The Vietnam War
marked the beginning of the chopper Medevac
One moment
bleeding from a wound, the next in surgery with a great chance of coming back
Each war or
conflict thereafter it became easier and easier to survive a wound
A bullet,
grenade, bomb or mine did not spell a soldier’s mortal doom
Body armor, Kevlar
helmets, chariots of steel
Our soldiers
had a better chance from any wound to heal
The mental
wounds unseen may still be the bombs that tick
In a rush of
imagined danger, forces to blow out one’s own wick
After the parades,
after the too many combat days
A new danger
for a vet comes into a deadly play
To survive
the dice of combat only to face the killing grounds of the VA
What foes
and wounds could not do, a new bureaucracy now slays
Phoenix may
be the tip of the iceberg or a one shot deal
But 40 Vets
dying, waiting for a GP seems unreal
Escape the
combat that wishes to maim and kill
Only to die
waiting to see a GP is a swallowing bitter pill.
Worse, while
Vets were dying waiting for even the most basic of care
Administrators
were collecting bonus payments for waiting times they falsely pared
Now the winds
of whistle blowers blow quite shrill
Cooking the
appointment books on the we deserve a bonus grill
If Director Sharon Hellman
cooked the appointment books for Judas money of nine grand
She without
delay should be indicted and pending a trial immediately canned
We as a
nation cannot expect men and women to put lives and limbs on the line
When surviving
tours of combat, home again, to be ignored, treated like swine
Any death
which might have been prevented is a tragedy to its very core
A slight
reed of hope is that Blues and Reds together will rise up in joined angry roar
And the
Commander in Chief one would only hope and pray
That he
would be on board to special counsel appointed without delay
Ms. Hellman
if you are guilty on your bonus I would hope you gag and choke
Off to
prison, your six figure salary ignoring vets will be soon revoked
© April 26, 2014 Michael P. Ridley aka the
Alaskanpoet
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