VVA Pens Open Letter Requesting Pardon for Post 9/11 "Bad Paper" Veterans

[boardman]

Vietnam Veterans of America Pens Open Letter to President Obama and President-elect Trump, Requesting Pardon For Post 9/11 "Bad-Paper" Veterans

(Washington, D.C.)–“Vietnam Veterans of America is calling on President Obama to pardon all Post-9/11 veterans who have been administratively discharged under less-than-honorable conditions without the due process of a court-martial. "These young men and women answered the call to serve and suffered for it. You must not leave office before acting to help them," wrote John Rowan, VVA National President, to President Obama. "President Jimmy Carter granted pardons for draft dodgers in 1977, erasing felony-level offenses from thousands of Americans who refused to serve their country in a time of war" noted Rowan. "Meanwhile, veterans who were administratively discharged without the due process rights of a court martial have been left behind for decades. President Obama must act immediately to help our nation's most vulnerable veterans before he leaves office."

According to a memorandum from the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School that VVA delivered to President Obama: "The President has the legal authority to pardon veterans with an OTH whose misconduct stemmed from undiagnosed Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental-health issues, including pre-existing conditions. The U.S. Constitution confers sweeping power on the President to issue pardons that forgive individuals of criminal and civil offenses. Past presidential administrations have issued far-reaching proclamations in military contexts and have specifically granted clemency and discharge upgrades to individuals who served, or were drafted to serve, during the Vietnam War. In one instance, President Ford issued a mass pardon for [qualifying] Vietnam veterans with [drug-related discharges] on his final day in office. Moreover, the Supreme Court has long upheld the expansive nature of the President's pardon power."

Please see attached for the full letter from Vietnam Veterans of America and the Memorandum on Presidential Power from the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School: www.vva.org/Open_Letter