VA hopes new shredding guidelines protect claims seekers
By William R. Levesque, Times staff writer
In print: Saturday, November 1, 2008
The Department of Veterans Affairs is finalizing a sweeping new records policy to prevent the destruction of claims documents in benefits offices around the nation.
The policy comes as the VA continues to investigate improper shredding at a St. Petersburg veterans benefits office and 56 other regional offices in nearly every state.
The policy calls for the appointment of a records control team in Washington, D.C., to oversee the handling of documents. It also would lead to the hiring of records officers in each benefits office to do the same on a local level.
And before shredding any document, two VA employees, including a supervisor, would have to sign off, according to a draft of the policy obtained by the St. Petersburg Times on Friday.
The policy comes after the discovery last month of nearly 500 veterans' claims documents improperly set aside for shredding in 41 VA benefits offices.
The documents, which had no duplicates in VA files, could have been crucial in deciding if an individual veteran received a pension or disability payment.
That total includes 13 documents found in shredding bins in the VA's busiest benefits office at Bay Pines in St. Petersburg, where the agency's inspector general is still conducting an audit.
Bay Pines is the home benefits office for Florida's 1.8-million veterans and the 330,000 who live in the Tampa Bay area.
go here for more
http://www.tampabay.com/news/military/veterans/article884990.ece
Saturday, November 1, 2008
As Taliban overwhelm police, Pakistanis hit back
As Taliban overwhelm police, Pakistanis hit back
By JANE PERLEZ AND PIR ZUBAIR SHAH
Citizens have been encouraged to form posses of their own in a sign of the shortcomings of Pakistan's police forces.
By Jane Perlez and Pir Zubair Shah
Published: November 1, 2008
SHALBANDI, Pakistan: On a rainy Friday evening in early August, six Taliban fighters attacked a police post in a village in Buner, a quiet farming valley just outside Pakistan's lawless tribal region.
The militants tied up eight policemen and lay them on the floor, and according to local accounts, the youngest member of the gang, a 14-year-old, shot the captives on orders from his boss. The fighters stole uniforms and weapons and fled into the mountains.
Almost instantly, the people of Buner, armed with rifles, daggers and pistols, formed a posse, and after five days they cornered and killed their quarry. A video made on a cellphone showed the six militants lying in the dirt, blood oozing from their wounds.
The stand at Buner has entered the lore of Pakistan's war against the militants as a dramatic example of ordinary citizens' determination to draw a line against the militants.
But it says as much about the shortcomings of Pakistan's increasingly overwhelmed police forces and the pell-mell nature of the efforts to stop the militants, who week by week seem to seep deeper into Pakistan from their tribal strongholds.
click link for more
By JANE PERLEZ AND PIR ZUBAIR SHAH
Citizens have been encouraged to form posses of their own in a sign of the shortcomings of Pakistan's police forces.
By Jane Perlez and Pir Zubair Shah
Published: November 1, 2008
SHALBANDI, Pakistan: On a rainy Friday evening in early August, six Taliban fighters attacked a police post in a village in Buner, a quiet farming valley just outside Pakistan's lawless tribal region.
The militants tied up eight policemen and lay them on the floor, and according to local accounts, the youngest member of the gang, a 14-year-old, shot the captives on orders from his boss. The fighters stole uniforms and weapons and fled into the mountains.
Almost instantly, the people of Buner, armed with rifles, daggers and pistols, formed a posse, and after five days they cornered and killed their quarry. A video made on a cellphone showed the six militants lying in the dirt, blood oozing from their wounds.
The stand at Buner has entered the lore of Pakistan's war against the militants as a dramatic example of ordinary citizens' determination to draw a line against the militants.
But it says as much about the shortcomings of Pakistan's increasingly overwhelmed police forces and the pell-mell nature of the efforts to stop the militants, who week by week seem to seep deeper into Pakistan from their tribal strongholds.
click link for more
Vickie Castro shares a mother's pain after stop-loss and son's death
Open letter to Mrs. Castro,
I don't know what it's like to lose a son or a daughter in combat. I don't know what it's like to lose a husband or a wife, or a father or a mother. I only see what it does to them after they come home. I pray you're pain is eased and you begin to heal the void your son's death has left within you.
What you said in this video is exactly what many have been saying, but far too few every really hear. You, as a mother, proud of your son, probably since the day he was born, supported what he wanted to do with his life. He was born with the warrior in his soul. That quality that makes them all willing to lay down their lives for the sake of someone else. I bet Jonathan would have been a police officer or a firefighter had he not joined the military or a National Guardsman. They have come into this world to defend others and that is a noble thing. What is not noble, is those who have sent them for absolutely nothing that had to do with our own security. This you know and that must be very painful above the fact your son was killed in combat.
There are some who have twisted supporting the troops into supporting those who sent them blindly. I feel sorry for them because they think they are doing the "patriotic" thing, not noticing the harm they are doing to the troops. They support stop-loss that holds soldiers long after they agreed to give the time in their lives and they find no problem at all with the troops not getting what they need when they need it or asking for proof of what they are told, or even holding any of the people in Washington responsible for any of it. This would not be bad enough if they did not turn around and attack people like you who have paid attention.
The same people who want to hold parades and cheer the troops when they come back, won't bother to write letters to make sure the wounded are taken care of properly, wounded are not forced to stand in a line that does not end trying to have their claims approved or have their wounds treated. They won't demand anything for the sake of the troops or the veterans. I see it all the time.
It must be a lot harder on you to have visit your son's grave and know what you know about why he was in Iraq, but please take comfort in knowing that your son died because he was willing to lay down his life for the sake of this nation and it was up to the people who sent him to honor the life he was willing to lose for our sake. They just didn't respect Jonathan's life enough, or any of the lives lost. The rest of us noticed this and we honor the lives of those who were willing to do what so few are willing to do. I think that's why we fight so hard. We just tend to value the lives more than the mission they are sent on when there is no need for the mission in the first place.
I often wonder if the supporters of the occupation of Iraq ever notice that no one argues about the need to send troops into Afghanistan, which was in direct response to the attacks here. I think they would be fully disgusted with themselves if they ever did. It's also one of the biggest reasons the politicians hardly ever mention Afghanistan. They wouldn't want to remind people that because troops were sent into Iraq, we have lost so many in Afghanistan.
I am determined to fight to have the warriors taken care of when it comes to PTSD because I live with it everyday in my own husband. The veterans and families trying to cope with it have tugged at my heart. You have now taken on the families who do not support the occupation of Iraq but have lost family members all the same. They need to hear you to find the support so few of the others are willing to give. They're too busy calling parents like you "anti-military" or "unpatriotic" depending on which talking point hit them the hardest. I know what it's like to live with PTSD, but you know what it's like to be in their shoes when they lost someone they loved. Reach out to them and help them heal and in doing so, like me, you will begin to heal yourself.
You will forever be in my prayers. Bless you for speaking out.
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
I don't know what it's like to lose a son or a daughter in combat. I don't know what it's like to lose a husband or a wife, or a father or a mother. I only see what it does to them after they come home. I pray you're pain is eased and you begin to heal the void your son's death has left within you.
What you said in this video is exactly what many have been saying, but far too few every really hear. You, as a mother, proud of your son, probably since the day he was born, supported what he wanted to do with his life. He was born with the warrior in his soul. That quality that makes them all willing to lay down their lives for the sake of someone else. I bet Jonathan would have been a police officer or a firefighter had he not joined the military or a National Guardsman. They have come into this world to defend others and that is a noble thing. What is not noble, is those who have sent them for absolutely nothing that had to do with our own security. This you know and that must be very painful above the fact your son was killed in combat.
There are some who have twisted supporting the troops into supporting those who sent them blindly. I feel sorry for them because they think they are doing the "patriotic" thing, not noticing the harm they are doing to the troops. They support stop-loss that holds soldiers long after they agreed to give the time in their lives and they find no problem at all with the troops not getting what they need when they need it or asking for proof of what they are told, or even holding any of the people in Washington responsible for any of it. This would not be bad enough if they did not turn around and attack people like you who have paid attention.
The same people who want to hold parades and cheer the troops when they come back, won't bother to write letters to make sure the wounded are taken care of properly, wounded are not forced to stand in a line that does not end trying to have their claims approved or have their wounds treated. They won't demand anything for the sake of the troops or the veterans. I see it all the time.
It must be a lot harder on you to have visit your son's grave and know what you know about why he was in Iraq, but please take comfort in knowing that your son died because he was willing to lay down his life for the sake of this nation and it was up to the people who sent him to honor the life he was willing to lose for our sake. They just didn't respect Jonathan's life enough, or any of the lives lost. The rest of us noticed this and we honor the lives of those who were willing to do what so few are willing to do. I think that's why we fight so hard. We just tend to value the lives more than the mission they are sent on when there is no need for the mission in the first place.
I often wonder if the supporters of the occupation of Iraq ever notice that no one argues about the need to send troops into Afghanistan, which was in direct response to the attacks here. I think they would be fully disgusted with themselves if they ever did. It's also one of the biggest reasons the politicians hardly ever mention Afghanistan. They wouldn't want to remind people that because troops were sent into Iraq, we have lost so many in Afghanistan.
I am determined to fight to have the warriors taken care of when it comes to PTSD because I live with it everyday in my own husband. The veterans and families trying to cope with it have tugged at my heart. You have now taken on the families who do not support the occupation of Iraq but have lost family members all the same. They need to hear you to find the support so few of the others are willing to give. They're too busy calling parents like you "anti-military" or "unpatriotic" depending on which talking point hit them the hardest. I know what it's like to live with PTSD, but you know what it's like to be in their shoes when they lost someone they loved. Reach out to them and help them heal and in doing so, like me, you will begin to heal yourself.
You will forever be in my prayers. Bless you for speaking out.
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
'Life as you know it stops
'Vickie Castro's 21-year-old son, Jonathan, was killed by an Iraqi suicide bomber after the Pentagon extended his tour of duty.
Dan Glaister hears her story
guardian.co.uk,
Saturday November 1 2008
Vickie Castro recalls the moment that every soldier's parent dreads most
Link to this video
She knew it could happen at any time. But in order to get through each day, Vickie Castro had to struggle to block the thought from her mind, and keep the fear at bay. That all ended when she saw the man in the neatly pressed uniform with all the medals on his chest coming to the door.
The officer knew what to do. He waited patiently until the screaming stopped. And then said: "I regret to inform you…" Vicki begins to cry as she tells the Guardian's Dan Glaister of the moment when she learned that her son, Army Spc Jonathan Castro, had been killed in Mosul, Iraq.
That was almost four years ago, when Jonathan was serving his second tour of duty on a "stop-loss" order, which required him to stay in the service beyond his initial enlistment. He was 21 years old when he died.
Neither Vickie nor anyone else in her family opposes the war for political reasons. Her son wanted to be a soldier. But the young combat engineer came to believe that the United States should not be in Iraq. Still, he continued to do his duty and serve his country. Vickie mentions that she distrusts John McCain, but says all that matters to her now is that the government brings the troops home.
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Republican and voted for McCain kicked out of rally because she didn't look right?
“I saw a couple that had been escorted out and they were confused as well, and the girl was crying, so I said ‘Why are you crying? and she said ‘I already voted for McCain, I’m a Republican, and they said we had to leave because we didn’t look right,’” Elborno said. “They were handpicking these people and they had nothing to go off of, besides the way the people looked.”
October 30th, 2008 11:14 pm
Pre-emptive ejection: Audience members removed at McCain rally in Cedar Falls
By Dylan Boyle / Iowa State Daily
Audience members escorted out of Sen. John McCain’s, R-Ariz., campaign event in Cedar Falls questioned why they were asked to leave Sunday’s rally even though they were not protesting.
David Zarifis, director of public safety for the University of Northern Iowa, said McCain staffers requested UNI police assist in escorting out “about four or five” people from the rally prior to McCain’s speech.
Zarifis said while the people who were taken out weren’t protesting or causing problems, McCain’s staff were worried they would during the speech.
“Apparently, they had been identified by those staffers as potential protesters within the event,” Zarifis said. “The facility was rented by the RNC for the McCain campaign, so it’s really a private facility for them. We assisted in their desires to have those people removed.”
Lara Elborno, a student at the University of Iowa, said she was approached by a police officer and a McCain staffer and was told she had to leave or she would be arrested for trespassing.
go here for more
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=12471
linked from RawStory
Mary Schmich: A hip bakery where the bakers are homeless
Mary Schmich: A hip bakery where the bakers are homeless
Mary Schmich
October 31, 2008
Meet the cast of characters of the Sweet Miss Givings Bakery.
•Stan Sloan, 45, idea mastermind, a tanned Episcopal priest who wears a black leather jacket and grooves on Madonna.
•Stephen Smith, 28, chief operating officer, Harvard grad who just moved back to town with a master's degree from the London School of Economics.
•Kristi Gorsuch, 30ish, head baker, who earned her pastry degree at a school of the Cordon Bleu.
And the bakery's interns, among them:
•Mary Pelts, 44, 5th-grade graduate whose birth certificate, she says, carries the words "female pelvis" where a name should have gone, who was diagnosed with HIV in 2001 and never had a job except street hustling until she came to Sweet Miss Givings.
•Stanley Long Bey, 44, who was diagnosed with HIV the year he finished high school, who spent half his adult life in prison, and who, when he finally got out, had nowhere to sleep but parks and sidewalks.
Since last week when Mayor Daley snipped the ribbon, Reverend Stan, Stephen, Kristi, Mary, Stanley and a dozen others have come to work at this little brick factory off Division Street near the Chicago River.
click link for more of this great story!
Mary Schmich
October 31, 2008
Meet the cast of characters of the Sweet Miss Givings Bakery.
•Stan Sloan, 45, idea mastermind, a tanned Episcopal priest who wears a black leather jacket and grooves on Madonna.
•Stephen Smith, 28, chief operating officer, Harvard grad who just moved back to town with a master's degree from the London School of Economics.
•Kristi Gorsuch, 30ish, head baker, who earned her pastry degree at a school of the Cordon Bleu.
And the bakery's interns, among them:
•Mary Pelts, 44, 5th-grade graduate whose birth certificate, she says, carries the words "female pelvis" where a name should have gone, who was diagnosed with HIV in 2001 and never had a job except street hustling until she came to Sweet Miss Givings.
•Stanley Long Bey, 44, who was diagnosed with HIV the year he finished high school, who spent half his adult life in prison, and who, when he finally got out, had nowhere to sleep but parks and sidewalks.
Since last week when Mayor Daley snipped the ribbon, Reverend Stan, Stephen, Kristi, Mary, Stanley and a dozen others have come to work at this little brick factory off Division Street near the Chicago River.
click link for more of this great story!
Northwestern students deliver from Campus Kitchen to needy
Northwestern students deliver from Campus Kitchen to needy
Elizabeth Hubbard and her two children know that the meals they deliver to residents at a low-income apartment in Evanston are appreciated, but they recently discovered their visits mean much, much more.
"Mom, look," daughter Frances, 8, whispered during a stop at a woman's apartment. She noticed that every Valentine's Day card that she and her brother, Wyatt, 6, had drawn for residents during four years of delivering meals was displayed on the refrigerator.
"It's been a really rewarding thing for all of us," said Hubbard, whose mother also helps make the food runs for the Campus Kitchens Project at Northwestern University, which started in 2003. "We really enjoy the continuity of going to the same place. [The residents] enjoy watching the kids get bigger."
The project at Northwestern is one of the Chicago-area organizations supported by Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV Holiday Giving, a campaign of Chicago Tribune Charities, a McCormick Foundation Fund.
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Elizabeth Hubbard and her two children know that the meals they deliver to residents at a low-income apartment in Evanston are appreciated, but they recently discovered their visits mean much, much more.
"Mom, look," daughter Frances, 8, whispered during a stop at a woman's apartment. She noticed that every Valentine's Day card that she and her brother, Wyatt, 6, had drawn for residents during four years of delivering meals was displayed on the refrigerator.
"It's been a really rewarding thing for all of us," said Hubbard, whose mother also helps make the food runs for the Campus Kitchens Project at Northwestern University, which started in 2003. "We really enjoy the continuity of going to the same place. [The residents] enjoy watching the kids get bigger."
The project at Northwestern is one of the Chicago-area organizations supported by Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV Holiday Giving, a campaign of Chicago Tribune Charities, a McCormick Foundation Fund.
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4 teens die in head-on collision in Kane County
4 teens die in head-on collision in Kane County
Four people died early this morning in a head-on collision in unincorporated Burlington Township when a Pontiac Grand Am crossed the center line and slammed into a Pontiac Grand Prix.
The driver of the Grand Am, Eric Silva, 18, of Streamwood, was airlifted to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove where he was pronounced dead just after 1 a.m. Two passengers in his car, Christian Miguel Gody-Olvea, 19, and Andres Solis, 19, both of Streamwood, were pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the Grand Prix, Marco Leon, 19, of Elgin, was also pronounced dead at the scene.
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Police officer dies in the line of duty on what was supposed to be a night off
Schaumburg cop collapses, dies chasing suspect on foot
November 1, 2008
A Schaumburg police officer died early Saturday morning after collapsing while pursuing a suspect on foot in the 1000 block of Golf Road, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.
Officer Frank Russo, 47, was taken to Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove where he was pronounced dead shortly before 3 a.m. An autopsy is scheduled for today.
Schaumburg police said that Russo was working on his night off along with another officer
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Retired Marine rebuilds his life after brush with death in Iraq
Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times
Wounded in Iraq, Nick Popaditch got a prosthetic eye decorated with the Marine Corps' eagle-globe-and-anchor logo. He has two others: one with the gun sights of a tank gunner and one with the logo of the 1st Tank Battalion.
Retired Marine rebuilds his life after brush with death in Iraq
Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times
Wounded in Iraq, Nick Popaditch got a prosthetic eye decorated with the Marine Corps' eagle-globe-and-anchor logo. He has two others: one with the gun sights of a tank gunner and one with the logo of the 1st Tank Battalion.
He has a new life and a new set of goals, including one to become a high school teacher. He has written a book, works with other wounded veterans and is a sought-after motivational speaker.
By Tony Perry
November 2, 2008
Reporting from San Diego -- In his San Diego apartment, retired Marine Gunnery Sgt. Nick Popaditch keeps two jagged hunks of metal from Iraq: one from a day of triumph, the other from the day he almost died.
One piece is from the statue of Saddam Hussein that Marines pulled down in central Baghdad in April 2003. A news photo from that day shows a grinning, cigar-smoking Popaditch sitting atop his tank as the statue fell.
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Heroes of 2 Para: The bloody reality of the war against the Taliban
Heroes of 2 Para: The bloody reality of the war against the Taliban
By Andrew Malone Last updated at 10:00 PM on 31st October 2008
They've suffered the worst death rate since World War II. In the week they came home, battle-scarred Paras reveal the bloody reality of their terrifying war against 'Terry Taliban'.
On parade for the cameras this week, the soldiers of 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment had finally arrived home. They marched through the streets of Colchester, their Essex garrison town, applauded by hundreds of members of the public, friends and family. Tanned and fit, they cut heroic figures just returned from fighting a war on treacherous foreign fields.
Hugging their loved ones in the English rain, the soldiers spoke of their joy at seeing their families after a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan's Helmand province, a place of lethal intrigue known as the Tournament Of Shadows on account of the treachery by warlords vying for control. But this was not an entirely joyful homecoming. This battalion have gained the awful distinction of suffering the fiercest 'kill ratio' since World War II.
It was only after the cameras had gone, and the barrack doors were closed, that this remarkable story of 2 Para's deadly sojourn in the badlands of Afghanistan finally emerged in full.
By Andrew Malone Last updated at 10:00 PM on 31st October 2008
They've suffered the worst death rate since World War II. In the week they came home, battle-scarred Paras reveal the bloody reality of their terrifying war against 'Terry Taliban'.
On parade for the cameras this week, the soldiers of 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment had finally arrived home. They marched through the streets of Colchester, their Essex garrison town, applauded by hundreds of members of the public, friends and family. Tanned and fit, they cut heroic figures just returned from fighting a war on treacherous foreign fields.
Hugging their loved ones in the English rain, the soldiers spoke of their joy at seeing their families after a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan's Helmand province, a place of lethal intrigue known as the Tournament Of Shadows on account of the treachery by warlords vying for control. But this was not an entirely joyful homecoming. This battalion have gained the awful distinction of suffering the fiercest 'kill ratio' since World War II.
It was only after the cameras had gone, and the barrack doors were closed, that this remarkable story of 2 Para's deadly sojourn in the badlands of Afghanistan finally emerged in full.
Their mission was to win hearts and minds among the local population, train the Afghan National Army (ANA) to take over and carry out regular patrols to flush out Taliban fighters lurking in opium fields. In truth, all they really wanted to do was 'kill Terry'.
'We'd been training and training,' said Tom Wilson, 24, who had gone through basic selection with Dan Gamble. 'We'd done lots of live firing exercises. We were itching to put it all into action. But nothing happened. We could walk through villages and chat to the local people. It's not what we expected.' YET THE Taliban, many of whose soldiers repelled the might of the Soviet Red Army 30 years earlier, were simply biding their time.
They did not want fighting to damage their precious crop of opium poppies, used to fund their war against the West. That much became clear during a routine patrol on June 8, almost two months after Four Platoon arrived at Camp Inkerman.
About a mile-and-a-half from the garrison, the 30-strong patrol came across a strange fort built from mud. As they approached the fort, an old man shuffled into sight. The Para's regimental motto - Ready For Anything - was of little use. There was a deafening explosion. The old man was a suicide bomber. With the help of fellow Taliban soldiers, he had packed explosives around his body and covered them with his robes.
Then, as the British platoon approached, he pressed the detonator. It was a deadly new twist to the Taliban's tactics in the Afghan war. The scene was chaotic. Cries of 'Medic, medic!' could be heard above the noise of the fading explosion. Some soldiers fanned out to protect their flanks - and the wounded. Three men had been hit: Cuthie, 19, Dan, 22, and Dave, 19. They were treated at the scene, then airlifted out by helicopter. But it was hopeless. They died from their injuries. All three had been popular figures at Camp Inkerman.
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SAS chief quits over 'gross negligence' that killed his troops
SAS chief quits over 'gross negligence' that killed his troops
A commander of the SAS in Afghanistan has resigned – blaming the Government's failure to provide adequate kit for the needless deaths of four of his colleagues. Major Sebastian Morley criticised the 'gross negligence' of Whitehall officials and military commanders. He said they repeatedly ignored his warnings about the vulnerability of Snatch Land Rovers.
A commander of the SAS in Afghanistan has resigned – blaming the Government's failure to provide adequate kit for the needless deaths of four of his colleagues. Major Sebastian Morley criticised the 'gross negligence' of Whitehall officials and military commanders. He said they repeatedly ignored his warnings about the vulnerability of Snatch Land Rovers.
Boatswain Mate 2nd Class Eugene Morgan, "buried at sea"
WWII veteran reunited with former shipmates
Archive WWII Disaster Still Vivid -- Survivors Of Indianapolis Sinking To Attend Memorial Ceremonies
When the submarine USS Ohio surfaced at sea and Machinist Mate 1st Class Jason Witty emerged from the hatch to look around, he saw calm...
By Eric Talmadge
The Associated Press
YOKOSUKA, Japan — When the submarine USS Ohio surfaced at sea and Machinist Mate 1st Class Jason Witty emerged from the hatch to look around, he saw calm, blue water under a peaceful sky — perfect for the solemn task he was about to perform.
On the map, the Bangor-based Ohio was afloat in just another indistinguishable expanse of the Pacific Ocean. As Witty, of Puyallup, stood on deck holding a silver pitcher, the vessel was alone.
Just like the ill-fated USS Indianapolis, 63 years earlier.
The pitcher contained the ashes of Witty's grandfather, Boatswain Mate 2nd Class Eugene Morgan, who had survived the sinking of the Indianapolis — one of the worst tragedies for the U.S. Navy in World War II.
Morgan, a Seattle firefighter, had died of a heart attack in June at age 87, just before Witty went to sea, and among his last wishes was the desire to be rejoined with his shipmates at roughly the same spot in the Pacific where the Indianapolis went down.
Witty, sitting in a wardroom of the Ohio at this Japanese port, recounted the Oct. 2 burial at sea, saying he had never participated in one before.
He had sheepishly asked one of the officers if his grandfather's wish could be granted. The request went up the chain of command to Capt. Dennis Carpenter, who quickly approved.
"I thought it would be an honor," Carpenter said. "And I wanted to make sure that we did it right. Sometimes on a submarine at sea, you just can't go topside. But everything seemed to be on our side."
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USS Indianapolis CA-35
This site is the official site of the USS Indianapolis Survivor's Organization. It is dedicated to all of the members of the crew.
The Worst Naval Disaster in US History
At 12:14 a.m. on July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in the Philippine Sea and sank in 12 minutes. Of 1,196 men on board, approximately 300 went down with the ship. The remainder, about 900 men, were left floating in shark-infested waters with no lifeboats and most with no food or water. The ship was never missed, and by the time the survivors were spotted by accident four days later only 316 men were still alive.
The ship's captain, the late Charles Butler McVay III, survived and was court-martialed and convicted of "hazarding his ship by failing to zigzag" despite overwhelming evidence that the Navy itself had placed the ship in harm's way, despite testimony from the Japanese submarine commander that zigzagging would have made no difference, and despite that fact that, although over 350 navy ships were lost in combat in WWII, McVay was the only captain to be court-martialed. Materials declassified years later adds to the evidence that McVay was a scapegoat for the mistakes of others.
In October of 2000, following years of effort by the survivors and their supporters, legislation was passed in Washington and signed by President Clinton expressing the sense of Congress, among other things, that Captain McVay's record should now reflect that he is exonerated for the loss of the Indianapolis and for the death of her crew who were lost.
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Man who set self on fire released from UW job in August
Man who set self on fire released from UW job in August
UW students are praised for trying to help a 61-year-old former facilities employee who set himself on fire Thursday on campus. The man died despite the efforts of the students.
By Nick Perry and Will Mari
Seattle Times staff reporters
University of Washington students are being praised for trying to save the life of a 61-year-old man who doused himself in gasoline and set himself on fire Thursday in Red Square.
Despite the efforts of more than a half-dozen students who initially tried to beat down the flames with their clothes and later used fire extinguishers, the man — a former UW employee — died Thursday afternoon at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
"It really is phenomenal how people tried to help him out," said Ralph Robinson, an assistant UW Police Chief. "It says a lot about the caring community of the entire university. People reacted almost instantaneously, even though there was some danger to themselves."
Some new details about the man emerged Friday, although authorities have not released his name pending notification of his next of kin.
go here for more
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008337455_burnedman01m0.html
UW students are praised for trying to help a 61-year-old former facilities employee who set himself on fire Thursday on campus. The man died despite the efforts of the students.
By Nick Perry and Will Mari
Seattle Times staff reporters
University of Washington students are being praised for trying to save the life of a 61-year-old man who doused himself in gasoline and set himself on fire Thursday in Red Square.
Despite the efforts of more than a half-dozen students who initially tried to beat down the flames with their clothes and later used fire extinguishers, the man — a former UW employee — died Thursday afternoon at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
"It really is phenomenal how people tried to help him out," said Ralph Robinson, an assistant UW Police Chief. "It says a lot about the caring community of the entire university. People reacted almost instantaneously, even though there was some danger to themselves."
Some new details about the man emerged Friday, although authorities have not released his name pending notification of his next of kin.
go here for more
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008337455_burnedman01m0.html
Chief Master Sgt. Richard Etchberger may be "secret" hero no more
Medal of Honor
Airman may get highest award for actions in secret Laos mission
By Michael Hoffman - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Oct 31, 2008 17:42:24 EDT
Pentagon officials told Cory Etchberger that his father died in a helicopter accident in Southeast Asia on March 11, 1968.
But even at 9 years old, Cory said he felt something was missing in the story when his family was secretly whisked into the Pentagon to accept his father’s Air Force Cross.
Turned out Chief Master Sgt. Richard Etchberger died saving three Americans fighting off waves of North Vietnamese commandos advancing on a top-secret U.S. radar station in the Laotian mountains, but those details were omitted.
Four decades later, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley has recommended Etchberger’s Air Force Cross be upgraded to the Medal of Honor. It’s now up to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and President Bush for final approval, said an Air Force official.
Etchberger was nominated for the Medal of Honor in 1968, but President Lyndon B. Johnson didn’t approve it. Military officials instead awarded Etchberger the Air Force Cross.
This is where the story gets complicated.
Johnson didn’t sign off on the award because the U.S. wasn’t supposed to have troops in Laos, and at the time of his death, Etchberger wasn’t technically in the Air Force.
Before he was deployed to Lima Site 85 — a radar station used to locate bombing targets in North Vietnam and Laos — Etchberger and his wife went to Washington, D.C., along with the other airmen about to go on the secret mission and their wives. There they were told they would be made into civilian employees who worked for Lockheed Aircraft Services as a cover, said Col. Gerald H. Clayton, then the commander of 1043rd Radar Evaluation Squadron, Detachment 1.
Airman may get highest award for actions in secret Laos mission
By Michael Hoffman - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Oct 31, 2008 17:42:24 EDT
Pentagon officials told Cory Etchberger that his father died in a helicopter accident in Southeast Asia on March 11, 1968.
But even at 9 years old, Cory said he felt something was missing in the story when his family was secretly whisked into the Pentagon to accept his father’s Air Force Cross.
Turned out Chief Master Sgt. Richard Etchberger died saving three Americans fighting off waves of North Vietnamese commandos advancing on a top-secret U.S. radar station in the Laotian mountains, but those details were omitted.
Four decades later, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley has recommended Etchberger’s Air Force Cross be upgraded to the Medal of Honor. It’s now up to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and President Bush for final approval, said an Air Force official.
Etchberger was nominated for the Medal of Honor in 1968, but President Lyndon B. Johnson didn’t approve it. Military officials instead awarded Etchberger the Air Force Cross.
This is where the story gets complicated.
Johnson didn’t sign off on the award because the U.S. wasn’t supposed to have troops in Laos, and at the time of his death, Etchberger wasn’t technically in the Air Force.
Before he was deployed to Lima Site 85 — a radar station used to locate bombing targets in North Vietnam and Laos — Etchberger and his wife went to Washington, D.C., along with the other airmen about to go on the secret mission and their wives. There they were told they would be made into civilian employees who worked for Lockheed Aircraft Services as a cover, said Col. Gerald H. Clayton, then the commander of 1043rd Radar Evaluation Squadron, Detachment 1.
Only seven Americans survived past 3 a.m., and they were backed up against a ledge.
With rescue helicopters en route, records show Etchberger tended to the wounded while also trying to fight off the advancing enemy soldiers.
When the helicopters arrived, Clayton said Etchberger loaded the wounded Americans onto the rescue sling as the helicopter hovered over the station. He refused to leave until everyone else was on board.
Those who survived say Etchberger saved at least four airmen before he rushed onto the helicopter. But moments later, an armor-piercing round ripped through the helicopter’s underbelly, hitting Etchberger. He bled to death en route to an air base in Thailand.go here for more
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/10/airforce_etchberger_moh_103108/
Military Rise in drug prescriptions may signal abuse
Rise in drug prescriptions may signal abuse
By Gregg Zoroya - USA TodayPosted : Saturday Nov 1, 2008
The sharp rise in outpatient prescriptions paid for by the government suggests doctors rely too heavily on narcotics, says Army Col. Chester “Trip” Buckenmaier III, of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.
By Gregg Zoroya - USA TodayPosted : Saturday Nov 1, 2008
The sharp rise in outpatient prescriptions paid for by the government suggests doctors rely too heavily on narcotics, says Army Col. Chester “Trip” Buckenmaier III, of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.
Recently, at least 20 soldiers in an engineer company of 70 to 80 soldiers at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., shared and abused painkillers prescribed for their injuries, according to court testimony.
“The groundwork for this toxic situation was laid out through the continual prescription of highly addictive, commonly overused drugs,” said Capt. Elizabeth Turner, the lawyer for one defendant in the case.
In response to six suicides and seven drug-related deaths among soldiers in Warrior Transition Units — created for the Army's most severely injured — aggressive efforts are underway to manage prescription drugs, says Col. Paul Cordts, chief of health policy for the Army surgeon general. These include limiting prescriptions to a seven-day supply and more closely monitoring use.
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John McCain's 14th Amendment Problem
Worth reading and make up your own mind about what this says. One thing to think about is that 100% of people who have been tortured develop PTSD. If he was tortured, then he has it, but the question remains, at what level. The other, if he was not torture, he did give information and did do propaganda pieces for the North Vietnamese. Either way McCain has a problem and needs to explain it fully before Tuesday but given the fact the media have spent so much time on things like people Obama met at some point in his life (without having real relationships with them) and his ex-pastor, who gave a sermon with a lot of anger (but they only came up with one out of all the years Wright was preaching even though the church provides the tapes and Obama was not even there that day) I doubt they will look into any of this at all.
John McCain's 14th Amendment Problem
Giving Aid and Comfort to the Enemy
By DOUGLAS VALENTINE
Technically, the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits John McCain from becoming president of the United States.
Section III of the Amendment says, “No person shall … hold any office, civil or military, under the United States … who, having previously taken an oath … as an officer of the United States … to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have … given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”
It is a fact that McCain was an officer in the U.S. Navy and took an oath to “bear true faith and allegiance” to the Constitution. This was a solemn appeal to Jehovah to smite him silly in the event he lied about or broke his oath. If he fell into captivity, he was bound by the Military Code of Conduct not to answer questions or make any oral or written statements disloyal or harmful to the U.S. To do so was considered collaborating with the enemy, and meant yet another mighty swipe from Jehovah.
It is also a fact that, in 1967, Lieutenant Commander John McCain was shot out of the sky while dropping bombs on North Vietnamese civilians. McCain’s plane crashed in a lake, and he suffered some broken bones and was slapped around after he was rescued. And all of that hurt, but none of it reached the Rumsfeld-Bush-Cheney standard for torture. Yet after a mere four days, McCain cracked like a robin’s egg. He told his captors, “I’ll give you military information if you will take me to the hospital.”
In his autobiography McCain elaborated, saying, “I gave them my ship’s name and squadron number, and confirmed that my target had been the power plant.”
It is alleged that McCain gave the numbers of aircraft in his flight formation, information about location of rescue ships, and the order of which his attack was supposed to take place. According to retired Army Colonel Earl Hopper, McCain divulged classified information North Vietnam used to hone their air defense system, including “the package routes, which were routes used to bomb North Vietnam. He gave in detail the altitude they were flying, the direction, if they made a turn … he gave them what primary targets the United States was interested in.” As result, Hopper claims, the U.S. lost 60 per cent more aircraft, and in 1968 “called off the bombing of North Vietnam, because of the information McCain had given to them.”
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http://www.counterpunch.org/valentine10312008.html
Faith community gathers to hone trauma-support training
Faith community gathers to hone trauma-support training
Colorado Springs Gazette - Colorado Springs,CO,USA
MARK BARNA
THE GAZETTE
Religious leaders might know how to comfort someone who has lost a relative or counsel a couple in the midst of a marriage meltdown, but when it comes to helping military members traumatized by battle, they could use some counseling themselves.
That was the purpose of an all-day seminar Thursday in Colorado Springs. The seminar, called the "Trauma Support and Resources Training for the Faith Community," had two goals: to educate faith leaders about combat-related psychological conditions, and to let them know about resources where they can refer military members in need.
"Military folks seek the counsel of church leaders, but most of them don't know how to deal with combat stress-related issues," said Brian Duncan, an event organizer and program manager at First Choice Counseling Center in Colorado Springs. "We want faith leaders to know where they can refer people for services."
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Colorado Springs Gazette - Colorado Springs,CO,USA
"Spiritually, church counselors want to help, but they don't always understand what PTSD actually is," Griggs said.
MARK BARNA
THE GAZETTE
Religious leaders might know how to comfort someone who has lost a relative or counsel a couple in the midst of a marriage meltdown, but when it comes to helping military members traumatized by battle, they could use some counseling themselves.
That was the purpose of an all-day seminar Thursday in Colorado Springs. The seminar, called the "Trauma Support and Resources Training for the Faith Community," had two goals: to educate faith leaders about combat-related psychological conditions, and to let them know about resources where they can refer military members in need.
"Military folks seek the counsel of church leaders, but most of them don't know how to deal with combat stress-related issues," said Brian Duncan, an event organizer and program manager at First Choice Counseling Center in Colorado Springs. "We want faith leaders to know where they can refer people for services."
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Like feeling the hand of God
While the following article discusses football, the part of the Warrior Ethos reminded me of a conversation I had a few days ago. While discussing the difference between regular military and the citizen soldiers, I seemed to have shocked someone who is considered an expert but never stopped to think about what makes all of us different. It is what is within our souls.
There are many parts within our soul making us into what people see within us. Some of us are giving and caring while others are greedy and selfish. Even the greedy and selfish can take care of their own families but the others tend to look at the needs of others outside their families. Some of us are brave and will stand up to people who appear to be stronger, others will back away. Some of us have it within us to be willing to not only risk our own lives for the sake of others, but kill them. Some do not have it within them to be able to kill to save but will if they are forced to. In other words, they would rather not even think about it.
That is the biggest difference between the citizen soldiers and the firefighters when compared to those who enter into the regular military and the police force.
The people who enter into the military have it within them to not only risk their lives but to take the lives of others, just as the people who enter into the police force. While many will have problems after traumatic events and develop PTSD, the rates are lower than the other group. They have it in the front of their minds that as a warrior, they will have to kill someone at some time and they train for it. The basis is the need to be of service but the awareness of taking a life is active.
The people who enter into the National Guards and fire departments have it within them to risk their lives for the sake of others, but they never think of having to take a life. While they train to do it in the National Guards, this was not something active in their decision to enter into the Guards. The thought is trapped in the back of their minds. The bravery is on equal level to that of a warrior as well as their sense of duty, but what else comes with war is not on an equal level.
When the National Guards and Reservist come home, they are expected to return to their normal lives but they are ill prepared to deal with what came home with them.
This article about football mentions the Warrior Ethos and this applies to the regular military as well as to the citizen soldiers. The difference is that while a football team is putting their bodies on the line being tackled with force, the baseball players put their bodies on the line in a different way, just as the basketball players in yet another way. It is what we all have within us, what we came onto this earth to do and contribute that leads us in different directions.
The Hand of God is always there to guide all of us if we use what He has prepared us to do. He is also there to help us if we were faced with doing what He did not intend for us to have to do.
For those who feel as if God has turned His back on them, please watch PTSD Not God's Judgment. It's on the side bar of this blog under My Videos.
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
International Fellowship of Chaplains
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
Like feeling the hand of God
Sydney Morning Herald - Sydney,New South Wales,Australia
It is the warrior drive and the warrior ethos that are resurrected in modern football. The team becomes a band of blood brothers, men who assemble together to undertake dangerous exploits under conditions of duress and threat. The experience creates strong bonds of companionship - ones that often last for life, and certainly long after the team has disbanded. Students who were members of teams wrote unselfconsciously, in a similar vein to returned soldiers, about their attachment to their mates.
The warrior ethos, stressing courage, tenacity, and self-sacrifice for the higher good of the collectivity, carries over directly into football with, of course, the one great difference that the greatest sacrifice of all is not asked for. What is involved is "manliness", with its deepest roots, whatever the humanist niceties of modern civilisation, in the war hero. These roots do not seem to wither.
Indeed, I had students who added, without prompting, that if there were a war they and their team-mates would be the first to volunteer, and that, because of their collective morale, they would make an excellent unit. Football shows the young the working of key values in situations of high emotional and physical duress. It shows them what it means to be a hero, and what is shameful.
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Army, National Institute of Mental Health Begin Suicide Study
Army, National Institute of Mental Health Begin Suicide Study
J.D. Leipold, Special to American Forces Press Service
2008-10-31
By
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2008 –
The Army and the National Institute of Mental Health have begun a five-year, $50 million research program into the factors behind soldier suicides and how to prevent them, Army Secretary Pete Geren told reporters at the Pentagon yesterday. Geren said the new partnership with NIMH, the Army Science Board and the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs would build on work that already is under way to conduct the most far-reaching and comprehensive research project ever undertaken on suicide and its prevention.
"It's a five-year study to examine the mental and behavioral health of soldiers, with particular focus on the multiple determinants of suicidal behavior and resiliency across all phases of Army service," Geren said. "Family members and family relationships, including parents and siblings, will also be included in the study where it's appropriate."
The study also will include the National Guard and Army Reserve.
This effort will be followed by an Army Science Board study with the goal of identifying correlated risk factors and recommending mitigation strategies and practices to prevent suicide. At the same time, the secretary said, the Army would not wait for the end of the study to implement mitigation strategies, but would put those strategies into practice as they make themselves clear.
go here for more
http://www.emilitary.org/article.php?aid=13637
J.D. Leipold, Special to American Forces Press Service
2008-10-31
By
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2008 –
The Army and the National Institute of Mental Health have begun a five-year, $50 million research program into the factors behind soldier suicides and how to prevent them, Army Secretary Pete Geren told reporters at the Pentagon yesterday. Geren said the new partnership with NIMH, the Army Science Board and the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs would build on work that already is under way to conduct the most far-reaching and comprehensive research project ever undertaken on suicide and its prevention.
"It's a five-year study to examine the mental and behavioral health of soldiers, with particular focus on the multiple determinants of suicidal behavior and resiliency across all phases of Army service," Geren said. "Family members and family relationships, including parents and siblings, will also be included in the study where it's appropriate."
The study also will include the National Guard and Army Reserve.
This effort will be followed by an Army Science Board study with the goal of identifying correlated risk factors and recommending mitigation strategies and practices to prevent suicide. At the same time, the secretary said, the Army would not wait for the end of the study to implement mitigation strategies, but would put those strategies into practice as they make themselves clear.
go here for more
http://www.emilitary.org/article.php?aid=13637
Republicans let the veterans down and they noticed
This is a picture of Senator Jim Webb. He used to be a Republican but switched to the Democratic party. He is the one who started the new GI Bill that McCain not only refused to support, but voted against. Why? Because he said it was too generous. All this time we've heard about what a hero McCain is supposed to be, but here is something that not many talk about when it comes to a Vietnam Veteran who does in fact support the troops and the veterans. This is Jim Webb.
Military service
After graduating from Annapolis, Webb was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. As a first lieutenant during the Vietnam War he served as a platoon commander with Delta Company, 1st Battalion 5th Marines. He earned a Navy Cross, the second highest decoration in the Navy and Marine Corps for heroism in Vietnam. Webb also earned the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts.
Webb received the Navy Cross for actions on July 10, 1969. The citation read:
“ The Navy Cross is presented to James H. Webb, Jr., First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving as a Platoon Commander with Company D, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 10 July 1969, while participating in a company-sized search and destroy operation deep in hostile territory, First Lieutenant Webb's platoon discovered a well-camouflaged bunker complex that appeared to be unoccupied. Deploying his men into defensive positions, First Lieutenant Webb was advancing to the first bunker when three enemy soldiers armed with hand grenades jumped out. Reacting instantly, he grabbed the closest man and, brandishing his .45 caliber pistol at the others, apprehended all three of the soldiers. Accompanied by one of his men, he then approached the second bunker and called for the enemy to surrender. When the hostile soldiers failed to answer him and threw a grenade that detonated dangerously close to him, First Lieutenant Webb detonated a claymore mine in the bunker aperture, accounting for two enemy casualties and disclosing the entrance to a tunnel. Despite the smoke and debris from the explosion and the possibility of enemy soldiers hiding in the tunnel, he then conducted a thorough search that yielded several items of equipment and numerous documents containing valuable intelligence data. Continuing the assault, he approached a third bunker and was preparing to fire into it when the enemy threw another grenade. Observing the grenade land dangerously close to his companion, First Lieutenant Webb simultaneously fired his weapon at the enemy, pushed the Marine away from the grenade, and shielded him from the explosion with his own body. Although sustaining painful fragmentation wounds from the explosion, he managed to throw a grenade into the aperture and completely destroy the remaining bunker. By his courage, aggressive leadership, and selfless devotion to duty, First Lieutenant Webb upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.[7]
James Henry "Jim" Webb, Jr. (born February 9, 1946) is the junior Senator from Virginia. He is also an author and a former Secretary of the Navy under President Ronald Reagan. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
A 1968 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Webb served as a Marine Corps infantry officer until 1972, and is a highly decorated Vietnam War combat veteran. During his four years with the Reagan administration, Webb served as the first Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, then as Secretary of the Navy.
Webb won the Democratic nomination for the 2006 Virginia Senate race by defeating Harris Miller in the primary, then won the general election by defeating the Republican incumbent George Allen. Webb's thin margin in the general election (less than 0.5%) kept the outcome uncertain for nearly two days after polls closed on November 7, 2006, and provided the final seat that tilted the Senate to Democratic control.
Jim is also an author of many books, stating that "I've written for a living all my life, so writing is as much a part of me as working out."[1]
In 2009, upon the planned retirement of John Warner, Webb will become Virginia's senior Senator.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Webb
Most of the fighting going on in Washington for the last couple of years, has been Democrats pushing for the veterans to be taken care of better than they had been. The difference is the GOP no longer controlled the committees. While they tried to make changes for the sake of the troops when the GOP had control, they beat down most of the things the Democrats wanted to do. These are not just my claims. If you look at the rankings the service organizations give to Republicans, you can see their failures in votes, but what you can't see is the words they used to defend their positions. CSPAN has been covering all of this for years now and has done a fantastic job of just showing who says what and when in real time. CSPAN has also covered hearings the Democrats were forced to hold away from the spotlight of the media in basement hearing rooms. If you really want to know, go to YouTube and see some of the hearings that have been uploaded and know for sure that what I'm saying is true.
I have friends and some family members who have always been Republicans. These are not some of the nuts you see on TV but they are stunned to find out how bad the GOP has been when it really comes to supporting the troops and the veterans. What ends up happening is they finally see that while the GOP has increased military spending, it has not been on the troops, but on the contractors who make a bundle off the Congress. The Democrats have been voting for things like body armor and uploaded Humvees, longer dwell time at home between deployments, better care on medical from the DOD and the VA along with everything else the troops need when they become veterans. The GOP has fought against all of it for the most part, but there are several in the GOP who have actually supported the troops and veterans when it mattered instead of paying lip service to their faces but voting against them behind their backs.
This is one thing McCain has been very successful with. Had he been good for veterans, the veterans groups would not have ranked him as terribly as they have. It's as simple as that. He can come up with any excuse he wants, just as they all can, but the record of what happened when the GOP controlled it all speaks for itself. They didn't care enough to act to fix it. Most of the major spending bills and changes in the DOD and VA medical, especially mental health and TBI research has come in the last two years. Gee what a surprise!
It's not that the problems just made it to the ears of the elected. We had a new elected in charge and they took control for the sake of those who serve. When it comes to who does what, it boils down to the GOP are about business and the Democrats are all about people. The troops noticed and more and more veterans are noticing that they have been voting against their best interests for far too long. kc
I have friends and some family members who have always been Republicans. These are not some of the nuts you see on TV but they are stunned to find out how bad the GOP has been when it really comes to supporting the troops and the veterans. What ends up happening is they finally see that while the GOP has increased military spending, it has not been on the troops, but on the contractors who make a bundle off the Congress. The Democrats have been voting for things like body armor and uploaded Humvees, longer dwell time at home between deployments, better care on medical from the DOD and the VA along with everything else the troops need when they become veterans. The GOP has fought against all of it for the most part, but there are several in the GOP who have actually supported the troops and veterans when it mattered instead of paying lip service to their faces but voting against them behind their backs.
This is one thing McCain has been very successful with. Had he been good for veterans, the veterans groups would not have ranked him as terribly as they have. It's as simple as that. He can come up with any excuse he wants, just as they all can, but the record of what happened when the GOP controlled it all speaks for itself. They didn't care enough to act to fix it. Most of the major spending bills and changes in the DOD and VA medical, especially mental health and TBI research has come in the last two years. Gee what a surprise!
It's not that the problems just made it to the ears of the elected. We had a new elected in charge and they took control for the sake of those who serve. When it comes to who does what, it boils down to the GOP are about business and the Democrats are all about people. The troops noticed and more and more veterans are noticing that they have been voting against their best interests for far too long. kc
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation."
- George Washington
By MARK BRUNSWICK, Star Tribune
Last update: October 30, 2008
Everything may be overshadowed by the economy in this election, but veterans benefits and military policy can be deciding factors.
Last update: October 30, 2008
Everything may be overshadowed by the economy in this election, but veterans benefits and military policy can be deciding factors.
Several retired Marine Corps officers responded to the poll expressing anger at Republicans, the degree of their dissatisfaction surprising pollsters.
"If Republicans are going to have a core constituency, what is it if not that?" said Christopher Parker, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Washington, which conducted the poll. "The military is about good order and discipline and taking care of their own. Republicans are being seen as having failed miserably at all three."
When it comes to military donors, Iraq war critic Obama has held his own with the more hawkish McCain. Until August, Obama had received nearly six times as much money from troops deployed overseas at the time of their contribution as McCain had, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. While Obama continued to lead in military donors with overseas addresses, McCain surged in the final months of the campaign to take the lead among military donors overall, fueled largely by employees of the Department of Defense.
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