July1 Press Conference, soldiers getting all they need

An excerpt, McClellan responding to reporters:

"The President was honored to meet with the wounded and their families. They are courageous and brave souls. And it's a moving experience to see the spirit that some of the wounded have. It's an amazing spirit. I mean, there was one individual, I remember, who had lost one of his legs and he struggled to stand up so he could stand at attention and salute the President. There was another who was laying in his bed and had both his left arm and right arm, I think he'd had some sort of surgery and they were both wrapped up past their elbows. And the soldier did everything he could just to raise his right arm all the way up to his head, in full salute to the President. The President looked at him and said, "You got it. You got it." And their spirit and bravery is just amazing to see.

The President asked them if they're getting everything they need, and asked their family members if they're getting everything they need. He talks about how proud he is of them and how honored he is to see them. And --

Q He's a very emotional man. He has cried before. Did you see any tears well up, or did you see tears running down today?"

Ok so Bush asked if they were getting everything they needed...the reporter never got McClellan to expand on that...a big missed opportunity. These guys at Walter Reed may be getting everything they need, but what happens when they are discharged from the military? Then they have to wait in line for a VA appt. The VA with funding cuts, the VA that has lost many facilities. Do you know how far a Veteran has to travel to VA care in some areas? In Texas, it's far.

VA Medical Centers: Amarillo, Big Spring,Bonham,Dallas, Houston, Marlin, San Antonio, Temple.

VA Outpatient Clinics: Austin, Beaumont, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Fort Worth, Laredo, Lufkin, Lubbock, McAllen, San Antonio, Victoria

Community based clinics: Abilene, Aledo, San Diego, Beeville, Bridgeport, Brownsville, Brownwood, College Station, Childress, Denton, Fort Stockton, Galveston, Greenville, Harlingen, San Diego, Longview, Marlin, Odessa, Palestine,
Paris, San Angelo,(closed for remodeling),Stamford, Stratford, Texarkana, Arkansas, Texas City, Tyler, Waxahachie, Wichita Falls. Some of these clinics are only open 3 days per week.

Now, according to the VA, "The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are the most sustained combat operations since the Vietnam War. A wealth of research has shown convincingly that the frequency and intensity of exposure to combat experiences is strongly associated with the risk of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; APA, 1994) and related impairment (Kaylor, King, & King, 1987). As a result, there is good reason to be more concerned about the long-term mental health toll associated with these new wars" article link

So, do our soldiers and their families really have everything they need? Is it really within reach of every veteran? Sure if you can afford a good car and time to wait, and wait and wait.