thedrifter
07-04-05, 08:19 AM
Take Care of Our Veterans
By Lisa Sarrach
July 4, 2005
I heard a very troubling story the other day that really bothered me. When a soldier receives a serious injury in combat, like the loss of a limb, more than likely he or she gets treatment at Walter Reed Hospital in Maryland and all the physical rehabilitation they need to recover.
What I discovered this week however is what is happening too many of our citizen soldiers, National Guard and Reservists, when they receive a "lesser" injury in combat.
A business acquaintance, a 20 year veteran of the National Guard, was called up for the War in Iraq. He left his employment and his family and served in Iraq for 17 months. He suffered "minor" injuries that require surgery (a torn rotator cuff), treatment for carpel tunnel on his feet (lots of marching) and a degradation of vision (use of night goggles and or anti- malaria pills).
Upon his return to the states, his home base told him that he was getting health insurance (the military's Tri-Care coverage) for six months to address his medical problems. He has scheduled surgery and his doctors have told him they may have to rework the entire shoulder which may mean 6-8 weeks off work. If that happens, he asks, he's unsure of who will pick up his short-term disability. His employer may or may not pay his disability as a decision could be easily made that this is a military responsibility. As he said to me, "Someone is going to pay me."
However, he also said that whatever course he has to take to deal with his financial situation, he will not do anything to disparage the military and his country, both of which he holds in great esteem. A true patriot.
The soldier's Tri-Care insurance is also subject to a co-pay and deductible. Huh? So in addition to all of the above, he's going to have to pay something around $500.00-$1000.00 for his surgery.
And the final kicker for this patriot is that he's eligible for Platoon Sergeant School this summer which, upon completion, would give him an extra stripe for his retirement and net him an additional $600.00 a month in his pension. But the military is telling him he can't go to school if he can't do the push-ups. Well, he can't do the push-ups if he's recovering from shoulder surgery.
This is but one story, but I'm sure it's happening all over the country to our returning "part-time" soldiers.
And it's a story that has me steaming. There is obviously a huge gap in the protocols for the medical care of some of our vets during this period of serious military engagement in the War on Terror.
There are laws protecting vets from losing their jobs while serving, and top-notch care for vets who get seriously injured in combat. However, this gap in care for injuries of a lesser nature and the costs associated with them for our citizen patriots needs to be corrected and corrected now.
There should be no personal or political disagreement in this country with the notion that soldiers be given the best medical care available and shouldn't have to pay one dime for their combat related injuries. Nor should they lose one step on their career ladder, whether civilian or military.
Citizens all across the country should contact their local Congressional offices and plead to fix this situation for our vets and fix it now. We all have a neighbor, business acquaintance or relative who has served in the War on Terror. They are doing the hard work and making the sacrifices to keep us safe and they and their families deserve every consideration, every medical and career service that we can provide for them.
That we're not is just plain wrong and this is but one thing we can do to help our neighbor, friend, and fellow worker citizen soldier.
Please reach out to whomever you know in political or government circles and bring this serious oversight to their attention. It's the very least we can do. As we celebrate our Independence as a nation this weekend with our friends and family, we can also bring attention to a very real problem facing some of our vets.
In so doing, we assist our neighbor citizen soldiers today as we also remember all those in our history who have sacrificed their lives and their health for our freedoms.
God Bless America....
Lisa Sarrach is a freelance writer whose columns appear in GOPUSA.COM. She has also written for The Detroit News and other publications. You can contact her at lsarrach@hollywood-hero.us.
Ellie
By Lisa Sarrach
July 4, 2005
I heard a very troubling story the other day that really bothered me. When a soldier receives a serious injury in combat, like the loss of a limb, more than likely he or she gets treatment at Walter Reed Hospital in Maryland and all the physical rehabilitation they need to recover.
What I discovered this week however is what is happening too many of our citizen soldiers, National Guard and Reservists, when they receive a "lesser" injury in combat.
A business acquaintance, a 20 year veteran of the National Guard, was called up for the War in Iraq. He left his employment and his family and served in Iraq for 17 months. He suffered "minor" injuries that require surgery (a torn rotator cuff), treatment for carpel tunnel on his feet (lots of marching) and a degradation of vision (use of night goggles and or anti- malaria pills).
Upon his return to the states, his home base told him that he was getting health insurance (the military's Tri-Care coverage) for six months to address his medical problems. He has scheduled surgery and his doctors have told him they may have to rework the entire shoulder which may mean 6-8 weeks off work. If that happens, he asks, he's unsure of who will pick up his short-term disability. His employer may or may not pay his disability as a decision could be easily made that this is a military responsibility. As he said to me, "Someone is going to pay me."
However, he also said that whatever course he has to take to deal with his financial situation, he will not do anything to disparage the military and his country, both of which he holds in great esteem. A true patriot.
The soldier's Tri-Care insurance is also subject to a co-pay and deductible. Huh? So in addition to all of the above, he's going to have to pay something around $500.00-$1000.00 for his surgery.
And the final kicker for this patriot is that he's eligible for Platoon Sergeant School this summer which, upon completion, would give him an extra stripe for his retirement and net him an additional $600.00 a month in his pension. But the military is telling him he can't go to school if he can't do the push-ups. Well, he can't do the push-ups if he's recovering from shoulder surgery.
This is but one story, but I'm sure it's happening all over the country to our returning "part-time" soldiers.
And it's a story that has me steaming. There is obviously a huge gap in the protocols for the medical care of some of our vets during this period of serious military engagement in the War on Terror.
There are laws protecting vets from losing their jobs while serving, and top-notch care for vets who get seriously injured in combat. However, this gap in care for injuries of a lesser nature and the costs associated with them for our citizen patriots needs to be corrected and corrected now.
There should be no personal or political disagreement in this country with the notion that soldiers be given the best medical care available and shouldn't have to pay one dime for their combat related injuries. Nor should they lose one step on their career ladder, whether civilian or military.
Citizens all across the country should contact their local Congressional offices and plead to fix this situation for our vets and fix it now. We all have a neighbor, business acquaintance or relative who has served in the War on Terror. They are doing the hard work and making the sacrifices to keep us safe and they and their families deserve every consideration, every medical and career service that we can provide for them.
That we're not is just plain wrong and this is but one thing we can do to help our neighbor, friend, and fellow worker citizen soldier.
Please reach out to whomever you know in political or government circles and bring this serious oversight to their attention. It's the very least we can do. As we celebrate our Independence as a nation this weekend with our friends and family, we can also bring attention to a very real problem facing some of our vets.
In so doing, we assist our neighbor citizen soldiers today as we also remember all those in our history who have sacrificed their lives and their health for our freedoms.
God Bless America....
Lisa Sarrach is a freelance writer whose columns appear in GOPUSA.COM. She has also written for The Detroit News and other publications. You can contact her at lsarrach@hollywood-hero.us.
Ellie