Research - Rehabilitation - Re-Employment

Sgt. Shaft 10/07/2002

Dear Sgt. Shaft: 
It really surprises me each day we hear the cry to send our men and women to war and the present administration continues to erode veterans benefits. I wish for once that at least one veteran in the House or Senate would make the public aware that each man or woman going to answer the call will be dependant on the Veterans Administration for some assistance when he or she leaves the military. At present the Bush White House has threatened to veto much of the programs in the budget this fiscal year because of some of the programs that directly affect our Veterans. 

Thank You......and keep up the good work.

Franklin T
Vietnam Vet. Ret.

Dear Frank
As many of our military are in harms way or poised for battle, the Administration is sending them the wrong message by threatening to veto concurrent receipt legislation and "robbing Peter to pay Paul" health care for our veterans. It is incumbent upon President Bush to support concurrent receipt, as it is unfair to make disabled retirees forfeit part or all of their earned retired pay to receive any veterans' disability compensation. The President should also support HR 5250 introduced by Chairman Chris Smith(R, NJ) of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and its ranking Democratic member. Lane Evans. This would dramatically and beneficially alter the way that veterans' health care is funded. VA healthcare would be covered by mandatory funding, thereby eliminating the rationing of VA healthcare.

Shaft Kudos
Congratulations and Semper Fi to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James Jones and his family oriented program, Together We Grow (TWG). 

The staff at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton developed a very special relationship with an off-Base agency called SpecialCare, and specifically with the program director, Mrs. Terri Racciato. SpecialCare is a child development program/center in San Diego that serves both children with special needs and typical youngsters. While Camp Pendleton's own Children, Youth, and Teens Programs (CYTP) has always made every effort to accommodate special needs children in their programs, they simply have not been sensitized and equipped to handle some of the more severe needs. 

The SpecialCare staff operates a program, appropriately titled Together We Grow, in Oceanside, California, (just 4 miles from Camp Pendleton) not only during the regular Monday through Friday workweek, but also on alternate weekends. These weekend services are available for periods up to 48 hours.

Together We Grow is good for the Marine Corps because it's a program that helps to ensure family readiness and improves quality of life. TWG provides a ready resource for our military families at Camp Pendleton for both special needs child development, as well as for care of typical children.

Newborn babies bring a certain level of stress to any family situation, but that stress increases dramatically when that child is medically or mentally fragile. While medical facilities do an adequate job of providing basic medical instructions to families of special needs children when they take their child home, it's the 24 / 7 care that creates stress in any family. All parents of a special needs child need assistance with daily care, i.e. feeding, cleanliness, medical equipment, administration of medicines, in addition to the daily family activities. When a family has more than one child, the care demands for the special needs/medically fragile child impacts on the overall family well being. Having to Share or limit time, love, and dollars is a challenge for any family, but especially for these families with special needs. TWG is a tremendous resource to these families. They assist the family in coordinating insurance paperwork and filing claims for a wide range of services.

While our military Child Development Centers are among the best in the business and do serve special needs children when it's safe and appropriate to do so, they, like most day care facilities, are simply not equipped to provide the level of care required by some children. This makes TWG all the more valuable to installations, such as Camp Pendleton, that have a substantial number of special needs children. The partnership between TWG and Camp Pendleton has developed based on real needs.

The benefits of inclusion-type programs are many. Children learn by modeling others; they develop a sense of pride in their achievements; they build interdependence and the ability to deal with and overcome obstacles; they develop interpersonal skills; they learn to solve problems; they develop self-respect by being part of a "normal" environment; they develop patience and compassion; they learn to accept not only themselves but one another; they learn to help each other; and they develop friendships.

Parents receive training, which reinforces appropriate behaviors and development in the home. They come to understand that all children have negative behaviors; they discover ways to include other members of the family and other children; they learn to relax and take a break from their children; they share common experiences and develop a kinship with other parents; they learn that others can, in fact, provide a nurturing, secure environment for their child/children; and they learn to accept the strengths and needs of their own child.

When the family sees the progress.... the improved overall health of the special needs child, the increased mobility, the improved disposition of the child, stress is reduced and overall family health is improved. The service member is able to provide full focus and attention to his/her job, improving readiness, deployability, and the safety of all.

TWG offers part of the incentive package to Marine families who have a medically fragile special needs child who want to stay in the Corps. It's a win - win situation for all, and should be expanded worldwide.

Send letters to Sgt. Shaft, c/o John Fales, P.O. Box 65900, Washington, D.C. 20035-5900; fax to 301-622-3330; call 202-462-4430 or email sgtshaft@bavf.org.

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