Today, the Scott Peters for Congress campaign unveiled its third television advertisement of 2016 titled, “Service.” The ad features Dr. Howard and Jean Somers of Coronado, who became fierce advocates for fixing the problems at the Veterans Administration after their son, an Iraq War veteran, tragically took his own life. The Somers and Rep. Peters have worked together on reforms to improve and expand mental health care for our nation’s veterans and provide support for military families.
Click HERE to view “Service.”
The ad opens with the Somers speaking about their son, Daniel, and sharing how his suicide inspired them to work to fix the problems at the VA in order to help other families. The Somers say they found a willing partner in Rep. Scott Peters, who helped introduce and pass a bill resulting from Daniel’s service that ensures veterans with classified mission experience have access to individual treatment. Daniel Somers requested individual care from the VA out of fear of revealing classified information in a group setting, but was denied.
Peters also passed an amendment to this year’s National Defense Authorization Act inspired by the Somers that encourages the military to be more proactive in informing military families of the hardships servicemembers may be encountering during their service.
“Scott Peters cares tremendously about veterans,” says Jean Somers, concluding the ad.
“Rep. Peters has such admiration for the Somers, who have dedicated their lives to fixing the problems in a system that failed their son in order to help others,” said MaryAnne Pintar, Peters’ campaign manager. “Rep. Peters has been an effective champion for our veterans and military families in Congress.”
“Service” will begin airing on broadcast and cable in the San Diego area on Tuesday, October 18th. A sixty-second version titled “Country” is available online.