A Response to Patrick McHenry’s Letter to the Editor concerning the Hickory CBOC

As a veteran myself, I know the desperate need for a Veteran's Medical Facility in this area. However, don’t be fooled by Congressman McHenry’s Veterans’ Day missive in which he waxed on about his unending support for veterans’ health care issues. (“Your Voice,” Nov. 12) What has he done, specifically, for the veterans other than note what everyone already knows—that we as a Nation have a duty to care for those who have sacrificed for our freedoms?

Turn the page back to June 23, 2006, and this press release: “U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole today announced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will open three community-based outpatient clinics in Franklin, Hamlet and Hickory. The clinics are expected to be serving patients by the end of the year.”

That press release was followed by Congressman McHenry’s own announcement of a Veterans Town Hall meeting on September 28, 2006, at CVCC, where he claimed he was “proud that veterans in our area will be able to receive quality health care in a convenient and timely manner.” Now, with no VA clinic in sight, our “hard-working” congressman meets with the Secretary of the Veterans Administration and claims he can see “the light at the end of the tunnel.”

But even McHenry admits that he only “expects a Hickory Veterans Clinic, or Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) . . . to be opened by the end of next year.” He gives no specific details or time. Compare that with the Hamlet clinic that has already secured a lease for a 6000-square-foot facility and that will be operational by the second quarter of 2008.

Unfortunately, 12 years of expectations and promises do not meet the needs of my fellow comrades in arms who sacrificed their freedom and youth in the defense of our country.

McHenry expects voters in the 10th District to believe that his input was the critical factor in securing an outpatient clinic for veterans in the Hickory area—never mind that the proposed clinic is still at least a year away, which would be two years past his “estimate.”

The good Congressman looks around now and sees announced opposition from two veterans, and his response is to jump onto the “support the veterans” bandwagon, when unlike his challengers, he has never served his country as a member of the US Armed Forces. He wants you to ignore years of hard work by many others, urging support of such a medical clinic.

Instead, he wants to take credit for bringing the VA clinic to Hickory simply because the request was finally granted during his first term of office.

Remember, this is the same congressman who was unable to convince fellow Republicans in Congress to include a paltry $129,000 grant in the national budget for a “Perfect Christmas Tree” project in Mitchell County. Our congressman’s response: “They (Democrats) don’t like me”—never mind that an Arizona Republican sponsored the amendment to remove the grant and that four members of the NC Republican delegation also voted against it.

Conservative Republicans and unaffiliated voters of the 10th District need to open their eyes and prepare themselves to select McHenry’s replacement in next spring’s primary. The writer of this letter has 21 years of experience in the United States Air Force, retiring a few years ago at the rank of Lt. Colonel.

I will gladly represent veterans’ interests against or within the U.S. government bureaucracy, fighting anyone who gets in the way of their fair treatment. And I’ll know what I’m talking about.

The Sigmon Campaign - A Family Affair

When Lance was considering the challenge of running for Congress, we all knew he had an uphill battle. We didn't know a lot of people involved in politics, and we really didn’t know where to begin. There were many unknowns facing us, but Lance knew he could count on his family for support, encouragement, and a lot of hard work.

Currently, I act as the nerve center of the campaign's organization. I maintain a calendar for the whole family – with everyone's activities, appointments and obligations. The calendar is internet based, so everyone in the family can access it from their computers, Lance can see it from his cell phone, and we can even keep up with Kirk, our freshman at college. That way, everyone knows what everyone else is doing. Lance has had so many great opportunities and invitations to meet people and to get out in the district that it has been a challenge to see how much we can fit into each day.

I also help Lance keep up with the large amount of correspondence he’s receiving now, whether it's by mail, phone or e-mail. Lance and I feel strongly, that if people take the time to contact him, they deserve a personal response – not a "canned" or prewritten reply that may, or may not, answer their questions. When Lance gets home, I'll usually have a list of phone calls he needs to make and e-mails he needs to answer. We do our best to get back to everyone as soon as possible, but with the large volume of correspondence lately, it can be quite difficult!

Kirk has become invaluable to the campaign for his website, graphic design and internet skills. He maintains and updates the website, and manages the growing database of volunteers and constituents who have volunteered to become a part of the campaign. Kirk also formats and sends the e-mail version of our campaign newsletter, which has been our most cost–effective way of getting Lance's message to the public. Kirk worked 40-60 hours a week over his Christmas holidays, and I think he was glad to go back to school for the new semester, just to get a "break."

Due to the amount of time I work on the campaign, our 16-year-old daughter, Leah, has taken over all ordinary household responsibilities, including cleaning, cooking, and laundry. She has her driver's license now, so she also runs all the errands and does the shopping I used to do. She even does my most hated household chore – ironing! Leah is in charge of the family meals now, too, and has become very proficient at making chicken pies with homemade crusts like the ones you can buy in the local churches. Leah also helps with the office work when she can, and she folds letters and stuffs envelopes while watching her favorite shows on TV.

Lance's parents are also part of the home team. Lance's mother, Boncella, retired several years ago after 30 years as a secretary for the NC Highway Patrol. She files and keeps up with the enormous amount of information we have collected – newspapers, clippings, articles, letters, etc. Eddie, Lance's dad, is a one-man campaign himself. Eddie loves to talk to people, and he has never met a stranger. He hands out information and just tells people about Lance – whether they want to listen or not!

We have also been very blessed to have strong support from our church family. Some are actively involved in handing out information about Lance and others are involved behind the scenes. Much more importantly, however, are the prayers and words of encouragement that we receive from our church family. It is comforting to know that when we become stressed or discouraged, we have a strong Christian church family to lean on.

One of the lessons we’ve learned during our family travels and experiences, and especially during Lance's career in the Air Force, is that no matter what the challenge, we can depend on each other. We know how to support each other during good times as well as bad. So, while we may be newcomers to politics, we are quite experienced at working together as a family and helping each other reach our goals. Our next goal – help Lance to become our next Congressman!