Today, I’m grateful for all the Americans who’ve served in Iraq and Afghanistan. I’m also worried that we aren’t doing all we can to thank them for their service and all too often their deaths, terrible wounds, and mental anguish.
I’m thankful for the families of American servicemen and women who endure long separations and, again all too often, the agony of caring for veterans whose lives have been radically changed by massive and irreparable injuries. This Thanksgiving, whether or not we agree with the rationale for these wars, Americans should pledge that all our armed forces will receive our thanks through the benefits and help they deserve.
Fort Carson, in Colorado Springs, has been the launching point for thousands of soldiers heading to Iraq and Afghanistan. Many Fort Carson soldiers have died and thousands more have received horrific injuries. While we read of their deaths and memorial services, we hear all too little about the lasting effects on soldiers and their families of injured brains and maimed bodies. One story in a local newspaper cannot do justice to a lifetime of care and suffering they and their families will endure.
Meanwhile, life for most of us goes on virtually uninterrupted. We don’t have victory gardens or sugar rationing or even long lines at the gas station. The daily slaughter in Iraq and Afghanistan has become almost commonplace, something we note but don’t spend much time thinking about. We can enjoy this Thanksgiving Day, munching turkey and trimmings with family and friends, not worrying about the next roadside bomb or sniper’s bullet.
But too many other Coloradans don’t have that luxury. Their lives have been forever disrupted by the horrors of war. We owe them all that our country can provide to compensate for their sacrifices on our behalf.
To begin with, the military and Department of Veterans Affairs must care for all wounded soldiers, whether they heal in only months or need a lifetime of care. Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan should not have to battle mountains of bureaucracy and paperwork or, even worse, a denial of help or a rejection of their injuries.
Next, families need help. Often an injured veteran must travel many hours for treatment. Why not have clinics wherever wounded veterans live, even if it is a traveling clinic only once a week? They should be staffed with the medical experts wounded veterans need most, including neurologists, prosthetic specialists, physical therapists, and mental health professionals knowledgeable about post-traumatic stress disorder.
Injured veterans should be able to get training in new fields, allowing them to find work and support their families despite their disabilities. The next generation of the GI bill, which meant so much to World War II veterans, needs to provide this generation of veterans the chance to be as self-sufficient as their grandfathers were.
Because veterans of these wars survive injuries that would have killed them in the past, families need training in caring for them and assistance in helping them rebuild their lives.
I squirm when I read about veterans in moldy hospital rooms or standing in long lines to fill out forms or waiting months for treatment. A grateful nation owes them our very best. As we enjoy our Thanksgiving, we need to make sure that our armed forces and veterans can be as thankful for being Americans as the rest of us are.
Gail Schoettler is a former Colorado lieutenant governor. Her column appears twice a month.
