Veterans are the Winners in the Iowa Campaign

As the first Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Public Affairs, one of my most important challenges was making sure the scammers, posers and criminals did not hide behind Veteran Charities.

It was difficult because any false charges could hurt well-meaning people.

Conversely if appropriate, due diligence was not done at the Secretary level then veterans, their loved ones and all Americans would be betrayed in the most profound way.

America has made a social binding contract with our protectors, that we as a nation will be there for them, when their military service is over, and we have been the envy of the world in meeting that obligation.

However, in today’s VA that safety net has been torn apart by a greedy criminal element that has cheated and gamed the system for their own benefit, leaving forgotten veterans and conscientious VA employees adrift in their wake.

In 1989 I entered a new Cabinet department filled with some of the most caring professionals I have ever met. They remain the rule today but all too often find themselves under attack by a relatively small number of criminals at VA who have gone unpunished for their actions.

The immortal words of President Lincoln in his second inaugural address which became the DVA motto must always be remembered:

“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the Nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan — to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”

Sumner G. Whittier, a Veterans Administration Director appointed by President Eisenhower made those words the DVA motto, because Ike knew a lot about accountability:

“To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and has orphan.”

That paragraph sums up the philosophy that has guided Veterans Affairs, as well as its functional and organizational forerunners in dealing with veterans, especially those disabled from combat.

A part of that address adorns metal plaques on either side of the Vermont Avenue doors to VA Central Office in Washington, D.C.

“To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and has orphan,” became the motto of VA in May, 1959, when the plaques were first put up.”

And how did Whittier match words with deeds?

The following was recorded in the 1967 edition of a VA medical history printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, which was entitled, “To care for him who shall have borne the battle”:

“He worked no employee longer or harder than himself to make his personal credo the mission of the agency.

What was that credo? Simply the words of Abraham Lincoln, ‘to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan.’

To indicate the mission of his agency’s employees, Mr. Whittier had plaques installed on either side of the main entrance.”

Mr. Whittier, who served as Administrator from December 1957 to January 1961, was a veteran of World War II.

He served in the Navy for three years and was discharged as a lieutenant.

He had held a number of public service positions from the age of 27, finally serving as lieutenant governor of Massachusetts from 1953 to 1956.

He joined the Veterans Administration as Director of Insurance in January 1957, and in December of that year was appointed Administrator.

We need to recover his sense of duty and performance for our veterans.

In this time of a nasty political campaign some , and many who should know better, in the main stream media raced to attack Donald Trump’s integrity and motivation in reaching out to have an event dedicated to raising money for worthy veterans organizations.

As often is the case with Donald Trump’s campaign, an attack comes, then the facts come out and he emerges even stronger.

So getting posters and agenda driven letterhead Veteran Organizations to attack Trump before the facts are known, and the fundraising results are in and most importantly, veterans organizations are vetted is just more evidence why respect for todays media is dwindling.

It is not about reporting facts or explaining situations; it is about asserting your personal preferences as if they were facts.

We are being befuddled by asserted facts journalism.

As the former Green Beret John Wayne Walding said with simple grace in Iowa :

“Thank you is a powerful statement” and he well earned his right to tell all watching what military service means.

Because If a man or a woman can face down the Taliban, come at them at your peril.”

Walding talks about the comrades he has lost: Your debt to the fallen is to live your life well. “That’s the best middle finger you can give to the Taliban; that’s to live great and live awesome.”

During a battle in Shok Valley of Afghanistan, Walding and his teammates showed true bravery, bringing everyone off of the mountain despite the odds.

Because of their teamwork and camaraderie, the 10 members of ODA 3336 present that day all returned safely, and were each awarded the Silver Star, Dec. 12, 2008.

“When you become a Green Beret, you become part of a brotherhood that you get nowhere else,” Walding said.

As a point of full disclosure I am a life member of DAV.

However, in linking to the groups below that will receive donations from Donald Trump please review who they are and their specific focused mission and consider even now making a donation.

Thank you Mr Trump for supporting these foundations and for providing visibility to the cause of aiding veterans!