Jerry Holliman is an American hero. At 18, he volunteered to serve in Vietnam and received a Bronze Star. When asked why he volunteered instead of waiting to be drafted, Holliman said that he "served for the flag. The flag is the only thing that unites us people."
But despite all of this, Holliman continued to serve. He was later deployed to Egypt and, finally, Iraq. From 2004 to 2005, Jerry led 37 convoy missions in Iraq. During his service in Iraq, he received another Bronze Star and was ultimately was injured in a mortar explosion. Jerry Holliman was honorably discharged in 2010, after 40 years of service.
Civilian life has been hard for Holliman, too. As I said, he has won three separate fights with cancer, all connected to his exposure to agent orange during the Vietnam War. A tornado ripped through his neighborhood in 2017, damaged his home, and destroyed his air conditioning unit, forcing him to vacate the home. And in 2018, Jerry Holliman lost both of his legs to diabetes.
Jerry was fitted for prosthetic legs and checked into the Veterans Home in Collins, MS so he could go through rehab and learn how to walk again.
But then, the unthinkable happened. The company that delivered the prosthetics, Hanger, repossessed Jerry Holliman's legs just two days before Christmas. And when Holliman turned to the VA for help, they said there was nothing they could do...
All of this happened because of a paperwork mistake. Because one form was not signed, the prosthetics manufacturer did not consider the legs fully "delivered" and decided to take them back.
Holliman was told to ask the VA for help. But the Department of Veterans Affairs said there was nothing they could do for Jerry Holliman and told him to ask Medicare to help.
"Medicare did not send me to Vietnam," Holliman responded. "I was sent there by my country... with the understanding that if something bad happened to me, that it would be covered by the VA."
Ultimately, the company relented and returned the prosthetic legs to Holliman. However, until the bill is paid, they are refusing to adjust the prosthetics which means they are unusable. Whenever Holliman tries to walk, his left prosthetic collapses.
The VA is refusing to help him. They are willing to give him a motorized wheel chair, but he can't use the chair in his home.
We here at Conservative Daily are reaching out to Jerry Holliman and are committed to paying for the prosthetic adjustment so he can walk again. This man is a hero and the fact that he was left unable to walk just two days before Christmas over a paperwork mistake is absolutely shameful.
But what is even more disgusting is that the VA abandoned him. The VA could have helped this man, but refused. They left a 69-year-old war hero legless, in a home, at Christmas.
As I said, we are getting in touch with Jerry Holliman to help make him whole again. But our mission today is to make sure that this NEVER happens to another veteran, ever again!
Jerry Holliman, by all measures, is an American hero. And when he retired after 40-years of service, he continued sacrificing for his country. He lost both his legs to diabetes linked to his exposure to agent orange. The VA had an obligation to care for him, and they failed...
President Trump has done an incredible job reforming the VA to make sure that veterans dont fall through the cracks. Today, if the VA is unable to care for a veteran, he or she has the right to seek care elsewhere.
But Jerry Holliman's case proves that there is still work to be done. We owe it to our veterans to make sure that they are fully cared for.
VA reform is bipartisan. There is no doubt in my mind that there are the votes to pass a VA reform bill to make sure that disabled veterans like Jerry Holliman are protected. But it is up to you to demand it!
Today, we need your help to make sure this never happens to another veteran, ever again!
Never again!
Joe Otto
Conservative Daily
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