Opinion/Editorial
THE VETERAN’S COMPENSATION CORPS
Four veterans died a few nights ago when a cold front moved through the Midwest. One died in Milwaukee. They died of exposure. All were older than seventy, probably Vietnam Veterans. There is no good solid reason why these men should be homeless and out in the cold. Oh, yes, there is alcohol, drugs, and much more at the foundations of the nation’s veteran homeless, but there is also money.
For every veteran living, regardless of military service or war or whatever, the VA is paid $84,000 a year. Yes, for each veteran that’s what the tab is for care for some of them, certainly not all. There are 18 million vets still living in the U.S. with about two million of them on active duty. That leaves 16 million, of which about five million are receiving disability compensation. That leaves 11 million veterans with nothing except the care facilities the VA provides and all the personnel (65%) of the VA budget.
Why can’t money per month be allotted for homelessness? How about a grand a month for every veteran, no matter what service, who’s willing to admit or to be found homeless? What would that really cost, compared to the VA budget annually of $269 billion? The Veteran’s Compensation Corps does not really exist yet. It’s in its infancy because there is no other operation, not the VFW, American Legion, VVA, or any of the rest of them that are concerned with only one thing…and that’s getting cash to veterans who need the help but are either too proud or too damaged to be able to ask for it.
Aaron Sorkin wrote a segment of the West Wing, the wildly successful political show that ran for years on television. He wrote the show about a time at Christmas when one of the White House staff came to discover that a homeless vet had died on a bench in front of the White House. The staff member, against all rules of White House conduct, used his privileged position to have the vet buried at Arlington with honors. The president character in the show was angry at the staff member for overstepping his authority. Sorkin had the president character ask the staff member this question, in anger; “what if every homeless veteran came forward expecting that kind of treatment?” The answer was the closing line, in the reality of the show, and goes right to the heart of American’s care for veterans, or what that caring attitude should be; “Wouldn’t that be wonderful,” the staff member said. The character playing the mythical president had no answer for that.
The reality of the country’s treatment of veterans is primarily a general thing. America loves its veterans as a group but not so much specifically. The VA does not even respect rank. All recipients of care are called Miss, Ms., or Mister. No hard-earned rank assigned or mentioned. That makes all vets equal in the eyes of the caregivers. The caregivers, of course, all have titles, from doctor to nurse and on down. Most of the caregivers make six figures or very high five figures, but not most of the people they are caring for. There is no consideration for decorations for valor or anything else. All vets are treated the same, whether they took three rounds, commanded a company in combat, or simply worked to supply ammunition or food to those who were really fighting. Combat vets are considered the same, even though they are most certainly not. 2.7 million served in Vietnam, for example. Of those only 375,000 actually saw combat. Of those 375,000, 362,000 were wounded or killed. What are your chances of even meeting a combat survivor of that war and having that person capable of talking about it? Almost none.
The VCC will be an organization set up to meet one and only one goal, and that’s to get as much cash into veterans’ hands as possible. This nation sits as it is today because of them, some few who ordered and directed them. and a willing public that has paid for their efforts in defending the country. Reaching current leadership, most of whom have never really served in the military at all (no real veteran has served as president since George Bush Sr. back in 1993, and he couldn’t even get re-elected running against someone who refused to serve!). Only the funding public can force this leadership to keep our veterans off the streets. Only self-respect and a decent career can keep them off drugs and alcohol, and that means money.
