Letter Writer Was Wrong; Coleman Supports Vets

Peter T. Panos

St. Cloud Times

 I recently read a letter written by the DFL Veterans Caucus Chairman Jim Bootz, trashing Sen. Norm Coleman's support of veterans. It is my duty, as a veteran of this most recent conflict, to respond.

Has Bootz personally dealt with Coleman or taken a realistic look at all he has done to support service members and veterans?

After 36 months of deployments, I have seen firsthand what a powerful champion Coleman is for all U.S. service members and in particular Minnesota National Guard troops.

Thanks to Coleman's support, our recently deployed units have had the very best in training and equipment to prepare for battle. I have looked at Coleman's voting record and found he supported a 67 percent increase in federal funding for veterans programs. He has voted more than 30 times to increase funding for veterans and has done so without supporting the massive tax increases proposed by his Democratic colleagues.