Tell Congress to protect wounded GIs from getting evicted

Please donate now Dear Patriotic American,  Hello, I'm Major General John K. Singlaub, U.S. Army (Ret.). I've commanded our brave soldiers in three wars, and today I'm proud to be working with the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, which provides emergency financial aid to our troops who have been severely wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq. As Veteran's Day approaches I'd like to ask you to sign a letter I'm sending to the Veterans Affairs Committee in the U.S. House urging them to fix the VA disability claims system that is failing the Marines, sailors or airman who have been severely wounded while defending our freedom. I need your help because the government's system for sending out VA disability checks has completely collapsed. As a result it takes an average of six months for the first disability check to arrive for a wounded GI after he has left the hospital and been discharged from the service.  So many wounded GIs are getting ZERO DOLLARS for half a year  even though they have lost an arm or leg in Afghanistan or have been burned from head to toe by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Even the government admits this is true:  A top VA official says the system is broken so badly that "it cannot be fixed." And since Veteran's Day - November 11 - is right around the corner, I thought that might provide you with a perfect opportunity to sign this letter. However, even if Congress agrees to do the right thing, our wounded GIs won't get the help they need right away. So please also make a generous, tax-deductible Veteran's Day donation to help a severely wounded GI facing the cutoff of their heat, electricity, hot water or other financial disaster this winter. Your gift to the Coalition's "2010 Veteran's Day Emergency Relief Drive" could even help a seriously injured serviceman or woman in your area. With the weather getting colder, the Coalition has been flooded with phone calls and e-mails from GIs facing the cutoff of their heat, electricity and hot water. Others are facing home foreclosures, evictions or need groceries, blankets and warm clothes for their children.  Your gift can help one or more severely disabled troops get through the bitterly cold winter without getting their heat and hot water disconnected.  And don't forget to sign the letter to the Veterans Affairs Committee urging them to fix the broken VA disability system You may be saddened to find out why so any of our disabled troops are facing dire emergencies this winter: First, as I mentioned is the long wait to get their first disability checks. In addition, many of these servicemen and women are unable to work because they have been paralyzed, brain-damaged, burned or blinded while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.  Nearly half their spouses have quit their jobs to take care of them. And many of those who WERE working have lost their jobs in the recession. As winter closes in, they may have to choose between heating - and eating. At least that's what happened to Christopher Chaput (pictured above), who was severely disabled in a mortar attack in Iraq.  While waiting for his disability claims to get processed, Christopher and his wife Kimberly were evicted from their home, had vehicles repossessed and sold almost all of their belongings. "We were lucky if we ate once a day," Christopher said. Facing a second eviction, and with Kimberly newly pregnant, generous Coalition donors stepped in and helped provide Christopher and his family with emergency financial aid. Christopher says: "It truly could not have come at a better time, and we are so blessed to have been helped.  My wife and I can't express our sincere gratitude to the Coalition and all those who kindly donated to help families like ours." Or perhaps your Veteran's Day letter could help someone like Delano Smith of Fort Knox, Kentucky. Delano was medically discharged from the Army and his income dropped significantly.  After exhausting his savings, he turned to the Coalition for help. Delano tells our donors: "During our worst month, CSAH paid our rent and gave us a $500 gift card for food, gas and necessities.  I have never been so broke and stressed about my financial situation before.  It was humiliating and difficult. I am so thankful CSAH helped me and my wife hold on.  I am even more thankful for the way they did it . . . kindly and respectfully.  It's hard enough to ask for help, it's even harder if people treat you bad when you're already at your lowest.  CSAH helped financially and thanked me for my service to our country." The good news is you can answer the prayers of another brave but broken GI just like Delano Smith, maybe even someone in your area. By signing the letter you'll let Congress know Americans are watching how our severely wounded veterans are treated. And by including a generous gift to the Coalition's "2010 Veteran's Day Emergency Relief Drive" you'll be helping to keep our promise to these wounded heroes. Your Veteran's Day gift of $25 could help provide a week's worth of baby food or diapers for a servicewoman struggling to support her family after being disabled in Iraq. Your donation of $50 could help provide warm clothes or blankets for the children of a paralyzed serviceman living in a cold-weather state like Maine or New Hampshire.  Your tax-deductible contribution of $100 could help prevent the heat, hot water or electricity from getting cut off for a GI who's been paralyzed by a sniper in Afghanistan. Your heartfelt gift of $250, $500 or even $1,000 or more could help a severely burned, blinded or paralyzed GI who's facing an eviction during the ice-cold winter months of December, January or February. To honor and thank our severely wounded troops this Veteran's Day, please give whatever amount is right for you, while doing right by our disabled heroes and their families.   Sincerely, Major General John K. Singlaub U.S. Army (Ret.) P.S. Remember it's FREE to sign our Veteran's Day letter to Congress urging an immediate fix to the broken VA disability benefits system.  Your letter will show Congress Americans are watching how they treat our paralyzed, brain-damaged, burned or blinded servicemen and women returning from Iraq or Afghanistan. As I mentioned, as winter nears many of our severely wounded troops are facing the cutoff of their heat, electricity, hot water or other financial crises.  Many of these disabled GIs cannot work because of their injuries, so their spouses have quit their jobs to care for them. And now many spouses who were working have lost their jobs in the recession.   So please make a generous, tax-deductible Veteran's Day contribution right now. We are being flooded with so many emergency aid requests from our disabled GIs and we don't want to turn any one of them away. Thank you again for your continuing generosity to the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes. These severely wounded troops and their families are depending on us . . . and I'm depending on you. Thank you and God bless you.