Will Vietnam Vets Die Before They Get Help?

Why Are Vietnam Vets Being Denied Help?

Over 2 million veterans still cannot get the help that they need. There are many Vietnam veterans who are very ill and continue to be denied the help they need in order to live due to lack of money.

However, veterans advocates question why the government has money to help other people in need but not veterans. These brave men and women are physically unable to work because they are ill and unable to provide for themselves or their families. There are two bills, HR-969 and S. 681 that would help veterans obtain the medical assistance that they need. Surprisingly, veterans’ advocates are having a hard time obtaining support from elected officials. Unless the public pushes for these bills to pass, these veterans will die before they receive that help.

How Sincere Are Presidential Candidates When It Comes To Veterans?

Below is the current list of cosponsors for a bill that would tremendously help Vietnam Veterans receive the help that they need. To date, only Rep Sanders has Co-Sponsored S.681, Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2015 .

Bill Summary & Status
114th Congress (2015 – 2016)
S.681
Cosponsors

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S.681
Latest Title: Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2015
Sponsor: Sen Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [NY] (introduced 3/9/2015)      Cosponsors (37)
Related Bills: H.R.969
Latest Major Action: 5/13/2015 Senate committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Hearings held.

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COSPONSORS(37), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]:     (Sort: by date)

Sen Blunt, Roy [MO] – 1/12/2016
Sen Booker, Cory A. [NJ] – 2/4/2016
Sen Boozman, John [AR] – 10/6/2015
Sen Boxer, Barbara [CA] – 6/24/2015
Sen Brown, Sherrod [OH] – 5/6/2015
Sen Cardin, Benjamin L. [MD] – 9/29/2015
Sen Casey, Robert P., Jr. [PA] – 9/28/2015
Sen Cochran, Thad [MS] – 7/21/2015
Sen Coons, Christopher A. [DE] – 7/21/2015
Sen Crapo, Mike [ID] – 6/25/2015
Sen Daines, Steve [MT] – 3/9/2015
Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] – 7/7/2015
Sen Feinstein, Dianne [CA] – 7/30/2015
Sen Franken, Al [MN] – 10/29/2015
Sen Heitkamp, Heidi [ND] – 10/7/2015
Sen Hirono, Mazie K. [HI] – 5/21/2015
Sen Kaine, Tim [VA] – 9/15/2015
Sen Kirk, Mark Steven [IL] – 9/9/2015
Sen Klobuchar, Amy [MN] – 3/16/2015
Sen Markey, Edward J. [MA] – 11/4/2015
Sen Menendez, Robert [NJ] – 6/24/2015
Sen Merkley, Jeff [OR] – 9/21/2015
Sen Mikulski, Barbara A. [MD] – 9/29/2015
Sen Moran, Jerry [KS] – 4/21/2015
Sen Peters, Gary C. [MI] – 4/22/2015
Sen Rounds, Mike [SD] – 2/4/2016
Sen Sanders, Bernard [VT] – 5/6/2015
Sen Schatz, Brian [HI] – 7/8/2015
Sen Schumer, Charles E. [NY] – 5/14/2015
Sen Stabenow, Debbie [MI] – 6/1/2015
Sen Sullivan, Dan [AK] – 6/15/2015
Sen Tester, Jon [MT] – 3/12/2015
Sen Vitter, David [LA] – 7/9/2015
Sen Warner, Mark R. [VA] – 9/15/2015
Sen Warren, Elizabeth [MA] – 11/3/2015
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [RI] – 9/21/2015
Sen Wyden, Ron [OR] – 9/15/2015

Listen To The Interview:

In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, host June Stoyer talks to Mr. John J. Bury, a retired US Navy and Vietnam War Veteran. He explains his efforts to pass bills HR-969 and S. 681.  as well as why some of our elected officials are choosing to ignore veterans. To listen to the interview, press play on the video below.

Vietnam, Our War Of Shame– By John J. Bury, U.S. Navy, retired, Vietnam War Veteran Media, Pa.

Since our elected U.S. Legislators, Congress and Senate do not seem to care about our Vietnam War Veterans who are sick from the herbicide Agent Orange Dioxin. I can say I am not proud of our government in the manner in which our veterans are treated. However we did our job and did not question our orders. We believed the Vietnam War was to free a Country from communistic oppression. This is what America is about, Freedom.

Freedom is not free, it is costly in lives and dollars. There is no dollar amount I know of that can replace a life. The real cost are those who died on both sides. The dollars mean nothing. Where the dollars do come into play are the dollars to care for those who come home broken and sick and those who come home in a box. How do we get these dollars, from the American tax payers. Congress then sets dollar amounts to pay for war, to pay for those who come home in a box, plus the wounded. What about those who are sick and broken! Now we have a new set of rules for those who fought the war and lived. Legislative bills must be introduced and dollar amounts agreed on to pay for the needs of the sick and broken who came home alive. It can take years and more legislation. In the meantime these sick and broken war veterans die off one by one with no resolve from our government who sent them to war. Many get little to no health care and no compensation. A perfect example is the Vietnam War. Our War Of Shame. I have often wondered, what if our Legislators were sent to war and had to defend themselves just like our troops on land, sailors at sea and airmen in the sky. A novel thought indeed!

Meet Vietnam Veteran’s Advocate John J Bury

John J. Bury is a Philadelphia native who joined the U.S. Navy at age 17, serving 22 years with 4 shipboard deployments to the South China Sea during the Vietnam War. In 1972, he married his wife Cathy and had two children. After retiring from the Navy in 1975, he became an instructor at Williamson Trade School, Media. Pa., in the power technology department. After finishing college, he was offered a position at Westtown School as Director of  Physical Plant and Facilities where he made approx. $350 million dollars in restoration improvements while working with a budget of 5 million dollars per year.. He then retired in 1999 at the age of 62.

In 2010, he was diagnosed with T-cell Cutaneous Lymphoma non-Hodgkin’s disease, confirmed Agent Orange Dioxin exposure to herbicides use during the Vietnam War.   In 2011, he filed a VA claim which was approved a year later at 100% VA disabled. At this time, John made the decision to advocate for other Vietnam Veterans so that they could receive quality benefits, especially those known as Blue Water Navy.

The battle for Vietnam Vet, John J Bury is not over.

John continues to write about Agent Orange and its impact on the health of Vietnam War Veterans. He has written over 65 OpEd’s nationwide and has been featured on numerous radio talk shows. To date, there are over 60 classes of diseases caused by this herbicide. Shockingly, only one disease is recognized by the VA for Blue Water Navy.  He has survived 6 cancers due to Agent Orange exposure. His reason for living is God’s will to compete his mission.