Reveille in Hot Springs

About the Book

On December 12, 2011, the VA administration from the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN 23) announced at a public meeting that they were going to close the Hot Springs VA. The shock of this announcement reverberated throughout the small community of Hot Springs, SD, the veterans who resided in the community and all of the veterans in the adjoining states of western Nebraska, Eastern Wyoming and the Pine Ridge Indian reservation.

This VA, with a reputation for being one of the finest facilities for treating veterans with PTSD, substance abuse, Agent Orange and other emotional issues common to veterans, and having served all veterans with physical and emotional ailments since the Civil War from all parts of the United States, was on the cut list, along with other rural VA hospitals throughout the country.

Hot Springs veterans and citizens, together with veterans from the adjoining reservation quickly rallied, formed committees to fight this proposed closure and came up with a counter proposal that was beneficial to veterans and cost-saving to all the tax payers in the country. The members of committees wrote letters to state and federal officials, set up a web site, made signs, filed petitions and organized a protest march up to the VA.

On December 25, 2011, I was approached by a committee member and asked to take testimonials from veterans who used the VA and wanted it to remain in this peaceful, rural setting in the southern Black Hills of South Dakota. Veterans felt betrayed by the government that they had served and did not want to travel to large cities for their care where they would be treated like a number instead of as a veteran and a person known by name. They also did not want to be treated in non-VA hospitals in which personnel were not trained in veteran issues.

I began the interviews in January, 2012 as my contribution to the community. Within a few weeks I was committed to the cause of the veterans and was determined to publish their stories in a book that would be read by many Americans and not just the politicians in Washington, who probably would never read the testimonials anyway.

I was honored and humbled to be brought into the world of veterans who had served their country in peacetime and from WWII through the present conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was difficult for most of them; many had never shared their stories with anyone, not even those closest to them. Although some struggled, others never returned to edit their stories (and those remain unpublished). All shared how they had served their country, how they loved this VA and wanted it to remain for them and future generations. They had served proudly, given up prime years of their lives without a choice but to say, “yes, sir, no, sir” and follow orders.

Now they are fighting another battle. This time they are struggling against those who once accepted their service but are now denying them healing and the best health care that they deserve.

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Reviews

"Mary Goulet, in capturing remarkable life stories of men and women who stood up for America through military service, will hopefully open some eyes. The veterans, representing the eras of World War II through Afghanistan, returned to civilian life with physical wounds and emotional difficulties, plus ailments most of us acquire with advancing age. they found they could best regain and retain their health in a rural setting, at Hot Springs in South Dakota's Black Hills. Perhaps this book will inspire others to stand up for them just as they did for all of us. At the very least we owe it to them to read their stories, with common themes of courage, endurance, and triumph." - Paul Higbee 2001 SD Author of the Year, Contributing Editor for South Dakota Magazine

“…..Certainly should be required reading for anyone planning for change to any Veterans’ facility, particularly one as long-established as the one at Hot Springs.” - By Tom King

“Once I started reading it I just couldn’t put it down. Each story was rich, concise and earthy. A tapestry of America’s diversity of veterans served by and helped by the Hot Springs VA…..” - By Richard J. Dostal

“……It is a must read for anyone who cares about veterans.” - By Margaret A. Sanders

“Mary Ellen Goulet’s book, Reveille in Hot Springs is a compelling hard-to-put-down look at the lives of many different individuals who share two common threads: that they served in the military, and they all want to save and protect the over 100-year-old Battle Mountain Sanitarium, a National Historic Landmark located in Hot Springs, SD……” - By Justin Gausman

“This is a community trying to change the United States and bring down a bad decision by a government agency. Stories of warriors who have kept our country free.” - By DA

“…..Thanks to all veterans for your service, and thanks to this author for bridging the gap between these special people and me.” - By Stu Marty

“The portrait that Mary Goulet paints of our Native American veterans provides a much-needed glimpse of their life experiences. This book provides an opportunity for people to learn of the struggles and successes that our heroes have had throughout life and is vital reading for all who care about this country.” - By Brandon Ecoffey

"Reveille in Hot Springs is a compelling read from cover to cover, culled from a year and a half of taking testimonials from veterans who have been treated at the Hot Springs VA. The original testimonials were sent to Washington, D.C. along with Save the VA’s counter-proposal and this book represents only a sampling of the thousands of men & women who served our country. From WWII to OIF/OEF, the voices of the veterans echo one sentiment: Protect our VA." - by Kirkus Reviews

Kirkus Reviews called Reveille in Hot Springs an “infuriating, stinging rebuke to politicians who leave returning soldiers to their own devices” and that “Readers may come away from this collection believing that the government should be cloning it [the Hot Springs VA] in every state.”