Editor:

Public records show there are 12,779 military retirees in Utah, of which 5,594 of them are over the age of 65. These are folks who were promised free medical and dental health care for them and their dependents for life if they would spend 20+ years in the service of their country. These folks are WWII, Korean War, Cold War, and Vietnam War vintage veteran military retirees. The WWII/Korean War veterans are called the "greatest generation." These folks are dying off nationally at the rate of 1,500 per day. These are people of whom many are in dire straits financially because of broken government promises and the resultant need to pay for a significant amount of that which should be free as a result of their faithful military service in defense of our country.

If you are in any of the categories above, please contact me, as I belong to a national military organization whose sole intent and purpose is to rectify this injustice. We need your help because, unfortunately, our legislators do not listen to our pleas, nor do they read our correspondence. The best we can hope for is playing the numbers game whereas they count the numbers of correspondence received on a given issue, and this is where we need all the help we can get. We will only be successful in the restoration of our promised benefits if we pull together and be heard individually and collectively.

Ron Shaw

USAF, Ret.