by Editor
Louisiana Governor Criticized for Delaying Honor Medals
March 10, 2010 in Veterans News by Editor
Members of a joint House-Senate committee that handles veterans affairs complained Tuesday that the state is holding thousands of special veterans honor medals until Gov. Bobby Jindal can attend ceremonies to hand them out.
Members of the Senate Select Committee on Veterans Affairs and the House Special Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs told Lane Carson, Jindal’s secretary of veterans affairs, to devise a way to expedite medal presentations.
“We literally have World War II veterans who are dying before we have this jubilee with the veterans,” said Sen. Robert Adley, R-Benton, a Vietnam War veteran and chairman of the Senate committee.
He and Rep. John Bel Edwards, D-Amite, who chairs the House panel, told Carson to come up with a way to expedite the medal ceremonies, or possibly face a resolution at the lawmaking session starting March 29 giving him a deadline to do so.
Carson said more than 8,400 medals have been handed out in 46 locations in the past year. He said his agency wants to see the veterans receive the medals in ”a dignified ceremony” attended by lawmakers from the area, state Adjutant General Bennett Landreneau and the governor.
Carson said that 4,000 to 5,000 medals are still awaiting presentation in the ceremonies.
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