Alexa Napier is one of our strongest voice in the Facebook Group "Sprayed and Betrayed- Those Exposed" which is a group where we discuss Agent Orange issues and the treatment that we have received at the Veterans Administration. I will probably share more of these as we continue to fight for the benefits and recognition that has been denied us since the 1970s and earlier.
I have never been too impressed with the VA system. I don't complain about the medical care that is given. The Vets now are not complaining about the medical care, they are complaining about not getting medical care. It seems the Vets have been dehumanized by the VA. They are not given the respect they deserve by many who work there. Not many cared what I had to say about the VA, it took CNN to make people listen and realize I was not just making it up.
It is far worse than most suspected. There will be criminal charges brought against those involved and there should be. The employees who would not have jobs at the VA if it were not for those they have, in many cases, killed. The problems go much deeper than just the waiting lists. It has been discovered "codes" have been used by employees to alert others about the Vet. They are not used for positive purposes, only negative.
It is now standing at 100,000 Vets who have been abused by the system, the lack of integrity on the behalf of so many. The VA has run amuck. No matter what they have done, there is no accountability. Why should they care about the people when it just doesn't matter what they do or say, how badly they may have screwed up a persons life with shabby work. There is no accountability. None. Soon, there will be such a thing and many will be finally be held accountable. It can take up to two to three years to have a claim reach someones desk. Then if denied, and the Vet appeals, that is another two to three years of someones life. Suicide to many seems a viable alternative to so many. All of what has happened is because of the bonus system. They are rewarded, and they are willing to lie to bet the bonus. That is going to change.
Those who are hurting are the boys we went to high school with. They were victimized once when they were sent to Vietnam as boys to do the dirty work of old men. They were victimized when they came home. They were not treated well, they had to fight their way out of airports. They could not get jobs. They were victimized by the spraying of agent orange, There were victimized by the VA and the lies that were told for 30 years about agent orange. In so many ways, they were victimized. And now again it is happening. It does not stop. So many had friends walk away from them, No one understood. They were told to wear civilian clothing as they traveled home. It was not safe to wear their uniforms.
They just kept taking whatever happened, and eventually they just accepted it all as what they had to expect. For the many who don't know, a diagnosis of health issues that are linked to agent orange is a death sentence. That is not an exaggeration. Over two million Vietnam Vets and Vietnam Era Vets have died from exposure. Three hundred and fifty die every day. They have died younger and quicker than any group of Veterans from any armed conflict in which America was a part. It is expected that WWII Vets will still be living when the last ao affected Vet dies. We as people, as citizens of this country, owe so much to those who served. or serving today. PTSD is real, agent orange is real. Yet so many stand by and say nothing, do nothing. If I do nothing else in my life, I will always be thankful I had the opportunity to speak out and be a catalyst to change in the lives of those who were once young, old too soon.
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