The VA's Failure, Obama's Delusion

Dear Mr. President,

Three letters from the White House when I returned home last night, two dated November 1 and one dated November 2. Still puzzled why the 2-week delay but that’s another issue. The November 2 letter is, I believe, in response to my September 16 letter about the VA’s failure to treat and process veterans returning from war. Your response, from start to finish, is either delusional or comes from an alternate reality. Your “finest military the world has ever known” has been fighting a bunch of rag-tag sandal- and turban-clad, Kalashnikov-toting illiterate loser insurgents (Rumsfeld’s description) for 11 years and every recent analysis of the war says as soon as we leave, the Afghan army and the corrupt Karzai regime will collapse and the Taliban will take over again; nothing changed from 2001. Your letter talks about the moral obligation “to those [veterans] who have sacrificed for our freedom and security” but their sacrifice was unnecessary and the war drags on for no purpose other than to save political face, and that, Mr. President, is a moral crime. “My Administration has made great progress toward ensuring all veterans receive the support, benefits, and opportunities they deserve…” If so, then why is the son of a family member still unable to obtain adequate medical attention or disability benefits as a result of his stint as a Marine in Afghanistan? And why are the papers filled with stories of the VA’s growing backlog of claims (almost a million) and their inadequate care of returning veterans? In a recent article, a delegation of vets tried to meet with regional VA administrators but were turned away by guards on orders from “higher ups.” The administrators were not interested in hearing their grievances. Maybe you really believe your Administration is doing a wonderful job, but that’s not what the reality is. You’re getting bad information, Mr. President. But this seems to be the history of the VA in all wars; inadequate care, denied benefits, lost paperwork, delays, and careless disregard for those they are supposed to help until something galvanizes the vets and they take action that cannot be ignored. Like Vietnam vet, James Roger Hopkins, who drove his red Willys jeep through the glass doors of the VA Hospital in Westwood California on March 14, 1981, leading to the 3-week takeover and hunger strike that resulted in better treatment for all Vietnam vets. So much for honoring our vets. Thank you for your service, indeed.