Shooting at local VA

[melody1181]

There was a shooting at the ER entrance at the local VA hospital.

A man drove up in a white van and began shoot with a 22 rifle, shot through the front window and pretty much every where else that was facing the facility. No one was hurt but they said he was telling the VA police to shoot him.

This ER is so very painfully slow, wonder if he just went batter from a wait and pain combined. They said he is being treated there tonight. My question, isn't it said that a person felt they had to do that to get treatment?

[HARDCORE]

Melody et al -

Kinda remind you of the movie "ARTICLE 99" doesn't it!?

Problem is, however, this is not the first time and it may not be the last? When will some people learn that the damage done to many Vets can not just be erased by the wave of a magic wand, wishful thinking, or a political decree!

Many of these veterans suffer from life-long stress , brought on by military service, and exaserbated by the "Who Gives A Shit" attitude of far too many who, by their actions of power, can ease the problem or become just another part of it!

And for the record, where Halliburton came from, there are many more standing in line awaiting their turn at bat, count on it (opinion)!?

VERITAS

[Mom]

A similar story about 3 years ago except he did kill a woman, nurse I believe....Gimpy, I think, had the story up at Veterans forum....Georgia?

And the "Who gives A Sh.." is quite accurate...VERY few. At least the people who work there for more then a couple of years...they get it "supervisor says I can't do that" long enough they either quit or get apathetic or mean as you know what....RARELY do they get better...a few maybe survive as caring people but it's an act of will power or something like that...STRONG WILLED GOOD GUYS...if they last.

I have a few very clear memories of at least TWO people with logical, sane, caring as well attitudes....the rest either slink away looked sick or "don't give a sh.." look....

well, seems to most of us that the a you know what have got the job of taking care of the people they may have messed with in the military. Only explaination I can come up with for the vast number of scuz and reports of scuz treatment. How many other places do you know of that would put up with this in an employee IF THEY AREN'T a monoply or arrogant sorts...

I don't know but in a sense it's like a guard in a nazy death camp who keeps his morals and saves as many lives as he can even in the mist of hellll rather then "enjoying" the horror....in a minor sort of way....just a matter of degree is all.

I'd say you know what I mean even if the rest don't get it.

We had a similar shooting at a VA Hosp.near here a few weeks ago.Turned out that it wasn't a vet but an employee.Guess we ain't the only ones that can flip out.

[reconeil]

Sadly, I was truly impressed by your fine and heartfelt (no doubt) capsulization of what the The VA has deteriorated into.

Still, it got me wondering just how-the-hell does one change The VA into being diffently Veteran-friendly/caring and much less Veteran-confrontational and Veteran non-caring? After all, the more monies shoved-into-it and the bigger the beaurocracy gets (must be biggest beaurocracy in America?) it progressively and actually GETS WORSE.

Maybe a new structure from top to bottom of The VA is needed?
Maybe it should be mandated that all management, doctors and workers in The VA should be Honorable Veterans?
Maybe all politics should be taken out of The VA, and it should be totally run by The Department of Defense?
Maybe then, and if The VA Beaurocracy were then accountable to and under the jurisdiction The UCMJ, and much like Bethesda and other Military Hospitals, so many Veteran Medical Horror Stories wouldn't even exist?

Or, as Me Foin and astute Buddy HARDCORE might quite eloquently put it: Get rid of all those heartless and insensitive bums with an attitude of; "Who gives a shit" regarding Veterans. Veterans need help. Not perpetual BS or perpetual legal roadblocks.

Regardless, my salute and Garryowen to You and all other Veteran Moms.

Neil

[theoddz]

Just so's there's no confusion.....


There ARE some of us VA employees who DO "give a shit" because we are vets, too!! It's the top management of the VA who is to blame. Don't get me wrong, because there are some bad apples in the VA, the same as anywhere else, but the real problem has to do with upper management. It all "slides downhill", as we all know.

"We the unwitting, led by the unwilling, have done so much for so long with so little, we can now do virtually anything with nothing."

Peace.

P.S. Mom, you hit the nail on the head when you used the words "arrogant" and "monopoly" about the VA. This very much describes the upper management of the VA.

[melody1181]

I have no doubt that there are those who care and there are even a few facilitys that are great. The one here is just awful...had alot of bad experiences with my uncle there.

The nurses are over worked and there is to much politics involved.

[theoddz]

The VA politics exist because, in any bureacracy, there are always those who crave ego-stroking and those who are willing to do the stroking for a few more crumbs than their non brown-nosing co-workers.

It is my opinion that every single executive, manager and supervisor within the VA system be a veteran themselves....with preference given to disabled veterans. I think we'd see a better system.

Peace.

[reeb]

Damn Shame, that anyone would do something this dastardly now days.

Has anyone seen the Movie Rolling Thunder with Tommy Jones, and William Devaul ( cant speell his last name>

Both were POWs of the Vietnam War.

I cant go into details, cause I would be here all night long, but ifn you get a chance watch it.

Damn SHAME what the people here do to the Vets.

NO APPRECIATION from about 50% ( give or take )

enough.........

[Rebelwitho]

What i'm about to say, some of you may agree some may not. thats ok thats our right. I see this every day I now work for the V.A. i'm a veteran of over 20 years. there are a lot of people that work at the VA that do care and there is some that do not. at the VA i work at only about 30% that work there are veterans. i don't like it i wish there were more veterans that work there, there is something i see that many of you do not. yes there is a lot of red tape (BS) in the system., but i see a lot of things that jam things up. we have a detox. ward i have seen some veterans go in to the program which is 30 days, after 21 days the veteran gets a check for one month at 100% which is good, because your in there for 30days your not working and you have bills to pay. this is good the program has helped a lot of people thats is good, but we have some that will come in the program, get there check after 21 days check themselves out on the 22 day then go out and drink and dope it up and when they run out of money they come back check in and start all over again. time in time again, but i have seen veterans with no arms or legs or both and they don't receive any thing as far as money. that make me mad. i have seen some veterans that don't want help and what i mean some get 100% ($2,700) month tax free then claim to be homeless. now i know a lot of people who make less and they are not homeless. yes i think we need the VA because it is all the health care that some veterans have. there on a fixed income. yes the VA waste a lot of money, i mean tons of it on thing they should not. $10,000 a month for valet parking so they park these cars 100 to 200 feet from the door., and we have veterans that are being turned down because of buget monies. the VA has helped a lot of people. the one who work at the VA i'm talking about the low man on the bottom who has no say in how the system is run can't do a whole lot about. but one thing they can do is kindness it goes a long way. its the upper management that needs to tighten up. the VA is a good thing, but it needs to be cleaned up as far as waste. i known some of you are liking what i'm saying but it is the truth. i will help any veteran that needs help, but some have to willing to help them selves. if any of you need to talk just drop me a line i may not be able to help you, but i'm willing to listen and try. sometimes it's all it takes.

REBEL