Protect Veterans’ Benefits and Removal of Rep Steve Buyer as Chairman of House Veterans Affairs Com

The intent of this petition is to protect veterans' benefits and have Rep. Buyer removed as the Chairman of House Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Rep. Buyer seeks to redefine who is a veteran. We must not allow Congress to redefine who is a veteran. We cannot allow Congress to restructure veterans' benefits and reshape the definitions of disability. Redefine at a time when over 10,000 young men and women have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, at a time when young men and women have become disabled while training to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan. Veterans and veterans' organizations have worked too hard for too long to not receive proper recognition for our service to our country.

Title 38, Veterans' Benefits, United States Code defines a "veteran" as: "The term "veteran" means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable."
Also defined in Title 38 is "in the line of duty": "An injury or disease incurred during active military, naval, or air service will be deemed to have been incurred in line of duty and not the result of the veteran's own misconduct when the person on whose account benefits are claimed was, at the time the injury was suffered or disease contracted, in active military, naval, or air service, whether on active duty or on authorized leave, unless such injury or disease was a result of the person's own willful misconduct or abuse of alcohol or drugs."

Rep Buyer would like to redefine who is a veteran at a time when America shows a gratitude for her veterans, a time when America respects and treats her veterans with dignity. He is attempting to segregate our veterans, "the disabled and indigent veterans" (his core constituency) and then all others. Rep. Buyer is seeking to make these changes while our country is sending their servicemen and women world wide to fight the war on terror. He must realize that not everyone can serve in the war zone and that some stationed in the United States and other areas are working in direct support of Iraq, Afghanistan and the war on terrorism.

Recruitment of our all volunteer force is falling short of its goals. The Army fell almost one-third short of its recruiting goal in March, its second consecutive month of shortfall amid concerns that the Iraq war is discouraging young people from enlisting. The Army's goal for March was to enlist 6,800 recruits, but it fell short by 2,150, or 32 percent. That was slightly worse than in February when a goal of 7,050 enlistees was missed by 1,936, or 27 percent. The target for April is 6,600. The Army Reserve did even worse in March than the regular Army. It recruited barely half the 1,600 soldiers it wanted for the month. It has not met a monthly goal since December 2004, and for the period from October 2004 through March it has met only 82 percent of its goal. Rep Buyer's "visions" will only add to already existing recruiting shortfalls.

Fellow veterans, it's time to take action. It's time to let our Congressional Representatives know we will not allow Congress to redefine who is a veteran or restructure veterans' benefits and reshape the definitions of disability. It is time they understand veteran's care will be our priority in voting in the next elections, congressional as well as presidential.