There was not going to be a chapter two, but something showed up on TV last week about veterans that triggered a 15-year-old memory about a Texas veteran.

The old story came from a letter to the editor in a south Texas newspaper that served towns along the Rio Grande. The veteran had a problem that required a blood test first. There had been a veterans clinic serving his area but it was suddenly closed and the next closest veterans facility was in San Antonio.

Well, I had driven that route many times and knew it took almost a full day.

First, he had to get an appointment, which took a long tim...