The Bush Plan: Every Veteran Left Behind

Last week it came to my attention that the federal government was once again failing our brave veterans by refusing to meet their obligations and promises.

My father taught me that there is no greater gift Americans can give to their country than being willing to fight and die for the ideals our nation was founded on. Every one of us owes a debt of gratitude to our veterans that none of us will ever be able to fully repay.

Our government owes its existence to their sacrifice. It's the government's greatest obligation to support and care for our veterans when they return from the battlefield.

Next week marks the first anniversary of the exposure of deplorable conditions for veterans at Walter Reed Medical Center. I think I can speak for all Americans when I say that we hoped this scandal would put an end to the mistreatment of our veterans by the Bush administration.

We all remember it too well: mold on the walls, leaky ceilings and veterans held in areas not fit for human habitation. It was a travesty and an insult. I hoped our federal government would turn the corner.

But last week we saw two distinct reminders that we still have a long way to go as a government, a nation and as a society when it comes to giving our veterans the dignity and respect they deserve.

First, the Bush administration began arguing in federal court that veterans have no right to mental health care:

Veterans have no legal right to specific types of medical care, the Bush administration argues in a lawsuit accusing the government of illegally denying mental health treatment to some troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
The arguments, filed Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco, strike at the heart of a lawsuit filed on behalf of veterans that claims the health care system for returning troops provides little recourse when the government rejects their medical claims.

This is absolutely outrageous. Our government made a promise to our veterans. The Bush administration, trying to weasel out of their obligations to our soldiers by inventing dubious legal arguments, is a disgrace. There appears to be no threshold of shame for this government.

Today we learned that over half of the veterans who took their own lives after returning from Iraq or Afghanistan were members of the National Guard or Reserves, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The National Guard enables the states to respond to crises such as wildfires, floods and disasters like Hurricane Katrina -- and the Bush administration is arguing they shouldn't have mental health care.

We also learned last week that employers are reluctant to hire returning vets for jobs:

The 2007 study by the consulting firm Abt Associates Inc. found that 18 percent of the veterans who sought jobs within one to three years of discharge were unemployed, while one out of four who did find jobs earned less than $21,840 a year. Many had taken advantage of government programs such as the GI Bill to boost job prospects, but there was little evidence that education benefits yielded higher pay or better advancement. The report blamed the poor prospects partly on inadequate job networks and lack of mentors after extended periods in war. It said employers often had misplaced stereotypes about veterans' fitness for employment, such as concerns they did not possess adequate technological skills, or were too rigid, lacked education or were at risk for post-traumatic stress disorder.

The report went on to urge the federal government to work with the private sector to encourage hiring and "re-branding" of vets. Last year, I worked with State Rep. Jeff Barker to pass a similar program in Oregon, giving vets priority in hiring for public service jobs. But it's clear that much more must be done.

The federal government should be doing all it can to support our troops when they return home. They must:

•Increase funding for mental health services to veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. An estimated one-third of those veterans suffer mental health problems.

•Implement proper screening and treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury for returning veterans. The signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is TBI. An estimated 300,000 vets may return home with some form of this injury.

•Fully fund the VA health care system. Veterans are often forced to wait months for an appointment to see a doctor. They must sometimes travel great distances for care because there are too few facilities to provide effective treatment. The disgraceful conditions reported last year at Walter Reed Medical Center are symptomatic of a system-wide problem that must be addressed immediately.

We have a commitment to the men and women who have served this country in the Armed Forces. They left our shores to fight overseas for us. The absolute least we can do is fight for them when they come home. We can and must do better.

Comments

[scooperss]

Injured = expendable.

Why waste money that could be used for more war is their way of thinking.

[JBS]

Not only are veterans forced to wait months to get into the VA health system, if they're National Guard they only get 24 months after they return to CONUS from their deployment. And for many that 24 months can run out before they ever get an appointment.

[oldpotsmuggler]

Kings use troops as pawns in wars. Kings do not provide benefits for veterans, soldiers are expected to pay themselves from the spoils of the battlefield. There are certain class distinctions that must be maintained at all costs. In fact, given the proclivities of this particular Emperor, there's a vast sea of recent veterams out there who should be happy that they're not being sent to the Coliseum for Our (note the Royal usage) viewing pleasure.

[jmpurser]

No, "We" don't have a commitment. That's the problem. It turns out that "Support the troops" is just a bumper sticker, not a policy.

[feo]

"Support the troops" means send more money to Lockheed Martin, Haliburton etc.

[PepperzMom]

Unfortunately, this is unacceptable pattern of behavior by the Shrub & his Shrubettes.

To those who have served...t­hank you.

To those who need help...I wish there was something I could do personally to help other than saying "thank you".

To those trying to get help...kee­p pushing thru the doors of the medical centers, and get in contact with the local media in the area you live, particularly ones who cover the political and military angles.

[dogman44]

You can help. Give up your middle class obeisance and FIGHT. Riot, take to the streets, and when they use violence on you
return it in kind. This will not be settled
peacefully. If you are unable to fight, support
the ones who are by not reporting their presence in your area.

[bdunn]

Wow this is a great set of policy proposals. Oregon lost a real hero in Darlene Hooley who time and time again stood up for our nations veterans. I am glad that Jeff Merkley seems prepared to take up the fight when we send him to Washington as our next US Senator.

[desmirl]

A situation that is beyond sickening. Whatever you feel about the war (and I am unalterably against what we did and are doing to Iraq), the idea that our veterans would come back from that hellish meatgrinder and not receive adequate mental health services is intolerable and deplorable. The Bush administration must be held accountable for their endless succession of misdeeds.

[mommadona]

De ja Vue - allll over again:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ilTGiBOQLQ&eurl=http://stinkinchickensroost.blogspot.com/

[dogman44]

One more war. Shurb and the rest of his cowardly crew,(and all who support them)
need to be physically stood up to and fed
the shit they have been feeding the rest of
us. I hate these people as much as I hate the
existance of the Nazis and Stalinists. No, I hate them more. They are not history, they are
the current evil in the world. ONE MORE WAR....
CLASS WAR!!!!!