Clinton reaching out to military veterans

Hillary Clinton is seeking to bolster her credentials among military veterans. 

Clinton visited a  Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Nevada last month, something highlighted in a Wednesday op-ed by a Democratic state senator and Army veteran in the Reno Gazette-Journal. 

“There is one presidential candidate who has made clear that she understands the sacrifices of veterans, military families, and service members: Hillary Rodham Clinton,” wrote Sen. Pat Spearman (D-Nev.), a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel. 

{mosads}Spearman said Clinton “made clear that veterans are (and have always been) a priority for her” and that her grandfather was a World War II chief petty officer based at the Great Lakes Naval Station outside of Chicago. 

Clinton also discussed working on the Armed Services Committee to address traumatic brain injury, predatory lending, expanding healthcare and other issues that affect veterans. 

“Hillary showed us that she’s ‘got our 6,'” Spearman wrote, using military lingo for having one’s back.

Spearman said Clinton came out against privatizing and outsourcing VA services, but “understood choice should be part of the solution,” and discussed expanded access to VA expertise on brain injury and prosthetics. 

Clinton “forcefully defended the GI Bill … as it has helped millions join the middle class,” Spearman said. 

Clinton also discussed removing the stigma around post-traumatic stress disorder and working to prevent veteran suicide. She also discussed fighting predatory lending and for-profit colleges that take advantage of veterans. 

“And with an eye on military families, Hillary said ‘we need a special program to make sure that every child of a military family gets the child care their child needs,'” Spearman wrote. 

But Spearman, who is also the first lesbian member of the Nevada Legislature, said Clinton “wasn’t all talk, she was all ears.” 

“While the experience of sitting with a presidential candidate was atypical, what was truly exceptional was her genuine desire to learn from our experiences,” she wrote. 

“Veterans issues are not simple despite the catchall phrase,” she wrote.

“America has an obligation to care for those who serve. Thankfully, Hillary believes in paying debts and honoring commitments to our veterans. She will fight for veterans, reach across the aisle, and get things done. That’s the type of leader we need,” she said.