As a Vietnam veteran who served two tours of duty from 1965 to 1967, I hope to support all of my brothers and sisters who have served or are serving in any way I can. And this is why I would like to share about the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, H.R. 299, which recently overwhelmingly passed in the House with a vote of 382-0. It is currently in the United States Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs being discussed before sending it to the full Senate for a vote.
If passed and approved by the president it would extend benefits to approximately 90,000 U.S. Navy sailors who served off the coast during the Vietnam War, some of whom have been fighting for years to prove their illnesses were caused by exposure to Agent Orange.
Please contact Sens. Patty Murray (member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs) and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and encourage them to support H.R. 299, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017. There’s also a petition you can sign at: petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/senate-pass-blue-water-navy-vietnam-veterans-act-2017-passed-house-bill-HR299.
