Letter: Vets medical care is in sorry state

Thursday, Oct. 28, 1999 | 9:58 a.m.

The situation is appalling! As young men and women these personnel were called to duty either as volunteers or draftees, and subsequently enticed to "re-up" and/or decide to put in 20 or more years on active duty and then retire.

During these years of duty, the financial earnings were adequate but not tremendous. The enticements to stay were the benefits such as PX, commissary and other military base facilities, and especially military medical care -- all of which were used extensively during those years, and all of which were promised to continue following retirement.

Well, as you know, the medical care for retirees has been drastically changed.

The great new hospital at Nellis Air Force Base bearing Mike O'Callaghan's name is a beautiful structure with more than adequate space and facilities, but it is greatly understaffed and poorly supported financially.

That's why retirees have trouble getting timely and adequate care, and now when you're over 65 you get none! That is why many of us are outraged by the frequent and lengthy trips our commander in chief and his first lady keep taking (accompanied by huge staffs and countless "friends") all over the world in military aircraft, costing millions of dollars for each trip, all of which comes out of the already depleted Department of Defense budget.

It also is interesting that some congressmen/senators are still getting military medical facility treatment at the age of 96!

BRUCE R. MASTRACCHIO

JAY CRAMPTON

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