The March of
The Bonus Army
2006
A PBS special about the betrayal of another generation's troops
A member of Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) recently visited Tom Tancredo's office. Tancredo is a member of the House of Representatives from Colorado. He's well known as wanting to shut the borders to all "illegals", wanting to bomb mosques of "Islamic terrorists" and making attacks of racial nature on many other groups. Even the Neo-conservatives disown him.
The MFSO mom wrote an email to a group of us describing the cavalier and insulting behaviors of Tancredo and his staff toward a small group of moms wanting to know how the Congressman would vote on funding the Iraq war.
Being a veteran and a frequent visitor to Congressional offices in the earlier years of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I could understand the frustration of the mom.
So, I wrote her back and upon reading and editing the email think it might qualify as almost decent. And I'll put it on my blog just to record some of my feelings about the "support the troops" issue
G,
I'm sorry your experience at the office was what it was but really not all that surprised. I've been to Tancredo's office twice in the past and met much the same attitude and frankly, ignorance.
I vividly recall trying to explain depleted uranium to his top aide here in Denver. First, he didn't know what it was. When I gave him the simplified "dummies" explanation of DU, he denied the U.S. would use such weaponry. His quote was "we don't use chemical weapons".
I also remember seeing photos of Tancredo dressed in Air Force flight suit and with astronauts amidst the American flag and wanted to break the case to remove the stuff. He's a wannabe that's never served in the military or faced what he'd ask eighteen year old kids to face.
His "service" in Congress is a career highlighted by racist attitudes, fascist beliefs and the backing of fanatical right wingers such as the Minute-Men. Put sheets on them and they would fit right in with the Klan.
Of course his intolerance knows no limits as he would bomb mosques and lock away any male of Arabic or Hispanic heritage. Unless the Mexican nationals will do his basement cheaper than union or non-union labor here in the U.S.. There have to be exceptions made.
But a young kid with a 4.0 GPA at an inner city school with a Mexican mother and father should never be allowed such a break as college tuition. We can't make exceptions after all.
My first visit to Salazar's office wasn't much better. He was over 30 minutes late. Rather than listen to the group led by C... B..., who is about the most mellow person in the world, Salazar interrupted and told the group it was "his meeting and we'll talk about what I say".
Luckily, I decided to leave before that occurred due to another obligation. I happened to meet Salazar just as he walked in. His anxious aide, who was furious I'd dare walk out on the meeting, introduced me to the Senator.
Salazar gave me the weak handshake famous of politicians and talked to me like I was his friend. I casually told him I couldn't wait due to a more important obligation and walked away from him and his slimy aide.
When I visited Allard's office a few years ago, his aides attempted to seal off the building as being private property and not allow us in to see "our" U.S. Senator. Some college students did a die in at the office which shocked the staff because they used an air raid siren to simulate the noise of a bombing in Iraq.
Allard's top aide, a middle-aged black male, started yelling for the local sheriff's in attendance to arrest all of us. The sheriff refused. He must have read the Constitution.
At another visit, the same aide refused to allow reporters into the office with the small group we had. I got into an argument with him over the rights of the press to be there because the mainstream press people were so passive and willing to give away their rights.
The aide made the mistake of telling me kids were over in Iraq protecting the freedom of Americans to have free speech. I played my own vet card and told him the kids in Iraq were being used as cannon fodder just as we'd been in Vietnam.
The aide became infuriated and asked me to leave. I reminded him that he'd said troops were in Iraq to protect freedom of speech so why would he want someone with differing views tossed from the office of a U.S. Senator. The press in the hall loved it.
What I finally came to realize, and have told many in the local "peace movement", is visiting these whores of Congress is largely a wasted energy unless we have a mass movement or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
What you saw in the Tancredo office is unfortunately the norm. Even in offices like Perlmutter's there will be a feigned interest and patting of our heads to assure us the congress person will do "the right thing".
Then follow what happens after your visit. They will consistently vote with the herd and never take a moral stand unless they are sure it plays well in the polling. They will give greater consideration to special interests than the individual citizens they represent.
Keep in mind Salazar voted for Alberto Gonzales, who interprets U.S. law being amenable to torture. Salazar felt it was more important a person of Latino heritage hold such a high position. Yeah, like having Condi as Secretary of State is such a boon for the black community.
I guess you see why I was hesitant to attend the visits this time around. I really did feel I would have a very difficult time tolerating the patronizing and lying.
There's a very wise veteran, Stan Goff, who talks about the peace movement placing far too much emphasis on the electoral process versus building a grassroots movement of diversity that will actually force a political change.
I agree with Stan because the election of Democrats will in the end be nothing but window dressing and non-binding resolutions while the American government will continue to feed the military industrial complex and turn away the poor, the elderly and those most in need.
And children from middle class and lower middle class communities will continue to believe the lie of the American dream. They will come from small town America where jobs are scarce and life deadly boring and predictable for the young. They will come from the inner city where there are few escapes except prison or the military. They will think joining the military is an act of patriotism and honor only to be dishonored by the very institution they place such faith in.
And when they return, they will join the millions of other veterans from all generations in realizing they were abused and used only to be tossed aside as we toss aside the wrappers of fast food sandwiches. They are disposable.
The benefits and the honor they should receive will turn into a constant struggle against a system bent on denying them services and accusing them of being deadbeats and malingerers. The very government that extols their willingness to serve will trot out "experts" to refute there is any problem with PTSD or depleted uranium just as they did with mustard gas and agent orange.
I wish I could paint a better picture but I have come to realize from history and from my own experiences the American veteran is a pawn and will always be a footnote when it becomes time for Americans to honor the contract between vet and country.
I clearly see once again in my pursuit of getting the word out about PTSD very few want to hear the message. They want to hear the war stories of our young men and women or the words of intellectuals and "experts" on the current part of the world we've thrown into crisis by our actions but they really don't want to be reminded of the costs of the wars.
I've seen young vets trotted out to be showcased as victims and heroes by both the neo-cons and the peace movement but neither side really gives a damn when it comes time to put up in caring for them.
Both sides are in competition to claim they support the troops more than the other but neither side really wants to hear about the drastic costs to the young men and women sacrificed to the deadly war machine that seems to never end.
I've met constant resistance from every quarter in trying to just present the basic facts about PTSD. I've had peace activists tell me it wasn't appealing to an audience and instead we should have a panel of vets to discuss their experiences. But not the aftermath.
I've seen the VA say they have it covered but obviously they don't. The medical care arm of the military (Tri-care) resents any attempt to assist or help in bringing information or care to the active duty troop. The local mental health centers say it's not their problem but with the ever increasing diagnoses of preexisting conditions or the less than honorable discharges it will become their problem.
Suggestions there should be a plan in place before the war went by the wayside. Suggestions there should be intra-agency cooperation between public sector and private sector providers are considered heresy. The welfare of the troops is seldom a priority in all the discussions.
I have come to the conclusion Donald Rumsfeld and Henry Kissinger are more honest than the opposing forces claiming they support the troops most. Both men have made statements the troops are interchangeable parts and in effect disposable. At least they are reflecting the reality.
Americans became appalled about the plight of the mostly black communities of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina immediately and then moved on to the next headline.
Almost two years later the communities of the poor and black remain destroyed and half the population displaced. Americans have forgotten the destroyed communities of New Orleans.
We can expect the same will happen to our troops. They will get parades and city hall awards but where will all the glad-handers be when the nightmares cause a young man or woman to consider suicide? Where will the peace movement be when the decorated soldier becomes addicted and homeless?
I've come to believe it will once again fall on the veterans and their families to struggle for what is due them. Despite all the claims of support from the right they will forget the promises and be absorbed in "more important" things.
Despite all claims from the peace and justice groups, some individuals will actually blame the troops for failing to refuse service. Some will say the troops should have known better. I've heard individuals who are asked to speak against the war privately say these things.
I don't think we can renege on the promises to the young men and women of the military for the necessary care and support they'll need to readjust.
I don't think we can give amnesty to individuals for acts of atrocity they participated in carrying out, though. But that responsibility must carry all the way up the chain of command with the ultimate responsibility being at the doorstep of the war criminals who perpetrated this illegal and immoral war.
And there’s a lyric in the song, Universal Soldier;
“He's the Universal Soldier and he really is to blame,
His orders come from far away no more,
They come from
here and there and you and me,
And brothers can't you
see,
This is not the way we put the end to war.”
Some may think this condemns the individual. I don’t. I interpret it as making us all responsible for ongoing wars. We can no longer allow ourselves to be that “universal soldier”. We can no longer allow generation after generation to be the disposable ones.
Sorry for once again going into a rant. I don’t want to discourage. I want veterans and their family to use righteous indignation as the fuel to make all these groups of “supporters” shut up and put up.
Peace and solidarity,
Terry Leichner, RN
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