Former General, Flag and Senior Officers and Enlisted Military, Veterans Join 100,000 Americans Signing Gabby Giffords’ and Capt. Mark Kelly’s Letter to Congress
WASHINGTON – Signed by 100,000 people including former senior officers and enlisted members of the U.S. Armed Forces, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and retired astronaut and Navy Captain Mark Kelly wrote and delivered a letter to Congress today following last month’s tragedy at the Washington Navy Yard calling on Congress to act to prevent gun violence.
“After shootings at Tucson, Aurora, Oak Creek, and Newtown, Congress stalled and failed. Since the Sandy Hook massacre, there have been 16 more mass shootings in communities across America. Still nothing,” read the letter penned by Giffords and Kelly. “Congress, you must lead. Come together, take a sober look at the problem, and pass laws that protect our families and communities. Please act.”
“The constant nature of these tragedies can’t be ignored. It’s time for Congress to take action. Just this week a middle school shooting tragically claimed the life of a math teacher who survived tours in Afghanistan as a U.S. Marine. He was killed while trying to talk the shooter into giving up his weapon on the playground,” said Navy Capt. Mark Kelly (Ret.). “We must keep up the pressure.”
“Tragedies like this should not be common in America,” said former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. “I am deeply honored to have such accomplished members of our military – American heroes – standing with us in this fight.”
The list of signers includes more than 100,000 ARS members including veterans and former service members. Signers include a former Assistant Secretary of Defense, a U.S. Army Chaplain, a U.S. Army Medical Corps Officer, a former U.S. Navy Captain that cared for the victims of the Tucson tragedy, a former Republican Member of Congress and the former Governor of Alaska – both of whom served in Vietnam.
Other highlights from the list include:
- Major General Vance Coleman, US Army (Ret.) served during racial segregation and witnessed its end in the ranks. He was there when women were recognized as equals and the military moved to an all-volunteer force. He has testified before Congress on a number of military issues.
- Captain Joan E. Darrah, U.S. Navy (Ret.) served as chief of staff and deputy commander at the Office of Naval Intelligence. She shared with CNN: “At 8:30 a.m. on September 11, I went to a meeting in the Pentagon. At 9:30 a.m. I left that meeting. At 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight No. 77 slammed into the Pentagon and destroyed the exact space I had left less than eight minutes earlier, killing seven of my colleagues.”
- Staff Sgt. Eric F. Alva, USMC (Ret.) was the first Marine seriously injured in the Iraq War. On March 21, 2003, he was in charge of 11 Marines in a supply unit when he stepped on a land mine and lost his right leg. He was awarded with the Purple Heart.
- Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney, USMC (Ret.) is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and now serves as CEO Chief Executive Officer of the American Security Project. He served as Deputy Executive Secretary to Defense Secretaries Cheney and Aspin and Inspector General of the U.S. Marine Corps.
- Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Vincent W. Patton III, Ed.D., USCG, (Ret.) became the first African American selected as the service’s senior-most enlisted ranking position as the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard in 1998. He was the principal advisor to the Commandant of the Coast Guard, his directorates, and the Secretaries of Transportation and Defense.
LETTER AS SENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS SIGNED BY 100,000 AMERICANS WITH PREFACE FROM MILITARY SIGNERS:
October 23, 2013
Dear Congress,
As a proud part of our nation’s family of service members, veterans, and supporters, we are pleased to join former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Captain Mark Kelly, and 100,000 Americans calling on Congress to take action to prevent gun violence. We have dedicated much of our lives to the security of this country. That commitment continues with the fight to protect our communities from gun violence.
Sincerely,
Douglas B. Wilson, Former Assistant Secretary of Defense, Rehoboth Beach, DE
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Vincent W. Patton III, Ed.D., USCG (Ret.), Alexandria, VA
Major General Vance Coleman, US Army (Ret.), Sun City, AZ
Major General Dennis J. Laich, US Army (Ret.), Columbus, OH
Brigadier General John Adams, US Army (Ret.), Tucson, AZ
Rear Admiral James A. Barnett, US Navy (Ret.), Arlington, VA
Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney, USMC (Ret.), Alexandria, VA
Brigadier General Evelyn “Pat” Foote, US Army (Ret.), Accotink, MD
Brigadier General Keith H. Kerr, CSMR (Ret.), Santa Rosa, CA
Brigadier General Stephen N. Xenakis, M.D., US Army (Ret.), former Medical Corps Officer, Arlington, VA
Captain Joan E. Darrah, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Alexandria, Virginia
Captain Robert D. Dockendorff, US Navy (Ret.), San Francisco, CA
Captain Gail P. Kulisch, USCG (Ret.), Reston, VA
Captain April F. Heinze, US Navy (Ret.), Coronado, CA
Captain Peter Rhee, MD, US Navy (Ret.), MPH, FACS, FCCM, Division Chief, The University of Arizona Division of Trauma, cared for the victims of the Tucson shooting
Colonel Stewart Bornhoft, US Army (Ret.), Bonita, CA
Chaplain (Colonel) Paul W. Dodd, US Army (Ret), Austin, TX
Colonel Thomas F. Field, USAR (Ret.), Arlington, VA
Commander Beth F. Coye, US Navy (Ret.), Ashland, OR
Lt. Colonel Victor J. Fehrenbach, USAF (Ret.), Dayton, OH
Major Michael Almy, USAF (Ret.), Dayton, OH
Former Congressman and Vietnam veteran Lt. Commander Joe Schwarz, M.D., (MC) USNR, Battle Creek, MI
Staff Sgt. Eric F. Alva, USMC, San Antonio, TX
Former Governor and Vietnam veteran Sp5 Tony Knowles, US Army, Anchorage, AK
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Dear Congress,
It happened again.
A disturbed and dangerous individual used a gun to commit mass murder – to create for us all a world as dark?and evil as his own. Now, 12 Americans are dead, and we wonder, again, when and where will it happen next?
Guns themselves are not the problem. Firearms provide for the exercise of our basic rights, connect us to our most cherished traditions and pastimes, and keep us safe in our homes.
However, allowing dangerous people access to guns goes to the very heart of the gaping vulnerability presented by gun violence. Criminals and the severely mentally ill have time and time again used firearms for murder and mayhem. This must end.
After shootings at Tucson, Aurora, Oak Creek, and Newtown, Congress stalled and failed. Since the Sandy Hook massacre, there have been 16 more mass shootings in communities across America. Still nothing.
We have disturbing problems – gun crime, mental illness, and the easy access that dangerous people have to guns. But our public officials seem more interested in political theater and special interest threats than in leadership.
Congress, you must lead. Come together, take a sober look at the problem, and pass laws that protect our families and communities. Please act.
We are not a nation that just mourns tragedy. We are not a nation that lets its greatness bleed away, one murder after another. We are a nation that solves problems. We are a nation whose laws should allow Americans to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Sincerely,
Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly