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When a group of high-ranking officials visit Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, they look for pieces of information and morale-boosting scenarios to take home with them. At times, however, they bring feel-good stories with them.
That was the case during a visit from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs R. James Nicholson, who, along with several politicians, visited the hospital May 3.
“We exist only to take care of our veterans,” said Mr. Nicholson. “It’s very useful for us to come to a facility like this and see the way our troops are being handled, as well as the injuries they are sustaining.”
U.S. Sen. Larry E. Craig told a story that can help anyone facing life without a limb – that an amputation doesn’t have to be the end of an active lifestyle. The senator from Iowa was stateside, speaking with three servicemembers, two who were missing a leg and one his eyesight.
“I asked them, ‘If you weren’t here lobbying me, what would you be doing?’” said Mr. Craig. “They said, ‘We’d be (snow) skiing.’ Well, what about the blind guy? They said, ‘We’d just tie him to us so he wouldn’t hit a tree.’ And they were serious.”
The senator said stories like that are an inspiration and need to be shared. Whether it be as a visit to LRMC or Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Virginia, he walks away touched by what he sees.
“When I am around these young men and women and their amazing attitudes, you can’t help but be humbled,” said Mr. Craig. “Every generation of Americans must define freedom during its lifetime, and these brave, young servicemembers are answering the call.”
The group’s message was simple. They thanked servicemembers for their sacrifice and assured them that free, lifelong medical care awaits them.
With a budget of more than $69 billion for 2005, the VA promises that any veteran who has served in Afghanistan or Iraq is entitled to two years of free VA medical care. Anyone who has been injured either physically or mentally will receive free care for the rest of his life at any of the VA’s 158 major medical centers or one or its 850 community-based outpatient clinics. The VA also offers a vocational rehabilitation program, whereby a patient receives grants to adapt his home and auto to his injuries.
“We are learning that a lot of servicemembers don’t know about these entitlements,” said Mr. Nicholson. “The services the VA provides extend way beyond hospital care. It’s a statement on the part of the American people of our gratitude for their service in defending our freedom.”
