31 Aralık 2012 Pazartesi

Tracking the Causes of Deaths of OIF and OEF Veterans

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Special Report: Uncounted Casualties
Scores of recent Texas war veterans have died of overdoses, suicide and vehicle crashes, a six-month Statesman investigation finds.

Long, like many issues related to Veterans of our wars, and ignored by the huge majority served, overdue study into the 'uncounted casualties' of our wars. Started in the past couple of years, nothing was done and to little VA funding, already decades of underfunding from previous wars, added in the previous years of these present wars by those who rubber stamped and still borrowed war costs, in partnership with the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration as to the growing suicides both in the military active ranks and the veterans of ranks. Another extremely important issue, covering many possibilities and causes for, the country shouldn't have ignored for decades. Recently a study taken on by serious investigative professional journalist of the Austin TX American-Statesman and delving into many issues, PTS to the drugs prescribed, of possibilities of recent uncounted casualties of war.

Those decades, especially since our service in Vietnam, had many issues, way to numerous to list, that the country totally ignored and refused to fund the research in and the care needed and as it turned out previous war veterans suffered from same and were never diagnosed with nor cared for. Especially after many of us Vietnam veterans and by population only a handful of civilians, who recognized, pushed to place a serious label on what always had been, from wars and individual civilian extreme traumatic experiences, Post Traumatic Stress {PTSD}. A very serious long lasting for many hidden wound from extreme trauma especially from the 24/7 stresses of military conflicts but also from very traumatic experiences individuals live through and the results of weren't understood.

A necessary inquiry into veterans’ deaths
Dec. 27, 2012 - A team of American-Statesman reporters spent six months investigating how hundreds of Texas veterans have died since coming home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This month, more than two months after the results of the Statesman investigation were published, the Department of Veterans Affairs said it will study the deaths of veterans nationwide.

The VA’s decision to begin its own inquiry into the deaths of the veterans it serves, past due but welcome nonetheless, corrects the government’s failure to fully track the causes of death of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. We hope the effort to compile a comprehensive study of veterans’ deaths leads to a more complete picture of veterans’ struggles as they readjust to civilian life, and that a better understanding of those struggles will help prevent so many tragically early deaths.

The three-day American-Statesman series, “Uncounted Casualties,” began with reporters Brenda Bell, Eric Dexheimer, Dave Harmon, Tony Plohetski, Jeremy Schwartz, database editor Christian McDonald, and visual reporters Jay Janner and Kelly West trying to fill out the incomplete death records of 345 Texas veterans who died between January 2003 and October 2011 after coming home from overseas.

By matching the fragmentary records provided by the VA with reports from other agencies, local obituaries and other public documents, the team was able to determine the causes of death for 266 Texans who returned home from the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The team’s findings bear repeating: read more>>>

After surviving in theater war tours, this generations multiple tours and in possibly both theaters, the mentally and the physically wounded are often prescribed the latest developed drugs, a pill or shots to cure everything, that really seem to not be understood, especially combined with each individuals possible hidden wounds, as to the effects they many have on the individual that are told to use with promises of cures if used as directed. Many in the active ranks now were prescribed and sent back for more tours in these wars and occupations.

Because of the countries ignoring the soldiers and the issues from Vietnam, and our other wars, who returned to join the veterans community many self medicated, others were misdiagnosed if even seeking care or frustrated when not understood, which caused even more problems for each including suicides or led to deaths or to troubled homelessness and criminal activities with jail/prison time.

More recent, and before the present two, the country ignored, DeJa-Vu once again, the veterans returning from the first gulf war, Desert Storm, welcome homes and parades were given though, very short term support for, and what is labeled 'Gulf War Syndrome'. Still not known what the causes were for many, one of the suspected still are the shots and drugs given before the military rushed into that region to prevent known possible ailments and to inoculate them from, there are suspected other possible causes as well.


Iraq vet: Newtown changed my mind on gun control

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I'm a hunter and a vet, and I revere the Second Amendment. But I used bankrupt logic: It's time for gun control
Dec 28, 2012 - Like many people I know and public figures I’ve seen recently, the killings in Newtown’s elementary school have made me reconsider my position on gun control. As a hunter, a veteran, and a dyed-in-the-wool radical, I write this to show fellow gun owners and, more important, my fellow Americans who are distrustful of an armed government with an unarmed populace that the logic I espoused for most of my life is bankrupt.

Until last week my stance on the Second Amendment was essentially, “Our government can’t be trusted with a monopoly on lethal power. As such, the right to resist tyranny embedded in our constitution justified the tragic deaths that would inevitably result from the proliferation of these incredibly deadly weapons.”

I deployed to the Iraq War in 2004 as a U.S. Marine. I came to see my experience in Iraq as that of a pawn doing the work of liars, profiteers and chickenhawks. I say this to illustrate the point that my outlook on gun control comes from the standpoint of a Constitution-observing public servant and of a person who came to question the integrity of our system of governance to the very core. In short, I was reverent of the Second Amendment’s freedom-guarding intent. I still am.

But my reverence is irrelevant. The Second Amendment stopped giving the insurrectionists among us a chance as soon as military technology advanced beyond the rifle. read more>>>


IN MEMORIAM: Gen. Schwarzkopf’s Service, Legacy

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President, Defense Leaders Praise Schwarzkopf’s Service, Legacy
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2012 – President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Joint Chiefs Chairman Army Gen, Martin E. Dempsey praised the service and legacy of retired Army Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, who passed away yesterday at age 78.

Schwarzkopf was a Vietnam veteran and one of the architects of the western flanking movement that helped to defeat the Iraqi army during the Gulf War in early 1991. As the commander of U.S. Central Command, Schwarzkopf led the international coalition assembled by then-President George H.W. Bush that expelled Iraqi troops who had invaded Kuwait in August 1990.

The four-star general and West Point graduate retired in August 1991 after 35 years of Army service. Schwarzkopf died in Tampa, Fla., of complications from pneumonia, according to press reports.

Obama saluted Schwarzkopf’s service in a statement issued yesterday. read more>>>

AIR DATE: Dec. 28, 2012 - Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, 78, 'Stormin' Commander in Persian Gulf War
SUMMARY

As the U.S. commander of forces during the Persian Gulf War, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf was dubbed "Stormin' Norman" for his no-nonsense style and swift victory. Margaret Warner talks to New York Times reporter and author Michael Gordon about Schwarzkopf, who died at the age of 78. Transcript>>>


Honoring Our Canine Veterans: Military Dog Monument

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Rose Parade float represents military dog monument
Decades of service by canines will be honored as four handlers and their dogs, representing the Air Force, Army and Marines, ride the float. The memorial is slated for completion in San Antonio by October 2013.

December 28, 2012 - In a cavernous warehouse on a recent weekday, Rose Parade volunteers were busy painting and clipping flowers as they rushed to complete their float in time for New Year's Day festivities. But all activity paused when the star of the decorated stage arrived.

With a Marine corporal in tow, Lucca, a German shepherd-Malinois mix, hopped curiously toward a group of excited children. Her head dipped from the weight of her body, no longer supported by her amputated left leg.

It's been nine months since Lucca lost her paw to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. A veteran of three combat deployments, she is one of thousands of U.S. military working dogs trained to sniff out booby traps, deliver messages and track enemies. She has led more than 200 missions, with no Marine ever injured under her patrol. read more>>>


The Year in Review: Joining Forces

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The Year in Review: Joining Forces to Hire American Heroes

December 30, 2012 - In August of 2011, President Obama challenged the private sector to hire or train 100,000 veterans and military spouses by the end of 2013. In August of this year, First Lady Michelle Obama visited Mayport Naval Station in Florida to announce that 2,000 American companies had stepped up to the challenge, and had already exceeded that goal, hiring 125,000 veterans and military spouses more than a year ahead of schedule.

In addition, those companies doubled down on their commitment to our troops and military families and made a new promise, a pledge to hire or train an additional 250,000 of our nation's heroes, including 50,000 military spouses. read more>>>


27 Aralık 2012 Perşembe

December 25, 1914: WWI Christmas Truce

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Just after midnight on Christmas morning, German troops at the front in World War I ceased firing their guns and artillery, and began to sing Christmas carols. At the first light of dawn, many of the German soldiers emerged from their trenches and approached the Allied lines across no man's land, calling out "Merry Christmas" in their enemies' native tongues.

At first the Allied soldiers suspected it to be a trick, but they soon climbed out of their trenches and shook hands with the German soldiers. The men exchanged presents of cigarettes and plum puddings; the fighting didn’t resume in earnest for several days, and then only at the insistence of the generals.

Christmas 1914 In no man's land


The Soldier is Deployed; the Spouse is Home Alone

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At Christmas, a young military couple understand the meaning of for better or for worse
Dec 25, 2012 - Two weeks before Christmas last year, Fort Bragg Sgt. Mike Salmon called to check on his wife in Fayetteville.

On the other end of the line, Crystal Salmon was inconsolable. Honey, she told her husband through sobs, I was assaulted.

Mike Salmon nearly lost it. He asked for and received an emergency leave to return home to comfort his young wife.

"I couldn't even function," said Mike Salmon, a 25-year-old supervisor of an Apache helicopter maintenance section. "There was really nothing I could do to keep my head in the game."

The leave lasted less than three weeks. On Christmas Eve, Salmon found himself on a plane heading back to Afghanistan. He had no choice. Army policy is Army policy. He spent Christmas Day eating sushi in an airport in the Netherlands.

The assault was the first in a string of ugly happenstance for the newlyweds.

Three months later, Crystal Salmon said, she lost the baby she had been carrying. About a week after that, she said, her car's transmission blew up as she drove alone on a desolate stretch of South Carolina blacktop.

It's often said that the first year of marriage is the hardest. The adage is even more apt for a military couple. read more>>>


Chuck Hagel and 'The Wall'

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A WINTER OF DISCONTENT
December 20, 2012 - Washington, D.C. winters can mirror what many view to be characteristics of the city itself – cold and awful. The winter of 1981 was a textbook example of wintertime in D.C., in more ways than one. The fate of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was being decided in the halls of Congress and the Reagan Administration. A flurry of activities was orchestrated by well-funded opposition to Maya Lin’s design for The Wall. Her design was criticized as being too modernistic; referred to as the Black Gash of Shame and even compared to the Ovens of Dachau.

The National Security Council even got engaged; a syndicated columnist wrote that the design had been selected by a person with “ties to the American Communist Party.” Dozens of Congressman demanded that the groundbreaking permit be withdrawn and that the design be scrapped. There were editorials on both sides of the debate, and even Sixty Minutes got involved. Even though we had support from powerful groups like the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, plans for the Memorial were about to be declared dead on arrival, the victims of politics and disinformation.

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Chuck Hagel was a prime target for the opposition. He was the talented second-in-command at the Veterans image-1 Administration, a decorated Vietnam War veteran and a highly respected appointee in the Reagan Administration. He was told that he should join the team opposing Lin’s design. If he did not join the opposition, he would be out of work. Friends at the White House would see to it that he would be fired. Most people would have caved. Hagel did not.

There are a few examples of stunning courage in Washington. Most are unheralded, this was one. Hagel said, “I serve at the pleasure of the President. If he fires me for supporting a design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, so be it.

Hagel never got fired. The opponents left, probably dazed at the outcome. Hagel went on to serve President Reagan in other capacities throughout the Presidency, and eventually, Nancy Reagan joined the National Sponsoring Committee for The Wall. A compromise was reached with the opposition, and in March 1982 we hosted an emotional groundbreaking. Hagel was a speaker. read more>>>


Book Details History of Agent Orange

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WMU professor's book examines history of Agent Orange
December 19, 2012 - A new book by a Western Michigan University Professor delves into the history of using Agent Orange in the Vietnam War. History Professor Ed Martini also deals with the aftermath of the herbicide in his book Agent Orange: History, Science, and the Politics of Uncertainty.

Martini begins his book with the story of a veteran who was in Saigon for less than a day. He is eligible for Veterans Administration benefits after developing Type Two Diabetes. But Martini says children at an orphanage not far from where this veteran spent his time in Saigon have grown up with severe birth defects. They have to rely on help from Non-Governmental Organizations and other groups with nothing from the U.S. government. Martini tells WMUK’s Gordon Evans that we don’t know what Agent Orange has caused, and no one has accepted responsibility for the potential of harm from Agent Orange.

Listen to the extended interview with Ed Martini (17:52)

In the years since the end of the Vietnam War, Martini says there’s been a ton of research about Agent Orange’s health effects and the impact on the environment. But he says part of the lesson of the book is that there are limits to what can be learned from science and history. Martini says in the absence of scientific certainty most of the decisions have been based on politics. read more>>>


Veterans Frustrations Pointed in Wrong Direction

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And for many always have been. The Veterans Administration is the Peoples Responsibility!!!

Look, this is very very simple. If the flag wavin 'patriots' of the'support the troops' meme's, cheap magnetic ribbons and equally cheap lapel flag pins, Demanded they Sacrificeas they cheer on wars and send others into so they can yell their'patriotism' and have a few parades with plenty of short time 'welcomehome' the VA would have been the Agency it should have been decades ago.And this past decade plus was the perfect example, DeJa-Vu all over again. Not a Dime has been Sacrificed for these two more wars of choice, you all cheered on the abandoning the main missions for even sending the military into that region, quickly, with the first drum beats pointed at Iraq, and extremely little was done for the Veterans of in the early years as the tax cuts came with both till the 110th and 111th Congresses, 112th, House especially, is back to trying to cut as it will in the coming 113th, and especially after the executive administrations changed, despite the obstruction. The present VA Administration has been fighting, while still way under funded and these last years obstructed by those that want to privatize it, to build what should already have been built by the people served long ago. They've done so, with some success thankfully, because there's finally an executive administration and it's cabinet who care and help by 'joining forces'

That underfunding, and ignoring the veterans of, you're even doing thatagain, causes the agency to need more funding, in many area's of that vast agency and charged with caring for those who served, to catch up with theabilities they should have had long ago if not leading in and movingthat into the private sectors. That extra is many many times more thenjust costs, time and money, of maintaining and innovating what should have already been,which saves money and runs much more orderly and up to date if not ahead of!

Veterans frustrated by VA disability claims backlog
December 27, 2012 - Infantryman Josh Odom was seven months into his first tour in Iraq when someone lobbed a grenade over the gate at the combat outpost he guarded.

It exploded six feet from the Rockwall native, driving three chunks of shrapnel deep into his right shoulder. One pierced his lung.

Odom wound up at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where he spent four months in rehab before completing his military service in May 2010.

Still suffering neck and shoulder pain, he filed a disability claim at a Veterans Affairs Department office in Dallas.

He expected the claim to take a while, he said, but not the nearly 18 months he waited for a partial decision, then eight more for a final ruling.

While he waited, lingering pain combined with frequent consultations with doctors for surgeries made it difficult to work. read more>>>

For Veterans, The Wait For Disability Claims Grows Longer
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December 27, 2012 - Kevin English served three tours as a Marine in Iraq. When he came home to Arizona, he suffered from vicious headaches and neck pain that made it hard to keep a job. The worst day, he says, was when he found he couldn't lift a simple aluminum ladder.

"I actually got made fun of ... cause everyone knew I was a Marine," English says. "And they could tell I was struggling. They were, like, 'Damn, I thought you were supposed to be a Marine. Let's go.'"

The Department of Veterans Affairs had rated English as partially disabled, but the former Marine soon found working impossible. His wife, Lindsay Dove, helped him file a new claim in February 2011. Then they waited. And waited. read more>>>

By the way, you also haven't paid a dime, rubber stamped no bid contracts and all borrowed costs to this day, for either war. Deficits rapidly rising withthe rubber stamping started Before 9/11, told to go shopping by the previous CiC tax, along with the extremely rapid rising, thus huge profits, of the oil and gas prices, cuts came with both!!


20 Aralık 2012 Perşembe

46 Months for Riping Off of 49 Disabled Military Veterans

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Just one of the many issues that arise from underfunding a Government Agency, and having a political appointed leader of doing the political ideology bidding, including ex-military leaders as the VA secretary which far too many have been. Especially when and while sending our Military into War Theaters the Country waves it flags while cheering for, for decades and previous wars. And especially this past decade plus and two war and long occupation theaters with No Sacrifice by those Served, their responsibility!

Couple who scammed veterans are headed to prison
December 19, 2012 - The elderly Houston couple responsible for the largest scam ever uncovered in a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' program meant to protect vulnerable veterans will be going to federal prison for 46 months after conspiring to carry out a $2.3 million ripoff of 49 disabled military men.

Houston lawyer Joe B. Phillips, 73, stood in federal court Wednesday to receive an identical punishment to that of his legal assistant and wife of four decades, Dorothy, who has claimed a casino gambling addiction first compelled her to siphon funds from veterans' bank accounts years before a VA audit finally detected the losses.

"I did not personally do it myself, but I accept responsibility because it happened in my office. It happened on my watch," Phillips told the court.

He asked to serve out his sentence in a cell near his 72-year-old spouse.

Government prosecutors unsuccessfully urged U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal to give a longer sentence to Joe Phillips, who was legally responsible for safeguarding disabled veterans' funds as a VA-approved fiduciary and as a guardian appointed by Texas probate judges. They pointed out that on Phillips' watch, 46 different fraudulent bank accounts were concocted to conceal long-term and ongoing thefts from veterans' accounts.

On Wednesday, Phillips unexpectedly turned over veterans' bank statements for an estimated $45,000 in apparently previously unreported assets to government investigators. Phillips' attorney, Robert Jones, said Phillips continued to receive those statements nearly five years after being removed as a VA fiduciary.

The VA first uncovered irregularities in 2007 after auditing Phillips' accounts for first time in 25 years.

The findings of that audit were "shocking to me," Phillips said Wednesday, though prosecutors claimed in court records that about $1 million in funds were transferred to an account Phillips shared with his wife.

Many went undetected read more>>>


DoD Review of Child Care Hiring Practices

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Panetta Orders Review of Child Care Hiring Practices
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2012 – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has ordered a review of hiring practices at Defense Department child development centers.

Army officials yesterday announced an immediate investigation into hiring procedures at its child development centers nationwide after identifying potential problems with security background investigations for some CDC employees at Fort Myer, Va.

"Secretary Panetta fully supports this review by the Army and has directed each of the services to conduct a similar review of hiring practices at all DOD child development centers," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

In ordering the review, Panetta emphasized the importance of safety.

“Military children are precious members of our DOD family,” he said. “As a department, protecting our service members and their families is paramount. That includes doing everything we can to provide for the safety of children attending CDCs throughout the department, and ensuring they are provided with the highest-quality care by dedicated professionals.

“We owe nothing less to the members of our DOD family who have sacrificed so much for this department and this nation," he added. read more>>>

Panetta ‘Disappointed, Angry’ at Child Development Center Lapses


Happy Holidays Troops, Families of and Veterans

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Another Holiday Season and Still No Sacrifice By The Country nor Demand To!

How does a Country HONOR It's Fallen, by Their Own 'Sacrifice' in Taking Care of the Brothers and Sisters They Served With!!

Happy Holidays Troops from President & Mrs. Obama
12/19/2012 - President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, offer holiday greetings to service members around the world this holiday season, and thank them for their service and sacrifice.

No Revenues {especially from the wealthy nor their private reagan capitalism economic investments, free market supply side capitalism} = No Sacrifice = No Support = DeJa-vu all over again!!


Bringing Holiday Cheer to America’s Vets

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Children from St. Mary’s School in Cheyenne, Wyo., share holiday jokes and a cookie with CLC resident and WWII Veteran Mr. Oline.
As holiday music floated through the halls and decorations began to appear on the walls, the clock struck five and it was declared “Happy Hour” in the Cheyenne VA’s Community Living Center (CLC).

VA staff and volunteers prepared an assortment of non-alcoholic libations, sparkling water, soft drinks and juices, for residents. This event was organized to provide a social activity reminiscent of times before admission to a long term care setting.

During the “Happy Hour,” one nursing assistant who was doubling as the “bar-keep” was asked by a resident, “Do you deliver?” which was followed by the response, “Of course!“ The resident went on to say, “Y’all do a lot of outstanding things for the Veterans here. The activities calendar is always filled with happenings and going-ons.” read more>>>


VA, SSA and IRS Cut Red Tape for Veterans and Survivors

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New Policy Eliminates Paperwork, Allows More VA Staff to Focus on Eliminating Claims Backlog
WASHINGTON – December 20, 2012 - The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today it is cutting red tape for Veterans by eliminating the need for them to complete an annual Eligibility Verification Report (EVR). VA will implement a new process for confirming eligibility for benefits, and staff that had been responsible for processing the old form will instead focus on eliminating the compensation claims backlog.

Historically, beneficiaries have been required to complete an EVR each year to ensure their pension benefits continued. Under the new initiative, VA will work with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) to verify continued eligibility for pension benefits.

“By working together, we have cut red tape for Veterans and will help ensure these brave men and women get the benefits they have earned and deserve,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.

VA estimates it would have sent nearly 150,000 EVRs to beneficiaries in January 2013. Eliminating these annual reports reduces the burden on Veterans, their families, and survivors because they will not have to return these routine reports to VA each year in order to avoid suspension of benefits. It also allows VA to redirect more than 100 employees that usually process EVRs to work on eliminating the claims backlog. read more>>>


16 Aralık 2012 Pazar

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) to Chair Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee

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Sanders to chair veterans committee
“It is morally and economically unacceptable that anyone in Congress would propose balancing our budget by making significant cuts for disabled veterans,”

December 13,2012 - Sen. Bernie Sanders has been named chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

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A proposed switch to a so-called chained CPI, a new way to measure consumer prices and calculate cost-of-living adjustments, would drastically reduce benefits for veterans and their families. The largest cuts would impact young, permanently disabled veterans who were seriously wounded in combat. According to the Social Security Administration, permanently disabled veterans who started receiving VA disability benefits at age 30 would see their benefits cut by more than $1,300 a year at age 45; $1,800 a year at age 55; and $2,260 a year at age 65.

Sanders has served on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee for six years. He replaces Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who was appointed the new chair of the Senate Budget Committee. read more>>>

Dear “Chained-CPI”: When You’ve Lost the VFW, You’ve Lost America


Revised Reports on Recent Veterans’ Health Care Use

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12 December 2012 - They've revised the reports about OEF/OIF/OND Veterans’ use of VA health care facilities and common diagnoses, including post-traumatic stress disorder, for the third quarter of fiscal year 2012. The reason for the revision was to correct an error in counting inpatient visits.

Visit U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Public Health to learn more about other public health topics.

Revised Reports

VA Health Care Utilization by Recent Veterans

VA Facility Use by Recent Veterans with PTSD


Senate Passes Bill Covering Fertility Care for Vets

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Senate moves bill covering fertility care for vets
Dec 13, 2012 - Wounded veterans and their spouses who want to have children could get the government to pay for fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization under legislation beginning to move through Congress in the waning days of the session.

By voice vote, the Senate passed a bill Thursday to update the Veterans Affairs Department's medical coverage for one of the signature wounds of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: trauma to a soldier's reproductive organs.

Nearly 2,000 service members suffered such wounds between 2003 and 2011. But when wounded veterans went to the VA for medical help in starting a family, they were told the VA doesn't provide that kind of care.

A similar bill is pending in the House. Supporters said the Senate's action increases its chances of becoming law before Congress adjourns. read more>>>


Employment Website Teams With Joining Forces

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Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank Announces New Monster.com Collaboration with Joining Forces Initiative
December 12, 2012 - Joining Forces seeks to connect America’s veterans and military spouses with careers that match their skills and experience

Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank and Capt. Todd Veazie, Executive Director of First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden’s Joining Forces initiative, participated today in the National Veteran Employment Summit hosted by Monster and Military.com. At the event, Acting Secretary Blank announced that Monster.com is collaborating with Joining Forces, which means the company will contribute to the initiative’s goal of hiring or training an additional 250,000 veterans and military spouses by the end of 2014.

During the summit, human resource leaders from the public and private sector engaged with veterans, senior military and government officials, and respected non-profit leaders about the most effective ways to prepare, support, and connect veterans with employers. The event also included networking opportunities.

“All of us at the Commerce Department and throughout the Administration have made hiring veterans a priority,” said Acting Secretary Blank. “Whether it’s by making improvements in how the military transitions service members from the battlefield to the workplace, ensuring the post-9/11 GI Bill stays strong, or through the efforts of the Joining Forces initiative, President Obama and this Administration are taking steps to ensure that veterans can find job opportunities when they return from service. We are proud to support the efforts of the private sector – and companies like Monster and Military.com – in hiring the men and women who have bravely served this nation.” read more>>>


These Are 'Weapons of Mass Destruction'!!!!

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These Are Acts Of Terror With WMD's, Criminal Terrorist Acts

WMD's, Designed To Kill Others and with Ability to Kill Many In Short Time Frames: Connecticut shooter used heavy-duty weapons registered to his mother to kill her and 25 others
December 14, 2012 - Witnesses told reporters the madman fired at least 100 rounds

Way too many of these senseless acts of terror are taking place in our communities, and they are terrorist acts for that's the purpose of the shooters and in many the reason they themselves take their own lives, but this was to the extreme. Children, very young children, the most innocent among us, and we all are their teachers, shot and killed in what can only be called a killing field inside a grade school. And who are the real responsible adults, in this extremely sad case their teachers and teachers aides and administrators within, many killed also, trying to protect against the reign of terror shockingly brought within the walls of, All the first responders, law enforcement, ambulance attendants, fire, doctors, nurses and all others who give communities the service they demand but lately, in these past recent years especially, they have been in focused attacks as the communities demand excellence and immediate action by their service but refuse to pay for that demand service, especially the wealthier among us, just like they do for the veterans of our wars we send them into. Way too much needs to change in this society as it fails like the many before it!!

Stand with families of the Newtown school shooting The mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut is a tragedy beyond comprehension. Stand with the families who've lost loved ones and the community that has been shattered.

Please share a personal message of condolence with the families of Newtown and we’ll deliver them. Go Here>>>

Statements of Mayors Against Illegal Guns Co-Chairs on Newtown, Connecticut Shooting
December 14, 2012 – Statement of Mayor's Against Illegal Guns Co-Chair New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg: "With all the carnage from gun violence in our country, it's still almost impossible to believe that a mass shooting in a kindergarten class could happen. It has come to that. Not even kindergarteners learning their ABC's are safe. We heard after Columbine that it was too soon to talk about gun laws. We heard it after Virginia Tech. After Tucson and Aurora and Oak Creek. And now we are hearing it again. For every day we wait, 34 more people are murdered with guns. Read the rest of the press release

Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence: Shooting at Connecticut Elementary School Condolence Messages to the Families
As the horrendous news keeps breaking, our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and community of Newtown, Connecticut.

In this tragic hour, please consider sending your personal condolences to the families by clicking here.

As we as a nation grieve from yet another senseless tragedy, we must come together in the belief that We Are Better Than This.

Sincerely,

Sarah Brady, ChairBrady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

This is a Well Regulated/Trained Citizens Militia
And where weapons like those above should be confined to along with our Law Enforcement and our Regular Military Forces

Nobody seeks to strip gun owners of their guns, despite the fears laid on them by irresponsible extremist groups that go silent when the terror acts with guns occur then don't condemn these uses of guns but give excuses for why they should be allowed more of same weapons, but weapons that go beyond a need of the hunter or to protect ones self and family in the hands of the irresponsible and immature adults and especially children, and not safely contained, have no use in a civil society other then to kill and maim each other!!


12 Aralık 2012 Çarşamba

The Military Veterans in Sandy’s Aftermath

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Helping Our Veterans in Sandy’s Aftermath
December 3, 2012 - Pedro Correa has been in many situations where he thought things could suddenly go horribly wrong. He’s spent thirteen years guarding New York’s most violent criminals at the state’s maximum security, Sing Sing correctional facility, rising to the rank of sergeant. When he was a first responder on September 11th, he would have run into the second tower had a bloodied man not stopped him for assistance first. When he was performing convey security in Iraq in 2003 as a soldier in the 773rd Transportation Company, enemy mortar fire fell as close as 100 yards from his truck. But according to Pedro, he never felt certain he was going to die until the night of October 29th of this year. That was the night, with Hurricane Sandy battering the home Pedro remodeled with his own hands, “the shack we turned into a mansion,” as he calls it, Pedro called his wife to say goodbye.

That night, after having sent his wife and children away in preparation for Hurricane Sandy, Pedro and his brother watched as the house was torn apart by the violent storm surge. With water levels rising, the two men climbed, and then swam, up two flights of stairs. The brothers then broke the legs off the kitchen table and used it as a raft. When the tabletop sank, the brothers managed to cling to a neighbor’s roof as it floated by. That rooftop became entangled to debris, prompting the men to hop from board to board until ultimately they were forced to swim, even with Pedro’s broken rib. Half an hour later, they were finally taken in to safety at another home.

By the time Sandy’s winds blew past Pedro’s Staten Island community and her flood waters receded back into Lower Bay, he had lost $150,000 worth of possessions, the home he turned into his own by hand, and was still responsible for a $450,000 mortgage. read more>>>


Impact Our 2 Long Wars on Military Children

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Military Mental Health: An Army of Children
October 28, 2011 - I am a civilian psychiatrist who recently finished 20 months working as a contractor for the United States Army. Going into the job, I expected the degree of combat-related stress I saw in our troops. However, I was not prepared for the scope of impact our 2 long wars have had on military children.

Like most civilians with no military background, I didn’t realize how many children there are in the Army. During the Vietnam War, the United States used the draft to maintain a large fighting force of single soldiers, most of whom did only one tour of duty. Today, we have an all-volunteer force full of families. About 55% of the military is married, 1.9 million children have a parent in the military, and up to 1 million children have had a parent deploy.1,2 In fact, in 2010 the active-duty sector of the Army actually had more children (570,000) than soldiers (562,000).3

The consequences of this shift in military structure are major. As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dragged on, the Army has had to recycle soldiers through multiple deployments, because our total force is relatively small. Some military families are resilient and cope well with the stress of deployments, but some do not—and for most it gets harder with each cycle. I met too many young parents in the infantry who were justifiably overwhelmed with the competing demands of going to war and raising kids, two pursuits that do not fit naturally together. Fights over finances, video game addiction, and infidelity were common, and too often this escalated into substance abuse, domestic violence, child maltreatment, and/or divorce. And, of course, some parents return with devastating injuries, or die in battle, both of which are hard on children. read more>>>


Another 'Stolen Valor': Fakes Military Honors for Benefits

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Man lies about military service for VA benefits
Dec 04, 2012 - Wrongfully gaining Veterans Affairs Benefits, a Myrtle Beach man lied saying he was honorably discharged when he in fact went AWOL.

David A. Bevilacqua, age 65, was dishonorably discharged for going absent without leave.

snip

Bevilacqua went on to say he was in Force Recon and Special Forces to gain more benefits.

Bevilacqua was awarded benefits and received medical treatment from June 2007 to October 2011. read more>>>


Sen. Tester Seeks to Pay Drivers for Rural Vets' Transport

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Tester introduces measure to let VA hire drivers for rural veterans' care
5 December 2012 - The Department of Veterans Affairs will be able to hire drivers to transport veterans to health care appointments across Montana if a measure introduced by U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., stays intact.

Tester, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, attached the measure to the Defense Authorization Bill allowing the VA to pay drivers instead of relying on volunteers, who often are in short supply in rural states like Montana and Wyoming.

“Rural veterans earned the same level of care as veterans from urban areas,” Tester said. “Providing them with reliable and efficient transportation ensures that they get the care they earned and that we live up to the promises this nation made to them.”

According to the VA, the new measure would save around $11 million each year by cutting the costs associated with contracting ambulance services or providing mileage reimbursement for vets who drive themselves to and from medical appointments. read more>>>


Test Vets of the 50's and 60's Cold War

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'Operation Delirium:' Psychochemicals And Cold War
December 11, 2012 - In the latest issue of The New Yorker, journalist Raffi Khatchadourian writes about a secret chemical weapons testing program run by the U.S. Army during the Cold War.

Throughout the 1950s and '60s, at the now-crumbling Edgewood Arsenal by the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, military doctors tested the effects of nerve gas, LSD and other drugs on 5,000 U.S. soldiers to gauge the effects on their brain and behavior.

"People who were getting sarin, people who were getting other nerve agents that the Nazis had developed, they would ... experience giddiness, lassitude, depression, and at some point, someone said, 'Can we just focus on these side effects? Can we make a weapon that will incapacitate people mentally and not kill them?' " Khatchadourian tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. read more & listen to discussion>>>

December 11, 2012 - Manufacturing Madness

December 17, 2012 - Operation Delirium
Decades after a risky Cold War experiment, a scientist lives with secrets. read more>>>

About the coming class action lawsuit, finally:

N.C. veteran's questions lead to class-action lawsuit against government
Oct 11, 2012 - A North Carolina man’s quest to learn how the military experimented on him in the 1960s has turned into a class-action lawsuit for as many as 100,000 veterans the government used to test hundreds of drugs, chemicals and biological agents over more than 50 years. read more>>>


11 Aralık 2012 Salı

Mother And Daughter Iraq War Veterans

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Mother And Daughter Form Soldiers' Bond In Iraq
December 8, 2012 - Sgt. Marilyn Gonzalez and her daughter, Spc. Jessica Pedraza, served together in Kuwait and Iraq from January until December of 2010. But they weren't both supposed to go then.

They were in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, in the same company.

In 2010, Gonzalez was ordered to deploy to Iraq, but her daughter was not. Pedraza decided to put college on hold and changed her job in the military so that she would be sent to war with her mom. The unit didn't need supply specialists, but it did need a truck driver.

"When you told me that you wanted to deploy, I was so angry," Gonzalez, now 44, tells her daughter.

But Pedraza, now 22, says she couldn't stay home worrying. read more>>>


Rise Expected in Number of Younger Homeless Veterans

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How About This for Supporting the Troops: What Always Should Have Been, 'Citizens Served Sacrifice'!!

'Alarming' rise expected in number of younger homeless veterans, advocates say
10 December 2012 - As the latest report card arrives Monday on the Obama Administration’s push to end veteran homelessness by 2015, some experts predict a further decline in the number of ex-service members sleeping in parks, under bridges or in public spaces.

But other advocates – including a small cadre of soldiers who use their spare time and combat skills to track, clothe and house veterans forced to live outside on home soil – say they’re seeing an “alarming” rise in younger homeless veterans, many of whom fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will release Monday afternoon its 2012 count of homeless Americans – including a fresh tally of homeless veterans, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH). And the head of that nonprofit group expects HUD’s status report will show that a fortified federal effort to house more disabled and low-income veterans is working.

“I expect the number to go down because there’s been a big increase in resources to make sure it does decrease,” said Nan Roman, NAEH president. “There’s been a lot of investment in newer strategies around housing – programs that are really solution-oriented.” read more>>>

The Country Owes 'Big Time' to These Veterans!

The country had already abandoned the Veterans of the previous decades and our wars since WWII and the many issues ignored, PTS, Agent Orange, Desert Storms Gulf War Syndrome and so many more while under funding the VA and really so in the past decade plus. Many many of the brothers and sisters of have passed on because of and now many of these recent Vets have also. These brothers and sisters shouldn't have to continue the same battles on their home turf.


Report Reveals Further Reduction in Veterans Homelessness

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VA Also Announces $300 Million to Expand Homeless Prevention Program
WASHINGTON – December 10, 2012 - The Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced that a new national report shows that homelessness among Veterans has been reduced by approximately 7 percent between January 2011 and January 2012. The decline keeps the Obama Administration on track to meet the goal of ending Veteran homelessness in 2015.

“This report continues a trend that clearly indicates we are on the right track in the fight to end homelessness among Veterans. While this is encouraging news, we have more work to do and will not be satisfied until no Veteran has to sleep on the street,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “The success we have achieved is directly attributable to the hard work by all of our staff, and the federal, state, and community partners who are committed to ending Veteran homelessness.”

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan added, “This decline tells us that the Obama Administration is on the right path, working together across agencies to target Federal resources to produce a measurable reduction in Veteran homelessness. Key to this success has been VA and HUD’s implementation of the Housing First approach endorsed by the Administration’s strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness. As our nation’s economic recovery takes hold, we will make certain that our homeless veterans find stable housing so they can get on their path to recovery.” read more>>>


Afghanistan and Iraq: Military’s Health Care Burden OEF/OIF

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And what do you hear from the media, from the talking heads who are supposed to be journalist, from the hired people's representative's, especially in Congress and especially from one side of the isle, both houses, constant drumbeat of condemnation at the VA for backlogs created not by the Veterans Administration but by the wars and the total underfunding responsibility of the people served!

Report chronicles the rising burden of military mental health care
December 10, 2012 - A study comparing the military’s health care burden during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq with its prewar burden found that hospitalization of active-duty troops for mental disorders accounted for 63 percent of the increases in hospitalization rates during those wars.

The report Friday by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center calculated the difference between the total health care delivered to military members during wartime (October 2001 through June 2012) with that which would have been delivered if prewar rates had persisted during the conflicts. It found that relative to the prewar experience, mental disorders accounted for excesses of more than 6 million ambulatory visits, 42,000 hospitalizations and 300,000 hospital bed days -- increases of 35 percent, 63 percent and 48 percent, respectively.

The center, which conducts epidemiological and health surveillance studies for the Defense Department, analyzed treatment for 25 illness or injury categories for active-duty military personnel since Jan. 1, 1988. The study, “Costs of War: Excess Health Care Burdens During the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (Relative to the Health Care Experience Pre-War),” was published in the November issue of the Medical Surveillance Monthly Report released Dec. 7.

AFHSC pulled the data from the Defense Medical Surveillance System, which documents military and medical experiences of service members throughout their careers. The study included records for all active-duty servicemen and women -- but not members of the National Guard or reserves -- in fixed military and civilian facilitates.

“The total health care burdens associated with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are undoubtedly greater than those enumerated in this report because this analysis did not address care delivered in deployment locations or at sea, care rendered by civilian providers to reserve component members in their home communities, care of veterans by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, preventive care for the sake of force health protection, and future health care associated with wartime injuries or illnesses,” the report noted. read more>>>

Excess Health Care Burdens During the Wars OEF/OIF

Two long occupations theaters, abandoning the main missions of why the military was even sent into that region with the invasion and destructive occupation of another. One finally over militarily the main missions abandoned of the other winding down, as those sent still seek to accomplish something of what the country walked away from collectively. The wars, both, costs for were rubber stamped with no questions, no bid blank check huge contracts for private sector contractors, off the books till the executive administration changed, both still adding daily to the countries deficits as the deficits were rising already Before 9/11. Very little thought as to the results of the wars costs, think Walter Reed scandal as to Military care "it's closing soon so no need to fund needed upgrades", especially for the VA budget. The new executive administration came in and finally added to the Veterans Administrations needs, the two previous Congresses, 110th and 111th, finally had started looking at the issues at the VA ignored before that with at least some success, but were obstructed in what they really wanted and needed so the other cabinet agencies reach out and try to help the VA as have those around the administration and are succeeding a little at a time.

From the people served 'Silence' on any 'Sacrifice', especially from the wealthy who increased their wealth through investments in or directly from and still are, as they have been for over a decade added to the previous decades and those wars!

Hey Rachel or staff of the show, anyone catch this report and the many others previous and put two and two together? You almost got it at the beginning but started out with this online report subject title: VA shocking disservice to American vets worsens. The VA's shocking disservice? More like, DeJa-Vu all over again, the Countries Citizens Served continuing Shocking, not surprising, disservice!


VA’s National Director for Homeless Programs Wins Award

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Honored by the National Association of Social Workers Foundation
WASHINGTON – December 11, 2012 - Lisa M. Pape, the national director, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) homeless programs within the Department of Veterans Affairs, has been named recipient of the 2012 Knee – Wittman Award for outstanding achievement in health and mental health policy.

“I commend Lisa for the implementation of VA’s plan to end homelessness among Veterans, including programs for homeless and at-risk Veterans that span prevention, outreach, treatment, transitional and permanent housing solutions and supportive services,” stated Undersecretary for Health Robert A. Petzel, M.D. “She effectively executes VA’s $1 billion budget for specialized homeless services, and focuses on the best ways to meet the needs of these Veterans.”

The 2012 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, prepared by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, estimates there were 62,619 homeless Veterans on a single night in January in the United States, a 7.2 percent decline since 2011 and a 17.2 percent decline since 2009. As part of President Obama’s and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki’s five-year plan to eliminate Veteran homelessness in 2015, VA has committed significant resources to strengthen programs that prevent and treat the many issues that can lead to Veteran homelessness.

The annual Knee – Wittman Award recognizes an individual or group that has made a significant impact on national health public policy, professional standards, or program models.

“It's an honor to be recognized by the National Association of Social Workers," said Pape. "I work with a remarkable team across the country that shares the critical mission of helping homeless Veterans get off the street and lead successful, independent lives.” read more>>>


8 Aralık 2012 Cumartesi

Bethesda-Walter Reed Staff Appreciation

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As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta, Bethesda, MD, Tuesday, December 04, 2012
The new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, seen from the air, with Wisconsin Avenue in front, still shows the original tower that Franklin Delano Roosevelt designed. But the growth around that tower has expanded to include portions of the old Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Thank you very much, Admiral. I appreciate that very much and I really appreciate the opportunity to be able to be here at this one-year anniversary of bringing Bethesda-Walter Reed together. This was an amazing effort, not easy to do, but I commend all of you for your willingness to work together as a team and to make this a success.

I want to thank you for your leadership, because what you have here is a world-class center for healing, for compassion, and for empowerment. I am particularly honored today because, you know, in a holiday season, first and foremost I would like to wish all of you and your families and the entire Walter Reed community a safe and happy and healthy holiday season.

This is a season of renewal. It's a season of joy, of peace, and of looking to the future and being thankful for the past. And all of that is encompassed in these great medical centers because that's what it's all about, is giving people that second chance at life and that's what you do.

This is a time of year to reflect on all the blessings that have been bestowed on all of us as citizens of this great country, and in particular the blessings that we have to be members of the Department of Defense family. Someone asked me the other day, kind of, you know, reflecting on the job of Secretary of Defense what's the toughest part of this job and what's the most memorable part of this job?

short Pentagon news clip of

And for me, it comes down to the men and women who serve this country in uniform. The toughest part of this job is to have to take the time to write notes to the families of those who have lost loved ones in war. And it's tough because as the father of three sons, recognizing the pain that that family must feel at the loss of a loved one is something that leaves a deep impact on me. And the ability to kind of take the time to write a few words of comfort, and there are no words that you can find that can do justice to the pain that's involved here.

But for each one, I try to write a note that not only expresses, obviously, my sorrow, but also says that their loved one loved them, loved their family, loved this country, and gave their life for all they loved. And that makes them an American hero forever. Those are the toughest moments in this job. read more>>>


GOP Shows Disdain for Disabled Veterans, All the Disabled!

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Without a single Thought, DeJa-Vu all over again, as to those who serve and are sent into their rubber stamped wars of choice, on the countries credit card same for their care after as many returning are now very different then when sent, as well as the Worlds Disabled!!

As they've done over and over for decades, especially this present one plus. As they continue under funding, through obstruction and or seeking cuts while the continued want to privatize grows, the Veterans Administrations Budget. Thus causing many of the problems that arise within the peoples responsibility for that agency which cost much more to correct in time and capital, not a thought as to disabled veterans, soldiers and families of no matter where found in the world today now. As well as once again greatly damaging that once moral authority of this Country around the World, in this case as to the disabled of!

Dole Appears, but G.O.P. Rejects a Disabilities Treaty
WASHINGTON — December 4, 2012 - Former Senator Bob Dole of Kansas sat slightly slumped in his wheelchair on the Senate floor on Tuesday, staring intently as Senator John Kerry gave his most impassioned speech all year, in defense of a United Nations treaty that would ban discrimination against people with disabilities.

snip

Senator Harry Reid: “It is a sad day when we cannot pass a treaty that simply brings the world up to the American standard for protecting people with disabilities because the Republican Party is in thrall to extremists and ideologues,” he said in a statement. read more>>>

When ever I hear talk or arguments about tax cuts,especially on the National scale but also as to States for they too have Veterans Agencies, my first thoughts are the decades long underfunded responsibility of the people, the Veterans Administrations, and even more so when Congresses are quickly okaying full funding, open checks and all borrowed, for our wars of choice. Or even for the photo op invasions, think Grenada and Panama to name but a couple, as a show of the strength of the civilian and military leaders and the countries military might.

That's how I tie the Disabilities Treaty to but one group of the Disabled, the Military and Veterans of as well as their family members who to may be, and found Worldwide!

A Comment, from a former Senator, on this issue

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Reconstruct Missing War Records

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The way I look at this, and it should be within any investigations by Congress, is were the civilian and military leadership seeking to hide much of the war and what happened from the public and by extension the history!

Veterans’ Advocate to Congress
Dec. 5, 2012 - The leader of a national veterans' advocacy group urged a congressional subcommittee to force the Department of Defense to immediately reconstruct — if possible — missing military field records from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The appeal by Michael R. Viterna, president of the National Organization of Veterans' Advocates, came at a hearing Tuesday afternoon before the House Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs and follows an investigation by ProPublica and The Seattle Times into missing records.

"We were deeply troubled from recent news reports that records from Iraq and Afghanistan were lost, destroyed or never created in the first place," Viterna said.

Viterna also called for legislation to lower the standard of proof for approving benefit claims if a soldier's case is hampered by "lost, missing or nonexistent military service records." ProPublica and the Times found cases in which soldiers faced years of delay in getting benefit in part because of missing records. read more>>>


Sen. Tester Seeks to Pay Drivers for Rural Vets' Transport

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Tester introduces measure to let VA hire drivers for rural veterans' care
5 December 2012 - The Department of Veterans Affairs will be able to hire drivers to transport veterans to health care appointments across Montana if a measure introduced by U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., stays intact.

Tester, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, attached the measure to the Defense Authorization Bill allowing the VA to pay drivers instead of relying on volunteers, who often are in short supply in rural states like Montana and Wyoming.

“Rural veterans earned the same level of care as veterans from urban areas,” Tester said. “Providing them with reliable and efficient transportation ensures that they get the care they earned and that we live up to the promises this nation made to them.”

According to the VA, the new measure would save around $11 million each year by cutting the costs associated with contracting ambulance services or providing mileage reimbursement for vets who drive themselves to and from medical appointments. read more>>>


32nd Annual DoD Disability Awards Ceremony

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Only a few days after the GOP, in the Senate, voted down the UN's Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities Treaty, based on the Americans with Disabilities Act, the DOD Holds it's Annual Disability Awards Ceremony. In that vote, on the Senate floor, the GOP showed their disdain for the Military personal serving with Disabilities, becoming so while in service to the country and most from our wars they were sent into but stayed in service, as well as their family members, serving on bases around the World also DoD employee's many being ex-military. Along with the Military Veterans who have become ex-pats living outside of the states or those traveling to other countries and those countries are not up to the standards the Americans with Disabilities Act had set here. These mentioned are only one group within the community of people with disabilities, worldwide, the UN Treaty is meant to help as the ADA has done within our borders.

Capt. Ryan McGuire, a C-17 Globemaster III pilot with the 4th Airlift Squadron at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., was one of two service members recognized as Outstanding Department of Defense Service Members with Disabilities for 2012, at the 32nd Annual Department of Defense Disability Awards Ceremony held in the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., on Dec. 04, 2012.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2012 – The 32nd Annual Department of Defense Disability Awards Ceremony was hosted yesterday by Frederick E. Vollrath, performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for readiness and force management, in the Pentagon Auditorium, according to a Department of Defense news release.

The annual event provides an overview of DOD disability policy and initiatives, recognizes DOD organizations for their efforts in the employment of individuals with disabilities, and highlights the accomplishments of DOD employees with disabilities and wounded, ill, or injured service members.

"Diversity is essential and has been a key to the success of our armed forces and civilian workforce," Vollrath said. "When we embrace a range of talent and perspective, our ability to defend our nation grows stronger."

Kareem A. Dale, special assistant to the president for disability policy was the keynote speaker and expanded upon this year's National Disability Employment Awareness Month's theme, "A Strong Workforce is an Inclusive Workforce: What Can YOU Do?"

DOD's Director of Disability Programs Stephen King also spoke at the ceremony.

"The bottom line is America must employ the talents, skills, and capabilities of incredibly bright and productive citizens -- both in and out of uniform -- who want to serve our country," King said. "People with disabilities often face unique challenges; we need that type of problem-solving ability and skill in the workplace."

The following 17 DOD employees with disabilities and wounded, ill, or injured service members received secretary of defense awards for their outstanding contributions to national security: read more>>>

Been a decade plus GOPers of you making us Americans Proud, NOT, around the World! As your last leader of said "Mission Accomplished"!!