Now We Must Serve Them

Speaking of 'teabagger' types {wingnuts} Not Demanding Sacrifice, this is printed in the UK Guardian, Not The U.S. Press!

Veteran affairs: now we must serve them

Uncle Sam is glad to wave the flag when sending soldiers to war, but patriotism means doing right by our veterans, too

Jesus Bocanegra, of McAllen, Texas, in front a painting of himself done while he was serving in Iraq in 2006. Bocanegra has been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, a result of his service in Iraq in 2003-04; an attempt to attend college was thwarted by his nervousness with crowds, a common symptom of PTSD. Photograph: Chris Hondros/Getty Images

8 October 2010 - Q: "What's the difference between a nurse at a veterans' hospital and a gun?"

A: "A gun draws blood, you can fire a gun, and a gun only kills once per try."

While it's a harsh joke circulated among those who work at veterans' hospitals, the sentiment underscored is that the US government does not prioritise veterans' health enough to pay nurses competitive salaries. The Department of Veterans Affairs has continually slinked into the shadows and reneged on its responsibility to take care of those who have valiantly served our nation.

Returning veterans have an abysmal state of affairs to come back to, a crisis even. A new study estimates that the price tag for healthcare costs of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan could be as much as $1.3tn. Approximately 600,000 of the 2.1 million service members have already sought VA healthcare, a higher proportion than from prior wars. {read rest}