Armed forces, hockey and softball

By Jeff Orvis

In my last blog, I indicated that this country must do much more for our service men and women returning from war. I indicated that a good start would be to cut the red tape and long delays in getting medical care and assistance to those who have been wounded.

We have several private foundations that do a good job at raising money for the wounded veterans. Unfortunately, we also have a few who claim to have the best interest of the veteran in mind, but return only a small percentage of the dollars raised to those it was intended for.

It might make us feel good to give a few dollars to some of these causes. We might think it is a way to thank those who have served. But really, isn't it the job of the employer (the federal government) to take care of those injured while in its employ?

One way, as I've already mentioned, would be to streamline the time it takes from when the soldier is injured to when treatment and rehabilitation begins. But we should do more. If we really view these women and men as heroes, they should be rewarded. Thousands have returned as amputees or suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome. If they will never be able to return to the active lifestyle they experienced before they served, then they should be compensated. Permanent disability should mean a $100,000 annual pension. Make it tax-free. That would be start, along with lifetime medical care.

There are undoubtedly economists in the Pentagon who wrestle with the cost of equipping our soldiers and sailors. When they are projecting how much a war will cost, those projections should include the cost of caring for our wounded heroes.

On a lighter note, I'm not much of a hockey fan most of the season, but since the Blackhawks are still in the playoffs, I've started paying more attention to their games. I'm amazed that more players aren't hurt because of the brutal body checks into the boards surrounding the rink. Maybe the players should demand that the league install something like the safe barriers being used at many NASCAR race tracks. It might cut down the number of concussions, etc.

I've also been watching the NCAA Women's Softball postseason tournament. I am friends with Alabama's veteran coach, Patrick Murphy, who once coached the Independence baseball team. When the defending Crimson Tide was knocked out of a return bid to the World Series, I decided to find another team to follow.

Since I have a couple of friends from Oklahoma, since the Sooners were beaten in last year's finals by Alabama and since that state has faced plenty of recent tragedy because of the tornadoes, I decided to root for the Sooners. They didn't disappoint last night, as they came from behind, including tying the game with two outs and two strikes on the hitter, to beat Tennessee in 12 innings. That's the first of a best two-out-of-three series.

Women's softball is fun to watch. The cameras can get much better close-ups of the players and their reactions. Some of the best teams have the best cheerleaders on the bench. I've decided you truly have to lose your inhibitions to be a successful collegiate softball player.

It's a lot of fun. Game two is tonight and game three, if necessary, is tomorrow. Go Sooners!