We leave them to rot, our veterans, our vets. Our brave soldiers there on the sides of freeways. Our brave men, the ones who served. We leave them to rot in solitude, in substandard facilities, in a quagmire of VA red tape and excuses, not the right this, didn't do the right that. We leave them rot when they lost a limb, their hearing, their sight and they wait months for basic care. This is how we honor them. We leave them to rot.
We leave them to rot as we pass by their weary silent profiles. We are sometimes ashamed, sometimes angry, sometimes disgusted, sometimes heartsick but we leave them to rot just the same. This is how we honor them. We leave them to rot, these fine humans. Have you looked at their beautiful faces, their photographs in silence, here are so many more. These fine humans who have sacrificed their fine lives because we asked and they answered. This is how we honor them. We leave their comrades to rot beside freeways silently asking and we never answer. This is how we honor them. We leave them to rot.
We leave them to rot in despair. We leave them to suffer their pains in silence, recoiling when their agony overwhelms them. We leave them to rot as we pass them by. We are ashamed, angry, disgusted, heartsick. And it don't just break your heart. Don't it just make you want to start something? Does it really have to fall apart before we are willing to do something? Can you do something? Won't you do something? Please do something! Can you stand up and say no more lying? Can you stand up and say no more crying? Can you stand up and say no more dying? Can we stand up and say no? Don't it just break your heart? This is how we honor them. We leave them to rot.