DAVENPORT, Iowa—Military veterans reacted favorably to former Vice President Mike Pence’s commitment to fight for veterans’ benefits and improve the plight of American service members who have returned from war.
“It’s the most underreported story in America today,” Mr. Pence said of suicide among veterans. “It is a quiet and unfolding tragedy in this nation.”
Outreach to Vets
Mr. Pence began his visit with a tour of the outreach center, which provides supplemental food, haircuts, and other services to veterans. The center has grown from serving about 35 veterans a month to nearly 3,000, Director Lola VanDeWalle told The Epoch Times.Of the more than 16 million U.S. veterans, about 1.2 million were living in poverty as of 2021, according to data gatherer Statista. More than 6,100 veterans—about 17 per day—died by suicide in 2020, according to the Veterans Administration (VA).
As Mr. Pence spoke of his father’s return from serving in the Korean War, a hush came over the room.
“He came home with some medals in a box and put them in the dresser, and he never talked about it to me and my three brothers and two sisters,” Mr. Pence said. Years later, his mother told the family that the elder Pence frequently awoke in a cold sweat remembering his war experiences, a commonly reported symptom of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Another relative said that the war changed Mr. Pence’s father.
“I don’t think your Dad ever got over the guilt of coming home,” Mr. Pence recalled the man saying.
“We’re going to stand with the men and women who wore the uniform of the United States and make sure you get the benefits and the support that you earned,” Mr. Pence said to loud applause.
Vets Respond
“I’m for him,” Vietnam-era veteran David Bousselot told The Epoch Times after hearing Mr. Pence speak. “I hope he will follow through,” said the Davenport native, who now lives in Arkansas.“I like him,” said Linda Bousselot, also a veteran. “I liked his work in the last administration, and I think he’ll keep the same conservative attitude.”
Ionie Green served 21 years in the U.S. Army and now volunteers at the outreach center. She was won over by Mr. Pence’s demeanor as much as by his words, she said.
“He’s very personable,” Ms. Green told The Epoch Times. “He made me feel comfortable. He listens. I would vote for him.”
“And he’s a godly man,” she added.
Navy veteran Philip Hoel asked Mr. Pence about the difficulty veterans have in obtaining medical benefits.
“You have to be either fully disabled or retired to get full dental coverage,” Mr. Hoel said, explaining that he’s been trying to obtain dentures but cannot afford the $13,000 cost.
Mr. Pence asked for more information and promised to look into the matter.
“I never thought he’d be that interested,” Mr. Hoel told The Epoch Times.
Other attendees were impressed by the candidate’s promises but were not ready to declare support.
“It’s the first time I’ve taken time to listen to him talk,” Don Arms, a board member at the center, told The Epoch Times. “I’ll reserve judgment until I’ve heard him several times.”
Mr. Arms had also heard candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson speak at the center.
Other Concerns
When answering questions from veterans, Mr. Pence harked back to his stump speech with familiar talking points that included immigration and border security.“When it comes to immigration, number one, we’ve got to secure the southern border of the United States,” Mr. Pence said, taking credit for negotiating the “remain in Mexico” policy under President Trump.
“I’m one of the few people saying we also got to fix the broken immigration,” Mr. Pence said.
His grandfather immigrated from Ireland in 1923, and “he had to get a credential that he was certified as a trained tailor because there was a quota of people from Ireland who could work in certain businesses,” Mr. Pence said.
“I'd like to go back to a merit-based immigration system,” a system that admits immigrants based on the employment needs of the country, he said.
“That’s how you get America growing again.”
