{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.





Their Mission: Team Rubicon unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. Learn More




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Sunday, October 10, 2010

HONORING THE FALLEN: US Military KIA, Iraq & Afghanistan/Pakistan – December 2008

'GoldStar Moms' Honor Their Fallen, Christmas 2008




Iraq



There have been 4,537 coalition deaths -- 4,221 Americans, 2 Australians, 1 Azerbaijani, 178 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, 1 Czech, 7 Danes, 2 Dutch, 2 Estonians, 1 Fijian, 5 Georgians, 1 Hungarian, 33 Italians, 1 Kazakh, 1 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 6, 2008, according to a CNN count. { Graphical breakdown of casualties }. The list below is the names of the soldiers, Marines, airmen, sailors and Coast Guardsmen whose deaths have been reported by their country's governments. The list also includes seven employees of the U.S. Defense Department. At least 30,920 U.S. troops have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. View casualties in the war in Afghanistan.



Pvt. Benjamin B. Tollefson 22 Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Concord, California Died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with indirect fire in Ghazaliya, Iraq on December 31, 2008



Spc. Tony J. Gonzales 20 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division Newman, California Killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Sadr City, Iraq, on December 28, 2008



Maj. John P. Pryor 42 1st Medical Detachment, Forward Surgical Team Moorestown, New Jersey Died of wounds suffered when a mortar round impacted near his living quarters in Mosul, Iraq, on December 25, 2008



Master-at-Arms Seaman Apprentice Joshua D. Seitz 19 Naval Security Force, Naval Support Activity Sinking Springs, Pennsylvania Died in Manama, Bahrain, on December 25, 2008. The cause of death is under investigation.



Spc. Stephen M. Okray 21 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division St. Clair Shores, Michigan One of three soldiers who died of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over in southern Iraq on December 24, 2008



Staff Sgt. Christopher G. Smith 28 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Grand Rapids, Michigan One of three soldiers who died of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over in southern Iraq on December 24, 2008



Spc. Stephen G. Zapasnik 19 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Broken Arrow, Oklahoma One of three soldiers who died of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over in southern Iraq on December 24, 2008



Lance Cpl. Robert L. Johnson 21 5th Combat Logistics Battalion, 1st Combat Logistics Regiment, 1st Marine Logistics Group Central Point, Oregon Died as a result of a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq, on December 20, 2008



Lance Cpl. Thomas Reilly Jr. 19 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division London, Kentucky Died while supporting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq, on December 21, 2008



Staff Sgt. Jonathan W. Dean 25 561st Military Police Company, 716th Military Police Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division Henagar, Alabama Died of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident in Tikrit, Iraq, on December 20, 2008



Pfc. Coleman W. Hinkefent 19 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division Coweta, Oklahoma Died in Hamburg, Germany of a non-combat related illness on December 20, 2008



Staff Sgt. Solomon T. Sam 26 523rd Engineer Company, 84th Engineer Battalion, 130th Engineer Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command Majuro, Marshall Islands One of two soldiers who died of wounds suffered when a homemade bomb detonated in Mosul, Iraq, on December 4, 2008



Sgt. John J. Savage 26 103rd Engineer Company, 94th Engineer Battalion Weatherford, Texas One of two soldiers who died of wounds suffered when a homemade bomb detonated in Mosul, Iraq, on December 4, 2008




Laying the Wreaths, Christmas 2008





Afghanistan - The Still Forgotten War - and The Third Front Pakistan



There have been 1037 coalition deaths -- 626 Americans, 7 Australians, 138 Britons, 106 Canadians, 3 Czech, 21 Danes, 18 Dutch, 3 Estonians, 1 Finn, 23 French, 25 Germans, 2 Hungarian, 12 Italians, 1 Latvian, 1 Lithuanian, 3 Norwegians, 8 Poles, 2 Portuguese, 8 Romanians, 1 South Korean, 25 Spaniards, 2 Swedes -- in the war on terror as of December 1, 2008, according to a CNN 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 2,618 U.S. personnel have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon.



Cpl. Charles P. Gaffney Jr. 42 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Phoenix, Arizona Killed when his combat outpost received enemy rocket fire in Paktika, Afghanistan, on December 24, 2008



Cpl. Robert C. Deering 33 Commando Logistics Regiment, Royal Marines Solihull, England Killed when he approached a Viking armored personnel carrier after it was involved in an explosion and a second explosion occurred, killing him instantly, west of Lashkar Gah in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on December 21, 2008



Sgt. Jacob M. Jensen Not available Gardehusarregimentet (Guard Hussar Regiment) Denmark One of three Danish soldiers killed when their armored personnel car struck a roadside bomb north of Gereshk in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on December 19, 2008



Pvt. Sebastian La Cour Holm Not available Gardehusarregimentet (Guard Hussar Regiment) Denmark One of three Danish soldiers killed when their armored personnel car struck a roadside bomb north of Gereshk in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on December 19, 2008



Pvt. Benjamin D.S. Rasmussen Not available Gardehusarregimentet (Guard Hussar Regiment) Denmark One of three Danish soldiers killed when their armored personnel car struck a roadside bomb north of Gereshk in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on December 19, 2008



Sgt. Mark Weijdt 24 12e Infanterie Bataljon Luchtmobiel (12th Air Mobile Infantry Battalion) The Netherlands Killed when he stepped on a roadside bomb during a firegight with Taliban fighters in Baluchi Valley in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan, on December 19, 2008



Rifleman Stuart Nash 21 1st Battalion, The Rifles Sydney, Australia Killed in action during a firefight with Taliban forces in Zarghun Kalay, Nad e Ali District in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on December 17, 2008



Pvt. Colman J. Meadows III 19 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division Senoia, Georgia Died of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident at Forward Operating Base Ramrod, Afghanistan, on December 16, 2008



Lt. Aaron Lewis 26 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery Essex, England Killed while commanding a gun position during an attack on a British forward operating base near Gereshk in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on December 15, 2008



Pvt. John Michael Roy Curwin Not available 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Mount Uniacke, Nova Scotia, Canada One of three Canadian soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their armored vehicle during a patrol roughly 8.5 miles (14 km) west of Kandahar, Afghanistan, December 13, 2008



Cpl. Thomas James Hamilton 26 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Upper Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia, Canada One of three Canadian soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their armored vehicle during a patrol roughly 8.5 miles (14 km) west of Kandahar, Afghanistan, December 13, 2008



Pvt. Justin Peter Jones 21 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Baie Verte, Newfoundland, Canada One of three Canadian soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their armored vehicle during a patrol roughly 8.5 miles (14 km) west of Kandahar, Afghanistan, December 13, 2008



Cpl. Marc Birch 26 X-Ray Company, 45 Commando Group, Royal Marines Northampton, England One of three Royal Marines killed as a result of a suspected suicide bomb attack south of Sangin in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on December 12, 2008



Marine Damian J. Davies 27 Landing Force Support Party, Commando Logistic Regiment, Royal Marines England One of three Royal Marines killed as a result of a suspected suicide bomb attack south of Sangin in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on December 12, 2008



Lance Cpl. Steven 'Jamie' Fellows 26 Whiskey Company, 45 Commando, Royal Marines Sheffield, England Killed when his Jackal patrol vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Sangin in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on December 12, 2008



Sergeant John H. Manuel 38 Headquarters, X-Ray Company, 45 Commando, Royal Marines North East, England One of three Royal Marines killed as a result of a suspected suicide bomb attack south of Sangin in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on December 12, 2008



Pvt. Demetrios Diplaros 24 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Toronto, Canada One of three Canadian soldiers killed when their armored vehicle struck a roadside bomb during a joint patrol with Afghan soldiers 9 miles (15 km) west of Kandahar, Afghanistan, on December 5, 2008



Cpl. Mark Robert McLaren 23 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Peterborough, Ontario, Canada One of three Canadian soldiers killed when their armored vehicle struck a roadside bomb during a joint patrol with Afghan soldiers 9 miles (15 km) west of Kandahar, Afghanistan, on December 5, 2008



Warrant Officer Robert John Wilson 38 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Keswick, Ontario, Canada One of three Canadian soldiers killed when their armored vehicle struck a roadside bomb during a joint patrol with Afghan soldiers 9 miles (15 km) west of Kandahar, Afghanistan, on December 5, 2008



Pvt. Jacob G. Gade 22 Staff & Logistics Company, Jydske Dragonregiment (Jutland Dragoon Regiment) Glamsbjerg, Denmark One of two Danish soldiers killed by separate roadside bombs during combat with Taliban fighters 5 miles (8 km) south of Gereshk in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on December 4, 2008



Pfc. Dan Gyde 29 Staff & Logistics Company, Jydske Dragonregiment (Jutland Dragoon Regiment) Randers, Denmark One of two Danish soldiers killed by separate roadside bombs during combat with Taliban fighters 5 miles (8 km) south of Gereshk in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on December 4, 2008



Capt. Robert J. Yllescas 31 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Lincoln, Nebraska Died at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on December 1, 2008, of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his unit at Combat Outpost Keating, Afghanistan, on October 28.







Civilian Casulties - Iraq



Just Foreign Policy Issues
Over a million {*1,307,319} Iraqis are estimated to have been killed as a result of the U.S.-led invasion and occupation. Learn More and Take Action»
*Estimate, click for explaination

.

To



John Hopkins School of Public Health { October 11, 2006 report } puts the count at 650,000, with a range from 400,000 to 900,000.



Exact Count of Civilian Casulties may never be known, as is the case in every conflict, especially an Invasion by another Country. For it is the Innocent Civilians and those Defending their Countries {of which All would be counted if this land were ever invaded} who suffer the most, during and long after!



Iraq Refugees UNHCR: UNHCR Global Appeal 2008-2009 - Iraq Situation
Filetype: PDF (116k)



All the Deaths, Maimings and Destruction are the Blood on All Our Hands, No One can escape the Guilt!



Honoring The Fallen of Iraq and Afghanistan/Pakistan


You can view other Honor Rolls of the Fallen I have posted on my site {links above}, or from the CNN link at top and the other sources that you might use or know about.




As Of January 6th, 2009, There Are 90 Pages w/5 'Silent Honor Rolls' Each, Number Of Casulties Varies With Each 'Silent Honor Roll'; Many now have numbers in the teens and twenties, click on graphic.



A Nations Security Does Not Mean A Nation Setting An Example Of Creating More Hatreds And Enemies By 'Wars Of Choice', Nor By Installing And Supporting Dictators, It Leads By The Example Of Peace And Prevention, Especially As A Democracy, Gaining Friends And Supporters, And Defends With Force Only When All Other Options Are Exhausted




97 percent of U.S. deaths in Iraq have occurred after George W. Bush declared an end to "major combat."
”Mission Accomplished!”



The Rand Corporation Terrorism Report the press release here, you can get the full document here or a summary of the research brief here



I'm Still Tortured by What I Saw in Iraq
Matthew Alexander who is writing under a pseudonym for security reasons



I learned in Iraq that the No. 1 reason foreign fighters flocked there to fight were the abuses carried out at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. Our policy of torture was directly and swiftly recruiting fighters for al-Qaeda in Iraq. The large majority of suicide bombings in Iraq are still carried out by these foreigners. They are also involved in most of the attacks on U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq. It's no exaggeration to say that at least half of our losses and casualties in that country have come at the hands of foreigners who joined the fray because of our program of detainee abuse. The number of U.S. soldiers who have died because of our torture policy will never be definitively known, but it is fair to say that it is close to the number of lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001. How anyone can say that torture keeps Americans safe is beyond me -- unless you don't count American soldiers as Americans.



MSNBC Countdown Video Commentary



Americans, including officers like myself, must fight to protect our values not only from al-Qaeda but also from those within our own country who would erode them. Other interrogators are also speaking out, including some former members of the military, the FBI and the CIA who met last summer to condemn torture and have spoken before Congress -- at considerable personal risk.

We're told that our only options are to persist in carrying out torture or to face another terrorist attack. But there truly is a better way to carry out interrogations -- and a way to get out of this false choice between torture and terror.



Those who take some sort of relief in the "We are fighting them over there so we won't be fighting them here!", Better Rethink their Future, or rather their Childrens Future!!



"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the president to explain to us what the exit strategy is," - George W. Bush, Texas Gov., 1999



"How anyone can say that torture keeps Americans safe is beyond me -- unless you don't count American soldiers as Americans."
Matthew Alexander who is writing under a pseudonym for security reasons



" What does it matter to the dead, the orphan, and the homeless whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?"
- Mohandas K. Gandhi



"Patriotism is proud of a country's virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their own specific virtues. The pride of nationalism, however, trumpets its country's virtues and denies its deficiencies, while it is contemptuous toward the virtues of other countries. It wants to be, and proclaims itself to be, 'the greatest,' but greatness is not required of a country; only goodness is."
Sydney J. Harris



The Failed Policies will Haunt Us and the World for Decades!!

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