All
I am back and cann't believe no one else is indicating desire to be in DC in
Sept. How about it all.....we need to know if you are interested or not?
I cannt really call donors for donations until I get a good handle on how
many are interested...
it is also hard to call hotels etc to try to get reduced pricing until I
know roughly how many..
I need to know if you are willing to stay in DC for both meetings if you get
assistance. If you are interested go ahead and indicate it in the
comments...
If you are thinking then we need to move especially if you are going to have
to fly so we can find cheapest airfares.....etc
These are TWO VERY IMPORTANT MEETINGS! The VA RAC needs our support to keep
the pressure on and you are not going to want to miss the release of their
big report on Sept 16!
The Gulf War Veterans Advisory Committee will have second meeting SEpt 24-25
and it is critically important to MAKE AN IMPACT ON THEM. This is how we
can make the changes in the CARE AND BENEFITS from the VA!!!! You don't
realize how much impact you can make face to face! Each of you can make a
DIFFERENCE. I urge you to come forward now!
This is your chance to testify!
Also need you all to forward the info to all other gulf war veterans you may
know so they can also be encourage to participate and let us know if they
want to come.
Here is the last update posted.
http://gulfwarcouncil.com/gulf_war_rac_meetings_and_travel.htm
Update September D.C.
All,
I am hearing that Secretary of the VA will not step in to ask the Gulf War
Veterans Advisory Committee to move up their meeting from Sept 24-25 to
closer to VA Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illness Research scheduled Sept
15-16. He wants the committee to serve independently and he does not want to
interfere. SO unless US Representatives/Senators?US Press or you the Gulf
War Veterans can get the Committee Chair Cragin to change we will have the
meetings spread out over ten days.
Direct your comments to:
Laura.Oshea@va.gov
Lelia.jackson@va.gov
address it to Chairman Cragin...........ask him to reconsider moving the
meeting date to Sept 18-19. Ask him to resurvey his members! Remember to
copy your letter to Your US Rep, Us Senators (2), and also the Chairman of
the House VA Committee, and Chair of the Senate VA Committee. (Find their
email addresses on
www.house.gov and US.senate.gov ) Example:
Dear Chairman and Staff of Gulf War Veterans Advisory Committee,
I wish to point out the VA RAC GWI is meeting Sept 15-16 and it would be
nice to have the new advisory committee on Gulf War Veterans move up their
date to closer than Sept 24-25.
If possible it would allow more gulf war veterans to attend both meetings of
advisory committees.
(add in your sentence of how you personally are going to come to DC and how
hard it is. Also mention that you want to be able to attend both advisory
committee meetings!)
It would also facilitate the new committee members of the Gulf War Veterans
Advisory Committee to attend the VA RACGWI and receive the report that VA
RAC GWI is releasing on Sept 16th as it is released.
May I suggest the Gulf War Veterans Advisory committee consider meeting on
Sept 18-19 or 22-23.....
This would shorten the time gulf war veterans would have to stay in DC in
order to attend both advisory committee meetings and save travel and housing
costs or repeated trips into DC when these veterans are ill.
Sincerely
I hope that many of you can stay and I will do everything I can to find
affordable billetting and will work with others to help you to stay for
both. But in order to do this WE have to know how many of you would be
interested in coming and staying for both. In order to raise funds and
arrange the billetting options I have to know roughly how many.
I will be unavailable from Sunday until Tuesday sometime so that gives you
all a bit of time
to sign up and indicate your interest and in the comment block to indicate
if you are trying or have interest put struggling to figure it out. Please
go to
http://gulfwarcouncil.com/gulf_war_rac_meetings_and_travel.htm
and let us know---use the comment block to state your desire. So we start
having a rough idea. WE have some time put in order to accomplish anything
we can not wait to get some idea of how many!
DSNurse