Veteran U.S. Marine and Navy SEAL Craig Sawyer posted the narrative below to his public Facebook page on August 10th. It’s a powerful glimpse into the searing anger and exasperation veterans too often endure working through the VA system for health care. Sawyer has characterized the VA as “a prime example of the kind of big government, top-heavy bureaucracy, which leaves the patients treated more like farm animals than selfless defenders of our nation.” Whether you agree with his diagnosis of the VA’s crippling issues or not, it’s nigh on impossible to quarrel with his assessment of how it makes veterans feel: devalued, neglected, under-prioritized, and warehoused. Interacting with the VA is consigning oneself to the kind of hassle and runaround you’d never endure if you had a choice.

We keep hearing noises about great change and improvement from the VA, but there are still too many stories like Craig’s. Most veterans can name at least person in their close circle who has confronted this garbage. Enough already. It’s time to turn over the bucket, dump it out, and reform the whole damn thing. Resource it adequately, and never again start another war without at the same time increasing capacity and funding for those who will fight it and bear the individual costs.

I’m glad Craig Sawyer is utilizing his considerable public platform to air his frustrations and call attention to this issue. Solutions cannot be genuinely contemplated until we stop pretending the problem doesn’t exist or is trivial. Given how little mention veterans have gotten in the early stages of the political primary season, these issues need all the publicity they can get.

But it’s also important to remember that while social media chatter is useful in calling official attention to situations like the one Craig is facing, it’s not a substitute for civic action. If you’re experiencing treatment problems with the VA, pick up the phone and call the district office of your elected U.S. Representative. Ask for the military and veteran caseworker, and tell that person your story. This is the most reliable way of ensuring your elected leader has awareness and appreciation of the challenges veterans are confronting, and is biased toward the legislative oversight and action to reform the VA. If you need to know more about your elected Representative or are looking for more contact points, here’s a directory to get you started.

Craig Sawyer’s post is linked here, and excerpted below.