Owens listens to vets

While I was outside with my grandson March 6, my wife came out to tell me that Congressman Bill Owens called our home. Returning his call, I found him very willing to discuss matters he's addressing in the House Armed Services Committee.

As his Watertown office had received a number of calls from Jefferson Community College students, he reiterated his effort to restore funding to the military spouse college financial aid program. This affects 160 local students and 98,000 nationally.

Congressman Owens then said it would be "totally inappropriate" for our troops to become involved in the planned trans-Afghan pipeline. Our veterans organization is concerned that this project, intended to carry natural gas south though Afghanistan from the huge reserves north of that country, might be a hidden agenda among our reasons for being there.

Finally, Mr. Owens expressed support for pending bill HR 177, which would provide health testing for those who suspect they may have been exposed to depleted uranium (DU). Nicknamed the new Agent Orange, DU may have been the culprit in Desert Storm's thousands of early deaths, crippling disabilities and birth defects among the children of those troops. It was still in use in Iraq and Afghanistan until this year.

Although he's new to office, it may be that Congressman Owens' own military service has given him an edge in the ability to listen to local veterans.

Roland Van Deusen

Clayton