Brownsville/Donna, Texas— Hundreds of Rio Grande Valley veterans gathered at town hall meetings in Roma, Donna and Brownsville on Monday to further their push for a local hospital.
The Valley’s congressmen — U.S. Reps. Rubén Hinojosa, DMercedes; Solomon Ortiz, DCorpus Christi and Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo — along with U.S. Rep. Bob Filner, DCalif., chairman of the House Committee on Ve t e r a n s ’ Affairs, met with veterans to update them on legislation calling for a veterans hospital in South Texas.
The legislators also heard from a t t e n d e e s about their e x p e r i e n c e s r e c e i v i n g health care at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facilities in and outside the Valley.
Veterans and their families filled every seat of the auditorium at Donna High School and cheered as the congressmen told them how they will continue to work together to bring a VA hospital to the area.
The crowd gave Ortiz and Filner standing ovations as they approached the podium to speak.
A few people shouted “let the people speak” as the congressmen addressed the group.
Ortiz, who has been introducing bills calling for a veterans hospital in the region since he joined Congress in 1982, said he and the rest of the South Texas delegation will continue to push for a hospital.
“Part of the healing process comes from families being close to the wounded soldier, and some of these hospitals are just too far away,” Ortiz said at the Brownsville Events Center, referring to the closest veterans’ hospital in San Antonio.
The latest bill, HR 538, is being considered in the House’s veterans’ affairs committee.
Filner thanked the veterans for their service and said the government has not done a good enough job of taking care of its veterans.
“You shouldn’t have to fight the VA to receive the care you need,” he told veterans in Donna.
The California congressman said he would support the bill sponsored by Ortiz and the other South Texas congressmen.
“It’s going to my committee and it’s going to leave my committee passed,” Filner told the group in Donna.
The last stop on Filner’s South Texas tour on Monday was the Brownsville Events Center. There, he met privately with veterans from 6 to 8 p.m.
“We started pushing for this three years ago, and now they’re shooting for October,” said Al Senteno, a veteran and spokesman for Veterans of Foreign War Post 2035 in Brownsville.
“There’s not just the possibility of a hospital, but of improving medical care overall for them,” said City Manager Charlie Cabler, one of several local officials in attendance. Others included Harlingen and McAllen mayors, as well as former Brownsville Mayor Eddie Treviño Jr.
After the meeting in Donna, some veterans said they remain hopeful a hospital will be built in the Valley, but remain skeptical about receiving help from the government.
“Before I came here I was from Missouri,” said Larry Schrader, of Mission.
“Show me — talk is cheap.”
Freedom Publication Press
Contributor, Jennifer Berghom
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