Is this fair:? Is this prejudice:………………………?
Is the Air Force Clinic prejudice against the brave valiant grunts at the main Albuquerque Veterans Hospitals.
To whom it may concern:.
The receptionist gave me entrance, after checking my Veterans ID, to Air Force Clinic, at the main Albuquerque Veterans Hospital, where I had a cup of coffee at a nice snack bar, located in the large 2 story lobby decorated with New Mexico Art Deco. It was the waiting area of the Air Force Clinic. It was comfortable, peaceful and relaxed. It had a certain charm to it. I found out later that this country club styled exclusive area was off limits to the veterans and a bum like me, that go to the main hospital.
Lounging on the plush comfortable furniture were Air Force retired Officers, some with their families, talking laughing and reading. I have never seen an officer, and I know what they look like out of uniform, in any of the waiting areas of the main hospital They are neatly dress in fashionable expensive shirts and slacks; no jeans or T-shirts with a military slogan on them or carrying pack backs. No beards. This is what these prejudice people don’t want to see in their nice lobby. Drinking coffee and sitting on the plush furniture>.
On the way out the receptioness told not to come back again, that she had let me this one time in because she wanted to be nice. but next time she wouldn’t let me in.
The Air Force Clinic patients can go to the Veterans snack bar and restaurant any time they want to.
Here are my suspicions: If you have information about my suspicions please sent.
I am going to make this an issue. I am going to try and get the newspapers interested. They Air Force use the medical equipment and are probably receive special attention from the VA Doctors and staff.
These people can go to the main hospital at anytime without showing their identification card. When they go they go through a special entrance and do not mingle with the grunts. I have never seen a retired officer out patient in any of the waiting rooms. I suspect that they come from the Air Force Clinic and use the back entrance where they go directly to their appointment with the doctor in special rooms. This is prejudice. If you have any information concerning this matter. Please answer.
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I agree. Get the local news involved.
yes.
Officers have many facilities that NCO’s cannot enter. If you were in the military, you should know that.
thats why i love the army.. the officers make more yes… but dam straight they get out there and crawl around in the mud with you.. while they are younger of coarse.. airforce can shove all that beauty and nice stuff up their ***.. they will never have the brother hood a paratrooper has with his fellow soldiers
Officers get better treatment when they are active military also. They are officers and not enlisted men. They have their officers club that you can’t go into also. It has to do with rank it’s not a prejudice issue. Sorry but that’s the way the military works.
Life isn’t fair – I’ve come to accept that and realize most of these things are out of my control. I’m happy with what I’ve got.
I’m afraid I don’t fully understand..but I get the jest of it. As far as I know rank is not supposed to be an issue at any VA Hospital. I work for a VA and have never seen a waiting room such as you described.
I’m an enlisted veteran too.
Now, with that said, is this a VA Hospital that is shared with an active duty Air Force Hospital? I mean to say is it on an active duty base…because if it is, then here is the kick in the butt….I think they can do that and it is based on rank only.
If it is an Officer’s Club and on base then enlisted aren’t entitled to go there. Maybe the Officers and retired Officers have to pay a membership fee or something…but I don’t know. I’m not really taking a strong defense of them I am just trying to understand it.
However if it is off of a base and is a VA hospital then I don’t think it is right. At a VA everyone should be treated the same regardless of rank or what ever because we are all just veterans now. We are civilians and don’t have to follow the UCMJ any more. There is no such thing as fraternization or what ever.
Sounds odd though. I could be seen as a form of bias. Maybe you can write to the Director at the VA and ask about what is that lounge for. You can state your opinion and your points. You do make good points. I just don’t know because we don’t have anything like that here.
Give me a break…. officers wait around in the waiting areas just like everyone else. No special secret waiting areas, no special back doors, they are just ordinary folk.
And, even in dinky little Minot ND, the VA patients were only allowed to go into the VA section of the base hospital. Unless they were retired and had full access, they were not to go through the rest of the hospital except with an escort.
Nothing against the Army or any other branch… just the way it works.
And as for judging folks on how they dress… are retired O’s the only ones allowed to dress nicely? Seen plenty of off duty O’s in jeans and tshirts, and plenty of E’s dressed to kill!
You’re lying or misunderstanding the situation.
No Air Force clinic is closed to retired military personnel. ALL Air Force medical facilities are equally accessable to retirees.
On the other hand, if you’ve been SEPERATED from the military, but not retired, you don’t incur medical benefits. That means that any VA benefits apply ONLY to VA hospitals, but not active duty medical clinics. It’s the same thing as if you walked into the dentist asking for orhodontic surgery… you’re in the wrong place. Unfortunately for seperated personnel, the US doesn’t have the financial capability to provide a lifelong medical insurance free-ride to everyone who wants to throw in four years and punch out. If you’d been disabled in the course of duty and therefore are medically retired, that’s a different story, but i’m guessing that’s likewise not the case here. Retirees have access to both VA *AND* active duty medical clinics and hospitals, depending on which have appointment openings, so that clears that up.
In other words, you can go to the newspaper, but it isn’t going to change things a lick because you are in the wrong in this situation.