Sunday, November 11, 2007

On Veterans Day

We “officially” mark Veterans Day tomorrow, by taking a Monday holiday.  But the event on which we base this commemoration occurred exactly 89 years ago right now—the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month—the 1918 armistice agreement that ended hostilities in the Great War.  French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, commander-in-chief of the Allied forces, and German government representative Matthias Erzberger signed the armistice documents at 5am that day, in a railroad car in the Compiègne Forest, some 50 or 60 miles north of Paris.

Veterans Day honors those who served in the military ... and returned.  That last phrase is what differentiates it from Memorial Day.  The end-of-May holiday is designated to remember those who made the ultimate military sacrifice, those who died while fighting in the armed forces of the United States.

This occasion is all the more poignant in times like these, when events are adding large numbers of men and women to the rolls of Veterans Day and Memorial Day honorees.  In this case, tragically, it’s almost entirely the fault of delusional neocons whose bullying arrogance cares not a whit about the lives they are ruining and the deaths they are causing.

As the Iraq/Afghanistan fubar continues on and on and on, with little evidence of abating and ever less prospect for a non-horrendous outcome, real honest-to-god support for our veterans (whether new ones or those who served long ago) is often difficult to find.  Lost in the cynical flag-waving of politicians who callously ruin the VA healthcare, benefits, pension, and education systems, lost in those who unfeelingly decimate the military reserve and the National Guard, lost in the huge corporate profits accompanying privatization of military functions, lost in the wasteful and deadly (and, of course, highly profitable) mis-equipping of the troops ... there are a few public officials who truly honor and support the troops and the veterans.

One of those heroes is the senior Senator from Washington.  It’s not just that Patty Murray is the #3 Democrat on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, or that she serves on the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Defense, and Homeland Security Subcommittees of the Appropriations Committee.  As the daughter of a disabled World War II veteran—her father earned a Purple Heart during the Okinawa landing—she has seen throughout her entire life how veterans are and can be treated by the federal government.  In addition, as a student at Washington State during the Vietnam War, she interned as a volunteer at a nearby VA hospital.  Her interest in the topic, then, is clearly deeply held and intensive.  In just the last few days, for example, Senator Murray has acted to support veterans in both the rational scientific research arena and at the level of emotional caring and rhetoric.

On Thursday, she and her Senate colleague Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey), in collaboration with Physicians for Social Responsibility, announced the release of Shock and Awe Hits Home, a study demonstrating that the cost of dealing with the mental and social trauma—just for the American victims of Bush’s War—may exceed the combat price tag of Iraq and Afghanistan.  In their press release, Senator Murray had this to say about the PSR report:

For five long years there has been a cost of this war that the Administration not only has ignored, but has simply refused to talk about - that’s the cost of caring for our veterans when they come home.  Today, we are learning exactly what it will cost America to keep our promise to those who have served. Thanks to the diligent efforts of Physicians for Social Responsibility we now have a price tag of up to $660 billion to provide the medical care and disability benefits that our veterans both need and deserve.

That same day, Senator Murray took to the Senate floor to offer her thoughts as we celebrate Veterans Day.  Herewith, extended excerpts from Patty’s November 8 speech:

Sunday is Veterans Day – a day designated for us to thank our nation’s heroes for their service to our country.

It’s also a time to ask whether our country has done enough to repay our veterans for all they have given to secure our safety.  As thousands return home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – some from their fifth tour of duty – I wish I could say the answer to this question is, ‘Yes.’

But tragically, this issue has not been a priority for this Administration.  We have too often failed to provide the care our heroes have earned.  From the shameful conditions at Walter Reed and VA facilities around the country, to a lack of mental health counselors, to a benefit claims backlog of months and sometimes years, our veterans have had to struggle to get basic care.  Mr. President, fighting overseas takes a tremendous toll on the lives of our troops and their families.  It is simply unacceptable that our heroes have had to fight their own government for treatment they need.

Mr. President, I know from personal experience how military service affects veterans and their families – and how the wounds veterans suffer from their military service can shape their lives forever.

As a volunteer at the VA, I learned how some veterans can slip through the cracks.  But the experience also taught me that the doctors and nurses there are dedicated to caring for their patients.  It convinced me that the VA system – not private medicine – is where our veterans can get the best care.  Our VA system is uniquely positioned to recognize and treat the specialized injuries, medical conditions, and mental health challenges caused by combat and military missions.

Private medicine doesn’t always have the knowledge base or resources to deal with these unique problems.  It’s one reason I will continue to fight for better access to the VA that allows our veterans to get the care they need without endless waits and red tape.  Rather than kicking our veterans into yet another maze of processing and paperwork, we should work to provide better access to one of the best health care systems in the country.

I also know from experience in my own family that veterans are sometimes reluctant to seek care or attention.  My father was one of the first G.I.s to land on Okinawa during World War II.  He earned the Purple Heart and returned home disabled.

My family is enormously proud of my dad and his service.  But like many of his generation, he didn’t talk about his experiences.  In fact, we only really learned his story by reading his journals after he passed away.  Mr. President, these two experiences in my life also illustrate a larger lesson that applies to many veterans.  Often, they don’t want to call attention to their service.  And sometimes, they are suffering so much, they can’t even ask for the help they need.  That’s why we need a VA system ready and able to care for veterans of all wars.

Mr. President, the physical wounds our veterans have suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan are horrible.  But I have worked especially hard as a member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee to shine a light on the mental wounds our veterans are suffering in this war.  These wounds run just as deep – and can be just as devastating – as physical injuries.  And this problem just isn’t getting the attention it deserves from the Administration.

Our troops are under great strain.  In the past, we were always able to give our service members a break to allow them to recover from physical, psychological, and emotional demands.  Now, some are serving for their third, fourth, and even fifth tours of duty.  All of this increases the likelihood they will suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other mental health conditions.  According to the VA’s own numbers, fully one-third of all returning Iraq veterans will suffer from a mental health condition.  That’s an astounding statistic.  But it’s also probably too low because many veterans are still afraid to seek care.  Earlier this year, I spoke with National Guard members at Camp Murray who told me that they don’t want to be labeled with PTSD or Traumatic Brain Injury because they are afraid it would hurt their careers.  One soldier told me that to be labeled with mental trauma, “jeopardizes their lives outside of the service.”

So, Mr. President, how do we overcome these problems?  Fortunately, there are three clear areas where we can improve:

• First, we must ensure that the mental health needs of veterans are met.  The VA needs to raise awareness about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and combat-related stresses.  It also must hire more counselors to help treat everyone – from the 20-year-old veteran returning from Iraq, to the Vietnam veteran still struggling with the legacy of war.
• Next, the VA must clear the backlog of claims so that veterans can get care in a timely – and fair – way.  The President needs to sign legislation to ensure that the Department of Defense and the VA are working with the same disability rating system and that records aren’t lost between the two systems.
• And most importantly, we must provide enough money so that our veterans get the quality care they deserve.

The Senate has approved a bill that provides almost $4 billion above the President’s request that would take important steps to improve care.  It would:

• Improve conditions at VA facilities across the country.
• Invest in new ways to treat military ailments like PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury,
• And it would fund better prosthetics for thousands of troops who have lost limbs in battle.

The Administration has ignored these problems for too long.  But the Democratic-controlled Congress has taken action.

Mr. President, our men and women in uniform have answered the President’s call to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan without hesitation or complaint.  They have left loved ones for years and put their lives on the line.  Some have come home without limbs.  Others have returned with mental scars.  Many – thankfully – have escaped without injury.  But all of them have earned our respect and the best care possible when they come home.

And if we don’t care for our service members now, we risk weakening our military for decades to come.  President Bush has been more than willing to use our veterans as props as he argues in favor of his misguided war policies.  Now it’s time to turn that lip service into reality and give our veterans the care they need and deserve.  We owe it to our country to ensure that we are there to support our service members, our veterans, and their families every step of the way.  They are a cost of war that we simply can’t ignore.

Patty Murray shows the kind of compassionate support, and American support, for our military veterans that is sorely lacking among the sociopaths who have so tragically ruined our nation’s good name.  On this Veterans Day 2007, let us celebrate a true champion for those brave and patriotic women and men who served in America’s military, Senator Patty Murray, Democrat from Washington.