Dear Editor,
This Veterans’ Day, I am ashamed of the way this administration treats our veterans. These men and women put their lives on the line, sacrificing everything for our country, and what do they get in return? After all the blood and treasure spent in Iraq, ISIS - a brutal terrorist group that our president described as “JV” earlier this year - has taken control of most of the country. Now we’re sending thousands more troops to “train” the Iraqis. After capturing Islamic extremists, we see our government “trading” five - five - enemy combatants for one American who by all accounts deserted his unit. And where do those released enemy combatants go? Right back to the battlefield, to murder and maim as many Americans as they can. Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, who suffers from PTSD, spent more than 200 days in a Mexican jail. His crime? He accidentally crossed the Mexican border and had guns in his vehicle. Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren, who didn’t buy his story initially, checked it out for herself. And, yes, it happened exactly the way Sgt. Tahmooressi said it did. Did our government come to his rescue like they did for Bowe Bergdahl? No!! A handful of legislators, Greta Van Susteren, and Montel Williams finally got him released. What about Navy SEAL Team VI whose lives were lost in an operation called Extortion 17? These men were in on the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden, but were “ratted out” by Joe Biden, and were “coincidentally” all killed in a suspicious helicopter crash! And then there are the Benghazi 4...not all of them were members of the military but they were working for our government and were left to die in an attack that this administration continues to cover up. And how many members of our border patrol have to die, murdered with guns that were provided to the drug cartels by the U.S. government in Operation Fast and Furious? And let’s don’t forget the VA scandal - veterans literally dying while waiting for medical treatment. How many veterans suffering from PTSD have to take their own lives before our government makes good on its promise to provide medical and mental health care and treatment? We can do a better job of taking care of our veterans and all who put their lives on the line for us. Maybe a republican-controlled Congress will address these issues. In the meantime, if you enjoy your freedom, thank a veteran - or thank the family of one of the thousands who never made it home.
Sharon McGinness
Larned