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Congress Moves To Cut Off Benefits: Upgraded Discharge Affected

By VVAW

Vets with bad discharges have been hearing a lot about Carter's new program for upgrading these discharges. And now Congress has gotten into the act to remind us that there is indeed a pot of manure at the end of every rainbow.

Currently there are a rash of bills in both houses of Congress to ensure that anyone who receives an upgraded discharge under Carter's program will not be eligible for vets benefits. One such bill has been passed in the House (as an amendment tacked onto an appropriations bill) well the Senate is still considering a whole collection of such bills.

It would appear that the benefits of over 700,000 veterans from the Vietnam era are hanging in the balance as Congress, outright servants of the rich, takes a little less time off from traveling around the world, taking bribes and making it with their secretaries, to put the screws to us again.

This attack by Congress, if successful, would effectively gut the discharge program by denying benefits of veterans who have taken the time, effort, and expense required for "discharge re-characterization."

Carter's program is far from perfect. It falls short in several areas but is still a victory for the amnesty and veterans movements which have been fighting for decent benefits and a single-grade discharge for the past five years. VVAW is currently encouraging vets with bad discharges to check out the Carter program (see Vets Notes on page 2). Meanwhile, as the fight for a single-type of discharge goes on, vets must now turn to meet this new threat from Congress.

The rich use to us in the millions to fight their wars for profit, then did just when we are no longer needed. The benefits we have our lousy and we have to fight tooth and nail to keep what we have. And now they are attempting to nail shut the doors that were locked to begin with for the hundreds of thousands of veterans with bad paper discharges from the Vietnam era.

Now it's our turn. The various congressmen and women have shown where their interests lie in initiating this attack. Others haven't committed themselves or keeping silent. As one part of to fight, VVAW will be taking our struggle to their local offices around the country as well as to their Playboy cribs in Washington.

But we aren't going with our hands out begging them to stop. We are going to demand that they vote this outrage down. Our experience from the anti-war days taught us that many of these people openly spoke against the war and told us to let them handle things. They talked and talked but didn't move until millions of people went to the streets and forced them to act.

By means of picket lines and demonstrations as their offices, press conferences and public forums, we can and will draw these senators and representatives out and make them play their hands for all the American people to see.

This newest abuse, along with thousands of others which the rich heap upon vets daily will not go unanswered. We will not forgive--we will not forget. VVAW is uniting vets across the nation, regardless of type of discharge, to carry despite the very doors of those responsible for this attack demanding "decent benefits and a single-type discharge for all vets."