Advocacy for Vets

To day I got a call from a man in OR who is a disabled US Navy veteran with PTSD. He drove 60 miles to the nearest VA clinic and stood on wobbly knees waiting for 15 minutes for a receptionist to acknowledge and sign him on for a blood draw. The PA announcement reports, "System failure computer link is not established." after the announcement, the receptionist/nurse came out to tell my friend, " Sorry there isn't anything we can do for you at this time." To which my friend walked outside the office and yelled, "F@#k the V.A." and the security officer heard him and said he would have to stop or be put under arrest and shipped to federal detention facility 150 miles away. My friend says, "O.K. arrest me. Maybe I will at least get someone to treat me, I am not resisting arrest."
The security officer suggested he talk a while before turning himself in to the authorities. About that time, another vet walked up who knew my friend's medical condition which includes sensitivity to heat, and tried to coach my friend to get away from the heat and away from the officer. The officer who wasn't sure he wanted my friend to return inside the clinic, told the olther vet to back off as we " had a situation here."
My friend was released and drove 15 minutes before he realized he still hadn't gotten his blood draw and had to return. His car gets 14 MPG in town and the VA pays him 12.55 for the mileage. (120). How many men each day get treated like this or are denied services because of their disability? The VA is understaffed and at times a liability to the government as it takes so long to provides services that familes are endangered and lives are lost. These casualties of war are never counted in the statistics. If you know a vet realize they put their lives on the line for the elites in this nation who got a 10 trillion dollar tax break from Bush Co.
Too bad we waste so much on weapons systems and not enough on health housing and counseling for our veterans. Same as it ever was, just ask any civil war veteran.