Rep. Rick Larsen says the government must do a better job caring for returning veterans

Published 11:20 pm Friday, November 30, 2007

MARYSVILLE — The country is still wrestling with the health issues suffered by Vietnam war veterans, so it makes sense that veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan get the medical and other services they deserve now, a congressman said Friday.

Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., said it’s clear the needs of Vietnam soldiers and those in earlier wars have not been met. He wants to prevent similar problems from affecting troops coming home today.

Larsen on Friday wrapped up a series of four “conversations with veterans” to get ideas from them about what is and what is not working with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

One thing he learned is that Congress needs to finish work that the government should have been doing for years.

“We have a paradox how we provide services to veterans,” Larsen said. “We have a new generation of combat veterans coming home to a system that was built 40 years ago, and we’re still trying to play catch-up.”

Some 400 veterans showed up in four counties, including about 100 Friday who crowded into Marysville American Legion Post 178.

The main thing he learned from the veterans is the need to make sure supporting services are available for the new generation of combat veterans, Larsen said.

A member of the House Armed Services Committee, Larsen touted recent progress, including increased funding for the Veterans Administration to reduce waiting times for medical appointments and backlogs in claims.

“I’d like to think this is a new era of support for veterans,” Larsen told the crowd Friday.

Veterans themselves had mixed reviews for the Veterans Affairs administration. Some complained about not getting services they are entitled to, while others said they were happy.

One Korean War vet told the congressman that the troops are taught to kill, but not how to “undo that when they come home. Sometimes we need help.”

Something that will help is establishment of a community-based outpatient medical clinic for veterans that will be located in Mount Vernon, perhaps by next summer.

That will help many Snohomish County veterans avoid a long drive and aggravating traffic in trips to Seattle to receive services.

Another aid is the recent opening of a veterans center in Everett, where there’s help for those readjusting to civilian life after combat, director Tim Davis said.

The goal of the facility, temporarily located at the Holiday Inn in Everett, is to provide a broad range of counseling, outreach and referral services to eligible veterans, he said.

The organization, a part of Veterans Affairs, is looking for a permanent home, Davis said.

Larsen also lauded congressional strengthening of services for veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder and brain injuries.

“We’re going to continue to further define the extent of problems we will see with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury,” Larsen said. Service members sometimes don’t want to admit they have a problem, and their problems may surface many months after returning from combat, Larsen said.

Sometimes they don’t seek help.

“That is going to be huge,” Larsen said. “We’re trying to change a culture in the military to hide those problems.”

Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or jhaley@heraldnet.com.