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American Legion to candidates: ‘What about vets?’
American Legion to candidates: ‘What about vets?’
Oct 13, 2016
American Legion to candidates: ‘What about vets?’
INDIANAPOLIS (October 13, 2016) – The head of The American Legion is calling on both major presidential candidates to address their plans to restore trust in the VA health care system during Wednesday night’s debate in Las Vegas.
“We are disappointed that veteran’s issues have not been addressed at all in the two previous presidential debates,” said National Commander Charles E. Schmidt, a retired Air Force officer and Vietnam War veteran. “To be fair, the candidates have not been asked by the moderators to discuss their plans for veterans. But considering that veterans have provided us the freedoms enshrined in our Constitution, you would think that issues affecting the heroic men and women who have served so nobly would be a top priority for both the presidential candidates and the media.”
Schmidt offered a number of questions that Fox News Channel anchor Chris Wallace, who will moderate the final debate, should ask. “How are you going to improve VA health care and decrease wait times? Twenty veterans a day commit suicide. What are you going to do to reverse this tragic trend? What steps will you take to strengthen America’s Armed Forces and ensure that the military remains an attractive option for talented professionals?” Schmidt said. “Any candidate for the presidency should provide detailed responses if they want to be elected as our next commander in chief. The American people deserve to have these questions answered.”
With a current membership of 2.2 million wartime veterans, The American Legion, www.legion.org, was founded in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, veteran’s affairs, Americanism, and youth programs. Legionnaires work for the betterment of their communities through more than 13,000 posts across the nation.
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