Fayetteville veteran: Kamala Harris answered veterans' call for help; Trump only lied

I served in the United States Army for more than 20 years at Fort Bragg (now Fort Liberty); at the Pentagon; and in the Middle East as a part of Operation Desert Storm. Putting on that uniform each day knowing that I was standing up for something bigger than myself — for our democracy, our rights and freedoms — was one of the greatest honors of my life, but it didn’t come without sacrifice.

During my years in the service I worked in close proximity to burn pits where the military burned discarded materials like plastics, rubber, jet fuel, chemical mixtures and human feces. These pits released toxic smoke into the air that, we now know, affected many of the service members who lived and worked near them.

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Exposure to these burn pits caused me to have severe asthma attacks and trouble breathing and then years later it led to a heart condition. I was not alone in this. The VA predicts that over 3 million veterans were affected by toxic chemical exposure over many decades which led to conditions like the ones I experienced, cancers, and other serious illnesses.

It was clear to veterans and military families that those of us exposed to these toxic chemicals needed help. We served our country and now at home we were suffering.

Harris a key part of PACT Act becoming law

Vice President Kamala Harris saw this too, and she answered our calls for support, by fighting alongside President Biden to pass the most significant expansion of benefits for veterans in 30 years.

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Throughout her career, Vice President Harris has been standing up for service members and their families. As attorney general of California she took on for-profit colleges for their predatory and unlawful practices that targeted veterans and prosecuted scammers that preyed on veterans for a quick profit.

She was a key part of the PACT Act becoming law, and that law helped me to receive crucial disability benefits so that I could continue to improve my health and get the care I need. The passage of the PACT Act changed my life, and the lives of thousands of North Carolina veterans across our state.

Donald Trump tried to cut billions from a veterans disability program

Donald Trump can lie about what he has done for veterans all he wants, but what President Biden and Vice President Harris did is real action, and you can’t fake that.

The truth is, Donald Trump tried to cut billions from a veterans disability program while in office and said that no one would want to see disabled veterans in a military parade. He called those who died serving our country “suckers” and “losers.” Trump even said that John McCain, who was held captive during the Vietnam War, was “not a war hero” and that he likes “people who weren’t captured.”

Veterans deserve better

As someone who fought for our country and our freedoms, I know that veterans deserve better,and Vice President Harris knows that too. She has a proven record of standing by us, and thisNovember I would encourage all veterans in North Carolina to join me in standing by her.

Mark Rowden lives in Fayetteville.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville veteran: Kamala Harris offered help; Trump insulted us