And this is an outrage, unacceptable on any and every level.

Our veterans deserve nothing short of our very best, and when they cannot care for themselves, we owe them the best care available.

Somebody inform Oklahoma.

Fox News is reporting the death of Owen Reese Peterson, 73, on October 3, 2016.

I don’t know why it took this long for the news to get out, but very likely, Oklahoma and the Veteran’s Administration were trying to decide how to spin this to make it seem less “awful.”

They failed.

Fox News reported:

Four staff members have resigned from a southeastern Oklahoma veterans facility rather than face the possibility of getting fired, after a resident was found to have maggots in a wound.

Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs executive director Myles Deering said the maggots were discovered while the patient was alive at the facility in Talihina, about 130 miles southeast of Tulsa. Deering said the maggots were not the cause of his death.

The cause of death was the infection and sepsis that brought him to the facility.

Those who resigned were a physician’s assistant and three nurses, including the director of nursing.

They decided to do this, rather than face the humiliation of being fired. How convenient for them.

Meanwhile, a man who served his country is dead, not from a soldier’s death, but from neglect.

The incident was reported to the Oklahoma Department of Health and there may be charges filed.

Peterson’s son, Raymie Parker, remarked:

 “During the 21 days I was there … I pled with the medical staff, the senior medical staff, to increase his meds so his bandages could be changed,” Parker said. “I was met with a stonewall for much of that time.”

No words.

The facility and staff were apparently a nightmare to begin with. It is nearly 100-years old, in disrepair that would cost millions to fix, and the turnover rate for staff is high.

And not one bit of that matters.

I’ve worked in the nursing field. It’s tough. It can be stressful, especially if you’re understaffed and on a schedule.

The notion of allowing someone with an infected wound to go three weeks without a bandage change, however, unheard of.

There’s no way to bring Mr. Peterson back, but for those who allowed a man’s wounds to fester to the point that he developed maggots, they should face the strongest possible punishment.