Big Horn County News: Tester Supports Vets with New Bill

In Red Lodge and Billings, and elsewhere in Montana, Senator Jon Tester barnstormed around the state, and spoke about how he was urging Congress to include Major Richard Star Act in the Defense Bill. He also noted the seriousness of the lack of nursing home care in Montana.

Senator Tester told CCN, “Our government is failing to deliver on its promises to combat-injured veterans who were forced to retire before completing 20 years of military service. These men and women served their country faithfully because it was the right thing to do, and now they aren’t getting their full military benefits because of actions out of their control.”

Tester claims his bipartisan bill would address longstanding injustice by delivering combat-injured veterans their full military benefits.Tester recently filed the Major Richard Star Act as an amendment to the annual must-pass defense bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), two weeks ago week with U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho). The Senate is expected to begin consideration of the NDAA this week.

“Right now, we’re not living up to the promises we made to our combat-injured veterans who were forced to retire before completing 20 years of military service,” said Tester. “Veterans and heroes like the folks behind me, who were forced to retire because of the medical injuries they received serving, aren’t getting their full military benefits. We’re the greatest country that has ever existed on earth, but treating our veterans like this is not a good example of that.”

Tester continued, “We have an opportunity like no other to fix this injustice by setting up a vote to adopt the Major Richard Star Act as an amendment to the NDAA to finally provide medically-retired combat veterans their full military benefits. We got the PACT Act done for our toxic-exposed veterans when nobody said we could. Now, we need put our money where our mouth is and do the same for combat-injured veterans and their families.”

“I medically retired from the Marine Corps under Chapter 61 in August of 2013 due to a combat-related Traumatic Brain Injury and other injuries and conditions stemming from this incident. In essence, I was forced to retire, but also forced to forfeit my retirement pension,” said Anthony Grimaldi, a combat-injured Marine Corps veteran who was medically-retired and would benefit under the Major Richard Star Act. “…We are not asking Congress to create and implement a new special benefit. We are simply asking for the retirement that we earned. For the retirement that we paid for with our own blood. For the retirement that we paid for with our limbs, our minds, and with our youth…Bring the Major Richard Star Act to the floor for a vote, and give our nation’s combat-injured disabled veterans their earned retirement. There is no time better than now.”

“I served 17 years, I was trying to do 20 and retire. But at the year 17 mark, my PTSD really started showing itself and I was asked to medically retire from the military,” said Adam Chenoweth, an Army veteran who was forced to retire early due to combat-related PTSD. “So I lost out on being able to completely finish my 20 years. The Major Richard Star Act would have helped out me and my child a ton. When I was a single parent and got out of the military and didn’t have anything else, it was just me and my kid trying to figure out how to live in Billings, Montana without anything else. It would have helped us out immensely—we would have been able to live a little better of a life.”

One veteran said, “Like Jon said, the Major Richard Star Act is a no-brainer,” said Randy Stiles, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6774 Commander and a retired medically-retired Marine Corps and Army veteran. “If you’re a veteran and you served your country in any capacity, in combat, you need to be compensated. You need to have the entitlements you’re entitled to. We need to make sure we’re taking care of all veterans. We got hurt…We suffer a great deal a lot of people don’t see…Congress get your act together and pass this bill as an amendment.”

Named in honor of decorated war veteran Major Richard A. Star who was forced to medically retire due to his combat-related injuries, the Major Richard Star Act would provide medically-retired combat veterans with less than 20 years of military service their full military benefits. It is a top legislative priority for Tester and veterans’ groups in Montana and across the nation.

Earlier in Red Lodge, he told CCN, “It’s plain wrong, and I was proud to stand alongside combat-injured Montana veterans today to urge DC bureaucrat to finally fix this unfair policy by setting up a vote to adopt the Major Richard Star Act as an amendment to our annual must-pass defense bill. It’s time to put our money where our mouth is and deliver these veterans their full military benefits.”

Kim Gillan, Democratic Candidate for Montana House of Representatives District 55 said, “It was a good visit and discussion; Senator Tester is working hard to make sure rural Montanans, like Carbon County—don’t lose access to health care. We discussed the nursing home closures and and its impact. Folks may not know that the National Rural Health Association named Tester the 2024 Health Champion for his strong leadership and advocacy. He’s got our backs.”

One woman noted, “Senator Tester continues to work hard for Montanans…he’s understands our issues…in rural areas and will work for us.”