Military Officer - June 2008 - (Page 12)

fromthepresident We Owe Them Severe, military-caused disabilities leave many wounded warriors in need of constant, lifetime care from family members. Our nation must support these families. I ‘ve had numerous experiences that have touched my emotions to the core, but not many like today. Today, I visited with a young NCO and his mother whom I had met during several previous visits to the James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa, Fla. They are now in the Washington, D.C., area while he is being treated for a severe traumatic brain injury sustained in Iraq. The Army retired this NCO two years ago, even though he still faces extensive and extended therapy for devastating head injuries. His mother, who has been his 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week caregiver for two years, received a modest per diem from the Army while he was on active duty. But that ceased when the Army medically retired him, and the VA allows no such beneﬁt. Congress, DoD, and the VA are working hard to put people and resources in place to help address the needs of our wounded warriors and their families, but there are still dramatic shortfalls that simply haven’t been addressed. This dedicated woman left her job, lost her home, and spent her life’s savings and IRAs to care for her son and is now penniless — literally going without food on some days, eating peanut butter and crackers on others. While charities can provide limited help with housing, etcetera (one offered a free rental car, but she had no money for gas), the government simply must step up to its responsibilities in such cases. Thank goodness MOAA’s Tampa Chapter and its 12 MILITARY OFFICER JUNE 2008 award-winning Operation Helping Hand were able to help them during his stay at the VA hospital there. MOAA is pushing Congress, DoD, the VA, and anyone else who will listen to continue at least three years of active duty-level beneﬁts to the wounded upon medical retirement and to authorize VA compensation for full-time family caregivers. We must recognize that severe, military-caused disabilities sometimes impose truly awful changes on the lives of wounded warriors’ spouses, children, parents, and siblings who are forced into becoming full-time caregivers for months, years, and in some cases for life. It’s all too easy for leaders and citizens to slip into an “out-of-sight, out-of-mind” mentality after the severely wounded transition from honors and headlines to the hard, long-term reality of this young NCO lying in his bed with his povertystricken family providing 24-7 care. Our nation owes these families more than gratitude and sympathy. We owe them — owe them — immediate and substantive ﬁnancial support. — Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USN-Ret. PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - June 2008

Military Officer - June 2008 Contents MOAA Online From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire MOAA Member Services Washington Scene Chapters in Action Financial Forum Ask the Doctor MOAA Scholarship Donors Cover Story: Mission to Modernize World War Web Playing to Win Fitness in Numbers Fighting Infection Pages of History Faces of MOAA Information Exchange Member Books Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps Encore

Military Officer - June 2008

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