A Veteran's Day Lament



I was waiting with baited breath to hear about all the good things for Veterans that would be launched by our government today to help our young veterans of this and other wars.
. Including perhaps a little appreciation.

Maybe that’s why, despite the sun, it was a depressing day.

What I was happy about was Jim Webb’s and Chuck Hagel’s editorial in the NYTimes reiterating the argument for restoring the full GI Bill for those who serve in Afghanistan and Iraq. And I think that would be a great idea.

Today, the now-called Pell grants don’t really even come close even if you are awarded a grant. College tuitions have gone through the roof.

And there aren’t too many schools that are free anymore like the college I and others attended that allowed us to enter the work force and earn a decent living.

A lot of the GI’s I know are National Guard or Reserve troopers making their second and sometimes third tour of Iraq or Afghanistan. No picnic in the park.

And if they get shot at with a shaped explosive in their motorized vehicles and are not physically showing signs of having been wounded, they are back on patrol later the same day.

That’s because nobody seems to be addressing potential injuries to the brain stem or brain case. Most who have been through the experience admit that their heads were pretty rattled by the concussion but nobody seems to count that as an injury. And if you complain, you are considered a malingerer or something even worse…

It’s sad to think that many of these Vets will return home and not been treated for conditions that arise from concussions to the brain….

As it is, most vets upon returning find that they have to wait up to six months for treatment. In the meantime, if their enlistments are up, they may have to sustain themselves on their own dime until the VA can decide whether their conditions are first rated as having been due to exposure and two, that they qualify for decent benefits.

Many are being allocated 10 or 15% of full benefit; this is not enough to live on and many simply fall through the cracks. Those of my friends who know more about the process than I do, suggest that it’s the military’s way of saving money. And when you think about it, it’s simple abhorrent to think that our government is willing to cut corners on the health of our young people.

When I was working for Kerry as Veterans Adviser I discovered other heartaches that were not being addressed or simply overlooked—from the conditions at Walter Reed to the pressure put on those returning vets who are unable to care for themselves.

I had suggested starting what I called the Purple Ribbon Society but although everyone said it was a great idea, we never got the money to go forward..

Many more yet, have no military insurance in force and unless they are still in the service, will have to appeal for help when they need it through the VA.

A friend of mine who was in the Marines had been exposed to some Army poison that had eaten up part of his body and left horrendous scars. He had turned to overmedication and nearly killed himself on several occasions. The government stopped his medication and he wound up stealing money from his mother to maintain his self-medication. The VA had turned its back on him. But this is only one story from countless stories of injustices visited upon those who so freely dedicated their lives and their health for America.

At the very least, we, who call ourselves Americans, should keep in mind that we have forgotten those who have given all they can give and their contributions have been quickly forgotten in the rush to new weapons and new aggressiveness.

If we can afford to spend more on weapons and munitions than all of the other major nations of the world combined, surely, we can remember the young men and women who can no longer fend for themselves or need help in a bad way.

Something to ponder this Veterans Day.

Les Aaron