V Day

by Jesse Pohlman

While celebrating Veterans Day between classes (why, exactly, do we not have Veterans Day off, anyhow?), I overheard on good ol' News Channel four a fascinating piece of information; good ol' George Dubya and his cronies have decided to cut assistance to VA hospitals across the nation, closing many of them.

VA (Veteran Affairs) hospitals are one facet of the Department of Veteran Affairs. In a day of broken budget deficits (debt, anyone??), when forced to look for ways to save money, making our veterans suffer is the choice that appears to have been made.

There is a strong force rallying against these closures. In an article located at www.chron.com, "New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is leading an effort to stop the Department of Veterans Affairs from closing underused and outdated hospitals." When looking for information regarding this at the department's homepage, I saw this; "Reviewed/Updated: July 30, 2003" (http://www.appc1.va.gov) When the page regarding hospitals is not updated in accordance with press releases, someone like myself is forced to question two things: First, the truth of the press release (which, as it is posted on more than one website, seems authentic); and second, the concern of the department in regard to the victims.

Yes, it is all about the victims. These are veterans, who fought and in many cases died for our country. World War II vets are nearing the point where there will be a dire need for health care, and Korean War vets will not be far behind. Vietnam already is a crippling drain upon our health care resources, and as Vietnam vets age there will be even more of a drastic need for resources.

So how does this affect us? Many of us have or will have friends and family who are part of the military. Many of us will even be in the military, for whatever reason; to pay for college, or to fight for what we believe is right. We have no choice but to care for those who need it now, because some day it will be us who need it, and others might not speak up for us if we remain silent.