Editor’s note: This commentary is by Rosanne Greco, the former chair of the South Burlington City Council and a retired U.S. Air Force colonel.
[N]ov. 11 is Veterans Day, the day set aside each year to recognize the men and women who have served in the military. Some communities acknowledge veterans with public ceremonies. While events honoring veterans are appropriate; a far better way to show our thanks to the people who fought our wars is to keep our commitments to them. A crucial promise we made to our military members was to provide them health care after they leave military service. It is tragic that this is a promise we are not keeping.
Recent press reporting revealed serious problems in the way the Veterans Administration provides … or does not provide … health care to veterans. What many people may not realized is that military people and veterans have been getting short-changed for decades by the Department of Defense. DoD cuts both personnel benefits and personnel to pay for weapon systems. While I was on active duty, I saw how the military “paid its bills.” They fire military members. And military people leave with nothing: no severance pay or pension, even after 15 or more years of service.
It is common knowledge that people pay for weapons. We taxpayers pay for them, but military members pay twice: first with their tax dollars, and second with the loss of salary and benefits, including health care, which is often cut to pay for weapons. However, now the ever-escalating costs of new weapon systems have reached absurd levels.
We are planning to spend $1.4 TRILLION on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, making it the most expensive weapon system in world history. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called the F-35 “both a scandal and a tragedy” and “the worst example of the military-industrial-congressional complex.” Articles and editorials in the Air Force Times frequently echo this criticism. In September, the editorial board, in writing about “the mind-boggling waste that runs rampant through so many weapons programs” highlighted that “The poster child is the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which has been plagued by glitches since its inception …” And in October, they commented, “In truth, the military-industrial complex about which President Eisenhower warned the nation decades ago is in full flower.”
The $1.4 trillion that we intend to spend on the F-35 would pay for health care for all five million veterans for 32 years!
Ironically, the Air Force is reducing pilot flying hours and cutting maintenance personnel in order to pay the astronomical costs of the F-35. This may lead to a situation in which we have shiny new planes, but don’t have enough trained pilots to fly them or skilled mechanics to repair them. And history shows that pilots win the battles, not the planes.
Canceling the poorly performing F-35 program can stop this madness. After 14 years, the F-35 still cannot provide protection for ground forces; it can’t even defend itself from air or ground attacks. It relies on outdated stealth technology whose classified information was stolen by the Chinese years ago. And the F-35 is still prohibited from flying in the rain or near thunderstorms. The $1.4 trillion that we intend to spend on the F-35 would pay for health care for all five million veterans for 32 years! It’s time we keep national promises to our veterans by providing them quality health care.
Here in Vermont, we are the first to take a stand against this travesty. Our lawsuit against the Air Force to stop the basing of the F-35 is a powerful action against this injustice, and we have a good chance of winning. You can contribute to this effort by donating on the stopthef35.com website.
It’s time to stop wasting taxpayer money. It’s time to put people before planes. Stopping the F-35 is an excellent start. This is the best way to thank our veterans.
