Gates to wounded warriors: I thank you from the bottom of my heart

Secretary of Defense Robert M.Gates, speaking at a summit held at the Pentagon for wounded warriors and their families, said he wanted to reflect on an event a few months ago when Frank Buckles, a 107-year-old veteran, was present at a ceremony when a new exhibit was opened. Upon discharge from the military after World War I, Frank Buckles got “sixty bucks and a free pass to the Y[MCA],” as his severance.

To our wounded warriors, Gates said, I’ve been amazed by your grit and resilience. Part of my duties was to visit Walter Reed and other hospitals and I wasn’t sure I could keep it together and if I could handle it, to see the wounded. But I found instead that they lift me up, he said. Gates became emotional, his voice wavering, and looked solemn as he sniffled a bit and looked out at the audience. I will repeat the pledge I made to myself and everyone, he said, that other than winning the wars we are in, my highest priority is caring for those who are wounded.

Gates said they are now converting the disability rating process so that one service member has one exam, and one rating which will be shared between the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Veterans Administration (VA). Working together, the DOD and VA can cut in half the time required to get to the disability payment process completed through the VA.

Many have returned bearing the scars of war, and some of those wounds are not readily apparent, Gates continued. In Iraq and Afghanistan, improvement in techniques and medical care has made it possible to survive an injury that many used to not be able to live through. This, however, has made evident how much we do not know about Traumatic Brain Injuries. We are poised to learn a lot more. We’ve also gone a long way to deal with the psychological effects of what has turned out to be a very long war.

As we all know, Gates said, not everyone returning from Iraq and Afghanistan is getting the mental health care they need. Too often people have avoided help because they were afraid of it affecting their security clearance or even their jobs. They are trying to remove the stigma by keeping counseling not part of the evaluation process, so that having it not affect their jobs is hopefully going to make it more likely to have men and women in uniform seek help.

Although we’ve made significant progress in the last year there is no doubt we still have a lot of work to do. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Gates concluded, and his remarks were received with a round of applause.