Opportunity To Help A Soldier and His Family

Evan Vela, is one of four soldiers United American Patriots is currently assisting financially with legal defense fees and his needs while in Leavenworth. Evan, has a wife, Alyssa, and two small children- Jarom and Blair. He is up for parole in six months. While we are extremely hopeful, that justice will prevail for Evan, presently Alyssa is being faced with a horrible decision of trying to relocate around the Leavenworth area or moving back to Idaho with family because her apartment complex raised her rent and she can’t afford the increase. She has already given notice at the complex she is currently residing, and is faced with a move date of March 31st looming over her head. Alyssa, in the middle of all of this, has managed to be a full time student- maintaining a B- average, she will be graduating from University of Phoenix in Accounting in April, taking care of two small children, visiting Evan on a weekly basis, and while living on student loans prides herself with not claiming bankruptcy. Now with getting her degree, she can work, but she will now have to add expenses for daycare into her budget- a never ending vicious cycle. She really is a remarkable representation of strength- a true military spouse.

This situation was brought up to our Board of Directors to see if there was anything we could do for this family unit, but our focus is and rightfully has to remain Evan’s defense. We are committed in making sure Evan and his lawyers get what they need in order to have the best chance at justice so he will be able to rejoin his family as quickly as possible. Leaving Alyssa, again, in a very different military bracket.

Evan calls us on the first Monday of each month, a call which he initiated to keep us up to date on what he’s doing and how things are going. In one of our first conversations, when talking about parole, I asked Evan, if he could have his pick at any job in the world, what would it be- his response- I had the best job in the world, Army Ranger would still be my first choice. I have always been humbled by his biggest fear in all of this is letting America down and not having the chance to do more. United American Patriots gets letters from Evan on a bi-monthly basis if not more often. There have been a few that have reduced me to tears and I don’t even know this man and his family. We have seen Evan’s artwork- he is an extremely talented and a very sharp individual. His family I are working together to get the originals together, print them and sell them. Evan has been drawing feverishly to give us a variety of pictures to work with. Regretfully, this effort will not be done in time to help Evan’s family with their housing situation.

With this brief synopsis of the horrible series of circumstances, is there anything either you or your organizations can do or think of to help this family?

Being a wife and the mother of 4, I feel very strongly this family needs to remain as in tact as possible, if not for Alyssa and Evan as a couple, or their children, than for Evan himself and his identity as a husband and a father. Please contact me if you have ANY questions or ideas. Like I said earlier, we are on a very tight time restriction for something to be done.


For any further information on Evan’s case please either visit www.unitedpatriots.org or www.freeevanvela.com Any ideas and options will be exhausted. You can count on that!

Thank you for any help you can offer the Vela- Carnahan family-

Wendy Gumpert
Director of Public Relations
United American Patriots
7800 Airport Center Drive, Suite 401
Greensboro, NC 27409
[phone] ext. 211
[phone]  fax      
www.unitedamericanpatriots.org
_______________________________________________________________

The Dame Truth is hosting a BTR show tonight about Evan. There will be a family member of Evan's on the show with Marnie.

Show time: 10:00 pm CST
Listen to the show here.
Call in phone number: [phone]

[Karen Schweiker]

Twana,

These situations are heart wrenching, and Evan's story is only one example of so many of these soldiers/marines, who have been thrown into prison with little or no support for appeal.

There has to be a way for us to do "money bombs" for these soldiers and get money to their families for living expenses and the appeal processes. This is hard to take without breaking down, and I don't know any of these men and the extent of their predicaments.

We must do something. There has to be a way to do this for this family and the others.

[Rosemary Welch]

I wonder, every other govt agency is unionized. Do you think could get away with it? That way, the govt would have to pay their lawyers, cab fare, anything to do with the costs of discovery, etc! Yes, if Americans can pay the ACLU to screw us to the wall against our will, they most certainly can afford to pay for the defense of those who defend them. What do you think?

[Karen Schweiker]

I just don't know. It would seem an attorney would have to be consulted. With so many different/new laws probably being inserted into the military code of justice, it is difficult to know what can and cannot be done, and with the soldiers ( in war zones such as Iraq) having so few defensive mechanisms for themselves, it is hard to say what they are entitled to at all. It is just pathetic.