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September 2009
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Baptism of Edward Douglas Lockton
Jesus heals Simon's mother in law and others
Story of a Veteran
Trinity Sunday Reflections
Gordon Buck Funeral Homily
Military Homecoming. University of San Diego
Christian Mission: Do We Really Understand It?
VA Funding, an Ongoing Disgrace
« The Murder of Stephen: A reflection for our times | Main | Like the old Soviets we now have political officers »
Soldiers are useful to fight wars, but when they come home as veterans, they often find that the country no longer cares. Veterans of the Revolution were the first to discover this when they returned home in the 1780s. Soldiers are now being abused by the government with the army's frenetic deployment pace, with multiple tours in Iraq, stop loss and the blatant mistreatment of reservists and the national guard. But there is more to come as returning veterans find when they seek help from a VA that is facing severe budget constraints. "Support the troops" includes neither real concern for the army nor an adequate budget for returning veterans.
What does it take to get the attention of the government and the American people. A tragic and monstrous story from 1932 gives a clue. Veterans of WWI were promised a bonus which they never received. The war ended in 1918 and by 1932 with the depression in force and many of them destitute, they marched on Washington by the thousands to ask for their bonus. A Los Angeles Times book review tells the story
The review is a must read for veterans, especially those recently returned. In my own work with veterans, I met many WWI vets who had been there. They were still angry at their treatment--and they were very supportive of Vietnam vets in our struggle for our rights. Let's learn from this and organize now
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