While Americans See an End to 20 Years of War, VA’s Job Has Just Begun
Veterans have immediate, life-or-death needs and want better care. They want it for yesterday’s veterans, too.
America is disconnected from veterans and military families. Be part of the solution.
DonateDavid Goldstein is a freelance journalist in Washington who has covered government and national politics, including several presidential campaigns, for more than two decades. During stints with McClatchy Newspapers, Knight Ridder, and The Kansas City Star, he has written about the pre- and post-deployment health problems of troops deployed during the Iraq War, their struggles with Veterans Affairs, and the toxic exposure of veterans involved in Cold War chemical experiments.
Veterans have immediate, life-or-death needs and want better care. They want it for yesterday’s veterans, too.
It was an opportunistic disease. It chose no side in the conflict. The military had a public health emergency on its hands with few tools to fight it.
A VA official said the department is “working diligently” to gather information and “remains fully committed” to the concerns of Gulf War veterans.