The Corpsman

Today, the Corpsman, Samuel L. Hennon; retires from the Department of Veterans' Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Hines Hospital here in Chicago. The Corpsman gave twenty-three years of his life as a Registered Nurse at Hines VA only to be snubbed by the VA solely because he was a never-tiring veteran activist, recent member of Paralyzed Veterans of America, Inc.; The Vaughan Chapter, and the National Association of Uniformed Services, Veterans for Unification and the State Coordinator of Veterans Voting Block, The Illinois Chapter.

He is a son of a family, highly decorated for bravery during WWII, but he never served as a combat medic, instead he chose to continue the service of health care to his brother and sister veterans through the VA twenty-three years ago. Over that period of time he has watched painfully, but not without protest, the decline of the Agency whose mission was to "care for the one who has borne the battle."

Now the day has come to retire and the VA decides to snub him by not issuing a certificate of retirement, not publicizing his retirement party and not acknowledging the contributions made in the service of his country.

Could a veteran today expect any more from the Department of Veterans' Affairs bent on his ultimate demise so that money can be spent on pet projects of Senators and Congressmen. We are not blind and we are certainly not dumb, to see that the snubbing of the Corpsman is a snubbing by the federal government of all veterans. We could not expect anymore from them, they know they are wrong, but they do not care who they step on to put money into their own pockets. But they have forgotten to look down to see what it is that they have stepped on. It is the Snake that says, "Don't Tread On Me." The essence of this Republic, the "Warriors of Freedom" who secured the rights of all of these who would discount our service, deride our deeds of valor and deny us that which was promised to us. Let them know at the polls that you can only kick a varmint so much until it turns and bites you.

On that note I retire from service in the VA gladly, but my promise to you is that the battle continues and now the corpsman has been freed of the shackles that have controlled his tongue and his behavior over the last twenty-three years.

Goodbye to VA, Hello to all my veteran brothers and sisters, may God Bless us all and stand with us to whatever the end of this struggle for our rights might be.

Sincerely,
Samuel L. Hennon, RN
The Corpsman