May 2007

WWII vet addresses Congress about chiropractic care

Retired chiropractor served in Navy, received Bronze Star 62 years after heroic action at Iwo Jima

It took 62 years to finally get the recognition he deserved, but Paul Baker, an 82‑year‑old former Navy corpsman and retired chiropractor, was finally awarded the Bronze Star for bravery in March of this year.

During the World War II invasion of Iwo Jima on Feb. 19, 1945, Baker was a 20‑year‑old pharmacist's mate serving on a Navy landing ship. Although military commanders thought sustained bombing had made the landing relatively safe, more than 20,000 Japanese had survived by hiding in nearby caves. Shortly after troops of Marines left Baker's ship, a devastating battle broke out, leaving more than 6,800 Americans dead and nearly 20,000 wounded.

Seeing the carnage in front of him, Baker ran for the first‑aid kits while artillery shells rained down on his ship. One hit so close that Baker was riddled with shrapnel, thrown 15 feet into the air and was knocked out.

Despite his wounds, he refused treatment and crawled across the deck of his ship to care for the wounded Marines and corpsmen. He was credited with saving the lives of 10 servicemen. In recognition of his bravery, he was recommended for a medal by Raymond Whalin, the skipper of one of the tank transports to land on Iwo Jima that day. Only years later was it discovered that, possibly due to lost paperwork, Baker's heroic actions were never recognized. Whalin launched a campaign to have him receive his long‑overdue recognition and, with the help of Rep. Jim Walsh of New York, Baker was presented with the Bronze Star, the fourth‑highest combat medal for bravery and the ninth highest of all US military decorations.

More recently, Baker fought another battle ‑‑ to win access to chiropractic by all members of the Armed Forces as well as all veterans. In April 2006, Baker delivered a speech during a veterans' "Operation Firing for Effect" rally in Washington, DC. The following is the text of that speech.

-----

Members of Congress, Veteran's Representatives, Distinguished Guests, and Fellow Comrades. Good morning. My name is Paul Baker. Thank you for being here today and thank you for the opportunity to address a very important issue: Chiropractic and the Military.

During WWII, I was in the US Navy serving as a pharmacist's mate aboard the USS LSM 70. On February 19, 1945, we participated in the battle for Iwo Jima. We had on board five tanks and their accompanying marines. As we were making our run to the beach, we started to receive enemy fire. Our craft was hit several times and was badly damaged. The steering control and all communications were completely destroyed.

In spite of all this, we landed the tanks and marines. I was wounded before we landed on the beach. I suffered multiple shrapnel wounds and was thrown several feet through the air hitting my head against the ship's bulk head. I recovered from my wounds ok but soon afterwards, I started to suffer from terrible headaches.

The only treatment offered by the medical corps was pain medication. I eventually received a medical discharge from the Navy. My plan was to continue my education and become a medical surgeon, but with those terrible headaches, there was no way I could pursue that career.

Upon the encouragement of a friend, I visited a chiropractor to seek relief. I was informed that I had a vertebra in my neck that was out of place. When the vertebra was restored to normal alignment, I experienced immediate relief and never had a similar headache of this nature to this day. I became interested in this field and changed my career plans. I attended college under the GI bill and became a chiropractor. If the military had offered chiropractic care I would not have had to suffer for all those months.

Friends, I am now a retired doctor of chiropractic, and I am encouraged that within the last several years, chiropractic care has been recognized by the Pentagon as a viable, cost‑effective health care solution. There are chiropractors at 42 military bases and now another 11 more are coming on line soon. However, there are none overseas, none in Iraq, and none in Afghanistan... none on ships at sea.

The Pentagon is directed by federal law to insure that all active duty military personnel have access to chiropractic care. But a federal watchdog report last year confirmed what many believed was true: only a little more than half of those in uniform have access to chiropractic.

Only a little more than half actually have sufficient access to chiropractic care. The grunt carrying a sixty‑pound pack all in Tikrit... the fighter pilot logging several hours in the cockpit over Kabul. Where chiropractic is most needed, it can't be found.

The report I am referring to, a September 2005 report of the General Accountability Office, confirmed the deep concerns that many of my chiropractic colleagues have had for several years as we witnessed the failure of the Department of Defense to fully adhere to its own Chiropractic Health Care Benefit implementation plan.

In summary, the GAO report clearly states that the Department is falling far short of both the spirit and letter of the law that calls for the chiropractic care for all eligible active duty military.

With 238 major military treatment facilities worldwide, less that 25 percent now offer chiropractic care. In fact, according to GAO, nearly 500,000 active duty military personnel are currently living in areas of the United States served by facilities with no chiropractic clinic or facilities.

Furthermore, despite the recent history of significant deployment of active duty military in multiple theatres overseas, no facilities overseas are currently providing chiropractic care.

We must urge Members of Congress to continue their historical and recent efforts to require the Department of Defense to comply fully with the law and make chiropractic health care benefits available to all 1.8 million active duty military at military treatment facilities both here in the United States and overseas. Congress must insure that the letter of the law is followed and that the Pentagon is held accountable.

In the April 2006 issue of the VFW magazine, the Commander in Chief had this to say: "When the war is over, you pick up your gear, walk down the hill and back into the world, where people smile, congratulate you and secretly hope you won't be a burden on society now that you've done the dirty work they shun."

Our military men and women are exposed to physical stress on a daily basis. Unbeknown to them, many suffer from vertebral subluxations just as I did. Some are self correcting, others are not. Many could find relief through chiropractic care if it was available to them.

As long as man has been on this planet, we have found ways to settle our issues with wars. Young men and women go off to fight these wars. Many pay the supreme sacrifice and many return home damaged in body and spirit. We owe it to them to provide whatever is needed, whenever it is needed. Never in our history have so many owed so much to so few.

My fellow comrades, I have the deepest respect and love for all of you. We are truly a band of brothers and nothing can ever take its place. Let's hope our presence here today will make a difference.

I wish you well. Thank you and God Bless America.