Subject: Speaking out at great personal cost
From: Danielle Brian <[email-masked]>
To: John Podesta <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 2015 18:02:09 -0600

Project On Government Oversight
http://getinvolved.pogo.org/site/R?i=_KOB626gBPWe2L9cgFMT0Q
*****

Dear John,

As families gather to celebrate the holidays, I want to share
with you the story of an American hero who risked his career by
standing up for those who have been separated from their loved
ones in frightening circumstances.

In 2014, when American citizens were detained or taken captive
overseas, bureaucratic infighting between agencies prevented
hostages from being recovered. Faced with this dysfunctional
system, families suffered endless nights of uncertainty over the
rescue of their loved ones.

Jason Amerine, a highly-decorated lieutenant colonel in the U.S.
Army, recognized this problem with the hostage recovery process
and raised the issue with a member of Congress, in accordance
with his constitutional right and duty. He hoped to begin the
process of fixing a broken system.

Instead, the Army began a criminal investigation of him.

After many months of intense pressure by POGO and its allies, the
Army finally relented and stopped the investigation. We also
helped Jason testify before a Senate committee, and after his
testimony the White House revised its hostage recovery policy.

"Soldiers have few avenues when it comes to speaking out about
problems they see," Jason said. "Thanks to POGO, I was able to
speak to members of Congress and they demanded that the Army end
its illegal investigation of me."

While Jason's security clearance had been revoked during the
investigation and his retirement was in danger, with the aid of
POGO he was able to retire with both his full pension and his
security clearance intact.

Jason's story is not unlike many whistleblowers who put the
public interest above their careers, speaking out at great
personal cost.

When you support POGO, you support them:

( http://getinvolved.pogo.org/site/R?i=VP3cmsto0NABP9qC0Ry_yw )

As you consider your end-of-the-year giving, I ask that you think
of Jason's story and consider supporting our work. Together, we
are making a difference in people's lives and working to make our
government better:

( http://getinvolved.pogo.org/site/R?i=Sx4zN7DeWk7rRT2VsBcMSg )

Sincerely,

Danielle Brian
Executive Director

******
POGO is a four-star rated charity on Charity Navigator and a top-rated nonprofit on Great Nonprofits:

http://getinvolved.pogo.org/site/R?i=O0zx7WqFh3KvQmRLcnCUfQ
http://getinvolved.pogo.org/site/R?i=tMp1ORqEt-CyEWvgZwvxow

To Unsubscribe:
http://getinvolved.pogo.org/site/CO?i=DjICMlrmt2xSoQgwEogxlKAMYie_3vIv&cid=1022