Published: February 29, 2008 10:05 pm      

We have been forgotten ...

Vets unload VA grievances on congressional candidate

When 3rd U.S. Congressional District candidate Republican David Landrum of Brandon attended a meeting of approximately 50 veterans Wednesday afternoon in Meridian, he was blasted by complaints they had about representatives with VA Medical Center and the VA Regional Office in Jackson.

Landrum then stepped to the forefront and told the vets, "I want to take up where Sonny Montgomery left off."

Montgomery served as the U.S. Representative for the congressional district for 30 years, 1967-1997. A pro-defense, pro-veteran Democrat, Montgomery updated the G.I. Bill, now known as the Montgomery G.I. Bill, which expanded tuition benefits to military personnel.

In hearing Landrum's bold statement, the vets, sitting and standing in the home of Victor and Bobbye Jerone, began applauding in agreement with one yelling, "That's right. That's what we need is another Sonny."

Bobbye Jerone, an Independent Veteran's Advocate, knows each and every person who was in her home that day. She tries to scale the mountain of red tape for the veterans in getting disability checks and medical care. Her scope of influence with the vets she helps and her knowledge of the system as a past Veteran's Affairs employee makes her uniquely qualified to represent men and women from World War II up through the present war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"These vets are so used to being swept under the rug and forgotten throughout the years that they've just about lost their desire to fight for themselves," said Jerone. "Truthfully, they shouldn't have to. They are entitled to so much more than they are getting."

Jerone called this meeting so the vets would have a face-to-face with those candidates running for the office Chip Pickering is giving up. Out of the nine candidates who were contacted, only Landrum showed up.

"When I decided to run for this office one of the main issues we talked about was the state of our veterans in this district," said Landrum, who served in the U.S. Army as a military policeman. "We give these men and women the best training and the best equipment and yet when they leave the service or are hurt they are forgotten. They deserve our best after they gave theirs."

Typical of the kinds of complaints Landrum listened to came from Rev. Dr. W.I. Clark of Collinsville. Clark was severely injured in an explosion during a Chinese attack in Korea. For two months he didn't know who he was. He had to learn to walk again. At the age of 80 he barely gets around with a walking cane. He draws 10 percent disability for the injuries he still suffers from today. Jerone has been working to get his disability compensation increased to what it should be. He ended his conversation with Landrum with a simple request.

"I'd like to get what is owed to me before I die," he said.

The list of complaints is too many to list but just a few of the major issues deal with treatment from representatives within the system toward the men and women who have served their country, sometimes losing limbs in the process.

The complaints include, inaccurate information and guidance given to vets on a regular basis, incompetent, sometimes rude, and always ill-prepared representation for Decision Review Officer Hearings and non-professional treatment of vets. In addition to those complaints are those much more personal. A paralyzed patient was refused physical therapy or vocational rehabilitation. The VA Medical Center medical staff that refuses to refer a patient to a specialty clinic. And representatives routinely deny written claims from veterans.

"It's a case where the inmates are running the asylum," Jerone said of the overall VA system in Mississippi.

Ronald Gilstrap served two tours of duty with the U.S. Navy during Vietnam. Three weeks after returning home he was involved in a motorcycle accident where he lost his right leg below the knee. He was living in Texas when Hurricane Rita destroyed everything he owned in 2005. Since moving to Mississippi, he can't get the VA to clear his medical records in Houston to be transferred so he can get new stump socks. This has been an ongoing battle for almost three years.

"It's not like I'm asking for money because I'm not," Gilcrest told Landrum. "I'm just trying to get my records transferred. Why does everything take an act of Congress in this state!"

In addition to Landrum, Col. Florian Yoste, III, a retired USAF colonel and the first appointed director of veterans affairs for Mississippi, listened as one after another of the vets revealed their cases. He said almost two years ago Gov. Haley Barbour told him he didn't want to be the first governor to let down the veterans of this state. Yoste was told about the meeting and decided to attend.

In addressing the group of vets, Yoste made a guarantee.

"I will guarantee I will get you to the VA hospital," he told the group. "I will get you someone who will help you."

After speaking personally to almost every veteran, Landrum stepped back for a minute. He looked like a man who had just stepped on a land mine but gathering himself he said, "Coming here today really does inspire me to do something for these men and women. I want to be their Sonny. I want to get on the front lines with them and be their advocate in Washington."

Statewide there are a quarter million men and women who've served their country's military. In the 3rd U.S. Congressional District alone there are an estimated 75,000 veterans. Lauderdale County has approximately 1,100 veterans living within its borders.