I know people, who know people, that have died in 9/11, Katrina. Afghanistan, and Iraq. We all know someone. In Florida, I was told that signs requesting amputee’s to remove their prosthetics before boarding rides are now common postings in theme parks. How many amputees in a theme park warrant the making of a sign? Its heart wrenching. Soldiers come home and have babies that are born with birth defects caused by the depleted uranium in their parents systems. You, our concerned government, have sent our soldiers back to war 3 and 4 times over. Our soldiers then come home broken and in need of help. Our response, your response, is to tell them that they will be fine. Our reservists are deployed out of country, for indefinite periods of service and we refuse to offer them the same benefits that our full-time soldiers receive. Returning vets have been subject to the lacking care of such veterans facilities as Walter Reed. If we claim to love and support our soldiers, if we continue to ask them to risk their lives, then can we not offer them comfort for their basic needs?
We cannot maintain a volunteer military if we cannot stand behind the promises we offer in the contracts we provide. Nor can we maintain a volunteer military if we do not care for the well being of the soldiers before, during, and after war.
