|
Yesterday I went with a dozen fellow Vietnam veterans to visit the wounded in Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington. The trip was non-political: as veterans ourselves, we wanted to offer these young soldiers our support.
The Army medical staff were very supportive. They divided our group into teams, each with our own escort. Before we met each wounded soldier, we were briefed on the nature of the wounds and the soldier's home town.
I thought it was going to be awkward, but it wasn't. The soldiers knew we had come up from New York just to wish them well. We'd enter the room and engage the patient with small jokes and banter about sports and the Army. The soldiers seemed to welcome us, and we were glad to cheer them up.
We were impressed by their high morale. One guy who'd been shot in the throat wasn't able to talk, but he did participate in the conversation. Knowing he was from Cleveland, we talked about the rock and roll hall of fame, the Indians and the Browns. He enjoyed the laughter.
I'm still sorting out my feelings. The war is wrong, but the Army is treating the wounded with care and compassion. I'd expected Walter Reed Hospital to be a place of defeat and misery but the mood is very upbeat. America is getting some of it right. Our wounded are well cared for.
|