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Opinion

Helping disabled veterans is our duty

Sean Graves
Guest commentary 

The Delayed Entry Program event had been a full day for us. We had seen army medics practice their skills, had seen the military police dog handler team put its German shepherds through their paces and had an unforgettable few minutes with a real drill sergeant -- something we would all soon have much more experience with. It was March 1990, our last semester of high school, and in a few short months Todd, Scott and I would all be soldiers.

Later we went to the movies to see Born on the Fourth of July, which told the heart-wrenching true story of Ron Kovic, a decorated Marine and wounded Vietnam veteran who was paralyzed from the chest-down. Afterward, our jubilant mood had changed to a somber one. It had been a different kind of "war movie" and it had given us all some things to reflect on. In less than a year Todd would fight as an infantryman in the Gulf War --while he was not wounded, he would not return unscathed.

  While many who saw Born on the Fourth of July choose to focus on how Kovic became a critic of the war, what captured my attention most was society's indifference towards Kovic's long struggle after coming home -- how his own family did not want to be reminded of his disability, the horrifically inadequate care he received from the VA medical system, the pain of trying to come to terms with the war that still raged on inside of him and the crushing reality of his newly disabled body. 

  Had Ron Kovic received adequate care not only from the VA, but also from the community, his road to recovery could have been shortened and significantly smoothed. Born on the Fourth of July is a must-see and hopefully it will give its viewers of today something to ponder now that over 25,000 of our brave service members are once again coming home wounded -- many have wounds that are not so obvious. 

While I'm sure the military's and VA's healthcare and transition programs are far better than they were in 1968, the recent Walter Reed scandal has only demonstrated that support from organizations outside the military and the VA are still desperately needed. I salute the Center for Students with Disabilities for understanding this by asking the Student Fees Advisory Committee that a disabled veterans' career counselor be added to their department. I'm only sorry that the majority of the SFAC committee did not feel they should support it. 

The University of Houston is likely to be the first educational choice for many of our most severely disabled veterans because of its close proximity to the VA regional office and hospital that serve not only Texas, but several other states as well. 

We should ensure that those who have given so much for all of us can not only successfully complete their degrees despite their grievous disabilities, but that they can find a way to become employed and independent as well. Leaving them solely dependent on the few coins they get from the federal government for their disability payments is to condemn them to a life of abject poverty and despair. We owe disabled veterans more than this. 

Since the University President and the Board of Regents have the last word on approving the Student Service Fees budget, I hope they can address this oversight and see that the disabled veteran career counselor position is established. Ensuring that our disabled veterans also have a chance at the American dream is not welfare; it is but a small installment on an unrepayable debt -- a debt purchased with our nation's most precious blood.

Sean Graves, a first-year law student and a veteran of the US Army, 
can be reached via dccampus@mail.uh.edu