He heard from veterans of the Iraq and Gulf wars. Some Vietnam veterans spoke up as did the wives and mothers of current and former service members.
Welch said before the lunch that he is meeting with veterans throughout Vermont to hear what they need, and the message in Brattleboro was that a clinic is needed somewhere in the area to make it easier for veterans to get medical services.
The closest Veterans Administration medical center is in White River Junction.
And whether it was a veteran just returning from the Middle East, or a daughter who talked about treating her father who served in World War II, a number of the people who spoke up said that a soldier who serves their country should not have to drive 65 miles up the highway for treatment.
"My son is doing better, but he works, and he would use the clinic more if he didn't have to travel so far," said Vicki Nadeau of Vernon, who said her son returned from Iraq with some mental health issues that demand better service. "It would be great to have a clinic."
The Veterans Administration is talking about building a clinic in Brattleboro or Keene, N.H., though it will likely be years before it happens.
Welch, a Democrat who is running for re-election in November, said veteran
Whether the wars in the Middle East continue to get funded or not, he said, the country has a responsibility to care for the men and women who return home.
"There is no more important priority this nation has than meeting the obligation we have to our veterans," he said. "The cost of the war has to include care for the warriors."
Welch said he worked on a number of bills during the last session, including an increase in funding for veteran care and a new program that increases the education opportunities for veterans when they return home.
But in Brattleboro Wednesday, most of talk was about how to find the care for veterans.
Frank Wetherby, a veteran of the Vietnam War, said he needed an operation recently and was told that he needed to travel to Boston, though the hospital in Albany was easier to get to.
"We served the United States and we should be able to go to any of the 50 states we choose for care," he said. "We should not have to choose our care based on an arbitrary boundary."
Welch said he is hearing from Vermont's veterans that it is more work than it should be to get care.
"I know it can be a bureaucratic nightmare," he said. "When soldiers get out they just want to get home and get the care they need. And they should get it as soon as possible."
Howard Weiss-Tisman can be reached at hwtisman@reform-er.com or 802-254-2311, ext. 279.
Font Resize
