 | Dear Patriotic American,
The monster winter storms have left
many of our troops severely wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq with equally monstrous utility bills.
And if they don't pay them in the next few days their heat, electricity and hot water may be disconnected.
Other seriously
injured troops are facing evictions, car repossessions and other financial disasters.
That is why the Coalition has launched its emergency
Bring Them In From the Cold drive.
I'm contacting you because you have a history of supporting patriotic causes. And I hope I can count on you to
make an emergency winter donation right
now.
My name is Major General John K. Singlaub, U.S. Army (Ret.). I served our nation during three wars. And
today I am serving our troops severely wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq by working with the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes.
Thanks to
generous, patriotic Americans like you, the Coalition has responded to over 18,548 requests from wounded troops facing evictions, utility cutoffs, car
repossessions and other financial disasters.
Along the way we have provided them and their families with more than $23 million in
emergency financial aid, resources and other support services.
Even I was surprised to learn how many seriously injured troops have been
cast out into the streets because they are unable to pay their bills.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs' own estimates, on any given night, 107,000 American
war veterans are homeless. Many are younger veterans from Iraq or Afghanistan, just like those the Coalition was created to help.
One Tulsa, Oklahoma radio station reports that 250 veterans regularly stop by one local
homeless shelter - and many of them have served in Afghanistan or Iraq.
These brave men and women have been maimed,
burned, blinded or even brain-damaged while serving our nation. And this winter they are living in a homeless shelter?
Please . . . .
help me right this wrong.
You can do that by making an emergency winter
donation to help Bring Them in From the Cold.
Severely wounded
troops with homes are suffering as well.
As I write this letter, the freezing weather that
continues to grip the nation is driving up utility bills. And the Coalition is being flooded with calls from wounded troops facing the cutoff of their
heat, hot water and electricity and other financial disasters.
So please make a tax-deductible donation right
now. Within just a few days we can use your gift to help avert a utility cutoff, eviction or other crisis for a worried and
wounded hero, maybe even someone in your area.
The Bring Them in From the Cold project will be helping wounded heroes
like Phil Bauer, who lives in ice-cold upstate New York. While serving in Iraq, Sgt. Phil Bauer's Chinook helicopter was hit by gunfire and plunged
150 feet to the ground. Phil was trapped under the wreckage and suffered a traumatic brain injury, PTSD and severe burns to his legs.
At the hospital Philip's right leg had to be amputated. You can see Phil's photo here.
After returning home to upstate
New York he learned his financial problems were just beginning. Phil's wife Jennifer wrote, "The bills piled up and we had no electricity or heat . .
." Fortunately Jennifer found the website for the Coalition to Salute America's
Heroes. Thanks to friends like you, the Bauers received $2,308.96 to get their utilities turned back on and pay other
bills.
Almost every day we get more calls from frightened military families who urgently need help right now. Will you help
me bring them in from the cold?
Right now three elements have combined to create a "Perfect Storm" for
our severely disabled servicemen and women. ONE: The ice cold winter weather, which is driving up heating bills.
TWO:
The ongoing recession, which has caused many spouses of our wounded heroes to lose their jobs.
THREE: The breakdown of the government's disability claims system. As
reported in recent news articles, our wounded heroes are waiting an average of six months for their first
disability check to arrive after leaving the hospital and being separated from the military.
Of course, when
your income is shrinking and your bills are rising, something has to give. Maybe Mom decides to buy groceries this week instead of paying the heating
bill. Or maybe Dad picks up warm clothes for the kids . . . and falls further behind on the rent.
One day the eviction notice arrives. Or
like Phil and Jennifer Bauer, the family returns home to a house that is cold and dark, because the electricity has been disconnected.
During sub-zero temperatures, an eviction or utility cutoff can be a matter of life and death. That means your emergency
winter donation could make a huge impact. The Coalition has set a goal of rushing emergency
financial aid to every wounded serviceman or woman who asks for it this winter.
Frankly we took a "leap of faith" when we made
this commitment - because right now we don't know how many emergency requests we will receive. That's why I hope you'll make a generous
donation today to the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes.
I don't want
our financially strapped military families to have to choose between heating . . . and eating, and I know you don't either.
So please make the most generous donation you can afford to the Coalition's Bring Them In From the Cold project.
In a winter
emergency like this, no gift is too large, and none is too small to make a
difference. What's most important is that you give something right away.
Remember: The Coalition is trying to
rush emergency financial aid to every wounded service member who contacts us because they are facing homelessness, eviction, a utility cutoff or other
financial disaster.
But we took a leap of faith in making that promise because we have no way of knowing how many emergency calls we'll
continue to receive.
So please make an
emergency donation to help rescue a wounded hero right now, while you're thinking
about it.
Every additional family we're able to help this winter will have you to thank.
With
respect and gratitude,
Major General John K. Singlaub
U.S. Army (Ret.)
P.S. As I mentioned,
the monster storms have left many severely wounded troops with monster utility bills as well. As a result many are facing utility cutoffs, evictions
and even homelessness this winter. So please make a generous, tax-deductible donation to the Bring Them In From the Cold drive,
sponsored by the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes.
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