This the ultimate tragedy. This poor Vet, like most of us, probably got an earful from his wife to go get a physical because he turned 55. Or he decided to get a flu shot that year. He probably hadn’t been feeling too good for the last 5-10 years anyway, but had a lot of work available and couldn’t stop. His Doc. discovers his ALT is bebopping along at about 150 and his AST isn’t far behind it. After a lot more testing they discover the BIG C and he starts scratching his head and wondering what the hey? About a month later, the Biopsy shows that 75% of his liver has evaporated into thin air. The doc says says “Dude, this thing is like 35 years old!” That’s when Mr. Ex-Doorgunner has the big “epiphany”. Gee, what about all them wounded and dead guys I pulled into the chopper and all the blood…The Clap from that night in Cholon before I went upcountry? Those crazy jetgun innoculators from Boot Camp? Man, I better file a claim with the VA pronto. In fact, I’m gonna get me an attorney to be safe! This is a no brainer. VA will make it right with me, won’t they? A grateful nation and all that?

http://www.va.gov/vetapp09/Files1/0903143.txt

File a claim. Die. End of claim. Pretty harsh, huh? That’s the way a lot of us Vets see it, too. And then along comes the President of the United States- Mr. Supreme Commander of the U.S. Military-who wants you to pay for your PTSD and hearing loss/Tinnitus due to IEDs out of your own pocket with your own private medical insurance. What are these guys smoking? This is insane and I fear it will only get worse. Veterans are such a pesky problem. Every time you have a war, you have all this collateral damage to humans and then they want MONEY. Money we could be spending on welfare and tenement housing. How about bailing out Wall Street? That’s way more important than wasting it on VETS. In fact, many Vets thought that THIS time was “THE TIME”- a VASEC who was Military; the political party who hates wars in charge of all three branches of the GOVT. What could go wrong? I guess its time to go to the back of the bus again and sit down and wait another decade or two for the Economy to improve. Except that there are a lot of us who won’t be here then- just like this poor Vet who cashed in his chips in 11/07. Time to have a little attitude talk with your Congressman and Senators, ladies & gentlemen. This has been going on since the War of Northern Aggression (the Civil War to those of you on the northern side of the Mason-Dixon Line). If it isn’t the Economy, its another War, or Foreign Aid commitments, or putting a man on the Moon, or… (insert government priority here).