View on the News

Remembering our fallen heroes by taking care of our surviving ones

By Christopher Curran
Posted 6/1/16

This Memorial Day, many of us contemplated those who have fought and died for our freedoms. Whether the fallen were members of our families or the boy three doors down who we witnessed growing up playing in the neighborhood, we mourn the loss of these

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in
View on the News

Remembering our fallen heroes by taking care of our surviving ones

Posted

This Memorial Day, many of us contemplated those who have fought and died for our freedoms. Whether the fallen were members of our families or the boy three doors down who we witnessed growing up playing in the neighborhood, we mourn the loss of these brave servicemen and servicewomen.

Just as important as recalling their sacrifices, we must be concerned with the valiant survivors of war who are entitled to the best of veteran support services. Especially in the last two years, we have become aware of the tragic ineptitude of veterans’ medical care and the measures implemented in an attempt to resolve the inefficiencies.

Equally distressing are the ever-tragic circumstances of homeless veterans, many of who are struggling with addictions often spurred by the echoes of the wars they fought.

The overwhelming reason why veterans’ services have faltered so drastically has been the underestimated volume of returning soldiers from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The George W. Bush administration made so many miscalculations in the prosecuting of two simultaneous wars. Perhaps the most far-reaching underestimation was the burden of caring for our returning veterans.

In a succession of secretaries of veterans affairs during both the Bush and Obama administrations, the department has been struggling with the onslaught on veteran’s needs and failing. There has been some sunlight in the last 18 months under the current secretary Robert McDonald, a former Proctor and Gamble CEO and former 82 Airborne captain. However, he recently caused a controversy with comments about veteran’s wait times for medical care, comparing their strife to a line at a theme park.

In the pathetic prosecution of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, besides underestimating the needed troop strength, sending soldiers into warfare with under-armored vehicles, and deploying troops with an insufficient number of protective flak vests, the Bush administration apparently did not realize that because of the increased efficiency of field hospitals and military emergency medical technicians, many more warriors would survive.

Thus, the long-term responsibility for our gallant service persons would require a much grander medical infrastructure than we had previous to 2003.

To date in the Iraq war, according to the Department of Defense, 32,223 soldiers have been wounded or maimed. In the Afghanistan war, 20,083 soldiers have been wounded or maimed.

America has not only a sacred duty to care for these protectors of our freedoms; we owe that righteous veteran support to the survivor brother and sister soldiers of those who perished in defense of liberty.

In Iraq, 4,425 soldiers were killed in action. In Afghanistan, 2,326 soldiers were killed in action. The best way to memorialize their ultimate gift in celebrating Memorial Day is to take care of their fellow soldiers who fortunately came home.

Sadly, our government has fallen sharply short of that standard.

During the tenure of the George W. Bush presidency, three men helmed the Department of Veterans Affairs. They were Anthony Principi, Col. Jim Nicholson, and Lt. Gen. James B. Peake. All three well-meaning administrators were daunted by insufficient funding, lack of adequate medical staff, archaic facilities, and a small number of prosthetic laboratories in comparison to the substantial need of homecoming vets.

Their successor serving the Barack Obama administration, Gen. Eric Shinseki, faced the same problems in even greater numbers. As confrontations continued, more Americans were chronically injured. The growing number of incidences of vets on waiting lists who would wait for months upon months to have ailments addressed came to the focus of great public attention when the New York Times reported that a large number of veterans had died awaiting medical care, and maimed soldiers were waiting extended amounts of time for their prosthetic devices.

Adding insult to injury, some VA hospitals had altered wait time records to hide their lackluster performances.

In late spring of 2014, news entities focused on the plight of our returning heroes. Facing a public relations nightmare, Obama stated the following: “I will not stand for it, not as commander in chief, but also not as an American. None of us should.” He added: “If these allegations prove true, I would consider the actions dishonorable. Once we have the facts, I assure you, if there is misconduct, people will be punished.”

With the public firestorm ablaze, someone’s head had to roll, and that head was Shinseki’s. Ultimately, the old general became the scapegoat for all the ills in the system. Not underfunding from a stagnant Congress, not insufficient staffing, not previous underestimations of how many would need care, not our righteous responsibility for our returning men and women falling short of the mark – Obama’s administration hoisted all the blame on the general.

Consequently, Obama brought in McDonald, who implemented several initiatives. He raised salaries for doctors and dentists in order to boost morale and attract new doctors. He organized a “Blue Print for Excellence” which implemented efficiencies. He started a recruitment program for doctors and nurses still in medical schools.

As a result, after one year, the number of doctors has increased by 1,000, the number of nurses has increased by 2,700, and the number of medical assistants has increased by 4,600. Additionally, he has hired a public relations and marketing agency to advertise the new “MY VA” campaign.

However, McDonald has made some serious mistakes as well. He told “Meet the Press” that he had fired 60 employees that had fudged wait time records, when in reality only eight were discharged. Also, he told the Christian Science Monitor in response to a question about wait times: “When you got to Disney, do they measure the numbers of hours you wait in line? Or what’s important is what’s your satisfaction with your experience, and what I would like to move to, eventually is that kind of measure.”

In response, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) stated the following: “This is not make-believe, Mr. Secretary. Veterans have died waiting in those lines.”

Callous and indifferent comments from the current secretary aside, some progress is being made. Wait times, while still too long have been reduced by 25 percent; records accessibility is faster and more efficient through computer improvements; and a consultation at least with a nurse/practitioner are now available with expediency.

Similarly, the plight of homeless vets has improved somewhat as well. Over the past five years, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the number of forgotten heroes on the street has been reduced 33 percent to 49,933, a better but still unacceptable figure.

Although steps in the right direction have been taken and our soldiers are reaping some benefits from these changes, we must impress upon our elected officials to stay and improve the course as much as possible. Veterans’ care should never become a political football, but should always be considered a sacred trust between a grateful nation and the soldiers who preserved our freedom! The best way to celebrate Memorial Day is to ensure the best care of our Wounded Warriors.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here