U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) is sending a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Ronald Walters demanding answers after a planned Memorial Day service at the Cheyenne National Cemetery was not carried out as planned.
In the letter, Lummis questions why Wyoming military families were stood up on a day that is supposed to be dedicated to honoring American heroes.
“Wyoming’s military families deserve the utmost respect and dignity, especially on Memorial Day,” says Lummis. “These families traveled from every corner of the state to honor their loved ones and were completely disrespected. The Department of Veterans Affairs’ actions are unacceptable, and it owes these families an apology and explanation of what on earth happened.”
More than 100 people showed up at the Cheyenne National Cemetery on Memorial Day expecting someone from the Veterans Administration to take part according to Cowboy State Daily. The scheduled 11AM time came and went and no one from the VA showed up.
Senator Lummis unloaded on the governmental agency, saying missing the service was disrespectful and egregious. “The National Cemetery Administration established the Cheyenne National Cemetery in 2020 as part of an initiative to expand cemeteries in rural areas. Wyoming’s population has one of the highest percentage of veterans in the country. On behalf of the nearly 50,000 veterans in my state, I find Monday’s mishap at the Cheyenne National Cemetery to be completely unacceptable.”
Lummis went on to say in her letter to the VA that Memorial Day is not only a time for the national to celebrate a three-day weekend, but it’s roots are steeped in paying respects to the brave men and women who lost their lives serving our country.
“Memorial Day…is a day to pay respects to the brave individuals who died for our freedom. For the families who have lost a loved one or the veterans
feeling forgotten after their service, I can only imagine the pain this day brings. Mistakes like these are not only disrespectful to the individuals who showed up for the ceremony, but has even greater ramifications to the reputation of the VA.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs has had a long-time battle with their reputation in the military veteran community as well as the public’s perception. Scandals, poor service, lack of services, as well as getting veterans the services they need after being discharged from the service has plagued the Department for decades.
One of the most infamous cases of VA neglect was the a report that surfaced out of Phoenix back in 2014 when CNN reported 40 veterans died while waiting for appointments to see a doctor at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system. The patients were on a secret list designed to hide lengthy delays from VA officials in Washington DC, according to a retired VA doctor and several high-level sources. The Phoenix hospital list situation wasn’t an isolated incident, they were the first VA hospital to get caught.
Top officials at the VA in Phoenix strongly denied any such list existed, but the Department of Veteran’s Affairs Director (at the time) Eric Shinseki placed the director of the Phoenix VA and two aides on administrative leave as an investigation was opened concerning the veteran’s deaths. Veterans called for Shinseki’s resignation, with the American Legion Commander, Daniel Dillinger, calling the deaths part of a “pattern of scandals that has infected the entire system.”
Despite the calls for the Director’s firing, President Obama released a statement saying that he remained “confident in Secretary Shinseki’s ability to lead the department and take appropriate action.”
The scandal ultimately widened nationwide. In Cheyenne, Wyoming, a VA employee was placed on administrative leave after an email surfaced in which the employee talked about “gaming the system a bit” to manipulate waiting times. The suspension came just a day after a scheduling clerk in San Antonio admitted to “cooking the books” to shorten apparent waiting times. Three days later, two employees in Durham, North Carolina, were placed on leave over similar allegations.
No explanation has been given by the VA concerning the no-show on Memorial Day at the Cheyenne cemetery.
Lummis says that she wants answers “on what exactly occurred so we can ensure this never happens again.”
