Who (or more likely, what) is the “V.A. man” the unfortunate fellow in the Born in the USA song is seeing?
(Poster not born in the USA.)
V.A. stands for Veterans Affairs, the department of government responsible for administering services for veterans.
Thank you.
Veterans Affairs/Administration. The folks who members of the military turn to for aid.
Ah, no. The VA is for veterans, their families, and survivors. Active duty personnel are cared for by DOD.
At the time the song was written, in 1984, veteran’s affairs were handled by the Veterans Administration, an independent agency of the federal government. The protagonist of the song appears to be seeking job placement assistance when he goes to see the “VA man”, as such services were and are among those provided by the VA.
But of course the VA can’t create jobs where none exist, and in the decrepit post-industrial town in which the narrator appears to live, all the VA man can do is mutter, “Son, don’t you understand . . .”.
In 1989 the VA was raised to Cabinet-level status as the Department of Veterans Affairs.
I’m an old veteran and the VA treats me well. VERY well.
Good. That’s as it should be.
But your experience certainly has not been universal.
Speaking only for myself (since I can’t speak for the entire VA)…Thanks.
I know the people I work with consider it both a pleasure and a privilege to serve and assist our country’s veterans.
Although I wish that your experience had been universal, very few things actually are. And we do take some pride that, for the most part, we do what we do pretty well.
Better than most, some might say.