Who Should Care for America’s Returning Veterans?

I constantly see ads for “Wounded Warriors” and other organizations who claim to assist our returning veterans who were seriously injured on the world’s battlefields. I may anger some families, but I do not believe this is the responsibility of the average American.

Our Government Creates Wars, Not the American People

Our government is quick to send our young men and women into war, but when they return, they offer them little more than their middle fingers. This happened after WWI, WWII, Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan. A myriad of physical and mental injuries continue to be treated with less importance than the issues demanding attention by special interests, and the annual increase in defense funding.

Our Leaders Forgot About Our Soldiers Returning From WWI

Our government, and the military brass, ignored protestors who served in the first world war who marched on Washington pleading for their rights as veterans who placed their lives in danger for their country. In May of 1932, a military force, controlled by the joint efforts of George Patton, Douglas McCarthur, and Dwight Eisenhower physically forced more than 25,000 veterans from our nation’s Capital, denying them their First Amendment Rights. This is another part of our nation’s history our government would like to hide from the story of our nation’s history. It’s not good. For those who are allowed to work on Capitol Hill, our soldiers have no value after wars have been won, or lost. The problem here is that the United States has never won a war since WWII.

Our Military’s First Big Defeat

The Korean Conflict was a complete disaster. As of this day, no treaty has been signed and the two parts of one nation remain at war. The failure of our government to secure a victory over the forces of North Korea are responsible for creating a nuclear threat to the entire world. The only “accomplishment” was once again deaths and serious injuries suffered by courageous men and women.

The War in Vietnam: Why?

Vietnam was my generation’s war. After I graduated high school in 1964, what began in 1955 halfway around the world began to escalate. In 1965 our government began to draft thousands of young men with the intention of sending them into war. No one has offered a reason for our engagement in South Vietnam.

The military brass paid Monsanto millions of dollars to create a chemical weapon which would defoliate the lush forests, but cause no harm to humans. Years later they were forced to pay millions of dollars to Vietnamese veterans who were suffering or died from the effect of Monsanto’s folly.

After our military left Vietnam in 1975 without accomplishing anything, the Veteran’s administration admitted to the existence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. No one will ever know how many of our men and women had their futures destroyed because of PTSD.

Our military suffered another huge defeat. The Pentagon had no idea how to defeat an army well-trained in guerilla warfare.

To Satisfy the Military Industrial Complex, Two Unwinnable Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq

Everyone now knows of how we invaded Iraq under false pretenses. No one in the Bush Administration has received punishment for their lies and eventual war crimes. Thousands of lives tragically lost, and thousands more injured and affected by PTSD. Another failure by our government was complete.

We were told that the invasion of Afghanistan was an effort to capture or kill the architect of the attacks on 9/11, Osama bin Laden. After our military failed once again, for some unknown reason our government decided to remain. Following the example of our biggest enemy, Russia, and waging a war against the Taliban. We remained in Afghanistan until 2021, having been soundly defeated once again, and leaving behind death and destruction while costing taxpayers more than one-trillion dollars.

The Bush administration forced our soldiers to suffer multiple employments in Iraq and Afghanistan. This resulted in horrific injuries and enormous suffering from PTSD. Suicides, divorces, homelessness, substance abuse and other maladies are prevalent within the community of returning veterans.

People Before Corporate Profits

Our government sends our young men and women to war. It is their responsibility to care for them when they come home, in whatever manner is necessary. Why should our nation’s people, who are ignored by our government most of the time, be required to care for the mistakes of those who work in Washington?

Will Rogers said, “Support my country, always, and my government when it deserves it.” The same is true for our military and its leaders.

Op-ed by James Turnage

My nine novels are available on Amazon’s Kindle

Sources:

Veterans Breakfast Club: When Veterans Stormed the Capital: The March of the Bonus Army of 1932, part 2

Waging Nonviolence: How World War I veterans invented the March on Washington

Zinn Education Project: July 28, 1932: Bonus Army Attacked

Top and featured image courtesy of Virginia Guard Public Affairs‘ Flickr page – Creative Commons License