{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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Monday, October 11, 2010

HONORING THE FALLEN: US Military KIA, Iraq & Afghanistan/Pakistan – April 2009

Iraq, Rapidly becoming the Forgotten War!!
There have been 4,603 coalition deaths -- 4,286 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 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 May 5 2009, 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 31,230 U.S. troops have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. View casualties in the war in Afghanistan.



Sgt. James R. McIlvaine 26 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Olney, Maryland Killed along with a sailor and another Marine while supporting combat operations in Falluja, Iraq, on April 30, 2009



Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler J. Trahan 22 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit Twelve, deployed with an East Coast-based Navy SEAL team East Freetown, Massachusetts Killed along with two Marines while conducting combat operations in Falluja, Iraq, on April 30, 2009



Staff Sgt. Mark A. Wojciechowski 25 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Cincinnati, Ohio Killed along with a sailor and another Marine while supporting combat operations in Falluja, Iraq, on April 30, 2009



Staff Sgt. Leroy O. Webster 28 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Sioux Falls, South Dakota Died after being shot while on a dismounted patrol near Kirkuk, Iraq, on April 25, 2009



Command Sgt. Maj. Benjamin Moore Jr. 43 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Waycross, Georgia Died of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, on April 24, 2009



Cpl. Brad A. Davis 21 82nd Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Garfield Heights, Ohio Died of wounds sustained when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle near Baghdad, Iraq, on April 22, 2009



Cpl. William C. Comstock 21 2nd Supply Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 25, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Van Buren, Arkansas Died as a result of a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq, on April 22, 2009



Lance Cpl. Ray A. Spencer II 20 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division Ridgecrest, California Died as a result of a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq, on April 16, 2009



Sgt. Raul Moncada 29 563rd Military Police Company, 91st Military Police Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) Madera, California Died of wounds sustained when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle near Baghdad, Iraq, on April 13, 2009



Spc. Michael J. Anaya 23 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Crestview, Florida Died when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Bayji, Iraq, on April 12, 2009



Sgt. Edward W. Forrest Jr. 25 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division St. Louis, Missouri One of five soldiers killed when their vehicle was struck by a suicide car bomb in Mosul, Iraq, on April 10, 2009



Pvt. Bryce E. Gautier 22 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Cypress, California One of five soldiers killed when their vehicle was struck by a suicide car bomb in Mosul, Iraq, on April 10, 2009



Staff Sgt. Bryan E. Hall 32 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Elk Grove, California One of five soldiers killed when their vehicle was struck by a suicide car bomb in Mosul, Iraq, on April 10, 2009



Sgt. Christopher D. Loza 24 1st Squadron, 124th Cavalry Regiment, 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 36th Infantry Division Abilene, Texas Died on April 10, 2009, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., of a non-combat related illness after becoming ill in Radwaniya, Iraq, on March, 17, 2009



Cpl. Jason G. Pautsch 20 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Davenport, Iowa One of five soldiers killed when their vehicle was struck by a suicide car bomb in Mosul, Iraq, on April 10, 2009



Staff Sgt. Gary L. Woods Jr. 24 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Lebanon Junction, Kentucky One of five soldiers killed when their vehicle was struck by a suicide car bomb in Mosul, Iraq, on April 10, 2009



Spc. Israel Candelaria Mejias 28 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment in Task Force 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico Died of wounds sustained when a mine detonated near him during combat operations near Baghdad, Iraq, on April 5, 2009



Sgt. Daniel J. Beard 24 147th Postal Company, 21st Theater Sustainment Command Buffalo, New York Died of non-combat related incident in Diwaniya, Iraq, on April 3, 2009



Lance Cpl. Stephen F. Dearmon 21 2nd Marine Logistics Group, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Crossville, Tennessee Died as a result of a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq, on April 3, 2009



Afghanistan - and The Third Front Pakistan!!
There have been 1131 coalition deaths -- 678 Americans, 10 Australians, 153 Britons, 118 Canadians, 3 Czech, 21 Danes, 19 Dutch, 3 Estonians, 1 Finn, 25 French, 27 Germans, 2 Hungarian, 13 Italians, 1 Latvian, 1 Lithuanian, 4 Norwegians, 9 Poles, 2 Portuguese, 11 Romanians, 1 South Korean, 25 Spaniards, 2 Swedes -- in the war on terror as of May 5 2009, 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 2,807 U.S. personnel have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon.



Lance Sgt. Tobie Fasfous 29 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards Bridgend, Wales Killed by an explosion during a foot patrol with the Afghan National Army near Forward Operating Base Keenan, northeast of Gereshk in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on April 28, 2009



Maj. Michelle Mendes 30 Intelligence officer attached to Joint Task Force Kandahar Wicklow, Ontario, Canada Mendes was found dead in her accommodation room at Kandahar Airfield on April 23, 2009

.

Capt. Trond Petter Kolset 30 Norwegian Army Intelligence Service attached to PRT Meymaneh Steinkjer, Nord-Trondelag, Norway Killed when his convoy was attacked by a suicide bomber west of Mazar-e Sharif in Balkh province, Afghanistan, on April 17, 2009



Pfc. Richard A. Dewater 21 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Topeka, Kansas Died of wounds sustained from a roadside bomb while on a dismounted patrol near Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, on April 15, 2009



Cpl. Francisco X. Aguila 35 82nd Sustainment Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps Bayamon, Puerto Rico Died of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident in Kabul, Afghanistan, on April 14, 2009



Cpl. Karine Blais 21 12e Régiment Blindé (12th Armoured Regiment), attached to 2nd Battalion, 22nd Royal Regiment Battle Group Les Méchins, Quebec, Canada Killed when her armored vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the Shah Wali Kowt district of Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on April 13, 2009



Airman 1st Class Jacob I. Ramsey 20 712th Air Support Operations Squadron, 3rd Air Support Operations Group Hesperia, California Died of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident in Kabul, Afghanistan, on April 10, 2009



Lance Cpl. Blaise A. Oleski 22 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Holland Patent, New York Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on April 8, 2009



Capt. Vasile-Iuliu Unguras 32 Batalionului 21 Manevra (21st Maneuver Battalion) Romania Killed when his Humvee struck a roadside bomb during a patrol mission on the A1 Highway between Kandahar and Kabul 12.4 miles (20 km) northeast of Qalat, Afghanistan, on April 7, 2009



Pvt. Azdin Chadli 20 42 Pantserinfanteriebataljon (42nd Armored Infantry Battalion) Uden, Netherlands Killed in a rocket attack on Camp Holland in Oruzgan province, Afghanistan, on April 6, 2009



Spc. Adam M. Kuligowski 21 Special Troops Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Arlington, Virginia Died of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident in Bagram, Afghanistan, on April 6, 2009



Staff Sgt. Phillip A Myers 30 48th Civil Engineer Squadron, 48th Mission Support Group, 48th Fighter Wing Hopewell, Virginia Died of wounds suffered from a roadside bomb near Helmand province, Afghanistan, on April 4, 2009



Capt. Petre Tiberius 33 Batalionul 1 Forte pentru Operatii Speciale (1st Special Operations Forces Battalion) Romania Died of wounds sustained when the rapid reaction task force he was leading came under fire about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Kabul, Afghanistan, on April 3, 2009



The Hidden Casualties Of War: Suicide



Military Suicides at a 30-Year High



Spike in army vet suicides calls for changes
The dual wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have led to a variety of international and national glitches, many of which were predicted before the wars even began. However, one of the more unanticipated consequences has been a sharp increase in military suicides.

John Violanti, a UB research professor and Vietnam War veteran, is currently preparing a study to change the way army veterans' mental health is examined. Violanti hopes that the U.S. Army will use the study's method on 3,600 soldiers returning from war in August, in order help to reduce and keep down the recent spike in suicides among the veterans..>>>>



Why do US soldiers commit suicide?

The US military is grappling with a record number of soldier suicides. At least thirteen soldiers took their lives last month.

That’s down from the twenty-four military suicides in January and eighteen in February, but still in line with the most number of suicides since record keeping began.

As many as 143 soldiers reportedly took their own lives last year. ..........




Civilian Casulties - Iraq



Just Foreign Policy Issues
Over a million {*1,320,110} 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


The War in Iraq Costs, the rolling tabulation, over $666,245,000,000 and continually counting!



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 April 6th 2009, There Are 92 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.




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



"If we'd been born where they were born and taught what they were taught, we would believe what they believe." A sign inside a church in Northern Ireland, explaining the origin of intolerance and hate



"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



All over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to consume. Noam Chomsky

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

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