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Obama Can End Homeless Veterans' Disgrace
Dec 30, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO - Roy Lee Brantley shivers in the cold December morning
as he waits in line for food outside the Ark of Refuge mission, which
sits amid warehouses and artists lofts a stone's throw from the
skyscrapers of downtown San Francisco.
Brantley's beard is long, white and unkempt. The African-American man's
skin wrinkled beyond his 62 years. He lives in squalor in a dingy
residential hotel room with the bathroom down the hall. In some ways,
his current situation marks an improvement. "I've slept in parks," he
says, "and on the sidewalk. Now at least I have a room."
Like the hundreds of others in line for food, Brantley has worn the
military uniform. Most, like Brantley, carry their service IDs and red,
white and blue cards from the Department of Veterans Affairs in their
wallets or around their necks. In 1967, he deployed to Vietnam with the
1st Cavalry Division of the U.S. Army. By the time he left the military
five years later, Brantley had attained the rank of sergeant and been
decorated for his valor and for the wounds he sustained in combat.
"I risked my life for this democracy and got a Bronze Star," he says.
"I shed blood for this country and got the Purple Heart after a mortar
blast sent shrapnel into my face and leg. But when I came back home
from Vietnam I was having problems. I tried to hurt my wife because she
was Filipino. Every time I looked at her I thought I was in Vietnam
again. So we broke up."
In 1973, Brantley filed a disability claim with the federal government
for mental wounds sustained in combat overseas. Over the years, the
Department of Veterans Affairs has denied his claim five separate
times. "You go over there and risk your life for America and your
mind's all messed up, America should take care of you, right," he says,
knowing that for him and the other veterans in line for free food that
promise has not been kept.
On
any given night 200,000 U.S. veterans sleep homeless on the streets of
America. One out of every four people -and one out of every three men
-sleeping in a car, in front of a shop door, or under a freeway
overpass has worn a military uniform. Some like Brantley have been on
the streets for years. Others are young and women returning home
wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan, quickly slipping through the cracks.
For each of these homeless veterans, America's promise to "Support the
Troops" ended the moment he or she took off the uniform and tried to
make the difficult transition to civilian life. There, they encountered
a hostile and cumbersome bureaucracy set up by the Department of
Veterans Affairs. In a best-case scenario, a wounded veteran must wait
six months to hear back from the VA. Those who appeal a denial have to
wait an average of four and a half years for their answer. In the six
months leading up to March 31st of this year, nearly 1,500 veterans
died waiting to learn if their disability claims would be approved by
the government.
There are patriotic Americans trying to solve this problem. Last month,
two veterans' organizations, Vietnam Veterans of America and Veterans
of Modern Warfare, filed suit in federal court demanding the government
decide disability claims brought by wounded soldiers within three
months. Predictably, however, the VA is trying to block the effort. On
December 17, their lawyers convinced Reggie Walton, a judge appointed
by President Bush, who ruled that imposing a quicker deadline for
payment of benefits was a task for Congress and the president-not the
courts.
President-elect Barack Obama has the power to end this national
disgrace. He has the power to ensure to streamline the VA bureaucracy
so it helps rather than fights those who have been wounded in the line
of duty. He can ensure that this latest generation of returning
veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan does not receive the bum rap the
Vietnam generation got. Let 2008 be the last year thousands of homeless
veterans stand in line for free food during the holiday season. Let it
be the last year hundreds of thousands sleep homeless on the street.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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Aaron Glantz
Aaron Glantz is a senior reporter at Reveal who produces public interest journalism with impact. He is the author of "The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle Against America's Veterans" (University of California Press).
SAN FRANCISCO - Roy Lee Brantley shivers in the cold December morning
as he waits in line for food outside the Ark of Refuge mission, which
sits amid warehouses and artists lofts a stone's throw from the
skyscrapers of downtown San Francisco.
Brantley's beard is long, white and unkempt. The African-American man's
skin wrinkled beyond his 62 years. He lives in squalor in a dingy
residential hotel room with the bathroom down the hall. In some ways,
his current situation marks an improvement. "I've slept in parks," he
says, "and on the sidewalk. Now at least I have a room."
Like the hundreds of others in line for food, Brantley has worn the
military uniform. Most, like Brantley, carry their service IDs and red,
white and blue cards from the Department of Veterans Affairs in their
wallets or around their necks. In 1967, he deployed to Vietnam with the
1st Cavalry Division of the U.S. Army. By the time he left the military
five years later, Brantley had attained the rank of sergeant and been
decorated for his valor and for the wounds he sustained in combat.
"I risked my life for this democracy and got a Bronze Star," he says.
"I shed blood for this country and got the Purple Heart after a mortar
blast sent shrapnel into my face and leg. But when I came back home
from Vietnam I was having problems. I tried to hurt my wife because she
was Filipino. Every time I looked at her I thought I was in Vietnam
again. So we broke up."
In 1973, Brantley filed a disability claim with the federal government
for mental wounds sustained in combat overseas. Over the years, the
Department of Veterans Affairs has denied his claim five separate
times. "You go over there and risk your life for America and your
mind's all messed up, America should take care of you, right," he says,
knowing that for him and the other veterans in line for free food that
promise has not been kept.
On
any given night 200,000 U.S. veterans sleep homeless on the streets of
America. One out of every four people -and one out of every three men
-sleeping in a car, in front of a shop door, or under a freeway
overpass has worn a military uniform. Some like Brantley have been on
the streets for years. Others are young and women returning home
wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan, quickly slipping through the cracks.
For each of these homeless veterans, America's promise to "Support the
Troops" ended the moment he or she took off the uniform and tried to
make the difficult transition to civilian life. There, they encountered
a hostile and cumbersome bureaucracy set up by the Department of
Veterans Affairs. In a best-case scenario, a wounded veteran must wait
six months to hear back from the VA. Those who appeal a denial have to
wait an average of four and a half years for their answer. In the six
months leading up to March 31st of this year, nearly 1,500 veterans
died waiting to learn if their disability claims would be approved by
the government.
There are patriotic Americans trying to solve this problem. Last month,
two veterans' organizations, Vietnam Veterans of America and Veterans
of Modern Warfare, filed suit in federal court demanding the government
decide disability claims brought by wounded soldiers within three
months. Predictably, however, the VA is trying to block the effort. On
December 17, their lawyers convinced Reggie Walton, a judge appointed
by President Bush, who ruled that imposing a quicker deadline for
payment of benefits was a task for Congress and the president-not the
courts.
President-elect Barack Obama has the power to end this national
disgrace. He has the power to ensure to streamline the VA bureaucracy
so it helps rather than fights those who have been wounded in the line
of duty. He can ensure that this latest generation of returning
veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan does not receive the bum rap the
Vietnam generation got. Let 2008 be the last year thousands of homeless
veterans stand in line for free food during the holiday season. Let it
be the last year hundreds of thousands sleep homeless on the street.
Aaron Glantz
Aaron Glantz is a senior reporter at Reveal who produces public interest journalism with impact. He is the author of "The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle Against America's Veterans" (University of California Press).
SAN FRANCISCO - Roy Lee Brantley shivers in the cold December morning
as he waits in line for food outside the Ark of Refuge mission, which
sits amid warehouses and artists lofts a stone's throw from the
skyscrapers of downtown San Francisco.
Brantley's beard is long, white and unkempt. The African-American man's
skin wrinkled beyond his 62 years. He lives in squalor in a dingy
residential hotel room with the bathroom down the hall. In some ways,
his current situation marks an improvement. "I've slept in parks," he
says, "and on the sidewalk. Now at least I have a room."
Like the hundreds of others in line for food, Brantley has worn the
military uniform. Most, like Brantley, carry their service IDs and red,
white and blue cards from the Department of Veterans Affairs in their
wallets or around their necks. In 1967, he deployed to Vietnam with the
1st Cavalry Division of the U.S. Army. By the time he left the military
five years later, Brantley had attained the rank of sergeant and been
decorated for his valor and for the wounds he sustained in combat.
"I risked my life for this democracy and got a Bronze Star," he says.
"I shed blood for this country and got the Purple Heart after a mortar
blast sent shrapnel into my face and leg. But when I came back home
from Vietnam I was having problems. I tried to hurt my wife because she
was Filipino. Every time I looked at her I thought I was in Vietnam
again. So we broke up."
In 1973, Brantley filed a disability claim with the federal government
for mental wounds sustained in combat overseas. Over the years, the
Department of Veterans Affairs has denied his claim five separate
times. "You go over there and risk your life for America and your
mind's all messed up, America should take care of you, right," he says,
knowing that for him and the other veterans in line for free food that
promise has not been kept.
On
any given night 200,000 U.S. veterans sleep homeless on the streets of
America. One out of every four people -and one out of every three men
-sleeping in a car, in front of a shop door, or under a freeway
overpass has worn a military uniform. Some like Brantley have been on
the streets for years. Others are young and women returning home
wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan, quickly slipping through the cracks.
For each of these homeless veterans, America's promise to "Support the
Troops" ended the moment he or she took off the uniform and tried to
make the difficult transition to civilian life. There, they encountered
a hostile and cumbersome bureaucracy set up by the Department of
Veterans Affairs. In a best-case scenario, a wounded veteran must wait
six months to hear back from the VA. Those who appeal a denial have to
wait an average of four and a half years for their answer. In the six
months leading up to March 31st of this year, nearly 1,500 veterans
died waiting to learn if their disability claims would be approved by
the government.
There are patriotic Americans trying to solve this problem. Last month,
two veterans' organizations, Vietnam Veterans of America and Veterans
of Modern Warfare, filed suit in federal court demanding the government
decide disability claims brought by wounded soldiers within three
months. Predictably, however, the VA is trying to block the effort. On
December 17, their lawyers convinced Reggie Walton, a judge appointed
by President Bush, who ruled that imposing a quicker deadline for
payment of benefits was a task for Congress and the president-not the
courts.
President-elect Barack Obama has the power to end this national
disgrace. He has the power to ensure to streamline the VA bureaucracy
so it helps rather than fights those who have been wounded in the line
of duty. He can ensure that this latest generation of returning
veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan does not receive the bum rap the
Vietnam generation got. Let 2008 be the last year thousands of homeless
veterans stand in line for free food during the holiday season. Let it
be the last year hundreds of thousands sleep homeless on the street.
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