Why are they killing our kids?

Today I read yet another heart wrenching article memorializing the tragic struggle and death of one of our young soldiers – and his wife.

A victim of the war within...

(ht to Raw Story)

My heart and prayers go out to the families of  Sgt. Nils Aron Andersson who committed suicide March 6th and his wife, Cassy Walton who committed suicide two days later. The Sargent came home from the war in Iraq suffering from PTSD and received grossly inadequate care. His wife of two days couldn’t overcome her grief after his death and decided to join him. Their deaths leave me literally shaking with rage. The senseless deaths of two people I never met and didn’t know makes me curse this administration and its moronic, self-serving, ideologues who are so incompetent and inept and killing our children! This slow motion re-enactment of the Bush Administration’s Katrina response is played out in the lives of these young men and women - our children.

In January, 1964, as a 19 year old kid, I joined the U.S. Navy at the height of the patriotic run-up to what became the Vietnam War. There were lots of reasons I joined, to get away from home and see the world, to serve my country as my Dad and brothers had done, to prevent the dominos from falling… all that and more. I marched off to the sounds of Sgt. Sadler’s song “The Ballad of the Green Berets” and with John Wayne urging me on. Four years later as I was discharged, the war had turned unpopular and the songs were of protest.  I came home, as did many of my peers, to a country turned away. A lot of my friends and co-veterans suffered, from the residue of their military experience, for years after their return home – some still do.  But after a long period of years our country finally began to recognize what it had done to its sons and daughters… and began, finally, to offer them the services and treatment they so desperately needed. For some it came too late…

Over the years since then, I have witnessed far too many of those who served struggling with the effects of that service and the lack of treatment. It has destroyed marriages, homes and far too many lives. And even now there are far too many aging veterans living lives of need and desperation as payment for their years of service to a country that went to war for bad politics.

Now over 40 years later and five years into yet another “political war” that has cost thousands of American lives and casualties, as well as hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives and casualties, it feels like the circle is closing. Another generation of young and not so young Americans, our sons and daughters, are answering the patriot’s call to serve their country. And another generation of young veterans are returning to a country turned away - A country that has failed to provide for their needs in war, and is now failing to provide for their needs at home. We’ve all seen the stories: horrible living conditions in medical housing; lack of treatment resources; government administrator’s lying to avoid responding to the real needs of veterans.

I worked for the U.S. Government in various capacities over a period of 25+ years in both Democrat and Republican administrations. I know first hand how hard the civil servants who toil away behind the doors of the myriad of government agencies work.  I have witnessed many times the extraordinary lengths they go to, to help their fellow citizens.  And I know, given the opportunity and the resources, that contrary to the propaganda of the Republican spin machine, they can and will help these young veterans to regain their footing and salvage their lives.  But the political hacks who are running the bureaucracy today are not only mendacious, their willful and flagrant dereliction of their duty is killing people!

I have never seen a time when this country needed new leadership and focus more than it does today.

If the Republicans want to know why their brand is worse than tainted dog food, they need only to read the article above. They have failed our kids, the very ones they have sent off to war with banners flying and music playing. The ones whom they bring home in the dead of night in flag draped coffins, and the ones who come home to welcome ceremonies and squalid housing. The soldiers and marines, sailors and airmen who come home wounded and in need of treatment and the families that love them and watch them spiral down without help or care.

And I wish someone would ask Sen. McCain, a wounded veteran who should know better, how he can tolerate such treatment. How he, a man who once vowed not to leave his comrades behind, can stomach political opposition to the Webb G.I. Bill, or not speak out forcefully on the maltreatment of our sons and daughters who have fought the war he supports and endorses.