Republican U.S. Senate candidate George Allen is out with yet another new ad, this one featuring a testimonial from the father of a soldier killed by a suicide bomber in Pakistan.
In the ad, titled “Everything Stops,” Mark Stet Sr., father of Staff Sergeant Mark Stets Jr., praises Allen’s work in the U.S. Senate to raise death benefits for the families of soldiers killed in action.
“Nothing prepares you for losing a child. Everything stops,” Stet says. “The death benefit was $12,000. George Allen knew our fallen heroes and their families deserved more.”
Stet goes on to say that Allen “worked across the aisle” to increase the benefit to $100,000.
“It can never replace what we lost,” he says. “But it’s there for those who need it.”
Allen introduced one of numerous bills to address the issue as a senator. Ultimately, however, it was Sen. John Kerry’s legislation that passed with the support of Allen and 74 others.
The 30-second ad is the latest in a series of testimonials released by the Allen campaign and the second featuring the family of a fallen soldier.
Courtney Lynch, a veteran who at one point considered mounting a challenge to Kaine for the Democratic nomination, responded to the ad on behalf of the Kaine campaign.
“Our gratitude for all who’ve served should be unyielding but I remain concerned that as a senator, George Allen fell short of that goal as he opposed efforts to boost health care resources for veterans and additional tax relief for those fighting abroad,” she said. “Tim Kaine has always supported our troops and our veterans.”
