The Veteran

The Veteran

September, 2009

For those that support our troops I have a story of one veteran I would like to share, if only they will take the time to listen. He was not a career soldier having only served three years though one was in a combat zone. When he was discharged he worked very hard for many years at a profession every bit as difficult to master as that of a doctor, far more useful than any lawyer, more dangerous than the job of the police, and much more exclusive than any of these. Many of his coworkers and supervisors considered him one of the best at his job. He was routinely given the toughest problems and was able to solve them. Though he took pride in his work, it was only a job. His true interests lay elsewhere. He got married, bought a house with his GI bill and had a family.

After a couple of decades he began to have medical problems. They were legally considered degenerative disabilities. Every year the diseases entrenched themselves more securely, and additional medical problems developed. Some of these were complications of the original disease and some were new. Eventually these health problems affected his work, causing him to be gravely disappointed with himself. While under a doctor’s care he was illegally fired and the U.S. Department of Labor, who agreed his rights had been violated, left him out in the cold. They had no time, they said, for the problems of an individual.

For six months he had no income at all. The medical bills piled up. His wife had insurance coverage from her job, but there was so much they didn’t pay for. Still he was glad to have what he did. Most Americans from all walks of life had it no better or worse. The family dropped from upper middle class to well below the poverty line.

They struggled on for years, then he heard from a friend that the Veteran’s Administration might be of some help even if the diseases weren’t service related. The veteran applied and was surprised they were going to help, but not nearly enough and eventually he was forced into bankruptcy, a condition he came to realize, in America is much worse than an intense criminal record. It was a very bitter pill for this veteran to swallow. Still, he and his family were able to persevere four more years.