Returning Veterans Deserve Dignity, Respect, and Benefits
By Jeff Rubin
This 4th of July as we celebrate the many freedoms we enjoy as Americans, let us not forget the right each of us has to live a life of dignity, respect, and independence regardless of our age or condition. Consider too, the opportunity it affords us to assist those with needs or seek assistance for ourselves when time and circumstances require action.
I was reminded of all this when I had the opportunity to speak recently with three Madison County veterans. Garley “Slick” Connor (84) an Army veteran, saw action in Korea. Bill Wildman (68) a former Senior Master Sergeant in the Air Force, served three tours of duty in Southeast Asia. Don Rose (83), a former Marine Sergeant and veteran of the Korean Conflict, until recently had traveled the state recording over 200 oral histories of Kentucky veterans for the Library of Congress www.loc.gov/folklife/vets
They are just three of some 330,000 veterans who call Kentucky their home. Together they make up approximately 48% of the current 65 plus veteran population. Of those, approximately 18,000 served in World War II; another 30,000 served in the Korean Conflict; and about 116,000 are returnees from one or more tours in Vietnam. Many of these veterans currently receive or will be in need of receiving some type of additional benefits. However, a number of veterans who served then, along with those who’ve served since, have never applied for benefits they may be eligible to receive. There are a number of reasons for this. To some there was simply “too much red tape.” To others, it depends upon their circumstances or point of view.
For Slick Connor, a name that he came by early in life, growing up poor in Pineville, KY, he saw military service as an “opportunity, honor, and a duty.” Something he believed many of his fellow veterans from the region shared as well. “It was a different time back then. I wasn’t looking for anything special nor was I expecting it. It seemed perfectly natural to rely on myself and I was eager to get on with my life.” While the G.I. Bill was then available to all returning vets, Slick had to make a choice between using it for college or getting married. The bill couldn’t support both. Slick chose the latter.
Don Rose, in his interviews as well as his personal experiences, recalls similar feelings about the times. “In those days you knew who you were fighting. It was the time of Rosie the Riveter and rationing. Most people at home had little or no program support and the whole nation sacrificed. It’s different today.”
That turning point for Bill Wildman came midway through his service in Southeast Asia. At the beginning of the war Bill felt people’s work ethic and attitude were similar to those of the past. As time wore on however, he said he experienced a shift in public attitude that he believes is still prevalent today. “By the time I came home from my third tour of duty, I felt completely disrespected by what I had read and heard through the media and what I personally experienced firsthand.” The adjustment coming back for Bill and so many others at that time was difficult. That adjustment Bill feels still hasn’t changed much, citing movies that came afterward about that period and what he sees as a “rather blasé attitude among the public today.” They are trends he, Slick, and Don believe have marginalized the level of respect, support, and trust among veterans at a time when it may be needed the most.
The current veteran population dates back to those born as early as the 1920s and grows larger with each succeeding generation. Even with better overall health, those numbers mean the VA will face an increasing demand for health care. Yet efforts to keep up with anticipated demand may in itself have created a dual edged sword. VA costs are also likely to rise as more and more veterans become internet literate and learn about programs they may not have known existed, this according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Elderly veterans may be eligible for a wide variety of benefits available to all U.S. military veterans. Those benefits include disability compensation, pension, education and training, health care, home loans, insurance, vocational rehabilitation and employment, nursing home, and burial. An overview of all benefits can be found at http://www.va.gov/opa/persona/index.asp.
In Kentucky, the primary source for information and assistance is the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs www.veterans.ky.gov . In conjunction with their many benefit outreach specialists, the KDVA is actively engaged in helping to identify and serve as many veterans and their families as possible. They are not alone.
The Mission Vet Centers www.vetcenter.va.gov was established by Congress in 1979 in response to Viet Nam vets who were still experiencing readjustment problems. Today they offer confidential readjustment counseling services to all returning combat veterans and their families with the goal of providing a successful adjustment to post-war civilian life. In Madison County, the Madison County Veterans Committee (MCVC) https://www.facebook.com/Madison-County-Veterans-Committee-1431962287039937/ comprised of leaders and members of the VFW, American Legion, Marine Corps League, Vietnam Veterans, and Disabled American Veterans (DAV) chapters of Berea and Richmond, is working to assure that veterans of any era or field of service are being honored and respected for their service then and their contributions now.
Yet despite best efforts to assist, many veterans of today’s generation appear not so eager to come forward. Some feel they have “plenty of time to apply.” Some see it as “stealing services from those who may need it more,” and others cite the “stigma attached to seeking any form of treatment.”
Despite the conflict, the times, or the circumstances, according to Slick, Bill, and Don, “Every veteran signed a contract and everyone did their job.” No thanks may be required but assistance when it’s needed should never be ignored. To learn more, tune in to Community Conversations at 1340 WEKY or 1500 WKXO on Wednesday June 29 at 1 p.m.
Jeff Rubin is an advocate and adviser on community and aging issues, having spent over 20 years as a director and facilitator of community service programs at the local, state and national levels. An advocate for “Age-friendly” and “Livable” communities, Mr. Rubin is currently leading an initiative to make the city of Berea, one of only three cities in the Southeast, to achieve World Health Organization designation as an “Age-Friendly” community. Mr. Rubin invites your questions, comments, and interest and can be reached at Jeffrubin@windstream.net.