$14,000 raised so far to help veteran's family; more on way

~ A legislator is promoting a bill providing a tax credit to businesses for hiring a veteran.

An outpouring of emotional and financial support has eased the burden of cancer and chronic diseases that were weighing down Iraq war veteran Justin Dietiker and his wife, Terri, of Biehle, Mo.

A fund for the family has gathered $14,000, with more on the way.

Shriners have found free medical care for their youngest child, Isabell, who has undergone repeated operations for a cleft palate. But one piece of the puzzle is missing -- a permanent job with health insurance benefits for Justin, who has had difficulty finding work since returning from Iraq last year.

Justin, a sergeant in the National Guard, has always worked for small construction firms. He's currently on temporary full-time duty with the guard at the Perryville armory, hoping for a permanent posting.

Help started arriving about three weeks ago, after state Rep. Jack Jackson, R-Wildwood, and Pat Rowe Kerr, veterans ombudsman for the Missouri Veterans Commission, highlighted the family's struggles in a news release.

"It has been unreal," Terri Dietiker said Saturday after arriving at the Cape Girardeau VFW Post 3838 with daughters Isabell, 3, Hope, 6, and Heather, 13. "The response has been phenomenal, with letters, cards and phone calls."

Terri's fighting lymphoma with chemotherapy treatments; Hope endures cystic fibrosis. Terri works for Maurices, a Perryville clothing store, to get health coverage.

Missed VFW event

Saturday's events -- a spaghetti dinner, silent auction and dance organized by the post's Women's Auxiliary -- hope to add to the cash raised so far. But Justin couldn't attend -- he was at Fort Leonard Wood with his guard unit.

"He served our country, so we should help him now," said Deborah Griffin, president of the auxiliary.

Jackson, chairman of the House Veterans Committee and a candidate for state auditor, wants to encourage employers to hire returning soldiers. He used the attention given the Dietikers to promote a bill providing a tax credit for up to half the salary of a newly hired veteran.

The continual rotation of guard and reserve soldiers into active duty creates hardships for thousands of people taken from their regular lives, Jackson said. The tax credit is a way to encourage employers who might otherwise worry about losing a new employee to active duty after a short period, he said.

"They are in the guard and reserve because they care about the freedom of this nation," said Jackson, a former Marine colonel, a decorated combat pilot and former test pilot for Boeing.

Kerr helped open the donation account for the Dietikers, "Operation Children's Heart," because she realized there is a gap in assistance for veterans who return uninjured. "If a soldier came back with injuries, I've got plenty of charitable groups I can go to. But when the soldier is not injured, there is not much we can do."

The Dietikers' situation highlights the needs of other veterans' families, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder said. The Missouri Military Family Relief Fund is accepting donations through a tax return check-off, he said, and the state budget includes $200,000 for the program.

But that program is limited to $1,000 per family at this time, Kinder said. The assistance limits will grow, he said, as donations grow. "We'll accept help at any time from anyone," he said.

Kinder promised to ask the Missouri adjutant general's office to consider Dietiker for a permanent posting, as did an emissary from U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's office. Emerson sent Terri Dietiker a U.S. flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol.

Justin would accept "just anything full time with benefits," Terri Dietiker said. "I feel confident something will come up."

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126

Donations for the Dietikers can be sent to "Operation Children's Heart," c/o the Missouri Veterans Commission, P.O. Drawer 147, 205 Jefferson St., 12th Floor, Jefferson City, Mo. 65101.