U.S. SHOULDN'T RENEGE ON PROMISES TO VETS

The original article appeared in the Sunbury Daily Item Nov 11, 97
and was written by Joe Diblin of Lewisburg, Pa.

Our government spends billions of dollars for foreign aid and in comparison, pennies on the
disabled US veteran. However the Central Susquehanna Valley Veterans Council cares
about them. This organization of veterans provides donations and needed things to the disabled
without any tax dollars. Specifically, the council has provided support for the Pa veterans
hospitals at Wilkes-Barre and Lebanon.

From WWI through the Gulf War, our area has had its share of dead, wounded and
disabled veterans. Here are some representatives:

World War I

Nurse Helen Fairchild, aunt of Nelle Fairchild Rote of Lewisburg Pa, in 1917,
volunteered to go overseas with the American Expeditionary Forces. She also
volunteered to serve at the front where she typically daily worked 14 hours in the
operating room on freezing feet without relief for six weeks.

Six months later she was dead, due in part to exposure to mustard gas and
other gases used by the Germans.

Helen Fairchild is registered in The Women in the Military Museum and
Memorial at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia, She was a true hero, and casualty
of WWI.

World War II

David Grimm was a combat radio operator in the 10th Army, 96th Infantry Div. He was first wounded in hand-to-hand combat in the Philippines. Later , during the invasion of Okinawa, he was hit by a mortar explosion to the head. The shell caused a fracture of the skull and serious brain damage along with blindness for a time.
When transported to the hospital ship, Comfort, he was thought to be dying and removed for those expected to live. The Comfort was hit by a Kamikaze which killed the doctors and all the wounded.
In recent years, he has received rude and humiliating treatment by doctors at the Wilkes-Barre, Pa Veterans Hospital. They also attempted to eliminate his disability. However , VA admins overruled the Wilkes- Barre doctor.

David Grimm lives in Sunbury Pa.

War in Korea

Donald Gensel was seriously wounded by a sniper's bullet. He was with the 1st Marines in Korea and in combat with the 4th Marines in the Pacific during WWII. Gensel has several purple hearts. Because the income of Gensel and his wife slightly exceeds $1,250 per month, he is not eligible for a veteran's hospital.

He resides in Danville, Pa, where he is barely alive.

Vietnam
Steve Hicks served with the Marines and was wounded on Friday the 13th. His upper left arm and shoulder were shattered. He spent five months in the Philadelphia Naval Hospital. Steve was discharged in 1970 with a disability. After treatment at the veterans hospitals in wilkes-Barre and Lebanon, Pa for 10 years, he was discharged from any further care. He remembers that the waiting lines for vets were long. Furthermore, "a Vet could be dying, but don't go there without an appointment because they will not attend the vet."
Agent Orange has also created skin problems for Hicks, but he was denied help for it.

Hicks lives in Mifflinburg, Pa., disillusioned by the gov for which he risked his life.

Gulf War
Marlin Keister Jr, suffers from Gulf Syndrome, He was serving with the 193rd Special Operations, Air Natl Guard in Saudi Arabia, when he became very ill. Returned to the US, he was sent to the Lebanon Veterans Hospital for treatment. The military lost his medical records and, as a result, Keister feels he has been given a run-around and is disappointed.

Marlin Keister resides and suffers in Selingsgrove, Pa.

Members of Congress will say they have budgeted funds for the veterans program.
However, compare it with foreign aid. Furthermore, has it been spent wisely on the veterans?
If not, why hasn't it? Ask disabled veterans how they have been treated at the various
veterans hospitals.

The disabled frequently report that the government makes it difficult and complicated for
them to get treatment. Adding another wing to the Wilkes-Barre Veterans Hospital would
help, but even more important will be the quality of care everywhere.

To the government, our veterans say: Don't renege on what was promised. Those
men and women cared enough about their country to risk their lives. Many of them now
spend their days disabled. Does their country care enough about them?

(A pilot during WWII, Joseph Diblin of Lewisburg Pa, has been a test pilot and civilian flight instructor. He likes to write about aviation.)
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