Mark Lucas Op-Ed in Human Events: Why Veterans Need A Veterans Bill of Rights Now
The Department of Veterans Affairs' mission statement promises to fulfill President Abraham Lincoln's commitment: "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan." For generations, this promise guided America's dedication to our warfighters and their families. In recent decades, politicians and government bureaucrats have failed to care for our veterans adequately.
In the past year, two veterans committed suicide at the same VA hospital in Texas—a tragic testament to systemic failure. That is precisely why Senator Marsha Blackburn and Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks introduced the Veterans Bill of Rights. Congress must pass it now.
General Omar Bradley once reminded us, "We are dealing with veterans, not procedures; with their problems, not ours." Yet somewhere along the way, the VA lost sight of this fundamental truth. The institution became focused on self-preservation instead of serving those it was created to help.