The National Conference of Viet Nam Veteran Ministers, an organization composed of clergy who served in Viet Nam, meeting in St. Paul, Minnesota, on October 14 through 19, 1997, issued the following statement concerning the treatment of the medical problems among the Persian Gulf veterans:
We note with grave concern the manner in which Persian Gulf veterans are being treated by the United States government and its agencies. We remember all too well the treatment accorded to Vietnam veterans upon our return, when designated agencies addressed only certain medical problems, asserting that any psychological or emotional problems, if they existed, would disappear when the medical concerns were addressed.
We now see, in respect to the Persian Gulf veterans, that all problems, except for the most obvious, are being treated as psychological or emotional problems, asserting that any medical problems, if they exist, will disappear when the psychological or emotional problems are addressed.
It is a tragedy that the United States government, especially the leaders of the executive and legislative branches, have failed to effectively address the trauma of war, and continue to abandon men and women who so bravely served and continue to serve this nation.
We implore the leaders of the executive and legislative branches to set a new standard for the treatment of veterans, and live up to their responsibilities by doing more than laying wreaths and mouthing empty phrases. We urge the leaders of the executive and legislative branches to fully fund a balanced program of treatment, one which would listen attentively and with respect to the veterans themselves and which would accept responsibility for the after effects of war and combat.
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