derrick frequents the veteran's hospital due to his knee injury. it's frustrating, because since he is 27 (almost) i feel like the doctors don't take him seriously, even with the MRI which they point to and declare:: "Youve got the knee of an 80 year old man."
going there is always a unique experience. the pain is palpable. so many people- some very old, some very young-- some have no legs, others are blind. many are older men who sit all day to socialize and share war stories.
sometimes it is very difficult to be there. whenever i go, i find myself fighting back tears.
the vietnam veterans are among the worst. they wander from lobby to lobby muttering to themselves. in their eyes you wonder if they are seeing the blue and white halls, the tv screens displaying codes and numbers-- or if they are seeing jungles, if they are hearing machine guns and people screaming.
i watch these people get shuffled around and around. it's as if the administrators and doctors don't know what to do with them. they give them a piece of paper, a floor number, a colour. pouring water into one bucket, into another, into another....
i get so sad. the way they get treated is an injustice.
*******
it's a very difficult wave of emotions to describe, and my eyes dampen just to think of it. if you haven't been in a veteran's hospital, i think you should go and sit and listen and feel these people. even if you never have a conversation with anyone, to go and sit there can be a truly moving experience, and everytime i walk away from that place i appreciate what i have more than i used to...
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