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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAmerican Veterans Disabled For Life Memorial
I saw a little post about this in the Veterans group. Made me sad that I haven't seen it elsewhere today. It may be out there but I can't find it.
It's a beautiful memorial, long, long, long overdue.
Lois Pope was visiting the Vietnam Memorial and watched as a disabled Vet struggled to put flowers in front of his friend's name. She then asked a guard where the memorial for disabled Veterans was located. When she was told none existed, she was appalled. And being Lois Pope, she fixed it. She donated $10,000,000. and raised $70 million more.
She worked for years to make this memorial a reality, fighting Congress, limited space availability and money problems.
The culmination of her dream and that of her partner in making it happen, Art Wilson of the Disabled American Veterans organization, was dedicated today. The gorgeous design was created by Michael Vergason Landscape Architects
There were thousands in attendance at the dedication ceremony, and the Commander in Chief was the main speaker.
When the Memorial site has been decided, Lois Pope said of the lawmakers, while thinking of its close proximity to the Capitol, "I want them to know the human cost of war. I want them to think twice."
No matter what we think of war or individual wars, most of the US Military have nothing to do with the decisions. They're usually very young when they go into military. And regardless of anything else, they are willing to give their lives for us, for our freedom. The hundreds of thousands of disabled Veterans deserve our gratitude for their honor and their sacrifice. They deserve our fight for them to receive the best care available.
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/10/obama-honors-disabled-veterans-111612.html
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)Now how about we start catching up on the C&P evaluations & maybe compensate a few more of them for their disabilities before they die off. Or is that too much to ask? I guess all the delayed Agent Orange cardiac cases from Vietnam will be much cheaper to deal with if they can just delay the payments until the geezers croak from heart disease.
marym625
(17,997 posts)Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)Had a double coronary bypass in 1992. Got a 10% disability rating in 2010 and should have appealed it but didn't. Went through a hospitalization for congestive heart failure last February & submitted all my hospital records. No word as yet, but according to their published criteria & information in the records, I should be rated at 60%.
After many years of psychological pain, I finally acknowledged to myself that I have PTSD. I filed in 2011. I've been through 2 evaluations since then & the final resolution is still hanging.
I turn 70 next week. If I die before any of this stuff is resolved, they will save a bundle on me, particularly on back payments.
My 3 bullet holes & hearing loss were deemed insufficiently debilitating to merit compensation.
But hey, wow, now I got a memorial. I can hardly contain my excitement.
I guess I should just be grateful I don't warrant inclusion with a lot of my buddies on the other one--that black one with all the names on it.
marym625
(17,997 posts)Every dime was raised from individuals. I don't know if that's better or worse.
I am so sorry you're going through so much. It is beyond wrong that they are putting you through this.
We finally had to put my dad in a nursing home. As far as nursing homes go, the VA home in Manteo Illinois is a pretty good one. He was eligible for the extra disability and we hoped he would be approved so we could hire a private nurse to be with him. He went in February 2013, fell and broke his hip in August, died on November 3rd. The disability came through the next week.
It kills me he lay on that floor for god knows how long, broken and alone.
I am so sorry Jack. My point wasn't to upset you or anyone with the post. I wanted to show appreciation. I will delete it if it is wrong
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)anything you posted; you most certainly did nothing wrong. The rant was just triggered by my sense of the contrast between the sentiments of the memorial and the reality of what is happening to so many vets. Sort of like all those little yellow "Support the Troops" magnets.
Thank you for telling me about your father. It's tragic that this country is so willing to create disabled veterans but so unwilling to take responsibility for what they have done.
I can imagine Republican Congresscritters (and not a few Democrats) walking past that memorial and saying to themselves, "Oh--That reminds me. We have to figure out some way to cut the VA budget."
I often meet with a group of friends, 3 of whom happen to be disabled vets (that's just coincidence; the group is just a coffee klatsch of guys who enjoy each other's company.) One of the three recently got a satisfactory resolution to his disability claim after several years of fighting with the VA. The other 2 of us are still pending, after about the same number of years.
marym625
(17,997 posts)Would a letter writing campaign help? I would be more than willing to send something to as many people as necessary.
Thank you for your reply. I'm sorry you're going through so much
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Especially that way. He deserved better. And so did you.
marym625
(17,997 posts)I'm not going to lie, it has hit me really hard. I still cry every time I think of him, which is often.
My niece came in from California to spend some time with him three weeks before he died. We knew he was declining fast after the fall. He looked at me and said, "why do I have to die this way?" It still breaks my heart. He was such a good man. He was the President of our Village, he was the President of the Mayors and Managers Association for the south suburbs of Chicago. Both Daley and Gov Walker had asked him to run for Senator. My parents decided they didn't want to give up so much of their lives. Well, my mom decided and my dad went along. Otherwise, he would have been the Democratic Senator from Illinois back in the late 70s.
Thank you, sincerely.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Off topic, but when I was little my family lived at 76th & State.
marym625
(17,997 posts)but that was a million years ago. I grew up in Homewood. Where did you go to high school?
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)After Southside we moved to Hometown (not Homewood) for a few years before the CA move in the mid-'50s.
My dad worked for Milton Reynolds, who is credited with bringing the ballpoint pen to the U.S. (He wasn't the first, but he did it in vast quantities.) Dad worked in another Reynolds business, as foreman of a plant that made printing machines. He was sent to CA to open a new plant and move the printing machine operation there.
Dad died when I was in high school, but I recently discovered that Reynolds Printasign is still thriving in the San Fernando Valley.
marym625
(17,997 posts)It sucks.
Cool information about the rest though. Sorry you moved to Hometown. Homewood was a much better place, my dad being President and all
Very cool about the pens and stuff. That's certainly something great to be able to share. Thanks for sharing here!!
jwirr
(39,215 posts)gone through 2 back surgeries and more to come and according to the VA nothing is wrong. The memorial is a well deserved thank you to all the disabled vets. The VA doesn't seem to see it that way.
marym625
(17,997 posts)How can they do this to Veterans?
I am sorry for him and your family
jwirr
(39,215 posts)was set up that way when it was created because it was assumed that vets would understand. I often wonder if the vets from WWI and WWII had the same problems as those today? They lose vital records. Misplace some records in someone else's file and deny the evidence of surgeons in their own facility. All of this has happened to my son-in-law.
marym625
(17,997 posts)It sucks. It makes no sense.
jwirr
(39,215 posts)DU. Thank you and all here on DU for being there for those in need.
marym625
(17,997 posts)I just don't know what.
Peace
jwirr
(39,215 posts)sure who to go to. I have ask him if there is anyone I can call about this but he does not know either. He does have an advocate who goes with him to meetings etc. but that does not seem to have worked so far.
marym625
(17,997 posts)Done account the country, at one time. Each person contact their reps and tell a story about someone they know that isn't being treated for something they should be. Tell how long that person has been waiting to be approved.
Shit. A veteran shouldn't have to be approved. They're a Veteran, they're covered. WTF!
Just got crazy angry for a moment. Too tired I guess
I am going to think about this. See if I can think of anything.
Sleep well
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)By Philip Kennicott October 5 at 7:24 PM
...
As Washington continues to build memorials, while struggling (not always successfully) to preserve the Mall as a substantially completed work of civic art, there will only be more of this quirky Washington subspecies of the form: Monuments in Awkward Spaces. Yet that is a good thing. Better to fill in and enliven forlorn corners of the city than pave over its green spaces with gargantuan new memorials vainly competing with the established favorites.
So the new memorial earns its highest marks for being neighborly. And as you explore it, its embodiment of good citizenship grows deeper. Many of those who visit will have impaired mobility, and the memorial is attentive to that in ways that might not be immediately obvious to the able-bodied. The star-shaped fountain and triangular reflecting pool are set low to the ground so that they can be easily surveyed by someone sitting in a wheelchair; there are a great number of benches, strategically placed in front of glass text panels and with unobtrusive metal bars to help people who need assistance sitting or standing up; and the curb cuts for wheelchair ramps have straight rather than flaring edges, which helps people with visual limitations. Limited parking is available, and there is a generous drop-off lane for buses.
But what of the memorial itself, its architectural and design impact? A flame fueled by bubbles of gas rising through water in the fountain is the most powerful visual icon, mixing myriad elemental metaphors: the healing, cleansing and forgetfulness of water with the enlightenment, tempering power and sense of the eternal signified by fire. If the star shape of the fountain feels reflexive and cliched, the visual seduction of fire dancing on a calm pool of water is mesmerizing. The effort to use trees and a hedge on the south side to block one of the uglier patches of the city is also a welcome gesture. Thankfully, the memorial hasnt been overwhelmed by a clutter of individual names, which would swamp the plaza in particularity and diminish its collective appeal.
But mostly, what is good about this memorial (from a purely aesthetic point of view) is in the details: the quality of the engraving, the angles inscribed in the paving stones, the lighting of the glass panels. There isnt any grand architectural statement. But that isnt to damn with faint praise. This is a small memorial, and as memorials tend to become smaller honoring smaller subsets of the population they will by necessity become smaller in their aesthetic aims.
...
If anyone is inclined to think that disabled veterans deserved a larger, more spectacular memorial, consider this: In an age of perpetual war and cultural bellicosity, the pacifist sentiments lurking in this new memorial could survive only on the edges of our national conversation.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/american-veterans-disabled-for-life-memorial-has-impact-larger-than-its-size/2014/10/05/492d6c2a-4b21-11e4-891d-713f052086a0_story.html
marym625
(17,997 posts)From what I have read from the Veterans that have commented publicly, it's beautiful
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Here are a couple more...
marym625
(17,997 posts)Last edited Mon Oct 6, 2014, 08:19 PM - Edit history (1)
And I wanted to have some pictures of the disabled Veterans that were there. But there are a ton. Looks like a beautiful memorial. Thanks for putting those up.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Last edited Tue Oct 7, 2014, 08:02 AM - Edit history (1)
The project is in the advanced stages, with enabling legislation already passed and a site approved.
The monument would be based on a bronze sculpture by Andrew Chernak that was dedicated at the Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park in Kent, New York, in 2006.
Sculptor Andrew Chernak's monument to Gold Star Mothers at Kent, New York.
The current issue of The Veteran, the national publication of Vietnam Veterans of America, features a detailed story about the project and the sculptor:
BY XANDE ANDERER
...
The (New York) statue was dedicated in July of 2006-the first such monument depicting a Gold Star Mother to be erected.
The powerful reactions to the monument over the next few years sparked discussions about erecting copies of the statue in other locations. This prompted the AGSM president at the time, Judith Young, to remark that there should be a national monument honoring Gold Star Mothers. Discussions began to lobby for a Gold Star Mothers National Monument in Washington, D.C., with the Kent statue serving as a prototype for a slightly re-imagined monument.
A 501©(3) foundation was formed to raise funds. Legislation was introduced in Congress seeking authorization to begin the planning process with the National Park Service. HR 1980, The Gold Star Mothers National Monument Act, passed in 2011, authorizing the foundation to establish a monument in the District of Columbia area, to be maintained as a unit of the National Park System. Plans for the monument have now moved past the notoriously contentious site selection process, having secured approval from the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission, with the guidance of architect/consultant J.C. Cummings and Glen DeMarr, NPS Project Manager of Lands, Resources and. Planning for the National Capital Region.
A fresh survey of the approved site at Arlington National Cemetery, costing $12,000, has been completed, and final considerations such as traffic and visual sightlines are falling into place. Though other challenges still exist, the last big hurdle remains fund-raising, which has only now begun in earnest. Chernak is optimistic that groundbreaking can begin in about two years.
...
If you would like to contribute to the Gold Star Mothers National Monument, or would like more information, visit the Gold Star Mothers National Monument Foundations website, http://www.gsmmonument.org/ or call 856-235-6918.
http://vvaveteran.org/34-5/34-5_gsmanderer.html
marym625
(17,997 posts)I like the idea. From what I just read, there's a push for individual memorials be erected at cemeteries and parks.
I like the Gold Star Family memorial idea at parks and cemeteries done by the individual municipalities. I mean no disrespect but I think a monument or memorial in DC is too much.
As I said, I mean no disrespect, but if you do this, then what about the dads, the spouses, the kids? And what about the families of permanently disabled Veterans?
I think the Disabled Veterans Memorial is long overdue. I love the fact it is paid for entirely with private donations. What the government needs to do to honor disabled Veterans is take care of them. Now.
I do not understand why a Veteran has to qualify. To be a certain percentage disabled. Screw that. A Vet needs health care, then give it to him/her. Period