By John Sykes
Representative Michele Bachmann, Republican of Minnesota, (normally one of my conservative heroes), presented a proposal for V.A. budget cuts yesterday. Some excess VA deficiencies and bureaucracy aside, this is the one budget item that should remain sacrosanct. Veterans have put their lives and health on the line for us. Many of them had no choice in the matter due to the draft.
Yes. I am one of them. I gave us 4 years of my life for relatively little pay, risked that life in USMC Vietnamese combat, and came home to suffer the effects of Agent Orange 35 years later. Those effects include lung cancer, diabetes, heart disease, neuropathy of the legs and peripheral arterial disease.
To be crass, let’s look at the economic effect of that on me:
- 4 years of puny wages in the sixties
- 6 years of lost wages since 2004
- My share of copays and other medical costs not paid by health insurance which now exceed $50,000 as total medical costs approach $1,000,000
- The pain and suffering to me and, most of all, my wife and daughter for what remains of my Agent Orange assaulted life
Think of what I could get for that litany of woes if I were able to sue us. Hundreds of thousands of dollars? Millions of dollars? I would forego all of that for my health. And I would serve again, draft or not.
I and all the rest of our veterans deserve this country’s support. And, like me, I would hazard a very large bet that most of our veterans hate to have to take the money! And I really, really hated writing this piece because I hate whiners!
Semper Fi!
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