Media focus should be on vets, not Spears, Hilton

With America entering the sixth year of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, our television news which includes CBS,ABC, NBC as well as their cable affiliates mentions the number of dead which recently hit 4,000, but fails to report the plight of the thousands of wounded, some critical lying in military and veterans hospitals.

As commander of Chapter 29, Disabled American Veterans based at Fort Monmouth, this bothers me to the extent that I must say something. In regard to those who paid the ultimate price, we grieve for their loss and we shall remember them. Their families should be financially supported, but we can do no more for them. Regarding the disabled, I can tell you from personal experience, they face an uncertain future. They suffer daily the trauma of amputated limbs and traumatic brain injuries. They and their families will have to deal with the frustration of financial and emotional strain.

When the conflict in Afghanistan first started, it was reported in the DAV magazine about a soldier form West Virginia who suffered combat-related injuries. Because of a long delay in getting his claim processed because of missing paperwork, his family nearly became destitute supporting him. This is a shame!

During the VietnamWar, a soldier who became paralyzed would stay in a veteran's hospital for a year getting physical therapy. Because of a lack of funding and with Congress playing political football with making VA healthcare funding mandatory, this is no longer the case. I find it astonishing that our networks were obsessed with Brittney Spears, Paris Hilton and the late Anna Nicole Smith. Are they more newsworthy than our wounded warriors? I think not. We of the Disabled American Veterans will educate the public. Unfortunately, this is what our network news should be doing.
Andrew Butzko





Port Monmouth section of Middletown