HOW MUCH IS THE SACRIFICE OF VETERANS WORTH?

In days of old victorious armies would return home to parades and fanfare. Citizens would line up to pay homage and shower the returning warriors with flowers and gifts. They were awarded property and given their choice of the available damsels. They were truly the heroes whose sacrifice guaranteed the peace. 

Even as late as the end of WWII, returnees were treated to ticker tape parades. Educational opportunities and medical care were made available for the veterans who gave so much to make the homeland safe and secure. As a veteran myself, I truly appreciate this benefit. Veterans have always been held in the highest regard as they should be. 

I point this out because some things seem to have changed and they need to be fixed. The VA Medical system appears inadequate to handle the number of patients they must service. Most of their facilities are antiquated and their equipment is old and often out of date. Try to call a VA facility on the phone. I’d rather try to call the Social Security Administration. Their telephone system is a joke.

We are told they are just trying to be frugal with taxpayer money. They keep staffing to a bare minimum. If that were true, I could understand. What if, rather than just being frugal, VA administrator’s try to improve their bonuses by coming in under budget? And what if that frugality is often at the expense of the very patients whose care is compromised?

It has taken years to get to the place where we can fire incompetent employees because of their union affiliation. To me that union seems much more concerned with their continued power than the veterans in their care. Records are often lost in the maze of ancient computers which have long been deemed outdated. Some records have even been altered to make the VA look good. 

I have offered a simple solution before to my Congressman and I will suggest it again. Every veteran has on his person an ID card. He should be able to go into any medical facility or doctor’s office in this country which takes Medicare patients and receive treatment. The volume of patients currently using the VA would be greatly reduced and those who choose to go to the VA would get much better care. Simple problem, simple solution.

I’ve been told we can’t do that. When I asked why, I was told it would be too expensive. We just can’t spend that kind of money on veterans. 

Okay, I have a few questions of the guardians of taxpayer money. How much would you charge for your legs? How about your eyesight? If I told you that you had to spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair, how much would that cost me? In other words, how much is the sacrifice of veterans worth? 

Veterans interrupt their lives to enter the military to serve their country. Some give only their time, some give body parts, and some give their all. They all know this simple truth, freedom is not free. They sign a blank check offering themselves to ensure that freedom would prevail. Does America have a debt to them? If so, how would you quantify it? 

The veterans I know don’t want special privileges. They don’t want what armies of old were given. They just want the promises kept that were given when they entered the service. Is it too much to ask that our returning warriors be given the absolute best medical care available? Is it too much to ask that they be treated with the utmost respect and not like charity cases? Is it too much to ask that the damn phone be answered? 

I think we should all take a nice walk and breathe the free air around us. Be thankful for the gift of freedom we have. Don’t take it for granted because somebody somewhere probably sacrificed a lot for us to have these gifts.

Ron Scarbro, November, 2019