JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dozens of local servicemen and servicewomen and community leaders spoke out Thursday about the need for better services and resources for veterans.
The discussion was part of a veterans roundtable hosted by U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, D-Jacksonville.
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Lawson also toured the Veterans Villas on Beaver Street, a facility for low-income and homeless servicemen and women. Last month, Congress passed legislation that aims to hold the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs more accountable and protect staff or veterans who report corruption in the agency.
“What has happened over the years, politicians have made so many promises during campaigns about what we're going to do to help our veterans, and it never really happens,” Lawson said. “The veterans are not satisfied, so my mission is that we change that. Every day that I'm in Washington, I'll be fighting on behalf of the veterans, and it starts now."
One local Vietnam veteran said it took him four years to get an appointment at the VA clinic after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
He voiced his concerns about the state of the VA and said changes need to be made so veterans can get the services they deserve.
"I feel that if we had more actual veterans, officers or enlisted people to serve on the board of all the clinics, it could make things run a little smoother,” Hallie Williams-Bey said.