A Vietnam vet discusses the state of veterans affairs in the nation’s biggest poor city.
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Sitting in the audience last month at the candidates forum on Veterans Affairs in Philadelphia, moments before I took the stage with former Chair of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission, Ms. Sandra Dungee Glenn, to interview the politicos in attendance, I watched and listened to Mr. Ari Merretazon detail the state of veterans affairs in the nation’s biggest poor city.
As Mr. Merretazon, a Vietnam veteran whose war narrative found in the best-selling book BLOODS inspired the movie Dead Presidents, enumerated the failures of the City related to veterans’ affairs, I analyzed the body language of the candidates. What I could gather from their facial expressions and subtle squirms was that Mr. Merretazon was articulating more information – and injustice – than expected.
I chuckled in a whisper because I had a similar reaction when I first sat with Mr. Merretazon and heard him explain what he calls the “Philadelphia Veterans Service Scandal.”
It was a little more than two years ago in a Starbucks coffee shop in Center City Philadelphia that Mr. Merretazon, following an appearance on NBC10 @Issue, told me that “this is going to be a huge story.”
The story he was referring to was his belief that the City of Philadelphia was violating a 1955 County Law requiring it to establish a Veterans Grave Registration Record and appoint a County Director of Veteran Affairs.
After the conversation, I realized that what Mr. Merretazon had presented was a little more than just his belief; it was law, in black and white.
That day set in motion a series of events in which the elder and I would encounter each other for the purpose of exposing an injustice which was impacting countless of individuals and families in Philadelphia.
Mr. Merretazon credits Philadelphia At-Large City Councilman, Mr. David Oh; 4th District Philadelphia City Councilman, Mr. Curtis Jones; and 3rd District City Councilwoman, Ms. Jannie Blackwell for organizing the “911-Hearing of 2012,” where he and others individuals associated with Pointman Soldiers Heart Ministry declared a state of emergency.
According to Mr. James Abram, President, PSHM:
“Members of the various committees chairing the 911 hearing and (Philadelphia City) Council President Darrell Clark panicked when they had no counter to the research supporting our testimony and started working against us instead of with us. In effect they conspired and initiated a cover-up, which included defamation and retaliation against our organization.”
Councilman Clarke has been identified, unofficially, by Mr. Merretazon and his team as enemy number one, due to his resistance to reforming the way in which veterans are serviced in the City.
Councilman Clarke, when I spoke to him, defended his recent creation of the Veterans Advisory Commission, which Mr. Merretazon denounces as not enough, and said he’s “happy with” the services the City provides through the small agency located on the ground floor of City Hall.
Though the VAC may not satisfy Mr. Merretazon, it is, according to Councilman Jones, a significant improvement to what the city used to offer, which was next to nothing.
In 2008, said the Councilman, all the city provided veterans and their families were “flags.”
The Councilman conceded that the City could do more, but with a City Council President who’s “happy with” just enough, it doesn’t seem that “doing more” for veterans is a political priority.
*Tune into 900amWURD or 900amWURD.com every Friday evening during the 6 o’clock hour to hear me relive #TheWeekThatWas*
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™