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Kennedy Also Brought Us Vietnam Challenges for the 90s

By Jess Jespersen

Jess Jespersen
Midwest Regional Coordinator

I see 1993 as a year filled with new hope and challenges. We now have a Vietnam Vet for our Vice President. We have the President of the Disabled American Veterans, one of the best veteran advocacy organizations in the nation, named to head the U.S. Department of Veterans Administration (USDVA). Can we believe our eyes and ears?

Some have likened these times to the "idealistic Kennedy years." This sentiment raises some unanswered questions. Kennedy was fond of adventurous "splendid little wars." We certainly don't need the return of those days.

American troops are still being sent to foreign soil. There is still a large military presence in the Gulf, playing games with Saddam. We all know what these entanglements can lead to. Our new President must weigh his actions very carefully. These conflicts have serious hidden costs, costs that are paid by veterans.

We must help the veterans who were in the Gulf War. The US government has rewarded these brave young men and women with the benefits of heavy delayed stress, untested anti-chemical drugs, a blood infection, hydrocarbon poisoning, and a host of other health problems. The old VA is already denying benefits to these soldiers.

The troops that were recently sent to Somalia will present the VA with new challenges. We're all aware of PTSD and the crippling effects of this disease. Can you imagine the shock the US forces encountered upon entering that country? We've all seen the news reporting and the pictures of the suffering population. Are our soldiers equipped to deal with the horror of the dying children? Can these men and women ever forget the sights and smells of this tragedy? We all can answer that question with an emphatic NO. We are going to have to help these veterans sort through their experiences and try to get on with their lives.

Another issue that required our attention is the involuntary separation of thousands and thousands of people who tried to make the military a career. With the downsizing of the military, these people are at great risk of being thrown out of work. Already, the military has let its strategy out of the bag. Offenses that once were ignored now lead to "Administrative Discharges." These discharges are usually General Under Honorable Conditions. But I fear that we will see increasing numbers of less-than-honorable discharges. That way, the VA will be able to deny benefits to these vets. Think of how hard it will be for these individuals to make any type of subsequent career for themselves. We have had enough experience with this subject to know that it is very hard to get these discharges upgraded. Will this tactic result in more homeless vets?

Unemployed vets? It's a sure bet that there will be a whole new subclass of veterans. Can the present economy provide decent jobs for these people? I doubt it. We can't provide enough jobs right now. What will the release of thousands upon thousands of veterans do to the job market? Well, with some college graduates already working in low paying jobs or not at all, the impact of more unemployed seems inevitable. How will this situation be resolved?

"Prove this..what was it exactly that you took?.. on what dates?...any witnesses?" I think I've heard this before. Let us all hope that Jesse Brown is given real control over the VA and that services to the veteran become less an ordeal to get.

This new year poses some great challenges. We as veterans must redouble our efforts to help those who get caught in a bind. We must stand ready to do battle with the new administration until the needs of all veterans are met. We must also fight for a government that makes no more veterans.