OUR VETERANS

VETERANS

 

As we all know there is a lot of talk of our veterans in the news and the care they are receiving on return to the United States after being wounded. I worked for many years right next to the Veterans Hospital in Long Beach California and I had first hand experience with the veterans who came to the store where I worked. There were many Vietnam veterans who stayed near the hospital who I would talk to often. Many never received the counseling or help they truly needed. They stayed wateing for the medicine they needed and had come to depended to cope with the unseen wounds they carried in there harts. Then the time came for big cut backs there at the facility. These men stayed anywhere they could find some time in the bushes or at the beaches where ever they weren't run out of sometimes under the under passes of the freeways. Most were addicted to there meds and alcohol and were always looking for a hand out. People just didn't want to deal with these men or they wanted them to be invisible to say the least. I was always handing out cigarette's the least I could do for them. I would not give them money they would just use it to get a forty ounce beer but would give them food at times. It saddened me to see them so lost. There were so many and they were our men who gave up there lives for our country when they were so young. I remember how some who were in the hospital would come over to shop some could walk some in wheel chairs one was on a bed that was motorized. One day a customer took a hateful disliking to the man on the bed and the fact that some had bags for there yearn and complained to the store management. Soon after that the men were told they could no longer come to the store as it upset customers. I couldn't believe how small minded we as a county we can be! How could this be? How can we as a people forget what these people did for our country for US? We just didn't like to look at the results of war or we just didn't give a dam! I can say that the hospital was a good one then the cut backs staff were just let go but they were truly needed. We need to care for our brave men and women who serve our country with courage bravely sacrificing for freedom where ever they are sent. We may not like wars or the aftermath, but we must care for our vets. Every person who serves deserves our gratitude our respect. This is nothing new to the aftermath of war but it must be corrected. I greave for every life lost for every wounded person who returns, and when do we as a people decided to quit caring? When did we decide to take God out of the mix? Maybe it is time to put God back in and then maybe we will have the right hart to care once aging. This isn't new news it the same old store out of sight out of mind out of our harts of shame.