Standing up for vets

Convention headquarters was the Galt House Hotel. In March 1864, Generals Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman met there to plan the capture of Atlanta and Sherman’s March to the Sea. Parked by the hotel on the river was the Belle of Louisville, the oldest paddlewheel steamboat still operating in America. There were dozens of bars and restaurants within walking distance to repair to, to discuss the nation’s problems or to resolve whatever crisis the veterans faced at the moment. There was one in particular.

Four speakers flew in from Washington to give us an update — Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, Sen. Rand Paul, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.

Sen. McConnell said to expect spending cuts, but they would not affect veterans’ programs. He touched on the backlog of disability claims, and he said that five years ago he supported funding for the VA that was $750 million more than requested, to address the backlog. That did not help. In 2008, there were 390,000 claims; in four years that number more than doubled.

Sen. Paul then spoke. He said the United States must have “the strongest military on earth,” but it cannot be involved “in every civil war on the planet.” He quoted former President Dwight D. Eisenhower who, as president, often cautioned against foreign entanglements. His call for reducing foreign aid to Egypt and Pakistan, countries “that hate us or Israel,” drew warm applause.

Then it was Secretary Shinseki’s turn. When senators McConnell and Paul spoke, the vast main hall at the Convention Center was half full. It was not even a third full for Shinseki. Last year, in his speech before the VFW convention, he vowed that the share of backlogged claims in the system would be no higher than 40 percent when he returned this year. Instead, it sits at 65 percent, the same level as a year ago. A half-million claims are still backlogged. It was obvious to the few who listened that his excuses were lame.

Secretary Hagel rushed to Secretary Shinseki’s defense.

“Our military leaders do everything possible to protect our men and women on the battlefield. We must make this same commitment to our people here at home,” he said.

He reiterated his department’s recent work on lifetime electronic medical records, assisting with veterans’ benefits claims processing and transition programs for departing service members.

After the speeches, we all repaired to Hospitality Suites or local watering holes. Veterans have strong opinions about everything. These opinions can differ in colorful and exciting ways, depending on the lateness of the hour and the quality of the adult beverage.

But when it came to discussing the VA backlog, there was no argument. Our fine young men and women go to foreign lands and fight for our country and defend our freedom. When they come home they should not have to wait to receive the care and treatment they were promised when they signed up. What is happening to them is shameful.

I work for Concerned Veterans for America as its Western Region director and I can tell you that we have worked tirelessly to draw attention to this problem, believing that the best way to repair what’s wrong is to raise public awareness of the situation. We have called on the resignation of Secretary Shinseki and, to date, more than 25,000 people have signed this petition. We are delivering the petitions to the White House on Aug. 20, but we won’t stop there

Chuck McDougald headed the Veterans Coalition, first for California, then for the Western Region, when Sen. John McCain ran for president in 2008. In 2010, he served as Statewide Volunteer Chair for Carly Fiorina’s campaign for the U.S. Senate. He is currently the Western Region director for ConcernedVeteransforAmerica.org. He lives in South San Francisco with his wife and two kids.