We have almost a million veterans waiting for their claims to be processed. Some of them are new veterans, no longer employed by the military and not able to be employed by businesses. That means no incomes because they were wounded serving the nation. Some of them are older veterans finding that Agent Orange resting in their bloodstream has awakened with the same deadly intent as the Vietcong. Others coming to the understanding what has been wrong with them all along has a name, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and they should be compensated. This after they've spent more than half their lives suffering with nightmares, flashbacks, losing jobs, seeing their families fall apart and feeling abandoned by the friends they used to have.
They are the men and women we counted on, sent off with waving flags and best wishes, to serve this nation. They are also the men and women we felt we could forget about soon after they came home. We left them to suffer whatever fate they would face without a second thought, believing the VA took care of all of them. We believed if they were seeing their claims tied up or denied, they must not deserve it, instead of wondering what as wrong in this system that was supposed to be taking care of the disabled veterans. After all, they were home so our obligation to them was done.
We open our emails everyday and see nonsense subject lines as if we're supposed to pay attention to them, pass them on and get angry. Most of these emails fuel hatred instead of being helpful to anyone. It's stunning to think that if the senders of these emails concentrated on actually doing something for someone instead of against someone, this nation would be a lot better off. With the time it takes to read the email and forward it off to their own contacts, they could have helped save a life, ease a burden, support a family in need or adopted a wounded veteran making sure he/she didn't fall though the cracks while waiting for what they already earned by serving.
Their agenda is clear. It's political on both sides. Yet if they took that same passion, focused on the real problems our veterans face everyday, no veteran would be waiting for anything. They didn't make us wait to go risk their lives. Why should we ever be willing to accept any of them waiting to have their wounds taken care of and compensated so they can pay their bills?
Spc. Anderson said, "I'm glad to be home." Wouldn't it be great if we made all of them feel glad to be back home for longer than a short time?
Big Crowd Greets 'A Hometown Hero'
Wounded Soldier
Escorted Into Town And Says He's 'Glad To Be Home'
BY BILL JONES
STAFF WRITER
A young southern Greene County soldier who was wounded in Afghanistan in June received a hero's welcome on Wednesday evening in downtown Greeneville.
Spc. Robert "Alex" Anderson, 20, had been escorted to Greeneville from the Tennessee Welcome Center on Interstate 81 in Bristol by police, sheriff's deputies, state troopers and a phalanx of motorcycles.
Shortly after he emerged from his grandparents' sport utility vehicle on South Main Street near the Woolsey and Woolsey law offices, Anderson said, "I'm glad to be home."
He also noted, in response to a question about what it meant to be home, that "it means more than words can describe."
"While I was here, I couldn't wait to leave Greeneville," he said. "Now, it's good to be back."
He also noted that he was surprised to see how many people support the military in general and wounded soldiers in particular.
read more here
http://www.greenevillesun.com/story/305514
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