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America cheers its soldiers, but falls short in care for its veterans

Here's what I don't understand. I don't understand why we always seem so surprised at the health care needs of veterans returning from wars. It's not as though this is something new. Every war supplies us with heartbreaking pictures of veterans living in cardboard boxes on streets; of veterans pushing their legless bodies on wooden boards with wheels begging money; veterans reliving the nightmare of what they saw and what they endured to keep their homeland safe.

These vets are the by-products of war we seemingly don't know how to handle. We always find money for war, even if it means borrowing our children's futures to pay for it. But when it comes to healing those we send to war, we are baffled by how the cost could be so high and how we could possibly be expected to fund those costs. Probably the closest America has ever come to offering its returning warriors anything near what they sacrificed was World War II's GI bill.

Our vets are promised care we rarely if ever provide to the extent they need. We wave flags, play patriotic music, cheer and clap as they march off to war in neat rows, healthy young men and women going to fight the war some old men and women in Washington have deemed necessary. If we looked closely, we'd realize it is our future marching in front of us. Some of our best and brightest are heading into hell because we've asked them to. But where are the bands and parades and waving flags when their broken, bruised bodies and minds return? Are we all sitting in the nearest Starbucks staring at the latest pictures of some overrated, nontalented reality star's butt? Better to look away from the wounded. It makes it easier to forget that a war is happening.

And so old people send young people off to fight a war as has happened throughout history. Their exploits in battle are trumpeted. Our army, navy and air force are better than your army, navy and air force. We are all so proud. We chant "USA! USA! We're No. 1!" Yep. We are damn wonderful right up until these kids come home and try to get care for their broken bodies, wounded spirits and troubled minds. Because while many will return to us whole and intact and ready for the next stage in their life, many others will return with wounds both visible and invisible that are not so easily healed. And that's when all those politicians in D.C. dig in their heels and suddenly become fiscal conservatives. They tell us we simply don't have the money to create an effective system to help our wounded service men and women. We have an endless supply of money to wage war. We have limited funds to care for the wounded of war.

The VA had its budget cut this year. Granted there are probably efficiencies that could be introduced to reduce both the cost and waiting time for care but let's be real here. This is the federal government. Waiting for them to come up with efficiencies in the system means for most vets, their great grandchildren will still be waiting for the medical appointment they were promised. And if giving more money to an inefficient system causes those politicians to have heartburn, then I'd suggest they cut the congressional budget to zero because you don't get much more inefficient. And if you can't make the VA function effectively for our vets, then the private health care system should be allowed to take up the slack. But no vet should have to wait six months to a year or more for the care they need, anymore than they asked up to wait six months to a year for them to respond to our need for their services.

I once read a quote that said, "Old men start wars and young men fight them." I can't but believe if those old men had to fight them, wars would be scarcer, shorter, and the health care available to those returning would be top-notch. To say nothing of the humor we'd enjoy watching old men swatting at each other while trying to dance away from any actual physical contact. Now there's a war I'd pay to see.

Elise Patkotak's latest book, "Coming Into the City," is available on AlaskaBooksandCalendars.com and at local bookstores.

The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, e-mail commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com

Elise Patkotak

Elise Patkotak is an Alaska columnist and author. Her book "Coming Into the City" is available at AlaskaBooksandCalendars.com and at local bookstores.

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