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Still Taking Casualties 10 Years Later

By John Lindquist

Monday, April 29th, 1985 was the 10th anniversary of the end of the war in Vietnam. Twenty-five people from the Milwaukee VVAW chapter picketed the offices of Senator Kasten in Milwaukee.

"Bobbie Kasten is a slime, Put him in the unemployment line..." bounced off the walls downtown along with others of the world-famous VVAW cadences.

Senator Kasten sits on the Senate Budget Committee and has personally endorsed $320 million worth of "painless" cuts to the VA budget. They include:

1. 1% staff cut.
2. A 5% cut in staff and workers salaries.
3. A total wipe out of one year's construction funds.
4. A user fee of 5% on VA home loans.
5. An attempt to seek payment from private insurance for care at a VA hospital. A cap of $5,000 for vets' income to get non-service connected medical care.
6. And don't forget that they still want to tax VA disability checks as income.

VVAW was warmly received by guards who were 75% Vietnam vets themselves. Senator Kasten's office refused to meet with us and said they would meet with three people. The group voted not to split our forces, so meeting was held.

We need all the veterans and families who read THE VETERAN to write or call their Senators or Congress people to stop these VA budget cuts. Every VA budget since '79 has been cut. Last year 250,000 veterans were denied care at VA facilities because of cuts in staff and beds.

All this is coming at a time when the 10 million World War II vets are reaching the age of 65. Not all of these vets will end up at the VA, of course. But the veteran population needing care will increase until at least the year 2010. This is no time to cut the VA budget.

Ronald Reagan and David Stockman want to see the VA 'privatized" like the report of the Grace Commission says. Mr. Grace make hundreds of millions, but wants to see "waste cut" and big government off our backs. He'd like to see the multi-national companies on our backs, even more than they are now. Members of VVAW know that, "When they say cut back, We say fight back!" Taking care of the veterans is a part of the cost of war we will not let them forget. No More Vietnams! Vets of All Eras, Close Ranks!

—John Lindquist
VVAW National Office