Heller is all talk on veterans

Sen. Dean Heller is AWOL for my family. He is using Nevada veterans as campaign props. He has deserted those serving by failing to protect the agencies that provide real-time intelligence to our military.

I am the daughter of a Navy veteran and the wife of a Navy veteran, and my son will be deployed again in October. He provides medical aid and evacuation for our special teams in some of the most dangerous parts of the world.

We have repeatedly asked Heller to speak out and push back against President Donald Trump’s unrelentingly reckless and treacherous attacks on our national security agencies. It has been reported that Trump is trying to destroy these agencies to protect himself. But in so doing, these attacks erode the confidence of our allies around the world.

Heller has refused to meet with my husband and me even though on Sept. 14, he held a roundtable veterans meeting in Reno. His letters to us do not provide answers to our questions. Instead of action, he tells me that he will keep us in his prayers.

Heller says one of his top priorities is taking care of disabled veterans. Equally important, he should be doing everything in his power to prevent those who are now serving from being killed or wounded. I want Heller to stand up and speak out.