Deena and I heard about a second series of protests scheduled for all of the state capitals in the nation for noon on Friday, March 14th. This one seemed to be focused on program cuts to veteran’s health benefits and we wanted to be heard. Deena’s late husband Jim was a career servicemember as am I. We decided to attend.
Much of this event seemed somewhat disorganized. It wasn’t clear to us who was promoting it. And we stumbled on it accidentally on social media. Was it actually vets involved, Proud Boys or Russian bots? So, we sort of hung at the margins for a few minutes to get the “gestalt” of the whole thing. Basically, about sixty or eighty (less than a hundred in any event) folks turned up on the East (Southeast) park at the steps of the legislature. Signs were all hand-made which suggested these were just patriotic, homespun Americans. Altogether, there were three generations of Vets. There were people who lost family members in World War II, Vietnam War vets like myself and Afghanistan/Iraq vets as well. Perhaps a few Gulf War vets were mixed in as well.
Deena and I had a poster that our grandchildren spend quite a bit of time crafting, during which they asked questions about the event. I think most reasonable parents and grandparents do not want to burden the next generation with the policy failures and heartbreak that our government has dished out to us. It is better that they draw their own conclusions and choose their own path.
I interviewed this one young woman. This is the first person I interviewed since I was the Editorial Advisor for the college newspaper in Sherman, TX seventeen years ago. So, I was a bit rusty. The vet agreed to answer some questions but (wisely) asked who I was and why I wanted to talk to her. I explained I was a freelance journalist with an online blog and I gave her my card. So, to keep things as comfortable and informal as possible, I did not ask questions like what was her name, her marital status and what she had for breakfast.
This veteran (woman pictured at top) was in the Army as a military police officer who was stationed in Mosul, Iraq in 2005 and 2006. She experienced every possible threat that could be mustered against Coalition forces, including improvised explosive devices, weapons fire and rocket propelled grenades. Prior to signing up, she was majoring in engineering in college and then 9/11 occurred. Reflecting on her tour in Mosul she “I don’t regret it but I don’t think I’d encourage this guy to go to war.” Now, after laying her life on the line for her country, while keeping her promise to “protect and defend the U.S. from all enemies foreign and domestic,” she is hoping that the U.S. will keep its promise to her.
A few minutes after twelve, someone with a megaphone ushered everyone closer to the base of the steps where he stood. I’m not even sure if he introduced himself. He thanked everyone for being there and asked if there were any VA people present. I could not tell if he referred to county employees known as Veterans Service Officers or if he meant elected officers from the American Legion or Disabled Veterans of America. In either case, no one spoke up and there were a few snorts and shouts from the crowd. He then announced that he was going to sign attendees up if they wanted to speak. I thought that was important. However, I was disappointed that no one “worked the crowd.” Back in the day, someone would pass around 3×5 cards and you could write your name, address and phone number on the card if you wished and then turn in the card after the event. Today, this could be done by text message. I thought it could be important as far as a mailing list goes. Or, a website could be set up where people could log on for information on future events, news relating to vets and so on. So, that was a missed opportunity. If whomever organized the event was permitted to play music at a reasonable volume, even a small portable audio system could have gotten the crowd in the mood by playing patriotic music. But at the moment we’re only taking baby steps. I’m trying to contact the organizers with some ideas and a personal promise to help make future rallies a success. As the weather becomes milder, crowds may grow and a cadre of half a dozen volunteers can make a big difference.
Our government in the past has at times treated veterans with scorn. The incumbent President has been quoted by good authority with referring to them as “suckers and losers.” So, it is no surprise when one hears of attempts to strip veterans of disability compensation, as this articles from Yahoo News from yesterday states:
“Democratic lawmakers and veterans’ groups are fuming over a provision in a stopgap federal spending bill passed by House Republicans this week that would cut a Department of Veteran Affairs fund meant to cover costs for illnesses linked to military burn pits and other chemical exposure.
The six-month government spending package, which largely holds federal spending at fiscal year 2024 levels, would cut the Toxic Exposures Fund (TEF) for the VA next year.
The controversial fund was meant to allot $22.8 billion to cover expanded benefits for former service members sickened by military toxic exposures — including burn pit smoke and Agent Orange water contamination — starting October 1, 2025.
But the continuing resolution (CR) drafted and passed by House Republicans zeros out funding that would have been used for the TEF in the fall.
‘It cuts more than $20 billion in funding needed to provide care for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances next year‘, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said on the Senate floor Thursday. ‘It cannot pass.’“
But it did.
Deena and I are very concerned about the direction in which our country is headed. We didn’t feel this way when Lyndon Baines Johnson (D) or Richard Nixon (R) was President. Or when George W. Bush (R) or Barak Obama (D) was our leader. We are not radicals, we own no guns, and nor do we advocate violence. Deena is a mainstream liberal who is an awesome cook, but I am more of a New Deal Democrat who probably eats too many potato chips. We want nothing to do with radical Democrats, Antifa, Black bloc anarchists, far right groups like the Three Percenters, and so on.
We also want to stay out of trouble, and we’re hoping events in this country we love will not pull us in this crazy vortex because our faith in Jesus Christ requires that we care for some of the very same people who are being hunted down and rounded up by our government as you read this. We’re not speaking of sanctuary for terrorists or gangs like MS-13, but people who have committed no crime except for wanting a better life for the children (as your parents likey wanted for you), or who have voiced concern for others, even as both of us do.
