<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><DIV>They need to pass a law giving veterans the same health insurance as members of Congress. Then they would be well taken care of.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Donovan Arnold<BR><BR>--- On <B>Fri, 11/13/09, Tom Hansen <I><thansen@moscow.com></I></B> wrote:<BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"><BR>From: Tom Hansen <thansen@moscow.com><BR>Subject: [Vision2020] Battling for a Three-War Veteran<BR>To: "Moscow Vision 2020" <vision2020@moscow.com><BR>Date: Friday, November 13, 2009, 7:20 PM<BR><BR>
<DIV class=plainMail>As you read the following article, courtesy of Disabled American Veterans at:<BR><BR><A href="http://www.dav.org/news/documents/magazine.pdf" target=_blank>http://www.dav.org/news/documents/magazine..pdf</A><BR><BR>think of Senate Bill 1963, the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health<BR>Services Act of 2009<BR><BR><A href="http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s111-1963" target=_blank>http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s111-1963</A><BR><BR>and Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), the senator who refuses to support Senate<BR>Bill 1963.<BR><BR><A href="http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/11/military_veteransbill_coburnhold_110309w/" target=_blank>http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/11/military_veteransbill_coburnhold_110309w/</A><BR><BR>-------------------------------------------<BR><BR>Battling for a Three-War Veteran<BR>By Thom Wilborn<BR><BR>At age 93, Sylvester <SPAN>Ackerman</SPAN>’s eyes have
witnessed some of the most<BR>dramatic events in recent history. A DAV life member, he is a veteran of<BR>World War II, the Korean War and two tours of duty in Vietnam. Yet he<BR>seldom talked of his experiences and never felt he was owed anything for<BR>his sacrifices.<BR><BR>During World War II, Ackerman was among those who landed in North Africa,<BR>then moved on to combat in the invasion of Anzio, Italy, where he was<BR>wounded. Next came the allied landing in southern France and fighting in<BR>Germany. He was part of the occupation forces in both Germany and Japan.<BR>Besides tough fighting at Chosin Reservoir in North Korea, he later served<BR>at Pleiku and An Khe during two consecutive tours in Vietnam with the<BR>First Air Cavalry.<BR><BR>Joining the Army in October 1941, Ackerman served 30 years in uniform,<BR>retiring as a command sergeant major. In 1983, he was diagnosed with<BR>Parkinson’s disease. His wife, Elizabeth, has provided loving
care and<BR>retired from her job in 2003 to devote herself to full-time care for her<BR>husband, whose health had deteriorated to the point where he could not be<BR>alone.<BR><BR>But in January 2008, in her mid-70s, Elizabeth no longer had the physical<BR>strength to help her husband. So she had him placed in a nursing care<BR>facility near home in Tacoma, Wash. There she can visit him several times<BR>a day, giving him the love and attention that evolves over 55 years of<BR>marriage. Meanwhile, the cost of his care was exhausting the family’s<BR>financial reserves and threatening their future<BR>well-being.<BR><BR>“Retirement clearly cut my income, and the cost of the nursing home was<BR>oppressive,” she said. “The financial effect was demoralizing, plus the<BR>lack of recognition that he had made so many sacrifices for our country.”<BR><BR>“Every month, he was asking, Are you paying all the bills?” said Elizabeth.<BR><BR>But the disabled
veteran of the bloodiest combat of the 20th century<BR>didn’t have a disability rating that would qualify for VA nursing home<BR>care. And when Elizabeth sought help from some veterans organizations, all<BR>she got was “paperwork to fill out and it never went anywhere,” she said.<BR>“We had been seeking help for two years at the point when I went to the<BR>DAV.”<BR><BR>Attending a retirement day event at Ft. Lewis, Wash., Army Reservation,<BR>she was waiting in a long line for service when she saw the DAV<BR>information desk. “I had a two-hour wait and saw the DAV, so I thought I<BR>had nothing to lose,” she said. National Service Officer Gregory F.<BR>Kotanchick soon contacted Elizabeth and went to work on Ackerman’s claim.<BR><BR>“As I started reviewing the file, it became apparent there was not only 30<BR>years of service, but service during three different wars,” said<BR>Kotanchick. “I discovered he was awarded a Purple Heart
and Bronze Star.<BR>It was very gratifying to see that this gentleman was deserving of more<BR>benefits than he was receiving.”<BR><BR>Ackerman’s service medical record showed that he had received an Achilles<BR>tendon transplant in 1951, which ultimately resulted in a 60 percent<BR>disability rating. But NSO Kotanchick found that Ackerman also suffered<BR>shrapnel wounds in his back, with metal fragments remaining, plus other<BR>injuries resulting from his Korean War service.<BR><BR>Because of Ackerman’s age, Kotanchick worked with the Seattle VA Regional<BR>Office Decision Review Officer to expedite the claim, and a VA physician<BR>made a house call to examine Ackerman. In six weeks, Ackerman’s rating was<BR>increased to 100 percent permanent and total disability. That rating would<BR>provide nursing home care for the veteran<BR>and would provide VA health care and education benefits for any<BR>dependents. The claim was made retroactive to
Aug. 1, 2006, the date<BR>Ackerman first filed his claim.<BR><BR>“I was just absolutely astounded,” said Elizabeth. “I can’t ever get over<BR>that. It was just unbelievable.”<BR><BR>Ackerman was overjoyed with the news and asked his wife, “What did we ever<BR>do to deserve this?” said Elizabeth. “I said it is what you did to deserve<BR>this.”<BR><BR>“All I can say is ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you.’” she said.<BR><BR>“The DAV is a superior organization,” said Elizabeth. “It’s not just the<BR>claims work. The DAV has the kindest people.”<BR><BR>“I can’t think of a more deserving veteran and his family getting the<BR>benefits they are entitled to,” said NSO Kotanchick. “It was very<BR>rewarding to work hand-in-hand with the VA on behalf of this veteran and<BR>his needs. All the factors came together, and we worked in a way we should<BR>always work.”<BR><BR>“It shows what DAV can accomplish on a daily basis
in helping our<BR>veterans,” said National Service Director Randy Reese.<BR><BR>Or as Elizabeth Ackerman puts it, “With the DAV, I’m not just one person<BR>alone. I can stand up and do more.”<BR><BR>-------------------------------------------<BR><BR>Pro patria,<BR><BR>Tom Hansen<BR>Moscow, Idaho<BR><BR>"Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the<BR>tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."<BR><BR>-- Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>=======================================================<BR>List services made available by First Step Internet, <BR>serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <BR> <A href="http://www.fsr.net/" target=_blank>http://www.fsr.net</A> <BR> mailto:<A
href="http://us.mc447.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=Vision2020@moscow.com" ymailto="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">Vision2020@moscow.com</A><BR>=======================================================<BR></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></td></tr></table><br>