DONNELLAN: VETERANS DISHONORED BY CONGRESS

To the Editor,

As of this writing, Congress has passed a bill that would cut veterans’ retirement. It has at this point been sent to the Senate. Obviously, I think this is obnoxious. If cuts need to be made perhaps Congress and the Senate should think about their own salaries. First of all, how many veterans are there? When I came to this office in the late 1980s, there were 30,000 veterans here in Rockland County. That number has dropped by half. Further, 75 percent of our veterans are senior citizens. The median age of the WWII veteran is 93. The Korean veteran is 87. The Vietnam veteran is 67.

The average lifespan of the American male veteran is 75, so if you believe the statistics, the WWII and Korean veterans are gone. We, the Vietnam veterans have eight years left. So how much money is Congress really going to save and for how long? Whereas, if we could guarantee that in eight years 75 percent of the House and Senate would be gone, now that might be a shot at saving. Or is it the fact that the number of veterans has fallen and therefore, their voting power has dropped and so their sacrifice to this country is no longer significant in the halls of Washington.

Sincerely,

Jerry Donnellan

Director

Veterans Service Agency of Rockland County

Editor’s Note — According to Republican House Member Paul Ryan, the pension cuts only apply to those under retirement age of 62