With
the power of the Internet the "playing field is now level".
Once, we were helpless and without hope in bringing reform to the
military and Veterans Administration. Mainly, to address
service-connected injury or injustice denied rating percentages before
discharge and denial of "due process of law" within the
administrative remedy process under Public Law, Title 10 U.S.C. Section
1552. (Board for Correction of Military Records).
Not only does "Feres" deny a service member the opportunity to
address an injury or injustice resulting from an official act amounting
to medical malpractice or intentional tort, its power also denies our
loved ones benefits within the Veterans Administration. (Public Law,
Title 38).
The issue is simply "due process of law" under the Fifth
Amendment of the United States Constitution. Although, the federal
courts don't believe we have "liberty interests", we think
otherwise. Our life, limbs, pension, etc., are just that!
On this page we'll present some details about our organization and the
people behind it.
Our Staff
Our staff
consists of "volunteers" from around the nation that
effectively assist in our daily operations. We consist of all walks of
life with family and friends throughout our great nation. We stand ready
to reform government to protect our children from the abuses we faced
due to those who place "personal agendas" over "duty,
honor, country".
We are a "Union", consisting of honorably discharged veterans,
families and friends working with other veterans' organizations to bring
reform to the military and Veterans Administration,(VA).
Jeffrey A.
Trueman
Founder/President
VERPA
Jeff is also
known as "Fro" in his home area of Philadelphia, PA, and
"True" by many of his "adopted brothers and sisters"
around the nation. He founded VERPA with one goal in mind, to educate
the American public most specifically, parents of young Americans
contemplating joining the armed forces and our 1.2 million rank and file
members of the "chilling effects" of the "Feres
Doctrine".
Prior to his wrongful discharge, True promised his administrative
discharge board that he would be back. They laughed at him! On January
13, 1994, at the age of thirty, with two small children and a marriage
that was all but over due to his placing, "duty, honor,
country" over the best interests of his family, True found himself
involuntarily but "honorably" discharged with alleged mental
illness. (The evidence of blatant violations of federal law by his
unlawful orders for mental health examinations as cited in his United
States Supreme Court challenge against the law, was used in ABC's 20/20
expose' on October 28, 1999, "An Abuse of Power?". The program
exposed the Clinton Military Establishment's misuse of the mental health
system to silence and discredit "Ethical Resisters" who
refused to turn a blind eye to military corruption.)
In the wake of the 20/20 program and True's failed challenge of the
"doctrine" as unconstitutional at the United States Supreme
Court in June 1999, which alleged 50 years of human/civil rights abuses
of American service members due to the law's denial of "due process
of law", he felt compelled to write "Beyond the Scope of
Justice: The Chilling Effects of the Feres Doctrine in the United States
Armed Forces".
Now, at the age of thirty-seven, True is now an author, certified
paralegal/legal assistant, (with his eye on law school and would like to
play college baseball and football. Well, maybe not college level
anymore...)
Although, True put all his life savings into VERPA, he firmly believes
with the help of his many friends and distinquished patriots from around
the nation, "history will be made" and reform of the "Feres
Doctrine" will be achieved in the years to come.
If you ask him, "How does it feel to be an author?", you will
get the following response, "I am not an author, I am a veteran
with an issue!" What an issue it is ... the "Feres
Doctrine"!
In True's opinion after "walking the walk", and
"quarterbacking" the effort to fight this unjust law at the
United States Supreme Court, he knows, if not amended, it will continue
to destroy many honorable men and women.
To save the federal treasury over protecting the constitutional rights
of American citizens serving honorably to defend the U.S. Constitution
is simply wrong!
Although, True's efforts to challenge the "Feres Doctrine"
within the federal judiciary is now over, he is hopeful that VERPA's
publishing arm will continue to produce books on behalf of veterans and
their families injured by this unconstitutional law. The objective is to
fund VERPA's advocacy arm and provide fellow veterans and their loved
ones with financial compensation, plus a vehicle to tell their stories
to ease the pain they carry from being betrayed under the doctrine's
denial of "due process of law" to address service-connected
disabilities.
True lost daily contact with his children in the wake of his divorce, a
million dollar military pension over his lifetime, etc., etc., he knows
he is not alone.
In the end of True's journey through the miltary's entire chain of
command, investigative processes, Members of Congress and the United
States Supreme Court, True is happy to say, through it all, God brought
him closer to his family, children and his "soulmate". He is
now rebuilding his life and putting what comes first --
"family" (this makes his big sister very proud). True still
has many years of fighting left in him to prevent unlawful reprisals of
service members and their families who stand tall to corruption. If
reform of the military and Veterans Administration is to be achieved, it
takes "team work". True hopes his book will be the vehicle to
gain the support of the American public that "checks and
balances" must be instituted to ensure military officials who abuse
their powers are accountable under existing laws.
OUR GOAL
To
establish a nationwide "union" for military dependents to
assist them with procedural guidance to prevent their loved ones who
expose "fraud, waste and abuse" from becoming victims to
unlawful reprisals.
"We are
veterans, family and friends from around the nation who care for each
other!"
