A Plea From Iraq

Supporting Our Troops With More Than Mere Words

A reservist's plea from the battlefield half a world away sounds the call for action here at home.

Readers of this blog are urged to give voice to democracy by calling Nassau County Legislators, asking them to support pending legislation which would allow the county to pay mobilized reservists the difference between their county pay and their military pay.

Our reservists, indeed, all of our armed service members, have sacrificed more than any one of us could ever ask. Now, it behooves us to sacrifice but a few minutes of our time to contact our local legislators, supporting the pending legislation, and giving back, at least a little, to our troops.
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Dear Friends:

As many of you know, I am currently serving in Iraq as a mobilized reservist. As tough as it can be sometimes, I am proud to be serving but look forward to returning home. I expect to return to my position as Chief Clerk of the Nassau County Board of Elections and continue serving - this time the county.

Recently, New York City has passed legislation that would greatly benefit mobilized reservists who return to their city jobs after completing their tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. The city has a generous policy that pays mobilized reservists the difference between their city pay and military pay. In the past, they also had to pay back any meal or housing allowance the military gave them. With the legislation they passed on Veteran's Day of last year, returning citizen soldiers will no longer have to pay the food and housing allowance back. As Mayor Bloomberg said, "Our reservists shouldn't have to pay to eat MREs and live in tents."

Legislator Lisanne Altmann has worked to craft and pass such a law in Nassau County. She has done all the leg work on it. She has worked with the budget review office to get the numbers just right. In short, she has done a wonderful job.

I am asking that you contact any or all of the County Legislators to support this law. I would appreciate it personally and returning veterans who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan would also appreciate it. To contact the Nassau County Legislators, you can call their offices at:

Kevan Abrahams - (516) 571-6201
Roger Corbin - (516) 571-6202
John Ciotti - (516) 571-6203
Denise Ford - (516) 571-6204
Joe Scannell - (516) 571-6205
Fran Becker - (516) 571-6206
Jeff Toback - (516) 571-6207
Vincent Muscarealla - (516) 571-6208
Richard Nicollello - (516) 571-6209
Lisanne Altman - (516) 571-6210
Craig Johnson - (516) 571-6211
Peter Schmitt - (516) 571-6212
Norma Gonsalves - (516) 571-6213
Dave Mejias - (516) 571-6214
Dennis Dunne - (516) 571-6215
Judy Jacobs - (516) 571-6216
Ed Mangano - (516) 571-6217
Diane Yaturo - (516) 571-6218
David Denenberg - (516) 571-6219

You can also contact all of these legislators by e-mail on the Nassau County web page:

http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/legis/index.html

Thank you for any help you can give in gathering support for this important piece of legislation.

Regards,

Vincent Grasso