01 July 2011

2011 Joint Opening Convention speech by Lt Col. Doug Etter

Good morning and thank you for the invitation to join you today. I bring you greetings from both of my bosses, MG Wesley E. Craig, the Adjutant General and BG Michael Gould, the Deputy Adjutant General for Veterans Affairs. I must tell you, with all sincerity, when I am with a group of veterans, I feel more at ease, more at peace and more myself, than I do anywhere else. So there’s no where I would rather be right now, than here with you.

Did you ever hear that story about the old veteran who decided one morning to go for a drive? He kissed his wife, started up the car and just drove off. About a half hour later, his cell phone rang. It was his wife on the other end. She sounded frightened. “Harold,” she said, “I want you to be careful out there. An emergency bulletin just came on the television. Someone is driving the wrong way down the freeway.” “Someone?” he husband asked, “Hell, there’s hundreds of people driving the wrong way!”

Well this morning I want to recognize you for going against the grain, for taking a course few are willing to take. You did that when you raised your hand and joined the military. Recognize that only six percent of our population are veterans. That means that for every one hundred citizens, only six of us will stand up to defend the other ninety-four. You also are going against the grain by being here today. You could have stayed home, you could have used your vacation for something else, but instead, you chose once again to join your brothers and sisters to honor, to remember and to renew your commitment to veterans of every time and place. I am particularly grateful to those of you who are from the Korean and Vietnam wars. Those who fought in WWII, the Persian Gulf war and even the current Global War on Terror have heard the thanks yous but most of you did not, so it speaks volumes of your character that you are here today.

I also want to thank you spouses, children, parents and other loved ones who are here. The cost of defending Freedom is high but few people, including we warriors, can know the price you paid, the sacrifices you endured often times with quiet grace and dignity. Will you, my fellow veterans, please recognize our loved ones here tonight, for all they have done for us and the nation?

I will confess to you, however, I wasn’t always passionate about veterans, even after my first twenty years in the Army. You see, I grew up in a family where military service was as natural as going to school, playing sports or belonging to a civic organization. My younger brother beat me into combat by deploying to Bosnia. Our father is a veteran and his brother, an Air Force pilot, was veteran of the Korea, the Berlin Airlift and Vietnam. Their dad was a combat veteran of World War II and the attic of his home was filled with war trophies were a young boy and his cousins could allow their imaginations to entertain them for hours. His great uncle, a young private, was among the first to reach the enemy’s defenses in the charge up San Juan Hill and our family still has the letter from his Commanding General commending him for his courage. Stories of my great grandfather’s study and interactions with Civil War veterans were common, as were tales of how my great-great grandfather on my mother’s side, of how his wounds and imprisonment at Andersonville Prison, the deadliest and most dangerous of the South’s prisons, changed him. He returned to his Butler County farm a different man than the boy who had left. Our great-great-great grandfather was a part of the historic battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812 before becoming the Clerk of Courts in Allegheny County and his father, a man who public records state stood “6’7” tall in his stockings” was a major in the Pennsylvania militia when the nation was born.

So I didn’t give a lot of thought to veterans. I thought every family in America had members that served. But then the world shifted. A cataclysmic event occurred on sunny Tuesday morning in September and my life would never be the same after I went to Iraq for the first time. And now, there is not a day that goes by when I do not think about my brothers and sisters-at-arms or their loved ones. I find a fellowship with them, a fellowship with you really, that is so sweet and satisfying that I cannot match it anywhere else.

Our current war began on September 11, 2001. Now some would argue that it began earlier with the destruction of Pam Am flight 103 over Lockerbie Scotland that was blown out of the air on December 21, 1988 by Muslim extremists. Others might suggest, the first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, the destruction of the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya in 1998 or the attack on the USS Cole October 12, 2000 which killed 17 sailors and wounded 39. Those were all tragic events. But our forces were not fully engaged until September 11, 2001 and now, after ten years of war, our forces are fatigued. Since September 2001 more than two million Americans have deployed in the Global War on Terror. More than 270,000 have deployed more than once and of those more than 110,000 have deployed 3 or more times. A full 1/3 of the National Guard has deployed more than once like me, and we were supposed to be a strategic reserve.

And as you so well know, not as those who watch the news with only a slight passing interest, but as those who know the full price required to protect Liberty and her children, we have paid a terrible cost. As of yesterday, 4,781 American sons and daughters have been killed in action. 44,122 have been wounded.[i] And right here in Pennsylvania, 266 men and women who called the Keystone state home have been killed in action and 1,669 wounded and 48 National Guard soldiers have fallen[ii]. No other state has lost more Guard members.

We also are paying a terrible cost in other ways. A 2008 RAND study noted that a full 1/3 of Iraq or Afghanistan veterans suffer from Post Traumatic Stress (I won’t even call it a disorder because it is a perfectly normal reaction to the abnormality of combat), Traumatic Brain injury or severe depression. Our number of suicides is dramatically increasing. In 2009, there were 160 confirmed suicides in the Army alone and between 2005 -2009, 1,100 active duty personnel took their lives with their own hand. The VA suicide hotline receives 13,000 calls a month! There is also an average of 950 suicide attempts every year by those enrolled in the VA health Care system. And since less than 20% of us are enrolled in VA health care, I wonder how many veterans reach a level of pain that is so unbearable they see no way out, other than to take their own lives. 18 Veterans die every day to suicide.

Post traumatic stress is also linked to domestic violence and substance abuse, as our warriors continue to wage personal battles or seek to self medicate to neutralize their pain. I know I did after my first deployment. Having lost 15 soldiers, seeing 61 of my men be wounded, after making the sign of the cross on their forehead, after kissing so many goodbye as a surrogate for their parents, wives or other loved ones who could not be there, after laying to rest, one of my best friends next to his grandparents, I too tried to ease my pain with Mr. Daniels. Now I have come to believe that the pain may be something I always carry with me.

Then of course there is the unemployment or under-employment many of our veterans face. Everyone is worried about the economy. We all know that the unemployment rate is hovering around 9.5% but for our brothers and sisters just returning from distant and desolate deserts the unemployment stands at 21.1%. I will also tell you this, as I talk with our younger brothers and sisters about their work, as I talk with the ones who have jobs, they tell me their work lacks meaning. It is not as fulfilling or satisfying as what they did in the military. There, they knew, their work had purpose.

There has also been an increase in the number of veterans who are incarcerated or who have encounters with the law. There are no real hard statistics on America’s newest generation of warriors but a look at their older brothers and sisters from Vietnam can be quite eye opening. A US Department of Justice study in 2004 found that Vietnam Veterans make up 36% of the state prison population and 39% of the federal prison population. And I wonder why is that? Why in a nation of more than 300 million people, with 23 million veterans, just 6% of the population, why is more than one out of every three inmates a veteran? Could it have something to do with the mental health and unemployment/under-employment issues I mentioned earlier?

I also wonder if these issues are related to homelessness among veterans? The Federal Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 131,000 veterans are homeless. Here in Pennsylvania, the VA estimates there are 2,000 veterans who call cardboard boxes or bridge abutments home. And there is an alarming trend in the number of veterans with families or the number of female veterans with or without children who are winding up on the streets.

That’s the bad news. Straight, up front and unvarnished. But here’s the good news.

America’s Armed Forces are committed. Yes, we may be stretched and tired but we are hanging in there and our collective resolve remains as strong as ever. All five branches of the service have met their recruiting and retention goals for the last two years. Now some will say that’s because of the economy. Given how bad it is, they argue, young people go into the military to find a job or they stay in because they are afraid they won’t find anything if they leave. I understand that and I can see how the economy may play a part but it is not the principal driving factor. You see, I am not some talking head on TV. I talk with soldiers and their families everyday and when I talk with them, the principal driving factor they universally report is their patriotism, their love of country, their sense of duty to protect and defend their families and homeland. They see the big picture. They share a determination and commitment to stop naked aggression and hostility. They are willing to put themselves on the line, to say no to religious totalitarianism. They will not be slaves. They refuse to live in fear. They want to live boldly, proudly and courageously.

Recently, I have been inspired by the words which hang on an orange poster board outside the room of a Navy SEAL at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. This particular warrior was struck by eight bullets in the Al Anbar province where I first served, but his spirit never bowed or broke. His words give voice to the spirit so many of us know. This is what he wrote in black marker on that orange poster board:

Attention to all who enter here. If you are coming into this room with sorrow or to feel sorry for my wounds, go elsewhere. The wounds I received I got doing a job I love, doing it for people I love, supporting the freedom of a country I deeply love. I am incredibly tough and will make a full recovery. What is full? That is the utmost physically my body has the ability to recover. Then I will push that about 20% further through sheer mental tenacity. This room you are about to enter is a room of fun, optimism, and intense rapid re-growth. If you are not prepared for that, go elsewhere.

And knowing you too, sisters and brothers, some of you could have written those words too. Written by one, they still speak for many including all those who return from combat better, more focused, more confident, more productive. There’s a reason why so many Fortune 500 companies are headed by veterans.

There has also been a massive shift in the support and services our warriors receive. In the past nine years, the federal VA’s budget has increased almost exponentially and next year, it will be $125 billion dollars. In just the past four years, they have added 6,000 mental health professionals bringing their total to 19,000. There are also now 15,000 adjudicators and the VA is moving to stream line the claims process to reduce the backlog. Three new presumptive illnesses have been added to the 12 which already exist for our Vietnam vets and there are now 9 new presumptives for Gulf War Illnesses. SEC Shinseki is waging a campaign to end homelessness among veterans within five years! There’s also been more attention given to female veterans than at any time in our nation’s history. And look at the Post 911 GI bill. Not only does it cover the cost of the highest in state tuition for any veteran but it also provides them with a book allowance and a living stipend and the most amazing thing in my opinion, is that the benefit is completely transferable to the veteran’s spouse or other dependents.

Think of the advances we have made in medicine and technology, how to treat traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injuries, amputations and severe burns. We’re also making incredible strides in telemedicine and electronic medical records. All of these are important.

I also think it is important to notice there has been a shift in public opinion about our armed forces and the veterans’ communities. I will admit there are times when I am cynical or suspicious about the appreciation some people express for our service. Sometimes I fear it comes from guilt or a sense of political correctness but as soon as I say that, I also hasten to add there are many great citizens out there who genuinely appreciate the service and sacrifices of our military. I also think some of that genuine appreciation has spilled over onto our Korean and Vietnam brothers and sisters who may not have always gotten the same positive reception as other generations of warriors. If nothing more, images of the war, the families of our fallen and the wounded have raised public awareness of the cost of freedom. Many do not want to pay the price themselves but they know, each generation must pay its own installment.

There is of course, much still to be done. The work is not yet finished.

· We also cannot forget the families of our fallen or those who fall at their own hand. A lot of attention surrounds these folks when an event first happens but what about our long term commitment to them? What about their children?