Congressman Dusty Johnson’s Weekly Column: Fighting for Hot Springs

Fighting for Hot Springs
By Rep. Dusty Johnson

Earlier this week, the South Dakota delegation hosted Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Robert Wilkie, Jr. for a tour of the Hot Springs VA and a roundtable discussion about the vital role this facility serves for the local veteran community. The Hot Springs community’s identity and purpose has long been grounded in serving veterans at the historic Battle Mountain facility. As many South Dakotans know, veterans in this area have endured years of uncertainty about the future of the Hot Springs Campus due to past VA leadership who failed to appreciate the Hot Springs VA and the overwhelming support it has from the community.

That all changed earlier this week when Secretary Wilkie unequivocally stated that the Hot Springs VA will not close. He further stated that he will review the adverse decisions made by VA’s past leadership and consider ideas put forward by local veteran groups to sustain the Hot Springs VA as a location that robustly serves veterans.

Born in Germany with a father serving in the military, Secretary Wilkie joked that he was born in khaki diapers. He is a military officer in the United States Air Force Reserve and grew up in military communities around the United States. During his visit, Secretary Wilkie remarked that he believes government should do less detached, centralized Washington decision making and instead engage with local folks to hear about how they view the future of their community. I could not agree more – Secretary Wilkie’s take is a breath of fresh air.

I am thankful for Secretary Wilkie’s gesture of goodwill toward the more than 65,000 veterans in our state, the Hot Springs community, and the South Dakota delegation. As the Secretary takes a second look at his predecessor’s decision, I am ready to work with the VA and the local community to identify a positive, community-supported path forward for the Hot Springs VA. Every stakeholder agrees that the status quo is unacceptable, and the Hot Springs community has endured enough uncertainty. This is a clear opportunity for Hot Springs.

In 1865, President Lincoln signed legislation into law that led to the creation of the original Battle Mountain Sanitarium, which is now the Hot Springs VA. Hot Springs, SD has served veterans for more than 100 years. Since opening its doors, the name on the door has changed, the government branch has changed; and the leadership has changed, but service to veterans has remained constant. President Lincoln once said, “All through life, be sure and put your feet in the right place, and then stand firm.” We’ll continue to fight for the Hot Springs community’s tradition of serving our nation’s veterans.

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