Army vet fights to bring Filipino stepchildren to the US for his open-heart surgery

Military veteran Kevin Baltzley poses along with his spouse, Karen Baltzley, and his stepchildren on this undated photograph taken within the Philippines. (Kevin Baltzley)

A disabled Military veteran, dwelling within the Philippines however dealing with open-heart surgical procedure in the USA, says he fears dying with out his household at his facet after the State Division twice refused emergency visas for his three stepchildren.

Blocked arteries have meant a number of surgical procedures and stents inserted into Kevin Baltzley’s coronary heart since 2009, he advised Stars and Stripes by cellphone earlier this month.

Baltzley, 58, a former Military workers sergeant and veteran of the Persian Gulf Struggle, in 2014 moved to Pampanga province within the Philippines close to Clark Air Base, previously America’s largest abroad navy set up.

Disabled U.S. Military veteran Kevin Baltzley, dwelling within the Philippines however dealing with open-heart surgical procedure in the USA, says he fears dying with out his household at his facet after the State Division twice refused emergency visas for his three stepchildren. (Kevin Baltzley)

The retired instructor and foster dad or mum was advised in Might 2020 he wanted open-heart surgical procedure however ready on a COVID-19 vaccine delayed his return to the States, the place the surgical procedure could also be carried out at no cost by the Division of Veterans Affairs, he stated.

“Since August final 12 months he has this ache nearly each day,” his spouse, Karen Baltzley, stated in the identical interview.

After receiving a primary coronavirus vaccine shot in July and the booster in December, Kevin Baltzley was prepared to go to Miami, the place he owns a condominium, for surgical procedure, he stated.

Nevertheless, his household’s request for emergency visas was refused by the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Baltzley stated.

A second request garnered a visa for his spouse however none for his three Filipino stepchildren, he stated. Two sons from a earlier marriage reside in Florida.

His stepchildren – twin daughters and a son – are all absolutely vaccinated and attending native faculties, Baltzley stated. They must wait within the Philippines whereas their dad and mom head to Florida later this month.

The State Division doesn’t touch upon particular person instances attributable to privateness legal guidelines, a press officer on the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Heather Carlin Fabrikant, stated in an electronic mail Wednesday.

The previous soldier stated he selected Miami for the surgical procedure as a result of it’s free, he had stents put into his coronary heart there and his condominium is close by.

The pandemic meant he couldn’t journey to the U.S. after his father, a Navy veteran, died from most cancers and his sister, who served within the Military, died of the coronavirus final 12 months, Baltzley stated.

“If I die, I would really like my household with me, so I don’t have to go away this Earth alone,” he stated. “I feel I’ve earned that.”