This letter was sent, via e-mail, to all Congressional Representatives with e-mail addresses (about 330) on or about June 1997.

Dear (Congressional Representatives):

I am writing this letter to you and all of your honorable colleagues because I am deeply alarmed and concerned with the current course of events in the United States of America. I see events unfolding which shall, if not corrected, crumble the foundation of this great nation. A nation that I personally and proudly helped build.

The bricks that form the foundation of this great nation is its old people. Each day as I digest the vast amount of information or misinformation available to me it becomes more and more evident that the processes being considered to save the old people will surely destroy the old people.

I see young people, the new bricks to rebuild the foundation of this great nation, floundering. It is said that the old people have put this nation in deep debt. And, this is probably true. But do you know a way to build anything substantial without going in debt?

The young people need to open their eyes very wide and look around. This is a far better nation, a far better world, than the one that I inherited in 1930.

The big question that all young people ask is, what's going to be available for me when I reach retirement age? In 1948 (when I was 18) I asked my Father the same question. Being a very wise man, he told me that I would get as much out of life as I put into it. He told me that I should continue to build on what he had started. He also told me that I could trust the United States Government.

I love the United States of America and the freedom we enjoy. My entire life has been consumed protecting that freedom. I have spent my entire adult life either in the military or building war machines for the military. I am now a retired military senior citizen.

This letter concerns a grave tragedy occurring, almost unnoticed, here in the United States of America. This tragedy involves pain, suffering, mental anguish, and financial devastation. It involves a group of people (the retired military veterans) who put their lives in jeopardy for the preservation of freedom throughout the world. They, like anyone else doing a job, expected a reward. This reward was to be realized in the twilight of their lives. The reward was in the form of a promise.

The United States Government/Military promised me and millions of people like me that if we served for 20 years in the military and retired we would receive free medical care (on a space available basis) for ourselves and eligible dependents for as long as we lived.

Now as a result of military base closures and personnel down sizing there is little or no space available in the remaining military treatment facilities for the retired military. As a result the United States Government/Military has put itself in a position where it must reneged on its medical care promise to its retired military.

It is ironic that this medical care promise that was made to save money is now being broken to save money.

It seems that the political obsession to balance the budget has clouded the minds of our entire United States Government. It seems that the government is going to balance the budget even if they have to bury every senior citizen and or every retired military veteran in the process.

The news media, quoting various government sources, tends to lead the general public to believe that the medical care promise was never made, should not have been made, or could not have been made legally. I can assure you that 1.5 million retirees will attest to the fact that the promise was made.

There was absolutely no doubt in anybody's mind (from the highest ranking general to the lowest ranking private) as to why the promise was made. The promise was made to keep the trained military in the military. It didn't matter how much agony and pain this promise could cause later. It was expedient to make the medical care promise when it was made and it was done.

That part of the promise concerning "space available" was soft peddled at every level. It was part of the fine print. The type of fine print that flashes on our TV screens today for about 2 seconds. The type of fine print that the advertiser doesn't necessarily want a potential buyer to see. Most people believed that the "space available" thing meant that if space wasn't available where they were then they would be sent to where space was available.

To draw a parallel example; the promise made to the retired military veteran is in essence like this promise made by a husband to his wife. "I will love you my dear for the rest of my life with all of my heart and soul - on a space available basis". If you are the wife, which part of this promise would you want to believe? If you are the husband which part of the promise would you want your wife to believe?

The medical care promise, as it has played out, was a gimmick (a novel or clever scheme, a hidden or deceptive device) designed to keep the trained military in the military. It was a promotional stratagem of great proportions. In other circumstances this promise could easily be considered a conspiracy to defraud.

It was my duty, as a Non Commissioned Officer in the military, to encourage subordinates to reenlist. Reenlistment was absolutely necessary to maintain a trained military force at a very crucial time in our history. I was required to and did brief (in an official capacity) hundreds of subordinates concerning the provisions of the medical care promise for military retirees. The medical care promise was the major incentive to reenlist.

Making the promise was not difficult for me because I believed it. I believed it because the promise was made to me when I enlisted in 1951 and was made throughout my 20 years in the military by reenlistment counselors, 1st Sergeants, and Commanding Officers.

I am an advocate working for the preservation of freedom, a strong United States military and equity for its retired members. I know that we can not have one without the other. I know that without a strong military our freedom, that many take for granted, will cease to exist. I know that the enemy is still there. I know that the military must fight the enemy again. I know that we can not maintain a strong active military if the United States Government continues to renege on promises made to its retired military veterans.

I feel that I have a duty and an obligation to appeal to you on behalf of the United States retired military community. I can not, with a clear conscience, stand idly by and watch this grave injustice being perpetrated upon the weak and helpless retired military senior citizens.

This was my promise when I joined the military in 1951.

I do solemnly swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the United States of America; that I will serve honestly and faithfully against all their enemies whomsoever; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States, and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

I kept my promise. I would have died if necessary to keep my promise. The fact is I had no choice. When I made this promise, I had the will and the strength to fight and defeat any enemy of the United States of America. I trusted and respected my military and elected leaders. I believed what I was promised. They, my leaders, could and did depend on me. I never let them down. I never reneged on my promise.

Now, I am old and fragile and there is nothing left but the will to continue. It is indeed tragic that at this point in my life I am forced to fight for what was promised to me and millions of my retired military colleagues.

The medical care promise was made or sanctioned by your predecessors (The Congress of the United States) in good faith. They were right when they made the promise. They laid the foundation. You must find a way to maintain the integrity of this foundation. You must find a way to keep the medical care promise to the retired military veterans.

Please take those actions necessary to insure that the medical care promise made to the retired military veterans is honored by the United States of America.

And, please acknowledge receipt of this letter.

Sincerely