I’m a disabled Air Force vet. Here’s why I’m glad I never joined the VFW
By Emery McClendon. Read it in Washington Examiner.
As an Air Force veteran who serviced aircraft that flew to Vietnam, I got to see a side of our military that most people don’t know about. I am talking about the backbreaking behind-the-scenes work that got our planes airborne and back again.
I was a refueler and a liquid oxygen expert, both almost foreign-language terms to most Americans, but both essential to keeping our military running and our country safe. I’m proud of my service, but that work came with lasting consequences that take their toll to this day.
I have service-connected and secondary disabilities for depressive disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, hoarseness, and residual tonsillectomy, among other issues. When it came time to call in my health benefits, I relied on advocacy groups such as the American Legion, and Disabled American Veterans to navigate the VA claims system and to fight for our interests in Washington. Millions of veterans out there like me do the same every day.
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I’m a member of the DAV and the Legion. I never joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and I’m glad I didn’t. That group’s fall from grace is a good lesson for the others, and a cautionary note for veterans choosing their representation.
The main issue is the Take Care of American Veterans Act, currently working its way through Congress. This bill contains more than 60 provisions to expand support for veterans, caregivers, surviving spouses, and other members of the veteran community. As the Legion puts it, “for the first time in a generation, the votes and resources line up to move dozens of long-stalled priorities together.” Over 20 veteran groups support TCAVA, according to Military.com.
But the VFW wants to sink this historic legislation because it disagrees with one provision.
Granted, no bill will ever be perfect. But the VFW’s rhetoric has gone beyond policy disagreement, with supporters tarring the Legion’s leaders and other vets as “Blue Falcons” and accusing them of betraying their brothers in arms. Now the VFW is pitting veterans against veterans, all of whom could benefit from the broader package of this legislation.
The second problem is about priorities. At a time when the VA’s care backlog numbers over 70,000, the VFW has waded into third-rail political issues. Abortion and gender ideology are the two big ones, with VFW reps testifying to Congress in favor of abortion-rights counseling and transgender “quality of care.” These issues are worth debating, but the VFW’s mission is supposed to be bipartisan and uncontroversial. Taking sides on these matters alienates exactly the legislators whose support veterans need on Capitol Hill.
I’ve spent decades advocating veterans. I’ve had my own struggles accessing outside treatment for my chronic pain, and I’ve seen the financial consequences when the VA refuses to cover a treatment or medication and forces vets to get it from a more expensive alternative. And I understand that in any group, not everyone will agree on everything. But when I apply my service experience to today’s problems with the VFW, two lessons stand out.
First, your plane won’t function without a solid support network. The tech who pours his cocktail into the aircraft’s fuel tank signs the pilot’s death warrant. When the VFW plays politics, it’s falling well short of the quality and dedication our veterans need on their flight deck. No wonder its membership has declined.
Second, when you see a hero shine in impossible circumstances, there’s usually a team of unsung heroes supporting his success. If one tech decides he knows better, threatens to walk off, and disparages his brothers on the deck, then the plane doesn’t fly — or worse, it crashes. In one survey of over 1,000 veterans, 71% supported TCAVA. So the VFW shouldn’t pretend its opponents are betraying veterans. That only sows discord, and possible solutions fade into the background.
Our mutual goal, whatever our disagreements in the particulars, should be to expand veterans’ choices, access, and quality of care. When the VFW veers instead into partisan political squabbling and attention-seeking obstructionism, I can only be disappointed. The VFW has lost its way, leaving countless veterans in a dark room without hope. Our veterans deserve better.
Emery McClendon of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is married to Queenie, and they share three sons. He served in the U.S. Air Force, the Indiana Air Guard, and is a former Ft. Wayne Police Reserve Officer, Allen County Sheriff Deputy, and Indiana State Trooper.
