They paid, and now we must pay tribute to them

On a recent episode of the NBC family drama “American Dreams,” a character named Jimmy Reilly was shown in a military hospital bed describing how he lost use of his legs as the result of a gun battle in Vietnam. It took both courage and compassion for the show’s producers to depict a central character -- one who had been the star “American Bandstand” dancer in the show -- so physically transformed by the devastating realities of war but still seemingly upbeat about life.

Indeed, positive portrayals of America’s disabled veterans are not usually considered Hollywood material.

Regrettably, we forget far too often about these men and women who paid with their bodies and minds so we can have the opportunity to pursue the freedoms inherent in our Constitution. It is these disabled veterans who are America’s unsung heroes. They are the real “Survivors.”

Today this country has more than 2.3 million living disabled veterans -- soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who have been grievously injured in war. A good number of these brave young men and women are among the 9,000 military personnel who have been evacuated from Iraq since the beginning of the war there. Each of them, their experiences, would make for a compelling movie of the week. All the right elements are there to capture an audience’s attention: the drama of beating the odds, the daily struggles to overcome adversity.

With all that they have given for our country -- literally giving pieces of their bodies and minds -- don’t these heroes deserve our gratitude? They deserve a TV or movie plot line. But they also deserve a more fitting tribute.

Indeed, it has never been more timely to talk about the need for a permanent memorial in Washington to recognize these unsung heroes -- men and women who have sacrificed their bodies and health in the fight for our freedom.

This memorial in our nation’s capital will stand as a physical reminder that we must not forget. It will ensure that these veterans are eternally recognized for what they have given for our country. Public Law 106-348, signed on Oct. 24, 2000, by President Clinton, authorized the creation of the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, and the site upon which to build the memorial has been officially selected. No public funding will be committed to the project, which will cost an estimated $60 million. All will come from private donations. We have faith that the American people -- individuals and corporations -- will lend their support.

Hollywood can play a significant role in the creation of this memorial. Filmmakers and television producers can present more positive portrayals of these men and women who must struggle to regain health, reshape lives shattered by disability, learn new trades or professions and rejoin the civilian world. Their wounds and scars and afflictions serve as daily reminders of the cost of war. Talk about reality TV!

In fact, it is not possible to look into the eyes of a disabled veteran and not feel compelled to do something to recognize what he or she has given up for the sake of this country.

It happened to me about 40 years ago, when, in my days as a Broadway actress, I was asked to perform for some of the disabled veterans receiving treatment at the Rusk Rehabilitation Center in New York. I had planned to sing a tune from “West Side Story”: “Somewhere,” with its famous line, “Hold my hands and I’ll take you there.” As I gazed around the room, I saw one man lying on a gurney -- he had no hands for me to hold. But he still had a smile for me.

And with that smile I was changed forever. It became my mission to see that this man and all of the other millions like him would be eternally recognized and honored for their sacrifices. Several years later, while visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, I had a revelation. My first cousin had died in Vietnam and I went to see where his name was permanently etched in black marble with the thousands of other young men and women who died in that conflict. And it occurred to me: Where was the tribute for that man lying on the gurney at the Rusk Center? And for all those other men and women in wheelchairs or using canes, or with prosthetic devices replacing their lost arms and legs?

Our nation’s capital has many fitting monuments to fallen soldiers from the conflicts our county has been involved in, and there are monuments to our founding fathers. But nothing for the living disabled veterans. We have a solemn obligation to assure these Americans, who have given so much more than was asked of them, that they will never be neglected or forgotten.

When this memorial is finally completed, it will be our gift to the millions of men and women who continue to bear the scars of war long after the guns have fallen silent and the memory of their sacrifice has faded from the public’s consciousness. They -- not rich city debutantes trying to live the country life, not models and cheerleaders trying to find a life mate, not former TV actors and actresses eating bugs -- represent the ultimate reality show. May these heroes be unsung no more.