One Veteran's Opinion of the "Death Book"
Douglas Karr, Petty Officer Second Class, United States Navy Veteran
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Writing, speaking or even alluding to death is a pretty touchy situation in any case. The re-emergence of the so-called “Death Book”, titled “Your Life, Your Choices”, is no different. It’s a guide provided by the VA to veterans on end of life planning. Distribution of the book was halted by the Bush administration but recently started again under the Obama administration.
My first glimpse at end of life planning was sitting on board the USS Spartanburg County (LST-1192) in Little Creek, Virginia, preparing to depart for Desert Storm. The galley of our naval ship was filled with legal counselors and sailors. I was a young petty officer at the time – with a wife and son worried about what would happen next.
I made a “Living Will” and got my affairs in order – tough work for a 20-something, young, healthy sailor. However, it was the responsible thing to do and I’m thankful for the United States Navy for providing me both the education and the legal counsel to make those tough decisions. The attorneys and their legal assists were sailors just like me. They understood my situation, empathized and offered me all the options.
It’s probably an understatement to note that any document on planning your death will get a charged, averse reaction from some Veterans. Many of us have made up our minds on politics and religion many years ago. Whether you were drafted or volunteered for service, we also believe in our right to speak our opinion to try to make changes in our government when we see the opportunity.
VA Chaplain Juliana Lesner has stated that the workbook “is not of the official position of the VA. This is just one of many options that could be given to a veteran. This is clearly just an educational workbook. It was never intended to be the decision making tool for veterans.” [Source: CBS News Blog]
Regardless of whether you agree with the content or not, I would recommend that you read the book. (Download at http://www.rihlp.org/pubs/Your_life_your_choices.pdf)
Here’s an excerpt from the book:
If you couldn’t speak for yourself, what would you want done for you?
Think about the following statements. Do you agree with any of them? Discussing your answers with others can help them understand what is important to you and where you stand with respect to health care decisions.
· My life should be prolonged as long as it can, no matter what its quality, and using any means possible.
· I believe there are some situations in which I would not want treatments to keep me alive.
· I'd want my religious advisors to be consulted about all medical decisions made on my behalf to make sure they are in keeping with my religious teachings.
· My personal wishes would not be as important as what my family thinks is best for me.
· I'd want to have my pain controlled, even if the medications make me sleepy or make it difficult to have conversations with my family.
My personal opinion is that the book is well written and delicately approaches the topic at hand without leaning one way or another. I absolutely recognize that, when interpreted with religious beliefs, some of the content could be seen as secular.
Ironically, given strong religious beliefs against ‘pulling the plug’, you’ll find the workbook very easy to work through to prepare your family with that unfortunate decision if the time comes. Read the book for yourselves before you get pulled into this charged debate.
Let us know what you think about the “Death Book” via Twitter: @veteransblog.