(Military Times) Op-Ed: A Huge Bang for the Buck

[unhappycamper]

A Huge Bang for the Buck
Paul Rieckhoff | February 03, 2009

"After a mortar sent Andrew Spurlock hurtling off a roof in Iraq, ending his Army career in 2006, the seasoned infantryman set aside bitterness over his back injury and began to chart his life in storybook fashion: a new house, a job as a police officer and more children.

But <…> the job with the Orange County Sheriff's Office fell through after officials there told Mr. Spurlock that he needed to "decompress" after two combat tours. Scrambling, he settled for a job delivering pizzas. Mr. Spurlock's disability claim for his back injury took 18 months to process, a year longer than expected. With little choice, the couple began putting mortgage payments on credit cards. The family debt climbed to $60,000, a chunk of it for medical bills, including for his wife and child. Foreclosure seemed certain." -- The New York Times

Imagine struggling to pay your mortgage, keep your job and feed your family, all while serving a year-long deployment thousands of miles away. Every American is feeling the sting of the economic downturn. But veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are being hit especially hard. As the Senate begins to debate the economic stimulus package this week, our elected leaders must ensure that any plan to stimulate the economy fully supports the newest generation of veterans and their families.

You would think this would be a no-brainer, but after last week, I'm not optimistic. I still cannot believe that politicians in the House decided to cut funding to refurbish the National Mall, home of the memorials to honor our veterans and war dead of World War II, Korea and Vietnam. (Not to mention the Jefferson Memorial, which is so neglected it's currently sinking into the Tidal Basin.) Showing proper respect to our nation's heroes must be a controversial subject these days, because all of that funding was cut.

I'm hoping the Senate shows more reverence to our troops and veterans. The plan they have put forward is a good start: there are significant funding increases for veterans' hospitals, national cemeteries, and new childcare centers at military installations. The Senate version also includes three times the overall veterans' funding passed by the House.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,184200,00.html?wh=news