Monday, April 03, 2006

An open letter to our legislators...

Dear Senator Coleman (Senator Dayton, Representative Mark Kennedy):

I would wish to draw your attention to this site, which draws the attention to the disparity between retirement age and retirement pay between active duty and Reserve/Guard service. Given the demands placed on our Guard and Reserve in our current global war on terror, and given that many of our Guardsmen and Reservists see as much combat time (if not more) than their active duty counterparts, shouldn't they be on at-least equal footing with their active duty counterparts with respect to their retirement age and benefits? As a father of a Minnesota National Guard service man currently in Iraq for a year's tour of duty, I was appalled to learn that Guardsmen and Reservists, who are performing no less a sacrifice than their active-duty counterparts, are being treated as second-class citizens. I therefore urge you in no uncertain terms to vote in the affirmative to support (Senate Bill 1035  /  House Bill HR 472) to correct this egregious error and to support those who are so selflessly making sacrifices in service to their nation.

Sincerely,

Leo Pusateri