Congressmen Filner and Grayson were asking for you today

Just back from meeting Congressman Filner and Congressman Grayson in downtown Orlando. They came together today to ask how you are doing, that is, if you are a veteran. For all the hard work both of these gentlemen do all year long for veterans, they want to know what you need and how what they are trying to do is working for you.

There were a lot of people there working on behalf of veterans and some really great questions but for me right now I want to tell you what I asked. I wanted to know why I was listening to CSPAN and hearing some people in congress say they couldn't increase funding for the VA because "there were two wars to pay for" at the time all the reports of inadequate care were the topic of many news stories beginning with the scandal at Walter Reed. Congressman Filner said he didn't have an answer as to why the general public didn't have a clue about any of this but I have a feeling he was just being nice. We know it is because the cable news shows had better things to talk about than just taking care of veterans or mouthing support to their faces at the same time they were stabbing them in the backs. If you want to know who was voting against veterans, look up the voting record of your senator and representative to learn all about them. If you noticed, then in 2007 when Filner took over chairmanship of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, things started to get better but there is a long way to go and there at too many people getting in the way.

Congressman Grayson added to Filner's answer by saying on the Presidential committee, there are some saying that stopping the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are not the answer to coming up with fixing the funding problems. They want to cut the pay to the troops and cut back on services to the veterans. Again, he was being nice because we know that has been the answer all along because the Republicans some of my friends elected were duped into believing they cared simply because they were told and never bothered to check the voting records. Filner and Grayson said it was a moral obligation to take care of the men and women we send into combat and their care should be part of the budget for any war as a debt that needs to be paid just like all other war spending.

I asked Congressman Filner about why he holds so many hearings on the problems our veterans face but doesn't seem to be getting any testimony on what works. Wives of Vietnam veterans were the same age as the newer wives of the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. We have years of experience to offer them in telling them how they can heal their marriages and help their husbands heal. After all we had to make all the mistakes learning because no one was talking about any of this when the Vietnam veterans came home. My own marriage is going on 26 years and yes, I remember what it felt like to be lost, alone, afraid and often even ashamed. I remember what it was like trying to explain all of this to our daughter and our families. I had the luxury, if you want to call it that, of knowing what PTSD was and why my husband changed because I was studying it since 1982 right after we met and my Dad said it was shell shock.

Congressman Filner said that people like me should be hired so that we can help other families cope and help the veteran heal. He's right. Taking care of the veteran and the families keeps families together and then it should help stop many veterans from becoming homeless. None of this has to be this bad.

Both Congressmen also brought up how the DOD says there are so many killed and so many wounded but the figures coming out of the VA do not match. The DOD says there are less than 50,000 wounded but over 100,000 filed claims for their wounds with the VA. The figures on the deaths do not come close because there are many not counted who committed suicide.

There is a lot that has to be done but these two men are trying and so are a lot of others across the country. I just thought it was important that you knew you were talked about today and both of these men wanted to know how you really are instead of waiting for the troubles your going through to become too great before someone does something more for you. They feel it is a debt that needs to be paid and not something any of you should have to do without, beg for or fight for.