On Sunday, October 5, 2014, the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C.

The dedication ceremony included remarks from President Barack Obama, VA Secretary Bob McDonald, former Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Interior Department Secretary Sally Jewell, and Gary Sinise, who is the national spokesman for the Disabled Veterans Life Memorial Foundation.

Also participating were the memorial foundation’s executive staff including Lois Pope, Arthur H. Wilson, Dennis Joyner and Roberto Barrera.

The gallery below included highlights of the dedication ceremony. Photos by U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs photographer Robert Turtil. You can also view the full gallery on VA’s Flickr page.

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12 Comments

  1. David October 19, 2014 at 20:18

    Being a vet my self I think this was a good idea

  2. Lloyd Bardell October 19, 2014 at 14:03

    I think that the VA is just stalling again. They sent me more of the same forms that I have already filled out even at the beginning of the process almost 11 years ago. They have ample evidence already. Update as of 10/19/2014

  3. Lloyd Bardell October 14, 2014 at 19:05

    Buables, jewelry, memorials – what about the benefits which we are entitled. Theoretically we should be able to sue the individuals involved in denying covered conditions.

    Should the VA desire or in error not to award your benefits there is no practical.
    way to get those benefits and no effective legal means at all. One knows
    that the system is corrupt simply by looking for an instance in the.
    entire corrupt system that demonstrates this – almost 50% of all appeals.
    are remanded seemingly in an automatic manner – once in this process it.
    has virtually no chance of ever being awarded and they will tie you up.
    as years become decades – for instance – you may have a covered.
    condition but there is no means to ever prove this – no time frame, no.
    mechanism, no effective due process. In my case 1. the condition is.
    covered and has been awarded to others, 2. Is there a record of this in.
    the Military Record – in my case yes. 3. Can the VA demonstrate evidence.
    that this wasn’t a result or aggravated by service – no they cannot.
    But they take the reverse approach of entangling such a claim up with.
    insurance like claims examiners who act as both final medical experts.
    and adjudicators and say that I have to prove through non-existing.
    evidence that it wasn’t the case before service and or that one of their.
    medical professionals has to state an absolute cause and effect basis –
    which is not a cognitive or epistemological construct allowed by the.
    medical profession – hence fraudulent denial which is in direct conflict.
    with the charge that the VA shall act on behalf and in favor of the.
    veteran where doubt exists and conclusive evidence to contrary may not.
    be offered. They know that it is for all practical purposes a de facto.
    permanent denial. It creates the backlog by acting as an insurance.
    company vis-a-vis on behalf of the Veteran. The VA’s entire process is.
    set up to create grid lock by its philosophical positioning which holds.
    truly that the Veteran is attempting to submit a fraudulent claim.

  4. Lloyd Bardell October 14, 2014 at 19:04

    Not lumps of rock and metal but benefits that we have a right to should be awarded. I have been cheated and fighting for going on 11 years now. It is a crooked system.

    Backlogs – VA – It is not the cavalcade of new applications that the VA.
    points to – it is the 1. NOD appeal to the BVA hearing – created by VA.
    policy of denying claims without cause 2. BVA decision takes 3 years or.
    more it then creates the 3. Remand to RO Backlog and the mostly endless.
    appeals/remand cycle 4. If the Vet is finally denied by the BVA then the.
    Vet restarts the claim or goes to the Court – the backlog here just.
    waiting for it to get to court is at least 4 years – then once the.
    decision is rendered again a long wait – often it is sent back to #3.
    and the process starts again.

  5. Lloyd Bardell October 14, 2014 at 19:02

    We don’t need F-N memorials – we need the VA to honor its charge and to award the benefits to which we have a right.

    We need an EZ VA Form and Coverage Award Process – I am sure that the IRS does this. 1. Is claimed condition covered and has it been awarded to others for same condition? yes – go to #2

    2. Is there any evidence, diagnosis, comment, or other appropriate presumptive information concerning the condition in the claimants military records, military medical records or substantive evidence in later records to support the claim? yes – go to #3

    3. Can the VA prove that the condition pre-existed or was not caused or aggravated by Service? No – Award and Award the following Amounts based on the claimants condition and employability.

    BUT THE VA BELIEVES ALL CLAIMS FRAUDULENT TO BEGIN WITH – LIKE AN INSURANCE COMPANY AND THEN IT EXCLUDES COVERED CONDITIONS AT WILL.

  6. Lloyd Bardell October 14, 2014 at 19:00

    The VA is charged with awarding covered conditions with benefits to the Veterans, but instead places claims processors in the role of medical expert and judicial expert to deny covered claims without cause. It uses deception, simply ignores evidence, and commits fraud in denying covered conditions. It denies a large number of claims in cursory manner, it denies due process in an endless appeals and remands cycle as a de facto denial with some Vets dying or being caught up in the cycle for decades with no means to force to the court. Sometimes the courts remand back to the cycle. There are no time obligations on behalf of the VA for processing such claims. After the appeal and waiting for the remand to be sent back just to be reviewed again by the RO – some claims are just gathering dust in the records center for over 2 years. It took three years just for the judge to make a decision not to decide. The RO is not obligated to process in any time period at all – it is when the RO gets to it. Decades come and go and covered conditions are not covered.

  7. John Walters October 14, 2014 at 10:26

    Thank you. My wife will take me to our memorial next week…driving the whole long 10 hours each way. She will have our papers to be sure we are given access…unlike the last trip when POTUS spent a fortune to lock us out of memorials.
    Don’t tread on me.

  8. Thomas October 9, 2014 at 18:44

    I’m not a combat vet. But, I am a disabled vet during the cold war. I’m at 80% because of a back injury I sustained while on duty. worked on the good ole F-106 Delta Dart. And, I am thankful for all our vets. Glad they are getting a memorial up for the disabled ones.

  9. Chaz October 8, 2014 at 16:39

    I am a Marine Nam Vet ( P & T ). I am glad that Our Government has dedicated a Disable Vet Memorial to Us !
    Thank You .

  10. T Cummings October 6, 2014 at 16:39

    All I see from this site is a bunch of Washington big wigs gathering in 1 place. Site does not give much info about the actual memorial which we as wounded Vets would like to read about. Hope they get it right next time but I do not expect that to happen.

  11. Sandra Demoruelle October 6, 2014 at 15:27

    My husband is 100% permanent s-c Vietnam combat disabled and we appreciate the effort that went into bring this Memorial into existence. In this time of discord, it is wonderful that so many people came together to honor the many men and women who continue to pay the price of war. Thank you one and all!

  12. Milan B. Lemmon October 6, 2014 at 13:57

    It is about time we have a Memorial for veterans who disable for life. I for one is disable vet with diabetes 2.

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