Injustice By All

About the Book

This book is the story of the injustices suffered by one individual. Primarily, the injustices he suffered as a veteran of wartime service for the United States Navy. All factual information included in the book is derived from various archives. The veteran served during World War I. It is hoped that veterans of more recent conflicts, who returned home suffering in one way or another from their service, will benefit from reading this veteran´s story. While the injustices this veteran experienced in the Navy are rather unique, his battles dealing with the Veteran´s Administration are not. This veteran was forced to battle with the V.A., over a period of several decades in order to have his disability recognized as being aggravated by wartime service.

He strongly believed, once his problem with the V.A. was corrected and he was feeling better, he would resume a "normal" life, but resolving that problem took too long. His struggle to get that matter resolved took years. As the years rolled by and the economy worsened, he became more and more in need of the disability benefits, he so rightly deserved. The steadfastness shown by this veteran to obtain those benefits, are the main focus of this book.

The story includes information concerning the veteran´s life prior to enlisting in the Navy. His early life experiences set him up to be victimized so brutally in the Navy. That information was included because the reasons why he could be subjected to injustices are also worth noting. It is felt that his early childhood, and educational experiences, played a part in making him so susceptible. Hopefully, parents and teachers who read this book, will become more aware of the part they play in a child´s life.

Naval history and the history of the ship the veteran served on are also included. That information has been included with the hope of giving a clearer picture of the state of unpreparedness the United States Navy was in, prior to and during World War I. After the war, the United States had more veterans than ever before, in need of help putting their life back in order. Although, the organizations established to deal with that problem were new and fumbled along, it is felt that their primary purpose was often misconstrued.

Mainly, this book was written for veterans. It is hoped that veterans of more recent conflicts will profit from learning about what this veteran was up against, and how far he had to go to win his battle. If we the people of the United States believe young people must be willing to serve their country in every conflict our Government decides to get us involved in, then we the people should be willing to provide for those young people who return home "wounded". We should honor them for their service, and not treat them with contempt when they return home less than whole.

About the Author

Josina DiLauro is a free-lance writer. She usually writes about the fallacy of quick solutions to long range problems. Her second cousin, the family historian, suggested she write an article concerning her grand uncle's military experiences. Injustice By All, is the result of that suggestion.