{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 – January 2009

The Hidden Casualties Of War: Suicide

Military Suicides at a 30-Year High



Suicide Rate Reflects Toll of Army Life
With Suicides at a 30-Year High, Army Vows to Address Problem



In 2008 alone, the Army reports there were at least 128 confirmed cases of suicide, more than a dozen of which are still under review.



U.S. Army Suicides Highest In 3 Decades



Iraq


There have been 4,551 coalition deaths -- 4,235 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 31,004 U.S. troops have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. View casualties in the war in Afghanistan.



Chief Warrant Officer Philip E. Windorski, Jr. 35 Kirkuk (near) - At-Tamim of Bovey, Minn. Non-hostile - helicopter crash {under investigation} January 26, 2009



Chief Warrant Officer Matthew G. Kelley 30 Kirkuk (near) - At-Tamim of Cameron, Mo. Non-hostile - helicopter crash {under investigation} January 26, 2009



Chief Warrant Officer Joshua M. Tillery 31 Kirkuk (near) - At-Tamim of Beaverton, Ore. Non-hostile - helicopter crash {under investigation} January 26, 2009



Chief Warrant Officer Benjamin H. Todd 29 Kirkuk (near) - At-Tamim of Colville, Wash. Non-hostile - helicopter crash {under investigation} January 26, 2009



Pvt. Grant A. Cotting 19 515th Sapper Company, 5th Engineer Battalion, 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade Corona, California Died of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident in Kut, Iraq, on January 24, 2009



Sgt. Kyle J. Harrington 24 542nd Maintenance Company, 80th Ordnance Battalion, 593rd Sustainment Brigade Swansea, Massachusetts Died of injuries sustained from a non-hostile accident in his unit motor pool in Basra, Iraq, on January 24, 2009



Spc. Matthew M. Pollini 21 772nd Military Police Company Rockland, Massachusetts Died of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over at Forward Operating Base Delta near Kut, Iraq, on January 22, 2009



Staff Sgt. Roberto Andrade Jr. 26 1st Battalion, 66th Armor, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Chicago, Illinois Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb struck his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on January 18, 2009



Senior Airman Omar J. McKnight 22 6th Security Forces Squadron, MacDill Air Force Base Marrero, Louisiana Died as a result of a non-hostile incident in Balad, Iraq, on January 17, 2009



Pfc. Ricky L. Turner 20 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Athens, Alabama Died of wound suffered when a roadside bomb exploded near his unit in Baghdad, Iraq, on January 16, 2009



Pvt. Sean P. McCune 20 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Euless, Texas Died of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident in Samarra, Iraq, on January 11, 2009



Sgt. Marquis R. Porter 28 2nd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Brighton, Massachusetts Died as a result of a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq, on January 11, 2009



Staff Sgt. Justin L. Bauer 24 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Loveland, Colorado Died of wounds sustained a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on January 10, 2009



Staff Sgt. Anthony D. Davis 29 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment Daytona Beach, Florida Killed when he was shot by a heavily armed enemy combatant during combat operations in northern Iraq on January 6, 2009



Lance Cpl. Chadwick A. Gilliam 29 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Mayking, Kentucky Died at a U.S. military base in Kuwait on January 3, 2009



More: Hidden Casualties Of War: Domestic Violence



The Hidden Casualties Of War
CBS Evening News Investigates Staggering Domestic Violence Numbers When U.S. Soldiers Return From Iraq, Afghanistan





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


There have been 1055 coalition deaths -- 639 Americans, 8 Australians, 142 Britons, 107 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 2,679 U.S. personnel have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon.



Lance Cpl. Julian T. Brennan 25 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Brooklyn, New York Died while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan, on January 24, 2009



Sgt. Ezra Dawson 31 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Las Vegas, Nevada Died when the Chinook helicopter he was in made a hard landing under combat conditions in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on January 17, 2009



Staff Sgt. Carlo M. Robinson 33 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade Lawton, Oklahoma Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Kabul, Afghanistan, on January 17, 2009



Acting Cpl. Richard 'Robbo' Robinson 21 Company E, 1st Battalion, The Rifles Cornwall, England Killed by enemy fire during an ambush north of Sangin District Center during a patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on January 17, 2009



Staff Sgt. Joshua R. Townsend 30 Company C, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group Solvang, California Died from a non-combat incident at Fire Base Ripley in the Tarin Kowt district of Uruzgan province, Afghanistan, on January 16, 2009



Capt. Tom Sawyer 26 7 (Sphinx) Commando Battery, 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery Hertfordshire, England Killed along with a British Royal Marine in an explosion during an operation to clear compounds in a known Taliban stronghold northeast of Gereshk in central Helmand province, Afghanistan, on January 14, 2009



Cpl. Danny Winter 28 Mortar Troop, Z Company, 45 Commando, Royal Marines Stockport, England Killed along with a British soldier in an explosion during an operation to clear compounds in a known Taliban stronghold northeast of Gereshk in central Helmand province, Afghanistan, on January 14, 2009



Lance Cpl. Daniel R. Bennett 23 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Clifton, Virginia Died as a result of a non-hostile incident in Helmand province, Afghanistan on January 11, 2009



Marine Travis Mackin 22 Communications Squadron, United Kingdom Landing Force Command Support Group, 45 Commando Plymouth, England Killed when a roadside bomb exploded as he was establishing a fire-support location to protect his colleagues advancing on a Taliban defensive position in the Kajaki area of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on January 11, 2009



Spc. Joseph M. Hernandez 24 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment Hammond, Indiana One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Jaldak, Zabul province, Afghanistan on January 9, 2009



Maj. Brian M. Mescall 33 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment Hopkinton, Massachusetts One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Jaldak, Zabul province, Afghanistan on January 9, 2009



Cpl. Jason R. Parsons 24 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment Lenoir, North Carolina One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Jaldak, Zabul province, Afghanistan on January 9, 2009



Spc. Keith E. Essary 20 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Dyersburg, Tennessee One of two soldiers killed when their dismounted patrol was hit by a roadside bomb in Maywand, Afghanistan, on January 8, 2009



Sgt. Joshua L. Rath 22 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Decatur, Alabama One of two soldiers killed when their dismounted patrol was hit by a roadside bomb in Maywand, Afghanistan, on January 8, 2009



Trooper Brian Richard Good 42 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group Ottawa, Ontario Killed when the vehicle he was in was struck by a roadside bomb in Shah Wall Kowt District, Afghanistan, on January 7, 2009



Lance Cpl. Jessie A. Cassada 19 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Hendersonville, North Carolina Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on January 6, 2009



Pvt. Gregory Michael Sher 30 1st Commando Regiment Australia Killed in a rocket attack on a forward operating base in Oruzgan province, Afghanistan, on January 4, 2009



Lance Cpl. Alberto Francesconi 21 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Bronx, New York Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan on January 1, 2009



Sgt. Chris Reed 25 Company C, 6th Battalion, The Rifles Plymouth, England Killed by a roadside bomb that exploded during a vehicle patrol in the Garmsir district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on January 1, 2009



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 February 1st 2009, There Are 91 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.



"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



"Torture is the tool of the lazy, the stupid, and the pseudo-tough. It’s also perhaps the greatest recruiting tool that the terrorists have."
Major General Paul Eaton



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



"If ever forgetful of her past and present glory, she will cease to be the land of the free and the home of the brave."
Francis Scott Key 1874



"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



" 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



"His words foretold a tragic ending!"

Transition unit spc. kills self in Colo. home

Nearly 70 soldiers died in WTUs’ first 16 months

The last person Spc. Larry Applegate is known to have spoken to before killing himself was a sergeant with the El Paso County Sheriff’s office in Colorado Springs, Colo.

His words, according to a spokeswoman, foretold a tragic ending.

“One of the sergeants talked with him briefly on the phone,” said the spokeswoman, Lt. Lari Sevene. “He was making suicidal statements.”

Applegate, according to Sevene, who cited preliminary deputies’ reports, was arguing with his wife around 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 16 in their two-story home in the Widefield area of Colorado Springs when he fired a couple of rounds, causing her to flee the house.


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

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