OPINION: VA health care system is full of people doing good

I am writing this letter in regards to the constant trashing of the Veterans Affairs system across the United States of America. It would appear that by all that you read or hear in the media that the VA is deliberately letting veterans die because they have no compassion or understanding on how to treat so many patients.

Some of you reading this may agree or disagree with this context but as a veteran and a recipient of care from the VA health-care system I could not in any way disagree more with the liberal crap that is spewed from the mouths of those who have never taken the time to understand the issues at hand.

America, the land of the free because of the brave, has been in constant conflicts, wars, battles, etc., for the last 75 years and our VA system is simply trying to play catch-up with the multiple issues that our veterans face. The VA didn’t create the mess; Washington, D.C., did.

The VA system is overwhelmed at the amount of veterans — you know… the ones who have served their country and not just need the health care but ARE provided the necessary help needed as quickly as possible. The VA staff is underpaid and overworked at the same time our elected officials fatten their wallets on the backs of the American veteran who afforded them that opportunity by standing in harm’s way so that as a nation we can remain free and live in peace.

The problem is NOT the VA; it is a combination of bureaucratic stupidity coming out of Washington, D.C.! We can give Iran $100 billion but we can’t assist the VA facilities across America that are treating those who served under the Stars and Stripes so that we can remain one nation under God!

Montana is the fourth largest state in the country in size but with a smaller population in relation to other geographical areas of the country, yet Montana is home to over 290,000 veterans. The Kalispell VA is phenomenal at assisting and providing the health care needed for the many veterans who call the Flathead Valley home.

The rhetoric and trash talking in regards to the VA has many of us thankful veterans wondering why there are never positive articles about what the VA actually accomplishes. Those articles are never published because as a whole we have become a negative-minded society that thrives on others’ misfortunes, etc. When is the last time you turned on the news and actually saw a news story showing something good happening? Get my point?

We all have chapters in our lives that we don’t read out loud and for the media to continually trash what many of us appreciate is degrading and unacceptable. The Kalispell VA has been a life-saver for me and countless others with their quick thinking, paper shuffling, kind-hearted and compassionate ways to get the veterans the treatment needed without delay.

If the VA can’t get you into Fort Harrison quickly then you are referred to Kalispell Regional Medical Center and they have some of the best staff, facilities, and resources in all of America. We all should truly look at KRMC and our local VA Clinic as a great foundation for getting veterans the help and services needed in a professional and timely manner.

I have been treated each and every time with the utmost of professionalism and kindness. I’ve not been to the Kalispell VA a single time that a staff member has not stated, “Thank you for your service.”

I have been blessed to have a great team of professionals working on my behalf — nurse practitioner Devon Robinson, registered nurse Cate Catina, Dr. Kujawa, Becky Petrashek, Cindy, Jan, Wayne, Joe and several others. The Kalispell VA staff has a caring heart and a can-do attitude and don’t get the thanks that they all deserve.

Next time you start thinking about running your mouth about what’s wrong with the VA, stop for just a minute and look at everything they ARE doing right. This goes for the Kalispell Vet Center as well, serving the veterans of the greatest nation on Earth not because they have to but because they want to.

I’m proud to know the health-care professionals in the Flathead are eager and willing to help all veterans at all hours despite what others may assume.

Miles, of Kalispell, is an Air Force veteran.