Throughout my life, the musical “My Fair Lady” resonated within me.  As I reflect upon our soldiers, and the oft-heard phrase, “Support Our Troops,” I am again reminded of this theatrical production.  Eliza Doolittle sang a song, “Show Me.”  She emphatically stated, “Make me no undying vow.  Show me now! Sing me no song!  Read me no rhyme!  Don’t waste my time, Show me!”

This was exactly my thought as I read a New York Times article, “Veterans Await a Resting Place That Is Truly Final.”  We offer our troops words; too often, our actions do not show them that we mean what we say.  Apparently, whether we are discussing our soldiers serving in Iraq or those toiling in Afghanistan, there is reason to believe, that we, the people of United States of America, do not truly support our troops in life; nay in death.
Most of us know that promises were made to our service men and women in recent years.  They are told that their tour of duty overseas will be short-lived; however, months became years.  Our Administration, we, assured the troops, they are spreading democracy.  Military men and women were told the people of Iraq would greet them with open arms.  Yet, in fact, American soldiers were perceived as occupiers.  They were unwelcome by most in the Middle East. 

More of our countrymen now accept that much of what we told our troops is not true.  The Department of Defense has not honored its men and women.  In life, our soldiers receive little genuine support from the government.  However, few realize that even in death, we as a nation do not honor our veterans.  The Pentagon, Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and our nation’s leaders make commitments.  Rarely, do they keep these.  Just as Eliza realized, words are only words.  Officials need to show our soldiers what they intend.  Actions speak loudly.

In reviewing this article I learned veterans returning from Viet Nam, Korea, or even those that protected our country during either World War, realize an unexpected truth; fortunately, most are not alive to fully experience what their families do. 

The federal government is racing to keep pace with the deaths of America’s warriors.  Half of the country’s 124 veterans cemeteries are closed to burials.  More than 1,800 veterans die each day, 12 percent choosing a soldier’s burial.

Deaths are expected to peak this year, at 688,000, and continue near that level for a long time, as 9.5 million of the nation’s living veterans are over the age of 65.  The Department of Veterans Affairs says it will take at least until 2009 to catch up with demand.
The problem can be traced to a long lull in building cemeteries, between 1940 and 1970.  The few built were on sites the government already owned or got free, often far from the veterans who needed them.  This was cheaper and easier in the short term than venturing into the private marketplace, but the path chosen by the V.A. merely delayed the inevitable.

With a push from Congress, the department in 1999 began the largest expansion of the national cemetery system since the Civil War.  Twelve regions of the country were identified as needing new cemeteries, those with at least 170,000 veterans and no available burial sites within 75 miles — the distance that families said they were willing to travel.

Reading this after the release or resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld seems ironic to me. 

Secretary Rumsfeld was often criticized for doing the Iraq war “on the cheap.”  Even military experts questioned the validity of expenses and priorities.  Had Rumsfeld or the American people considered the true costs of the war, those that are sadly, and too often hidden, what would we have done.  Perhaps, we would have calculated more than surface or supposed concerns.

It seems this nation rarely determines what war creates, death.  As I discovered tonight, not spending money on the troops is not novel.  For centuries, our country has been unwilling to cover necessary or peripheral expenses.  The lives of soldiers are of little consequence to the military brass.  Troops are expendable to those that do never get to know these individuals as people.  The burial of their bodies is of lesser concern.  There will be time to think about that later.  Weapons on the other hand, are thought to be worthy; however, . . .

During this current crisis, we are told protective armor for man, woman, or vehicles is too expensive.  Funding for grunt salaries is limited.  Incentives for recruitment are increasing; however, there is a reason for that.  Without a draft, we must persuade those we wish to hire.

When we as a nation evaluate war, rarely do we consider what is real [people die] what is tangible [more die], or invisible [even more die].  We enter into battle on the premise that there is a “just cause.”

Therefore, our government finds dollars to do a dastardly deed.  We, as a country, can afford to kill innocents, civilians, and our young soldiers.  The money is not necessarily allocated in our nation’s budget; nonetheless, it is always available.  There are impressions to keep.  Images are important to maintain. 

We, as a nation spend $177 million per day on killing.  We say we want to keep our soldiers alive.  We declare, “Support our troops.”  We produce millions of magnetic monograms to “show” how sincere we truly are.  Yet, are we?

In truth, it seems America cannot afford to protect those that protect us, or at least this nation chooses not to pay the price for a reasonable burial.  We do not deliver on others promises.  Salaries and gear are lacking.  Leaves are not delivered as pledged.  A proper military burial can be delayed, often for years.

When the nation’s newest veterans cemetery opened near Sacramento on October 16, the first to be buried were Alvin Hayman, a second lieutenant in the Marines during the post-World War II occupation of Japan, and his wife, Irene.  He had died in 2004, his remains kept in an urn for two years.  His wife died in 2000 — about the time that Mr. Hayman, a homebuilder, decided to sell 550 acres to the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Her ashes sat for six years waiting for the new cemetery.

The real estate deal that Mr. Hayman embraced took four years to close — just five days before he succumbed to cancer.  Jon Hayman, the couple’s 56-year-old son and formerly a partner in his father’s real estate business, said the pace of government bureaucracy was slow.  “He had hoped to see the first burial, not be the first burial,” Mr. Hayman said from his home in Los Altos, California.

The cemetery in Atlanta, six months after opening, continues to hold delayed burials.  The director, Sandy Beckley, said 303 of its first 530 funerals were for veterans who had died as long as three years ago, with 120 still on the calendar.  Where burial grounds are at capacity, the department looks for ways to squeeze in more people, sometimes buying adjacent land or building columbaria for cremated remains.

Oh, how sad.  This is how the United States government “we the people” show our support.  We send our young men and women to slaughter.  Some pass while in action and then wait for their final honorable discharge.  [A year ago soldier Frank La Belle was killed in battle.  His wife still waits to bury his remains.]  Others survive for years after the war.  Each expects a proper military burial.  However, we must ask, when?

When will we truly support our troops and afford them the dignity they deserve?  When will we respect, honor, and provide for those that served US [the United States of America]?

May they rest in peace . . .

For a Personal Perspective, Please also review . . .

Betsy L. Angert
BeThink.org or Be-Think

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