This Veterans Day provides an opportunity to reflect on the many chapters in the American war chronicles. Among the unhappiest of those had less to do with the battlefield than with the home front. Those who came of age in the Vietnam era remember the unwelcoming attitude many civilians in the anti-war movement adopted toward the soldiers coming home.
Thankfully, that shameful moment in history has long since passed. Regardless of how U.S. military entanglements have been viewed individually, the face shown to veterans recently has been one of overall respect and appreciation.
Take, for instance, the greeting last week by a contingent of citizens at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport for 13 Marines on the last leg of a long journey home to San Diego. Some on the ad-hoc welcoming committee were firefighters and police, and they formed a corridor for the Marines at their plane, a pathway to the terminal. American Airlines offered them the six remaining seats in first class, while seven more first-class passengers surrendered their seats to accommodate the rest.
Hawaii lawmakers, aware of the importance of the military, continue to make strides on Capitol Hill. Mazie Hirono in the Senate and Tulsi Gabbard in the House, herself a war veteran, have been outspoken for reform in the handling of sexual abuse cases in the active-duty corps. Other examples: U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa recently joined a group advocating for the preservation of the Warrior Transition Battalion that cares for returning soldiers at Tripler Army Medical Center. U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz has been pushing for rule changes that would make it easier to fundraise for a memorial honoring Native Hawaiian veterans.
To cite the most visible development for veterans here at home, U.S. Vets and the YWCA opened Hawaii’s first transitional housing for female veterans, a long-needed service.
In short, it’s hard to go wrong advocating for veterans today, politically or by any other measure. As gratifyingas that is to see, what should count more is how the country meets its primary obligations to soldiers: returning them to healthy life at home. On that score, America has a long way to go.
The litany of complaints about veteran benefits grew longer last week with the release of a study by Yale Law School that found the Department of Veterans Affairs granting disability claims for sexual assault victims at a much lower rate than for other post-traumatic stress disorder cases.
More broadly, the VA has not yet overcome an enormous backlog in processing disability compensation claims, although it’s shrunk by 34 percent, according to the agency’s report last week. Long-delayed computer upgrades have helped, but half the claims are still being filed on paper. That simply must change.
A more positive aspect: U.S. diplomatic policy is progressing toward less martial solutions at international stress points. Most notable are the talks with Iran over dialing down its nuclear program in exchange for relief from international sanctions. Diplomats must take a cautious tack here, but we can afford some measured optimism that relations with Iran don’t need to grow continuously and endlessly worse, leading to a war and further devastation.
Clearly, the Obama administration has positioned itself as war-ready, and readiness to defend American interests is an essential component. But when the opportunities arose to explore chances for settlements, in Iran as well as Syria, it was wise to pursue them.
After all, the most potent demonstration that America appreciates its veterans and their sacrifices is to avoid putting them in harm’s way unnecessarily. Let’s begin our Veterans Day observances with that hopeful resolve.
