{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




** Home ** Bookshelf ** Donate ** Subscribe **




Sunday, December 4, 2011

HONORING THE FALLEN: US Military KIA, Iraq & Afghanistan/Pakistan - November 2011

President Obama on Ending War in Iraq - 21 Oct. 2011

The War/Occupation of Choice in Iraq to Come To The End

Supposedly with only the normal Marine Embassy contingent and troops stationed at bases in the region.

After Iraq
November 2011 - Introduction The US military withdrawal from Iraq has accelerated and almost all the troops will have left the country by the end of next month. This follows the breakdown in talks between the US and Iraq in October on a continuing military presence. It contrasts hugely with expectations of a substantial long-term military presence as recently as a few months ago. Leaving behind a troubled country, the withdrawal raises questions over its reasons and the future of the US security posture in the region. Above all, it has implications for Iranian influence in the Middle East which, in turn, raises concerns in a number of countries, most notably Saudi Arabia and Israel. read more>>>


97 percent {now more} of U.S. deaths in Iraq have occurred after George W. Bush declared an end to "major combat."
May 1, 2003 - "Mission Accomplished!" After leaving the Main Mission in Afghanistan, as to 9/11, to invade and occupy Iraq, which created the rise in the regional insurgents fighting in Afghanistan since!

"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

* * *

Memorial at the New JPED facility at Dover Air Force Base, Del.. Iraq, from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn Sept 1, 2010 There have been 4,801 coalition deaths -- 4,485 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 December 4, 2011, according to a CNN and iCasulties count. { Graphical breakdown of casualties }. At least 32,226 {32,224 up to last month} U.S. troops have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. View casualties in the war in Afghanistan

Spc.David Emanuel Hickman 23 Greensboro, North Carolina, USA Company B, 2nd Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Died of injuries suffered when his patrol was attacked with a roadside bomb in the Kadhimiya neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq, on November 14, 2011

1st Lt.Dustin Dale Vincent 25 Mesquite, Texas, USA Battery A, 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire in Kirkuk province, Iraq, on November 3, 2011

* * *

POW/MIA: Afghanistan & Iraq

Two U.S. soldiers are currently listed as captured or Duty Status -- Whereabouts Unknown as of December 1, 2009. The information below reflects the name, an unknown, officially listed as Prisoners of War or Duty Status -- Whereabouts Unknown by the Pentagon.

Spc. Ahmed K. Altaie 41 Army reservist assigned Provincial Reconstruction Team Baghdad Ann Arbor, Michigan On October 23, 2006, Altaie was categorized as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown when he allegedly was kidnapped while on his way to visit family in Baghdad, Iraq. The Pentagon changed his status to missing-captured on December 11.

Sgt Bowe R. Bergdahl 23 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Ketchum, Idaho Captured in Paktika province in Afghanistan, on June 30, 2009. The Pentagon declared him Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown on July 1 and his status was changed to Missing-Captured on July 3.

* * *

Afghanistan - Pakistan!! There have been 2,823 coalition deaths -- 1,848 Americans, 32 Australians, 390 Britons, 1 Belgian, 158 Canadians, 5 Czech, 42 Denmark, 25 Netherlands, 9 Estonians, 2 Finn, 76 French, 53 Germans, 7 Hungarian, 42 Italians, 2 Jordan, 3 Latvian, 1 Lithuanian, 10 Norwegians, 30 Poles, 2 Portuguese, 19 Romanians, 1 South Korean, 34 Spaniards, 5 Swedes, 2 Turks, 4 New Zealand, 10 Georgian and 10 NATO/ISAF -- in the war on terror as of December 4, 2011, 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 14,969 {14,733 up to last month} U.S. personnel have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. In addition to the military deaths, 11 U.S. intelligence operatives have died in Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt.Vincent J. Bell 28 Detroit, Michigan, USA 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Died following a roadside bomb attack while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 30, 2011

Rifleman Sheldon Lee Jordan Steel 20 Leeds, England Company D, 5th Battalion, The Rifles Killed when a roadside bomb detonated during a foot patrol in Babaji, Lashkar Gah district, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 27, 2011

Cpl. Adam J. Buyes 21 Salem, Oregon, USA 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force Died following a roadside bomb explosion while conducting combat operations in Sangin, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 26, 2011

Sgt. 1st Class Dennis R. Murray 38 Red Broiling Springs, Tennessee, USA 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with a roadside bomb in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on November 21, 2011

Pvt. Enlisted Grade 2 Jackie Lee Diener II 20 Boyne City, Michigan, USA B Troop, 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small-arms fire in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on November 21, 2011

Cpl. Zachary Christopher Reiff 22 Preston, Iowa, USA 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Died on November 21, 2011, at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated during a foot patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 18

Pvt. Thomas Christopher Lake 29 Watford, England Company B, 1st Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment Killed when a roadside bomb detonated during a patrol in the Jamal Kowi area of the Nahr-e Saraj district of central Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 20, 2011

Lance Cpl. Joshua Daniel Corral 19 Danville, California, USA 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Died while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 18, 2011

Pfc. Adam Eugene Dobereiner 21 Moline, Illinois, USA 937th Engineer Company, 8th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade Died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with a roadside bomb in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on November 18, 2011

Lance Cpl. Richard Scanlon 31 Rhymney, Gwent, Wales 1st Troop, B Squadron, 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, assigned to the Brigade Reconnaissance Force One of two British soldiers killed when their armored vehicle struck a roadside bomb during a security patrol in the Yakchal region of Nahr-e-Saraj district, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 17, 2011

Lt. David Boyce 25 Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England 1st Troop, B Squadron, 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, assigned to the Brigade Reconnaissance Force One of two British soldiers killed when their armored vehicle struck a roadside bomb during a security patrol in the Yakchal region of Nahr-e-Saraj district, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 17, 2011

Lance Cpl. Peter Eustace 25 Liverpool, England 2nd Battalion, The Rifles, attached to Company D, 1st Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment Killed when a roadside bomb detonated during a joint Afghan-British army patrol in the Mirmandab region of Nahr-e Saraj, in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 16, 2011

Pfc.Matthew C. Colin 22 Navarre, Florida, USA Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division One of two soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with a roadside bomb during a mounted patrol in Kanozai in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on November 16, 2011

Spc.Sean Michael Walsh 21 San Jose, California, USA 185th Military Police Battalion, 49th Military Police Brigade, California Army National Guard Died of wounds sustained from indirect fire in Khost province, Afghanistan, on November 16, 2011

Spc. James Roland Burnett Jr. 21 Wichita, Kansas, USA Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division One of two soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with a roadside bomb during a mounted patrol in Kanozai in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on November 16, 2011

Pfc. Goran Franjkovic 25 Serbia 2e Regiment Etranger de Genie, Legion Etrangere (2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment, French Foreign Legion) Died of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire while escorting a logistics convoy in Kapisa province, Afghanistan, on November 14, 2011

Sgt. 1st Class Johnathan Bryant McCain 38 Apache Junction, Arizona, USA Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Died of injuries sustained after encountering a roadside bomb while on mounted patrol in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on November 13, 2011

Spc. Calvin Matthew Pereda 21 Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Died of injuries sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with a roadside bomb during a dismounted patrol in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on November 12, 201

Pfc. Theodore Boykin Rushing 25 Longwood, Florida, USA C Troop, 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with a roadside bomb in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on November 11, 2011

Pvt.Matthew Thornton 28 Barnsley, England 4th Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment, Territorial Army, attached to Support Company, 1st Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment Thornton was part of a patrol that was attacked by Taliban insurgents using small-arms fire and grenades near Babaji in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 9, 2011. While maneuvering to return fire, a roadside bomb detonated, killing him.

Pfc. Cody Robert Norris 20 Houston, Texas, USA Company A, 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on November 9, 2011

1st Sgt.Joaquin Moya Espejo 35 Cordoba, Spain Regimiento de Infanteria 45 (45th Infantry Regiment) Died of a gunshot wound to the chest he sustained when his joint Afghan-Spanish patrol was attacked with small-arms fire near Ludina in Baghdis province, Afghanistan, on November 6, 2011

Lance Cpl. Nickolas Alan Daniels 25 Elmwood Park, Illinois, USA 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force An International Security Assistance Force service member died following an insurgent attack in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Pvt. Matthew James Sean Haseldin 21 Settle, Yorkshire, England Company C, 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment Killed when his patrol was attacked while clearing and securing areas along Route 611 in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 3, 2011

Sgt. Christopher Drew Gailey 26 Ochelata, Oklahoma, USA Company F, 700th Brigade Support Battalion, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard One of two soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with a roadside bomb in the Lajah Ahmad Khel district of Paktia province, Afghanistan, on November 1, 2011

Spc. Sarina Nicole Butcher 19 Checotah, Oklahoma, USA Company F, 700th Brigade Support Battalion, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard One of two soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with a roadside bomb in the Lajah Ahmad Khel district of Paktia province, Afghanistan, on November 1, 2011

* * *

Soldiers - Veterans - Families Of

"You walk into one of our rooms where ... decisions are being made about disabilities for veterans (and) see individuals sitting at a desk with stacks of paper that go up halfway to the ceiling. And as they finish one pile, another pile comes in," - U.S.V.A. Secretary Gen. Eric Shinseki, Feb. 10, 2009

"And so what I've been trying to do and what Mrs. Biden and Mrs. Obama and the chairman and his wife - all these folks, are trying to do is to - is to try and get that other 99 percent to - they all say they support the troops, but it's not just enough to say it." - Defense Secretary Robert Gates - 23 June 2011 - PBS News Hour

He found one of his biggest battles was connecting with Americans on the home front. "I was struck at how little they really did understand about what we've been through," Adm. Mike Mullen (retired) October 2, 2011 CBS Sunday Morning

Country Must 'Sacrifice' not just Groups Within nor Just Non Profits Fighting for Donations!

No Revenues = Still No Sacrifice = That's Called 'Support' For The Troops = DeJa-Vu all over again, Shared Sacrifice My A**!!

As those war profiteers who ordered are still profiteering and not only on books, their wealthy class does as well, directly or indirectly, and none are taxed to boot!

No Sacrifice now a decade plus long added to the previous decades!!

“A nation that does not take care of its veterans has got no business whatsoever making new ones.” Stacy Bannerman, April, 2007

* * *

Obama Calls on Nation to Honor Military Families, Caregivers
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2011 – Calling on the nation to celebrate military families’ service and sacrifice, President Barack Obama today signed proclamations designating November as Military Family Month and National Family Caregivers Month.

“With every step we take on American soil, we tread on ground made safer for us through the invaluable sacrifices of our service members and their families,” the president said in his Military Family Month proclamation.

* * *

VA adds staff to better help female vets
Nov 3, 2011 - The Veterans Affairs Department is expanding the number of benefits coordinators specifically assigned to help female veterans file claims, and is assigning more women to handle claims related to sexual trauma for both men and women, as part of new outreach efforts.

The changes were announced Thursday by Allison Hickey, VA’s undersecretary for benefits and a retired Air Force brigadier general who remains in close contact with current and former military women.

* * *

All Women Veterans
The current projected percentage of U.S. Veterans who are women is 8 percent. For the most recent projections, visit VetPOP. 1

In FY 2009, the average age of women Veterans was 48 years, compared to 63 years for their male counterparts.

In FY 2009 and FY 2010 PTSD, hypertension, and depression were the top three diagnostic categories for women Veterans treated by VHA.2 read more

* * *

State readies for influx of veterans as Iraq drawdown approaches
November 3, 2011 - With hundreds of Massachusetts servicemen and women potentially returning home from Iraq before the holidays, state officials are bracing for an influx of veterans in need of support, and Gov. Deval Patrick on Monday said his administration plans to “step up our efforts” to ensure their needs are met.

State officials say they are prepared to handle an increased demand for services, and Secretary of Veterans’ Services Coleman Nee said outreach will be essential to make sure veterans know what types of benefits and services are available to them at both the state and federal level.

* * *

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.

Background & Statistics

The latest factual information about homeless veterans – how many there are, where they are, and who they are. All information in this section is taken from official studies and reports, and references to the information should include attribution to those sources. for more

* * *
By the Numbers: 500,000
November 07, 2011 - President Obama believes that no veteran should have to fight for a job after fighting for our nation overseas. That’s why he’s introduced a host of new tools to help connect veterans to jobs in the civilian workforce, including the Veterans Job Bank, which has more than 500,000 job listings with private sector employers looking to hire vets.

* * *

New Mexico veteran fights for burn pit legislation and wins
11/06/2011 - A big step forward for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and it's all thanks to a New Mexico soldier and his wife.

They've been pushing for legislation to help victims of burn pits.

We first introduced Master Sgt. Jessey Baca back in July.

He's fighting for his life.

* * *

VA Plans 3,000 Units of Housing for Veterans at 25 Locations Nationwide
WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs has entered agreements to provide more than 3,000 units of permanent and transitional housing for Veterans at 25 VA medical center campuses nationwide. Additionally, agreements are pending on an additional 1,000 units, which we anticipate completing in the coming weeks. Proposed opportunities include housing for homeless Veterans, senior Veterans, disabled Veterans, other at-risk Veteran populations, and their families.

* * *

GI Bill: A limit on tuition increases
Nov 1, 2011 - The promise of a GI Bill that fully pays for a four-year college education could be eroding.

The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, the 12-member bipartisan panel empowered to come up with $1.2 trillion in cuts in federal spending, has before it a plan to cut $7 billion from veterans education benefits over 10 years by capping the annual increase in tuition rates at 3 percent.

* * *
Vietnam Veteran Gene Jones: Wars of Choice are a Cause of National Debt Problem
August 2, 2011 - Many politicians, including U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Longboat Key), are pushing to solve our debt problem with radical proposals like a balanced budget amendment to our Constitution. Is their goal to distract citizens' attention from their previous votes that caused the deficits in the first place?

Many of the same politicians calling for a balanced budget amendment are the same ones who routinely voted to fund expensive wars of choice. These expenditures constitute a primary cause of our national debt.

snip

The death and destruction were, and are, paid for with borrowed money. read more>>>

* * *
Jacksonville veteran gets help; Sulzbacher Center serving more vets
Dec 01 2011 - Some men and women who have put everything on the line to fight for our country say they now feel betrayed by the country they were sworn to protect.

A study just released by the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans shows that more than half the men and women returning from Iraq will be homeless for at least two years.

Robert Brown, a 13-year veteran of three different branches of the military, is one of more than 100,000 homeless veterans in America. He says he feels like coming home was the biggest battle he's faced.

"I feel betrayed," Brown said.

* * *

VA Celebrates National Family Caregiver Month

WASHINGTON – November 18, 2011 - The Department of Veterans Affairs will join the National Family Caregivers Association to recognize and appreciate dedicated partners providing daily health care for Veterans during National Family Caregiver Month in November.

“Family caregivers are the family members and loved ones who take care of the severely injured Veterans who need help on a daily basis,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “These mothers, wives, fathers, husbands, and loved ones make tremendous sacrifices to be there every day for the Veterans who served this nation. Their service allows Veterans to stay in the homes they defended, surrounded by the loved ones they fought to protect.”

* * *

Bidens host wounded troops
Cliff Owen/AP - Vice President Biden serves salad to Marine Lance Cpl. William Carpenter, who was wounded by a grenade in Afghanistan, during his annual Thanksgiving dinner for wounded warriors of the U.S. military in Washington, Monday, Nov. 21.

November 21 2011 - Twelve wounded troops from Afghanistan and Iraq, several missing both their legs, were clustered Monday around two long tables at the vice president’s home.

Joe and Jill Biden’s third annual holiday meal for injured military personnel fell on an especially poisonous day of partisan finger-pointing in Washington. A special congressional “supercommittee” admitted that it had failed to cut the deficit by $1.2 trillion.

* * *

Pentagon Channel: The American Veteran - November 2011

The American Veteran is a video news magazine designed to inform veterans, their families and their communities about the services and benefits they have earned through their service to America.

* * *
Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses:
VA is seeking to extend the date to Dec. 31, 2018 for medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illnesses and undiagnosed illness to have appeared in Gulf War Veterans. Medically unexplained chronic symptoms include fatigue, headaches, joint pain, insomnia, gastrointestinal problems, and respiratory disorders: Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses: Medically Unexplained Chronic Multisymptom Illnesses.

* * *

Veterans back bill to create registry of illnesses blamed on burn pits
November 2, 2011 - Veterans exposed to burn pits during their war deployments are backing legislation to create an ongoing registry of patients and illnesses believed connected to the toxic smoke, suggesting it may be the last chance to discover what long-term health problems they’ll face.

On Thursday, Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., and Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., will introduce companion bills requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs to create a burn pit registry, similar to past efforts tracking illnesses related to Agent Orange and Gulf War Illness.

* * *

Vets: Homeless for Thanksgiving
I used to walk the halls of power, at the Capitol and the Pentagon, when I spoke on PTSD among Soldiers, as an active duty Army psychiatrist

November 23, 2011 - Now, I take care of those in the public mental health system in the nation's capital. Those halls are much murkier, even as we celebrate Thanksgiving.

Every day I take the Metro and walk through Union Station. Right outside, depending on my route, I see the homeless, including veterans. It is only about four blocks from the Capitol to Union Station, but the gap is immense. And it is not just due to the construction and the tourist buses.

* * *
Agent Orange: With more diseases tied to use during Vietnam War, bill for veterans' care skyrockets
Over the past two years, federal officials say, an estimated 10,000 more veterans have sought medical compensation for diseases related to Agent Orange, an herbicide that contains a toxic chemical called dioxin.

November 25, 2011 - More than 40 years after the U.S. military used Agent Orange to defoliate the jungles of Vietnam, the health-care bill is escalating.

Over the past two years, federal officials say, an estimated 10,000 more veterans have sought medical compensation for diseases related to Agent Orange, an herbicide that contains a toxic chemical called dioxin.

The Institute of Medicine said in a recent report that there is sufficient evidence of an association between exposure to Agent Orange and illnesses including soft-tissue sarcoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma and chloracne.

* * *

Wounded vets remember their "Alive Day"
For those wounded in battle, it's hard to forget the day you almost died. Veterans refer to it as their "alive day" and David Martin met with a couple soldiers who have made it a celebration of life.

* * *

New Members Appointed to VA Committee on Women Veterans
WASHINGTON – December 2, 2011 - Six new members have been appointed to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Advisory Committee on Women Veterans, an expert panel that advises VA on issues and programs affecting women Veterans.

“The Advisory Committee on Women Veterans’ significantly guides VA’s efforts to identify and address the ever changing needs of women Veterans,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “VA welcomes the newest members.”

* * *

November 18, 2011 - Army Releases October Suicide Data

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline~~~Army Regulation 600-63 (Health Promotion) pdf~~~Army Pamphlet 600-24 (Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention) pdf~~~Suicide Prevention Program~~~Suicide prevention training resources for Army families~~~Information about Military OneSource~~~Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program~~~Defense Center for Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) Outreach Center~~~American Foundation for Suicide Prevention~~~Suicide Prevention Resource Council~~~Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors

* * *

Honor our living brothers and sisters as they return from our wars, especially the wounded, physically and mentally, all the time! Fully Fund the Veterans Administration, no questions asked, as we fund the Department of Defense, no questions asked.

CNN-Iraq and Afghanistan War Casulties

In Remembrance - Moving Tributes

* * *

Afghanistan & Iraq Civilian Casualties

Recording Casualties: Victims of Armed Conflict Worldwide

This programme draws on the principles of human security to develop and enhance the technical and institutional capacity, identify and consolidate the legal requirements, and build the political will to record details of every single victim of armed conflict worldwide. The programme incorporates research into emerging good practice and existing legal frameworks, the development and promotion of clearer legal and more effective regulatory instruments, and the creation and support of advocacy networks. visit site for updated reports

* * *

Every Casualty.org: New Org Website Launched On Casualty Recording The one-stop source for information on conflict's casualties worldwide and the organisations that record them

Video Interview with Participants from our 'Recording Every Casualty Conference'
November 2011 - Following the Every Casualty programme’s ‘Recording Every Casualty Conference' this September, filmmaker, Daniel Ridicki, and ORG’s Managing Director, Chris Langdon, interviewed six of the participants. The organisations represented by the participants were diverse, and are based in Colombia, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bosnia, and India.

In the interview, participants discuss their reasons for, and the power behind, casualty recording. read more w/video's

Refugee's: 27.5 million From Violence 2010

CIVIC: Working for Civilian Victims, Annual Report 2010

Exact Count of Civilian Casualties 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 country, the U.S., were ever invaded, who suffer the most, during and long after!

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

Strasbourg judge: “Those who export war ought to see to the parallel export of guarantees against the atrocities of war”

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

* * *

"How anyone can say that torture keeps Americans safe is beyond me -- unless you don't count American soldiers as Americans." How to Break a Terrorist: The U.S. Interrogators Who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man in Iraq 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

Done "In Our Names"!

* * *

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

Soldiers Missing from Vietnam War Identified

November 07, 2011 - The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of three servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors. Army Capt. Arnold E. Holm Jr. of Waterford, Conn.; Spc. Robin R. Yeakley of South Bend, Ind.; and Pfc. Wayne Bibbs of Chicago, will be buried as a group, in a single casket representing the entire crew, on Nov. 9, in Arlington National Cemetery. On June 11, 1972, Holm was the pilot of an OH-6A Cayuse helicopter flying a reconnaissance mission in Thua Thien-Hue Province, South Vietnam. Also on board were his observer, Yeakley, and his door gunner, Bibbs. The aircraft made a second pass over a ridge, where enemy bunkers had been sighted, exploded and crashed, exploding again upon impact. Crews of other U.S. aircraft, involved in the mission, reported receiving enemy ground fire as they overflew the crash site looking for survivors. . read more>>>

* * *


HONORING THE FALLEN: US Military and Coalition Forces Killed in Action, Iraq & Afghanistan/Pakistan from 2001 to November 2011 - My Honor Rolls, and more, to Share


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

No comments:

Post a Comment