I take issue with the comment made by Joseph Nugent of Oxford in his letter, published Dec. 1. His comment insinuated that Cmdr. Robert Macdonald is not doing enough to help veterans and that is not accurate.
When I visited the Veterans Administration facility at Togus in 2002, I inquired about medical help, but the facilitator did not ask the right questions about my experience and exposure to Agent Orange during my 18 months in Vietnam. The problem with the VA is that officials are unable or unwilling to notify veterans of newly-found information, through studies done with respect to chemical exposure.
It was not until I happened to see Cmdr. Macdonald last year that he informed me of the new findings. He took me to Togus to begin the claims process. Because of his proactive stance with the VFW, I received compensation within six months from the date of filing my claim.
James Morin, Lewiston
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James, your comments are spot on...
How many times were we told in the military that you are your own best advocate and received talks about personal responsibility. We as veterans need to take personal responsibility to be aware of assistance that is out there.
I did thirty years and had to sit through what I thought at the time were WAY too many briefings about our exceptional benefits given to us by grateful Americans for our service. When I separated as an enlisted soldier, I was counselled...when I retired as an officer I was counselled.
Many military service organizations are chartered by Congress to work with veterans, admittedly some better than others. The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans etc all have veteran service officers (VSO) ready and willing to assist their fellow veterans, but veterans should take the first step. The rules and periods of qualified service can be confusing and frustrating, but that is the purpose of the VSO, to help you through the process.
Veterans who complain should get involved and/or volunteer with our military service organizations, there are many to choose from so you can find the right fit for you; many are going though tough financial times and need membership to carry out their missions.
In addition, each organization puts out periodicals that address the latest veteran's issues and status, regarding entitlements, education and medical coverage etc. You can also read them, in most cases, free on line at home or your local library. I have found them to be most useful.
You may not always get the answer YOU want, but you will get an answer, my personal experience at the Pentagon helping veterans is that approximately 95% received help and were happy, 4% were not happy with the answer for various reasons, and a very small percentage were trying to get something they were not entitled to i.e. claimed service/benefits when none was served/due.
Robert MacDonald cares about veterans, I have met him around town and know it to be true.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Jim , 12.11.21 21:21 hst
Jim , 12.11.21 21:21 hst ≠
We saw the first Paraquat partients coming in , in 1 9 7 6 when i worked there ( Togus )
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange
It wasn't until 1 9 9 2 that the U S congress officially acknowledged there was a problem
The VA can always do a better job but so can we
i think they do the best with what they've got to work with
http://vhv-vetshelpingvets.com/ /s Steve
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