It makes me sad to realize that I served and fought for this country for 25 years so that doctors could refuse to accept veteran’s medical insurance. I was appalled to learn that some Anacortes and Bellingham doctors refuse to accept veteran’s Tricare Insurance. I am grateful that Drs. Bolton, Sible, Hegg, and the Anacortes Hospital accepts the military insurance.

Many veterans are being discriminated against and this administration does not appear to care enough to direct some of the war funds into the Tricare fund to pay out to doctors and medical facilities. I have three children who are medical doctors. I will be disappointed and upset if they ever refuse to treat veterans.

There is ample money for an asinine war that is abusing the military and their families but doing little to take care of the combatants when they return home. The $9 billion that was lost down a rat hole in Iraq could have served our veterans well. I was dumbfounded when Sens. Murray and Cantwell along with House Rep. Larsen voted to continue funding a war that is killing our dedicated military combatants. I would have been pleased if Congress had stopped funding the Vietnam War when I was flying my 100 missions over North Vietnam but they did not have the guts to do so. Now we have the same situation and Congress is still funding another foolish war. I have two sons in the military and I do not like to see this president and Congress abusing them. I will continue to stand on the corner with my sign, “President Bush is abusing the military and their families,” but now I need to add that veterans, who are denied medical care, are also being abused.

VAL ROSS JOHNSON

Anacortes