veteran’s corner

Les Bakke
Nearly five years ago, I wrote my first Veterans Corner column and have covered a wide range of topics since then. One of the earliest columns was a review on our local VA hospital. So, one day I took copy 4 of my DD214 to the VA Center and said ‘here I am, what can you do for me?’ The response from the VA was wonderful, I was signed up for medical benefits and have been using them ever since.
Before I retired from writing, I wanted to do another story but didn’t expect it to be this serious.
On Saturday 3 October, I made an unplanned emergency run to the VA hospital. After passing out and finding myself on the bedroom floor and unable to get up, Sweetie called the ambulance and an hour later I was in the VA ER. After becoming stable, the VA hospital staff provided the best treatment possible. I know that for the first few days, I was sort of out of it and my responses pretty vague. However the doctors, nurses, technicians and all other staff were kind and understanding often answering the same questions. The fact they are able to arrive at work every day with such a positive attitude is truly remarkable. The VA hospital has received a number one rating and it shows. The most enjoyable sessions I had were with two former Dragons, graduates of the Speech, Language, and Hearing program. They wanted to make sure that I could still remember, think and speak. Apparently, I was somewhat less than coherent for a couple days. They asked me to name as many vegetables as I could in one minute and I suggested naming Presidents. We did both. I got more Presidents, by the way. I also passed the memory test.
After being released from the hospital, I spent a week at Eventide in transition. Since we are in COVID restrictions, I was in quarantine which meant no visitors. Believe me, quarantine is very difficult and am I sorry anyone has to go through it. The medical staff were great but they are not friends and relatives. I am lucky to have friends and relatives who call and keep me somewhat sane. If you know anyone in quarantine, please make an extra effort to check in with them.