AFL-CIO organizes veterans for Obama

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who spent 23 years in the U.S. Navy and seven in a Vietnamese prison, may not have the unanimous support from veterans.

Fifteen veterans gathered Tuesday at a Pittsburgh hotel for the first meeting of the AFL-CIO Pennsylvania Union Veterans Council, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported. They support Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., the likely Democratic Party nominee for president.

"We need to educate our fellow veterans that McCain has turned his back on us," said John Vento, a World War II veteran who serves as director for political education for the Allegheny County Labor Council.

Some veterans are angry about McCain's opposition to a bill that improved benefits for those serving in the U.S. military, the Tribune-Review said. McCain argued that the measure would encourage more service members to leave.

Mark Ayers, a Vietnam vet who serves as national chairman for the AFL-CIO group, said that 60,000 people have joined since the group was started last month, and there are councils in six states.