Power of the Pen

It's not often that a news article has a good ending, particularly as a direct result of the article being written but this is one case in which the ending couldn't have been sweeter.

A segment from the initial article in the Atlantic...

"My name is Charles Zimmerman. I am a retired 22-year veteran of the US Armed Forces. I was laid off last year. We lost our home. My wife and I both just had heart attacks. And now we're homeless." Charles told of rejection by all the homeless shelters because of the couple's age (62) and/or poor health. By contrast, the campers of SafeGround welcomed Charles and Elizabeth to Tent Village. He spoke of these wonderful people he had just met, who lacked homes, but not boundless kindness and generosity.

As a 22-year military veteran, Charles--and Elizabeth as his dependent--should both have access to care through the VA system. He was an Army Ranger, retired with the rank of sergeant major. He did two tours in Vietnam, one which left him with a deeply dimpled cheek where a bullet ripped into his face. He also served in Persian Gulf War I, Panama, Granada, and Somalia, but his longest battle has been fought stateside for eighteen years, trying to get military bureaucracy to correct a paperwork snafu so he can collect his pension. Until they resolve the pension mess, he can't access VA services.

A portion from the follow-up piece...

According to Charles, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) apparently read my piece about the Zimmermans and contacted Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV), who sits on the Committee on Veterans Affairs. As a result of their efforts, Charles Zimmerman had a mind-blowing meeting with a representative of the US Army yesterday afternoon.

Charles called me as soon as the meeting had ended to tell me that the man had apologized for the delayed resolution of his case. He said Charles would start receiving full benefits within a matter of weeks, including an initial check that would cover backpay for the past 18 years since his retirement.

"Are you sitting down?" Charles asks. "Yes," I say. "They say they'll be sending me a check for $972,000," he replies.

We both laugh semi-hysterically for a bit before calming down enough to discuss rationally. "What are you going to do with all that money?," I ask. "Retire," he says. "Then help SafeGround as much as I can. And that's it."