my 139th letter...hopefully printing Monday

[w8liftinglady]

America continues to “support our troops”. As of today, 4096 troops have been killed in Iraq, and 517 troops killed in Afghanistan.65, 000 troops have been wounded, with over 30,000 unable to return to duty. As we spend our stimulus checks on increasing gas prices, there is a growing crisis in our military community.
In 1994, President Clinton signed into law the
Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), which was intended to preserve the jobs of deployed Reservists. Between 2004 and 2006, 16,000 lawsuits were filed against employers who refused to rehire deployed reservists.This, unfortunately, are a small portion of the men and women who have been betrayed by those they swore to serve and defend. Many others have filed private lawsuits, or have just given up.
A recent government study found that 18 percent of recently discharged veterans were unemployed between one and three years. One in four discharged veterans found employment paying less than $21,000/yr. The report blamed the poor prospects partly on inadequate job networks and lack of mentors after extended periods in war. The study said employers often had misplaced stereotypes about veterans' fitness for employment, such as concerns they did not have adequate technological skills, or were too rigid, lacked education or were at risk for post-traumatic stress disorder.
Foreclosures are climbing near military bases at a rate that is 4 times the national average. In Ft.Jackson, where the Army trains recruits for combat in Afghanistan, foreclosure rates have increased 492% over the same period a year ago.
Do you support our troops? Petiton your Congressman and Senators to support legislation that would help our heroes when they come home. Review the voting records of your elected officials when it comes to Veterans’ programs.We owe them this-they gave all for us.

[unhappycamper]

1. A most excellent letter.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: