03.10.07
Discrimination Against Veterans
As wars march on to the beat of those that never go to fight them, the veterans of those wars continue to suffer and be neglected. What if the first to go to war were the children of political officials as opposed to poor young people looking for a better life and a way to secure their future? Somehow if that were the law, I doubt there would be so many unnecessary political struggles.
I have discussed the neglect veterans experience when they return home from war and their inability to get adequate financial support of medical care. There is also a more subtle disadvantage to being a veteran who returns home from war – discrimination.
Yes, discrimination, that terrible concept that divides people, breeds dissension and ultimately causes wars. Sen. Steve Hobbs, a veteran himself, introduced a bill to Washington in January to extend anti-discrimination laws to people with military status and veterans. Hobbs pushed the bill because of his own experiences after serving in Iraq and Kosovo, as well as the experiences of his fellow veterans. The Senator even recalls being asked questions at job interviews, such as if he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder or if it would bother him to work with folks opposed to the war going on in Iraq. According to Hobbs, “I want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
The bill failed last year, possibly because it had “run out of time”. I do wonder how much time they think distressed, neglected veterans and their families have – some are still suffering the ramifications of the war in Vietnam. After all, consider myths created by movies such as The Deer Hunter, that wrongfully depict Vietnam veterans as crazed madmen, further perpetuating negative stereotypes. After all, wasn’t it bad enough these veterans returned home and got spit on, stoned, rejected and criticized as soon as they got back on American turf just for serving our country? They followed orders from those in power (voted in by the people who berated the soldiers, rather than those who sent them) and were condemned for it. How can we now question why young men would attempt to evade a draft? What do they have to gain? Disrespect from their country, injury without compensation and a political arena that fails to provide them with adequate support on any level? However, failure to serve in the military is obviously not the answer either.
Although it has been decades since Vietnam and these veterans still suffer discrimination today, many members of the Senate were actually surprised to learn how prevalent discrimination was from the statements of Hobbs. I do wonder where they have been, since there are countless accounts of what happened to the men who served in Vietnam – men like my husband.
Sen. Derek Kilmer spoke to a soldier who was turned down for a job because of his service and said, “The more people I spoke with, the more I heard this story is not at all uncommon.” Rep. Chris Strow adds about the proposed bill, “It is a protection that is important. There are individuals who have disdain for people who choose to serve.”
My husband recalls a time after Vietnam when post traumatic disorder in veterans were not even diagnosed yet and there was no help or recognition of the problem. He remembers a friend who found it so difficult to get work because of his service on the front lines that he used a fake name and social security number to get employment. This really hits the veteran hard because the reason many of these people join is to get an education or learn a skill and gain better employment opportunities.
Kilmer’s statement about passing this potential bill reflects my feelings about the issue. “It’s just the right thing to do. If you’re willing to serve your country, you shouldn’t have to suffer financially for that.”
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staticbrain.com said,
March 11, 2007 at 10:29 pm
The first to go should be the Bush twins. Don’t you think?
CSM Daniel L. Diaz retired said,
March 12, 2007 at 3:03 am
I have to agree with the statements about being discrimination against Veterans. In almost every aspect of life after military service, especially for those who have served in Combat Jobs, (The Infantry, Special Forces, Tank and Bradley crewman). In every job interview I have gone to I have been asked the same sorts of un-educated questions about my military service. It is so redundantly stupid to suppose that persons who served many years in the military have no viable skills to transfer to the civilian job market, but most people see too many movies and have already made up their minds about the personality and intelligence of a soldier, Marine, or other veteran.
I personally have been denied work due to the nature of my military service as well as my rank at time of retirement. In short, even my fellow veteran’s discriminate against me because I am younger and higher in rank than when they served and retired. I think Vietnam Veterans were the most neglected for certain, but Korea is a close second.
The Veteran of today is educated, skilled, and articulate. We are not merely drones and robots. We have many, if not better skills than the average 22 year old college graduate who knows nothing about working on a team or under stress. In any case, veterans always get remembered when they die, but are easily forgotten once the novelty of any war wears off and the people go back to their lives, take down their flags, and put away their little yellow magnets that used to be on almost every car.
In short, veterans are just expendable tools that people relate to in video games, movies, and sometimes in concert with some public relations event. We do not matter enough, yet we are always going to be here, behind the scenes. We are all heroes, but only some of us ever get to go on Oprah, just like Jessical Lynch and her heroic tales.
I am just sick and tired that any veteran would ever be forgotten. The next time someone wants to play Ghost Recon or Splinter Cell they need to stop, put down that Latte, and remember that people actually do this for real and the scars we carry are not as easily deleted as a saved video game…
CSM Daniel L. Diaz, retired, US Army
Jim Eagle Feather said,
March 18, 2007 at 4:54 pm
I have often wondered why American troops have so much problem with bad memories after the war. World War I and II German troops seemed to be balanced after the war. I don’t recall any tales of Greek or Roman soldiers who had post tramatic stress syndrome over memories of hacking up towns of women and children. I think too many Americans go into the military with goofy notions about what war is about. I think its Cape-ism. They think they are comic book heroes rather than what they are - well armed national butchers and murderers. Look what the Soviets did in Poland and Eastern Germany as they invaded. But does anyone hear about them suffering from PTSS?
JOEL E. MORRIS said,
April 9, 2007 at 11:07 pm
I AM A DISABLED VIET NAM AREA COMBAT MEDICAL VETERAN SUFFERING FROM BLATANT DISCRIMINATION THAT STARTED IN 2001 BY THE JUDICIAL COURT SYSTEM AND HAS BEEN CONTINOUSLY IGNORED. I RECENTLY CONTACTED PRESIDENT BUSH, SENATOR WARNER AND SENATOR WEBB AND WAS FURTHERED HARRASSED AND ARRESTED TODAY DUE BLATANT LIES BY SENATOR WEBB’S OFFICE. THE CIA QUESTIONED ME FOR WRITING THE PRESIDENT FOR HELP WHEN I HAVE CONSISTENTLY BEEN DENIED JUSTICE BY THE VIRGINIA COURT SYSTEM AND IGNORED BY TWO GOVERNORS. WHO DO I TURN TO FOR HELP MY CONSTITIONAL RIGHTS ARE BEING VIOLATED DUE TO ME BEING A BLACK VETERAN. I HAVE DOZENS OF DOCUMENTATION TO SUPPORT MY CASE. I AM SUFFERING FROM SERIOUS AFFECTS OF AGENT ORANGE.
JOEL E. MORRIS
B.G. said,
May 2, 2007 at 8:26 am
If it was indeed the C.I.A. that questioned you, you may have another case my friend. As the C.I.A. have little to no internal investigative rights, it should have been the F.B.I. that questioned you. I trust your journey will see the light of day soon.
BGG
David Wavra said,
July 3, 2007 at 3:31 pm
I recently left the Marine Corps, with 10 years experience in the infantry. I am pursuing an education in Nursing, and have recently graduated a 75 hour State Tested Nurse Assistant course (with a 99.5%). One particular facility called back a girl in my class the day after she applied, before she even passed the class. It’s been 2 weeks, I’ve been there twice, and haven’t had a call. I met another guy who was an Army engineer who applied at the same place. He had his state license in hand and was a student in a Nursing program, and he applied at least a month before the girl in my class did, yet no call-back. I think every “support our troops” car magnet should be confiscated from the cars of anyone in management at that facility.
Dan Kaczjeski said,
August 10, 2007 at 11:22 pm
You may be interested in the discrimination case involving University of Illinois and veterans winding its way through the Illinois court system. Seems U of I made a promise to give 110 full-ride scholarships to veterans for their MBA program in Chicago only to yank it back and get caught covering it up. It’s an interesting story about a guy who stood up against the establishment of higher education on behalf of veterans and then get fired for it.
U of I tried to get a Judge to dismiss the case, but they lost and it’s going to trial.
Here are some links.
Associated Press: www.armytimes.com/news/2007/03/apvetscholarship070312/
ABC News: abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=investigative&id=4924607
Christian Science Monitor: www.csmonitor.com/2006/0417/p01s02-legn.html
Daily Illini Part I:
media.www.dailyillini.com/media/storage/paper736/news/2007/03/07/News/Investigative.Report.Scholarships.Fall.Short-2761318.shtml
Daily Illini Part II:
media.www.dailyillini.com/media/storage/paper736/news/2007/03/06/News/Investigative.Report.Mba.Admissions.Process.Questioned-2759535.shtml
Daily Illini University Response:
media.www.dailyillini.com/media/storage/paper736/news/2007/03/07/Letters/University.Disputes.Report-2761478.shtml
Blog 1: marathonpundit.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html#984910302326183139
Blog 2: marathonpundit.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html#748390460444581746
Blog 3: marathonpundit.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html#6193164541294611316
Shely said,
September 17, 2007 at 4:41 pm
This past weekend my husband, who just returned from Afghansitan and was in combat, went to a job fair for Sears. He gave them the resume and they gave him a “survey” to do and it asked him if he had been in a physical altercation in the last 5 years. He went and asked the woman who gave it to him about this question because he JUST got home from war and she told him to be honest and put yes, so he did. After he handed the survey back the SAME woman came over to him and told him that he failed the TEST and was disqualifed. He asked what test? She said that “survey” was actually a test and because he had been in combat he was not eligible to work at Sears! Sears claims to be a support of the troops and veterans. They have a whole page for recruiting newly seperated veterans such as my husband, yet the pushed him out the door because he was in a war, defending her right to discriminate!!! I plan to contact the sears store that this happened at as well as the Corporate Headquarters and possibly legal counsel!
Dan said,
November 9, 2007 at 5:58 pm
According to the Champaign News-Gazette, Avijit Ghosh, the disgraced former dean of the College of Business at University of Illinois in Champaign, got a new job at U of I courtesy of his old friend Joseph White. Ghosh headed up the presidential search committee that got White his job as President of U of I. This is not a Starbucks barista salary – Ghosh gets 339 thousand bucks per year – a decent return on investment for masterminding the veteran scholarship scandal and betraying the public trust. The new job Ghosh gets lets him run technology, economic development and a venture capital company for Springfield, UIC and Champaign campuses. Not a bad gig for someone with a degree in GEOGRAPHY. Sort of like nominating a plumber to run Citibank.
Give me a double shot corruption espresso this morning. On second thought, maybe President White should recommend Ghosh for a patronage job in the 11th ward. Ghosh has the skills.
The timing could not be better for Ghosh, who has been interviewing without success for jobs around the world. He recently interviewed at Western Michigan University, did not get it, and went to India while the Illinois Inspector General continued its investigation of discrimination against veterans. Good thing Ghosh landed in India, too, since those jarheads Ghosh does not think are smart enough for University of Illinois do not vacation in India very often.
Ghosh is fortunate to get 339K of taxpayer-funded salary, but I doubt luck had much to do with it. It pays to have friends in high places like University of Illinois President Joseph White who got help from Ghosh when he headed up the presidential search committee. So while Ghosh continues interviewing for jobs outside University of Illinois, it is comforting for Illinois taxpayers to know that Joseph White subscribes to the Daley-Stroger-Ryan rules of political patronage. Loyalty has its rewards. We should all be so lucky.
Discriminate against veterans, rig admissions standards to kick them out, get caught, and then find a new job courtesy of a friend you helped get a job. Maybe the Inspector General should give President White a call next.
What a priceless lesson in ethics from the ivory tower.
Dan said,
January 12, 2008 at 3:43 pm
That military scholarship program at U of I is history. They are capping veteran assistance at 40% now - just read it on a web site.
They must just really not like veterans for some reason. Don’t get this one.
Tom said,
May 22, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Recently I had a run in with the law. My attorney was able to plead down my case. However the end result was because the DA’s office thought I was a crazed killer from Vietnam, I should receive a harsh penality. So a spoken word caused me thousand in fines. Douable than others who was sentenced but was not a Veteran. Oh yea, I never served in Vietnam and never fired my weapon in anger and never ever killed anyone. But that made no difference in Habersham County Georgia.