Treatment of Veterans
There are many awful things going on in the world, but few of them are as bad, or as
widely tolerated, as the treatment of veterans. The Veteran’s Administration denies them care,
people demonize them and marginalize the causes they fought for, and many are without jobs or
even homes. In many ways veterans represent the best this country has; they volunteered to risk
their lives to protect people that they do not even know. Many do not return from combat, and
many of those who do are forever scarred, mentally and physically. They are real heroes, and
they deserve to be respected and cared for.
The problem first reared its ugly head during the Vietnam War, when protesters against
the war attacked soldiers, referring to them as “murderers,” “monsters,” and much worse. These
accusations are simply not true. Even after risking their lives to protect America, veterans still do
all they can to contribute to society. Last Veteran’s Day a group of almost 100 veterans helped
rebuild an old playground in Washington (Norwood). Despite this and other selfless acts by vets,
the problem continues today, with politicians and celebrities demonizing troops in the Middle
East, even going so far as to blame them for terrorist attacks like 9/11, and terror groups such as
ISIS and Al-Qaeda. So many public figures say these horrible things that people are beginning to
believe them.
When people are not hearing awful lies about soldiers, they do not think about them very
much, and do not realize how badly this nation’s veterans are treated. This is why it took so long
for the scandal at the VA here in Arizona to surface. For years the VA hospital, a government run institution meant to provide healthcare to veterans, had been keeping “secret waiting lists,”
forcing veterans to wait months or even years for even the simplest procedures. The VA forced
veterans to wait so long for even a checkup that at least 40 in Arizona have died waiting for an
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appointment. For the many veterans who returned with missing limbs or with mental health
issues such as PTSD, prompt care is vital, and the VA has been denying them care. One of them,
a 71 year old veteran of the Navy, Thomas Breen, was classified as an urgent case, but was put at
the end of a seven month waiting list (Bronstein). He died before even receiving an appointment.
When soldiers return from combat, they should be cared for. Even those who were not
physically injured are still mentally scarred by their experiences, and society pushes them away.
Many veterans cannot even get a job, and many are homeless. In 2014, an estimated 840,000
veterans were homeless, and even more could not find work (Bevans). The numbers have not
improved much since then. Furthermore suicide rates among veterans are incredibly high. Less
than 10 percent of Americans are veterans, but veterans account for approximately 20 percent of
suicides in America (Thomas). These numbers are unacceptable.
Soldiers on deployment are forced to endure terrible conditions; it is part of the job. But
when they return home, they should not be treated badly. They were willing to risk their lives to
protect people they have never met, but the very people they fought to protect do not give them
the care and respect they deserve. However, there is hope. There are several different charities,
such as the Wounded Warrior Project and the United Service Organizations, dedicated to helping
veterans. Imagine the difference they could make if all of the 319 million people in the US
donated just one dollar to help veterans. $319 million dollars would go a long way towards
improving the lives of veterans.
Donating to charity is not the only way to help veterans. There are many other things that
you, or even a high school student like me can do. We could call our senators and ask them to
advocate for a bill reforming the VA or giving aid to veterans. We could also petition companies
to prioritize veterans when hiring. Or we could do the simplest and potentially most important
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thing that can be done: have more respect for the brave men and women who were willing to
sacrifice their lives to protect us.
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Works Cited
Bevans, Shawn. "Obama Vowed There'd Be No Homeless Vets By 2015. Take A Look At How
That's Going..." IJReview. IJReview, 3 Nov. 2015. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
Bronstein, Scott, and Drew Griffin. "A Fatal Wait: Veterans Languish and Die on a VA
Hospital's Secret List." CNN. CNN, 23 Apr. 2014. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
Norwood, Candice. "Veterans Join Congress Park Residents to Spruce up a Playground." The
Washington Post. The Washington Post, Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
Thomas, Emily. "Suicide Among Young Veterans Rising At Alarming Rate."The Huffington
Post. The Huffington Post, 1 Aug. 2014. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
"Top 10 Charities That Support Veterans." CNBC. CNBC, 14 Nov. 2014. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.