Iraq War that was unwisely initiated after the attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. But whether he has supported or opposed different military initiatives, Sanders has always fought for the interests of veterans in good times and bad.
As a leader on the Veterans Affairs Committee, Sanders has worked closely with major veterans organizations and with leading champions of veterans in the Senate. He has worked closely with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and former Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), among many others. McCain and Webb deserve a special commendation as genuine war heroes who served bravely in combat and as aggressive champions of veterans' causes throughout their time in public life.
Sanders has been at the forefront of battles to improve healthcare and benefits for vets, expand employment opportunities for vets after they return home from battle, and improve the Veterans Administration after the scandals that plagued the system. Whether programs to help vets were originally sponsored or supported by McCain, Webb or other senators or were personally spearheaded by Sanders, he has alway been there for the vets.
http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/defense/259677-bernie-sanders-champion-of-vets
Veterans for Bernie Sanders: Why the anti-war candidate is so beloved by former soldiers.
AlterNet When then-freshman Vermont Congressman Bernie Sanders first arrived in Washington, D.C., he didn’t first tend to the great social democratic causes that he spent his life working on: a national living wage, health care for all, or expanding labor unions.
Rather, the very first bill he introduced was H.R. 695 – the Guard and Reserve Family Protection Act of 1991. The purpose of the bill was to make sure that reserve and National Guard soldiers who were deployed to serve in the Gulf War were entitled to any pay they may have missed as a result of going to war, to ensure that their deployment wages were equal to their civilian wages.
Sanders’ career in Congress has been living testimony to the fact that opposing wars but supporting our soldiers are not mutually exclusive goals. He has been a consistent advocate for both active duty military and veterans, and there are now signs that those veterans are returning the favor, organizing for his campaign.
A Steadfast Advocate For Veterans
“He works for veterans. He’s not just saying that. He does do the work,” said Brenda Cruickshank a retired Army nurse who served as the past commander of the Vermont Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), over the summer. Indeed, last spring the national VFW presented Sanders with its 2015 Congressional Award.
That award came after Sanders forged a successful compromise to overhaul the Veterans Administration (VA), which had been plagued in scandals over its inability to handle its intake. “Last year when we had the scandal at the VA, he was incredibly effective, engaged in getting the legislation passed, in getting it funded. Frankly, without him, I don’t think we would have gotten it done because there was a lot of name-calling but there wasn’t a lot of constructive, ‘OK, here’s the resources. …’ And he did it,” said Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), noting how crucial Sanders was to the overhaul.
The praise for Sanders for his leadership on the VA issue was bipartisan. The deal wouldn’t have gone down without the support of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who worked closely with Sanders. “I found him to be honorable and good as his word. And his word was good,” said McCain. “Senator Sanders understands what it takes to get legislation across the goal line,” said Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) of the VA compromise. “I think he’s very outspoken in terms of where he is ideologically. But when he gets down to the need of get legislation into law, then I find him to be one who’s willing to sit down and compromise and negotiate to get a final product.”
http://www.salon.com/2015/10/24/vets_for_bernie_why_the_most_anti_war_candidate_has_many_military_supporters_partner/
Thanks for the opportunity to repost those articles!
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