Unsupported Troops

Every day the mail comes, and every day an old disabled veteran who lives in one of our homes hobbles out to the porch to either get the mail from the postman, or come get me if it already went into the locked mail box.

And every day I check through all the mail and let him know that there is no letter for him from the Social Security Administration.

And every day he smiles nevously and says, "I know, I know."

Because every day I must reassure him that he is not going to have his disability payments ended.

This is the legacy of the Trump Administration, where men who put their lives on the line in actual combat must hear this draft dodging blowhard babble about trimming, cutting or ending every program that in any way helps anyone but his rich cronies.

For such a militaristic nation, one that spends more money on "defense" then the next 25 largest, richest and most powerful nations combined, we sure don't have much "give a crap" for the soldiers afterwards.

And to be fair to Trump, this has been a problem since...oh, when was the Whiskey Rebellion again? I mean, I'm 51 years old, and I've watched since childhood the media and their coverage of this. Every five years they do an "expose" about the fraud, waste and abuse they just "found" in the Veterans Administration. Or a dozen other agencies, departments and such that have grown fat feeding off of the pretense of aiding those who served.

Then silence. Nothing changes. Five years later, during a slow news cycle, they do it again.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

The victims of this perpetually unchanging crap are disproportionately homeless, addicted and suffering from a host of mental health issues usually stemming from PTSD.

"We Support Our Troops!" - until they're back. Then, while yes, there are a myriad of programs - underfunded, understaffed and mismanaged - it mostly falls to churches and charities to aid them.

You see, the mental issues lead to self-medicating with drugs and booze, and that leads to joblessness and homelessness. No, this does not happen to all veterans, many can and do - with more effort than they're always up for admitting - adjust and have jobs and homes.

But as to those who don't? Then local churches let them sleep undisturbed in their parking lots, or let them keep their meager belongings there, and/or aid them with food as they can.

If he didn't drink he could get shelter, and if he had an address he could qualify for rehab.

And those who just aren't up for jumping through the hoops of housing assistance, or are told they don't qualify, can sometimes be blessed to stumble across sober living homes, which are almost uniquely suited to disabled vets.

They're cheaper than dirt, they provide most everything, it's a safe environment, and "stop drinking" is about the only qualification. I get a lot of disabled vets. I know darn well that some are using me as a discount assisted living facility. With me the wholly unqualified assister.

Fortunately for them, I am a vet. I was blessed to have served during one of America's infrequent peaces, and thus am not disabled, but two out of three of my sons are veterans - who served in Iraq and Afghanistan - my father and uncle served during Vietnam, and both my grandfathers were in World War II. So I know vets.

But man, who am I? I'm just the guy who grabbed his own ears and pulled his head out of the bottle - barely - and monomanically insisted on buying fixer uppers after fixer uppers until I could have an actual bona fide 501(c)3 tax exempt charity.

Why is the saftey and security of disabled veterans left to me and my counterparts? Oh, I don't mind in the least, it's an honor, really, but I can't get them all they need. Food, clothing and shelter, sure. But for everything else, the most I can do is track down which agency is supposed to do it, plow through all the paperwork hurdles to get them qualified, then usually drive them hours away to where some rare facility that might have a bit of aid in them is.

It is a shame and a disgrace. One that every administration participates in. It is LONG past time that we aid veterans "period". No exceptions. No, "But do they really need it?" No, "But my brother is a vet and he's okay!" No, "But giving out free stuff is socialism!"

We give billion dollar bailouts to the rich executives who looted their own companies in the first place, and they use those taxes to give themselves bonuses. If they're worth that, then any veteran is owed by right free medical care, food and shelter, if - in their sole opinion - they need it.

Contrary to popular belief, the percent of people who can work but do not is NEVER very high. Especially not among the class of citizens who had so much energy that while other 18 year olds were drinking in college said, "I'd like four years of hard, dirty, dangerous and underpaid work!"

Oh, and relax, heaven forbid I advocate any luxurious houses, gourmet foods and world class health care for them. But would guaranteed food stamps, guaranteed shelter that is warm and safe, and basic health care - including mental health counseling - be really too much to ask?

What's that I hear? Some reading this are calling out, "Hey! That stuff is already in place!"

Not really. There's a lot of hoops, and if those damaged in body, mind and soul don't get two dozen forms filled out correctly and make 17 different appointments in four different counties or if they miss this or fall short of that or don't quite qualify fully for the other, then they are denied.

Assuming that they did not simply give up halfway through and go buy a $2 forty ouncer about one minute before you drive past them on the street and think, "Why don't they get the help that my taxes pay for?"

Your taxes pay for the graft you read about so routinely. And the over-bloated salaries of the administrators who preside over crumbling and outdated facilities. And political appointees who buy $30,000 dinner sets. And the sweet heart deals and no-bid contracts. And the legion of bureaucrats who's job is apparently to thwart and frustrate everyone who seeks aid. And the doctors who found private practice too demanding.

The reform I advocate - guaranteed and unconditional basic shelter, food and medical care for all who served - is never going to happen.

But while I'm down here in the trenches soothing those who's nation has forgot them, would it be too much to ask that we cease and desist with this terrible advocacy of taking away what little we let them subsist on?