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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><img width="624" height="147" style="width:6.5in;height:1.5312in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D6B681.389518A0" alt="Graphical user interface, application
Description automatically generated"></span><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif">November 9, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><u><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Open Sans",serif">It’s our turn to protect veterans from a new enemy – COVID-19<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif">By Governor Brad Little<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif">America’s veterans have gone to war for centuries to protect us from enemies overseas.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif">They have endured loss of friends, loss of limbs, and loss of mental and emotional security to protect us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif">Now our veterans need us.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif">They need us to protect them from a new enemy stealing lives right here in our state – the COVID-19 virus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif">At least half of Idaho’s veterans are at-risk of serious health complications or death if they contract COVID-19.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif">Last week, we directed $2 million in federal relief dollars to help the Idaho State Veterans Home in Boise battle a COVID-19 outbreak that is taking veterans’ lives
and leaving them in isolation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif">The Veterans Hospital in Boise, too, is overrun with COVID-19 patients and too many VA healthcare workers are out sick, unable to care for these veterans.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif">Similar stories are playing out in hospitals and long-term care facilities statewide.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif">Our veterans bravely encountered bullets and bombs so that you can have the freedom to control your own actions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif">And your personal actions are the one and only thing that will defend our veterans from succumbing to the enemy virus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif">We won’t celebrate and honor the brave men and women of the armed forces on Veterans Day this year like we usually do. I am hopeful we will be able to pick up those
meaningful events next year.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif">This year, in addition to offering prayers and kind words to our veterans on Veterans Day, make this minor sacrifice: help slow the spread of this dangerous virus by
keeping your distance from others, wearing a mask, and washing your hands frequently.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif">Our veterans need us to get tough and put up with these minor inconveniences for a relatively short period of time so they can have a fighting chance against the COVID-19
enemy that is rapidly advancing on them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif">Our veterans have more life to live. We need to keep them alive so we can continue to honor them and learn from their sacrifices.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif">Let’s use the freedom our veterans earned for us and choose to do the right thing to protect them from COVID-19.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"># # #<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-family:"Open Sans",serif">351 words</span></i><o:p></o:p></p>
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