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Heen, Monica

Professor Batty

English 101

28 March 2017

The Other Side of the VA

To many, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is looked upon

unfavorably. Its hasnt gotten a lot of good press lately with all the corruption and unhappy

veterans that you see in the news or media. Dont let yourself be influenced by these reports.

There is more to the VA than what youve been told or read about. The VA is a community of

veterans, a network to socialize and receive support; a place where you can always find someone

who understands where youve been and what youre going through. Now, Im not talking about

the people that work there; no, Im talking about the veterans that go there. From young to old,

you will always find someone kind and understanding who knows exactly what youre feeling,

without you even having to say it. You can talk, laugh, make jokes, and reminisce of the

miserable times and the hard times and the moments of pure bliss. Forgetting for a moment the

VAs negative associations, misconduct and reputation, they have a lot of programs to help

veterans and their families. They create a community within a community where veterans from

all walks of military service can come together, even if its only for a medical appointment, and

start up a conversation.

Everyday you hear something awful that happened at the VA somewhere in the United

States. With headlines like, Opioid Theft, Missing Prescriptions Prompts Investigation of VA

Hospitals Staff, or VA: No Proof Delayed Medical Care Caused Deaths in Phoenix, its
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understandable. But dont let those headlines be your only impression of the VA. Anywhere you

go; there will always be someone whos unhappy or not doing their job. This is a fact of life. And

just like those places, the VA is no different. Dont let a few bad apples ruin your perception of a

great place. The VA has done a lot of good for not only its veterans but also for the communities

where they are situated. Although their main focus is veterans and their families, they help

everyone. You go to any VA hospital, and even if you arent a service member or have a family

member who served; and they will attend to you and provide treatment. This doesnt mean that

you will have access to all the programs available, but it does make them more a part of the

community. Additionally, they have functions and events that are geared towards their

communities because veterans are part of the community. So dont take to heart everything you

read and hear about the VA unless its something you know for a fact to be true. And remember

that everything has its bad apples, so dont judge them too harshly.

The VA system was created for veterans and their families, the Federal Government

authorized the first domiciliary and medical facility for veterans, in 1811 (Va.gov/History). At

first this was solely for the wounded that needed medical care, but by the 19th century, it

branched out to multiple services that began to also include family members. This includes

medical care, general health, mental health, rehabilitation, addiction help, and recently, programs

and services geared specifically towards woman veterans. They also offer educational training,

help getting accepted and financing certificate or technical schools, on the job training,

internships/externships programs with participating employers, help finding employment,

interview coaching, basic computer literacy courses, and transition counseling from the military

to civilian life. They offer tuition assistance and help applying for schools, priority admissions

and connect veterans with the veterans affairs representatives at prospective schools; they offer
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assistance for veterans to apply for their Montgomery G.I. Bill, understanding their benefits and

how they can maximize their G.I Bill to get the most of out it. The VA has programs that help

with housing, food allowance, insurance and child care. They run annual fundraisers to collect

food stuffs, toys, clothes, electronics and infant items to help those struggling to make ends meet.

Aside from the VA, there have been several organizations that have sprung up throughout the

years to help with the areas the VA was not able to cover or address effectively. The American

Legion is one very big one, National Association of American Veterans & AMVETS. These are

just three of many such organizations out there to fill in the gaps the VA has overlooked.

Although the VA and other organizations are aimed at helping veterans of all ilks,

sometimes, what helps the most, is just finding common ground with someone. Its staring at the

ceiling for the hundredth time, while your butt goes to sleep sitting on those hard cushioned

chairs; its readjusting your glasses, crossing and uncrossing you legs, jumping when you see the

medical staff approach because maybe, its finally your turn. Sometimes, its sitting in the

waiting room for hours; sitting beside someone else whos been waiting there just as long as you

have that sparks a conversation. My most memorable vet is retired Lieutenant Colonel Cal

Gleaton, former army, a no-nonsense kind of man. Picture an older gentleman, wearing his black

VETERAN baseball cap, with all his ribbons displayed on the front, grey t-shirt with bold

letters, ARMY written on the front and black running shorts. He ties it all together with army

green long socks, and flip-flops. But dont let his dress fool you, he is one intimidating man! One

word from him and you get seen right away! And his stories are the best! My favorite is of the

time he sent his drill sergeants into the CS (2-Chloro-Benzal-Malono-Nitrile Gas) chamber along

with their soldiers to prove to the Joes that everyone cries, coughs and vomits with enough time

spent inside the chamber. What I would have given to see that!
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The VA is not what the media makes it out to be; with its stigmas and reputation aside, its

a place for veterans and their family members to meet people they have something in common

with and create friendships that transcend into family. The VA is place where veterans can go and

are bound to meet someone whos done something incredible or has an amazing story to tell.

There is a brotherhood that all veterans are a part of from the moment they raise their right hand

and swear the oath. The best part about the VA is the sense of belonging and purpose it helps to

bolster by being a place where veterans go, regardless of when they served or in what capacity

they served, its a community within itself that gives veterans something to hope for, acceptance,

acknowledgement and respect.

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Works Cited

Rich Gardella. VA: No Proof Delayed Medical Care Caused Deaths in Phoenix. VA Hospital

Scandal, 26 August 2014, URL: http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/va-hospital-scandal/va-

no-proof-delayed-medical-care-caused-deaths-phoenix-n189476.

Associated Press. Opioid Theft, Missing Prescriptions Prompts Investigation of VA Hospital

Staff. VA Hospital Scandal, 20 February 2017, URL:

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/va-hospital-scandal/opioid-theft-missing-prescriptions-

prompts-investigation-va-hospitals-staff-n723291.

United States Department of Veterans Affairs. URL: https://www.va.gov/.

The American Legion. URL: https://www.legion.org/.

AMVETS. URL: http://www.amvets.org/.

National Association of American Veterans. URL: http://www.naavets.org/.