tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73948575393812790062024-03-13T08:47:54.543-07:00The Citizen-Soldier BlogAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-63561244705226529192015-06-15T10:56:00.000-07:002015-06-15T11:01:32.548-07:00No more whining! Hello, I'd like to apologize for my absence in writing this blog but I've been busy doing stuff. As some of you may know, I'm involved in a group that holds candlelight vigils to promote awareness of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1639890772898962/" target="_blank">Veteran suicide</a> called Shining the Light on 22. I've also been busy by creating a benefit for local organizations that are actually helping Veterans in Northeast PA. The benefit is called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/110419652623252/" target="_blank">Together We Can Save Lives</a> and it will be held on June 27th, which is National PTSD Awareness Day. The name of the event is, of course, a nod to my blogging friend <a href="http://avetwithptsd.com/" target="_blank">A Vet with PTSD.</a> And yes, I did ask him for permission to use the name. And I thank him for all of his support. <br />
If you have never tried putting together a benefit, let me tell you. It takes boots on the ground, a couple dozen ink cartridges, and a lot of prayers. Does it sound like I'm whining right now? Well, in all actuality, I'm not.<br />
See, a wise man, possibly my old platoon sgt from the mortar platoon, once said, "If you complain about something and don't offer a solution, it's called whining." The more I think about it, that sounds more like an FDC chief I know from the same mortar platoon. He probably said that just before he booted a field telephone out of the back of the FDC track cause it wasn't working. Ya really gotta love infantry solutions.<br />
Well, my solution to all the complaining I've done about the VA and nothing being done by the politicians in the beltway is to do "something". I have put together (OK, still putting together) a benefit for two organizations that actually help our Veterans.<br />
<a href="http://huntsforhealing.org/" target="_blank">Hunts for Healing</a> is a group based out of Laceyville, PA. They do some freaking amazing work with Veterans suffering from PTSD and other injuries. They are an all volunteer group and they actually own the land they use for their programs. I'm a big supporter of alternative treatments and HFH fits that bill to a T. <br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Saint-Francis-of-Assisi-Veterans-Program/1597797813818305" target="_blank">St. Francis Commons</a> is a new homeless shelter in downtown Scranton, PA for homeless male Veterans. More than just a shelter, they are a 2 year "program" that offers counseling and other programs with the goal of having the Veteran become self sufficient and able to have a job and housing of their own at the end of the program. The minimal staff is paid, but they volunteer a lot of their time to help the Vets there. Oh yeah, and the VA actually refers homeless Vets to the program, so there's one in the positive column for the VA. The rest of the program is funded by Catholic Social Services. I don't know but if you take off your Obama prescribed rose colored glasses, you can see that social service organizations like CSS are harder tasked than almost ever before. The need for financial help, and help in general, is great during this time of Obamacare and Obamaphones.<br />
Anyway, I don't really want to get political in an area that is about as blue as you can get. I want to help my brother and sister Veterans. This is they way I'm doing it. A benefit event that includes entertainment (let me give a big HOOAH to Krypton DJs and Ron Schoonover) and food. Have you ever really tried to get free food for an event? Like I said <u>lots of legwork</u>. I want to thank Sibio's, Minooka Bakery, The Penalty Box, Buona Pizza, and Joyce's Café (Home of the Minooka Notre Dame fan club--yeah I know, this coming from a fan of Da U). I'm hopeful there will be more food donors as well. <br />
As long as I am doling out thank yous, a big thank you to the Sons of the American Legion Squadrom 665 out of Dickson City, and Friends of the Forgotten NEPA Wing. HOOAH to both. Tradesmen International, VFW 3451, and Schoonover eye care also get salutes too. Without <em>any</em> of these groups, this benefit would be dead in the water. Legwork is about the only thing cheap about putting on a benefit.<br />
Ah yes, then there is the basket raffles. Wow, did I not know all of the places there are that will donate gift cards, etc. for basket raffles. Once again, lots of legwork, lots of donation letters and W9's. I'm constantly carrying donation letters around with me as I'm driving around NEPA. It's very gratifying that almost everywhere I go it's a yes, but its the legwork that takes a toll. Working a full time job, little league games, other events with the family. I'm not complaining, mind you, but it is just a lot of legwork. And I've got a limited group of about 6 people helping. That includes my wife, who has more than lived up to the terms "best friend", "my safety blanket", and about a dozen other terms that I can't think of right now. <br />
Both Hunts for Healing and St. Francis Commons will be at the event with information on what they do, as well as Mission 22. I'm hoping to get other groups, once again its legwork. The term not enough hours in the day sure rings a bell for me.<br />
Right now, I'm focusing on PR and selling tickets. If you are local to NEPA or want just want to go to the benefit, I'd love to have you. Give me a call (570)498-0923. Tickets, of course, will be available the day of the event at the Dante Literary Society (1916 Prospect Ave., Scranton, PA).Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-49510384672272112602015-04-06T11:44:00.000-07:002015-04-06T11:44:39.302-07:00EOM End of Mission <strong> EOM</strong>. Commonly in military lingo that signals End Of Mission. It means that you've stopped mortaring the crap out of a hilltop or other military objective, basically because our side now "owns" that piece of real estate, or its just been bombed back to the stone age. When it comes to the national tragedy that is Veteran suicide, I'd love to record EOM, but I can't. The sad fact is, today and everyday, on average, 22 Veterans will commit suicide. I mentioned above that this is a national tragedy, its a tragedy you don't hear enough about. That is because, in the majority of the media, suicides are not reported as news stories and the names of the Vets are not "superstar" famous. <br />
Our country, in fact the world, seems to be consumed with what ever the Kardasians are doing or where Kanye West is hanging out. Today is the opening day for Major League baseball. Imagine if Derek Jeter, Justin Verlander, David Ortiz, Zach Greinke and 18 other Major League all stars committed suicide tomorrow. I'm sure facebook and the twittersphere would have their names trending for days! That's because you know their names if you follow baseball. Thousands of people wear their jerseys. But the entire country doesn't follow our Military the way they follow professional sports. It's just a sad reality. You can serve in a hellhole for a year, watch your buddies get wounded or killed, and when you come home, maybe there is someone besides your family waiting for you at the airport. Meanwhile, someone can throw a fastball 98 miles per hour, and they get all the glory. It sucks.<br />
<strong>Start at 1</strong>. Of course, if you're reading this, maybe you are thinking to yourself "How can we stop 22 Veterans from committing suicide?" If you are thinking that, you're looking at the big picture. We're trained to look at it that way. The truth is the only way to end Veteran suicide is going to start with you and me. So, lets think about how we can stop just one suicide. It's the small approach. <br />
In some studies, Veterans feel they don't have anything in common with civilians. The normal dude on the street has never been in a war zone. They've never had to jump out of bed and get in a shelter or man a defensive position during a mortar strike on your FOB (Forward Operating Base). Hell, most people on the street think a FOB is what you put your car keys on! So, Veterans feel distant. And, in truth, a lot of civilians feel that way too. Most of the time, when someone knows I served in the Military, the first question they ask is "Where did you serve?" or "What unit were you in?" That is normally the extent of the conversation. It's a normal first question. But there is no follow up to it. If a Vet says Iraq or Vietnam the normal civilian isn't going to ask for more details. Fear of bringing back bad memories is probably the most basic reason. But, again, there is no connection. Instead, you can say something like "I bet you were glad to get back home to hot and cold running water" or you can ask, "What was the first thing you did when you were home?" <br />
Trust me, I am definitely not a psychologist or a psychiatrist, but the key to stopping suicide, whether its a Veteran or any suicide, is a conversation. <a href="http://avetwithptsd.com/" target="_blank">A Vet with PTSD</a> came up with a great idea called "Telephone A Vet Tuesdays", the point is to talk to a Veteran that you might otherwise not call. A five minute phone call could make all the difference in someone's day. <br />
<strong>Combat effective</strong>. To be an effective combat unit you need to be able to do three things: shoot, move and communicate. A friend of mine named Mike was a commo guy in the national guard. He used to say Communication was the King of battle because, if you don't know where the battle is, you're not in the battle. Mike was always really cool. We came back home from Bosnia. We drilled at different units and I lost touch with him. Then, I found out he killed himself. I wasn't his best friend but, in the back of my head, I've always wondered if I stayed in touch, would he still be around. I'll never know. I do know this, I will keep in touch with my friends who I served with. For a long time, I kept a low profile. When I retired from the national guard, I kept to myself. I lost all touch with guys who were in my fire team, guys who were in my unit. That's over. I will keep in touch with my Brothers-in-Arms from now on. It's all about communication. It's the main key to <a href="http://www.descendantsofsparta.com/pledge/" target="_blank">The Spartan Pledge.</a> If you are a Veteran, or even if you're still serving in the Military, you need to take the Spartan Pledge.<br />
Anyway, the next time you see someone wearing a Military baseball cap start a conversation. Bring the conversation back to normal everyday things that everyone has in common (in Northeast Pennsylvania you can definitely have a 30 minute conversation on potholes while standing in line at the local Walmart). You're probably not going to be put on his or her Christmas card list, but you've made a Veteran feel involved in something local. <br />
<strong>Local is the key</strong>. There is a community page on facebook called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Light-Up-the-Night-22-Veterans/1529611447318656?fref=ts" target="_blank">Light up the night 22 Veterans</a> which promotes candlelight vigils on the 22nd of every month to raise awareness of Veteran suicide. In Northeast PA I have started an event for April 22nd called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/963455357006117/" target="_blank">Shining the Light on 22.</a> I'm going to have a candlelight vigil at the flagpole of my county courthouse. Now, you don't have to get all public like that, but you can hold a candlelight vigil on the 22nd at your church or a local park. Invite some of your friends. Next month, have them invite just one friend of theirs to join you again for a vigil to end Veteran suicide. Let them know stopping Veteran suicide starts with each and every one of us. If people ask you what you're doing, let them know too. One great online resource about Veteran suicide is the <a href="http://www.mission22.com/" target="_blank">Mission 22</a> website. Please check it out.<br />
The only way to win a battle is to engage the enemy. Our enemy is Veteran suicide. If you engage a Veteran in conversation, you're winning the battle.<br />
That is all.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-13090216494243529282015-03-30T13:12:00.002-07:002015-03-30T13:12:51.593-07:00Going Down Range <strong>Down range</strong>. It's a term used by the military to signify some place that's dangerous. Whether it's a war zone or a flood zone, it is some dangerous place where your personal safety is anything but secure. That's where we're going in this post. But it's not the reader's personal security that is unsafe, it's the personal safety of Veterans who have given a little or a lot for this country. We're going to the VA. So grab your vest, make sure all the ballistic plates are in it. We're moving out!<br />
<strong> Reloading!</strong> In my last blog post, I ranted a little (OK, a lot) about the VA pushing pills on Veterans at Veteran Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs). On 26 March, Sen. Johnny Isakson, chairman of the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee, called on the VA to end the "all too common practice" of over prescribing <a href="http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/prescription-drugs/opioids/what-are-opioids" target="_blank">opioid</a> drugs throughout the VA healthcare system. In the midst of the <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/pain-pills-tomah-wisconsin-va-n322096" target="_blank">"Candy Land"</a> investigation at the Tomah, WI VAMC, I salute Sen. Isakson for calling on the VA to end their practice of "over prescribing" meds that are prevalent in the VA healthcare system. Indeed, today (30 March), Congressional <a href="http://www.wisn.com/news/congressional-committees-travel-to-tomah-va-for-hearings/32083320" target="_blank">hearings</a> are being held in Tomah about the serious problems found at that VAMC. If any of those senators and house representatives are reading my blog, I just want them to know they are at the very tip of the painkiller iceberg. But, don't worry. It's a very big plateau at the top of VA opioid iceberg, because you could go to just about ANY VAMC and probably find the same over prescription of opioid drugs to Veterans. As I said in <a href="http://bluecorddude.blogspot.com/2015/03/report-from-lpop.html" target="_blank"> Report from the LP/OP,</a> the VA mainly treats just about anything with pills. In a world where alternative therapies is growing by leaps and bounds, the VA is holding on strong to the "a pill a day" approach in medicine. Actually, probably more like 10-20 pills a day. A report estimates 50percent of VA patients who suffer from chronic pain abuse painkillers. And the problem is worse when you consider most Vets have private doctors too. <br />
In the age of Obamacare, it is more than likely a Veteran could be treated for Military related illnesses or wounds, while also seeing a private or family doctor as well. According to a news story by the Connecticut Mirror, the VA doesn't share their prescription records with individual states. Not only that, but they don't share their records with family doctors. This gets into the huge problem of interactions between medications that can prove deadly. At a hearing by the Senate VA Committee John Daigh, a representative of the VA's office of Inspector General, testified the VA wasn't following its own policies and procedures in several areas, <em>including evaluations of patients with take home opioids.</em> "Not following their own policies and procedures." Where have we heard that before? Hmm. Well, just about any-freaking-where in the Obama administration, but definitely we have heard that before in regards to the VA scandal of 2014! And, just like I did in my last post, I will again remind my dear readers that the VA scandal is not over!!!! This "candy Land" investigation is just another facet of the VA scandal. The benefits and compensation <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/07/15/va-is-making-disability-payment-errors-in-rush-to-cut-backlog-watchdog-says/" target="_blank">problems</a> should rear their head again soon, just like they came to light almost a year ago, shortly after the wait time scandal broke national news from the Phoenix VAMC. <br />
<strong>It is all the same VA Scandal.</strong> A scandal that began in the 1960's and 1970's when an influx of Vietnam Veterans caused the VA to go on life support. But no one noticed that the plug was already pulled on that life support system. That's because that life support was money. Federal tax dollars that no one ever thought about when the draft was going on. Those same tax dollars weren't thought of during any war since Vietnam. Sure, you can allocate money for the Department of Defense. But the congress and the president never think long term. They will pass and sign a bill to ramp up production of weapons. But, they don't pass a bill to fund the VA for all of the soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen and coat guardsmen that they are sending into harm's way. And I'm not just talking about funding for the VA healthcare system, but for the benefits and compensation as well. Every aspect of the Department of Veteran Affairs is in disarray. It hasn't happened overnight and it won't get fixed tomorrow. We need to start fixing it. <em>We The People</em> need to start telling our elected politicians that they need to vote to fix the VA. Like, really fix it, not just a band aid on a gushing puncture wound. We need to delve into alternative "pill free" medicine and alternative therapies. We need to look at the benefit and compensation issues and start down a fiscal path that will help alleviate those problems. We need to modernize the VAMCs themselves and do it "within <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/colorado-va-hospital-construction-is-more-than-1-billion-over-budget-1426636241" target="_blank">budget</a>". We need to modernize the 1980s computer systems in the entire VA and make them compatible with other federal agencies (like the DoD for one).<br />
Trust me, I am all for the "boots on the ground" approach (I am Infantry remember) and I believe we have to lead from the front, but,<strong> before we send another kid down range to protect the freedoms we all hold dear, we need to make sure we will be able to take care of them when they are a Veteran of the United States of America.</strong><br />
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<strong>Dealing with PTSD...for kids.</strong> Veterans deal with PTSD in various ways. For the most part, other adults know kinda sorta what PTSD is. Partially, why I write this blog is to promote awareness of PTSD. But how do children deal with a father or mother that has PTSD? Do they even know why a parent is acting differently? That problem faces a lot of Veteran families. <br />
Seth <a href="http://www.kastlebooks.com/" target="_blank">Kastle knows</a> all about this dilemma. He is a Veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan. A retired First Sergeant, Kastle has two children. And, he's struggled with PTSD for 10 years. Describing PTSD as "not nice. not pretty," especially for children, Seth wrote a book to let his children know that he loves them no matter what he has gone through in the Global War on Terror.. "Why is Dad so mad?" is a book written for children who have a parent with PTSD.<br />
"I wrote this book so I could explain it to my kids," Kastle said, "I want them to know its not their fault."<br />
Another book Kastle has penned, titled "Why is Mom so mad?" should be out in early July. A book that Seth consulted with Veteran moms while writing. "Why is Dad so mad?" is available on <a href="http://www.kastlebooks.com/books.html" target="_blank">Amazon.</a> <br />
That is all.<br />
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Remember this Tuesday and every Tuesday is <a href="http://avetwithptsd.com/" target="_blank">Telephone A Veteran Tuesday</a> A phone call can make all the difference sometimes. Also check out the latest blogs from A Vet With PTSD. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-9975832985561909962015-03-23T15:06:00.000-07:002015-03-23T15:06:44.883-07:00Report from the LP/OP <strong>A Listening Post/Observation Post</strong> (LP/OP) can give you vital information in the field. Usually on the front line (if not a little bit over the front lines) an LP/OP sees real time troop movements by the enemy and is also close enough to those enemy troops to hear what they are saying. LP/OPs can warn you of an enemy moving towards your Assembly Area (AA), and that's valuable insight when lives hang in the balance on the battlefield. Of course, I imagine drones are all the rage. But you can see and/or hear a drone. Good soldiers in an LP/OP, you won't see or hear. <br />
Of course, when you come back home and are standing in line (figuratively) at the local Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) you may be able to get the information about the same time its being put out. The VA Scandal is not over. Never has been. And, it won't be for a while. Not exactly news. But its what I'm reporting to you today. <br />
The recent news about <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/13/us/va-investigation-los-angeles/" target="_blank">wait times at</a> the Los Angeles VAMC are just one example. To me, its almost unbelievable that CNN is somewhat shocked that wait times still exist at VAMCs. I mean, its almost like they just abandoned their LP/OP after Shinseki was fired and Congress passed the VA Choice Act. Oh, that's right, they did. "Nothing new to see here. Move along." That's what the editors for the media say. <br />
<strong> News isn't really new</strong>. In some ways, there is nothing "new". Veterans are still waiting longer than they should for treatment or an appointment. That's been happening, so its not really new, right? Also, (NEWS FLASH) the VA still basically treats stuff with pills and shrinks. Do you want to see the VA's pill treatment philosophy on steroids (pardon the really bad pun)? Just look toward the VAMC at <a href="http://www.militarytimes.com/story/veterans/2015/03/10/candy-land-report-unsafe/24716675/" target="_blank">Tomah, WI</a>. The place is nicknamed "Candyland" for crying out loud! But, that's not new. In 2012 a study by the VA on service animals helping Veterans with PTSD was put on hold (not for the first time either). In 2014, after almost 2 years, the study program was reopened. As of the date this blog post is published, the VA is not using service animals. That is to say, they are not paying for a widespread program to help Veterans with PTSD or TBI with the use of service animals. But if you want a pill in just about any color (the blue pills aren't <em>those</em> blue pills you're thinking of), I am pretty damn sure there is a VAMC who is willing to give you a prescription for at least one or four of them! I would find it hard to believe that if you look hard enough, there isn't a picture of a VAMC somewhere online when you want to find out how to lead from behind! <br />
Also, according to a recent press release, the cost to replace one VAMC in Denver has skyrocketed from $328 million to $1.73 Billion (yeah, with a capital <em>B</em>). One VA Medical Center. Are they using the freaking $3,000 hammers the government purchased back in the 1990's? <br />
Of course, the VA is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to Veterans care. Thankfully. Private groups like <a href="http://www.raiderproject.org/the-raider-weekly/2014/6/17/chili-off-the-grid" target="_blank">Chili Off The Grid</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OperationLightOfHope" target="_blank">Operation: Light Of Hope</a> are picking up the slack the VA is doling out by the mile. According to an article in <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/war-veterans-try-yoga-hiking-horseback-riding-to-treat-ptsd-1410537293" target="_blank">The Wall Street Journal</a> alternative treatments are working. While you're reading that article check out when it was published. Almost a year ago, during the height of the (then news to the news media) VA wait time scandal. And STILL the VA is popping pills as (pretty much) its only widespread treatment for PSD and TBI, along with a helluva lot of other things! This has got to change!<br />
<strong>Change would be news, right?</strong> Hopefully, that change starts with a meeting by the Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs meeting on 24 March 2015. The meeting, taking place at the Russell Senate Office Building at 2:30 p.m. is to discuss a possible change to the distance criteria for the VA Choice program, something I discussed in my post <a href="http://bluecorddude.blogspot.com/2015/03/why-we-fight.html" target="_blank">Why We Fight.</a> Also, with over 2,000 Veterans waiting for an appointment in L.A., its time to find out why the VA Choice program has dismal number of Veterans using it. Could it be that the money in the VA Choice program is being eyed as a "slush" fund for other VA programs (did I mention they like giving out scripts for drugs?) that bureaucrats think need to be funded more? <br />
Oh, wait, here's some more change for you. Back when Robert McDonald took over as Secretary for the Dept. of Veteran Affairs (back in 2014), he created the MyVA board to help get some new ideas into the VA. One Veteran from Syracuse University, <a href="http://news.syr.edu/j-michael-haynie-appointed-to-newly-created-va-advisory-committee-65669/" target="_blank">Michael Haynie has</a> been appointed to what is now (in 2015) being called the new advisory board called MyVA. <br />
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<strong>Helping Veterans</strong>. As many of you are aware, I'm all for doing stuff to help Veterans. One of my main issues is PTSD and TBI. June is PTSD awareness month, capped off with June 27th being PTSD awareness day. I am in the midst of preparing an event for that day, and the whole month. I'm asking that you the reader also start preparing to do something to heighten the awareness of PTSD, TBI, or other issues our Veterans face on a daily basis. Veteran homelessness, Veteran suicide are two of the many things you can bring to the eye of the public. You can stage a vigil, write a letter to the editor, or volunteer at groups that help Veterans and their families. <br />
Also, remember that tomorrow is <a href="http://avetwithptsd.com/" target="_blank">Telephone A Veteran Tuesday</a> a fantastic idea brought to us by my fellow blogger A Vet With PTSD.<br />
That is all. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-50654882007436509272015-03-16T09:58:00.000-07:002015-03-16T09:58:12.856-07:00Time On Target <strong>Time on Target</strong> (TOT) is a military term used by artillery and mortars. It is basically the coordinated fire of numerous units of artillery "cannons" (a unit of "cannons" is usually comprised of 4-6 guns and are called a battery) I use the parenthesis because the artillery doesn't actually use cannons anymore, they are pretty much all self propelled weapon systems now. Well, anyway TOT is when a number of batteries fire rounds at the same target, with the timing taken in to account so that all rounds (say 20 or so 155mm shells) land at the same time on the same target. It's as close to vaporization of a target as the Army gets.<br />
Well, for this TOT I want to emphasize the "time" part. Basically because it is time that is against all Veterans. You see, a while back I wrote a post called <a href="http://bluecorddude.blogspot.com/2015/01/fruit-salad.html" target="_blank">Fruit Salad.</a> It was a blog about why we needed the Clay Hunt SAV Act to become law. Since then, it has become law. But, during my preparation for writing the blog, I came across a link on the VA website that didn't work. That was back in January. Well, just last week I finally got a response. It has been referred to "<em>the appropriate personnel</em>" according to the email I received. That post was published 28 JAN 15. So, about a month later I get a response that it has been handled. The link in question <u>doesn't even exist now</u>. I'm guessing they are fixing it? But, basically a month and a couple days. How is that for <em>Time</em> on Target? It reminds me of the phrase "Close enough for government work". In reality, a military TOT mission is considered a success if all rounds reach the target within seconds of each other. Seconds! Not months! And, of course, President Obama finally visited the <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/obama-to-visit-troubled-phoenix-va-hospital-1426250083" target="_blank">Phoenix VAMC</a>, how is that for Time on Target? He drove right by it a couple weeks ago. But, I know he really cares about Veterans, just cuz he says he does! Because campaign promises are made to be broken, especially when it involves the care of Veterans! <br />
Getting back to the email from the VA, probably the only good part of the email was I was given a toll free phone number for the VA's Health Resource Center. the number is 877-222-8287. I would suggest that if you have a question about anything on the VA's medical website, that you call that number which is open from 0700 -1900 hours Central time Monday through Friday and 0900-1530 hrs. on Saturdays, central time. Hopefully, it'll take them less time to answer your question. Hopefully.<br />
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<strong>A Light of Hope</strong>. I sometimes think I am too negative. kinda like a drill sergeant doling out push ups like one of those Mardi Gras or St. Patty's Day floats throwing candy to children. Well, in all actuality, I like to be positive. Through this blog I have found numerous groups that are helping our Veterans. These are private groups, not associated with the VA or, in most cases, any government entity at all.<br />
One of these groups is <a href="https://twitter.com/OperationLOH" target="_blank">Operation Light of Hope.</a> Monica, who runs Op Light of Hope, started the organization in October. She's based out of the Louisiana area and her "lights" of hope focus on "alternative medicine" therapies. The daughter of a Vietnam USMC Veteran (and husband to a Marine Veteran of the Gulf War) Monica says she started the Light of Hope network because "It's always in my heart." <br />
Light of Hope concentrates on proven therapies like stress management and counseling services, as well as reiki, yoga, art/music therapy, and even EMDR/biofeedback. While Monica has some names of providers who she has worked with, when she gets a call or message from a Vet that is out of her area, she finds new people who are always willing to help. "We call people up and we say 'we have a Veteran in your area'." The treatments are usually free or at reduced cost to the Veteran. <br />
Monica will find out what types of services the Veteran is looking for and then she will call alternative medicine providers local to the Veteran in need. Monica says the response from the alternative medicine community has been fantastic. "It's an easy reach out," Monica says, noting a lot of people are really willing to go that extra mile to help our Veteran community. And once she does reach out, her mission becomes about making the Veteran feel comfortable. "It's about making that initial contact," Monica explains, "so when they show up somewhere, someone already knows their name."<br />
Aside from the wellness support opportunities for Veterans, Operation Light of Hope also offers enrichment opportunities to help Veterans with PTSD or TBI actively engage in their communities. These opportunities help open the door for Veterans to feel valued and supported while, at the same time, benefitting their local communities. Some examples of the enrichment opportunities include museums, non film theatres and sport events. Along with volunteer outreach, the groups Monica calls on are always willing to help Veterans feel safe and, perhaps best of all, valued in their own area. <br />
Additionally, Light of Hope also educates people about Veteran suicide and Veteran homelessness. <br />
If you are a Veteran who is looking for help with PTSD, TBI, or other areas please feel free to reach Operation Light of Hope:<br />
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email: <a href="mailto:operationloh@gmail.com">operationloh</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><a href="mailto:operationloh@gmail.com">@gmail.com</a> </a></div>
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phone: (985)705-8900</div>
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facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OperationLightOfHope?ref=br_tf" target="_blank">Operation Light of Hope</a></div>
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twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/OperationLOH" target="_blank">OperationLOH</a></div>
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instagram: Operation_LOH</div>
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<strong>Justice for Kody</strong>. Finally, this isn't really related to the U.S. Military or our Veterans. This is about justice. Justice for the killer of <a href="http://justiceforkodywilliams.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kody Quinn Williams.</a> Kody was a 19-year-old who was killed by an as yet unnamed hit and run driver near Cloverdale, CA. The driver/murderer has never come forward. This happened in February of 2009. For six years, his family and friends have dealt with this. Its time to find the killer. Please check the link to the blog and, if you know anything (ANY thing) please contact the authorities. I'm a father myself. I cannot imagine the pain this family feels. I just want it to end, in some part, by the killer having their day in court. <br />
That is all. <br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-82490129610874764432015-03-02T11:44:00.000-08:002015-03-02T11:44:03.160-08:00Why We Fight I've been doing more research on the VA Choice Card Program. In one of my previous <a href="http://bluecorddude.blogspot.com/2015/02/back-to-chow-hall.html" target="_blank">posts</a> I pointed out that VA Secretary McDonald and Pres. Obama want to cut funding for the <a href="http://www.va.gov/opa/choiceact/" target="_blank">VA Choice Card Program</a>, a program that is temporary in nature. When the funding runs out, its over. But that's only part of the problem with the Choice cards.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliMZmoy0kJEH3Ykwdh5jISrXJhCrxvYsQxy0aUHCX8CcqtfggWcA4jyIOY3Eb3FyUhdt6jh58AD38npOWTioEMjss-7iJ-luh0fNLdtMyHVhx3PurHeIrTCR_KlEm71yE1Gpuzfr8DJ8/s1600/VA+choice+card+sample.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliMZmoy0kJEH3Ykwdh5jISrXJhCrxvYsQxy0aUHCX8CcqtfggWcA4jyIOY3Eb3FyUhdt6jh58AD38npOWTioEMjss-7iJ-luh0fNLdtMyHVhx3PurHeIrTCR_KlEm71yE1Gpuzfr8DJ8/s1600/VA+choice+card+sample.jpeg" height="209" width="320" /></a></div>
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One of the problems is the "40 mile" stipulation. A Veteran must live outside of 40 miles to get pre approval for outside VA care. That 40 mile limitation is in nautical miles. In other words, "As the crow flies". It doesn't take into account that a Veteran might have to drive 42 miles using paved roads such as interstates, streets, highways, etc. For some <a href="http://www.wbir.com/story/news/local/2014/12/31/family-upset-with-new-veterans-choice-card/21123673/" target="_blank">Veterans</a> and their families this is a problem. Another point is that the mileage is measured to the nearest VA, whether they can administer specialized care or not. So, you may have to see a specialist which isn't at the nearest VA medical center, but you wont be allowed to use a choice card, even though the specialist may be at another VAMC 100 miles away or more! A group of U.S. Senators has sent Sec. McDonald a <a href="http://www.kirk.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=1347" target="_blank">letter</a> to redress the problems with the distance part of the VA Choice cards. McDonald does indeed have the ability to change the calculations for the mileage requirements, if he wants to. If the VA Choice program wasn't just smoke and mirrors to alleviate another "scandal" for the Obama administration, and the VA in general. <br />
In opening remarks during the Senate hearing on the VA's fiscal year 2016 budget, Sen. Johnny Isakson, Chairman of the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee, said, "We need to make (Veterans Choice Act) work to address the problems the VA healthcare has experienced and get healthcare to our Veterans in the most timely and seamless way we can..." Isakson, who served in the Georgia Air National Guard, has also called the President's proposed cuts to the Veterans Choice Act a "disservice to our nation's Veterans". <br />
He's right. It is a disservice and it also looks like a way for the VA to get more funding for other programs while terminating a program that is being underutilized. For a lot of politicians, the question is, is the VA actually promoting the Choice program or just giving it "the old college try"? <br />
<a href="http://cv4a.org/concerned-veterans-america-releases-fixing-veterans-health-care-taskforce-report/" target="_blank">Concerned Veterans for America</a> has recently issued a report on how they see the VA's overall medical program being fixed. It involves turning VA Healthcare into a non profit organization, something McDonald is <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/va-chief-backs-outside-care-choice-program-falters-182921678.html" target="_blank">against</a>. McDonald claims dismantling the VA medical wing isn't the way to reform the VA. I say, and I think we should all say, prove it. Promote the Choice program so that more than 27,000 Veterans want to use it or can use it. Change the mileage calculations. Don't set up the Choice program for failure and then take out all of its money. The VA needs reform in all areas. Now.<br />
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Part of the problem with the VA, no matter what part you are talking about (benefits, medical, etc.), is why they do it. The title of this post is "Why We Fight". We are talking about Veterans of the U.S. Military. For the better part of 50 years, the U.S. Armed Forces is something you choose to do. A lot of Vets will tell you the reason why they served is because of what they had at home. Their family. The freedoms we enjoy in the USA. It's not to go "and kill the yellow man" as the song says. It's what is behind you that you serve. The day I enlisted was one of the proudest days of my life. Finishing Basic Training and being promoted to sergeant are as dear memories to me as the first time I held either of my children or getting married to my wife. <br />
But, you have to wonder if that is what motivates VA employees. They are dealing with men and women who, at one point in their lives, wrote a blank check to this country to defend, serve and protect American citizens and our way of life. Does a bureaucrat actually feel that way when he is determining if a Veteran qualifies for some VA program? I'm an Oath Keeper. The day I retired from the Military wasn't my last day of service to my country. It's why I write this blog. Because someone has to make everyone aware that there are Veterans out there that have suffered tremendous wounds (some physical, some mental) while serving this country. There are Veterans who won't go back to the VA after some contracted provider almost broke a needle off in their spine while administering a drug. There are Veterans out there that the VA says are "disabled" but Social Security has the gall to say they can still work because they can sit at a desk for a couple hours. There are Veterans who cant drive for an hour when the VA looks at "how the crow flies". This is why we fight! This is why the VA has to be reformed. The antiquated bureaucracy have to change. Its not the 1950's anymore. Also, the employees cannot think they are safe behind union membership if they screw up. Sometimes, when they screw up, it means life or death! <br />
<em> "To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan"</em> is the motto of the VA. Everyone that works at the VA should have that in their mind when they go to work every single day. And if they don't "live up" to that motto, they can go to McDonalds and flip burgers. Of course, the paycheck won't be the same. But, then again, what the VA is supposed to do, is worth a helluva lot more than flipping burgers. Our Veterans deserve the best care. Our Veterans, right now <em>and for sometime now</em>, haven't been getting the best care. That has to change. Veterans served to protect and defend the freedoms a lot of people take for granted. We shouldn't take our Veterans for granted. EVER.<br />
That is all.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-75941796144383437792015-02-24T11:39:00.000-08:002015-02-24T14:13:41.512-08:00Running password In Infantry combat Operations, sometimes it useful to have a running password. It is normally a one word password (lets say Romeo) followed by the number in your unit or squad. Lets say your team is moving back to your base when they come under fire. you would radio your predicament to your base and beat feet toward your base. You would then use a "running password" when you got to the entrance to your base, "Romeo 5!" Then the team leader waits with the base sentry as your team passes. After the fifth man through the wire, its open season on anyone else trying to gain entry into your fire base. It can also be used under less harrowing circumstances, like a really freaking dark night with no moonlight whatsoever. Well, it's a dark night for Veterans. It started with the VA scandal, decades ago, and it continues to this day. <br />
First off, I want to make everyone aware of a bill introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Chris Gibson (R-NY) on 13 February 2015. <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/543" target="_blank">The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act</a> aims to include Veterans of naval and coast guard ships that did not enter inland water areas of Vietnam. These ships, usually a destroyer class ship or larger, may have had contact with the dioxins now known as <a href="http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/" target="_blank">Agent Orange</a>. A 2002 <a href="http://bluewaternavy.org/ReIOM.htm" target="_blank">study</a> for the Royal Australian Navy (see citation 19 for the full study) brings to light the fact that when you desalinate water contaminated with Agent Orange, it actually concentrates the dioxins. So, when you take into account that almost all of these ships desalinated water for use to power their engines and as fresh water for the crew (cooking, bathing, drinking, etc.) you have a lot of "Blue Water Navy" Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange. The kick-in-the-pants is, these Veterans are not recognized by the VA as having any contact with Agent Orange because they didn't step foot onto land in Vietnam. (more on this below)<br />
For the past three Congressional sessions (that would be 6 years by my count), nothing has been done. The above link for the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act is actually the text and summary from last Congress's Blue Water Veterans Act, which died in subcommittee in the House. (The link is there because it is the same text to the current HR 969 but the summary for HR 969 hasn't been put up on the Congressional server as of the original date of publication for this blog). Now, you have to ask why the bill didn't go anywhere. It had over 218 co sponsors in the house. That's a helluva lot of politicians all agreeing on something. The problem is, there was no "score" from the Congressional Budget Office. That "score" is basically the price that will have to be paid to make the bill into a law. Remember, it was the "price" of the Clay Hunt SAV Act that made Sen. Coburn block its passing the Senate last year. The fear has always been that the "score" from the CBO would be too high and the question would be "Where are we gonna get this money from?" <br />
John Paul Rossie is the Executive Director of the <a href="http://bluewaternavy.org/" target="_blank">Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association.</a> He said "It looks like things are much more in our favor," regarding a CBO score during this Congressional period. Part of the reason for a lower score is the fact that a report on the Da Nang Harbor may be accepted by the VA, eliminating a lot of the Blue Water Veterans from the cost of the Blue Water Vietnam Veterans Act. This would mean the cost of the bill would go down significantly. Hopefully, it will be passed. In that regard, I would like to ask all of my readers to contact your representative in the House and let them know you would like them to co sponsor HR 969 The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act. A partner bill may soon be introduced in the Senate. I will let you know of any news of that as soon as I have the information.<br />
Before I close on this subject, any Veteran that served on a ship during the Vietnam War, in the waters that are being discussed here, please consider the <a href="http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/index.asp" target="_blank">diseases caused by Agent Orange</a> for Veterans and <a href="http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/birth-defects/index.asp" target="_blank">their offspring.</a> In my opinion, the legal issues surrounding Agent Orange are murky enough that all of the water involved is all brown water. Different cancers and other diseases all could have been caused by Agent Orange. I am not even sure if Agent Orange really worked in its mission of defoliating the triple canopy jungles of Vietnam, but it did a hell of a job on our Vietnam Veterans.<br />
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It seems that VA Secretary Robert McDonald and (former?) NBC news anchor Brian Williams need to start a new 12 step group. They could call it Misremembering Anonymous. I am, of course, referring to McDonald's claims of being in a <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/02/24/va-secretary-robert-mcdonald-reportedly-admits-lying-about-special-forces/" target="_blank">Special Forces unit.</a> To be clear, McDonald did graduate Ranger School, so he was "tabbed", but he never served a single minute in a Ranger Battalion. He was with a CBS news crew! More importantly, he was helping with a homeless count in Los Angeles, where Veteran homelessness is a big problem. The lasting impression from this little "misremembering" should stay with the Veteran homeless population across the United States. Rep. Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Veteran Affairs Committee, has said he is "disappointed" in McDonald's statements. Rep. Mike Coffman, who McDonald infamously asked "What have you done" during VA budget hearings, has said Sec. McDonald has a job to do, mainly clean up the VA. Coffman has said he hopes the media doesn't fixate on McDonald's misrememberings, but instead remains focused on cleaning up the VA. Senator Johnny Isakson, chairman of the SenateVeteran Affairs Committee hassaid, "Secretary McDonald made a mistake of the heart, not the head. He has apologized for it, and I accept his apology." <br />
If he doesn't, then we have to make sure they are honest and correct in their statements. Don't tell me you've fired "hundreds" of VA employees when in reality its less than a dozen. Don't tell me you were a special forces operator! Just get rid of the problem culture in the VA and make sure the goal of the VA, to treat our Veterans with the care and dignity they deserve, is met! McDonald was made secretary to end the VA scandal and to make it work. So far, not much has been done. With the signing into law of the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, hopefully some real progress will be realized. The VA needs to work. Anyone that thinks ISIS will be defeated without an American casualty is vastly delusional. We will fight wars in the future. We will have Veterans that need care. We, the people, will make sure the government <strike>never</strike> NEVER forgets that last statement.<br />
That is all.<br />
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Thanks to Fox News and the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association of facts used during this blog.<br />
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Read these blogs! I do and I think you'll enjoy them too.<br />
<a href="http://avetwithptsd.com/" target="_blank">A Vet with PTSD's blog</a><br />
<a href="http://screaminthewilderness.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Old Marine's blog</a><br />
<a href="http://www.politichicks.com/author/carolynelkins/" target="_blank">American Duckie's blog</a><br />
<a href="http://bostonredthoughts.com/" target="_blank">Boston Red Thoughts blog</a>OK the last one might only interest you if you like baseball and the Boston Red Sox, but its a great blog!<br />
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REMEMBER today is TELEPHONE A VETERAN TUESDAY</div>
Call a Veteran that you know. Talk to them. Maybe have a coffee together. It could make a big difference.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-1854910770075594522015-02-16T15:42:00.000-08:002015-02-16T15:51:16.652-08:00Use of Force The President of the United States has (finally) gone to Congress with a request for authorization for a use of military force against a group of muslim religious fanatics known as the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, muslim cockroaches, etc). It is a request he doesn't have to make. It is also a request he has no bloody will to carry out. The last sentence is my opinion, although it is a widely held opinion among people who don't think of the current president is the best thing since sliced bread. In order to give you my reasoning for that opinion, let's take a look at the definition of force.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>force: </em>noun<em>. coercion or compulsion, especially with the use or threat of violence.</em></span></div>
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This is the definition that President Obama is thinking of in his mind. I can almost guarantee that. I figure he is just glossing over the word "use" and just sees the phrase "threat of violence." In his mind, I'm sure that is enough to make a bunch of muslim cockroaches cower in fear and disband to the nearest rock quarry. Maybe, in his childhood, it was always the threat of violence that made him do things. I don't know, mainly because his past is one of the best kept secrets known to mankind. But, from his request for the use of force to destroy ISIS, one can only come to the assertion that the threat of violence is what he believes will destroy a <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/11/islamic-state-territory-now-size-belgium-lawmaker/" target="_blank">growing</a> group of muslim extremists. I can say this because all he wants to do is continue with an air war that hasn't stopped ISIS. We've been bombing ISIS positions since August 2014. Yet, according to Obama's own National Counterterrorism Director Nicholas Rasmussen, ISIS continues to grow in size of their manpower and physical territory. So, it goes to figure that Obama's use of force doesn't request the use of ground forces. Nor does it have an exit strategy, but that's a tenet of almost any politician who has never worn a military uniform. O yeah, it does talk about using special forces here and there, but that isn't ground forces. Special forces, the way they are meant to be used, do not constitute "ground forces". Ground forces take, by force, an objective (town, hilltop, etc.) and hold it. Usually, during the "hold it" part, they continue to search out enemy combatants, weapon caches, etc. No offense to fighter pilots, but they don't hold anything when it comes to a physical, geographical location. Neither does a drone. <br />
Just days after their captured pilot was burned alive by these inhuman cockroaches, Jordan bombed the crap out of a Syrian city called Raqqa, which is thought to be the de facto capitol of ISIS. But ISIS is still in Raqqa. That's because we don't have ground troops to hold any piece of land that we bomb. You can bomb the bejesus out of anything. Until you have ground troops go in and take physical control of an area, it isn't yours and you can't say you know the enemy is gone. And, you damn sure can't say you've defeated someone until you know they are gone. <br />
A couple of days ago, on twitter, I had a running conversation with someone I can only describe as a totally out of touch pacifist. This person claimed that she just wanted peace. That's fine, everyone wants peace. I told her, though, that peace has to be a two way street. In other words, peace can only happen when all sides want peace. Otherwise, it sucks and you're going to get run over. ISIS wants pieces, not peace. They don't want to coexist with Christians, Buddhists, or any other religion. They want you to bow down in the name of islam. That is what we are up against. Religious fanatics pure and simple. <br />
If the above seems political then maybe it is. But, if you want to win a war, if you want to destroy a group of religious fanatics, then you need do it the right way. If you fight, you need to fight to win, its the only way to fight a war. <br />
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Now, also a couple of days ago VA Secretary Robert McDonald was in front of the House of Representatives justifying the VA budget for Fiscal Year 2016. During his testimony, he had a rather pointed conversation with Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO). Coffman is an Iraq War Veteran. During the exchange, which basically centered on an over budget and behind schedule VA hospital in Denver, McDonald asked Coffman (keep in mind Coffman is a Veteran) <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/02/12/va-secretary-asks-iraq-war-veteran-what-have-done/" target="_blank">"What have you done?"</a> <br />
Now, I don't think I have ever defended McDonald. I have said in past blog posts that we should give him a chance. This exchange, along with the fact that McDonald claims to be for the financial gutting of the VA Choice card program, is just about the end of his chance with me. By that, I mean that, since McDonald is a government outsider, I had hopes he might bring true change to the culture of the Department of Veteran Affairs. I now realize if there is going to be change it is going to be brought about by groups like <a href="http://www.iava.org/" target="_blank">IAVA,</a> <a href="http://www.legion.org/" target="_blank">The American Legion,</a> <a href="http://www.vfw.org/" target="_blank">The Veterans of Foreign Wars,</a> and <a href="http://www.amvets.org/" target="_blank">AMVETS.</a> These groups have proven their ability to get the ear of politicians and get legislation passed to improve the care of our Veterans. Keep in mind groups like <a href="https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/default.aspx?tsid=1143&ovr_acv_id=1398&campaignSource=ONLINE&source=BS15013P&gclid=CjwKEAiAx4anBRDz6JLYjMDxoQYSJAA4loRme__vjm_X6YqB2IYi4N7ZdD0k_gBOxH1CLJx5Fd_n1BoC6kHw_wcB" target="_blank">Wounded Warrior Project</a> and others are great too. But, when it comes to getting legislative action done, the Vets groups are getting the job done. We have to work with these groups to achieve the change that our Veterans need and deserve. <br />
In the meantime, please feel free to go to the Department of Veteran Affairs <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VeteransAffairs" target="_blank">facebook</a> page or their <a href="http://www.twitter.com/DeptVetAffairs" target="_blank">twitter</a> account and tell them what you have done, either as a Veteran of the United States Military or as a supporter of Veterans who deserve better care from a bureaucracy that is mismanaged. Please use #WhatHaveUDone when letting them know our Veterans deserve the best care we can give them.<br />
That is all.<br />
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Thanks to articles by Fox News and The Washington Post<br />
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If you are a Veteran please take the <a href="http://www.descendantsofsparta.com/" target="_blank">The Spartan Pledge</a>. If you are thinking about suicide please call the <a href="http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/" target="_blank">Veteran Crisis Line</a> 1-800-273-8255 and press 1. <br />
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If you want to put an end to 22 Veterans committing suicide everyday, then please consider <a href="http://avetwithptsd.com/" target="_blank">Telephone A Veteran Tuesdays</a> and call at least one Veteran that you know and just talk to them. This is a project put together by my friend <a href="https://www.facebook.com/avetwithptsd" target="_blank">A Vet with PTSD</a>. he's the one that got me into blogging, and I thank him for it. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-9812912879328126962015-02-09T14:39:00.000-08:002015-02-09T14:39:48.241-08:00Back to the Chow Hall <strong>The Clay Hunt SAV Act has passed</strong> and, some breaking news here, the president will <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/defense/232165-public-obama-ceremoney-for-veterans-suicide-prevention-bill" target="_blank">sign</a> the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act into law at a public ceremony in the East Room on Thursday. To all of those who called/emailed all the politicians, to everyone that called into a radio talk show or wrote a letter to the editor to talk about the Clay Hunt bill, I salute you. This will help to alleviate the epidemic that is Veteran suicide by making care easier to obtain at the VA or even on the web. Like I say about my blog posts, if it saves one Veteran, it has done its job. And, we will be able to tell if its working because another part of Clay Hunt SAV calls for monitoring and reviewing the VA's efforts in suicide prevention. It should also help to bring more qualified doctors to the VA by offering partial student loan repayment for doctors that join the VA. Hopefully that part of Clay Hunt SAV will alleviate the backlog that is<em> <strong>still</strong></em> plaguing the VA to this day. <br />
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Of course, the battle is won, but the war rages on when you talk about Veteran suicide, Veteran homelessness, and, overall, the VA. The scandal is not over. All over the <a href="http://www.twcnews.com/nc/triad/news/2015/01/28/hundreds-of-veterans-look-for-answers-in-va-claims-backlog.html" target="_blank">country</a> there is still a backlog on both medical and financial claims for the VA. Although several <a href="http://www.politicspa.com/sen-casey-introduces-bill-to-address-va-backlog/58334/" target="_blank">senators</a> are currently working on an update of a bill to monitor and help reduce further the claims backlog, another bill that was passed and signed into law by Pres. Obama, is currently on the chopping block in the 2016 Federal budget.<br />
The <a href="http://www.va.gov/opa/choiceact/" target="_blank">Veterans Choice Program</a> is under the budget ax wielded by the President. In his 2016 fiscal budget, he wants to "reallocate" some of the $10 million put into the Choice Card program last year. VA Sec. Robert McDonald <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/3/robert-mcdonald-defends-obamas-veterans-choice-car/" target="_blank">defends</a> the cuts and even claims responsibility for the reallocation of funds. In the Washington Times article it is stated that many politicians in Congress have problems with the "cuts". <br />
The overall budget for the VA has <a href="http://www.stripes.com/news/us/budget-obama-proposes-big-increase-in-va-funding-1.327295" target="_blank">increased</a> and provides more money for, among other things, traditional "brick & mortar" VA centers, mental health treatment, and "telehealth"technologies, possibly to be used for Veterans who are already using the Choice Card. <br />
Overall, the Choice card program has its flaws. There is more red tape involved in the program than trying to get a drone for Jordan to fight ISIS. And that's just one of the flaws. Of course, red tape is usually an added bonus when it comes to governmental programs. To read another example how red tape is clogging up the VA's arteries read this blog post from <a href="http://avetwithptsd.com/my-questions-to-you/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AVeteranWithPtsd+%28A+Veteran+with+PTSD%29" target="_blank">A Vet With PTSD</a>. <br />
In the House of Representatives, a bill that would help the VA get back bonuses and other monetary awards to VA employees is stalled. Remember, this is a republican controlled house. Yet, <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/280/all-info" target="_blank">House Resolution 280</a> has only been introduced. A couple of weeks ago from the date this post will be published. It has been attacked as being a "union busting" bill by some democrats. Well, if they aren't doing their job, the VA employees shouldn't be getting bonuses. That's my opinion. Its also my opinion that if they don't do their job they should be fired or sent to work in the middle east or any country that ends in -stan. Once again, just my opinion.<br />
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*****</div>
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A local branch of the <a href="http://nepa.friendsoftheforgotten.org/" target="_blank">Friends of the Forgotten</a> is working to memorialize the residents of Lackawanna County who died while fighting the <a href="http://www.pahomepage.com/story/d/story/veterans-group-working-to-restore-dunmore-tank-mem/31302/IdcXZYQWz02Qw8mNNeXeuw" target="_blank">Korean War.</a> They're working with Marywood University and are still in need of funding for the project, which is slated for its debut the Saturday after Memorial Day 2015. <br />
<br />
Also, the Friends of Connors Park in Scranton, PA is going to be unveiling a Veterans Monument on Memorial Day this year. To raise funds they are conducting a <a href="http://bluecorddude.blogspot.com/p/the-friends-of-connors-park-is-group.html" target="_blank">paver program</a> where you memorialize a Veteran in a walkway that will lead to the monument.<br />
<br />
Finally, June is PTSD Awareness month. I want to really get the word out about PTSD and the treatments that are (and aren't) being used by the VA to treat PTSD. If you have any ideas (I've already got some) please let me know by shooting me an email at <a href="mailto:bluecorddude@gmail.com">bluecorddude</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><a href="mailto:bluecorddude@gmail.com"></a><a href="mailto:bluecorddude@gmail.com"><a href="mailto:bluecorddude@gmail.com">@gmail.com</a> </a></a><br />
I will share my ideas as soon as I can concrete them a little bit more. <br />
<br />
If you are a Veteran in a bad place, please remember to take <a href="http://www.descendantsofsparta.com/" target="_blank">The Spartan Pledge.</a> And if you know a Veteran is in crisis please call the Veterans Crisis Line 1-800-273-8255 or you can text them by texting 838255. You can reach them on computer by going to the <a href="http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/" target="_blank">Veterans Crisis Line.</a> <br />
That is all. <br />
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*****</div>
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Thanks to Times Warner Cable News, Politics PA, The Washington Times, The Military Times, Stars & Stripes, PA Homepage for their informative articles. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-92097414177092292562015-01-28T13:00:00.000-08:002015-01-28T13:00:18.201-08:00Fruit Salad <span style="color: black;"><strong> <span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Fruit salad</span></strong><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">. No, don't worry, I'm not talking about Michelle Obama's student lunch menu. Although, on second thought, fruit salad is tasty (and nutritious I think) so it probably isn't recommended for school students. But, once again I'm not talking about something you eat. No, instead I'm talking about what military members refer to for the medals they wear when in their dress uniforms. I'm going to tie this in to the Clay Hunt SAV Act and why it needs to be passed by the senate and signed by the president. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: black;"> As you all know by now, my main objective right now is to ensure the Clay Hunt SAV Act becomes reality. After seeing it held up by one vote in December, I'm going with a full court press now. So, I looked at what Clay Hunt SAV actually will do for Veterans. The main points of the act are listed by IAVA </span><a href="http://iava.org/savact/" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: black;">here.</span></a><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: black;"> When you look at it, you would think a lot of this is common sense. Of course, government doesn't really use a lot of common sense (I know...shocking) so, that's part of the reason why Clay Hunt needs to be passed. For instance, one of the parts of the Clay Hunt SAV Act is to provide a one stop, interactive website of available resources. Now, everyone knows the internet is a fantastic resource for grouping things together to make a "one stop" or "one click" website where you can find all the information about a topic. Lets make that topic Veteran suicide prevention. The VA could easily list all their different programs, along with other non governmental organization programs, on one website. They could even use the same site for Department of Defense for active duty Military. Sounds easy enough, especially if its already supposed to be that way. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: black;"> Yeah, that's right, there is already supposed to be a "one stop" link/webpage for the VA for mental health, to include suicide prevention, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD), and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: black;"> According to the <em>Interagency Task Force on Military and Veteran Mental Health 2013 Annual Report</em>, one of their recommendations was to create a "one stop" resource for Veterans and Active Duty Military personnel. That was just a recommendation though. That's why we need Clay Hunt SAV Act passed and signed into law. Then, it isn't a recommendation. Its something that has to be done. And, let me tell you, it needs to be done. I decided to search for programs by the VA on suicide prevention. I stopped looking at web pages after four different pages had totally different VA programs (including programs for homeless Veterans, suicide prevention, PTSD, TBI, etc). The most comprehensive (and we're stretching the definition of comprehensive) was actually a Health and Human Services (HHS) page. I found this page while perusing the <em>Interagency Task Force on Military and Veteran Mental Health 2013 Annual Report.</em> I found a link in the report for the website, which was "<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">HHS launched MentalHealth.gov<em>
</em>to provide a one-stop source for information and resources on mental health
issues for Veterans and the general public." The basic problem with this approach is its too general. The average citizen of the United States doesn't deal with the memory of watching a friend get blown to hell. The average taxpayer doesn't worry about the same thing Veterans with PTSD worry about because they (the average taxpayer) have never been in a situation that has turned deadly in seconds flat. I know because there is only 1% of the U.S. citizens who have dealt with these issues. They are our Military service members and our Veterans. Sorry, one size fits all doesn't work in this situation. Veterans need specialized care, especially specialized mental health care. That's why we have the VA, right? </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: black;"> Now, that's one reason why the Clay Hunt Suicide prevention for American Veterans Act has to be passed. Now, onto the fruit salad.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> The reference to fruit salad for medals is because they are usually bright, multi colored</span>
thingies. They even have one for graduating Basic Combat Training. I used to refuse to wear it because, as I told my platoon sergeant who wanted to know why I wasn't wearing my dress greens properly, "I'm wearing the uniform, I don't need a medal, I know I graduated Basic." Well, anyway, the point is that a lot of awards and medals in the military are for the purpose of just making the "fruit salad" look good for soldiers with one 1 stripe on their shoulder. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: black;"> Well, its a governmental thing too. While reading the interagency report it stated "<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">DoD, VA and HHS have
on-going successful national campaigns which focus on overcoming the negative
attitudes associated with mental health and substance use concerns and seeking
treatment." It then went on to state that one of their "successful" multi media programs won three awards in 2013. Another public awareness campaign garnered 50 awards. Awards look good but, if this is what the government is basing success on, then I would rather they throw out all their "fruit salad" for just one Veteran who they saved. No where in any of the reports I read did I see any statistics on how the "Real Warriors" or "make the Connection" ad campaign saved any lives. They look good. I have some of the real warriors literature. It's high quality stuff. I don't know if any of it has ever made a difference to a service member contemplating suicide. I know they have used NASCAR drivers and actors for "Make the Connection" ads but, unless you have a "one stop" website, how many connections does a Veteran have to make to get help? All good points to bring up to your senators when you <a href="http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm" target="_blank">call </a>them to tell them to pass S 167 (the Clay Hunt SAV Act). </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: black;">That is all.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-78886645406555191812015-01-19T17:27:00.002-08:002015-01-19T17:34:00.513-08:00SITREP The call on the radio was loud and clear. "Bravo 52, SITREP." I'd heard it many times before. Actually it seemed like 5 seconds ago. SITREP means literally situation report. In this case, our 25mm main gun on the Bradley Fighting Vehicle had jammed. As far as the last time I heard the tower call for a SITREP, I was right, it was 5 seconds ago. My Gunner closed the door to the 25mm chain gun and said, "We're up." This indicated that the jam was corrected and the gun was now operational. <br />
"Tower, this is Bravo 52, we're up. Ready to continue the table," I said into the microphone. We were doing a Bradley Gunnery Table, part of qualification for gunner and Bradley Commanders. Our main gun had malfunctioned and we were now ready to continue with the gunnery qualification table. This wasn't the first time I had been asked for a SITREP and it wouldn't be the last. <br />
<br />
<br />
Here is the current SITREP on the Clay Hunt SAV Act, Senate Bill 167. It was introduced last week by Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). It has <a href="http://iava.org/press-release/clay-hunt-sav-act-reintroduced-in-the-senate/" target="_blank">18 co-sponsors</a> and has been read twice on the Senate floor and has been referred to the Veteran Affairs Committee. That is where we are at. The Clay Hunt SAV Act has been here in the senate before. It was shot down by a no vote of one <a href="http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/12/16/clay-hunt-veteran-suicide-bill-blocked-in-senate-by-coburn.html" target="_blank">senator</a>. Sen. Coburn has since retired. But that's all recent history. Let's get to the down and dirty, as the saying goes.<br />
I am asking that my readers (and anyone else you can talk to) call the members of the Senate Veteran Affairs <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7394857539381279006#editor/target=page;pageID=925876183953235240;onPublishedMenu=pages;onClosedMenu=pages;postNum=0;src=link" target="_blank">Committee</a>. Clicking on the committee link will bring you to a page I created with phone numbers and D.C. addresses for the committee members. To contact them by email you have to go to their individual senate profile pages and fill in a form to email them. You can find their email pages <a href="http://www.senate.gov/resources/graphic/horiz_content_break.gif" target="_blank">here.</a> I have recently contacted the D.C. office of Sen. Johnny Isakson, the chairman of the committee, and it is one of his priorities to pass the Clay Hunt SAV Act. I want to make sure that all of the members of the Veteran Affairs Committee know that We The People want it passed as well. The Clay Hunt SAV Act was passed in the House of Representatives as House Resolution 203. In the senate it is Senate Bill 167. I would ask that all keep up the pressure on our elected officials, it seems to be the only way to get stuff done. In the mortars, this is what we would call Fire For Effect (FFE). Once a mortar platoon or artillery battery has positioned its rounds to where the forward observer (FO) wants them, the FO calls for FFE, and then all tubes/guns fire. When I find out the vote will happen in the senate, you can expect one more FFE. Until then, please mention the Clay Hunt SAV Act as much as you can on social media and also see if your local media will pick up the story as well. As usual, the more this is in the public eye, the better.<br />
One last point, FFE isn't to be confused with Final Protective Fire(FPF) where all rounds are expended on a target that has been predetermined. The figurative FPF for our call/email mission will be once the Clay Hunt SAV Act is passed by the senate and sent to the White House for President Obama to sign it into law. Stay tuned for that.<br />
That is all. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-72676188136417213002015-01-13T10:38:00.004-08:002015-01-13T10:51:29.071-08:00Service & Support The Clay Hunt SAV Act is alive and well in the 114th Congress. It passed the House of Representatives yesterday, 12 JAN 2015. 403 votes in favor, 0 against! Out-freaking-standing, as my old Drill Sergeant would say. Actually he would have worked in at least 2 explenatives. Partly because that's what Drill Sgts do and partly because he would've been in this spot before and know the outcome could come drastically different than intended. We, of course, have been here before. Just about a month ago, the Clay Hunt SAV Act passed in the House. It then died because of one vote against it. The full story is <a href="http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/12/16/clay-hunt-veteran-suicide-bill-blocked-in-senate-by-coburn.html" target="_blank">here.</a> Just like my old Drill would've probably guessed, it got shot down by a politician. In this case, a senator.<br />
We are going to make sure the Senate gets it right this time. House Resolution 203 (the nomenclature for the Clay Hunt SAV Act in the Senate) is in committee right now. The Veterans Affairs committee is headed by Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia. After talking to a member of his staff, I found out H.R. 203 will come up for vote on the Senate floor probably some time this week, although they couldn't give me a definitive day. That's fine with me, it just means I get to call them every single day! Once again, out-freaking-standing! Using this <a href="http://www.senate.gov/resources/graphic/horiz_content_break.gif" target="_blank">Senate contact list</a> any of my readers should be able to find their Senators' phone number and/or email address and contact them to let them know "We the People" want this passed.<br />
Now, normally, a Joe (a member of the U.S. Military, I'm not trying to be sexist or anything) doesn't really get too much intel on what it is they are doing. As long as it's a lawful order, an enlisted man or woman usually does it. But this is what the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act means:<br />
<ul>
<li>Directs the Secretary of the VA to conduct an at least annual evaluation of mental health and suicide prevention programs in the VA. This evaluation would be done by an objective "third party".</li>
<li>Provide funds to make a centralized "one click" resource on the internet detailing all of the mental health care programs available to Veterans.</li>
<li>A loan repayment program for certain psychiatrists in the VA. This is a pilot program and the selected psychiatrists would have to stay with the VA for a certain period of time to participate.</li>
<li>A program to help Veterans that are transitioning from active duty to civilian life and to help improve access for Veterans to mental health programs.</li>
<li>The Secretary would also be able to collaborate more effectively with non profit, non governmental (meaning in no way shape or form a VA entity) mental health groups. This would more effectively help the groups and the VA work on the same level.</li>
<li>Extends eligibility for military members who were discharged for released between 2009-2011and did not enroll in VA care programs.</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A summary of H.R. 203 can be found <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/203" target="_blank">here.</a> </div>
So that is it, in a nutshell. Please call/email your senators and let them know that this bill needs to be passed. Currently, on average, 22 Veterans commit suicide everyday. If these Veterans had the name recognition like Peyton Manning or Derek Jeter or Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie it would be national news. The outcry from the public would be huge. Look at the suicide of Robin Williams. Any suicide is tragic. It's a loss that is catastrophic. But no one knows the names of the Veterans who commit suicide. Except their friends and family. the military and Veterans are the true 1%. The 1% who has, at one point in time or another, written a blank check for this country. Some have signed that check in their own blood. We have to make sure that, once they return home, that "life" check is cashed only when "natural causes" or "old age" can be written on the back with the signatures of a grateful country. <br />
Please join me for a twitter storm on Wednesday from 8-9 pm. Please feel free to mention your senator's twitter account. Use #ClayHunt and #VeteransLivesMatter. We need to get the word out and make sure this bill winds up on the President's desk.<br />
That is all.<br />
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*******</div>
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An organization is putting in a Veterans Memorial and a much needed flag pole in a park that is by my house. They have an idea of having bricks with the names of Veterans, living or deceased, (or any patriotic message you wish) to lead the way from the park's entrance sidewalk to the memorial. It is a fund raiser to help secure the money for the memorial. I am asking that, if you can, please check out the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7394857539381279006#editor/target=page;pageID=2526935618344245;onPublishedMenu=pages;onClosedMenu=pages;postNum=0;src=pagename" target="_blank">Veterans Memorial</a> page on my blogsite and buy a brick to help support this cause. Thank you.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-19268625394738493412014-12-17T09:07:00.000-08:002014-12-17T09:07:28.539-08:00Command and Signal <strong>Command and Signal</strong>. Every single order prepared by the U.S. Army addresses Command and Signal. How will an order be carried out? What are the radio frequencies (freqs) that will be used? Call signs by unit? All of that is addressed under Command and Signal in an Operations Order. Later on during this post I will give you the freqs to use. It's not a full Op Order, but I don't know if anything can be done now and I'm tired of waiting. As we have all heard so often in the media (and I'm paraphrasing here) lives matter. Lately, we've heard that only one ethnic groups' lives matter. Well, I believe all lives matter. If we have to get specific then #VeteransLivesMatter. <br />
Earlier this week, the Clay Hunt SAV Act was <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/227223-gop-senator-blocks-veterans-suicide-prevention-bill" target="_blank">blocked</a> from passing through the U.S. Senate by Sen. Tom <a href="http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/?p=OfficeLocations" target="_blank">Coburn.</a> Sen. Coburn is a longtime watcher of the Federal government's budget. He is also retiring after this session of Congress ends. He is also dead wrong. I could really care about political parties when it comes to how our #Veterans and our #Military is treated. I, myself am conservative in almost all my views. This has nothing whatsoever to do with politics. This has nothing to do about a budget that no politician seems to be able to get right. The money involved in the Clay Hunt SAV Act amounted to 22 million. Does anything about that number seem to ring a bell? Maybe the number <em>22</em>. <strong>22 Veterans commit suicide every single freaking day</strong>. Every day. I know 2 of my Brothers-in-Arms who have committed suicide. It is estimated that if the Clay Hunt Bill doesn't pass until the new Congress starts in 2015 that 1,980 Veterans will have died (needlessly) by their own hands. I have posted about this before in <a href="http://bluecorddude.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-tough-post.html" target="_blank">A Tough Post.</a> I have asked what would the world do if 22 celebrities committed suicide in a day, how big would the outcry be? I want you to read that post again. More importantly, if you know a Veteran who is in a bad place right now, during this Christmas season, please call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1. Or you can visit the Veterans Crisis Line <a href="http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/?gclid=Cj0KEQiA8MSkBRCP5LaRlcOAusMBEiQAiqldkk2B69pE-Ry_9kXESOxJU0HXpx6ePtttGpetbvDF15kaAuFc8P8HAQ" target="_blank">here.</a> Apparently, the politicians <strong>DO NOT CARE</strong>! We Veterans have to help each other. Just like on the battlefield. Just like on the confidence course. Just like in the barracks. <br />
How do I know the politicians don't give a damn? I've tried to call both of my senators. I couldn't even talk to a living breathing person to find out if Clay Hunt has a chance yet of passing in this Congress, in this year. I had to leave a voice mail both times. So, I figured neither one of them (Pat Toomey, Bobby Casey) have served an hour in the military. Why not get in touch with a senator who has served. Well, John McCain came to mind. A decorated war hero. A former Prisoner of War. I actually campaigned for McCain when he ran for president. So, I called his office. I can't even leave a damn voice mail. The mail box is full! So, yeah, if my grammer isn't correct, if it seems like I'm rambling, I AM! I am <strong>pissed</strong> off! Through out the time I have been writing this blog, I have learned and I have even espoused that politicians won't do anything until you get in touch with them and hold their feet to the fire. Make them know how you feel. I've said it before and I'll probably say it again. That is, of course, unless its almost Christmas time and it seems all of the politicians and their staffers really don't give a care. Not even enough to go through the messages in a voice mail box!<br />
Earlier, I said I would provide the freqs, the signals to reach out and contact someone. Well, here they <a href="https://www.senate.gov/resources/graphic/horiz_content_break.gif" target="_blank">are</a>. The phone number for every U.S. Senator. Call them. Even if you just call your senators. Call them. Every day. Because every day 22 Veterans commit suicide. Because every day that the Clay Hunt bill isn't passed and signed by the President is another day of wasted lives ending. I will call them every single day until it is passed. The last day of Hannukah, Hey, hope you enjoyed the season of lights, pass the Clay Hunt SAV Act. Christmas day, Hey Merry Christmas senator, pass the Clay Hunt Bill. New Year's Eve, Have a happy New Year, after you pass the Clay Hunt bill. They day the new Congress starts, Hey Congrats on winning a political race and landing in a cushy job in our nation's capitol. Now pass the damn Clay Hunt bill! So call. And call again. And every time that you can, use #VeteransLivesMatter when you are on social media. <br />
As a matter of fact, tonight 17 December 2014, at 2000 hrs EST (* p.m. East Coast time) Lets launch a twitter storm. Tweet about Veteran suicide. Veteran Homelessness. Use #VeteransLivesMatter in all your tweets. Do I care if it trends? Not really. I just want to get the message out. I have a readership per post of a little under a thousand views. So I'm not setting the world on fire in social media. I don't care about setting the social media world on fire. I care if I can save 1 Veteran's life. I care if I can get 1 Veteran under a roof. I care if I can help to get 1 Veteran seen by a VA doctor in a reasonable amount of time. I care about getting 1 Veteran suffering with PTSD the help he needs. There are a lot of us who want this. I'm just adding my voice. And I will add that voice to senate voice mails every day. If I get a response from either of my senators I will let you all know. I'm not holding my breath. Not even while I dial another senator's phone number.<br />
That is all.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
But that's not all. The name of the bill( unanimously passed by the House of Representatives) is the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act. This is <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-life-and-death-of-clay-hunt/" target="_blank">Clay Hunt</a>. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-9612456401058446892014-12-01T12:31:00.001-08:002014-12-01T12:31:26.211-08:00Warning Order <strong>Warning Order</strong>. In the military, that is a preliminary decree that your unit is about to do something. It could be a movement to another station. It could be your unit is about to participate in an offensive campaign that involves dozens or even hundreds of other units. Small or big, a warning order is issued to notify the unit to prepare for something. In this case, its my small effort to help out other Veterans. <br />
This post has been a long time in coming. It has taken me time to actually get the ball rolling. I'm going to try and help out a Veterans' homeless shelter in my area. It has taken me weeks to track down who to get in contact about the homeless shelter which is specifically for Veterans who are homeless. I'm now able to say I am have a contact number. The shelter is not run by the VA or any government agency. It's run by a local religious charity. Up until now I didn't know that charities had about as much red tape as governmental entities. Now, I do.<br />
This all started from the post on Veterans Day from @OldMarine1that I referenced in my last <a href="http://bluecorddude.blogspot.com/2014/11/all-way.html" target="_blank">post</a>. The more I thought about it, the more I knew I could do something to help my Brothers and Sisters-In-Arms. Maybe it's going to be something as simple as providing them with shampoo, toothpaste, etc when they arrive at the shelter. I know next year I am already planning on a clothing drive for the shelter (one has already been done this year.). Whatever it is, this is something that any of us can do. Even if its volunteering at a Veterans homeless shelter, we can all donate some time or money or effort to our Veterans.<br />
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<strong> Stats don't lie</strong>. According to the <a href="http://nchv.org/index.php/about/about/who_is_nchv/" target="_blank">National Coalition for Homeless Veterans,</a> on any given night there are almost 50,000 homeless Veterans all across our country. They include Veterans of World War II through our current war in Afghanistan. According to NCHV's <a href="http://nchv.org/index.php/news/media/background_and_statistics/" target="_blank">statistics,</a> a large number of Veterans that are homeless or at-risk also suffer from PTSD. That's no surprise as PTSD is the invisible wound that almost all of our Veterans, homeless or not, have. <br />
The NCHV also states community based nonprofit organizations are leading the way when it comes to caring for the Veteran homeless. I can't say I'm surprised, as the VA is still mishandling their homeless <a href="http://www.loscerritosnews.net/2014/06/12/corruption-and-cronyism-surround-the-west-los-angeles-veterans-affairs/" target="_blank">efforts.</a> <br />
The bottom line is simple. We all have to do something to help our Veterans. Since my first blog <a href="http://bluecorddude.blogspot.com/2014/06/veterans-taking-care-of-veterans.html" target="_blank">post</a> I've said Veterans have to take care of Veterans. You don't leave someone on the battlefield and you don't leave someone on a street corner. The VA still has to make improvements. More has to be done in the area of treating PTSD. It is up to Veterans and those who care about Veterans to do it. Plain and simple. The word has to get out about Veterans issues. PTSD, Veteran homelessness, and the continuing VA scandal (all areas of the VA need to be fixed-the VA hospitals are just one of the heads of the bureaucratic hydra that is failing our Vets). <br />
I hope to give you another progress update soon. As always, if you are a Veteran in a bad place, or if you know a Veteran in crisis, call 1-800-273-8255 or click this <a href="http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/" target="_blank">link</a> for the Veteran Crisis Line.<br />
That is all.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-15607322215488036512014-11-10T17:33:00.000-08:002014-11-10T17:33:00.380-08:00All the way<strong>Happy Birthday Leathernecks!</strong> On the date that this is posted, 10 November 2014, it is the 239th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. No, I am not a Marine, but I respect the hell out of them. During my time in the PA Army National Guard, I have been trained by numerous former Marines and I know that they are among the best trained military personnel in the world. To put Marines in perspective with the other armed forces in the U.S., you have to understand the size of the situation you are looking at. The Army is divided into Corps. I Corps is one area, II corps another, and so on. Yet, there is only one Marine Corps. And the Marine Corps is in their mission, all the way.<br />
Basically, when you are a Marine, you are a rifleman. You can be a computer tech, a helicopter pilot, etc. in the USMC but you are first and foremost, a rifleman. They have been called jarheads but I prefer devil dogs and leathernecks. From Bobby Fuller, who taught me about anti armor weapons when I was a TOW rat, to Ben Chamberlain, who taught me about reading a map and <u>not</u> getting lost, to a friend's son named Ty, who has just joined the Marine Corps, I salute all Leathernecks. And the reason why they have been given that nickname. You see, back in the 1800s there was a group called the Barbary Pirates. They were bloodthirsty savages (did I mention they were also muslims?) that were causing problems in what is now Libya. After some skirmishes with American ships, the Marines were called in to take care of the situation. The pirates were known to cut the heads off their victims (does this sound familiar?) so the Marines quickly took to wearing hardened leather gourgets around their necks, hence the term Leathernecks. Since we are still dealing with savages beheading people, I always refer to Marines as Leathernecks. And, I will always salute them and celebrate their birthday. Ooorah!<br />
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<strong> Update on the VA</strong>. If you didn't know VA Secretary Bob McDonald was on <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/robert-mcdonald-cleaning-up-the-veterans-affairs-hospitals/" target="_blank">60 Minutes</a> the other night. From watching the interview, or reading the transcript, you can tell that he is learning about bureaucracy. But, I think McDonald is doing his job, as well as he can. The VA system is not only entrenched in bureaucracy, but it is entrenched in antiquity. Antiquity of computer systems that haven't been updated, in some cases, since the 1980's. Antiquity of the internet. McDonald is bringing about changes that will reduce the 12 different websites that the VA uses into 1. <br />
Am I saying the VA Scandal is over? Hell, no. Not until all of the VA is functioning as it should. Not just the medical centers, but the other parts of the VA which are found lacking as well. A lot of the stories that are surrounding the VA say McDonald is "cleaning house". Well, its a rather messy place and, as I've said before, it won't be fixed in a day. McDonald supposedly wants to hire as many as 28,000 new medical employees for the VA. That's a tall order, especially when private hospitals are in competition with the VA medical centers for those doctors, technicians, and nurses. <br />
Between taking on the bureaucracy and adding thousands of new medical personnel, McDonald is, I believe, doing a good job so far. He needs to keep the pedal to the metal, as the saying goes, and he needs to remember the motto of his alma mater, West Point: Duty, Honor, Country.<br />
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<strong>Veterans' Day</strong>. I started this post off with a tribute to Leathernecks. I'm going to end talking about Veterans' Day and by referencing a recent blog post by <a href="http://screaminthewilderness.blogspot.com/2014/11/remembering-veterans-year-round.html" target="_blank">@OldMarine1</a> where he talks about how to honor our Veterans all year long. I agree with the post and I urge you to read it. Whether you have taken an Oath to defend this country or not, this is truly the best way to honor our Veterans. Free dinners are nice, but the men and women who have served this country know the meaning of selfless service. To be of service for them is the best way to honor them. There is a group on twitter that uses the hashtag #ISBU. Basically, what it means is "I'll Stand By U". Any time a Veteran needs to talk or is in a bad place, I will be there for you. It's a lot like the <a href="http://www.descendantsofsparta.com/homepage/" target="_blank">Spartan Pledge</a> which is run by <a href="http://www.descendantsofsparta.com/about/" target="_blank">A Gallant Few.</a> This organization, along with a whole list of other groups, including <em>Chili off the Grid</em> (I will always throw a shout out to those guys and the great job they are doing), are all interested in the same goal. The goal I think all Veteran Service Organizations have as one of their main goals, to stop the Veteran suicides that happen all too often, each and every day. To that extent, I think all of us should reach out to a Veteran, not just on Veterans' Day, but every day. Let them know they are appreciated. Let them know there is some one who will listen. #ISBU <br />
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If you are a Veteran or know of a Veteran who is in a dark place call the <a href="http://veteranscrisisline.net/" target="_blank">Veterans Crisis Line</a> 1-800-273-8255. You can also text them at 838255. You are not alone.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-54375757580578320892014-11-01T17:48:00.003-07:002014-11-03T16:08:08.094-08:00On the Way!! <strong>Free at last</strong>. Sgt Andrew Tahmooressi is finally free from his Mexican jail cell. Without a doubt this should have happened a lot sooner. Like 214 days sooner. But, if there is anything good that has come of this, it is the fact that a group of Americans were able to band together and bring about the release of a Veteran from a Mexican jail. What, you say it was a Mexican judge's ruling that set SGT Tahmooressi free? Yep, you're right. But, if anyone thinks Tahmooressi would be free today if it weren't for people like Montel Williams, Greta Van Sustern and USMCfamily (twitter handle), among others, then you might be voting for Pres. Obama soon. More about the upcoming election later on in this post.<br />
No, SGT Tahmooressi is free today because a group of people to include members of the media and even some politicians, took to the rooftops and let the world know that an injustice was being committed. If you wrote a letter, made a phone call, or sent an email/tweet/facebook post you are part of the reason SGT Tahmooressi is free. There is strength in numbers. We have seen that before during the VA scandal, and we are seeing it now with Tahmooressi's release. It's a team effort. That "team effort"is one of the basic tenets why the U.S. Military is one of the premier fighting forces in world. The U.S. Army Infantry relies on "buddy teams" to fight and move onto objectives. It is those buddy teams that helped our country win wars in Germany, Korea, Vietnam (yes Virginia, militarily we won the war in Vietnam), Iraq and Afghanistan. Weapons systems used in the Military require a "team effort" as well. On a mortar crew you need a gunner, assistant gunner/loader, a gun leader. In mechanized units the driver also sets the charges for the mortar round and may also operate the field phone with your fire direction control group. It takes all of those soldiers to send a round down range. And when the asst gunner is hanging that round and he yells "On the way!!" it is through the efforts of countless days training. Training with a gun crew. Training with his platoon. In a lot ways it is "We the People" personified on the battlefield.<br />
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<strong>Rock the vote</strong>. I alluded to the upcoming elections before. I really do try to keep out of the politics. This is a blog on Veterans Issues and Military issues. Too often, however, politics is tied into how our Veterans are treated in the U.S.A. The VA scandal is an outstanding example of politics and politicians rearing their ugly heads in the affairs of Veterans. I am a conservative and a firm advocate of the U.S. Constitution. That being said, I will forever be an advocate of anyone who has the privilege of being able to legally vote in the United States to do so. Election experts say we may see only about 20 to 30 % of registered voters vote in the upcoming Election 2014. That is a travesty. Earlier this year, the people of Scotland voted in a <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/events/scotland-decides" target="_blank">referendum</a> on their independence from the United Kingdom. More that 80% of them voted. One can only wonder what it would take for almost 90% of registered voters to actually cast a vote in an election in the U.S. The talk among the election experts in the media is which party can "energize" their voters to actually vote. Some say that the inaction by the current president means democrats will stay home and not vote. How about this, how about if you do vote and you register your disagreement with the way the United States is heading? If you don't like how the U.S. Senate isn't doing its job, go and vote. If you are a democrat it doesn't mean you can't vote for a republican, does it? I refuse to vote "straight party". I vote my mind. Whenever someone goes into a voting booth it should be like their political affiliation is gone. Poof. No more republican or democrat. You're now an independent. Vote for whoever you feel like in a general election. Here in PA, I have to choose one of the two major parties to vote in the Primary elections. That is something I'd love to see changed but first things first. Lets vote!<br />
After this election both the House of Representatives and the Senate could be under control of the Republican party. Harry Reid wouldn't be able to stop a vote on any bill presented to it from the House. This would be the Legislative branch of government against the Executive branch. One of the reasons why House resolution 620 (dealing with the imprisonment of SGT Tahmooressi) never made it out of committee was because it wouldn't be passed by the liberal controlled Senate onto a president who never lifted a pen or a phone to help out SGT Tahmooressi.<br />
But, I digress. My whole reason for writing about the election is that we need more of our country voting. Does it have to be about states' rights? Well, it is. Does it have to be about the security of our nation? Well, it is. To me, though, voting is about honoring those men and women who wear the Military uniform of the United States of America. To me, voting is about the ultimate <a href="http://bluecorddude.blogspot.com/2014/10/remember-heroes.html" target="_blank">sacrifice</a> far too many of my brothers and sisters have given for this country. <br />
When it all comes down to it, I want every American citizen to vote. Make your voice heard by voting. I've talked about the "team effort" it takes for a mortar platoon to function. Well, for our government to function it takes the same effort. "We The People" have to go out and vote. Don't sit home. Don't think that not casting a vote is your way of voting. Vote. Vote your mind. <br />
I cant really speak about financial issues. Trust me, my wife can vouch for that. I can only speak about issues of the Military and the Veterans. And regarding those issues, I can emphatically say our Veterans deserve better than what a lot of democrats have given us. Most have never served in the Military. To them, the Military is a humanitarian organization to help rebuild some place or to help with a medical issue like ebola. To a lot of Democrats (and some Republicans), the promises made to Veterans are an agreement that can be changed. That is wrong. A promise made to defend your country is a promise that should be kept in whole. Its a promise "We The People" need to make a "Team effort" to keep. And, to keep those promises to our Military and our Veterans, we need to vote. Look at who didn't sign HR 620 and, if they are up for election, send them a message by voting. <br />
I ask that you share this blog with anyone who has the privilege to vote. I hope that they will vote, no matter whom they vote for. It is the least any of us can do to honor our Veterans.<br />
That is all.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-19472426203335023272014-10-22T16:39:00.000-07:002014-10-22T16:39:23.175-07:00A call for reveille First and foremost, my prayers go out to the families of the Canadian Army soldiers killed murdered in the past few days first in <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/21/canadian-police-kill-radicalised-man-who-rammed-soldiers-in-quebec" target="_blank">Quebec</a> and now in <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ottawa-shooting-cpl-nathan-cirillo-dies-of-wounds-gunman-also-shot-dead-1.2808710" target="_blank">Ottawa.</a> While the politicians wait to figure out what is going on, I am issuing a warning to members of the Military in ALL Western nations: Prepare to defend yourself. <br />
These cowardly acts of murder and terror are a warning for all Military members; active duty, reserves, national guard. ISIS has said they want to attack Military members in their homes. It is now coming to fruition. And, it has happened in both <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/10073910/Woolwich-attack-terrorist-proclaimed-an-eye-for-an-eye-after-attack.html" target="_blank">Britain</a> and the U.S. It is disgusting. One of the things that makes it disgusting is that our country's leaders refuse to admit it is happening in the U.S.A. Its always workplace violence or just a random act of crime. Bull. The reason why it isn't happening more frequently in the U.S. is because of our 2nd Amendment. Nations like the U.K. and Canada, where gun ownership is either illegal or virtually impossible, are virtually painting targets on the backs of their Military members. I have had the pleasure to serve with members of the Canadian Military and the U.K. Military (Staffordshire Regiment blokes) and I hope that all of them stay safe. I know from statistics that this blog is read in many different countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Australia, and the Ukraine, among others. This is your call to awaken, your reveille if you will. Protect your six and your battle buddies six. The "radicalized" terrorists may be home grown now. And your street may become a battleground. Vary your travel routines. Stay alert. <br />
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Silhouette yourself. Members of combat arms units are taught not to silhouette yourself. Not to get yourself noticed on the battlefield. But, it seems, the media is taking this to the nth level (surprise, surprise). A well known Vietnam Veteran from Pennsylvania recently attended and spoke at a dedication in Washington, D.C. for a monument for Veterans who are totally disabled. What, you didn't hear about it? That's the problem. The New York Times didn't cover it. Almost no one did. This Veteran lost two legs and an arm serving his country. This monument is dedicated to the selfless sacrifice he and others have given for this country, and more people know about Renee Zellweiger's plastic surgery than a monument that is dedicated to men and women who have sacrificed everything but their life for this country! It is time to silhouette what Veterans do. We have to be the media. We have to be our own public relations. Stand up on that hilltop and shout "Hey look at what is going on here!" I will gladly give any Veterans group publicity here. Just give me an email at <a href="mailto:bluecorddude@gmail.com">bluecorddude</a><a href="mailto:bluecorddude@gmail.com"><a href="mailto:bluecorddude@gmail.com"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><a href="mailto:bluecorddude@gmail.com"></a><a href="mailto:bluecorddude@gmail.com"><a href="mailto:bluecorddude@gmail.com">@gmail.com</a>. This Veterans Day let us be outspoken. This is a Fire For Effect mission. For those of you who don't know what I mean, when artillery or mortars hit their target, the forward observer calls fire for effect. All rounds you have from all your guns go to those coordinates. Blast it to bits, so to say. Well, we Veterans should Fire For effect with publicity for this coming Veterans Day. And every single day after that. HOOAH!</a></a></a><br />
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Hey did you hear that the Mexican judicial system has said they can't take care of SGT Andrew Tahmooressi's PTSD? Yeah, two weeks ago. What's happened since then? Absolutely nothing. If the Mexican government is going to act and free SGT Tahmooressi then justice travels very, very slowly in Mexico. If they wanted to get a message about SGT Tahmooressi to the White House, they should probably strap it to the back of an illegal immigrant crossing the border. Wanna talk about record time? That would be it.<br />
So what is being done onthis side of the border? Here is a list of the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-resolution/620/cosponsors" target="_blank">cosponsors</a> for House Resolution 620, which asks the government of Mexico to release SGT Tahmooressi. So far it has been to three different committees in the House of Representatives. So far as I know, the Senate doesn't want to touch it. That would mean they would actually have to pass something on to the White House. Hell, President Obama has a pen and a phone. Why does he need the Senate to do anything? He can just call up the Mexican president and ask him to have SGT Tahmooressi released. He has called the Mexican government. While other officials in the White House and the Obama administration has talked to the Mexican government, he (Pres. Obama) has NEVER mentioned SGT Tahmooressi. Silence speaks volumes at times.<br />
Officially, <a href="http://www.worldmag.com/2014/10/marine_s_days_in_a_mexican_jail_may_be_numbered" target="_blank">here</a> is the latest news on SGT Andrew Tahmooressi. We all can only hope he will be released soon.<br />
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That is all. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-57498062159700440792014-10-13T18:06:00.000-07:002014-10-13T18:06:34.033-07:00Remember the Barrycades <em> 13 October 2013</em>. It was a Sunday and I wasn't anywhere near a church. Early that morning I was heading down to Washington, D.C. with a fellow Veteran. He was a Veteran of Vietnam and all of the horrors that war was and, in some ways, still is. I was going to the Million Veteran March. Upset about National Parks, including every single Veterans Memorial this great country has, being closed down and barricaded off. The Honor Flights were still going on and hundreds of World War II Veterans were being denied seeing the monuments dedicated to their selfless service. It was said numerous times that day that our President was doing more to keep Veterans away from the war memorials than his administration did to help them (and this was before the VA Scandal broke in early 2014). It could be said today that Obama did more to keep Veterans away from the memorials and monuments that they sacrificed for than he is doing to keep ebola victims out of this country. <br />
I hate mixing politics with this blog because, in essence, I don't believe any one political party is solely to blame for the plight of our nation's Veterans. They all are. Truthfully, some can point fingers at the Republicans who shut down the government, which was the cause of the shut down of the U.S. National Parks and Monuments. Of course, it really did seem like the Obama administration was going out of their way to closedown the monuments and National Parks. The Header photo is a pic I took while at the Veterans March on D.C. Two presumed Veterans carrying off what became known as "barrycades" named after Pres. Barack "Barry" Obama. In truth, a U.S. Park Ranger doesn't have to be at the World War II Memorial, or the Vietnam Wall, or any other memorial I visited a year ago, so there was no reason to "close them down" or barricade them. Truthfully, the Park Rangers and the politicians should have read the first line of the sign below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygx3QqKhm9lF_l6MEPNzLQTWNNod1mtmuoCdir9oUWQ9AmJ_iRTSMh4LQUgN6CkTpD7XqBoybZw9jhSBuw1Z6v-7AVLTx04SF4oh65l_YZi0uHBrhZN5lR0yUEGy823I2hVT-I7ZgV18/s1600/Memorial+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygx3QqKhm9lF_l6MEPNzLQTWNNod1mtmuoCdir9oUWQ9AmJ_iRTSMh4LQUgN6CkTpD7XqBoybZw9jhSBuw1Z6v-7AVLTx04SF4oh65l_YZi0uHBrhZN5lR0yUEGy823I2hVT-I7ZgV18/s1600/Memorial+sign.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Indeed everyone should Honor Our Veterans. Truthfully, very few really do. Some Veterans have given their lives. Most Combat Veterans have given blood and sweat and have injuries that are not always visible or physical. </div>
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The politicians should also listen to the last line of the sign. Just as coins may damage the fountain, throwing money at a problem doesn't solve it. The VA Scandal is an example of that because, as I have said and will tell you again, the VA Scandal isn't over. So, one year away from the Veterans March on D.C., let us remember to Honor The Veterans. Stay aware and keep on the politicians to always Honor Our Veterans. The problem is, you may have to tell them<em> how</em> to honor them. </div>
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<em> In the you gotta be kidding me dept</em>. I am continually amazed at how gullible people can be. Take, for example, the current scare of ebola. Is it a very serious threat? Hell yeah. Any disease with over 75% kill rate is very serious. I just don't understand why, as I alluded to above, we are letting people flying from the countries affected to come to our country without the needed precautions. As I said above, this president's administration did more to stop World War II Veterans from going to memorials than they are doing to stop people possibly afflicted with ebola from coming to this country. </div>
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Another Veteran who blogs (and has mentored me in my blogging career, whether he knows it or not) had a post about a photojournalist who has launched a crowd funding campaign to pay for his medical bills, because he may have ebola. I, like <a href="http://avetwithptsd.com/" target="_blank">A Vet With PTSD</a> find it hard to believe that people are actually donating to his crowd funding plea when there are hundreds if not thousands of Veterans who have to beg and plead to get the funding for service animals or other treatments for their injuries. This is just another example of how our government is failing U.S. Veterans. Please, take some time and read <a href="http://avetwithptsd.com/blowing-off-steam/" target="_blank">Blowing off steam</a> by A Vet With PTSD. Check out his blog, it is a work of therapy for him and he is also a very good writer. I also am going to ask everyone, including myself, to take <a href="http://avetwithptsd.com/took-veteran-challange/" target="_blank">The Veteran Video Challenge</a> it is something we all should do and that A Vet with PTSD has started to raise awareness of the help our Veterans need. Once again, I too need to heed this call myself.</div>
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<em>Marine Still Held in Mexico</em>. Once again, I write this blog and, once again, SGT Andrew Tahmooressi is still in a prison in Mexico. Mexico themselves have said they cant treat Tahmooressi for his PTSD. Still he sits. The judge in charge of the case may call for final arguments any day <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-marine-awaits-ruling-20141011-story.html" target="_blank">now</a>. Still he sits in a cell in Mexico. Our President is fundraising for democratic candidates, some of whom want only the money he brings, not any allegiance to his presidency. He,President Obama, claims to have a pen and a phone. Still, SGT Tahmooressi sits in Mexico against his will. This is a disgrace and I hope all who read this post will call their elected officials and demand the freedom of SGT Tahmooressi. I also ask that we all keep SGT Tahmooressi and his family in our prayers and our thoughts. One of the good things that has happened is that Honor Air has donated 20 grand to Tahmooressi's fund for legal obligations and those of his family as they travel to Mexico (remember flights and hotels are pricey--its a tourist destination for crying out loud) to support SGT Tahmooressi. We can only hope he will soon be free.</div>
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Once again, if you or someone you know is a Veteran who is in a dark place, please call the <a href="http://veteranscrisisline.net/" target="_blank">Veteran Crisis Line</a> 1-800-273-8255. We all have to stop the madness that is Veteran Suicide. If it will help, please check out my post on Veteran suicide <a href="http://bluecorddude.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-tough-post.html" target="_blank">here.</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-86483453258896192692014-10-04T18:14:00.000-07:002014-10-04T18:14:14.568-07:00Remember The Heroes First, I must apologize for the length between my posts. A very dear friend of mine has told me to make sure I post every week, at least once. I've had internet problems (basically a dinosaur dsl modem). Yeah, I still had the internet on my phone but I must admit part of the problem is my subject for this post. We all have Heroes. Mine, for the most part, are dead. This post is about friends that I lost in the course of 10 days. I knew them when they were alive. I drank with most of them. I ate, slept and lived with them at least once a month, usually more than that. I served with them in Charlie Company of the 1/109 Infantry Regiment (Mechanized), 55th Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division. Before deploying overseas the company would change to Bravo Company but whatever the designation, I remember my Brothers-In-Arms. Remember The Heroes.<br />
Nine years ago on 28 September 2005, the stay back members of my unit were gathering for a viewing. The "stay backs" are soldiers who didn't deploy. In my case my diabetes kept me home. I tried to go. I was (am) Infantry. But, regardless, I had to stay back. Spc Will Evans died in Iraq on 19 September 2005. He was a driver and an IED triggered by another vehicle in a convoy detonated. It took them 9 days to bring back his body. The stay backs were Honor Guard. At the armory in New Milford we learned from our assistant Bn (Battalion) Commander that the crew (a driver, gunner and Bradley Commander) & two dismounts (Ground Infantrymen) were killed in another IED explosion. The men were all close to me. They should be, they were all in my Platoon. The dismounts were my my squad. As a SGT I was a dismount team leader. SSG Dan Arnold was my squad leader. Now, he was dead. SSG George Pugliese (Bradley Commander), SGT Erik Slebodnik (Gunner), SPC Lee Wiegand (Driver), and SPC Oliver Brown (Dismount Team Member) were also dead.<br />
Shocked. Devastated. I still can't put into words how I felt, or how I feel to this day, about that moment. Men that I had known were dead. Father. Sons. Brothers. Gone. Coupled with another death earlier that year, 2005 was not a friend to the 109th (The Regiment). <br />
I served as Honor Guard for almost all of them, except for SPC Oliver's viewing and funeral, which was held the same day as my Squad Leader's viewing and funeral. <br />
<strong>I remember George Pugliese</strong>. During his viewing (I remember all of them but his stands out.) A lot of the other Honor Guards for his viewing were not from our company. Since I knew his family, I told the rest of the guards that when I left for my "shift" to stand by his urn and his burial flag "I'm the last one to stand by him. He was my Section Leader and I owe him that much. To stand by him for one last time." The "shifts" were supposed to be a half hour. It was 30 minutes until the viewing was supposed to end. Little did I know the doors weren't closing. So many people had come to pay their respects to SSG Pugliese, I was out there, at Parade Rest, for over any hour. I still remember SSG Earl Toy and another soldier came out. At first I tried to figure out how to tell them I wasn't leaving. George left 3 kids and a wonderful wife (along with a very spirited mother) behind. I owed him a lot. He had taught me so much about leadership and what it is to be an NCO (Non Commissioned Officer) and a soldier. In the end, though, SSG Toy had a very different message. As he came to attention in front of me, I came to attention. We saluted that long, formal last salute with white gloved hands. Then, Earl said matter of factly, "John, don't move. You've been out here for over an hour and a half. If you move you may collapse from being at Parade Rest for so long. We are going to take the urn and the flag. Only move after we have left the room." So, they ceremoniously picked up the urn and the flag and left the drill floor. (The viewing was at the Carbondale Armory). As people followed them I came to attention again and started to march. Some of the other Honor Guards rushed over to me, helping to support me if I needed it. It was my honor to spend those last moments with George, if only in spirit, before his funeral. It was my honor to serve with all of those men. To this day, I wish I was there in Ar Ramadi with them. <br />
<strong> I remember Erik Slebodnik</strong>. I had always said that whenever I went to a review board (for rank or soldier of month, etc.) that I would have wanted to have Erik with me. He was studious. He knew weapons ranges and tactics. He was a soldier's soldier. Did he drink? No, he was also one of the most religious men I have ever known. He was one of the best Men I have ever known. Period.<br />
<strong><em> </em>I remember Lee Wiegand</strong>. He always had a smile on his face. Nothing ever seemed to bring him down. He came to me before deploying and asked me about getting married. I told him that, if he was sure it was love, to do it.<br />
<strong> I remember Dan Arnold</strong>. Dan was one of the best mechanics we ever had for the Bradley Fighting Vehicles. Then, he transitioned over to the Infantry. For the short period of time that I served as one of his team leaders, he was a stand up NCO. And he was a very good man.<br />
<strong> I remember Billy Evans</strong>. He was a rascal. Unbreakable. He had mischief on his mind almost all the time. He reminded me of myself, although I think he would have won if you counted the number of article 15s we each had. He was one of the best drivers in our company.<br />
<strong> I remember Oliver Brown</strong>. He was always the quiet one. One of the Bradford County boys. It was rare that one of our soldiers was quiet and from Bradford County. A good soldier. Dependable. A good kid.<br />
There are so many memories. There were so many funerals. Due to the circumstances of their deaths (an IED blast that totally burnt up their Bradley) it took a long time for their bodies (or as much of their DNA that could be identified) to come back home. It was like torture for the families and all of us that were back home. I remember my friends. I remember my Brothers-In-Arms. I Remember The Heroes.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-82260932069978031102014-09-23T17:19:00.000-07:002014-09-23T17:19:20.668-07:00In line at the chow hall I would like to apologize for the lateness of this post. I was going to post it last weekend but I had internet problems. Combined with two children who were, for pretty much the first time, deprived of the internet (think of all the online games that are played real time, plus youtube, et al) and you have a situation. So I took the approach of dealing with it like I was standing in line at the chow hall. NCOs (Noncommissioned officers) usually let the lower ranks eat first, especially during field meals, because you don't know if they brought out enough rations. More than a couple times during an FTX (field training exercise) did the NCOs in my mortar platoon have to take half a ration or (in the case of green egg T-Rats) just skip that meal in favor of any poogie bait they brought with them. <br />
That's how I dealt with the internet problem. I let the kids have their share of playing minecraft, halo or whatever else they wanted to do. Now, I'm back for the attack, as I'm often fond of saying. Let's see what our targets are looking like today.<br />
<em> Marine held in Mexico</em>. That didn't take long. Yes, SGT Andrew Tahmooressi is still in a freaking jail in Mexico. It is absolutely despicable that he is still in a jail cell, and even more reprehensible that he is being held in Mexico. The country where a lot of drugs and weapons come out of (just stating facts) is holding a U.S. Marine for bringing in legal (in the U.S.A.) firearms. Firearms that he declared he had when he made that wrong turn. I know that unless you've been living outside the thunder of the media for the past 6 months, you know exactly what the deal is for SGT Tahmooressi, but I believe in restating the facts, as outlandish as they are. <br />
But now we have something else to keep the spotlight on our beloved Devil Dog. Remember the lesson of the Veterans Admin scandal. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. The VA has been broken for decades, yet recently we have gotten some action on making the VA (and the politicians & bureaucrats) make good on their mission of taking care of this country's Veterans. Well, the same will hopefully be said of keeping SGT Tahmooressi's plight in the public eye. Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ) & Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) have set up a Congressional <a href="http://salmon.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/chairman-royce-salmon-announce-hearing-on-sgt-tahmooressi" target="_blank">hearing</a> on SGT Tahmooressi's imprisonment. SGT Tahmooressi's mother, Jill, will testify art the hearing as to what her son has gone through since he was taken into Mexican custody in March. LCDR Montel Williams (ret) will also testify at the hearing. <br />
The hearing is being touted as a PTSD hearing. SGT Tahmooressi suffers from PTSD and the hearing attests to the fact that he is not being treated for his PTSD while in Mexican confinement. The hearing is set for 1 October at 1000 hrs. (yes, 10 a.m. civilian time. My wife does remind me I am not in the military, but old habits die hard.)<br />
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<em>Treating the devil</em>. PTSD is another one of those tough subjects. It affects many of our Military. I have friends who need two hands to count the number of times they've been "blown up" while on patrol over in Iraq. Many of our returning Veterans also have physical injuries. PTSD is an injury you can't see. It's also an injury which needs to be treated better by the aforementioned VA. There are numerous private groups that help with PTSD treatment. From groups like <a href="http://www.k9sforwarriors.org/" target="_blank">K9s for Warriors</a> that help with hooking up Veterans with specially trained dogs that can help the Veteran overcome bouts of PTSD to other groups like <a href="http://chilioffthegrid.com/box/themes/COTG-V3/images/chili-off-the-grid-sportsman-channel-carbontv-kake-veteran-hunting-fishing-outdoors-brand-logo-large-01.png" target="_blank">Chili's Off the Grid</a> that help by providing therapy in the form of hunting and a sense of camaraderie that Veterans need. Treatment for PTSD is more than just medication and counseling by some doctor who has probably never even been in "combat boots". It is a group effort, so to say. More ways of treatment are being developed and the VA and it's political handlers in Congress, must remember that. The VA should be among the leaders in the treatment of PTSD and, in my opinion, it isn't. That has to change. Far more has to be said about PTSD. And, yes, there are numerous groups that help Veterans with different types of therapy, whether its dogs or whatever. I will mention more groups as I can.<br />
I am also not an expert on PTSD, but I want to help my Brothers & Sisters who know all too well what it is like living with this devil every day. Please, let me know where I can get information or talk to groups who deal with PTSD. <br />
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<em>Platoon, Fall In!</em> There seems to be some infighting among some of the Veterans advocates on social media. Let me fire a warning shot and say THIS HAS TO STOP! I don't want to mention some members that have been attacked but I will say this, we all need to stand together. It's the United We Stand thing. We have to leave our differences at the door of twitter or facebook or whatever social media we are using because we are heard and seen better when we stand together. We are Veterans. We served in the Military. We need to stay in formation, no matter what. It is kinda like being in line for the chow hall. Some of us go first. Others go last. But we all are here for the same reason. To make sure Veterans get the care, respect and recognition that they are due.<br />
That is all. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-9569738808283531922014-09-10T17:10:00.002-07:002014-09-10T17:10:55.282-07:00Home of the Brave <strong>America</strong>. The Home of the Brave. The Land of the Free. That's what I think of when someone mentions our country. It truly is the Land of the Free because it is the Home of the Brave. And the Brave are our nation's Veterans. Every Veteran, in my opinion, is brave. Yet, do you have to be a Vet to be brave? <br />
Pardon my wandering mind in the opening section, but it's a question that I have in my mind. There are so many memories that swirl around this time of year. Tomorrow is the 13th anniversary of the attacks on NYC, the Pentagon, and rural Pennsylvania. All of The United States of America really. I've also lost 9 Brothers-In-Arms in August and September over the past 9 years. Two others have been horrifically wounded in that time span. And I have still have Brothers (&Sisters) in-Arms still serving. One just joined the military in the past year. That's Bravery for you.<br />
And, at times that are troubling, bravery is carrying on. I remember the attacks on September 11th vividly. I was in the PA Army National Guard at the time. My civilian job was working for a telecommunications company doing telecom relay, a service for deaf and hard of hearing people. I was working a split shift that day in 2001. I would work 4 hours in the morning, have four hours off, and then come back in to work for another 4 hours. Well, my shift that day started at 9 a.m. Before going on the "call floor" I saw the news reports of the planes hitting the World Trade Center Towers. I was so shocked that I unconsciously dropped a bottle of Mountain Dew I had just bought out of a vending machine. The next few hours were chaotic evil. No one knew what the hell was happening. Operators on the floor were trying to piece together what was happening. We didn't have a t.v. to watch for news updates. All phone lines to NYC and the surrounding area were down. As relay operators we had to type verbatim what we heard. So, when an error message said that a tornado had hit New York City, we had to type that. Of course that didn't make sense to our customers but you weren't supposed to interject anything. Federal rules. Rules which I and others broke that day as we explained that phone lines were down because of an attack on New York City. <br />
The calls were numerous that day. And not all of it was for New York. Georgia was a state that we had the contract for to provide relay services. Lots of people in the state were worried that Atlanta might be the next target. <br />
When it did come time for me to leave after my 4 hours, I at first took my backpack which contained my headset and other stuff for the job with me. When I walked back onto the call floor and left it near a wall, one of my friends said "Good, that's positive thinking." Myself and others were wondering if I would return to work that day. After leaving the building I saw my wife pushing my then not quite 3-year-old daughter in a stroller. She was hurrying and when we saw each other we both dashed into the street to hold each other. It sounds like almost suicide, but it wasn't. The streets were practically empty. The local mall was closing early. It was deserted. People were glued to their televisions. And they were afraid. When I held my wife, it was then that I learned (this was almost 1 p.m. Eastern time) that the Towers had collapsed. I couldn't believe it when I was on the call floor and heard it. Later I would see the awful pictures that are forever in my memory. For the record, yes, I do think we should show those images. Not just once a year either. You can't remember something if you've never seen it. For my son's generation, I hope they will never forget what happened on that September morning. And what has happened in the years that have passed since then.<br />
Later on, I would report to my unit. I wasn't needed and we weren't going to deploy (at least not at that time). I donated blood. I watched in disbelief and horror. Later, I went back to work. It was more chaotic times, but, that's bravery for you.<br />
Now, it's 13 years later. It seems like some people are still afraid. They don't want to do too much on September 11, 2014. Well, I have to ask the question why? We are the Home of the Brave, after all. And, we cannot be afraid to do something on the anniversary of the terror attacks that struck home all those years ago. Like a character says (and I am not quoting here) in the movie series Harry Potter, "fear of (a thing) only increases its power."<br />
Well, as my Dad would say, To hell with that." My son's Boy Scout Troop is holding their regular meeting tomorrow night. He wasn't even alive in 2001. His generation will never know what it was like to see the Twin Towers in the skyline over New York City. They have never known what it is like to not live in a world threatened by terror attacks. To me, every single kid his age is brave. I never even knew what a terrorist was when I was born in 1967. Now, every single day, that word is mentioned at least once on the nightly news. But these kids are going out and doing something on September 11, 2014. That is bravery for you.<br />
So let's prove this is the Home of the Brave by doing something tomorrow. Anything really. Play outside. Go for a walk. Anything. Because my friends who have died because of the 9/11 attacks didn't die in vain. Tomorrow, and everyday, I work, play and live to honor their sacrifice. HOOAH!<br />
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<strong>Brave in Mexico</strong>. Another example of bravery is Sgt Andrew Tahmooressi. Still in jail in Mexico, he is a Combat Veteran who is still putting in his time in hell. As of yesterday, he had another <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/09/10/lawyers-for-sgt-andrew-tahmooressi-pore-over-surveillance-video-in-marathon/" target="_blank">hearing</a>. His lawyer seems optimistic. We can only hope and pray for the best. Like I said, he's already served his time in hell in combat. He doesn't need to spend any more time there. Please continue to call your Representatives to voice your concerns about Tahmooressi's confinement and to <strike>ask them</strike> tell them to support <a href="https://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-resolution/620" target="_blank">House Resolution 620</a> and to help make it a bill by passing it. As to whether or not that will do any good, I don't know, but it's the best thing we can do to show our support for a Brave Marine.<br />
That is all.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-21702174800709549522014-09-05T18:51:00.001-07:002014-09-05T18:54:05.759-07:00A foxhole is never done I know it's been longer than usual for this post. With the kids going back to school it has been a rather active week. It's kind of like a foxhole, the work is never done. For those of you who either weren't in the military or were in a non land based branch of the military, let me explain.<br />
Once you make your defensive position foxhole, you are never done making it better. There is the constant camouflage replacement (can't have dead leaves giving it away), along with improving your position. Adding grenade sumps, left & right limits for your areas of fire, etc. It's kinda like your house. You improve things as you get time and resources to add different things. <br />
Of course, one thing that Veterans deal with could use a lot of improving. You guessed it, I'm talking about the Veterans Administration. I've been saying (and I will keep on bringing it up) that the VA Scandal is not over. Since he has taken over, Sec. McDonald has been making improvements. There is now a pilot program for <a href="http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2617" target="_blank">rural</a> Veterans who live far away from VA Medical Centers. Yes, this is only in five different areas, but it is a start. Two of the programs are run by state entities (Maine and New Mexico) while the other three (Westcare Washington which includes Washington state and Oregon, Volunteers of America of Northern Louisiana which includes areas of Arkansas and Texas as well as Louisiana, and the Nebraska Association of Healthcare Directors for Nebraska) are all non profit organizations. It's also interesting to note that Maine's pilot program is being run by the state's department of labor. This will be a test to see if non profit organizations can handle Veterans' healthcare better than governmental organizations, to say the least.<br />
In addition to the rural pilot program, other larger hospitals are also taking care of VA medical benefits as well. And Sec. McDonald has also created a push to hire more <a href="http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2616" target="_blank">medical</a> professionals for the VAMCs. And then, there are VA town hall meetings.<br />
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As I am sure you've all heard by now, the VA wanted to train their members on how to deal with Veterans during the town hall meetings in my native Pennsylvania. The above image of Oscar the Grouch was supposed to represent Veterans and how they can be "grouchy". While the VA publicity officials have tried to say Oscar was supposed to <a href="http://articles.philly.com/2014-08-28/news/53290072_1_va-office-veterans-affairs-philadelphia-va" target="_blank">represent</a> the VA officials themselves, most other stories by the media have mentioned that the <a href="http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/08/28/va-training-guide-compares-vets-oscar-grouch" target="_blank">title</a> of the slideshow was "Dealing with Veterans during town hall meetings." <br />
I also want to point out something I haven't seen mentioned in reports of the slideshow. Look at Oscar's garbage can. It's gold. Normally, his garbage can is the normal steel type color. Could it be that the VA is trying to "paint" Veterans as having a lot? Like they have it all and want more. I would hope that that isn't what was meant but, we are dealing with bureaucrats in the VA. <br />
And all I've talked about is the VAMCs. We haven't even touched the other parts of the VA Scandal. I'm sure, however, that we can all agree on two things. The VA Scandal isn't over and Sec. McDonald needs to realize just how alike the VA Scandal and a foxhole really are. <br />
To borrow a cable news network's slogan, I'm trying to be fair and balanced with the VA. Sometimes, however, it just comes down to the fact that a massive overhaul has to be undertaken. That's why I am constantly saying the VA Scandal isn't over. It didn't just get broken overnight during the Obama administration. It's been broken a long, long time. For the VA to be fixed new approaches like the rural Veteran care program have to be tried out. But changes will have to be made to the entire VA. And that includes the ability for Sec. McDonald to be able to fire people and make changes as needed. And that is where the politicians come into play. And that, dear reader, is where you come into play as well. We have to keep the their feet to the proverbial fire. It's the only way the VA Scandal will ever truly be over.<br />
That is all.<br />
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The 7th Annual Jan Argonish Ride will be held Sunday September 7th. Registration is from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. For more information please click <a href="http://www.jansride.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Rockin Fest will be held Sunday, September 13th in Newton, NJ from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information on this event please check out their <a href="http://www.rockinfest.org/" target="_blank">website</a>.</div>
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If you have an event that benefits Veterans or Active duty Military, please let me know about it and I'll post it in upcoming editions of the Citizen-Soldier Blog. Just email me at <a href="mailto:bluecorddude@gmail.com">bluecorddude</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">@gmail.com</a> </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-58348334655173970092014-08-27T17:34:00.003-07:002014-08-27T17:34:33.568-07:00Hitting the SP First of all, thank you to everyone that has not only read or shared my last blog post on Veterans suicide, but to all of those who have emailed, tweeted or even called me to say thank you for the post. The attention and page views that this post has garnered is a sign, I hope, that I am reaching Veterans and their family members about this tragedy. As a result, I will continue to call for Veterans to help Veterans, as I did in my first <a href="http://bluecorddude.blogspot.com/2014/06/veterans-taking-care-of-veterans.html" target="_blank">post</a> of The Citizen-Soldier Blog. It's kind of like hitting the SP of a military convoy. SP means Starting Point. It all begins with Vets helping Vets.<br />
I am also giving the link to the <a href="http://www.descendantsofsparta.com/" target="_blank">Spartan Pledge</a> from <a href="http://www.gallantfew.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/new_logo_Mar2011-300x103.png" target="_blank">gallantfew.org.</a> No matter what service you were in, or where you served, you had a battle buddy. The guy who was in front of you when you did a room entry. If you were a driver, the gunner who did PMCS with you (anyone who was/is Mech or Armor knows what I'm talking about). Every man and woman who has served has a battle buddy. They had your back then, so call them up and have them take the Spartan Pledge with you. 22 of our Brothers and Sisters are taking their own lives every single day! We Veterans have to take care each other. It could be the guy you throw darts with at the Legion Post who is a Vietnam Vet. It could be the Coast Guard Veteran who has become a good friend. Take the Pledge and always remember: <strong>You cannot make someone commit suicide by talking about it</strong>. <br />
<em>VA scandal</em>. The President recently addressed the American Legion Convention being held in Charlotte, Virginia. His <a href="https://www.blogger.com/Caller%20http://dailycaller.com/2014/08/26/obamas-speech-to-the-american-legion-was-painfully-awkward-video/" target="_blank">reception</a> wasn't especially warm. And, just to be apolitical about it, here is another link, from a media source not right leaning, about his muted <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2014/08/26/muted-reception-for-president-obama-in-charlotte.html" target="_blank">reception.</a> The truth of the matter is the VA scandal isn't owned by any one president. This mismanagement/corruption of the Veterans Administration goes back not just years or decades but generations. For a very thorough history of problems with the VA please check out this <a href="http://screaminthewilderness.blogspot.com/2014/07/a-long-history-of-va-problems-have-to.html" target="_blank">post</a> from a fellow Veteran blogger. I hope he doesn't mind that I am linking to his post but, once again, we Veterans have to stick together. <br />
The main message I am trying to get across is simply, if the Betrayal (because that is what it is...not a scandal, but a betrayal) of the VA is going to stop then the politicians and bureaucrats are going to have to help in that process. For some of those groups, I fear it is going to be help facilitated by a stick not a carrot. I will make as much of a ruckus as I can to help Secretary McDonald in cleaning up the mess in the VA. I ask all of you to sound the alarm as well. I've said it before, and I'll say it again:<strong> The VA scandal is not over.</strong> Not by a long shot.<br />
<em>Back to square one.</em> I started this post off by talking again about Veteran suicide and I'm going to end this post with a link to a story published recently by <u>USA Today</u>. Written by Dennis Wagner, who write for the Arizona Republic and USA Today, the <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/25/vets-suicides-data/14554371/" target="_blank">article</a> shows how the VA, even since Congress passed and the President signed a bill to "take care of" the VA scandal, is still betraying the Veterans of the United States of America. <br />
That is all.<br />
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If you know of a Veteran who may be thinking about suicide, or you are a Veteran who is contemplating it, please call the <a href="http://veteranscrisisline.net/?gclid=CjwKEAjwg_afBRD3rpChlqiKt1ESJACwY6NknABknFOsJhJS5QWVUWaagsVH2UtTpXNB9jSEuuG1ghoCVUfw_wcB" target="_blank">Veterans Crisisline </a>at 1800 273 8255.</div>
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The 7th Annual SGT Jan Argonish Ride will be held Sunday, September 7th. For more information please click <a href="http://www.sgtjanargonish.com/images/7th_header.jpg" target="_blank">here.</a></div>
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Sources used include: USA Today, gallantfew.org, The Triad Business Journal, Scream in the Wilderness by @OldMarine1 and The Daily Caller. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-37800259387247408482014-08-19T17:11:00.003-07:002014-08-19T17:11:31.137-07:00A Tough Post I've wanted to write this blog for some time now. In reality, I've wanted to write this post for years. Also in reality, I've dreaded writing this post. It's a tough one to write. It's a tough post to deal with the subject. The subject is Veteran suicide and I know a Veteran who committed suicide. That's why it's hard to write this post. It's not like I was best friends with him, but that doesn't matter. Suicide, by it's nature, is somewhat taboo in normal everyday society. It's not really reported on in the media. Most newspapers won't run a story about an individual committing suicide. The only exceptions are murder suicides (which are increasing) and suicide by cop (doing something to harm someone else so a police officer will kill you). <br />
As I said above, suicide is somewhat taboo in normal civilian society. In the Veteran society it's safe to say talking about is taboo. Thinking about it is more common than you would think in the Veteran community. That's two things that should change. We Veterans should talk about suicide. We should talk to someone if we ever think about committing suicide. That's one of the missions of <a href="http://www.gallantfew.org/" target="_blank">gallantfew.org.</a> It's called the <a href="http://www.descendantsofsparta.com/" target="_blank">Spartan Pledge</a> and the basic gist of the pledge is to call your battle buddy first before you try to commit suicide. Talking about it to someone else can help you see through the dark spot you are in and help you realize that <strong>suicide is never the answer</strong>. <br />
<br />
<strong>22 Everyday</strong>. Despite it not being a good answer EVER, approximately 22 Veterans commit suicide everyday. Think about that for a moment. within one week more than 100 Veterans end their own lives. That number is horrendous. Last week, Robin Williams committed suicide. He was a tremendous supporter of the USO and, of course, he was very big celebrity. Think about if 22 celebrities committed suicide in just one week. There would be a lot more news coverage of it, and that is part of the problem. Pop culture celebrates those who sing or swing a baseball bat well. What about the Veteran who has just come back from Afghanistan? He survived a war zone. To me, that's an achievement beyond a .374 batting average or being able to have a top 40 chart topping song. <br />
OK, I know I can't change how everyone feels about A-Rod(who had to take drugs to perform better than other baseball players) or Kanye West (who is famous for what I am still trying to figure out), but I hope I can help change the way people look and act and deal with suicide, especially as it pertains to Veterans. I teach suicide prevention where I work and I want to dispel one major myth. <strong><u>You cannot talk someone into committing suicide.</u></strong> There. I said it. If you mention suicide it will not make someone do it. It can only help someone not do it. <br />
While there are no definite symptoms of suicide, here is a list of warning signs for Veterans (taken from the Veterans Crisis line website):<br />
<br />
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Appearing sad or
depressed most of the time<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Clinical depression:
deep sadness, loss of interest, trouble sleeping and eating—that doesn’t go
away or continues to get worse<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Feeling anxious,
agitated, or unable to sleep<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Neglecting personal
welfare, deteriorating physical appearance<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Withdrawing from
friends, family, and society, or sleeping all the time<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Losing interest in
hobbies, work, school, or other things one used to care about<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Frequent and dramatic
mood changes<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Expressing feelings of
excessive guilt or shame<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Feelings of failure or
decreased performance<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Feeling that life is
not worth living, having no sense of purpose in life<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Talk about feeling
trapped—like there is no way out of a situation<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Having feelings of
desperation, and saying that there’s no solution to their problems</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Times New Roman;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Their behavior may be dramatically different
from their normal behavior, or they may appear to be actively contemplating or
preparing for a suicidal act through behaviors such as:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Performing poorly at
work or school<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Times New Roman;">
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Acting recklessly or
engaging in risky activities—seemingly without thinking<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Showing violent
behavior such as punching holes in walls, getting into fights or
self-destructive violence; feeling rage or uncontrolled anger or seeking
revenge<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Times New Roman;">
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Looking as though one
has a “death wish,” tempting fate by taking risks that could lead to death,
such as driving fast or running red lights<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Giving away prized
possessions<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Putting affairs in
order, tying up loose ends, and/or making out a will<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Seeking access to
firearms, pills, or other means of harming oneself<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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The Veterans Crisis Line can be accessed <a href="http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/" target="_blank">here</a> or you can call 1800 273 8255 and press 1. You can also text them at 838255. If you go to their website you can even chat with someone. <br />
And don't think that there is an age where a Veteran might be contemplating suicide. According to a news article in Stripes (stripes.com) more and more younger Veterans are contemplating it as well as older Veterans. You can check out that article <a href="http://www.stripes.com/report-suicide-rate-spikes-among-young-veterans-1.261283" target="_blank">here.</a> <br />
In closing, I want to thank <a href="http://www.gallantfew.org/" target="_blank">gallantfew.org</a> and one of my friends on twitter @chilioffthegrid in helping me write this post. This won't be the last time I broach this topic, and I hope that I can help even if it's just one life saved. Because every Veteran's life is a life that deserves to be lived to the fullest.<br />
That is all.<br />
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The 7th Annual SGT Jan Argonish Ride is going to be held on 7 September 2014. For more information please visit the <a href="http://www.sgtjanargonish.com/" target="_blank">website.</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424743701490838271noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394857539381279006.post-5097615602698423712014-08-11T17:08:00.000-07:002014-08-11T17:59:27.938-07:00Living (and Dying) by the Code The U.S. Military lives by a code. All of us. Army, Marines, Navy Air Force & Coast Guard. It's kinda unwritten, but it is written down in a lot of places, especially Washington, D.C. You see, when that code is written down it is on monuments and a very long (too long) Wall. It is written in the names of those who have died defending this country. When those names are etched into the Vietnam Memorial, or any memorial anywhere in the U.S., the code that those men and women lived by is how they chose to live their lives. When you join the U.S. Armed Forces you take an Oath to protect the United States. That is part of the code of the U.S. Military. Loyalty. Bravery. Courage. Those are just some of the words that mean everything to the men and women of the U.S. Military. Unfortunately, most of those words mean nothing to politicians and bureaucrats.<br />
Take Loyalty, for example. It means nothing what-so-ever to most politicians & bureaucrats. The bureaucrats in the Veterans Administration don't feel loyalty toward our Veterans. That's why we have the VA Scandal. I didn't say "had" because, until the VA is changed, it is still a scandal. The bureaucrats misreported numbers of those Veterans who died waiting for medical care. A recent <a href="http://washingtonexaminer.com/no-one-left-to-blame-obama-owns-veterans-affairs-reform-now/article/2551817?custom_click=rss" target="_blank">op-ed</a> in the Washington Examiner by Concerned Veterans of America CEO Pete Hegseth points out how both politicians & bureaucrats have led to problems which are now the hallmark of the VA. The politicians have passed the VA Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014, including the President's signing the bill into law. Make no mistake, we have to hold the politicians, and those who come in their footsteps in the coming years, to this law. VA Secretary McDonald will need our help if he is to change the culture of corruption, dishonesty, cowardice, and greed (the list of words can go on and on)once and for all. The President and Congress will need to help McDonald in the future. I don't think its a distant future either. That is where we will play our part. As the electorate, we have to let our representatives and senators know that we want the VA (in essence the U.S. itself) to live by the same code our Military Veterans live and die by. That's the same code that is embodied in every Veterans memorial in the U.S.<br />
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Mail Call<br />
So far, I've talked about words that our Military Veterans live by. One Marine that is exemplifying the word perseverance is SGT Andrew Tahmooressi. Still being held in prison in Mexico. Please check my previous <a href="http://bluecorddude.blogspot.com/2014/08/no-marine-left-behind.html" target="_blank">blog</a> about how you can help Tahmooressi and his family financially during his confinement and courtroom delays. Here is a way that you can maybe help to cheer up the Devil Dog SGT himself. It's something that cheers up almost any service member. It's mail call. Here is the address where you can write SGT Tahmooressi:<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">SGT Andrew Tahmooressi</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Carretera LibreRumorasa Tecate </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">SN Francisco Villa, El Hongo 2’ 21452</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tecate’ Baja California Norte, Mexico</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> There are some rules both official and unofficial. The official rules are that letters may not be more than 3 pages in length. They need to be on white paper. They will also be read by prison staff prior to Andrew receiving them(Reading inmate mail is standard practice in almost any jail in the U.S. also). The unofficial rules I am asking of you is to keep the badmouthing of the Mexican legal system to a minimum. It won't really help anything. Please keep the letters positive, just as you would when writing a soldier overseas. </span></div>
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EVENTS:</div>
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The Marine Corps League of Scranton PA will host an Open Pit Beef BBQ on 16 August 2014 from 1300-1700 (1p.m.-5p.m. for civilian folks). It is being held at the Marine Corps Detachment at Alder St & Bloucher St in Scranton PA. Tickets are on sale the day of the BBQ and are $9.</div>
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If you know of an upcoming events that will benefit Veterans and their organizations please let me know. It doesn't have to be a National event, statewide and local events are accepted as well. Please send them to me at <a href="mailto:bluecorddude@gmail.com">bluecorddude</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><a href="mailto:bluecorddude@gmail.com"></a><a href="mailto:bluecorddude@gmail.com"><a href="mailto:bluecorddude@gmail.com">@gmail.com</a>. I will publish them as I have room and time. Thank you!</a></a></div>
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That is all.</div>
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