Free meals are a start, but veterans deserve more than hollow gratuities today

A free doughnut is a nice first step. Krispy Kreme is one of the national franchises honoring veterans today by inviting them in for a treat on the house.

There are more, and we’ll get to them later. They are gestures of appreciation to the nation’s military veterans and active duty personnel.

They should also be a national prompt to rethink how we observe Veterans Day.

Wednesday: Krispy Kreme giving away free doughnuts to military and vets

Krispy Kreme is honoring America’s service men and women this Veterans Day by giving away free doughnuts to all veterans and active military personnel.

This Wednesday veterans and active military personnel are invited to visit any Krispy Kreme store in Washington, Oregon or Hawaii and enjoy a free doughnut of any variety.

HEALTH CARE: Reichert overlooked the facts

Veteran TV viewers probably remember Jack Webb in his role as Sgt. Joe Friday on the TV show, “Dragnet.” His famous weekly quote was “Just the facts.” Unfortunately our modern-day cop, Rep. Dave Reichert, seemed to be overlooking many of the facts when he voted against health care reform. His judgment may be clouded by the $252,000 in campaign donations received from insurance and health interests since 2005.

In 2008, his 8th Congressional District voted for change, electing Barack Obama president and is strongly supportive of a public option for health care. Instead, Reichert persists in inaccurate Republican talking points about a huge government takeover of health care and other issues which distract from the main subject.

According to Moveon.org , the bill Reichert voted against would have provided tax breaks for 20,000 small businesses in his district, saved 1,000 families from bankruptcy because of excessive medical bills and provided coverage for 29,000 uninsured.

Veterans shouldn’t have to fight for care after getting home

As we commemorate Veterans Day, our nation, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, stand at a crossroads.

Our military is embedded in its fifth year in Iraq, and our overwhelmed VA system has no leader at the helm.

For five years we have watched our service members answer the call to serve with dignity and honor. And for five years we’ve heard VA excuses for budget shortfalls, waiting lines, delayed benefits and the lost personal data of millions of veterans from current and previous conflicts.

Pierce County to use grant to start drug court for military veterans

Military veterans with drug-dependency problems will benefit from a treatment program thanks to a federal grant that enables Pierce County Superior Court to establish a Veterans Drug Court.