A Nation’s Betrayal: How George Washington and the Founding Fathers Would Condemn America’s Treatment of Its Veterans
- Medicine Wolf
- Feb 22
- 4 min read
The United States was founded on the ideals of liberty, justice, and the pursuit of happiness, yet today, many of those who have risked their lives to defend these very principles find themselves abandoned.
The sight of homeless veterans sleeping in alleyways, struggling with addiction, and fighting the demons of untreated mental illness is a national disgrace. If General George Washington and the Founding Fathers could witness the United States government’s neglect of its veterans, they would be ashamed.
The very men who built this republic understood the sacred duty a nation has to its soldiers, and their writings and actions prove they would never have accepted the betrayal that modern America has inflicted upon those who served.
George Washington was not just a general but a leader who deeply cared for his troops. He understood the hardships of war, the sacrifices of his men, and the necessity of taking care of them when the fighting was over. In a letter to Congress in 1783, Washington wrote:
“The Army, as a body, are perfectly convinced of the justice of their claims and are determined to be heard. The patience and long suffering with which they have endured their grievances are little short of miraculous.”
This statement came at the height of the Newburgh Conspiracy, when unpaid and disrespected Revolutionary War officers considered overthrowing Congress. Washington personally quelled the unrest not by force, but by appealing to their sense of duty—while also pressuring Congress to meet its obligations. He believed a just government must honor its commitment to those who fought for it.
How, then, would Washington react today, seeing tens of thousands of veterans homeless, battling PTSD and addiction, and ignored by the very nation they defended? He would see it as a moral failure of the highest order. He would recognize it as a breach of the social contract—where soldiers pledge their lives in return for care and support that is never delivered.
Beyond Washington, the Founding Fathers collectively recognized that a republic could not sustain itself if it disrespected its warriors. Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1817:
“The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government.”
Yet, today, government policies have left veterans in cycles of poverty, incarceration, and death. The Department of Veterans Affairs is notoriously underfunded and mismanaged, leading to long wait times, inadequate mental health care, and bureaucratic obstacles that prevent veterans from receiving benefits. This negligence is not just an oversight—it is a betrayal.
Alexander Hamilton, one of the fiercest advocates for a strong central government, argued that the state must take responsibility for those who defend it. He pushed for pensions and financial support for soldiers after the war, recognizing that a government that abandons its warriors will inevitably crumble from within.
John Adams also foresaw the dangers of corruption and neglect in government. He warned that when leaders become detached from the struggles of the people—especially those who have fought to secure their freedoms—society falls into decline. The current state of America’s veteran crisis is exactly the kind of injustice the Founders fought against.
Despite having the largest military budget in the world, the U.S. government continuously fails to allocate sufficient resources for the well-being of veterans.
Consider the statistics:
• Over 33,000 veterans are homeless on any given night.
• More than 1.7 million veterans struggle with mental health issues, including PTSD.
• Veterans are 50% more likely to die by suicide than civilians.
• An estimated 20 veterans die by suicide every day in the U.S.
These numbers reveal not just failure but outright neglect. While politicians often use veterans as props in speeches, real action is rarely taken to address their suffering. Funding for veteran mental health services remains insufficient, access to affordable housing is limited, and many veterans find themselves tangled in a bureaucratic nightmare when seeking medical care.
If Washington were alive today, he would not tolerate this betrayal. He would call for sweeping reforms to ensure that every veteran receives:
1. Guaranteed Housing – No veteran should ever sleep on the streets of the country they fought to protect. Washington himself pushed for land grants and financial aid for soldiers post-war. A nationwide veteran housing program would honor that legacy.
2. Universal Healthcare for Veterans – The VA must be overhauled and expanded to provide rapid, high-quality medical and psychological care, including addiction recovery programs.
3. Abolition of Red Tape – The Founders despised unnecessary government inefficiency. The bureaucratic nightmare that prevents veterans from receiving benefits must be dismantled, with streamlined access to pensions, healthcare, and job assistance.
4. Mental Health and PTSD Treatment as a Priority – The invisible wounds of war are just as devastating as the physical ones. Washington understood battlefield trauma, and he would demand that modern leaders treat PTSD with the seriousness it deserves.
America Must Reclaim Its Honor
A nation that abandons its warriors is a nation that has lost its honor. The Founding Fathers, especially Washington, envisioned a country where service was rewarded with dignity, not despair. Their vision has been desecrated by the failures of modern leadership.
If the United States wants to call itself the land of the free and the home of the brave, then it must prove it by upholding its duty to those who risked everything for it. Anything less is not just a policy failure—it is a moral failure, a betrayal of the very foundations upon which this republic was built.
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