Brunswick Beacon, 06.16.22
The United States Senate will soon vote on The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022. Sgt. Robinson died in May 2020 from a rare cancer caused by breathing toxic fumes from burn pits in Iraq. He was not alone.
Some 3.5 million veterans were exposed to burn pits and other airborne hazards in the Persian Gulf, and Agent Orange in Vietnam. Other service members were exposed to contaminated water right here in North Carolina. Many have experienced painful, sometimes fatal illnesses only to be denied VA healthcare.
That’s why the “PACT Act” is so important – it expands access to care for veterans who need and deserve it. It was supported by 11 Veterans Organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, The American Legion, and the Disabled American Veterans. The “PACT Act” passed the House of Representatives on March 3, 2022. Shamefully, Congressman Ted Budd voted “No.”
Budd refused to lift a finger to help the men and women who put their lives on the line defending our country. While he got rich selling guns at home, they got sick carrying guns at war. Ted Budd’s betrayal of our veterans disqualifies him from representing North Carolina in the Senate.
We have a better choice in Cheri Beasley! She was elected judge four times by North Carolinians, and served as Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. She started her family in Fayetteville, home to Ft. Bragg. We can trust her to honor our sacred duty to our veterans, their families and the communities like Fayetteville that support them. And we can count on her to support commonsense, bipartisan legislation like the “PACT Act.”
Send Cheri Beasley to the Senate and show America that North Carolina can once again be the “Nation’s Most Military Friendly State.”
Rich Cooper,
Vietnam Veteran
Leland