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Take Action To Get Co-Sponsors for HR 2114: Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2015

By Susan Schnall

Representative Barbara Lee introduced the Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2015 on April 29th last year to help heal the wounds of war to:

• Provide health care and social services for affected Vietnamese,
• Provide medical assistance and disability benefits to affected children of American Vietnam veterans,
• Provide health care for affected Vietnamese Americans and their offspring,
• Clean up the lands and restore eco-systems contaminated by Agent Orange/dioxin in Vietnam, and
• Conduct research into the health effects of Agent Orange in the US and Vietnam.

Please contact your representative and request that he/she become a co-sponsor. It's easy. The most effective way is to:

1. Call either the local office or Washington office of your congressperson and ask for the name and email address of the legislative aide working on veteran issues;
2. Email the legislative aide the following letter:

Dear_________, I am contacting you with a request regarding asking Representative__________to become a co-sponsor of HR 2114 that would heal the terrible wounds from the war in Vietnam. I am a veteran of the Vietnam War and member of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. You were represented to me as the person in ___________ office who handles veterans' health. We are writing to ask Representative ________ to become a co-sponsor of HR 2114. This bill would help heal the legacy of the American War in Vietnam by: providing medical assistance and disability benefits to the affected children of American Vietnam veterans, providing health care and social services for the affected Vietnamese and Vietnamese offspring, and clean up the lands and restore ecosystems contaminated by Agent Orange/dioxin in Vietnam.

This legislation was introduced by Congresswoman Barbara Lee on April 29, 2015. Would you consult with Representative _________ about adding her/his name and voice to this critical and long overdue bill? Supporting factors: Representative __________recently received a Dear Colleague letter from Congresswoman Lee requesting support from members of the Progressive Caucus and Congressman Raul Grijalva has again signed on as first Co-Sponsor. Also, a Vietnamese delegation visited the United States this past December. They represent VAVA (Vietnamese Association of the Victims of Agent Orange), the organization responsible to the nation and its people for overseeing Agent Orange/dioxin clean-up (at bases like Danang), and for supporting the families and groups which care for its victims. Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

Then, if you have not heard from the legislative aide for more than 4-5 days, call them and mention that you have emailed a request for support of this legislation and also email them again. I understand that this is time consuming and appreciate your help in obtaining additional support for this very critical legislation.

Susan Schnall is on the VVAW Board, co coordinator of VAORRC, and a Vietnam era veteran who was court martialed by the US Navy for anti-war actions in 1969.