{This blog is not affiliated with the VA. Though a Veteran, four yrs. all shore in Navy last year In-Country Vietnam, I don't work for the VA}
**USN All Shore '67-'71 GMG3 Vietnam In Country '70-'71 - Independent**


In 2003 some 72% of Americans fully supported the Abandoning of the Missions and those Sent to Accomplish so extremely Quickly after 9/11!!
At least some 95%, if not more as less then 1% serve them, not only still support the, just below, total lack of Sacrifice, they ran from any and all Accountability and left everything still on the table to be continually used if the political/military want was still in play in future executive/legislative wants!!
DeJa-Vu: “With no shared sacrifices being asked of civilians after Sept. 11", Decades and War From, All Over Again!!
Especially for the Corporate and Wealthy Community, investors in Defense Industries, and for these, Afghanistan and Iraq, came Two Huge Tax Cuts, with more sweetheart deals to same from states and the fed!!


Thousands of people across America don’t just talk about honoring Veterans; they walk the walk. Dedicated Volunteers Serve Veterans for Decades

On this Executive Administration, it's Cabinet and those directly around same, "Best - Ever": "We haven't had this kind of visibility from the White House—ever." Joyce Raezer National Military Family Association - Dec. 30, 2011, and plenty more of similar since Joyce, others, spoke and continues!

Ask yourself: If the Veterans Administration is so corrupt and mismanaged, as the conservative ideology, under which the seeds of are planted when they control, wants everyone to buy into as they obstruct the budgets and do extremely little after they charge same, then why does the Private sector, many problems within rarely heard about, adopt so many practices and advanced technologies developed within the VA, for free?! The VA, DoD, and in partnership with Universities and Colleges, not just Health Care are constantly in R&D and that developed that works is quickly moved into the private, for profit, sector, even as the VA is long under funded, decades, and especially during and after our wars that the few are sent into!

* * * * *
President Obama 26 August 2014

Fact: "This is not just a job of government. It’s not just a job of the veterans’ organizations. Every American needs to join us in taking care of those who've taken care of us. Because only 1 percent of Americans may be fighting our wars, but 100 percent of Americans benefit from that 1 percent. A hundred percent need to be supporting our troops. A hundred percent need to be supporting our veterans. A hundred percent need to be supporting our military families."

Fact:
"We’ve been able to accomplish historic increases to veterans funding. We’ve protected veterans health care from Washington politics with advanced appropriations. We’ve been able to make VA benefits available to more than 2 million veterans who didn't have them before, including more Vietnam vets who were exposed to Agent Orange. We’ve dedicated major new resources for mental health care. We’ve helped more than 1 million veterans and their families pursue their education under the Post-9/11 GI Bill."

August 26, 2014 - Secretary Robert A. McDonald's Remarks for the American Legion's 96th Annual Convention, Charlotte, NC
Fact: "Unlike, P&G, VA may not be concerned about quarterly profit and loss statements or shareholder value, but it does have a bottom line—Veterans. "
{which is why No Government agency should be turned into a private corporate entity feeding for profit off the Countries duty and responsibility, especially the VA}
* * * * *

Fact: “We are dealing with veterans, not procedures—with their problems, not ours.” —General Omar Bradley, First Administrator of the Veterans Administration

Facts: Matthew Hoh {former Marine and foreign service officer in Afghanistan}: "We spend a trillion dollars a year on national security in this country."
"And when you add up to the Department of Defense, Department of State, CIA, Veterans Affairs, interest on debt, the number that strikes me the most about how much we're committed financially to these wars and to our current policies is we have spent $250 billion already just on interest payments on the debt we've incurred for the Iraq and Afghan wars."
26 September 2014

Fact: "If military action is worth our troops’ blood, it should be worth our treasure, too — not just in the abstract, but in the form of a specific ante by every American." -Andrew Rosenthal 10 Feb. 2013

Fact: "12 years also is a long time. We now have a lifetime responsibility to a generation of service members, veterans and their families." Dr. Jonathan Woodson 11 Sep. 2013: With 9/11 Came Lifetime Responsibility
{two tax cuts, especially for the wealthy, came with these two recent unpaid for wars, nor the results of, DeJa-Vu all over again from the previous decades and wars from! Ignore the many issues, by those served, no need to fund!}

Fact: Sen. Bernie Sanders told Republicans: “If you can’t afford to take care of your veterans, than don’t go war. These people are bearing the brunt of what war is about, We have a moral obligation to support them.” February, 26th, 2014

Fact: 25 June 2014 U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller: Veterans' Affairs issue an 'all too similar' scene

Fact: How We Could Do More For Our Vets: "We need to go into debt to pay our debt to U.S. veterans to make sure they get the care and services we owe them."

Fact: “Why in 2009 were we still using paper?” VA Assistant Secretary Tommy Sowers “When we came in, there was no plan to change that; we’ve been operating on a six month wait for over a decade.” 27 March 2013

WHY? GOOD QUESTION THOSE SERVED SHOULD ANSWER!


Bob Herbert Losing Our Way : "And then the staggering costs of these wars, which are borne by the taxpayers. I mean, one of the things that was insane was that, as we're at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush administration cut taxes. This has never been done in American history. The idea of cutting taxes while you're going to war is just crazy. I mean, it's madness." Bill 'Moyers and Company': Restoring an America That Has Lost its Way 10 Oct. 2014

Presidential Proclamation -- Veterans Day, 2013: "As we pay tribute to our veterans, we are mindful that no ceremony or parade can fully repay that debt." read more>>>


Under two previous Executive administrations and wars from, father and son. With son and conservative congresses leading the extremely quick abandoning of the missions and those sent to accomplish after 9/11:

ProPublica and The Seattle Times Nov. 9, 2012 - Lost to History: Missing War Records Complicate Benefit Claims by Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans
"DeLara's case is part of a much larger problem that has plagued the U.S. military since the 1990 Gulf War: a failure to create and maintain the types of field records that have documented American conflicts since the Revolutionary War."

Part Two: A Son Lost in Iraq, but Where Is the Casualty Report?

Army Says War Records Gap Is Real, Launches Recovery Effort

3/27/15 - U.S. Nerve Gas Hit Our Own Troops in Iraq
"During and immediately after the first Gulf War, more than 200,000 of 700,000 U.S. troops sent to Iraq and Kuwait in January 1991 were exposed to nerve gas and other chemical agents. Though aware of this, the Department of Defense and CIA launched a campaign of lies and concocted a cover-up that continues today."
"When Brown and others tried to obtain their medical records to prove their illnesses were service-related, they learned that the records had disappeared."


Add in the issues of finally recognizing in War Theater and more Veterans, by the Shinseki Veterans Administration and the Executive Administrations Cabinet, what the Country choose to ignore from our previous decades and wars of: The devastating effects on Test Vets and from PTS, Agent Orange, Homelessness, more recent the Desert Storm troops Gulf War Illnesses, Gulf War Exposures with the very recent affects from In-Theater Burn Pits and oh so so much more! Tens of Thousands of Veterans' that have been long ignored and maligned by previous VA's and the whole Country and through their representatives!

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


"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." - Abraham Lincoln

"To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan" - President Lincoln

She wrote that she's proud of her service but added this: "That doesn't change the fact that I contributed - however indirectly - to human beings vanishing from the earth in a moment of sheer agony."







For our sisters: National Women Veterans Hotline, call 1-855-VA-WOMEN1-855-VA-WOMEN (1-855-829-66361-855-829-6636) New Hotline now up and running







They are a coalition of leading Veterans, mostly of OEF and OIF, and national security organizations who recognize that climate change is a major threat, and support fast, bold action. It is time for Americans to rise to the challenge, and we’re taking on the fight.





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Wednesday, January 13, 2016

HONORING THE FALLEN: After OEF/OIF - October, November and December 2015

Bodies of American soldiers killed in Afghanistan returned to U.S.

December 23, 2015 - The bodies of six Americans killed in Afghanistan were flown home to the U.S. in flag-draped caskets on Wednesday. Margaret Brennan reports.


DeJa-Vu: “With no shared sacrifices being asked of civilians after Sept. 11", Decades and War From, All Over Again!!
And that covers much more in the Deficits, like even paying for war policies and the results from and much more, then just the, grossly under funded thus not properly built nor properly maintained, and not conservative obstructionists pols concern, VA budgets!!

The Slow Privatization of the Peoples Served Responsibility, the Veterans Administration, Government

Example of what happens when a government agency, especially in this case the people served responsibility, not upheld, is controlled mostly by conservative leadership and under conservative administrations, especially policies leading into, Poser, patriotic wars and long deadly destructive occupations and with a mostly privatized, for profit and little regulation, military!!

VA can't afford drug for veterans suffering from hepatitis C
Willingly followed leads of by conservative ideology in congress, whether in control of the houses or with the obstructionist numbers to block needed funding and much needed advanced maintenance still seeking to privatize government for corporate profits with little to no regulation.

December 1, 2015 - On Tuesday, a Senate report found Gilead Sciences, which makes a cure for a fatal form of hepatitis, is more interested in profits than patients. The cure was invented under the leadership of a celebrated doctor in the Department of Veterans Affairs, but at $1,000 a pill, even the VA can't afford to save the lives of veterans who need it.

In 2013, Vietnam veteran Zion Yisrael was told he had five years to live. He has stage 4 liver disease, caused by hepatitis C -- which has infected as many as 230,000 veterans. Most veterans contracted it in Vietnam where it was spread by battlefield blood transfusions and vaccinations.

"The longer it goes, the harder it is to treat," he said.

After decades of suffering, earlier this year, Yisrael was overjoyed to learn there's a cure.

"I felt like my prayers were answered," he said.

The drug -- sofosbuvir -- is sold as Sovaldi and Harvoni -- and claims to cure up to 99 percent of hepatitis C patients. read more>>>

With the politics brought across the entrances, especially when lead under Democratic administrations, and into the facilities thus creating the much needed and sought after conservative media hyped 'scandals', oft repeating themselves as nothing is done and leading to other issues to be exploited in same and hearings are platforms to attack VA personnel for individual, and conservative group, congressional, state legislators, personal, Poser, patriotic fame and job security!!

UpGrading the VA Finally? Lawmakers {conservatives} & Those They Represent Continue {Decades} Balking

“Why in 2009 were we still using paper?” VA Assistant Secretary Tommy Sowers “When we came in, there was no plan to change that; we’ve been operating on a six month wait for over a decade.” 27 March 2013

DeJa-Vu: “With no shared sacrifices being asked of civilians after Sept. 11", Decades and War From, All Over Again!!
And that covers much more in the Deficits, like even paying for war policies and the results from and much more, then just the, grossly under funded thus not properly built nor properly maintained, and not conservative obstructionists pols concern, VA budgets!!

Lawmakers Blast $1.3 Billion Price Tag for VA’s ‘Agile’ Paperless Claims System
Screen capture of IG photo from CACI scanning facility's rear storage area Newman, GA, January 2015.

12 January 2016 - The Department of Veterans Affairs may finally have good news to share, but lawmakers are balking at the price tag.

Total costs for a digital system used to process veterans’ disability claims that officials say has been key to slashing a massive VA backlog are nearly double the initial estimates.

And VA, which has continued to make upgrades to the system under an “agile” software development methodology, still can’t say how much the system will end up costing, according to auditors.

VA has spent more than $1 billion developing and maintaining the Veterans Benefits Management System, or VBMS, since 2009. The agency has requested an additional $290 million this year for continued tweaks to the system, which was initially projected to cost $579 million. read more>>>

ProPublica and The Seattle Times Nov. 9, 2012 - Lost to History: Missing War Records Complicate Benefit Claims by Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans
"DeLara's case is part of a much larger problem that has plagued the U.S. military since the 1990 Gulf War: a failure to create and maintain the types of field records that have documented American conflicts since the Revolutionary War.">>>

Part Two: A Son Lost in Iraq, but Where Is the Casualty Report?

Army Says War Records Gap Is Real, Launches Recovery Effort

Chris Hayes : "If you can run a deficit to go to war, you can run a deficit to take care of the people who fought it" In response to Republican, long ago lost as the party of Lincoln and not just as to us Veterans, opposition to expanding Veterans' benefits on fiscal grounds.

Sen. Bernie Sanders told Conservatives: “If you can’t afford to take care of your veterans, than don’t go war. These people are bearing the brunt of what war is about, We have a moral obligation to support them.” February, 26th, 2014

The VA is the people served Responsibility, not socialized anything but their Responsibility to Actually Sacrifice, as it's been since it was established but promises never upheld with congressional fixes coming mostly unfunded and peace-meal causing more problems, the way those served seem to really like it that way as they lay blame on the VA personal!!

The conservative ideology: Like our long time, us Vietnam and frankly all Combat Theaters, Veterans Conservative, one of their experts(?), used to shape their policies, very highly compensated Nemesis: * * Sally Satel Still Selling Care for PTSD Veterans is Waste of Money * * There are plenty of others, they've got a ready stable full of {experts?}, and plenty of ignored and denied issues!!

DeJa-Vu: “With no shared sacrifices being asked of civilians after Sept. 11", Decades and War From, All Over Again!!

“Why in 2009 were we still using paper?” VA Assistant Secretary Tommy Sowers “When we came in, there was no plan to change that; we’ve been operating on a six month wait for over a decade.” 27 March 2013

Theodore Roosevelt, “A man who is good enough to shed his blood for the country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards.” 1903

“The strength of the armed forces of the United States is as much about its families as it is about its combat capability.” – General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." - Abraham Lincoln

"To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan" - President Lincoln

Chris Hayes : "If you can run a deficit to go to war, you can run a deficit to take care of the people who fought it" In response to Republican, long ago lost as the party of Lincoln and not just as to us Veterans, opposition to expanding Veterans' benefits on fiscal grounds

Sen. Bernie Sanders told Conservatives: “If you can’t afford to take care of your veterans, than don’t go war. These people are bearing the brunt of what war is about, We have a moral obligation to support them.” February, 26th, 2014

NATO holds ceremony closing Afghan mission
Event carried out in secret due to threat of Taliban strikes in Afghan capital, which has been hit by repeated bombings

28 Dec 2014 - NATO has held a ceremony in Kabul formally ending its war in Afghanistan, officials said, after 13 years of conflict and gradual troop withdrawals that have left the country in the grip of worsening conflicts with armed groups. read more>>>

Obama, Hagel Mark End of Operation Enduring Freedom

December 28, 2014 - Obama marks end of combat in Afghanistan

Statement by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Freedom's Sentinel

Memorial at the New JPED facility at Dover Air Force Base, Del..OEF: Afghanistan - Pakistan!! There have been 3,485 coalition deaths -- 2,356 Americans, 41 Australians, 453 Britons, 1 Belgian, 158 Canadians, 10 Czech, 43 Denmark, 25 Netherlands, 9 Estonians, 2 Finn, 86 French, 54 Germans, 7 Hungarian, 48 Italians, 2 Jordan, 3 Latvian, 1 Lithuanian, 10 Norwegians, 40 Poland, 2 Portuguese, 21 Romanians, 1 South Korean, 34 Spaniards, 5 Swedes, 14 Turks, 11 New Zealand, 27 Georgian and 14 NATO/ISAF -- in the war on terror as of November 3 2014, according to a CNN and iCasulties count. Below are the names of the soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors whose deaths have been reported by their country's governments. The troops died in support of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom or were part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. At least 20,067 U.S. troops had been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon.. In addition to the military deaths, 11 U.S. intelligence operatives have died in Afghanistan.

icasualties.org OEF - Operation Enduring Freedom

CNN Map U.S./Canada and Coalition Afghanistan Casualties

CNN-Iraq/Afghanistan War Casualties

NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan
"Resolute Support will serve as the bedrock of an enduring partnership" between NATO and Afghanistan, Campbell told an audience of Afghan and international military officers and officials, as well as diplomats and journalists.


Operation Resolute Support

The post-2014 mission in Afghanistan will be known as Operation Resolute Support. Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) Afghanistan will come to an end. The detailed operation plan for Resolute Support was approved by NATO Foreign Ministers at the end of June 2014.
The U.S. military component of RSM will be Operation Freedom's Sentinel.

Operation Freedom's Sentinel - U.S. Wounded In Action: 75

Spc. John M. Dawson, 22, of Whitinsville, Massachusetts, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he was attacked by small arms fire while he was on an escort mission. He was assigned to 1st Squadron, 33 Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. April 09, 2015

Petty Officer 3rd Class Devon J. Doyle, 21, of Alamosa, Colorado, died May 16, in Manama, Bahrain, of a non-combat related incident while on liberty. The incident is under investigation. May 18, 2015

Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan D. Burris, 24, of Lisle, Illinois, died May 21, in Abu Dhabi, UAE, of a non-combat related incident at Zayed Military City. The incident is under investigation. He was temporarily assigned to the Crisis Response Element of Joint Special Operations Task Force-Arabian Peninsula, Special Operations Command Central, U.S. Central Command. May 22, 2015

Sgt. 1st Class Pablo A. Ruiz, 37, of Melbourne, Florida, died May 24, in Bagram, Afghanistan, from a non-combat related incident. May 25, 2015

Krissie K. Davis, 54, of Talladega, Alabama, a member of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) at Anniston, Alabama, and deployed to DLA Disposition Services Bagram as part of the civilian expeditionary workforce, was killed June 8, during an indirect fire attack on Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan. June 09, 2015

Master Sgt. Peter A. McKenna Jr., 35, of Bristol, Rhode Island, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. In Kabul, Afghanistan, of wounds when he was attacked by enemy small arms fire. 8 August 2015

Capt. Matthew D. Roland, 27, of Lexington, Kentucky. He was assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida. Died of wounds suffered Aug. 26 when the vehicle they were traveling in was attacked near Camp Antonik, Afghanistan. 27 August 2015

Staff Sgt. Forrest B. Sibley, 31, of Pensacola, Florida. He was assigned to the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina. Died of wounds suffered Aug. 26 when the vehicle they were traveling in was attacked near Camp Antonik, Afghanistan. 27 August 2015

Spc. Kyle E. Gilbert, 24, of Buford, Georgia, Assigned to 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York. In Bagram, Afghanistan, in a non-combat related incident. The incident is under investigation. September 22, 2015

Capt. Jonathan J. Golden, 33, of Camarillo, California, Assigned to the 39th Airlift Squadron, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Crash of a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft at Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan. October 2 2015

Capt. Jordan B. Pierson, 28, of Abilene, Texas, Assigned to the 39th Airlift Squadron, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Crash of a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft at Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan. October 2 2015

Staff Sgt. Ryan D. Hammond, 26, of Moundsville, West Virginia, Assigned to the 39th Airlift Squadron, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Crash of a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft at Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan. October 2 2015

Senior Airman Quinn L. Johnson-Harris, 21, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Assigned to the 39th Airlift Squadron, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Crash of a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft at Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan. October 2 2015

Senior Airman Nathan C. Sartain, 29, of Pensacola, Florida. Assigned to the 66th Security Forces Squadron, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts Crash of a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft at Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan. October 2 2015

Airman 1st Class Kcey E. Ruiz, 21, of McDonough, Georgia. Assigned to the 66th Security Forces Squadron, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts. Crash of a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft at Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan October 2 2015

Maj. Phyllis J. Pelky, 45, of Rio Rancho, New Mexico. She was assigned to the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Crash of a British Puma Mk2 helicopter in Kabul, Afghanistan. October 11 2015

Master Sgt. Gregory T. Kuhse, 38, of Kalamazoo, Michigan. He was assigned to the 3rd Manpower Requirements Squadron at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Crash of a British Puma Mk2 helicopter in Kabul, Afghanistan. October 11 2015

Maj. Adrianna M. Vorderbruggen, 36, of Plymouth, Minnesota. When their patrol was attacked by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Assigned to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, 9th Field Investigations Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. December 21 2015

Staff Sgt. Michael A. Cinco, 28, of Mercedes, Texas. When their patrol was attacked by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Assigned to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, 11th Field Investigations Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. December 21 2015

Staff Sgt. Peter W. Taub, 30, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When their patrol was attacked by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Assigned to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Detachment 816, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. December 21 2015

Staff Sgt. Chester J. McBride, 30, of Statesboro, Georgia. When their patrol was attacked by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Assigned to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Detachment 405, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. December 21 2015

Technical Sgt. Joseph G. Lemm, 45, of Bronx, New York. When their patrol was attacked by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Assigned to the 105th Security Forces Squadron at Stewart Air National Guard Base, New York. December 21 2015

Staff Sgt. Louis M. Bonacasa, 31, of Coram, New York. When their patrol was attacked by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Assigned to the 105th Security Forces Squadron at Stewart Air National Guard Base, New York. December 21 2015

'A new chapter': United States shuts down Iraq war
Nine years of conflict saw 4,488 Americans killed, 32,230 U.S. wounded and more than $800 billion spent

By the Numbers: 1.5 Million

Iraq Veterans: ‘National Day of Honor’ 19 March

OIF: Iraq, from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn on Sept 1, 2010

December 20 2011 - Ceremony to Retire Iraq Mission Colors on U.S. Soil

There had been 4,804 coalition deaths 4,488 Americans
2 Australians, 1 Azerbaijani, 179 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, 1 Czech, 7 Danes, 2 Dutch, 2 Estonians, 1 Fijian, 5 Georgians, 1 Hungarian, 33 Italians, 1 Kazakh, 1 South Korean, 3 Latvian, 22 Poles, 3 Romanians, 5 Salvadoran, 4 Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, 2 Thai and 18 Ukrainians -- in the war in Iraq as of January 2, 2012, according to a CNN and iCasulties count.
Graphical breakdown of casualties. At least 32,230 U.S. troops had been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon.

icasualties.org Operation Iraqi Freedom

Iraq war ends with a $4 trillion IOU: 15 December 2011 - Veterans’ health care costs to rise sharply over the next 40 years

CNN Map U.S. and Coalition Iraq Casualties

CNN-Iraq/Afghanistan War Casualties

Brown University - Iraq: 10 Years After Costs of War - Research Papers

Costs of War Project

The British Iraq War Inquiry


Click on banner to visit the DoD Special Report page on In-Theater Operations

Back Into Iraq - Lured Back in the Continuing Blowback From the Previous Failed Policies of Quickly Abandoning the Missions and Those Sent to Accomplish After 9/11! That Created the Growth and Spread, and Now This ISIL or Islamic State, the Criminal Terror in That Region and Beyond of Many Groups Following the al Qaeda Terror Mold and even More Extreme:

‘Operation Inherent Resolve’
Pentagon chose the name to "reflect the unwavering resolve and deep commitment of the U.S."

Airstrikes in Iraq and Syria

Operation Inherent Resolve - U.S. Wounded In Action: 5

Cpl. Jordan L. Spears, 21, of Memphis, Indiana, was lost at sea Oct. 1 while conducting flight operations in the North Arabian Gulf. He was initially classified as a non-global war on terrorism casualty. Spears was assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron-163, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California. October 1 2014

Lance Cpl. Sean P. Neal, 19, of Riverside, California, in Baghdad, Iraq, from a non-combat related incident. The incident is under investigation. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force - Crisis Response - Central Command, whose headquarters element deploys from Camp Pendleton, California. October 23 2014

Capt. William H. DuBois, 30, of New Castle, Colorado, died when his F-16 aircraft crashed near a coalition air base in the Middle East. He was assigned to the 77th Fighter Squadron, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. December 1 2014

Tech. Sgt. Anthony E. Salazar, 40, of Hermosa Beach, California, at an air base in southwest Asia in a non-combat related incident. The incident is under investigation. He was assigned to the 577th Expeditionary Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force Squadron, 1st Expeditionary Civil Engineer Group, U.S. Air Forces Central Command. April 13, 2015

Pfc. Monterrious T. Daniel, 19, of Griffin, Georgia, died June 12 in Camp Buehring, Kuwait, in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 43rd Sustainment Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado. June 14, 2015

Master Sgt. Joshua L. Wheeler, 39, of Roland, Oklahoma, Kirkuk Province, Iraq, from wounds received by enemy small-arms fire during an operation. He was assigned Headquarters U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. October 22 2015

Pvt. Christopher J. Castaneda, 19, of Fripp Island, South Carolina, Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, in a non-combat related incident. Assigned to 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York. November 19 2015

* * * CIA Torture: Read the Senate Intelligence Committee report * * *

In a Democracy: 'Citizens must know what is done in their name'

Pres. Bush: “Prisoners of war must at all times be humanely treated”

Human rights groups call for special prosecutor to investigate CIA torture

22 December 2014 - The ACLU and Human Rights Watch say the offences amount to ‘a vast criminal conspiracy’ and are ‘shocking and corrosive’ to US democracy and credibility read more>>>

* * * Seeds of ISIL Planted By Bush/Cheney and Conservative Congresses * * *

* * * The British Iraq War Inquiry * * *
Released will carry private communications between GWBush and TBlair, like this already released: TB said there was a danger the Tories would see this as their chance to get rid of him … Bush said they would make it clear to the Tories that if they moved to get rid of TB "we will get rid of them".

* * * Iraq War Promoted Terrorism Rather Than Reducing It * * *
24 April 2014 - Britain’s involvement in the Iraq War promoted terrorism rather than reducing it and was a “strategic failure”, according to a major new report which estimated the cost of all UK conflicts since the end of the Cold War.
The Royal United Services Institute said the UK could face a bill of nearly £65bn, once the cost of long-term care for injured veterans was factored in, with most of the money was spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The study, called Wars in Peace, said both conflicts were largely “strategic failures” for the UK, The Guardian reported."

Facts: Matthew Hoh {former Marine and foreign service officer in Afghanistan}: "We spend a trillion dollars a year on national security in this country."
"And when you add up to the Department of Defense, Department of State, CIA, Veterans Affairs, interest on debt, the number that strikes me the most about how much we're committed financially to these wars and to our current policies is we have spent $250 billion already just on interest payments on the debt we've incurred for the Iraq and Afghan wars." 26 September 2014

Bob Herbert "Losing Our Way" : "And then the staggering costs of these wars, which are borne by the taxpayers. I mean, one of the things that was insane was that, as we're at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush administration cut taxes. This has never been done in American history. The idea of cutting taxes while you're going to war is just crazy. I mean, it's madness." Bill 'Moyers and Company': Restoring an America That Has Lost its Way 10 Oct. 2014

$14 Million An Hour: War Costs Top $1.6 Trillion Since 9/11, Say Congressional Researchers
December 22 2014 - American taxpayers have shelled out roughly $1.6 trillion on war spending since 9/11, according to a new report from Congress’ nonpartisan research arm. That’s roughly $337 million a day -- or nearly a quarter million dollars a minute -- every single day for 13 years. read more>>>

“With no shared sacrifices being asked of civilians after Sept. 11"

Chris Hayes MSNBC: "If you can run a deficit to go to war, you can run a deficit to take care of the people who fought it" In response to Republican opposition to expanding Veterans' benefits on fiscal grounds

Neither of these recent wars have yet been paid for, let alone the results from, including the long ignored or outright denied existence of, till this Administrations Cabinet and Gen Shinseki, only Government branch consistent for the past six years, issues! As well as under deficits most of the, grossly under funded, VA budget is still borrowed thus added, problem creating, costs that shouldn't exist!

"If military action is worth our troops’ blood, it should be worth our treasure, too — not just in the abstract, but in the form of a specific ante by every American." -Andrew Rosenthal 10 Feb. 2013

"We got a huge round of tax cuts in this country a few weeks before9/11. Once 9/11 happened and we invaded Afghanistan, we kept the tax cuts anyway. How did we think we were going to pay for that war? Did we think it was free?"

"Then, when we started a second simultaneous war in another country, we gave ourselves a second huge round of tax cuts. After that second war started. The wars, I guess, we thought would be free, don`t worry about it, civilians. Go about your business." Rachel Maddow - 23 May 2013

For compiled Veterans Administration, Veterans reports, lack of Sacrifice still by those served and what little their Congressional, and State, Representatives either accomplished or more often Obstruct as to us Veterans, visit my other website. Rather then adding a few to these dedication posts as I have been. Thank You for visiting!!

Still Coming Home, Our Brothers of WWII, Korea and Vietnam - Rest in Peace, You're Finally Home

Soldiers Missing From Vietnam War Accounted For

October 16, 2015 - The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of three servicemen, missing from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be buried with full military honors.

Army Maj. Dale W. Richardson, of Mount Sterling, Illinois; Staff Sgt. Bunyan D. Price Jr. of Monroe, North Carolina; and Sgt. Rodney L. Griffin of Mexico, Missouri, have been accounted for. Price was buried April 11 in Belmont, North Carolina; Griffin was buried April 25 in his hometown; Richardson was buried Aug. 29 in Mountain View, Arkansas; and the group remains representing the crew will be buried Oct. 20 in Arlington National Cemetery.

Richardson, Price, and Griffin, all assigned to 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, were passengers aboard an UH-1H Iroquois (Huey) helicopter that was en route to Fire Support Base Katum, South Vietnam, when it was diverted due to bad weather. read more>>>

Soldier Missing From Korean War Accounted For

October 23, 2015 - The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

U.S. Army Cpl. Robert E. Meyers of Greencastle, Pennsylvania, will be buried Oct. 26, in Arlington National Cemetery. Meyers, assigned to Company A, 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, was declared missing in action, Dec. 1, 1950, after his unit was involved in combat operations in the vicinity of Sonchu, North Korea. The U.S. Army declared Meyers deceased March 2, 1954.

In 1954, United Nations and communist forces exchanged the remains of war dead in what came to be called “Operation Glory.” All remains recovered in Operation Glory were turned over to the Army’s Central Identification Unit for analysis. The remains they were unable to identify were interred as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii, known as the “Punchbowl.” read more>>>

Airman Missing From WWII Accounted For

November 6, 2015 - The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Air Forces 1st Lt. William O. Pile of Circleville, Ohio, will be buried Nov. 10 in Arlington National Cemetery. On Dec. 23, 1944, Pile was assigned to the 559th Bombardment Squadron, 387th Bombardment Group, 9th Air Force, and was deployed to Germany. Pile was the pilot of a B-26C Marauder, with eight other crewmen onboard, which crashed after being struck by enemy fire while on a bombing mission against enemy forces near Philippsweiler, Germany. Pile and his co-pilot, 2nd Lt. Robert Ward, were reported killed in action. The other seven crewmen survived the crash by parachuting to safety; however, one crewman was captured by enemy forces and was reported to have died in captivity. His remains were later returned to U.S. custody. Pile and Ward were not recovered during the war. read more>>>

Marine Missing From World War II Accounted For

December 4, 2015 - The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, unaccounted for since World War II, have been identified and are being returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Marine Cpl. James D. Otto, 20, of Los Angeles, will be buried Dec. 8, in Arlington National Cemetery. In November 1943, Otto was assigned to Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense fighting, approximately 1,000 Marines were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded. Otto was reported killed in action on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943. read more>>>


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National World War II Memorial


National Korean War Memorial


National Vietnam Veterans Memorial - "The Wall"


The Vietnam Women’s Memorial


Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemeteries


Arlington National Cemetery


American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial - Dedicated on Oct 5th 2014