Vietnam Veteran MOH Sammy Davis Attending Inaugurations Since 1969

Meet the Army Veteran Who’s Never Missed an Inauguration Day Since Nixon
NBC News
by ERIK ORTIZ
January 18, 2017

It doesn't matter whether he voted for that person or not, Davis said, he goes to each ceremony out of a "sense of duty — an obligation I feel in my soul."

"I didn't die for my country," he said, "but I'm living for it."

On each Inauguration Day, decorated Vietnam veteran Sammy Lee Davis is furnished with a front-row seat to history.

Davis, a Medal of Honor recipient, has been an eyewitness to every American president taking the oath of office since Richard Nixon's first swearing-in on a cold January afternoon in 1969. Davis is returning to Washington this week and says he is eager to watch Donald Trump become the next president of the United States — marking his 14th ceremony he will get to experience first-hand.

"How unique it is to have that privilege," said Davis, 70, who calls everyone "sir" or "ma'am" and lives outside a tiny Indiana community called Freedom, where he keeps framed programs from each inauguration he's attended.

While a particular president might inspire a trek to the nation's capital for such a revered event — President Barack Obama's first inauguration in 2009 beckoned an estimated 1.8 million spectators — the desire to go is different for Davis.

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Vietnam Veteran Finally Receives Purple Heart To Shock of Buddy

Long thought dead, Warren Vietnam vet gets Purple Heart
Detroit News Washington Bureau
Keith Laing
July 10, 2016

Rivera said he was so convinced that Johnson had died in his arms that he kept a band from one of Johnson’s boots that he wore around his wrist to remind him of the friend he believed died in combat.

Herman Johnson, center, with his onetime Vietnam buddy Fred Rivera, left, on Sunday accepted his Purple Heart that had been long denied him during a ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington.

(Photo: Keith Laing / The Detroit News)

Washington — Herman Johnson is a Vietnam War veteran who was injured in a 1969 battle that left his best friend believing he was dead for 47 years.

Johnson’s friend, Fred Rivera of California, wrote a book about the impact of believing his best friend had died in his arms during combat that led to the discovery that Johnson was alive and well in Michigan.

The two friends were reunited for the first time in nearly five decades as Johnson, of Warren, was given a surprise Purple Heart decoration in a ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington on Sunday that that was arranged with the assistance of U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, D-Royal Oak.

Johnson said he never expected to be reunited with an old friend or receive the Purple Heart, which is the military’s oldest award that is given to members who are wounded or killed.

“I didn’t know what was going on,” he said. “I never expected to see Fred again.”

Johnson was nearly moved to tears by the presentation of Purple Heart. He recalled being denied the decoration when he returned from Vietnam in the late 1960s.

“I never thought it would happen, because this lady denied me a couple of times,” he said, referencing an Army official who processed his paperwork after his initial return to the U.S.

“When I got hit, I went down...I said ‘Oh God, am I in heaven?,’ Johnson recalled of the firefight that left Rivera believing he was dead.
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Vietnam Veteran Saved By EMS and Good Samaritan

Vietnam veteran survives stroke thanks to quick EMS response, mysterious Good Samaritan
FOX 5 DC
By: Anjali Hemphill
July 1, 2016

Frankino said this was his third time in his life he has come close to death. A few years ago, he survived cancer. And back in 1967 during the Vietnam War, he was aboard the USS Forrestal. He was part of the crew that helped put out a huge fire on that ship that killed 143 men.

WASHINGTON - A Vietnam veteran visiting Washington D.C. for the Fourth of July came face-to-face with death after having a stroke. His family said if it wasn't for some amazing doctors, the EMS team and a complete stranger, he may not have survived.

Joe Frankino is recovering at George Washington University Hospital surrounded by several family members.
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HonorAir Knoxville Flight 21 Filled With Vietnam Veterans

Service and Sacrifice
WBIR News
June 24, 2016

Throughout the month, we are sharing the stories of four veterans we followed aboard HonorAir Knoxville Flight 21. It was the first flight devoted to all Vietnam veterans. A total of 149 troops made the all-expenses paid trip up and back in the same day to Washington to see the war memorials.

After sneaking in his first solo flight at 13-years-old, Joel Pressburg was leading aerial missions in the Vietnam war by age 22.

He would skirt trees in the flight deck of a U-10 Helio Courier, going so low that on one mission he found bolts from an enemy crossbow stuck in the top of his small plane. Pressburg continues to remain humble about his service, though.

"I had it a lot easier than the guys who were down on the ground," Pressburg said. "They have my undying respect."

Pressburg is one of the veterans who received a free one-day trip to Washington D.C. to see the memorials built in their honor. HonorAir Knoxville Flight 21 said it was the first ever trip devoted solely to Vietnam veterans.
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First all Vietnam Honor Air flight back from DC
WBIR news
KNOXVILLE - To hearty cheers and waving flags, some 150 Vietnam veterans returned Wednesday night from their all-day trip to the Nation's Capitol to see monuments erected in their honor.

Wednesday's HonorAir flight was unique in that it was exclusively for Vietnam veterans, and it is the third of 21 HonorAir flights that have included Vietnam veterans.

At least 10 Purple Heart recipients were aboard Wednesday’s flight.

It returned about 8:30 p.m. to dozens of greeters at McGhee Tyson Airport.
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Some 150 Vietnam vets flew back into Knoxville on Wednesday night. It was the first trip that featured only Vietnam-era veterans.

Iowa Vietnam Veterans Take Honor Flight

First Honor Flight for Vietnam veterans announced
WQAD
By Ryan Jenkins
Jun 17, 2016

BETTENDORF, Iowa (WQAD) - Approximately one hundred veterans will experience the first ever Vietnam Veteran honor flight in September 2016.

The event, hosted by Honor Flight of the Quad Cities, will celebrate these veterans by providing an experience for them to enjoy a dinner before they take off and spend their day touring war memorials and monuments in Washington D.C.

While in Washington D.C., the veterans will take part in a special service near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

“They will join together, they will be able to talk to each other and share experiences, share laughter, maybe even a few tears…” said Steve Garrington, Hub Director of Honor Flights of the Quad Cities.

The flight will depart from the Quad City International Airport on September 15, 2016. The veterans will spend the day in Washington D.C. and return that same night.

Garrington said he hopes to see the community welcome the veterans home upon their return.

“They didn’t really get a welcome home the first time so this is our chance...” said Garrington.
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Miss America Also Defended It As Army Reserve Officer

Miss USA, Army reservist to fight for veterans, tackle military suicide, PTSD
Associated Press
Sally Ho
June 6, 2016

Miss District of Columbia Deshauna Barber smiles after being crowned Miss USA during the 2016 Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas, on June 5.

(Photo: Jason Ogulnik/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)

LAS VEGAS — The newly crowned Miss USA is a 26-year-old Army officer from the District of Columbia who gave perhaps the strongest answer of the night when asked about women in combat.

"As a woman in the United States Army, I think ... we are just as tough as men. As a commander of my unit, I'm powerful, I am dedicated," Deshauna Barber said. "Gender does not limit us in the United States."

The winner of Sunday's 2016 Miss USA competition held at the T-Mobile Arena off the Las Vegas Strip will go on to compete in the Miss Universe contest.

Barber is the first-ever military member to win Miss USA. In a press conference following the event, the 26-year-old lieutenant from Northeast DC said she plans to take a break from the Army Reserves and had already discussed with superiors the possibility of going inactive for a couple of years should she win the title. She said she currently serves two days per month.

"My commander should be watching right now," Barber said. "Two days a month is definitely not active duty. It is an obligation that I signed up for but they are very flexible in the United States Army Reserves."
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Vietnam Veteran Died in Motorcycle Accident After Seeing The Wall

Vietnam veteran was making first trip to memorial
The Herald Bulletin
By Scott L. Miley

June 1, 2016

PENDLETON — Craig Van Brunt had hoped to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., for years.

This past Memorial Day weekend, Van Brunt, 66, of Pendleton, managed to see the symbolic wall Friday with about 80 other Hoosier motorcyclists participating in the annual Rolling Thunder Ride for Freedom and Ride to the Wall.

Two days later, he joined in a demonstration ride urging Washington political leaders to find prisoners of war and service members still missing in action. After the demonstration, his motorcycle crashed on the way to the group's hotel. He died at George Washington University Hospital.

"This is something unfortunately that we have to live with," said Mike Clark, president of the Rolling Thunder Indiana Chapter 1, which organized area residents in the ride. "Most of us who ride motorcycles all know that once you swing your leg over the saddle, it could happen to any of us at any time."

Clark added, "At least he got to see the wall and participate in the Ride for Freedom demonstration. He got to accomplish his mission."
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Vietnam Veterans Bonded By Memories At The Wall

Bonds of Vietnam veterans renewed at Wall, Arlington Cemetery
Stars and Stripes
By Corey Dickstein
Published: May 19, 2016
1 minute ago

They’ve bonded like family in the years since, said Bob Dye, who at 19 was drafted and sent to Vietnam in 1968 to drive an 18-wheel fuel truck with the 359th.

WASHINGTON — Ronald Mallory eyed the name before him, carefully reading the letters etched permanently into the smooth black marble alongside 58,000 others.

For him, this one was special. This was his friend — the “comical” soldier who even on the toughest days running supply convoys through the Vietnamese jungles “was always smiling. Always happy.”

“Larry G Dahl” — Mallory ran his eyes over the name once more, recalling the day Dahl jumped on a grenade, saving Mallory and the other soldiers serving on the gun truck Brutus — an act for which Dahl would posthumously receive the Medal of Honor.

And then, after a few moments, the 66-year-old Mallory turned away.

It was his first visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial — “the Wall” — and like so many of the 35 veterans of the 359th Transportation Company who joined him May 11, the experience left him speechless.

“It’s hard,” said Ron Kendall, who served with the 359th between 1967 and 1968. “We all have brothers-in-arms on that wall. It’s such a sad place.
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Truth More Important to Family of MIA Airman

Vietnam War airman's death re-examined after decades of controversy
Stars and Stripes
By Travis J. Tritten
Published: April 11, 2016

“MIA is not closure, though it is better than this travesty that exists in the file to this day,” said his younger brother John Matejov, who is a retired Marine officer. “We shouldn’t have to fight for that.”

WASHINGTON — The Air Force closed the case on Sgt. Joseph Matejov when his surveillance aircraft went down at the end of the Vietnam War.

The missing airman was deemed killed in the fiery crash, and more than two decades later a group gravestone was installed at Arlington National Cemetery. A single casket containing bone fragments recovered in Laos was lowered into the ground at the 1996 funeral for Matejov and seven fellow Air Force crewmembers.

Officially, it was the end of the military’s accounting.

But the funeral did not bury the controversy over the downed aircraft, call sign Baron 52. The case’s long history is riddled with doubts and disagreements within the Pentagon, intelligence community and Congress over whether Matejov died that night in 1973.

Now, the Air Force and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency are re-examining the incident after decades of pressure from Matejov’s family and could change his status from killed to missing in action. A decision could be made within weeks.
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Medal of Honor Day To Remember Unknown Courage

GALLERY | Medal of Honor recipients gather for wreath-laying ceremony
Stars and Stripes
By Meredith Tibbetts
Published: April 1, 2016

Medal of Honor recipients watch the Changing of the Guard at the

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery during 

Medal of Honor Day, March 25, 2016.

MEREDITH TIBBETTS/STARS AND STRIPES

ARLINGTON, Va. — Medal of Honor recipients gathered in the Washington, D.C., area last Friday to honor the bravery and courage of citizens who faced down danger – or stepped up to the plate to help others.

The awards ceremony was held on Medal of Honor Day, a day dedicated to pay tribute to all MOH recipients, who, in turn, have set it apart to honor others.
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Good Samaritans have come to Chris Marquez's aid

Good Samaritan donates $5,000 to Iraq War vet brutally attacked at DC McDonald's 
FOX 5 News
Lauren DeMarco 
February 19, 2016

A Marine veteran is still recovering after he was assaulted at a Washington D.C. McDonald’s last week while he was leaving the restaurant. His injuries were so severe, he ended up in the hospital. In the meantime, several Good Samaritans have come to Chris Marquez's aid after the brutal attack. read more here

Decorated Marine Veteran Beaten and Robbed Because His Life Didn't Matter?

TEENS ALLEGEDLY ASSAULT IRAQ WAR VETERAN OVER 'BLACK LIVES MATTERS' 
ABC 13 News 
Updated 1 hr 13 mins ago 

WASHINGTON (KTRK) -- A decorated Marine veteran was attacked in the last place he expected, a McDonald's in Washington D.C. Chris Marquez says a group of rowdy teenagers started taunting him while he was eating. 

"They asked me if I believe that black lives matter," Marquez says. "I felt threatened and thought they were trying to intimidate me, so I figured I'm just going to keep to my food, eat my food, and hopefully they'll leave me alone." 

"And because I wasn't respond back to them, they were calling me a racist." read more here

Oldest Female “Queen Bee” Veteran Died in Her Sleep at 108

Alyce Dixon, oldest female veteran, dead at 108
FOX News
January 28, 2016

Alyce Dixon, one of the first African-American women to serve in the army and believed to be the oldest living female veteran, died Wednesday. She was 108.

Dixon, known as “Queen Bee,” died in her sleep, the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center said, according to FOX5DC.

Born in Boston in 1907 as Alice Ellis, Dixon changed the spelling of her first name when she was 16, inspired by actress Alyce Mills, the VA said in a prior press release. She briefly attended Howard University but quit school early to help support her family.

She joined the Women’s Army Corps in 1943, stationed in England and France during World War II and working in the postal service with the 6888th Battalion. Her job was to help eliminate a massive backlog of letters and packages sent to soldiers fighting on the frontlines. She received the Good Conduct Medal for her service.
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Miss DC is Sister of Missing Marine from Florida

Missing Marine is the brother of Miss DC
WUSA 9 Staff
January 17, 2016

WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- One of the 12 Marines missing after two helicopters crashed in Hawaii is the brother of Miss District of Columbia Haely Jardas, according to Jardas' Facebook page.

Two helicopter carrying six Marines each crashed off a shore in Hawaii on Thursday. The U.S. Marine Corps released the names of the Marines, including Jardas' brother Cpl. Thomas J. Jardas, 22, of Fort Myers, Florida.

Jardas was crowned Miss District of Columbia in 2015 and competed in Miss America 2016.

The Miss District of Columbia Scholarship Program released the following statement Saturday on Facebook:

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Haely and the entire Jardas family. Haely's brother was one of the marines involved in the helicopter crash in Hawaii yesterday. Please help us pray for his safe return.

A special thank you to the USO and TAPS who helped get Haely and one of our volunteers escorted though security and completely taken care of to get her home to be with her family."
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Strange Story Needed to Be Told Now?

I really like Military.com but right now I am not sure why they would do this story. It is about something that happened way back in 2008. I removed the man's name. Just wish if they were going to take a look back at what has been going on for the last 8 years, they'd cover what little Congress has done about veterans trying to get care from the VA because nothing has changed on that.

Report: VA Inspector General Quit After Masturbating in Public View
Military.com
Bryant Jordan
December 8, 2015

An acting inspector general for the Veterans Affairs Department resigned in 2008 after being seen masturbating in an all-glass conference room visible to people across the street, according to a report Sunday in The Daily Caller.

The Washington, D.C.-based online news outlet said its article about XXXXXX is based on a previously undisclosed report by the Inspector General of the Interior Department, which the Caller obtained.

Military.com has requested but not yet received the document from the Interior Department, which took over the case to provide an independent investigation after VA officials concluded the matter involved their boss.

When reached by telephone at his home, XXXXXX said the incident never occurred and described the allegation as "absolutely insane." The U.S. Attorney's Office reviewed the accusation and decided it was unfounded, he said.

"They found nothing wrong and they closed the case," he said. "Both the VA and Interior reviewed the matter. The matter was referred to US Attorney's Office for consideration, and they found it unfounded and closed the case and did not pursue it."

He added, "If I had [done it], you can be rest assured that I would have been held accountable for that. I would have been charged with a crime and I would have had to go to court to face it. But all the evidence, all the interviews and the U.S. Attorney's Office concluded that there was nothing to charge me with."

XXXXXX also said he decided to retire, not resign.
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DEA Head Idiotic Statement Calls Medical Marijuana a Joke

Medical Marijuana Patients To DEA Chief: Pot Is No 'Joke,' And You Should Be Fired
Chuck Rosenberg's comments are "unacceptable," advocates said.
The Huffington Post
Ruby Mellen
Posted: 11/20/2015

"There is nothing funny about suicidal thoughts. Using medical marijuana not only directly helps with my medical condition, but it has the added effect of making me a better father and husband." T.J. Thompson

THE HUFFINGTON POST

WASHINGTON -- Medical marijuana patients and advocates on Friday delivered a petition to Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, calling for the firing of DEA chief Chuck Rosenberg for his characterization that using the drug as medicine was "a joke."

The petition, signed by more than 100,000 people, calls on President Barack Obama to oust Rosenberg and appoint a new DEA head "who will respect science, medicine, patients and voters."

Tom Angell, chairman of Marijuana Majority, the marijuana advocacy group that started the petition, said that for his family and millions of others, the use of the plant for medical purposes is "no joke."

T.J. Thompson, a U.S. Navy veteran, said medicinal marijuana quelled the suicidal thoughts and anxiety he was experiencing from post traumatic stress disorder after his service when no other drugs would.

"There is nothing funny about suicidal thoughts," Thompson said. "Using medical marijuana not only directly helps with my medical condition, but it has the added effect of making me a better father and husband." read more here

Vietnam Veteran Takes HonorAir Flight to Washington DC

First Vietnam veterans to take HonorAir Knoxville flight eager to visit memorials in their honor
WATE ABC News
By Laura Halm
Published: October 6, 2015

MARYVILLE (WATE) – Tickets are purchased and excitement is building for more than 125 East Tennessee veterans.

Wednesday is flight day for Honor Air, but this plane ride to Washington, D.C. is a first for Vietnam veterans. Two of the veterans who will make the flight say they are anxiously waiting to see the memorials built in their honor.

Vietnam veteran Tommy Terry said he is only packing two items: a hat and a camera. “I’m not taking that much. So it won’t take long,” said Tommy Terry.

Tommy Terry said he has waited a long time for the chance to go to Washington, D.C. “When we came back from Vietnam, we were not treated well,” he said. “But this is one of the greatest things.”
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Florida Representative Wants General's Statue Gone

Lawmaker wants Florida Confederate general's statue gone from U.S. Capitol
Orlando Sentinel
By Jim Turner
News Service of Florida
September 9, 2015

TALLAHASSEE — The bronze statue of Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, which has stood in the U.S. Capitol since 1922, would be replaced by a statue more representative of Florida, under a bill filed by a Republican state lawmaker.

Rep. Jose Felix Diaz said he's been considering the proposal (HB 141) for several years. The bill comes as people across the country have reconsidered Confederate symbols after the racially motivated slaying in June of nine black church members in South Carolina.

"I think that the shooting in South Carolina created an awareness that wasn't there before," said Diaz, who represents parts of Miami-Dade County. "When I first started asking questions about Gen. Kirby [Smith], the political appetite wasn't there for this conversation to be had. People were not intrigued by him or Statuary Hall."

The Smith statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection is in the Capitol Visitor Center.

The Florida Senate is considering similar legislation, Katie Betta, a spokeswoman for Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, said in an email.
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Must be my day to rant. Why now? Why after all these years? Why not when Tuskegee Airmen were sent to fly during WWII but still couldn't sit where they wanted at a lunch counter or even remain in their seats on a bus outside the base?

As a former mechanic for the Tuskegee Airmen, Gainesville's Stephen Lawrence remembers that time in his life as a time of survival, not the flashy romanticism depicted in Lucas' new film.

Lawrence, now 90 years old and a longtime resident of Gainesville, was born in Philadelphia in 1921. A welder by trade, Lawrence earned a decent wage working in shipyards until he was drafted in 1943.

"I didn't want to go," Lawrence said. "It was segregated real bad. I mean real bad. You hear me?"

Lawrence sat in a comfortable chair in the sunroom of his house. The house is impeccably clean and warmly decorated, the air smelling of soap and cornbread.

"Personally, it was survival," Lawrence said. "I'm there, I don't want to be there, but I want to leave alive, and while I am there I am going to do the best I can at what I am doing. That was it. I was determined to come home."

During his military service from 1943 to 1947, Lawrence said he experienced racism from inside the military and outside, in the towns in which he was stationed. Lawrence recalled one instance in which he went to the convenience store located on the base and asked to buy a pack of Philip Morris cigarettes, but was refused service.

Or when one of these heroes was robbed and carjacked in the same day at the age of 93?

Why not when it happened to the Montford Point Marines being treated the same way. During the groundbreaking for a memorial,

Jacksonville Mayor Sammy Phillips said it was the beginning of something “that’s been a dream for a long time” and the opportunity to pay tribute to a group of trailblazers who were willing to risk their lives for a nation that still viewed them as second-class citizens.

There is what is popular to the Facebook/Twitter generation and what is history to those who risked their lives for the freedom to Tweet and remain a twit about all the folks going through a lot worse so they wouldn't have to.

Veteran's Unlawful-Search Suit Tossed in D.C.

Under the law is a requirement to report anyone who is a threat to themselves or others. That depends on how serious the observer thinks the situation is. Is there a need to act instantaneously? Most of the time, it is, because hindsight could end up coming too late to save a life. Veterans don't call the Suicide Hotline for fun. They call it out of desperation.

After tracking reports around the country, the fact is, when police officers are called, they usually end with officers having to explain why a call for help left a veteran in jail or dead.

In this case, the mental health worker did the right thing and so did the officers, for the most part, because the veteran is still alive and was taken to get the help he needed.

Veteran's Unlawful-Search Suit Tossed in D.C.
Courthouse News
By ROSE BOUBOUSHIAN
August 27, 2015

(CN) - A veteran has no claims against Washington, D.C., police for searching his home, taking a grenade and several guns, leaving the door open, and letting his fish die, a federal judge ruled.Matthew Corrigan, a former D.C. resident and an Army reservist, phoned the National Suicide Hotline - though he believed he was calling the military's emotional-support hotline - on the night of Feb. 2, 2010, because "he was depressed and had not slept for several days," according to court records.

In response to questioning, Corrigan told a hotline employee that he was a veteran and owned firearms, but did not indicate that he planned to harm anyone or kill himself, he claims. Corrigan turned off his phone, took prescribed sleeping pills and fell asleep, according to his lawsuit.

Unbeknownst to Corrigan, the employee called 911 and reported an attempted suicide. Metropolitan police officers were sent to Corrigan's apartment around 11 p.m., where they reported a strong odor of natural gas, so they had the service cut off.

The reservist says he awoke at about 4 a.m. on Feb. 3, hearing his name being called over a bullhorn, and saw about eight cops in the back yard and 20 in the front, lit up by floodlights.

When he came outside at about 4:50 a.m. and locked his apartment, he refused to give the key to an officer, who said he did not "have time to play this constitutional bullshit. We're going to break down your door. You're going to have to pay for a new door," according to Corrigan's deposition testimony.

Officers then entered and reportedly found a military smoke grenade and whistler device. Corrigan claims police took him to a Veterans Affairs hospital, where he admitted himself for three days because weapons being pointed at him triggered "PTSD hyper-vigilance."

"Under the community caretaking, exigent circumstances, and emergency aid doctrines, Lt. Glover's orders to the [Emergency Response Team] and [Explosive Ordnance Division] Unit to enter without a warrant and search the plaintiff's apartment for people, threats, and hazardous materials were objectively reasonable and, therefore, did not violate the plaintiff's Fourth Amendment rights," Howell wrote.
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Jon Stewart Crusading for Sept. 11 First Responders.

Jon Stewart’s next act: Lobbyist? 
The host has promised to fight for a 9/11 bill in September.
Politico
By DARREN SAMUELSOHN


Jon Stewart is less than a week away from retiring from The Daily Show, but he’s already thinking about his next act: crusading this fall in Washington for the Sept. 11 first responders.

The Comedy Central star has promised to make a Capitol Hill trip as early as September to support a bill extending an expiring law that provides billions of dollars in medical health benefits for the police, firefighters and other emergency rescue workers who spent time at Ground Zero, as well as survivors of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Stewart committed to lobby the very lawmakers he’s made a career out of skewering during a backstage greenroom chat early in July with John Feal, an Army veteran and post-9/11 cleanup worker who is spearheading the advocacy push for the legislation. Feal told POLITICO that he expected Stewart to firm up the date for the visit after his final Daily Show appearance on Thursday.

“Everything he’s ever said, he’s kept his word,” Feal said.

The first-responders portion of the law, passed in 2010, is scheduled to expire this October but has enough money to run into next year. A separate fund for 9/11 survivors and first responders ends in October 2016. Supporters want to renew the whole law in perpetuity, like the health programs for coal miners who suffer from black lung disease, and the government workers and contractors who built the country's nuclear weapon arsenal. In early July on his program, Stewart called it “bullshit” that the 9/11 first responders even have to lobby to extend it, and demanded to know who on the Hill was blocking the effort.

In his 16-year TV career, Stewart has put his shoulder behind a number of policy and political issues. He has put the spotlight on bureaucratic blunders preventing military veterans from getting health care, and is widely credited with CNN’s decision more than a decade ago to cancel an earlier version of the ‘Crossfire' talk show. Sensing his power with young voters, senior White House aides also cultivated relationships with Stewart and his staff, and the host even met twice privately in the Oval Office with President Barack Obama.
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