Growing up in a military family, I know the personal sacrifices members of the military and their loved ones make. The military tradition of my family dates all the way to my great grandfather Epi Pacheco, who fought in the Spanish-American War. My grandfather Celso Griego was a soldier in World War I and my uncle Jose was a gunner aboard the U.S.S. San Juan during World War II. More immediately, my dad was an Airman during the Korean War. I have a sister who is a veteran Army nurse, a brother who served in the 82nd Airborne in the Middle East, another brother who is retired Air Force, a brother-in-law who retired from Air Force Special Operations, and two nieces currently on active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard.
As a son, a brother, an uncle, a grandson and a great-grandson to veterans and current active duty members of our military, I believe our men and women in uniform deserve more than a salute when they are sent in harm’s way. Supporting veterans means that we, as a nation, must demonstrate the resolve to ensure that they receive the care and benefits they have earned when they return home and help find them work to reintegrate into civilian life. And we owe it to these men and women to do everything we can to only send them in harm’s way after we have exhausted all diplomatic options.
That’s why, as Congressman I will fight for:
- Full funding for VA hospitals, improved rural area access to VA hospitals and clinics, and cutting bureaucratic red tape to expedite care delivery.
- Improved treatment access to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental and physical disabilities.
- Increased funding for veterans facilities to reduce veteran homelessness.
- Educational and job opportunities for veterans and their families, and guarantee federal government support for all veterans who wish to go to college and support stronger preferential hiring practices in the public sector for veterans.
- Changes to the Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payments (CRDP) so that no deserving active or reserve serviceman or woman is denied retirement and disability benefits.
Sincerely,
Eric Griego