OK, the parade has ended. The picnic goodies are put away, and the guys with the funny hats and flags have gone home. Memorial Day is over. Did you do your part? No, I’m not talking about turning out for a rally or watching aging veterans marching by. I’m talking about what you will do, now that you know that your veterans are left to die by the Veterans Administration. I’m talking about the neglected ones, those who grasp at empty promises that they will be cared for promptly, adequately, mercifully, and with the dignity they deserve.
As a 20-plus year veteran myself, I see hypocrisy. I see thousands of veterans who were unlucky enough to survive the horrors of war. Sadly they came home maimed, wounded and hurt inside and out. Regrettably they survived.
The ones who died are the lucky ones. They get their names on fancy stones, engraved so that America may be reminded, if anyone really bothers to see the long lines of whited stones at the nation’s memorial cemeteries.
The living come home to the phony promises and to the broken contract they had with all of you! They depended on you, and you have failed them!
Shame on you, America. You broke your word. The very best men and women that you’ll ever produce are left alone, neglected, and denied essential medical and other services. Shame on you, America. While you pour out resources on undeserving groups, the only group of people who truly deserve the full support and compassion of the government, that sent them into the hell of war, are the veterans who come home to face those who care nothing for them.
I don’t like the word “entitlement” because it’s used too broadly. There are entitlements for so many who don’t deserve them, but the ones who do, who earned it through the sound, the smell, and the sight of war are the ones who are denied them. America, does that trouble you?
Shame on you, America. You can take care of the undeserving while avoiding those who deserve everything. They were willing to die for you, why can’t you just lift a finger for them? Does it bother you? Aren’t you glad Memorial Day is over?
Shame on you.
On the battlefield, we all vowed, “No one left behind.”
Isn’t it ironic that our veterans have to come home to be forgotten?