SHAMEFUL

SPECIAL POST

Back during the Civil War my great grandfather, who was a Captain in the Union Army, got shot in the lower jaw by a musket ball.  He lost his ability to chew and spent the rest of his life eating liquified food.  That was followed by more than two decades of trying to get disability pay from the Army.  

I mention this because, I wonder how many veterans who filed for disability benefits or medical care during that time period are still awaiting a determination from the V.A.  I just attended a very interesting field visit by Doug LaMalfa, Congressman in northern California, which was geared toward dealing with veteran's issues.  All ages of vet were represented, the oldest being a survivor from Pearl Harbor and the youngest having recently returned from Afghanistan.  

During the almost two-hour conference, I did not hear one person talk about what a great job the Veterans Administration is doing.  But, I did hear consistent frustration from dozens of people about "lost" files, obstinate denials of service and horrible delays in the bureaucratic jungle.  And there were a few tales of bungled medical care as well, although the thrust of frustration came from the inability to obtain treatment in the first place. 

LaMalfa asked why the government didn't issue vets getting an honorable DD214 discharge a medical card where they could get medical care from their local physicians.  The answer, of course, is because they've been doing things THIS way since the Civil War. 

These people put their lives on the line for our country, often at great sacrifice to their own goals and ambitions.  It's shameful how we allow the V.A. to now turn its back on these people when they need help the most.  And it's symptomatic of the way Americans now view their country in so many important issues of the day: if it doesn't directly affect them, who gives a damn?  

That's MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.