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HILL COUNTRY VETERANS COUNCIL 1700 Sidney Baker, Suite 100 |
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Walter Schellhase, President Bill Stacy, Vice President Bill Bacon, Past President Murphy Chesney, Board Member Joe Benham, Board Member Bill Bowden, Board Member |
20 May, 2001 |
Gene Higgins, Board Member Jack Ledford, Board Member Ben Low, Board Member Gene Richie, Board Member Joe Strange, Board Member
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Mr. Anthony J. Principi, Jr. Dear
Mr. Secretary: Friday
last I had a confirmed appointment to meet you in your office at 3.30
PM. I left Kerrville, Texas
on Wednesday morning at my own personal expense to meet with you
reference the issues outlined in a “talking paper” that arrived in
your office on Wednesday morning. Judy
made all my arrangements for this meeting.
Upon
arrival at the Department of Veterans Affairs Building, Michelle
escorted me to your office and told me, “I will inform the Secretary
you are here”. About 15
minutes later I was introduced to Chris.
He informed me you were out of town.
Chris said he was your personal legal council and would represent
you. He knew absolutely
nothing about our confirmed meeting, none of the topics to be discussed,
nor had he seen the “talking paper” reference why I was in the
office. I asked to see
Judy. When she was located
she informed me she had called my office and home to cancel our
confirmed meeting. Unfortunately
this occurred after I had departed for DC.
Several
things really bothers me about what I was being told, 1) the fact that
on Tuesday afternoon before our Friday meeting and before I left town my
appointment had been changed from 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM by Judy to better
meet your schedule, 2) upon arrival in your office to be informed by
Michelle that “she would tell you I had arrived”, 3) and then have
Chris tell me you were out of town.
This all sounded like the bureaucracy is working extremely well
in your office. After
only a couple of exchanges with Chris, I knew he had no idea what I was
talking about. Judy assured me she would reschedule another meeting at
your convenience. With that
information I departed your office and returned to Texas. Mr.
Secretary, I realize you are extremely busy and have a lot of fires to
put out and my concerns are probably not very high on your priority list
of things to do. However,
each item on my “talking paper” is of extreme interest to our 16,000
members in South Texas. The
President has told all America that the VA system needs overhauling from
top to bottom. Our concerns are at the bottom where the Veterans receives
their medical health care and we need your help to make sure the
Veterans do not have to stand in line with “hat in hand” as the
President put it to receive what they have paid dearly for – adequate
medical health care. I
am looking forward to the rescheduled meeting Judy has promised. Sincerely,
Walter Schellhase cc:
President George W. Bush |
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