(Lindsey Wise, Houston Chronicle)
On Memorial Day, Americans honor those who gave their lives in service to their country.
As a tribute, the Houston Chronicle asked local families of fallen service members to share remembrances of their loved ones in their own words. Excerpts from three of these essays appear in Monday’s newspaper. More are available here at Chron.com.
One mother recalls the day three Marines arrived on her porch with the news that her son wasn’t coming home. Another mom recounts her last phone call with her son. A third describes her grief as an open wound.
To these women and too many other mourning military families, Memorial Day is not a holiday for barbecues and picnics; it is a painful but proud reminder of the men and women who sacrificed everything to defend our nation, and to protect their brothers and sisters in uniform.
(See the full story and videos at the Houston Chronicle)
OTHER HEADLINES:
- ‘Voluntary’ CPS Plan Has Some Parents Feeling Bullied (Houston Chronicle)
- Lessons in Death: Cancer Patient’s Last Wish Fulfilled (KTRK 13 News)
- HPD Maps Out Spikes in Criminal Activity (Houston Chronicle)
- Union Janitors Want Share of Improved Houston Economy (Houston Chronicle)
- Galveston at a Crossroads: City Struggles to Regain Population as its Economy Rebounds (Houston Chronicle)
- Texas Schools to Track Students with GPS (KTRK 13 News)
- Patients Crusade For Access To Their Medical Device Data (KUHF Public Radio)
- Billion Dollar Bait & Switch: States Divert Foreclosure Deal Funds (Pro-Publica)
OPINIONS ON THE VETERANS ISSUES:
Backlogs at the VA are Inexcusable
(Editorial, Houston Chronicle)
More than two years ago, in response to an enormous backlog of unprocessed veterans’ disability claims, Eric Shinseki, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, vowed to “break the back of the backlog” within a year. That didn’t happen. Since 2009, the backlog of claims in the VA’s Houston office has more than doubled…- The V.A.’s Shameful Betrayal (Mike Scotti, New York Times)
The Department of Veterans Affairs, already under enormous strain from the aging of the Vietnam generation, the end of the Iraq war and the continuing return of combat troops from Afghanistan, announced in April that it would increase its mental health staff by about 10 percent. But too many veterans waging a lonely and emotional struggle to resume a normal life continue to find the agency a source of disappointment rather than healing... - Debate: How Should the U.S. Support Returning Veterans? (New York Times)
This weekend, Americans are honoring those who have given their lives in military service, but what about those who survive their wars, but continue to pay a price when they return? What are the most pressing challenges that returning veterans face, and how should the nation respond?…