Early in my career, I had the great honor of working with the Department of Pennsylvania Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), doing a number of tasks from composing position statements, to crafting media releases, to writing and editing its statewide newsletter that went to tens of thousands of vets around the state.  Much of the information was typical stuff–photos of Post fundraisers, profiles of the organization’s officers, announcements of VFW programs, etc.–but headline stories at the time dealt with one primary thing.

That was healthcare–specifically, mental health care.  In the 1980s, the VFW and the American Legion were the two primary veterans advocacy groups.  The organizations were dominated by members of The Greatest Generation, World War II and some Korean War vets who largely dealt with their trauma and stress alone. (In my own family, my mother told me stories about one of her brothers who would go on long meandering car rides by himself, after he returned from his service in Europe, to cope.  After one of these car rides, he found himself in Ohio, she said, having driven through the night without a specific destination.)

Veterans healthcare was one of the issues the American Legion and the VFW frequently cooperated on their lobbying efforts, but those efforts regularly left out the needs of the newest veterans, from the Vietnam War.  During my stint working with the VFW, the long-term injuries of Vietnam started to come into public consciousness, with people learning about the high suicide and drug abuse rates among these vets. The lack of advocacy for this group of vets had led to the formation of the Vietnam Veterans Association of America. 

We, the American public, learned a lot in the years after the end of the Vietnam War about how we should treat our veterans.  Largely abandoned after their return home, when they were literally pushed out of base gates into an unwelcoming public, most Vietnam vets were left to struggle with physical and mental anguish people were unwilling to listen to because of the unpopularity of the war.  Their roles in the war over, they still fought it on a daily basis for years through confrontations with anti-war activists or nightmares about what they saw.

We’ve learned.  Starting with the first Gulf War, we welcomed back our service members.  For the first Gulf War, it was easy: it was quick, it was a clear victory and we had cause to celebrate.  But the next wars proved different:  long slogs with high casualty rates.  The veterans of these wars, frequently torn from their families multiple times for successive overseas tours, bear scars both physical and mental.  It’s what two-decade wars do to people, to families.

The PACT Act, passed in 2022, is largely noted for addressing illnesses and conditions experienced by veterans exposed to burn pits and other harmful material in their duty.  It also addresses lead poisoning found on many military bases caused by drinking water contamination from the spent shells and armaments that have decayed on the bases over decades.

But one major aspect of the bill that is frequently overlooked is the investment in mental health care for veterans.  In the nearly $800 billion bill to be spent over the next 20 years, roughly 17% of that money–$139 billion–will go to programs for veterans health care through the VA.  While it sounds like a lot, it really isn’t.  Veterans’ mental health concerns can pop up at any time:  a relatively innocuous event to you or me can lead to a PTSD episode for a veteran in a second.  (While conservatives mock “trigger warnings,” they’re really needed by trauma sufferers of all types.)

And the money is one thing:  getting veterans to accept the care is another.  The stigma, particularly within the military culture, of accepting help when in need must be addressed within the military, not after discharge.  Too many veterans left the military with psychological issues caused by their time in service, but too worried about image or promotion to seek help.  And when they leave, they carry that stigma with them.

The programs should also be expanded to help spouses and children of veterans, too, because they suffer a toll when the military member is deployed–and they face adjustments when reunited.  Frequently, service families are unprepared for the changes in the veteran’s demeanor after a deployment, causing long-term difficulties leading to physical abuse, mental abuse, chemical abuse, run-ins with the law, and divorce.  Ensuring families have access to specialized care and counseling, individually or alongside the vet, provides key resources that can avoid long-term damage.  We need to realize these veterans are not the only ones who sacrificed for their service.

My time with the VFW was literally decades ago, but veterans’ health care and mental health care are still underserved needs in our society.  The 2022 PACT Act was a major step in addressing issues, but even though it made great strides to address some pressing issues, 174 Republicans voted against it purely for political reasons–and each one of them will post something today expressing their exceptional patriotism for overtly honoring veterans.  If you see such a post from one of them, call out their hypocrisy.

The veterans who will participate in today’s services around the country honoring their service to the nation are the forward-facing group we salute, but it’s the veterans who never put on garrison cap with a VFW, VVA or Legion Post number who also need to be remembered and thanked.  If you know of someone who quietly served, reach out today to say that while they may not be marching in the parade, they and their families’ sacrifices are valued.