A veteran of these United States of America , regardless of the time period in which they served — from before 1776 to 2016 — should be shown respect by this government. These men and women were and are a breed apart. Regardless of peacetime or wartime service, each and every man and woman that swore an oath of allegiance to the United States of America, knew this: they knew they were different.

I write this to remember the veterans, all veterans. Please remember the veterans of Pearl Harbor, these young men and women gave so much to this country that can never be repaid. If it had not been for this generation of veterans, the world would not be as free as it is today. Show respect to these men and women.

A veteran, either man or woman, is an individual who signed a blank check payable to the American people for an amount up to and including their life. No greater gift could any man or woman give their country. That man or woman who walked away from their husband or wife and children to go into harm’s way to defend freedom for the people of this great nation have an idea of the sacrifice. The only true way of knowing what this sacrifice means would mean that you served also.

I could sit before you all day and tell you about our military and you would only understand part of what I was saying to you. You would not know the feeling of missing meals and what that does to you mentally and physically. Unless you have. You would not know the feeling of missing 70 to 100 hours of sleep and what that does to your mind. Unless you have.

Most of you love to go camping from time to time. Two to three days at a time. Most veterans don’t care to go camping anymore. Reason being: you try camping 30 to 40 days at a time, and being wet 90 percent of that time. The novelty of camping is gone for some of these vets.

Years back when we still had c-rats (combat meals in cans — not the meals ready to eat, or MREs, of today) you could tell the difference between the Marines who had been in the field a lot as to ones who had not. Two small things: a pair of pliers for getting the c-rat can out of the fire and a big bottle of Texas Pete. The Texas Pete was to kill the flavor of the c-rats meal.

These are just some of the points that I try to bring out. Our veterans, and I mean all of our veterans, have given this country more than our country has given back. I promise you that.

I want to write about the Veterans Administration and the disrespect that the veterans have received. This disrespect starts at the top with Obama’s administration and most of the Veterans Administrations field offices and the poor — to the point of just being ridiculous — service that these men and women have received .

I should say no service. I question everything and everybody if I see a reason to do so. With the veterans, I have no reason to question, for I know they tell the truth about how they are treated.

I was told by a veteran that he was told not to complain to anybody within the Veterans Administration, it would not go anywhere — the complaint that is. He was told to go outside of the Veterans Administration. Who was he told this by, you ask? A Veterans Administration official was the one who told him to do this. What does that tell you about the VA? The Veterans Administration fired its top official two years ago, or he stepped down. Either way it did no good. Nothing has changed within the VA.

Veterans die every day because they never get to see a doctor in a timely manner. Does this matter to this administration? I don’t see it. Same old little game being played by Obama. Let’s have a photo op, just like his visit to a VA hospital in Phoenix two year’s ago . You know the one, the one where his wife did not have the time to lay over for 2 hours. So she needed to have another jet to get her back to Washington so she could plan another vacation. Damn the veterans what have they done for me? This is the only reason that I can come up with. No respect was shown then or now to our veterans.

I know I have written about this in the past but it is the truth. Our veterans mean nothing to this administration. In recent weeks, the same old B.S. has come from Obama’s mouth — just like it did two years ago. His own words were: “The Veterans Administration has been turned around.” Another damn lie to try and make himself and his so-called legacy look good. He has, through his actions, done nothing to help. I don’t know what it is about the Phoenix VA, but that facility needs to be closed down and every last person there needs to be put in jail for what they keep on doing to the veterans in that area. They make false reports every day. But this is just fine with this administration. The administrator that I wrote about that was fired in Phoenix, well, he got a promotion and a raise. See what you get if you kill a few thousand veterans with piss-poor appointments and care? Or should I say, lack of care?

If you are on welfare and have done nothing but have seven children with seven different men out of wedlock , they are treated better then the veterans who have given their arms and legs to defend this nation. The ones who have been responsible for the care of our veterans and have not done so, should be fired.

Has this happened? It has not. In a lot of cases, they were put into higher positions, given raises and vacations.

Our government is broken. Government has gotten to big for its britches. It’s time for a real change and not this B. S. that’s being passed out to our veterans. People, if we do not stand up with and for our military and our law enforcement officers, were going to have a bad day real soon.

The ones who protect and serve, it’s time to protect and serve them for a change. It is also time for the veterans to march on Washington. Damn this 1 million man march. We, the veterans of this country, are a strong force, to say the least. We are over 20 million strong — that does not count our families. It’s time to do something while we still can, stand together as one for what the veterans have given us. That is the right of freedom for every man, woman and child of this free America.

I beg of every veteran who reads these simple words: respond back to this paper, respond online. This can be pushed out all over this country, do so. People like to talk about their families online. Talk about our military family of veterans. Do something, say something. Stand up, shout as loud as we can: this treatment of our veterans can not and will not stand without a fight. We have fought battles for our country. Now we must fight a new battle for just treatment of all of our veterans and for our future veterans. For without veterans, we will not stand as a free America. If we falter and fail our veterans, then we fail as a nation.

Robert Lee is a concerned citizen and U.S. Marine veteran who owns and operates Rockingham Guns and Ammo. His column appears here each Saturday.

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Robert Lee

Contributing Columnist