Evening star., 1922-03-22
Mr.. CARRICK VOICES
A VETERANS NEEDS
Tells of Hopelessly Bedridden Fly
ing Lieutenant at Walter
Reed Hospital.
To the Editor of The stsr:

To the Editor Of The stRr:
Your leading editorial tonight, un-
der the caption THE Disabled
Veterans" moves me to voice what
believe to be the sentiments OF the
ex-service man in the premises!
| 1t makes no difference how much
| money this government spends for the
disabled veterans-it IS not the
amount, but the manner in which it
| isl \disbursed that determines whether
OF not the disabled are properly pro-
| vided for.
| Ny experience as state health officer
| and as president of the state board
| of health of Texas has brought me
into close contact with the problem
! of caring for disabled veterans, and
! my state has only recently found it
necessary to erect million dollar
hospital for world war veterans. This,
! despite the fact that Congress has
appropriated nearly twenty millions,
| much of which remains in the
| treasury unexpended.
As a physician am perfectly
\ familiar with what our soldiers en-
dured in the war, and anything short
\ OF complete. satisfactory care will
| be fntolerable. The administrative
problems of the Veterans Bureau are
1
| never accept any excuse for failure
to meet and solve them.
! II was only by the concerted action
| OF the American Legion and other
veteran bodies that the Sweet bill
was enacted last year, reforming con-
dltions that had been denounced in
! congress as national scandal and
disgrace. That was a good beginning
! Tor the American Legion. It's officers
ana members. and the disabled men
4 tnPmGa1vaS wit,
| dependents. will feel that "everythinl-
possible has been done only when
| eacn war sufferer has been relieved
10 the full extent of medical and
surgical science, and when the na-
| tlonal government has compensated
the needy for lost earning power.
Blanket appropria tions of millions
VIII not aid the Individual disa bred
| man, in hamlet, town or city, until
personal contact has determined his
,; neeus ana they have been met in an
J equitable manner. The decentraliza-
| tion or the Veterans Bureau, brought
| ABOUT at the demand of the American
| Legion, should speed this work
| ihere is bill in Congress to grant
disabled emergency Army officers the
same retirement pay and privileges
now allowed by law to all other dis
abled officers. This bill passed the
Senate last month by large vote,
and now seems 10 be tied up in the
l tiouSC Military dHalrS com mlttce, due
TO war Department objections This
| DILL was argued in the Senate purely
on the basis of placing all officers
| upon an equality, as they Were in
| battle 1t had the united backing of
the American Legion and all the Lead
| ihs veteran organizations Of the
| country.
I have just visited the bedside of
second lieutentant, young flying Of
] ncer. at Walter Reed Hospital, hope
| lessly bedridden, with q fractured
spine, as the result of a smash-uD
Since he entered the hospital his fly
| ing pay has been stopped, and be-
| cause he was an emergency officer
| his allowance for Communication of Of
| dcers was cut off also. Out of his
pay as second lieutenant he is Obliged
| to pay for his board in hospital and
| the added expense of bringing his
wife to Washington and maintaining
| her here SO she can be with him.
II the press wishes TO aid in the
! care of the disabled the matters men,
! toned in these last two paragraphs
| are proper subjects for editorial sup
| port whenever "the disabled veter-
| ans are under consideration.
| AS a visitor in Washington / stud
| led your editorial with the interest
! of one who is not only a veteran
| but has been continuously and &C
| lively interested in the disabled vet
| eran problem. 1 have written at this
| length only because of the thought
that you might be interested in some
| of the immediate and specific things
| that can be done to aid the disabled
| veterans of the late war.
| MANTON NJ CARRICK.