A soldier's story
Expect to see a number of outraged letters soon on efforts to help veterans appeal for benefits from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs.
Lex Alexander's recent stories on area lawyers' efforts, including Greensboro's Craig Kabatchnick, to aid frustrated vets clearly has touched a nerve.
They also stirred memories of another Triad veteran, Winston-Salem's Lawrence Joel.
Joel, a Vietnam veteran who served as a medic, won the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism under fire in 1965.
While himself shot in his legs during a Viet Cong ambush, Joel crawled to the aid of more than a dozen wounded comrades as bullets still rained on his unit. He had bandaged his own wound and administered morphine to himself.
Says one account: "As bullets dug up the dirt around him, he held plasma bottles high while kneeling. ... Then, after being struck a second time, and with a bullet lodged in his thigh, he dragged himself over the battlefield and succeeded in treating 13 more men before his medical supplies ran out. Displaying resourcefulness, he saved the life of one man by placing a plastic bag over a severe chest wound to congeal the blood."
If Joel's name sounds familiar, that's because Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem honors him.
He is Forsyth County's only Medal of Honor winner. He was the first living black American to receive the Medal of Honor since the Spanish-American War.
He was presented the medal by President Lyndon Johnson on March 9, 1967.
A diabetic, he died bitter and in ill health in 1984.
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center dedicated its main auditorium in 1991 to Joel.
Yet, ironically, according to family members, Joels had been angered at the lack of help he was able to obtain from what was then the Veterans Administration.
This is not to say Veterans Affairs doesn't perform many wonderful functions. It is to say that at least some aspects need rehabilitation of their own.
Comments (4)
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Allen, one doesn't "win" the Medal of Honor; it's not a contest. It's awarded in recognition of extreme bravery.
It's refreshing to see that the N&R has provided Lex with yet another platform to attack the Bush administration through his articles slamming one of it's branches.
Liberal bias? Oh, no...not at the N&R!
Posted on September 13, 2006 10:00 AM
Jaycee: Actually, I don't see this as attacking the administration. We should do right by our veterans no matter who's in the White House.
Posted on September 13, 2006 10:44 AM
As a vet, I agree with you; but Lex lets no chance to put down the Bush administration pass him by.
It's in the line of, "...and here's another thing they're doing wrong."
Posted on September 13, 2006 11:10 AM
What irks me are folks who write about things they have no clue about, such as Lex. I doubt that he has ever even been inside a VA hospital, applied for any benefit or even knows how to go about doing such.
The VA has it's share of problems as does any large governmental office but to attempt to blame any one administration, as Lex appeared to do, for the problems is ridiculous. The VA has worked diligently to resolve the problems that they have faced. One such was the sudden influx of Vets applying for benefits created by our aging Vet population due to more relaxed guide lines along with a new generation of Vets.
These problems seems to have been eased and the system in that regard is flowing smoothly once again.
Another problem which was pointed out by the letter write recently is the problems some face in wading through the paperwork necessary to apply for disability benefits. Have they tried the Social Security claim system yet???
It is difficult to wade through the paper work but it can be done if one is very careful to fill out every single question asked. Getting doctors to respond in a timely fashion has been another problem that many have faced. Another problem has been not knowing where to turn when a problem is presented.
There are many service organizations who have Service Reps available to assist and the great thing is one does not have to be a memember of the organization to receive help. In my efforts to help individuals work through the maze as I had to do at one time I found a great help right up the road in Winston Salem. The gentleman retired in July of this year but has left the office in good hands with his assistant and office manager until a new SRO can be assigned. His name was Jim Ward, Regional Veterans Service Officer for the VFW. He was outstanding in his efforts to assist all Vets who needed his help. His office can be reached at:
VA Regional Office
251 North Main Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27155
Phone: 336-631-5457
I hope this will be of assistance to any Vet in the G'boro or through out the state who may need help in any matter pretaining to Veteran's benefits.
Posted on September 16, 2006 1:00 PM