The people that you meet....

[monkeymissile]

Yesterday I was outside working in the back field where I keep my truck. I saw this older blue station wagon that usually drives by at no more than 20mph. This time it stopped and an older gentleman slowly made his way over. He asked if I was the owner of the truck and I replied I was. He said the last time he had seen one was when he was in one being brought back from the front lines in December 1952. The scars on his face proved it and I wondered about that long, cold bumpy ride to the MASH unit. He was a very interesting man and we talked about the truck for a while before he slowly made his way back to his car. Tragically he is still fighting the VA for medical expenses due to his injuries 56 years later. How a country can so easily send its soldiers to fight and endure terrible injuries and then treat them so poorly upon their return is beyond me. Despite the shame I felt on behalf of our government, I was honored to meet this man and hear his story.

[GregL]

Yes, that is a great story, thanks for sharing.

[HingsingM37]

The VA is definetly in need of an overhaul. It is sad what our Vets must endure and go through to get what they deserve. We have a big VA hospital here in the Cleveland area. I used to volunteer there on Sundays to take the patients to services. Some have been there for sometime and are not in good shape. One day it just all got to me and I broke down in tears while pushing a legless Vet to mass . I was full of anger because of the conditions there and how some of these brave men ended up . I have never been back

[Lifer]

I guess I've been pretty lucky. My experiences with the VA clinics in Peoria, Illinois; Galesburg, Illinois; and Greenville, South Carolina have been great. Likewise for my stays in the VA hospitals in Danville, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Iowa City, Iowa. If you ever feel a need to listen to "war stories," they're a great place to visit. The veterans there will gladly give you an earful. If you happen to be a history major in college, you can't beat it for "supplementary information."

[monkeymissile]

It seems to me that the VA system is almost an afterthought in this country. Certainly they do a lot with what they have, but in my mind not a single soldier should be denied care if they're asked to serve, fight and potentially become injured.

[Nickathome]

I think its a disgrace the way our soldiers are treated by the VA! I saw a news story about an ex Iraq war vet who lost an arm, an eye, and was burned badly, yet the VA told him his injuries weren't serious enough to warrant coverage and care. What a joke. It wasn't until a media news crew showed up at his local VA office and hospital that anything was done. Suddenly when the negative press started to fly about the case, the VA changed its tune and updated the man's records to reflect his true need for long term medical care. Its a God damned shame that it took something like that just for this man to get help.

MM; did you give the man a ride in your vehicle, or was he just curious to talk about it?

[monkeymissile]

MM; did you give the man a ride in your vehicle, or was he just curious to talk about it?

I would've, but I was actually digging the truck out at the time. The contractor working on our new shed dumped 2 yards of gravel right in front of the truck's enclosure (that I can't back out of either) so I had shovel in hand when he showed up. He didn't seem overly interested in talking specifically about the truck although he did rap the front fender with a gnarled hand and say "that's some good steel in there!".
He drives by often enough that I'll offer a ride once the truck is roadworthy (current project is the brakes.......)