I am proud to write this letter in support of Delegate Nick Rush, whose re-election will continue to have a positive impact on our veterans’ community.
As a Vietnam Veteran myself, I used to feel as though the sacrifices made by my brothers-in-arms were overlooked; however, my opinion changed two months ago, during the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge Dedication Ceremony.
This event remembered and celebrated the many men and women who put service above self during a difficult time in history and was the direct result of months of planning and coordination between three local chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and the office of Delegate Nick Rush.
Delegate Rush introduced legislation this past General Assembly Session that designated the Virginia Route 114 Bridge (Peppers Ferry Bridge) as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge.
As soon as he returned home from Richmond, Delegate Rush immediately went to work with the ladies of the DAR and myself (the representative of our local Veterans of Foreign War).
From the skydiver jumping in with the American flag to asking Major General Lapthe C. Flora (the first Vietnam refugee to be promoted to the rank of U.S. Army General) to serve as the keynote speaker, the ceremony was everything I had imagined and more.
Delegate Rush knows what service is at the personal level. He is a veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division, the son and nephew of Vietnam Era veterans, brother of a former Marine, and the father of two sons also currently serving in the U.S. Army.
Delegate Rush understands the importance of honoring the sacrifices of our veterans and taking the time to make certain others remember those who died protecting our freedoms. I can’t think of a better person to represent the voters of the 7th District (part of Montgomery County, part of Pulaski County and all of Floyd County) and urge people to re-elect Nick Rush on Nov. 7.
Gary Harris,
Radford
Commander of VFW Post 776
