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Editorial: Taking care of veterans an inviolable obligation
Today, patriotic ceremonies will be staged across the region. Some people will get the day off. Some will take advantage of the sales. Then another Veterans Day is over.
It’s not enough. It’s not nearly enough.
The holiday has gotten more respectful since the days of Vietnam, when many Americans blamed the warriors for the war. Now, veterans are routinely thanked for their service, even if the wars are not embraced. That is progress, but it isn’t nearly enough.
Nick Carey of Reuters recently wrote a sobering special report called “The War After the Wars,” and it details just how much help veterans need when they return home. Thus far, the Afghanistan and Iraq wars have claimed nearly 5,800 lives, and about 40,000 troops have been injured. This does not count the mental trauma that leads to suicide, substance abuse, depression, joblessness, homelessness and crime.
More than $1 trillion has been spent on the wars, and it looks like the Afghanistan battle will be waged indefinitely. The general public has sacrificed nothing. Military members and their families have carried an inordinate burden.
The multiple tours forced upon troops have triggered a high burnout rate. Economists estimate that another $1 trillion will be needed over the next 40 years just to care for the physically and mentally wounded. The public has a duty to pay those costs without complaint. This is one area of cost-cutting that ought to be off-limits.
The good news is that the military has broadened its recognition and acceptance of the psychic toll of wars. No longer are troops expected to suck it up and soldier on. The Pentagon is touting programs that encourage veterans to be evaluated for possible counseling to help them cope with mental issues and substance abuse. The stigma of asking for help is being reversed.
The military is also reaching out to the community to try to help veterans land jobs. Reporter Carey noted the change when Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited Chicago in August and gave a speech to corporate executives rather than a veterans group. His message: Go the extra mile to hire a veteran.
In Spokane, Goodwill landed a federal grant to help as many as 90 veterans whose war traumas led to incarceration. The program, About Face, connects these veterans with services to help them re-enter society in a productive manner. As program manager Kathy Haugland told The Spokesman-Review, “They were very productive at one time. Then something happened.”
That “something” was the wars that they fought on our behalf. We owe them thanks, but that isn’t enough. They’ll need our help for a very long time.