It's not hard to understand why the Sierra Club has had a long and proud relationship with the men and women who serve our country in the armed services. As our history shows, a passion for exploring and enjoying the outdoors is a natural complement of both the skills and the spirit of the military.
After all, it was our first executive director, David Brower, who used his mountaineering and outdoors skills to help found the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division during World War II, a unit that has since distinguished itself from the Dolomites of Italy to the Hindu Kush of Afghanistan. Brower isn't an isolated example -- thousands of veterans are Sierra Club members and supporters. That's because their commitment to protect our country doesn't stop when they take off their uniforms. And their sense of duty extends from protecting our freedoms overseas to protecting our air, water, and natural legacy here at home.
So it's more important than ever that those who have sacrificed for our nation be given every opportunity to succeed here at home and receive every benefit they have earned. Incredibly, though, not everyone in Congress or in Washington, D.C., seems to agree. In fact, the recent omnibus budget bill would deliver harsh cuts to veteran's benefits.
That would be a slap in the face to all of the men and women who have put their lives on the line for our country. No veteran should receive anything less than every benefit to which he or she is entitled. That is the least we can do for those who fought to preserve our democracy.
That's why the Sierra Club is standing shoulder to shoulder with our partners, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and Blue Star Families, as well as with veterans, active duty service members, and their families nationwide, in opposing any cuts to veterans' pensions or benefits.
Our nation's budget should not be balanced on the backs of those who have fought to protect it. If we care about raising our voices to protect our nation's clean air, clean water, and wild places, we must stand with those who have sacrificed to ensure we have a strong nation. This is not an ideological issue or a partisan issue. It's common sense.
You can help fight for a full repeal of the cuts to military retirees' benefits here.