Port: We owe them more than applause

Alyssa Goelzer / Forum file photo Opinion by Rob Port Today at 9:40 AM Listen Comments Share Share this article Opinion Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. The Trust Project What is this? MINOT — We've become better at celebrating our veterans than actually taking care of them. Today is Veterans Day, an occasion for Americans to express our gratitude to the men and women who have served our country in uniform. ADVERTISEMENT There will be ceremonies, speeches, parades and solemn expressions of appreciation. Veterans will be thanked at public events and recognized on social media. Politicians will issue statements praising their courage and sacrifice. These are good things. The gratitude is deserved, and remembering the sacrifices made in service to our country is important. Back in August, I wrote about the financial debacle surrounding North Dakota's military museum project, a nearly $80 million expansion of the Heritage Center on the state Capitol grounds in Bismarck. The project had stalled because private fundraising wasn't keeping pace with construction costs. Lawmakers were frustrated, but they were also reluctant to be seen opposing something associated with honoring veterans. In September, during a special legislative session, they approved another $20 million line of credit and removed fundraising restrictions on $15 million in previously appropriated state funding. Construction resumed, with completion now anticipated in 2028. Hopefully. The new loan is supposed to be repaid through private donations; if the fundraising continues to fall short, lawmakers will have to decide what happens next. I'm not opposed to preserving our state's military history. Quite the opposite. I've taken my family to the Heritage Center many times, and I appreciate the work being done there. The stories of North Dakotans who fought and died for our country deserve to be remembered. But the museum controversy has me thinking about our priorities. ADVERTISEMENT When a monument to veterans was in financial trouble, our political leaders moved quickly to save it. When it comes to the very real problems veterans face in their daily lives, the solutions often seem much less urgent. Consider healthcare. North Dakota has a network of VA outpatient clinics, including facilities in Minot, Bismarck, Dickinson and Williston. Those clinics provide important services, but the state's VA medical center, with its broader array of inpatient and specialized services, is in Fargo. For veterans in western North Dakota, obtaining certain types of care can mean traveling hundreds of miles. That's an inconvenience for anyone. For an elderly veteran, someone with mobility limitations or someone struggling with a serious medical condition, it can become a formidable obstacle. Community care programs and telehealth have helped, but neither eliminates the challenges associated with delivering medical services across a sparsely populated state. The situation is similar when it comes to long-term care. North Dakota's only state Veterans Home is located in Lisbon, in the southeast corner of the state. A veteran from Williston or Minot who needs that level of care may face the prospect of moving far away from family and community. There is some encouraging progress. Sen. John Hoeven, Gov. Kelly Armstrong and federal officials are working toward a second veterans home in western North Dakota. A needs assessment is underway. That's welcome news. There is still no selected location or firm construction timeline. ADVERTISEMENT Then there is the problem of mental health. In September, the Department of Veterans Affairs released its latest annual report on veteran suicide. According to the report, 6,488 American veterans died by suicide in 2024, an average of nearly 18 every day. That included 18 veterans in North Dakota. A small number, statistically, but try making that argument to the families and friends around those deaths. MORE FROM ROB PORT Port: The voters are standing behind North Dakota's property tax cap 3h ago Port: When it comes to school bonds, a simple majority should be good enough 21h ago Port: North Dakota mandated school meals but didn't fund them. It's time to pay the bill. 4d ago The report also found that 62% of veterans who died by suicide nationally were not receiving VA health care in the year they died or the preceding year. That doesn't mean access to VA care would have prevented those deaths. It does underscore the importance of reaching veterans who are disconnected from the services available to them. We should also be asking whether our county veterans service officers, who help veterans navigate the often bewildering bureaucracy of federal benefits, have the resources they need. North Dakota requires counties to provide these services, but the resources vary widely. According to the state Department of Veterans Affairs, Cass County has an office staffed throughout the workweek, while Steele County's office lists just four hours on Wednesdays. In western North Dakota, veterans from six counties are directed to a single office in Dickinson. A veteran's ability to navigate the benefits system shouldn't depend on where he or she happens to live. The state Legislature can't solve every problem facing veterans. Much of the responsibility for veterans' care rests with the federal government. Nor is it realistic to suggest that every dollar committed to a museum could simply be redirected to healthcare. But North Dakota's leaders can advocate for better federal services, support local providers, improve transportation, strengthen benefits assistance and make the development of a western veterans home a priority. ADVERTISEMENT The question is whether we're willing to approach those challenges with the same determination we've shown in building a museum. It's politically easy to support a veterans memorial. Nobody wants to be accused of dishonoring those who served. It's harder to tackle the expensive, complicated and unglamorous work of ensuring veterans have access to medical treatment, mental healthcare and long-term support. But isn't that where our gratitude ought to be most evident? Veterans Day shouldn't be merely an occasion for speeches and ceremonies. It should be a reminder of our continuing obligations to the people who have served. We owe them our appreciation, certainly, but we also owe them more than applause. Someday, North Dakota's new military museum will tell the story of how our veterans served their country. Perhaps we should spend more time asking how well we're serving them. Comments Share Share this article Opinion Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS NORTH DAKOTA PLAIN TALK INFORUM BISMARCK PLAIN TALK COLUMN VETERANS MILITARY NORTH DAKOTA LEGISLATURE Opinion by Rob Port Rob Port is a news reporter, columnist, and podcast host for the Forum News Service with an extensive background in investigations and public records. He covers politics and government in North Dakota and the upper Midwest. Reach him at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to his Plain Talk podcast. 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