No more lip service; support veterans

Too many U.S. senators are sitting on their hands, refusing for too many years to answer questions about why veterans suffering from illnesses they contracted related to their service to the nation are not being covered by the Veterans Administration as war-related. The truth is they believe it will be too expensive, a shameful excuse. Danielle Robinson, surviving spouse of SFC Heath Robinson, center, holds hands with U.S. First Lady Jill Biden during President Joe Biden's State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., March 1, 2022. Provided photo/Drago Alexander/Pool/ABACA The SFC Heath Robinson/Honoring Our Pact Act still awaits Senate approval. Susan Zeier, an activist whose deceased son-in-law is the namesake of the legislation, said if it is approved, all veterans suffering illnesses related to exposure to toxic smoke from burn pits maintained by the U.S. military would be eligible to receive health care benefits and other benefits. But, according to Zeier, who is from Sandusky, only one Republican in the Senate — Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida — has agreed to vote in favor of the legislation. Support from nine other Republican senators is needed to get the bill approved, and it remains an uphill battle. We are dumbfounded and extremely disappointed that Republican senators refuse to support military veterans who have returned from overseas conflicts sick with a variety of illnesses caused by their service to the country. It's unconscionable, in our view. This past weekl President Joe Biden announced nine illnesses believed to be caused by exposure to toxic smoke coming from burn pits maintained by the U.S. military at numerous military stations overseas would be added to the list of illnesses eligible for disability and health benefits. This is a victory for our servicemen and servicewomen, but too many already have died from the illnesses they contracted without proper acknowledgment from the nation, from the Veterans Administration and from Congress, which for too long has refused to require the VA to do the right thing. It's a good first step, and Zeier said it shows President Biden is hearing the message. But passage of the SFC Heath Robinson/Honoring Our Pact Act is the only outcome that is acceptable. We asked Sen. Rob Portman, Ohio's Republican senator, whether he will vote for the legislation, but, as of Friday, he hasn't responded. Ohio's other U.S. senator, Sherrod Brown, has been a steady and reliable champion for veterans, working for years shepherding this legislation and getting his fellow senators to understand how important it was for the nation to honor its commitment to veterans. U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan also is fighting for passage. While Republicans stand in opposition, effectively ignoring these veterans, Brown and Ryan have worked with veterans' groups like Burn Pits 360 and its leader, Rosie Torres, whose husband Le Roy is a retired U.S. Army Captain diagnosed with constrictive bronchiolitis and toxic brain injury after serving in Iraq. Danielle Robinson — Heath Robinson's widow, Zeier's daughter and a Sandusky High School graduate — continues to work for passage of the bill. Robinson said she is more hopeful the goal will be achieved. "We still have a long way to go but this is a start. Thank you President Biden for pushing for these presumptions and for demanding that the Senate pass the SFC Heath Robinson/Honoring Our Pact Act," she said. "We need our senators to vote Yes when the bill hits the floor for a vote." We urge readers to ask him to support the SFC Heath Robinson/Honoring Our Pact Act. We also ask that other Republicans in the U.S. Senate do the right thing and support this legislation. It's way past due, and it is simply the right thing to do.