Other Columns by Thomas D. Segel
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Veterans, particularly those who retired from military service, seem to have more enemies these days than they have friends. While the Washington crowd makes cooing noises and pretends to support veteran issues, the truth behind those false gestures is politicos all view former warriors as expensive waste matter that should be quickly tossed into the nearest trash heap.

Who should be held accountable? At the top is the president of the United States, along with those of his administration who pay lip service to supporting the military, but only offer gestures of superficial support once a warrior leaves the field of battle.

Holding equal responsibility is the United States Congress. With fewer and fewer veterans in its ranks and an entire political party with an anti-military mentality, little has been, or will be done to reward or recognize those who were the defenders of this nation.

However, if veterans rank any individual or agency as the primary enemy, The Department of Defense holds that questionable honor. One needs only to pick a topic. If it supports a military retiree or any veteran, DoD has a spokesperson to deny there is any government responsibility or obligation. In most cases the DoD voice is in direct opposition to issues raised by American veterans.

What veterans' issue is the Department of Defense against? Just pick your topic. It spent years rejecting responsibility for everything related to the Gulf War Syndrome. It denied veteran charges that the government used service personnel as human guinea pigs during deadly biological and chemical tests of the '60s and early '70s. There is continuing denial and stonewalling on just about everything related to the thousands of veterans who participated in our nation's atomic testing program. The DoD remains a major obstacle in the hiring of mental health counselors to work with veterans facing serious emotional issues. And most of America is familiar with the case of World War II and Korean War military retirees seeking denied, but promised lifetime health care. Throughout the legal process the Department of Defense fought these old warriors. It battled against them all the way to the Supreme Court.

Now there are two important topics on the front burner. One involves only 1,000 veterans, but the other has serious consequences for a vast number of former American fighting men and women.

In the first situation, veterans living in the United States Armed Forces Retirement Home have filed a class-action suit against the government on behalf of more than 1,000 residents. The suit charges that the home, in northwest Washington no longer provides regular medical examinations or checkups and prescriptions are no longer available.

The complaint also claims these measures have taken place due to drastic funding cuts imposed by the Department of Defense and were put into practice following the agency placing new management on site.

Veterans charge these cuts are a violation of federal law. They claim the home is required to provide standard health care on the campus, but that a pharmacy and medical treatment facility have been closed. Even annual health examinations have been curtailed.

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