Veterans should be getting help due them from the government

Veterans Day is a holiday for the men and women who have served for our nation. It isn't a holiday for our government.

This past year, The Legion magazine has done a series of articles on the health care for our heroes. It's basically, in a shambles. Budget cuts and broken promises are the rule rather then the exception. There were stories of veterans waiting over a year to see a doctor. Another story, was with a gentleman who after waiting 18 months, finally got an appointment. His appointment was in a college gym, where he and hundreds of other veterans were serviced all in one day.

Our government made a promise to these people. Now that they are no longer needed, the promises are being broken. If you're a World War II vet or a Korean vet, your chances of getting help are slipping away. From what I've seen in the last year, the older veterans are left out in the cold, their government waiting for them to die.

This is from experience. My ex-father-in-law is a WWII veteran, a humble man who has never had mass riches or wealth. The one thing he could count on was good medical care, until recently. First, the Lincoln VA was drastically cut back in size. More and more of his appointments were in Omaha. That's a long way for an 86 year old man with diabetes. Then in March, he had some serious medical problems. We called for our local ambulance, then was transported 20 miles to a community hospital. Checked out there, then transported to a larger hospital in Lincoln.

The VA wouldn't pay the bill because the ambulance, stopped at the community hospital. They didn't care that our local ambulance didn't have the equipment, nor the personnel, to travel the extra 45 miles. I've known this man for over seven years and until this year, I've never seen him upset or worried. He could share horror stories about his time in Japan, but there was no hate in his voice. His health is now to the point, where he couldn't return home. Both my in-laws are now residents at a assisted living facility. Every day, my ex-wife and sister-in-law try to calm them down because the VA won't pay this bill or that bill. But through it all, they still believe in our government. They just wish they would honor their promise. None of this was a handout, it was a commitment from our government. A commitment based on the ideal of keeping America - America!

I'm sharing a poem that illustrates my feelings on veterans and the government.

 WHERE IS THE VA? 

Saved some money.
The nation won't forget.
Though our government will.
Thinking, families would soon forget,
They never looked back with regret.
It was just a building.
Sure, it served our heroes.
Medical staff, helped as best they could
For our leaders, just a structure,
Made of brick and wood.

Vets shared stories,
Some told many times.
They weren't always about glory,
In the end, they found peace of mind.
Others, were never told before.
These men found comfort,
Inside the building's doors.
There were no dads, brothers, or sons.
Just guys sharing stories,
From when they carried a gun.

At nights, these buildings...
Sit silent and in the dark.
You can almost hear the whispers,
Of children, running the halls,
Their fingerprints, covering the walls.
Visiting dads and grandpas, too.
Giving them hugs, saying, "I love you."
From the road driving by,
You knew, America's best, were inside.
A handout isn't what they received,
A commitment from their government,
Is what they believed.

Different ages, different wars,
Come on USA, open the VA doors.
To see a doctor, takes a year or more.
Come on, please, re-open the VA doors.
Don't care, what their age.
Come on, let our heroes in.
The way they're being treated,
Is nothing short of a sin.

The poem Where is the VA? is from the book Damaged Merchandise