Wounded Warriors Deserve Better
If you haven't had a chance yet, check out News 12's two stories we've done so far on former PFC Anibal Santiago. Reporter Lynnsey Gardner first showed us his plight on Tuesday, June 26th in a story about foreclosures. It turned out Mr. Santiago had been injured in by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Iraq and was the first patient treated at Augusta's Uptown VA Active Duty Rehabilitation Unit. He suffered severe brain injuries and other trauma from the blast. When Lynnsey introduced us to Mr. Santiago we found out he was in danger of having his home foreclosed on because he can't make his monthly mortgage payments. He gets $1200 monthly in disability income, and his mortgage payments are $1,100 per month. We aired the story, and then something happened. The community responded. 
Businessman George Harrison saw our story on Tuesday and called News 12 on Wednesday, asking how he could help. Within a few hours, Mr. Harrison was shaking Mr. Santiago's hand, thanking him for his service to his country, and handing over a check to cover Mr. Santiago's house payments until he can get better disability coverage from the government. News 12's Melissa Tune, a veteran herself, covered this story for us, and you can see that on our home page too.
I think Mr. Harrison is an example of what's right about Augusta. He is his brother's keeper. Mr. Harrison stepped up immediately and helped. But Mr. Harrison doesn't want the care of Mr. Santiago to end here, and neither do I. I want to make sure Mr. Santiago is afforded the full benefits he so richly deserves. I also agree with Mr. Harrison that Augusta can be a model to the nation on caring for our wounded warriors. We know about the poor health care conditions at Walter Reed exposed by the Washington Post in March. We know Augusta's home to the world's only Active Duty Rehab within a VA. We know this community cares about our veterans. Isn't it time for us to ask all our veterans and active duty "What can we do for you?"
If you'd like to help Mr. Santiago, his bankruptcy attorney has established a trust account for him. His attorney's name (and she' s working pro bono here) is Angela McElroy and her office number is 706-724-6000. Make sure you thank her for all she's doing on Mr. Santiago's behalf, and while you're at it, if you see Mr. Harrison around town, thank him too. And lastly, thank Mr. Santiago and all our veterans and active duty, because they're the ones putting everything on the line for all of us. Don't they deserve better?
Click here to read our previous blog post, Remembering Our Wounded Warriors.
5 comments:
WRDW has been fooled! They did not check their facts! MR. Santiago did not serve in IRAQ - He has not left the country. He did not suffer a brain injury from an IED. This is a lie and when WRDW was contacted via phone, they refused to address the error. WRDW is WRONG!!!
Laurie Ott should be ashamed of herself. She did not check her facts. Mr. Santiago did not serve in Iraq and did not suffer a brain injury. I posted a similar comment and of course you did not put it on your web site because it does not reflect favorably on WRDW. This is another example of why I do not trust the media. CORRECT YOUR MISTAKE!
News 12 is working with Mr. Anibal Santiago's attorney to obtain a copy of his DD214 form. Reporter Lynnsey Gardner has seen multiple official documents from the VA and will work with his attorney to find the form you requested.
As a result of concerns expressed on our web site, we have been doing some additional research into our story about Mr. Santiago. We value our viewers input and take their concerns seriously. Comments posted here have prompted us to probe a little deeper. As a result, News 12 has obtained Mr. Santiago’s DD-214 for his retirement.
First, we should make sure we are talking about the same person. If you provide us with his full name, date of birth, social security or any other information that would appear on his military records to specifically identify Mr. Santiago, we would be able to confirm this. (We will not post these on our web site, only use them for verification against the DD-214).
Also, are there any additional documents you feel we should obtain to address your concerns? A reference was made to his DD-214, which we have obtained.
As we said above, we are following your advice and are looking into this matter. We will keep you posted on any developments.
Jill Maxwell
News 12 Assignment Manager
Having just seen your story about Mr. Santiago, I am delighted to know that our son Luis is alive and well. I haven't seen my son for almost eight(8)years now because your esteemed Mr. Santiago violated a court custody order and fled with my son. I filed charges against my husband for Parental Kidnapping. Obviously, Mr.Santiago was not convicted because the district attorney at the time refused to prosecute. At the time this occurred, Luis was two(2) years old and there was an order for joint custody. My husband and I alternated weeks with Luis. The weekend of July 4th,2000, I met my husband at the court-designated location. I relinquished him to his father. The following Sunday, I went to pick up Luis, but my husband never showed up. I went to court and was awarded full custody. I went to the only place I thought they would be to get my son and was told they had left for Puerto Rico. With no prosecution and no warrant, I had no recourse. If you really want to help someone, help me!
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