MY
SAN ANTONIO |
|
| By Angela K. Brown Associated Press Web Posted : 11/24/2002 12:00 AM WACO — Veterans groups say they're fighting mad about problems in getting benefits they earned, and they want President Bush to know. They've erected a billboard that uses a quote from one of Bush's campaign speeches in 2000. It reads, "'Promises made will be promises kept' — U.S. government denies military retirees earned healthcare, disabled military retirees retirement pay." The sign is about 20 miles from Crawford, the 700-resident town that has no billboards and is near the president's 1,600-acre ranch. "I regret that I ever voted for him," said Jack Hollinsworth, 66, a Navy veteran from Duncan, Okla., who drove to Waco for a rally attended by two dozen people Saturday. "He promised he would help us, and he's letting us down." Last week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied claims by World War II and Korean War veterans who said the government reneged on a promise of free lifetime health care if they stayed in the service for 20 years. The government conceded that recruiters made the promises, but the Defense Department argued there was no valid contract because the assurances were not backed by law. The veterans have been on winning and losing sides of the case. A federal judge in Jacksonville, Fla., ruled against them in 1998. In February, a three-judge panel of the appeals court ruled in their favor. The veterans, some of whom say Bush orchestrated the timing of the recent court decision after the election, plan to seek a Supreme Court hearing. "The appeals court has told Congress they can break their promises any time they want to," Hollinsworth said. "They're saying: 'You military retirees, you forgotten souls, you don't count. You're just like a worn-out combat boot. Don't bother us no more."' The billboard was paid for by the Military Retirees Grass Roots Group, formed in 1997 to address health care concerns of the nation's 27 million veterans, including 2 million who retired after 20 years of service. The group has erected similar billboards in other states the past few years. Members from the Veterans Voting Bloc, a nonpartisan group that keeps its 2,000 members apprised of candidates' stances on military issues, also attended the rally. Hollinsworth said he lost all retirement benefits when he was declared 100 percent disabled because every dollar paid for disability is deducted from a veterans retirement fund. He has severe hearing loss from jet noise, arthritis and emphysema. Others say the government's health care plan for veterans older than 65 is more confusing and frustrating than Medicare, and many military retirees can't find doctors in their areas willing to accept the plan. |
|