Harlingen, November 20, 2002: In 1941 it started. America decided that one of the best ways to keep its young people in uniform was to continually lie to them. This was done with a variety of promises, pledging future rewards and benefits to those who would keep the profession of arms and remain members of the armed forces.

The most egregious of these lies continued through 1956. The United States government, though its officers in the Department of Defense and all branches of the armed forces, promised every man and women who remained in uniform and completed a twenty year career, that he or she and their families would have government provided medical care for life.

In 1956 our national leadership changed the rules and from that point on promised this medical care on a space available basis. However, it was still implied that all career military personnel and their dependents would have this care for the remainder of their lives.

It was soon to follow that the cost of medical care spiraled out of control. More and more government bases and medical facilities closed or reduced their budgets. Congress attempted to be politically correct by creating a military health care program, which was an assorted collection of programs called Tricare. The program offered to retired military personnel was so poor that the majority of medical personnel in this country rejected it.

While all this political chicanery was taking place, those American warriors who gave every citizen the freedoms we now enjoy were getting older and sicker. They wrote letters by the thousands to their congressional members, the President, the Department of Defense. only to discover this was a nation which refused to honor its word to those who protected the land with their own bodies and life's blood.

Relief was sought through the courts. Years of litigation were led by Medal of Honor recipient and attorney, Colonel Bud Day. An action called Class Act by those retired military personnel, who have joined in the suit, sought to recover past medical expenses. This was money paid out of their pockets when the government failed to keep its word. The retirees also sought to have to government honor its promise to provide them with the quality health care repeatedly heralded in recruiting advertisements and career councilors.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington D.C. ruled against the retirees this week. What it really said was ..it is all right for this nation to renege on any promise.

The court decided that the Secretary of the Air Force along with other senior military leaders, Department of Defense officials and recruiters never had the authority to make promises of free and full medical care.

The court did appear sympathetic to the military retirees, but still supported the position of the federal government. Said the court, "We can do no more than hope Congress will make good on the promises recruiters made in good faith to plaintiffs and others of the World War II and Korean War era from 1941 to 1956 when Congress enacted its first health care insurance act for military members, excluding older retirees."

Though the decision was split, with a 9-4 vote, it appeared that only those judges with a military background really understood the issue. The four judges who sided with the retirees wrote, "If Congress can appropriate billions for this aspect of national defense and not know how it is accounted for, then God save the Republic. Of course Congress knew; of course the service secretaries authorized promises in return for service; of course these military officers served until retirement in reliance, and of course there is a moral obligation to these men."

However, those who voted against the military retirees also voted in silence for another wrong. Their vote was this country is under no obligation to honor its word to anyone.

An appeal is planned to the Supreme Court.