Heroes All

It has been over five years since the VA announced the closure of the Hot Springs VA. It was a puzzlement to many since our VA was rated one of the best in the country for servicing our veterans. During this time many services have been cut, including loss of doctors and other professional medical staff.

The community came together to save our VA, writing letters, making posters and signs, contacting our legistators and marching through town up to the VA. A committee was formed called Save Our VA. Some of the members went to Washington to meet with the head of the VA.

In spite of the rallying of the citizens and the South Dakota congressional representatives, things looked grim as more services were lost or sent to Fort Meade hospital. As time went on most of us slacked off, some discouraged, some busy with daily lives.

But during these years the people on Save Our VA have contnued to meet weekly, planning and working and speaking for our veterans. They had not lost hope. At long last there is light at the end of this gray winter. Much as the flowers have blossomed in purple, orange, lilac and white with the advent of another Spring, the announcement came from Washington that our VA would be put on hold while all the VA facilites are ranked nationwide.The best news is that our VA will be re-evaluated among all the others and we are a five-star facility, superior in every way.

There is hope, and all the members of Save Our VA are my heroes, deserving appreciation for their continual battle to do the best for the veterans using our VA.

The flowers slept through the long, bitter winter, but they have not died and have returned, ever a sign of hope.

Thanks to all of those on Save our VA who have not slept through the past six winters, but have struggled on so our town and VA can blossom once again.

Standing Proud

And so Secretary McDonald has come and gone. He gave our community an hour of his time. He listened intently and responded to comments from residents, veterans, the head ranger from Wind Cave National Park, the National Historic Preservation Trust, former employees of our VA and veterans presently using our domiciliary.

Once again, on a blustery, raw day in the southern Black Hills, a community gathered to support our veterans and our local VA. They came from nearby Nebraska, protesting the possible closure of the best of the best of the VA facilities. One veteran told how he had gone to VA after VA seeking help for his cocaine addiction. He continued his use, often being supplied by dealers standing outside of the VA hospital. He came to this VA 8 months ago and stated with conviction, "This VA saved my life. I will always be an addict, but I am not using."

Voices told similar stories of hope and recovery in this accepting, quiet small town atmosphere of Hot Springs, SD. Several repeated that this VA should be a centerpiece for all of the VA hospitals. It should be restored to its former self and enhanced for all of the veterans, past and present coming from Iraq, Afghanistan and the continual war with ISIS.

Not all who stood patiently wating for a turn to comment had the opportunity to speak. Secretary McDonald was on a schedule and he kept to it strictly. The time was all too short for the auditorium filled to overflowing with hopeful veterans and citizens supporting them. But I, for one, was proud of our small, but passionate and dedicated community. They spoke with conviction and hope. I was filled with tears and gratitude for being a member of this small town in the Black Hills of South Dakota. We stand together against the powers that be in Washington....for our town and for our veterans, past, present and future.

Secretary McDonald has 30 days to make his decision. We can only wait and hope and be united in our gratitude.

Last, Last Chance

Our extension to send our comments to the EIS is ending on May 5th. Today several of us volunteers worked the crowd at the Mueller Center who were there for the Spring Fling. It was exciting to get so many comments from those who want to Save our VA in Hot Springs. It was surprising how many had simply forgotten to do it during these past 4 months.

"I meant to do it but I got busy. I'll do it now." or,

"I won't sign a sheet. It will do no good. The government will not listen to us. They have made up their minds." or,

"My father is a 60 year veteran and they will not care for him at our VA since he has too much money. Funny, our guys in Congress get full health care and pensions for life. All we veterans are asking for is health care from a VA." or,

"Congress wants to send us to Syria or Iraq or Afghanistan, but they do not want to give us health benefits when we return. I know that we save the taxpayers money by having the VA hospitals, but they want us to go to regular hospitals that will cost more. What gives?" or,

"Our retired veterans at the State Veterans Home were put on Medicare so they can receive medical help at Rapid City Regional or the Hot Springs hospital. Who will pay the other 20%?" or,

"If those guys in Congress had served in the military, things would be different." or

"If our representatives had the same health care as we have....."

Oh, yes, this is our last chance. Will they listen? Maybe they will, maybe they won't, but, at the end of the day, whatever happens, I know I did all I could for our veterans, present and future.

As happens with change, for better or worse, we will live through it if our community loses more residents, if our veterans lose heart, we will survive. Well, at least most of us will. There will be those veterans who commit suicide and some of those could have been helped at our VA, one of the best in the USA for helping veterans who suffer emotional issues. There will be more homeless veterans who could not make the adjustment. There will also be those who mismanage their prescriptions because psychiatric help is less available. Their pain and overuse of prescription drugs will not end well for them. This has already happened in our small community, most likely connected to the many cuts that have occurred over the past years.

I can't help but wonder. How many of those in Congress, who are supposed to represent us, will suffer the same fate? If they do get depressed, suffer from PTSD, brain trauma or drug abuse, the most superior health care is available for them. They did serve and they get it all.

All our veterans ask is for health care in a system that understand their needs. What is wrong with this picture? What happened to "If they send them, they should mend them?"

Now, all we can do is to wait. Wait for a decision from Washington. Some of us are looking at alternative use for our VA. My hope is that it will not come to that. But now the fight is nearing an end and we will wait, and hope and wish for wisdom from those who make the decisions from afar.

One More Square Checked Off

So there was a meeting at our VA from someone in Washington. We were thrown a bone. We got an extra 30 day extension to submit our comments to the EIS, refuting their findings and stating why we wanted our VA to remain in Hot Springs.

Some believe it is a hopeful sign, others say it is a political move, and we know what that means.

Either way, after all of these years since they first announced the closure of our VA, we are still open. Smaller, to be sure, with the slow bleeding of services and staff, but we are here. We are still fighting the bureaucracy, for our veterans and for our town. After all, we are the Veteran's Town.

At the end of the battle, whatever the outcome, I want to be able to say, "I fought the battle. I did all that I could do." And, in the end, what more can anyone say?

The Fight is Not Over

Today there is hope. I have found out that the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) made public last week by the VA used flawed data to come to its conclusion that our VA should close and our Save the VA committee in Hot Springs intends to fight their recommendations and they believe that they can win. Here are the feelings and views of some of our veterans:

"He's excited about taking on the VA lies through the court system and through public displays of solidarity among veterans and in communities like Hot Springs."

"Ackerman intends to take the VA on. He says they are such an easy target now that its like playing chess with a person who offers you checkmate in just two moves."

"We can win, unless we give up.....and we're going to win. They made it too easy with their lies. We're going to fight."

"I want to remind people that there's been no decision made and we need to stay engaged in this fight. We have 60 days to make comments about the EIS. It's not over till it's over."

These comment are from our veterans in Hot Springs. There is passion behind this battle, filled with fury and disappointment and sadness and mistrust. There are also many behind this battle for and by the veterans, from our local politicians and citizens to our national American Legion.

With such passion and concern for our veterans I believe that the battle is not yet over. My anger and sadness has once again turned to hope. For now I will trust in the Davids against Goliath.

It is back to the battle. Keep tuned in.

Goodbye to our VA

"The government stinks", wrote someone on face book. There may be many more citizens who feel this way. Certainly in Hot Springs today many wonder, "How can our government send our young men and women to fight overseas and then not take care of them on their return to civilian life?"

We are told by many veterans that our VA is one of the best in the country for treating veterans with PTSD, brain trauma, substance abuse and other emotional issues common to those who have seen the horrors of battle. And yet, the EIS study returned their verdict to close our VA and open a clinic in Rapid City, an hour to the north. They admit it will not save the taxpayers money, but that it will better service our veterans. Really? Ask a veteran who has received help at our VA and first tried a program at other facilities. They will let you know that Hot Springs has the best of the best treatment programs, and for an added bonus it is situated in a healing rural area, conducive to less outside stresses common in the larger cities.

Ask a resident of Hot Springs. They will tell you that losing our VA will affect the entire community. Businesses will lose customers, rentals will diminish, class size in the schools will shrink, jobs will be lost and the area will struggle to regain its dignity and identity.

We have been the Veterans Town for over 100 years. We will still have the State Home for retired veterans, but the larger, more glorious structure on the hill will lose its young, vital returning soldiers along with the many doctors, nurses, kitchen, custodial and auxiliary help.

The really sad part of this story is that none of this was necessary. None of this had to happen and none of it would have but for the stupidity and arrogance of those in Washington. It angers me and saddens me. Our town has fought long and hard for the rights of our veterans. It was on the front line of this battle to save our VA. We cared, we hoped, we tried. We talked often with our veterans during and after their treatment. We sat with them in the steam room and sauna at our mineral water facility down the hill from the VA. We heard their stories, we felt for them and worried with them about their return to society.

We wrote letters, we had meetings, we picketed and protested.

We met with our state representatives. But mainly we cared. We cared for our returning soldiers and the future of our country. We will continue to care. If there is more that we can do, we will.

At this time as I write these words I feel pain and deep sorrow. This is the end of my blog for today.

And They Still Want to Close Our VA!

SEPTEMBER IS SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH_

(From the Military Order of the Purple Heart)

According to a recent article in The Huffington Post, "A tragic milestone was reached last year, when 185 active-duty Army soldiers died by suicide, surpassing the 176 soldiers killed in battle in Afghanistan that year. The Army's annual death toll from suicide has more than tripled since 2001, when 52 active-duty soldiers took their own lives."

This tragic epidemic reflects severe strains on military personnel burdened with more than a decade of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, complicated by anxiety over the current prospect of being forced out of a shrinking force.

 This news comes at a time when the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have mounted an aggressive series of suicide prevention campaigns and offer a wide range of resources to help active duty military, veterans, and their families cope with the pressures of military service. Despite these efforts, the Defense Department's own Suicide Prevention Office predicts "increasing suicide rates, despite over _900_ prevention programs."

 In June 2015, thanks in part to intense lobbying by a coalition of Veteran Service Organizations that included the MOPH, the US Congress passed landmark legislation to address military and veteran related suicides. The $22 Million, "_Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act_" calls for independent evaluations of all mental health-care and suicide-prevention programs in the VA and Department of Defense. A part of this Act requires an annual evaluation to determine the effectiveness of VA suicide prevention programs and the establishment of new veteran peer support programs. It also called for the creation of a new website, now available at:

www.mentalhealth.va.gov, [2] to better explain what mental health resources are available to veterans.

 The Suicide Prevention Act was named for Marine Cpl. Clay Hunt, a 28 year old, combat wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veteran who committed suicide in 2011. After leaving the Marine Corps, he struggled with depression, panic attacks and post-traumatic stress, despite dedicating himself to veterans' advocacy and humanitarian work. After his death, family and friends said he had been battling the Department of Veterans Affairs to get his disability rating upgraded from 30 percent, as well as struggling with unemployment and a marriage that was unraveling.

Cpl. Hunt's case is often cited as an example of the problems within the VA.

He told his Mother in March 2011 that he would not go back to the VA because dealing with them was just too stressful. Two weeks later, he locked himself in his apartment, and committed suicide.

 Military leaders say that some programs appear to be working, but it's too soon to declare success in the battle against suicides. Most importantly, the cultural mindset has changed -- it's now OK for a sailor, a soldier, an airman, or a Marine to come forward and ask for help, thus giving hope that prevention programs and increased efforts to identify troops at risk may be taking hold after several years of escalating suicides. At the same time, the suicide rates of female military veterans have been called "staggering." According to a recent Los Angeles Times article, "Research shows that female military veterans commit suicide at nearly six times the rate of other women. Though suicide has become a major issue for the military over the last decade, most of the research has focused on men and little is known about female veteran suicides." According to VA research data collected over the past

11 years, it is the younger female veterans, aged 18 to 29, that kill themselves at nearly 12 times the rate of non-veterans.

 In sum, these are our brothers and sisters in arms, and we need to care, reach out and give assistance. If you see, or know of someone in crisis, "step-up and step-in!" Learn to recognize the signs of depression and helplessness and know where to look for the resources needed to help.

There is no reason why a service member or a veteran should ever feel that they are alone, or worse-that there is no reason to go on living.

 _You Can Make A Difference._

Bloggers note:
I am publishing this article in today's blog and wonder each time I read statistics such as these why the government is still trying to close down our VA which has one of the best programs in its Domiciliary for PTSD, substance abuse, brain trauma and other emotional issues common to veterans.

Well, VA Police?????

LET ME OUT! 

Readers of previous blogs will know that I tried twice to get the VA police to arrest me. I crossed the picket line to enter the VA property bearing signs that were a witness to the treachery of the federal government against our veterans who served our country and were promised health care when they needed it. If you want to know of all the promises they broke, you can check past blogs. My last book, Reveille in Hot Springs: the Battle to Save our VA is also a testimonial to the deceptions of our government who sent them, but would not mend them.

If you care about what they are doing to our veterans, you can also check out www.theveteranstown.com.

Many of us, veterans and non-veterans are still fighting to save our VA in Hot Springs, a community that helps in the healing of veterans suffering from PTSD or other emotional issues. It is the same old story of David vs Goliath. This time the ending may be different.

So my husband, Bob, locked me in our very old historical jail in downtown Hot Springs. "You are locked up for trespassing on federal property", he scolded me. "You are siding with the veterans against big government."

Very funny, Bob. Is it really a joke? Sadly, in truth, veterans are losing something they hold dear and this blogger cannot even get arrested to get some media attention to our cause. Of course not. I am not a veteran and I was told that I am "too high maintenance. The VA cannot afford to lock me up!"

What I do know is that the federal government cannot afford to cut services for our veterans. In the long run they are going to regret what they are doing today, someday.

Someday may not be during my lifetime, but someday will arrive.....someday.

(Photo courtesy of Tom Gulbranson)

We Know Where You Live!

Another try. Now was the time to picket the main entrance to the hospital. One police officer stopped by, greeted the veteran walking with me, and disappeared into the hospital, never to be seen again.

"Mary, I have to leave now," said the veteran who had been by my side for almost an hour.

"Okay, I will keep on picketing."

The veteran was just driving off when the police truck drove up and two VA police officers got out.

"You know you are on federal property", said the male officer. "Where is your ID?"

I remained silent. The female officer said, "It doesn't matter. We know who she is and we know where she lives."

"Well, continued the male officer, "We can fine you and arrest you if you don't leave."

Then he took a photo of the photographer who was taking pictures of this encounter.

Soon after he left, went into the hospital, never to be seen again, and left the young female officer to deal with me. She took away my sign. I looked around and not seeing my photographer, and missing my poster, I decided to accompany the female down to the entrance of the VA where I could retrieve my sign, remain on the federal property and wait to be arrested. My photographer drove up. It turns out that he had not left me, but had circled around to get more shots and was out of my view.

The female officer told me that the officer who had her photo taken with me before had got into trouble. "I don't want to lose my job," she said, "I have children to support and I know that I am being photographed."

"Well, you will lose it anyway if the VA closes," said I. "Go back up the hill and bring your boss back who threatened me with a fine and jail. I will be here, sitting on federal property."

She, too, disappeared, never to be seen again. I suppose the VA police, who are all veterans and are sympathetic to the plight of veterans, are simply following their orders. Those orders must be to avoid negative press at all costs. At least that is how it appears. They threaten and then fade out of sight.

Meanwhile, the national media ignore our battle in this fly-over-zone, and our VA continues to dwindle. The cuts are continuous and ruthless. The minds of the VA administration seem to be made up and that thought does not include the best interest of veterans or taxpayers.

Go figure!




Photo courtesy of William Ing

Vets, locals says VA leaders aren't being honest about closure

Vets, locals says VA leaders aren't being honest about closure

Stop the Lies!

Over 100 strong, we marched and rode up to the entrance to our VA. The rain did not deter us. We chanted, ""Keep the promise and stop the lies!" We were united in our cause to save our VA., veterans, spouses and ordinary residents of Hot Springs. We carried signs as we marched up to the entrance.


We were instructed that we could not cross onto VA grounds during our rally. We stopped at the entrance to listen to speeches and chant some more. The TV cameras from Rapid City were there, covering our anger, frustration and sadness over the broken promises and lies to our veterans.


We had tried for several years to gain national media for our cause. We did manage a national story in the American Legion magazine, but most media did not think our cause carried enough notoriety for their attention. On the other hand I did receive a phone call from a reporter from the Associated Press. If he covers us we will get national media. He had read my book about our battle, Reveille in Hot Springs: The Battle to Save Our VA, and wanted some connections to veterans who had stories in the book. Unfortunately he did not show up for our rally, but he did contact the Save Our VA committee and may still give us some coverage.


I had nothing to lose, being an older, retired woman and a non-veteran, so I crossed the line. I walked until a VA police car stopped me and told me to retreat. "But I want you to arrest me," I told her. "I will not arrest you", she insisted and escorted me back to the line off of VA property.


I really wanted to get some national media. After she left I walked back onto VA property and continued to walk. Veterans followed behind. They realized they, too, would not be arrested. If they were jailed they had more to lose than I. They used the VA for their medical care. But signs held high, they walked with me up to the headquarters at the front entrance of the Dom. We were united in our cause to support all veterans. I could feel the bond among us.


We did get great local coverage. If you have facebook you can check it out. We can also go to www.theveteranstown.com and click on the facebook for powerful photos.


So far we have not received national press. What we did get was a feeling of pride - pride for our veterans, for our town and for ourselves. We stood together, and those of you who remember the sixties will remember, "We shall overcome."


Our battle continues. Stay tuned!

Hope Springs....

Our community has gathered once again to make signs in preparation for a rally and possible picketing at our VA. It feels like David vs. Goliath. Will we save our VA? Time will tell, but for now HERE IS THE GOOD NEWS! I have included a letter from one of the leaders for Save Our VA, together with the press release from Washington. I cannot say it better. For those of my readers who have followed our battle and/or read my book, Reveille in Hot Springs: The Battle to Save our VA, join me in celebrating a victory for David (Hot Springs). If the Senate passes this, along with the president, we are looking good, and so are our veterans.

All,

Once again our Congressional leaders, this time Rep Noem has stood up for Hot Springs VA and the Veterans who use our facility. It is important for all of you to realize, they are doing this because it is the right thing to do.

Rep Noem, Sen Thune, and  Sen Rounds have all visited our facility, and examined the information (lies) the VA has presented and the counter information (truths) the Save the VA committee has presented. They realize most of the Veterans who use the facility come from a impoverished area and out of our State, but they continue to fight for what is right.

Every time I begin to lose faith in the system and our great countries leadership, someone steps up and proves the battle is worth fighting.

Please take a moment of you time and thank Representative Kristi Noem  for her efforts. It can’t be easy fighting for so many and being a State with only one member in the House of Representatives.  

Don The Veteran

Subject: Noem Press Release: Noem Effort to Bar VA from Ending Hospital-Based Services at Hot Springs VA Hospital Passes House
 

Home | About | News | Contact For Immediate Release April 29, 2015                                                                                               Contact: 202.225.2801 Noem Effort to Bar VA from Ending Services at Facilities Like the Hot Springs VA Hospital Passes House Washington, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives tonight passed legislation that included a provision authored by Rep. Kristi Noem that would prevent the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from ending or limiting hospital-based services at facilities like the Hot Springs VA Hospital. Specifically, the amendment would bar the VA from ending, suspending, or relocating hospital-based services at a health care facility that is undergoing an Environmental Impact Statement, is designated as a National Historic Landmark, and is located in a highly rural area.  The Hot Springs VA facility meets all of those criteria. “There is a reason Hot Springs is called ‘The Veterans Town’ and I’m not going to stop fighting on their behalf,” said Noem.  “The VA Hospital in Hot Springs has long provided critical care to South Dakota veterans. My amendment which was approved in the VA appropriations bill is pretty simple: it would prohibit the VA from spending money to shut down or limit services for rural veterans, including those who are treated in Hot Springs.”  Noem’s amendment was approved as part of the FY 2016 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill, which passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 255-163.  Noem has been fighting for years to save the Hot Springs VA hospital from closure. Last summer she brought House Veterans Affairs Chairman Jeff Miller to Hot Springs to hold a field hearing which helped highlight discrepancies in data that has been used by the VA as they have worked on their proposal to close the hospital. Earlier this year, Noem joined Sens. John Thune and Mike Rounds in urging the VA secretary to remove plans to close the Hot Springs hospital from President Obama’s budget request.  ###

"Death by a Thousand Cuts"

Our VA continues to dwindle. The cutting continues while ads on TV state that the government cares. "Please call. Get help, etc., etc."

Let me count the ways.....We had 7 primary physicians in 1998, while today we have 2, soon to be zero, zilch, Nada. One is retiring and one is being forced out. Neither will be replaced. In the past we had 17 pharmacists. Today, far less. We had 3 psychiatrists. Today we have none. Is it any wonder that veterans kill themselves from lack of proper monitoring of their drug usage?

For over 100 years we have housed the South Dakota State Veterans Home for retired veterans. Today they are improving it so our veterans can live out their years in the peaceful serenity of the southern Black Hills. One advantage for our veterans was the use of our VA across the town for most of their medical needs. Now these veterans are told that they can no longer have use of the VA hospital since they no longer have the personnel to service them. Of course, they don't have the staff since they have been making cuts for the past years.

The VA made many promises they continue to un-make. One of their promises was to keep the VA at full capacity until after the EIS study was complete. It is not completed but they continue to deplete the resources.

Promise after promise is ignored, while they continue to make the cuts. Our veterans have to travel further and further to receive medical care. Oh, yes, the VA said they could receive help at our local hospital. We are all aware about that decision. Some veterans will go there with costs to the hospital that they will not be able to absorb. The VA can treat for less cost. Eventually the local guys will have to refuse the veterans without private insurance or Medicare/Medicaid because they will not be able to afford their care. In addition, most of our veterans do not wish to go to a non-VA hospital.

Let me get this straight.....our men and women served our country with one of the benefits being life-time health care. Okay, the government says they will continue to honor that promise in large city VA facilities, or in the regular community hospitals. Our veterans from rural areas do not wish to, or cannot  travel to the cities and they do not wish to go to public hospitals, or, in the long run, will not be able to go to them without private insurance.

The rural VA hospitals will continue to vanish, along with the hopes and trust of our veterans. The future is grim for those who served. There are more of us than just the veterans who are losing hope in our VA administration with their distorted data and a stream of broken promises.

Some say that our community is made up of more than 50% veterans. Many moved here because of this extraordinary VA. Many live here because they work at this VA. As cuts are made, more people move away to follow the jobs. Where will the veterans who live here and shun the large cities make their homes?

Does anyone in power in Washington really care? It is long past time for wondering.

Once Again, Ho, Hum and Betrayal

Another town hall meeting from the VA. The head honchos, Steve DiStasio and Janet Murphy, director of VISN 23, conducted the meeting. It is all supposed to be about listening to veterans and their concerns and answering their questions. Well, no surprise to those of us who have been at previous such meetings, most questions were dodged or brought refusals to answer.

The National Historic Preservation Trust is opposed to the closure of our VA, as well as all of our representatives in Washington from four of our states, the veterans who use this facility, the taxpayers, and we townspeople who are part of this veteran' town.

On the other side, in favor of closure of the highest quality health care VA, are the few, the closed-minded and the self-seeking. Frustrating? Perhaps a veteran who emails me on a regular basis has expressed himself better than I, in the following email I received from him after the meeting yesterday that he did not attend:

I thought that it would be more redundant as most stories are the same and they all seem to fall on deaf ears. I simply couldn't take any more of the rhetoric from DiStasio without getting more agitated than I already am. After the comments I made last meeting the residual effects stayed with me for several days.

It is so hard for many of our veterans to stay calm when faced with all that is going on. When comments are made to turn our VAMC into storage units, it is nearly impossible to keep out PTSD symptoms in check. We (veterans) have found peace of mind here (in Hot Springs) and now the VA is going to take that away. Once again we feel betrayed and abandoned.

What are they doing to those who served? Will other young citizens enlist when they realize how they will be betrayed by the government they might serve? Will taxpayers revolt when they discover the insult to them?

I don't have answers to the questions at this time. I can only surmise. What I do know is that the veteran who sent me this email this morning has expressed his feelings, feelings shared by many veterans, and his words speak volumes and more eloquently than anything I could ever say.

A Slammed Door

We sat in the over-crowded room expecting little and receiving zilch. A federal agency working on an environmental assessment for our historic VA, receiving reimbursement from the VA that is trying to close us, well, what did we expect? Of course the bias was in favor of closure of our VA. The meeting was tightly controlled by the woman from the EIS. We were upset, but being told in advance that we could not make any comments or ask questions, we sat tight. Well, most of us did.

When a few tried to speak up, they were told to sit down, with the exception of a representative from the VA who was allowed to respond. As the meeting progressed, anger mounted. Finally, when one on the committee was interrupted by the dictatorial leader of the meeting,  a member of the audience stood up and shouted "Don't interrupt him, this is (fu,,,,) ridiculous! He stormed out and slammed the door, carrying much of the rage and futility of the rest of us observers with him.

As a friend wrote me after he finished reading my book, Reveille in Hot Springs, "I can see why the powers that are prefer not to put a human face on this closing of your VA. Most of the stories dealing with PTSD, and alcohol/substance abuse, not to mention injuries, well, what can you say? It really is never actually about the individual, but it's all about numbers when it comes to bureaucracies."

Ah, yes, the federal government will not, or can not look upon individual veterans. They can manipulate numbers easily and these numbers, in our case, have been distorted and corrupted. Feelings? Well, how can a large agency deal with them? Stories, pleas, hopes and requests? Well, they can make the bureaucrats uncomfortable. It seems simpler to crunch numbers and slip them into slots that fit easily into "their plan".

What about the veterans and their families? What about the taxpayers that will have to foot the bill for a more expensive alternative? Just who do these people represent? Not the veterans, not the taxpayers.

It is ironic when you think about it. We, the taxpayers pay their salaries. We, and the veterans who served them, do not seem to count. The story is not complete and the battle goes on. Stay tuned for further developments.

A Double Hitter for our Veterans

For almost three years we citizens and veterans from Hot Springs, along with those who use our VA from the Indian reservations and other states, have been fighting to get our message out to the decision makers in Washington: "we need to save our rural VA to serve the veterans from past and present conflicts who do not want to receive their care from other facilities."

Our struggle has been largely ignored by the Veteran's Affairs in Washington, in spite of the fact that we had a delegation from Hot Springs, along with our representatives from SD, who travelled to make a face-to-face case for our cause with the then Secretary Shinseki.

Since the huge scandal erupted at the Phoenix VA things have changed. First of all Secretary Shinseki and his right-hand man, Petzel, have resigned. Then this past week the Black Hill's director of our VA, Steve DiStasio, announced his retirement. This announcement was met with rejoicing by many veterans who have been troubled, to say the least, by the ruthless cuts Mr. DiStasio has made to our VA, with his ultimate goal of closure, leaving only a clinic to service the needs of the veterans in the area.

To add frosting to the cake of this latest hopeful announcement, our present Secretary McDonald of the Veterans Affairs in Washington was quoted as saying, "I have been asked why doesn't the VA just hand out vouchers allowing veterans to get care wherever they want? I learned that veterans need the VA."

Yes, yes, yes! This is what we have been saying all along. Do not cut us or other VA facilities. Improve them, but don't erase them. Veterans cannot receive the unique care they need at other hospitals. They have served their country and all they ask in return is continued health care from personnel trained to serve veterans. Our country owes them no less.

Finally we see signs of hope for our veterans and the VA facilities that treat them. This has been a long, and sometimes futile-feeling battle. But with the departures of those in charge who did not feel what many veterans feel, and with the winds of possibilities blowing our way, hope is renewed.

For all of those who have continued to work for our goal, and for all of the veterans who gave their stories for the book, Reveille in Hot Springs, I send my very best wishes and gratitude. The road to victory lies before all of you and all of the veterans still to come.