Jacque Patterson is proud of his service as a past president of the Ward 8 Democrats and his present stint as an at-large D.C. State Board of Education member. However he emphasized his years serving in the military and being a District veteran as being transformative, and that is what he will remember on Veterans Day this Nov. 11.
“Veterans Day will be a bittersweet recognition for me,” said Patterson, 58. “I am a D.C. resident, and I don’t live in a state, and I don’t enjoy the benefits of full citizenship in this country. I participated in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. I fought for democracy for the people who live over there, but we don’t have that here.”
Patterson is one of the 31,110 veterans living in the District, according to statistics from the D.C. Office of Planning.
Each year, on Veterans Day, a federal holiday, a number of events take place in the District and surrounding areas to recognize veterans’ contributions. The African American Civil War Memorial Museum in Northwest will host its annual Veterans Day Wreath Laying from 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Also on Veterans Day, District wills and estates attorney Aimee Griffin will lead a seminar—Wills 4 Heroes— taking place in the Friendship Heights neighborhood of Northwest that is designed to provide Black veterans with estate plans that encompasses proper documentation of their wishes and protecting their legacies.
Serving the Country, Coming Back Home, Veterans’ Treatment
Patterson served in the Air Force for almost 30 years, leaving the military branch as an E-9 non-commissioned officer with the title of chief master sergeant. He said the District government treats veterans well, but has long had reservations about the way the Veterans Administration (VA) hospital in the city, run by the federal government, treats his former colleagues in the military.
“It takes forever to get an appointment at the VA Hospital,” he said with a sigh.
Patterson said District veterans should see that their benefits are up-to-date and that they are getting the proper treatment “that reflects their illnesses.” He said more job training is needed for veterans because the transition from the military to civilian job force is often not easy. He also said the District government should invest more money in mental health programs for veterans.
“It is really very sad,” he said. “A number of homeless people are veterans. It is not talked about as much, but a number of veterans die by suicide. This is a crisis.”
Like Patterson, Walter Plush lives in Ward 8 and served in the Air Force.
A resident of the Barry Farm vicinity, Plush served 15 years and rose to the rank of captain. His defining assignment was a tour as a peacekeeper in Bosnia in 2000.
Plush said he is satisfied with the services he receives as a veteran from the District government and thinks his colleagues are well served, too.
“D.C. has a veterans department, and I am satisfied with it,” Plush, 61, said. “They are doing an okay job.”
Plush said he appreciates the recognition that veterans receive on Veterans Day but voiced a concern.
“People seem to get Veterans Day mixed up with Memorial Day,” he said. “Veterans Day recognizes vets who are living while Memorial Day honors people who are dead.”
