Reader decries planned elimination of VA jobs

On D Day, 1945, my uncle left the better part of one leg, a large portion of his mental health, and the body of his best friend on Omaha Beach.  His life was never the same.  It cost him his marriage.  He was never able to hold down a meaningful job.  He struggled with physical and mental issues the rest of his life and relied heavily on VA services.  

Countless thousands of veterans have fought and sacrificed for America and what it stands for.  America owes them a debt of gratitude and exceptional care for life.  We have a moral obligation to provide them with the best VA system imaginable.  The VA directly provides comprehensive health care services, short- and long-term housing options, life insurance, pensions, education stipends, pathbreaking public health research, and much more.

 Are you OK with the VA Secretary, Georgia’s own Doug Collins, planning to cut 83,000 jobs at VA facilities across the country?   Who better to help veterans in need of services but the 25% of the VA’s 482,000 employees who are actually veterans?  This is what Secretary Collins had to say about his planned cuts.  “We’re not an employment agency”.

I wish I could look our President in the eye and tell him veterans are neither suckers nor losers.  And I wish I could look Doug Collins in the eye and let him know I expected more from a military chaplain. If you or a family member needs VA assistance, I hope and pray you can still get it.

Regina A. Smith

Athens