Chapter One:
Benefits for Veterans: A Historical Context and
Overview of the Current Situation
This chapter places the current situation of veterans and disabilities in its historical context. It is included to help readers reframe their experiences in a new light and let them understand that what they are going through has been experienced by thousands of other veterans through the centuries. It also provides a brief overview of how society has conceptualized disabled warriors to show how society’s thinking can affect the treatment provided to veterans.
Author:
Rodney Baker, Ph.D. has been more than just a reporter of this history―he has been a part of it for forty years. Dr. Baker began his career with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in 1964 as a trainee in Tucson, Arizona, became chief of psychology at the VA Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, and later became director of the mental health service line at that center.
He retired in 2004 but continues to remain involved with the VA through leadership training and in consultation roles. He has written extensively on the history of the treatment of veterans and about the history of the VA.
While the rest of this book is filled with resources and recommendations to help you directly address issues that veterans are encountering. This chapter and the next one are included to help you see that the ways that veterans have been treated have changed over time. And over time, things have improved as society’s reactions to specific wars and thoughts about veterans have changed. In this country the needs of veterans were acknowledged (sometimes because veterans themselves took action and forced changes),and the nation altered its policies and programs.
It is our hope that Dr. Baker’s historical review will provide you with a sense of context for what you may be experiencing: knowing that other people have gone through these problems―namely millions of veterans in this country alone (not to mention all the veterans throughout recorded history) can hopefully take away some of the feelings of isolation or feelings of being overwhelmed and can give you a sense of resiliency and courage to successfully continue the rehabilitation and reintegration process.
