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VA manager's email mocks veteran suicides

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posted on Mar, 9 2015 @ 07:20 PM
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A manager at the Roudebush Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Indianapolis appears to mock the mental health problems of returning combat veterans in an email to her employees.

The email obtained by The Indianapolis Star contains photographs of a toy Christmas elf posing as a patient in what appears to be the hospital's transitional clinic for returning veterans. In one photograph, the elf pleads for Xanax. In another, he hangs himself with an electrical cord.


VA manager's email mocks veteran suicides

This shows not just incredible bad taste on this VA manager's part but I think demonstrates a complete lack of empathy or compassion on this manager's part. Can you imagine this gal being in charge when you are dealing with the VA about serious health issues you are dealing with as a returning veteran? It is just sickening to me to read this but somehow I am just not that surprised.


edit on 03pm2015-03-09T19:21:49-05:0007213America/Chicago21331 by machineintelligence because: spelling



posted on Mar, 9 2015 @ 07:24 PM
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a reply to: machineintelligence

The VA has played this game for years, and nothing has changed other than the outrage of their incompetence that seems to be brought out by the MSM in cycles!

Meanwhile government officials act in outrage, and the cycle of abuse of our veterans continues!

Just do a google of VA scandals if you don't believe me. Outrage produced, apologies and promises of change, and years later the same ole same ole.



posted on Mar, 9 2015 @ 07:28 PM
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Shameful loser.


& still gainfully employed to "care" for those they are insulting...

Insulting doesn't seem strong enough a word to describe this.




Terrible.



posted on Mar, 9 2015 @ 07:32 PM
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Good to see we have self conscious and dedicated government workers on our payrolls.

These guilty parties should be doing community service at AMVETS and VFW halls.




posted on Mar, 9 2015 @ 07:57 PM
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Give this ghoulish creature a one way ticket to the nearest conflict zone, in order to you know, gain some perspective...SMFH



posted on Mar, 9 2015 @ 07:58 PM
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Our local VA is literally rabid about veterans. they have a lady whose sole job it is to come up with cool ways to involve the community and improve the life of veterans under the hospitals care.

I am shocked at the reports I hear. I am sure that it affects the local hospital....but I can't imagine how it could without making that lady and her boss violently angry.



posted on Mar, 9 2015 @ 08:18 PM
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The first word is "wow'. The second word comes out muffled from the vomit. This is absolutely horrifying down to the bone. I have 3 generations of friends and family that have gone through our local VA, and comments like that being made public would've been met with an old school siege I would hope. Cut em off from the inside just like she did to them.

a reply to: machineintelligence



posted on Mar, 9 2015 @ 08:26 PM
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originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
Our local VA is literally rabid about veterans. they have a lady whose sole job it is to come up with cool ways to involve the community and improve the life of veterans under the hospitals care.

I am shocked at the reports I hear. I am sure that it affects the local hospital....but I can't imagine how it could without making that lady and her boss violently angry.


That's the kicker!

We have bad ones and good ones. Instead of recognizing the things that our being done by the good ones, we hear about the bad ones.

How long do we make excuses for the bad ones?

My father loves the VA hospital he goes to, mostly because of a retired Master Sergeant that is more or less a greeter and liaison for those coming in.

I just think it is time to recognize the VA hospitals that DO treat our Veterans with care/respect and use them as an example to the ones that,,,,,well, just don't get it?

Now you know why I am not a politician?



posted on Mar, 9 2015 @ 08:29 PM
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The VA Hospitals will for evermore remain incompetent crap holes. They have no incentive ( $ ) to alter their MO.
Private Hospitals / Doctors want your business and will treat a patient accordingly. The VA could care less which reflects in their treatment and philosophy of Vets. Ron Paul had a great idea. Close all of them and allow a Vet to see his own Dr. The VA can pick up the tab. It would save a ton of money and give a disabled combat vet a shot at real health care. Just my experience from three VA Hospitals. NJ, Chicago & Denver. While serving one is considered an asset. Upon discharge you are a liability. To add insult to injury DHS views us as " potential domestic terrorists." And so it is !



posted on Mar, 9 2015 @ 08:54 PM
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a reply to: machineintelligence
People often deal with stressful jobs by developing a dark sense of humor. Having looked at the email, it's really not that grotesque. This clinic manager has to deal with uncomfortable situations every day like self-medication, suicidal ideation, and, apparently, patients posing as gynecologists. She arranged these situations into a little farce with a happy ending. The optics are bad, but I'm sure the veterans themselves have thought, said, or done much worse for the sake of blowing off steam.

If you really want to have some fun, or at least get a sense of proportion, go to www.va.gov/oig and read some of the reports there. Those don't make the news for some reason.



posted on Mar, 9 2015 @ 11:10 PM
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a reply to: machineintelligence

When the VA's new boss is outed as a damn liar about his service in the military, why should this surprise anyone .



posted on Mar, 10 2015 @ 12:43 AM
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I dont want to sound rude, but do you guys understand these emails are just trying to lighten up a bit the situation ?

I worked in ER services and in morgue services, and we always used morbid humor, because , when you seen broken lives,tragic events, all the time, you try to laugh about it, or you lose any sort of empathy

these emails are not mockin the Vets,not at ALL.



posted on Mar, 10 2015 @ 01:07 AM
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This is getting blown way out of proportion.

I would think after dealing with all the awful things these people deal with they would develop, like every other profession, a bit of dark humor.

Yeah, not a good idea and I'll agree it was in bad taste, but if I worked there I probably would have laughed. I of course have no idea as to how this was intended, but I highly doubt this woman was actively trying to mock suicidal veterans. I think she got a little carried away with elf posing and wasn't bright enough to come up with something else. If you're going to say she's mocking veterans, you should also say she's mocking rape victims on account of the pap smear. I doubt the elf was qualified to smear anything except for paint on toys.

We all know the VA has issues. One little dumbass mistake is not a good example, and it comes nowhere close to highlighting the issues. People hopping on claiming this is why veterans have a hard time is BS. There are a ton of real reasons. You have no idea if this woman was simply trying to lighten the mood, or viewed suicidal veterans with disdain. Which do you honestly think is more likely? Do you think perhaps it makes a little more sense that she lacks tact or that she secretly goes home and gleefully giggles when a service member commits suicide?

I highly doubt anyone here has made a joke they wish they hadn't. Show me this woman was actually trying to mock veterans who commit suicide, and I'll agree she's a bitch. Until then, sit on your pitchforks.



posted on Mar, 10 2015 @ 06:45 AM
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I think Mr. Keesling, himself the father of a vet who committed suicide, said it best in the article:

The issue of veteran suicide is a personal one for Gregg Keesling of Indianapolis. His 25-year-old son, Chancellor, shot himself in Baghdad in 2009, two weeks into his second tour.

He called the email "wrong," but stopped short of calling for terminations.

"It's very inappropriate, but I can understand it — making light of something awful because it's so awful," he said. "I think it's a way of coping with things."

Still, he said, "They are trying to be funny. It's not... Somebody should get in trouble. Maybe not fired, but taken out to the woodshed, as they say."


Is it in poor taste? Yea, it is. Does it need to become some massive deal with the state legislature trying to insert themselves into the issue to score votes in the next election cycle? No. Oh wait, too late for that....




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