Illinois Role in D.C. Veterans March Today

Today's Veterans March 2006 to support full funding of veterans’ health care is receiving crucial support from two Crystal Lakers. Both are speakers.

One of the organizers is my former legislative assistant Pete Castillo. He is now McHenry County’s Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialist with the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

Homeless veterans coming through his Woodstock office don’t reflect the failure of state government to get homeless veterans back into society, as found by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Part of the reason is 8-year Navy veteran John Blanchard, without whom veterans marching on Washington today would not have chairs, port-a-potties or steaming video. (More is on Monday's McHenry County Blog.)

Blanchard runs the National Association of Systems Administrators and its not-for-profit arm NASA Education. NASA Education’s Project Fresh Start is in the business of taking people like the five homeless veterans Castillo has sent him and reintegrating them into society. You can read about how one veteran, Ed Bolf, conquered his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder on here today. (Don’t read it, if you don’t want to be emotionally affected. And, no, I didn't write it.)

When I think of what Pete told me about last year’s march, I picture the Revolutionary War painting of the three men marching with fife, drum and flag.

After last June's rally on the Mall, the veterans started marching toward the Capitol. The following is not an exact quote, but close

There were three of us out front, Cal. One deaf (Pete is hard of hearing), one blind and one mute. (He had his voice box shot out). We were leading a band of veterans across the mall.

When we got to the Capitol steps, someone asked us what we wanted to do now.

We told them we wanted to see (the congressman who headed the Veterans committee).

One female lobbyist said, “No problem. I’ll give him a call.”

And, amazingly enough, they got their audience (and now have a direct pipeline to some quite important congressmen). Shortly after, Congress approved billions more for veterans’ health care. Senator Barack Obama credited these veterans for providing the impetus for passage.