Dave Matthews Fights for Traumatized Troops
Voices: Musician pushes to ensure those who served aren't denied benefits.
July 15, 2007 — -- Grammy-award winning rock star Dave Matthews is pushing Congress to protect Iraq veterans traumatized by combat and who have been misdiagnosed with personality disorders, trying to make sure that those who served are not denied the disability benefits they need. This week, six senators introduced legislation that would temporarily suspend personality disorder discharges for combat veterans until there is a comprehensive review of current procedures.
Dave Matthews: It just struck me as a profound injustice that someone who had given so much of themselves and clearly showed such a quality of personality … that the gratitude that was shown them was basically a dishonorable discharge.
It made me think, "What can I do? What can we do?" So we wrote a letter requesting an investigation in Congress, and now we have 23,000 signatures.
It's not partisan. It's not about whether it's a Republican or a Democratic administration. It's only about how we treat people who have given, essentially, their lives, put their lives in the hands of our country.
For more information on the Dave Matthews Band and its petition, click here.
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