Have a heart for veterans
If a heart can break with pain and burst with pride at the same time, it did Friday night.
The banquet room at the Coeur d'Alene Casino in Worley was packed. Sitting quietly around dozens of tables were disabled veterans at an annual state banquet hosted by Fort Sherman Chapter 9 Disabled American Veterans.
Around those tables were men with mangled limbs. Several were blind, including the bagpipe player. One big fellow was breathing with help from an oxygen tank. You could count the Stars and Stripes a lot easier than you could count the Scars and Scrapes on the assemblage that night. And one sensed that the visible disabilities were merely the tip of the iceberg.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, diabetes, various forms of cancer - through quiet conversation and personal stories, these service-induced problems proved far more prevalent than one might suspect.
Heartbreak, everywhere one looked or listened.
But unbridled pride, too. Because these weren't just disabled veterans. They were disabled veterans who have devoted themselves to helping other disabled veterans.
During the course of the evening an auction raised money, individuals were honored and the mission was extolled again. Under President Obama and the current Congress, progress has been made for veterans, yet much more clearly needs to be done.
Shock was the audible reaction when the audience was told that claims for 140,000 disabled vets had inexplicably been lost and another 300,000 had been mishandled, misplaced or delayed. In a nation with 1.2 million disabled veterans, that statistic of incompetence is unacceptable. Considering what these men and women gave to their country, 140 to 300 lost or bungled claims would be too many.
There was a rallying cry for a vastly better claims system, one that's universal and simple. As one speaker suggested, if UPS can do it, why can't veterans?
From the bottom of our burst and broken heart we applaud these unsung heroes who live every day with the debilitating reminders of the sacrifices they made on our behalf. And we call on our congressional delegation to put our veterans at the top of their agendas, not just during election season, but every season.
Finally, we urge anyone reading this editorial to consider volunteering, donating or otherwise assisting Fort Sherman Chapter 9 DAV. Nothing helps more than connecting someone with the services he or she needs - and deserves. Contact the local DAV office at 773-1074 or id09mail.davfrat.org.