Campaign for a Purple Heart Bond

Maybe this is off-topic, maybe not.

Reading the news articles about the utter debacle and poor conditions at Walter Reed Hospital has gotten me thinking about the continuing differences between the Iraq War (and larger War on Terror) and WWII.

Several other folks have commented on the lack of sacrifice requested of the American public in the wake of 9/11. And maybe the world is different now and cutting back on luxuries would only help our enemies. Maybe sacrifice on the home front - victory gardens, conservation, rationing - would do little to help in the fight.

However, I think most Americans can agree that our wounded veterans deserve the best medical care available. Iraq veterans are surviving wounds at amazing rates versus previous wars, but that means that the military and VA medical system are treating a much higher number of patients in long-term care than anyone expected from a war of this size, intensity, and length (assuming anyone expected it to be this long, this bad, and this large).

At the same time, other populations served by the VA are also facing crises. More American WWII vets die a day now than at the height of the fighting in the 40's. Vietnam Vets are heading into their 60s.

To serve all of these folks, the US government should build a network of top-notch, modern medical facilities. I'd like to see 21st Century hospitals and out-patient care facilities that any vet could walk into and staff will have immediate access to his full medical files. Take this opportunity to show what modern medicine can do for chronic injuries, end-of-life issues, and support in the home for the disabled. This new VA system can then serve as an example, and backbone for a more-modern national hospital system.

But how would you pay for such a grand system? I propose a Purple Heart Bond. Much like WWII's War Bonds, this plan would allow individual citizens to do more to help than stick ribbons on their cars. I would even guess that a fair number of these bonds would never be cashed, instead they would serve as patriotic reminders that we can sacrifice some luxury now to help those who need it, and in the end come out with something better than what we had before.