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Discharge Program Ends; Carter Signs New Attack

By VVAW

POLITICIANS NO FRIEND TO VETS

More and more, veterans are learning that we have to beware of politicians (particularly those looking for votes) who smile sweetly and swear ever lasting friendship and support for vets. The latest sneak attack, engineered by some of these so-called friends, is the bill, sponsored by Senator Cranston of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, and signed by President Carter, which denies vets benefits to the 16,000 vets who used the Special Discharge Review Program to get their discharges upgraded. These new "honorable" discharges have been changed to "kind of honorable but not honorable enough to get benefits."

As of October 5, the Special Program is over. If a vet did not hear about it, or couldn't get his paperwork in time, screw him--or, of course, he can go through the normal process for discharge upgrading and maybe get some action in four or five years. The program, Carter's concession to the amnesty movement, was designed as one more move to "heal the wounds of Vietnam," hoping that the American people would forget that war in preparation for the next one.

The scorecard on the program is this: 11,364 Vietnam-era veterans had undesirable discharges upgraded to general; 1,682 undesirable discharges were upgraded to honorable; 3,181 general discharges were upgraded to honorable, and 784 deserters returned to military control and were given undesirable discharges.

But, for most of these veterans, the heart was cut out of the program when Carter signed the Cranston Bill. Often, the primary reason for going through the upgrading procedure al all was the possibility of making use of some of the benefits which vets have fought for and won over the years.

According to "friend of veterans" Jimmy Carter, "Nothing in this bill (the one he just signed) detracts from the impact of the Presidential pardon or the Special Discharge Review Program in helping to wipe the records of the veterans clean." And for anyone willing to swallow that pile of crap, Carter has gone on to say that the new bill "accomplishes many positive benefits for veterans."

In fact, the bill sets up another review procedure for vets with upgraded discharges so they can try to get veterans benefits. It automatically denies any benefits to individuals who are absent without leave for over 180 days. Apparently, it sets up a year's "grace" period during which veterans--including those who have been out more than 15 years, the time limit set for discharge upgrading--could apply, bringing shrieks from the Pentagon and VA about how they would be overworked, since there are around 1 million bad discharges beyond the 15 year time limit. These crocodile tears mean nothing given the 10% of eligible vets who even inquired about the Carter program (2.6 % actually made use of it).

But don't give up hope--vets still have a "friend" despite this latest round of vicious attacks. Veterans Administration head Max Cleland has said he will apply all these new restrictions "very liberally." Vets who are ready to believe this smiling "I love vets" friend might as well turn around and bend over, because they're about to get screwed again!

Vets' friends are the vets themselves; VVAW will continue to organize and carry on the fight for a single-type discharge for all veterans!