Where Did It Go?

Where Did It Go?

I know that the older you get the faster the years click off, at least that’s what those old 50 year old guys used to say when I was 30, and now that I’m in the 50 year old club I think I understand more and more what they mean. About this time last year I had written about the fact that Veterans Day would always be much more remembered at our house because of the passing of my dad on the 8th. That seems like a long time ago but as usual I was busy with day to day life and it snuck up on me and I realized that hey, it’s been a year since dad passed and its Veterans Day again.

I went to a very nice program last week at the VFW on the anniversary of his passing and then for the first time in a year made a trip to the Veteran’s Center where we honored all branches of the Armed Services. For the first time I walked the halls where dad had spent the end of his life. I saw a lot of familiar faces and shook the hands of a lot of the Veterans who live there that had become friends. It was an emotional experience as I reacquainted with many of the staff members who cared for my dad as well as countless other Veterans that live there. I got to say thanks to some people who I had probably failed to properly thank for the great job that they did in caring for him at the end of his life. It’s a wonderful facility with a great staff of very caring compassionate people who do a wonderful job taking care of America’s war heroes and I will forever be in their debt even though I know that they were just doing their job. It takes a special person to do that but thank God we have them.

There are certain items that for me are non-negotiable. One of those items is the funding of the Lawton Veterans Center. I know full well the day to day operations of that facility from being there every day for a year or so when my dad was a resident. They did not give my dad extra care because of my position and I don’t think they should have. What was interesting was that my dad seemed to be the complaint department for many of the residents because they knew that I was an elected official and could probably get someone’s attention and many times did; when things were not right or the food was not as good as it should have been or a host of other issues. Each time that one of the residents would file an unofficial complaint to dad, I would stop by the administrator’s office and very gently let the administrator know that the troops were restless, knowing full well that they were peddling as fast as they could and operating on thin budgets. The bottom line is they all did a very good job with what they had to work with and deeply cared for the residents all of whom served their country and earned the right to be there by their service.

It’s a tough job because they deal with the passing of heroes on almost a daily basis. When you’re in and out of the building every day you often see a young nurse wiping away tears as she makes her rounds, knowing that they lost another one. And you know there are people in those jobs that have wonderful and compassionate hearts.

So will I vote to fully fund Ok veterans centers? You bet I will cuz my father died in one. And I know how much they care.



If you would like to contact me at the Capitol, please do not hesitate to call 1-800-522-8502 or email me at donarmes@okhouse.gov

And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:


Patriotism... is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime. ~Adlai Stevenson