Reporter's Notebook

Not your usual swag

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If you’re still debating whether to spend some time at the GIFF this weekend, you could at least come for the freebies. All the sponsor tables have some of the usual knick-knacks to offer. But the Stand Up For Veterans table caught my eye.

They’re offering Doonesbury posters, but what’s interesting is what you can offer them. Their table is full of petitions to the president and Congress, and they’re getting a battalion’s worth of signatures from the looks of it.

 Their petition asks lawmakers to enact legislation to:

“Properly screen and treat all psychological wounds, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), utilizing the most effective evidence-based tools and therapies.

Properly screen and treat all veterans who may have suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI) — including all who may have suffered a ‘mild’ TBI — using validated assessment tools and proven, effective treatments.

Provide comprehensive support to family caregivers of severely wounded and disabled veterans, including access to VA mental health care services and financial support programs.

Reform the federal budget process to provide the sufficient, timely and predictable funding necessary to sustain the VA health care system as the ‘best care anywhere.’”

So, if you’re nodding your head reading that, you can always come down and sign in support.

If you come quick, you can head into the “War Stories Panel” with Gary “Lootenant Day-un” Sinise, starting at 3 p.m.