You Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) need to GET OVER
YOURSELVES! I’m sick of ALL of y’all’s whining and gossiping and acting like
YOUR organization is the ONLY one that helps veterans or that matters… IMMEDIATELY
after you tell me what all you CAN’T do, because THIS veteran isn’t a member of
YOUR VSO, or THAT veteran never deployed overseas, or that veteran over there
already has a wheelchair, so YOU can’t help him with his truck payment until he
gets all these casts off his arms and legs so he can get back on a ladder he
fell off in the first place to break his bones and be able to work again. Or
that veteran was in the wrong service (she isn’t Army, or is’n't a Marine etc.)
so you can’t help her out with food or rent or school supplies so her kids can
start school.
And my absolute favorite ridiculous thing: "The _(insert any VSO)_ is already helping him by paying his water bill. GGGRRRRR!!!
Conversely, I’m SICK TO DEATH of everybody duplicating everyone else’s
effort and acting like you are the ONLY VALID organization doing anything.
Everybody ELSE’s program is invalid or, as I was told by someone today, “is
causing trouble”, but can't tell me what KIND of trouble. EVERYONE is on
the 22 a Day train, and everyone thinks THEY and THEY ALONE have the solution
to THAT problem… like every veteran who ever served somehow is in the exact
same dark place for the same reason.
Didn’t it ever occur to you that veterans, like ALL HUMAN BEINGS IN THE
WORLD do NOT come from the exact same cookie cutter???
Take Christianity for example (something everyone
understands to some degree), some Christians are Baptists and some are Methodists
and some are Presbyterian. So some veterans are Navy, some are Army, etc. and they
all have different military experiences and different other experiences that
can send them to that dark desperate despondency. Some are “combat vets”, but
most veterans served in duties OTHER than infantry. There is supply, food
service, communications, instructors, drill sergeants, base operations,
airplane and helicopter mechanics, and on and on and on! So it isn’t just
carrying a rifle or driving a tank that causes veterans to later kill themselves. Nor is it
divorce or unemployment or foreclosures. It is MUCH more complicated than that.
And everyone is DIFFERENT.
While I’m ranting, let me tell you about some statistics
that aren’t advertised very much. First, it is TRUE that the vast majority
(like 17 out of 22) of veterans who commit suicide every day are NOT enrolled
in the V.A. System. You can continue to cast aspersions on the V.A., but they ARE
saving lives. Here’s another fact: The majority of veteran suicide prevention
programs focus on OEF/OIF veterans. Well, the fact that goes with THAT is
that 69% of veterans who kill themselves are over age 50. OLD MEN. Senior
citizens! The ink isn't still wet on their DD-214s. GGGRRRR AGAIN!
"CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG????" Apparently not.
Now, that said, I must be fair. I MUST mention a couple of VSOs that do NOT
get involved in these controversies at all, at least not locally. (In my experience,
most of the others DO have conditions and gossips and jealousies and RULES enough to make me PUKE.)
Locally, AMVETS will help ANY veteran file for benefits, for
FREE, and will even go to Montgomery with him and represent him if there is a
hitch at the State level. That's their main job, and they do it very well.
The DAV (locally) does that too. Help ANY veteran file
for benefits, for FREE, and they are also experts at it. But they will also give ANY VETERAN who shows up and requests it,
a box of food. Good food. They don’t ask how much your income is, what branch
you were in, or were you deployed overseas. Just ONE question: How many people
are in your household?
Alabama Veteran isn’t a VSO, but EVERY veteran is welcome to
come to their events for camaraderie, and they don’t care how old you are, or
what your gender or race is. They don't care what your income is. They have a large, statewide database. If you are a
veteran who needs a job, they will reach out to their database and try to find you
something to do. If you just are homebound, ask them and they will usually find
someone to just come visit you and talk. If you aren’t homebound, they will
invite you to their gatherings. Just come and be with other veterans. No
membership fee. No conditions.
If the flag on your front porch is ragged and too high for you
to reach to change it, ask them. They will usually find someone who will come out to
change it for you. If you are a 90 year
old veteran and can no longer walk behind your lawn mower, they will probably
find someone who will come out to cut your grass. They are not bound by rules about who is or
isn’t a member, who served where or for how long, or what branch.
Their
Facebook page always has veterans events, job fairs, etc. listed. And it is
current. Alabama Veteran is REALLY and TRULY “Veterans Helping Veterans”!
Rant over, until something else sets me off.
