WSET.com - ABC13The Power of One by Mark Kelly

The piece Photojournalist Sally Delta and I did concerning Vietnam Veterans and their frustrations with the VA aired last week. This two-part series has been a whirlwind of emotion - long phone calls with sources and at times confusing bureaucratic jargon, but the story idea started with one upset veteran from Pamplin, Virginia.

A few months back, I was interviewing this Pamplin Veteran about a story having nothing to do with him being a veteran; quickly, our small talk after the interview became all about his being a veteran. He had some incredible stories to tell – and I had the feeling standing in his yard that day that he had to get them off his chest. He told me about the pain he felt losing good friends in combat, and his recent battles getting the healthcare he needed and earned. He wasn't the first to tell me about his healthcare woes, but he was the first to tear up about it. Something had to be done, so we did a story.

For Vietnam vets, their healthcare struggles are as never-ending as the war they fought. They fight getting benefits approved, they fight losing services they earned, and they fight agent orange, a pesticide from the Vietnam War many vets blame for their current ailments. The problems looked too complex for the piece; it needed a focus. The focus found us.

We shot all the interviews on the same day. I was shocked. Each interviewee who told me about their struggles, I asked them why, in their opinion, this is happening. Each and every one had the same response: they are being pushed aside and forgotten. Many said the VA gives them quality healthcare, but the overwhelming feeling from the government, from society, is that their problems are too big, too costly, and it would be better that the Vietnam generation of vets just die off. One interview said the Vietnam vets are dieing off – faster than any other generation at 380 a day.

Our veteran story won't stop that number. 380 probably left us again today. But, after the story aired, I got a call from a viewer. He needed help filing his health benefit claims and wanted the number for one of the experts in my piece. They say it takes just one to make it worthwhile – so true. The story idea all started with one upset veteran and ended with helping at least one veteran.

See part 1 of The Invisible Veteran here and part 2 here.