Bush, Veterans, & the Confederacy

I t is disturbing that President Bush not only has refused to attend the funeral of any service- person killed in Iraq, but also refuses to send condolences to fallen servicepeople’s relatives. Bush’s denial of acknowledging U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq—the same as his government’s media ban on showing body bags and coffins—is even worse when compared to his sending wreaths to Confederate graves on Memorial Day. However, looking at his record, this should not be surprising: 

• While soldiers are fighting in Iraq, Bush cut soldiers’ danger pay and family separation allowances, cancelled a Congress-proposed doubling of servicepeople’s life insurance benefits, and slashed GI Bill benefits. Most servicepeople now are too low-paid to receive Bush’s per-child tax credit and many live on food stamps. 
• Bush cut $600 million from the Veterans Administration budget, although the VA is already under-funded by around $2 billion a year and now has over 200,000 new veterans to service—many of whom are already sick with Gulf War Syndrome, which has left over 270,000 Gulf War vets disabled and over 10,000 dead. There are also plans to cut $1.5 billion per year from the VA’s budget for each of the next ten years. 
• Wounded National Guard and Army Reserves have returned home only to be placed in “medical hold” while the Army decides what medical treatment and benefits—if any—they should receive. Some soldiers have stated the Army has tried to claim their Iraq injuries/illnesses were “pre-existing conditions.” Soldiers are having to wait four to six months to receive medical care while their treatable ailments turn to permanent disability. At Fort Knox, more than 400 wounded soldiers lasted the Kentucky summer in a non-air conditioned, animal-infested barracks. At Fort Stewart (Georgia), over 600 wounded soldiers languish with no indoor plumbing and have to pay for food and lodging. On a re-election stop last fall, President Bush visited Fort Stewart, but refused to see the wounded soldiers. 
• All evidence indicates the war was started on fictitious grounds. It has left more than 700 soldiers killed, over 9,000 wounded, and over 1,000 evacuated for psychiatric evaluation.