Veteran good enough to fight, get wounded, but not good enough for congresswoman to meet

Wronged vet fighting for justice here, in D.C.


FORT WAYNE-More than a decade ago, U.S. Army veteran John Evans was trying to alert the nation to a serious healthcare crisis when it came to treating military men who had served their nation admirably in times of war. He largely was ignored. Now with recent startling and embarrassing revelations about conditions and treatment at once-highly regarded military healthcare facilities such as Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C., Evans finally is being vindicated by many who once tried to ignore him-including some politicians. But, rather than retiring from the fight, Evans is planning to step up his battle to find justice for veterans. That includes organizing a public protest for Sept. 5 through Sept. 7 in front of the Federal Building, 1300 S. Harrison St.-right here in Fort Wayne, where it all began.

In 1994, Evans, a decorated Vietnam War veteran who said he had been declared 100 percent disabled due to Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, woke up to find his world had collapsed around him. His veteran's benefits mysteriously had disappeared leaving him unable to pay his bills and his bank account had been closed. After frantically calling the Veterans Administration and the bank, Evans discovered that he mistakenly had been declared dead by the Social Security Administration, which had confused him with his son, John Patrick Logan, who had passed away. According to Evans, it was two months before he received a letter informing him that he had been-mistakenly-declared dead. During that time, stress began to mount until he suffered a severe heart attack.

The situation went from bad to worse. While having the heart attack, Evans instructed his brother to take him to Parkview Hospital on Randallia Drive-just blocks away from the local Veterans Administration Medical Center on Lake Avenue. Evans said he made the decision to be taken there because he knew the VA didn't have the facilities for critical heart care and credits that decision-along with doctors, he said-with saving his life through emergency bypass surgery. But, not having a fee–based medical card, which allows veterans to seek care from private sources under various circumstances, the Veterans Administration refused to pay his hospital bills, leaving Evans under even more stress.

He moved to Washington to get things done for veterans, but when it came to his own member of Congress, he was screaming in an empty room (just like most of us have been)

For a time, he lived in Maryland, where he met with congressional representatives there, before moving officially to Washington, D.C., where he's organized protests in front of the White House. But in a bit of bitter irony, Evans said he hasn't gotten any support from his Washington representative-Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, who like Evans, is black. According to Evans, he's been trying to get a meeting with Norton for about a year and has received no word back.

"I'm good enough to fight for our country and get wounded, but I'm not good enough to meet with my congresswoman," said Evans.

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