Retrospective on a Veteran

I ran across a letter yesterday while in Morgantown doing research. I should have photocopied it and brought it back to the Mineral County Historical Society, but I didn't think about that until after I had left for the evening. It was from Brigadier General Benjamin F. Kelley to Nathan Goff, West Virginia Republican leader in the early 1870s.

I have been through some of General Kelley's letters from the Civil War when he commanded Fort Fuller, where Potomac State College stands today. This was a man with confidence and strength in a difficult position. He had to defend a long fixed object, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, against a mobile and usually invisible guerilla enemy. This thankless task is something that our troops today would understand all too well. Kelley did a great job not only in this role, but also later in the war. Ulysses S. Grant mentions in his memoirs a battle in which Kelley's support was important. Kelley was the only Union general to never be on the losing side of an engagement, unless I have heard wrong.

This made the letter I ran across yesterday all the more sad. Kelley wrote to Nathan Goff asking for some job, any job, that would help him to pay his bills. In those days, support for the political party of the president could get you a federal position. Kelley had served on the state Republican Executive Committee and did have a federal job before running afoul somehow of Senator Arthur I. Boreman. He retired to his farm to support his wife and the two children of his son who was killed in the war. Kelley found that his own war wounds kept him from the rigorous work of farming and so he had no choice but to beg for a job, any job, anywhere, that would help him support his family.

There's no partisan political point here. We just need to remember that even years after the wars are over, that our veterans still need help. Many of them have wounds of all kinds that will never heal. The combat may fade into history, but they do not do so nearly as quickly. Even the commanders sometimes return home with problems that will always affect them. Just don't forget.

As Nation Honors Veterans, Capito Announces Legislation to Improve Veterans TBI Care

Capito Re-Introduces Bill to Increase Access to Care for Rural Veterans Suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury

CHARLESTON – As the nation honors America’s military men and women, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., today announced that she has re-introduced legislation designed to improve access to care for rural veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Capito’s bill – the Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Access to Care Act – would establish state-level pilot programs with partnerships between local medical professionals and the Department of Veterans Affairs, enabling local providers to support treatment efforts for geographically-isolated veterans.

Currently there are only four Veterans Affairs facilities equipped to undertake TBI treatment, which necessitates lengthy travel for those in need of treatment. The Richmond VA medical facility is the nearest treatment center for West Virginia veterans.

“Traumatic brain injury is one of the most challenging afflictions facing our military men and women,” said Capito. “Treatment is extensive and specialized, placing an incredibly difficult burden on military families who must often travel great distances for treatment. My legislation is geared towards easing that burden by creating avenues for treatment closer to home.”

An injury commonly associated with U.S. efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, TBI can lead to a wide range of symptoms that range from persistent head-aches to extreme memory loss, seizures and dramatic personality changes. Approximately 20 percent of all injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan involve TBI and is often accompanied by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which can complicate TBI recovery efforts.

The congresswoman on Wednesday also offered her words of thanks and remembrance for U.S. service men and women, particularly in light of Tuesday’s memorial service at Fort Hood.

“As our nation continues to mourn the tragic and incomprehensible loss of life at Fort Hood, it’s even more important that we re-commit ourselves to supporting and honoring our nation’s military men and women,” said Capito.

“On this day when we remember and honor our nation’s veterans, let us also remember the burden carried by our military families. Just as we thank our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, we must also thank their loved ones who support them and serve along-side them.”

“Our nation is truly in their debt, and I hope all West Virginians will take a moment today to reflect on the sacrifices made by our service members and their families. Our veterans have earned at least as much.”

The Great Crusade

Thanks to all the Veterans on Day D