SIMPLY SHAMEFUL and UNACEPTABLE!
November 19, 2008 — Spirithawk (Views: 5)My friends, I am constantly recieving messages from mothers and fathers, who’s loved ones are serving in the military, telling me about the shameful way our active service and veterans are being treated. I’ll address the issues with Active Service members first. It is one thing for a country to ask it’s citizens to serve in it’s military, I have no issue with that, if that’s all there was to it. Sadly and shamefuly it’s not! How can anyone, in good concience, send their own to war and not give them the adequate equipment to fight with. I am saddened daily because some mother, or father, tells me about their son or daughter fighting overseas sending letters home telling of out dated, worn out, cheaply made, equipment and in many cases even the lack of that! It sickens me to the core. What’s even worse, many are punished for trying to remedy the problems. We can’t let this be folks. We need to write congress and tell them we demand better. Now, as if that’s not bad enough, look at how they are treated when they come home. Sure, they are recieving much better home comings than we, as Vietnam Vets got, but a nice homecomig soon ends. What then? What about jobs? What about counciling? What about medical care? Yes, those things are out there but just barely. I can speak with authority on the health care issue. I am totaly and permantly disabled because I inlisted. I chose to serve my country and have been paying for it ever since. For instance, recently when asking the VA for help with my heart problems, ya know what happened? Their cardiologist, who had never seen me before nor my records,tells me I don’t need my heart meds. I have no real problem and I should just stop my meds cold turkey. All that inspite of the facts that I have an enlarged heart, bad valves, coronary artery disease, angina and all confirmed by three cardiolo teams at three differant hospital and the fact that I had to have a tripple bypass at 53 years old. Not only that but I can’t have another bypass due to complications so if I need one I’m screwed! Ya know why they did me like that? Because I asked for Plavix. A med I need for the rest of my life because I can’t have stents either. A med that costs $5.00 a tablet! When I told my private cardiologist what happened he blew his stack. He asked me if they were trying to kill me! Then, even more recently, I asked to see a Pulmonary Specialist for my lungs. The VA Doc sends me down the hall for a breathing test and chest xray. The guy giving me the breathing test stopped it almost as soon as he started. He told me it was obvious I had serious problems and he saw no need to put me through it. So back to the doc’s office. The doc looks me square in the eye and tells me 1) the breathing test went fine and 2) the xrays of my lungs were fine. Now, every doctor I’ve seen privately for the last 30 years has told me how severly scarred my lungs are so was I miraculously cured? I had enough and had the records sent to a private doc. Right away I get a call from him about those test results. Not only did he too tell me how severely scarred my lungs are but that also there is a mass in my left lung and the air capacity of my left lung is next to nothing! Again, why did the VA doc see otherwise? Simple, cheaper and less hassle to write me off. I refuse to go back to a VA doctor for anything remotely serious. In fact, my son said he’d kick my but if I did. So much for good health care from the VA. Now folks, I only tell you of my problems simply as an example and because I’m nowhere near alone. I see it and hear it every single day. I humbly ask you, how can we let this go on? Are lives so unimportant that we can allow for them to be abused so? Is to honor our soldiers and vets just nothing but words? Are we expendable? To be used, abused, then thrown away? Please, I ask you, I beg you, I implore you…what ever it takes..take the few minutes to write your congressmen. Tell them in no uncertain terms can this be allowed to go on. Tell them the lives of your sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, fathers, and mothers mean more than that. Tell them they are not toys to be played with, broken and then tossed aside! You will look far and wide to find anyone more patriotic than myself but enough is enough. We were, and are there for you, please, please be there for us. To do less is simply shameful and unaceptable.
Lee Spirit Hawk
Disabled Vietnam Vet
USAF
