JOHN EDWARDS: In November Edwards laid out a $400 million, five-point plan to aid in treating veterans with PTSD. A main focus of the plan is to allow veterans to seek mental care outside of the VA system, and to increase the number of counselors available. As the Associated Press reports:
MIKE HUCKABEE: Long before Huckabee enjoyed the level of attention he has now, the candidate spoke to New Hampshire voters in April about priority care for veterans [New Hampshire Telegraph]:
BARACK OBAMA: When retired Iowa Air Force veteran Andrew Hampton stood to ask a question of Obama the day after Christmas, the two ended up in a “tearful embrace.” The veteran addressed a lack of veterans health care for the current generation, and said for a long time he wasn’t getting medical benefits due to political decisions [Associated Press]:
FRED THOMPSON: Thompson took the opportunity of speaking at South Carolina’s Citadel military college to reaffirm his proposed numbers for beefing up U.S. presence in Iraq – and, therefore, creating a great deal more veterans [Associated Press]:
JOHN MCCAIN: As a well-known veteran, McCain has said improving veterans health care is his number one domestic priority. In a South Carolina pancake house last month he spoke of this priority saying vets should have a card that allows treatment at any health care facility – VA or not. From the Associated Press:
“Thank God we have so many coming back,” he said. “We’ve saved so many lives we wouldn’t have been able to in other wars.”
