During his numerous recent legacy-building interviews culminating in his farewell address to the nation tonight, President Bush has repeatedly touted that his actions have kept the country safe since 9-11. This might well be one of the few accomplishments of which Bush could be rightly proud.
It is thus especially regrettable that his administration has failed to take better care of those who have sacrificed so much to make such an accomplishment possible: our troops who are serving and have served so bravely and honorably in Iraq, Afghanistan and possibly elsewhere in the war on terrorism.
Several news sources have, in the last few days, reported that suicides among Marines climbed to a new yearly high in 2008, since the Iraq invasion. Not only does the suicide rate among Marines remain alarmingly high, but it is expected that both the rate and number of suicides in the Army will have risen in 2008.
This is but one more example of a trend of disturbing statistics and phenomena affecting our active duty troops and especially our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
A trend that already started at the beginning of the Iraq war with revelations of lacking or deficient body armor for our troops in harm’s way and inadequate and slow-to-be-provided protective armor for their vehicles.
A trend of neglect and indifference towards both the physical and the mental health care of our troops, and one that peaked with the Walter Reed Army Medical Center scandal, and which has not significantly abated since.
A trend that continued to rear its shameful head in periodic headlines decrying increases in the rates and number of cases of PTSD, alcoholism, drug abuse, crime, homelessness, divorces and, yes, suicides among our veterans. Headlines that also cried out for a more adequate response by our government.
The treatment our troops have received in the areas of benefits and care for their families has not been much better. The denial of just disability ratings and consequent painfully and rightfully earned disability pay became shamefully well-known. But perhaps the highlight of such disregard for our troops was the fierce fight the Bush administration put up against the “Improved GI Bill of Rights” as proposed by Senator Webb. A bill that finally passed after the Bush administration and others, such as John McCain, had to be cajoled into supporting it.
Even when it came to recognizing the heroism of and the sacrifices made by our brave troops, the Bush administration has been less than generous. After nearly seven years of combat, this president has seen fit to award only five Medals of Honor, our nation’s highest military award for valor, to our Iraq and Afghanistan heroes. In contrast, there were 245 Medals of Honor recipients during the Vietnam War, and 27 Medals of Honor were awarded for the single World War II battle of Iwo Jima.
But Change is about to happen and help is on the way.
President-elect Obama recently selected retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki to head the Veterans Affairs Department, a department that—while the war on terrorism was raging—often failed to adequately protect and support those entrusted to it.
In accepting the nomination, General Shinseki said, in part:
Veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan in particular are confronting serious severe wounds — some seen, some unseen — making it difficult for them to get on with their lives in this struggling economy. They deserve a smooth, error-free, no-fail, benefits-assured transition into our ranks as veterans. And that is our responsibility, not theirs.
A word to my fellow veterans: If confirmed, I will work each and every day to ensure that we are serving you as well as you have served us. We will pursue a 21st-century V.A. that serves your needs.
I have no doubt that better days are ahead for our military and our veterans.
