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:
To top it off this 'poser', with them very handsome contracts, put himself and his wife at the top of the list of them huge wealthy tax cuts that came with these two wars. Both on the countries credit card and yet to be paid off, the rubber stamping, from congress, and rapidly rising deficits started Before 9/11 and continued after with both included. But more importantly neither has the costs been paid as to the results of these wars and the decades of underfunding the Veterans Administration and the previous wars, and ignoring veterans of issues, in those decades since Korea. Tammy mentions the long delays those who really served are still going through because of that underfunding and ancient record keeping as technologies advanced elsewhere with previous VA Secretaries, and congresses with those administrations, doing the peoples wishes and not fully funding the agencies needs as those war flags of patriotism waved when their need to wave presented itself! Not only the peoples wishes but they seek to privatize the peoples responsibility for pure bottom line profit like this contractor is getting!
06/26/2013 - On Wednesday, Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), a veteran of the Iraq War, dramatically chastised a federal contractor who claimed that a high school sports injury had rendered him a service-disabled veteran.
Speaking during a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Duckworth vividly described to a committee witness, Braulio Castillo, how she lives in near constant pain after losing both of her legs during her service as a combat pilot.
Castillo cited his foot injury, suffered at a military prep school, as the basis for his IT company's application for special status as a "service-disabled veteran-owned small business." The application was granted, and his company, Strong Castle, was given preferential treatment in federal contract bids.
"Does your foot hurt?" Duckworth asked Castillo, who answered yes.
"My feet hurt too," said Duckworth. "In fact, the balls of my feet burn continuously, and I feel like there's a nail being hammered into my heel right now. So I can understand pain and suffering, and how service connection can actually cause long-term, unremitting, unyielding, unstoppable pain."
"I'm sorry that twisting your ankle in high school has now come back to hurt you in such a painful way, if also opportune for you to gain this status for your business," she added. read more>>>
"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
Rachel Maddow: "We got a huge round of tax cuts in this country a few weeks before9/11. Once 9/11 happened and we invaded Afghanistan, we kept the tax cuts anyway. How did we think we were going to pay for that war? Did we think it was free? Then, when we started a second simultaneous war in another country, we gave ourselves a second huge round of tax cuts. After that second war started. The wars, I guess, we thought would be free, don`t worry about it, civilians. Go about your business." 23 May 2013
"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
There had been 4,804 coalition deaths 4,488 Americans
2 Australians, 1 Azerbaijani, 179 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, 1 Czech, 7 Danes, 2 Dutch, 2 Estonians, 1 Fijian, 5 Georgians, 1 Hungarian, 33 Italians, 1 Kazakh, 1 South Korean, 3 Latvian, 22 Poles, 3 Romanians, 5 Salvadoran, 4 Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, 2 Thai and 18 Ukrainians -- in the war in Iraq as of January 2, 2012, according to a CNN and iCasulties count.
Graphical breakdown of casualties. At least 32,230 U.S. troops had been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon.
POW/MIA: Afghanistan & Iraq
One U.S. soldier is currently listed as captured or Duty Status -- Whereabouts Unknown as of March 3 2012. The information below reflects the name as Prisoner of War or Duty Status -- Whereabouts Unknown by the Pentagon.
Sgt Bowe R. Bergdahl 27 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.
Memorial at the New JPED facility at Dover Air Force Base, Del..OEF: Afghanistan - Pakistan!!
There have been 3,345 coalition deaths -- 2,246 Americans, 40 Australians, 444 Britons, 1 Belgian, 158 Canadians, 5 Czech, 43 Denmark, 25 Netherlands, 9 Estonians, 2 Finn, 86 French, 54 Germans, 7 Hungarian, 48 Italians, 2 Jordan, 3 Latvian, 1 Lithuanian, 10 Norwegians, 37 Poles, 2 Portuguese, 19 Romanians, 1 South Korean, 34 Spaniards, 5 Swedes, 14 Turks, 11 New Zealand, 27 Georgian and 14 NATO/ISAF -- in the war on terror as of July 3, 2013, 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 18,851 {18,584 up to June 1, 2013} 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.
Sgt.Justin Richard Rogers 25 Barton, New York, USA Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 101st Airborne Division Died from a non-combat related incident at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, on June 28, 2013
Sgt.Javier Benito Sanchez Jr. 28 Greenfield, California, USA Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Killed when his unit was attacked with a roadside bomb while on mounted patrol in the Sar Rowzah district of Paktika province, Afghanistan, on June 23, 2013
Corey Edwin Garver 26 Topsham, Maine, USA Company B, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Died when his dismounted patrol encountered a roadside bomb in Zormat, Paktiya province, Afghanistan, on June 23, 2013
Cpl.Cameron Stewart Baird 32 Burnie, Tasmania 2nd Commando Regiment Killed by small-arms fire during a joint Afghan-Australian special operations raid on insurgents in the Khod Valley area of Uruzgan province, Afghanistan, on June 22, 2013
Spc.Robert Wayne Ellis 21 Kennewick, Washington, USA 32nd Transportation Company, 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 43rd Sustainment Brigade, 4th Infantry Division One of four soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with indirect fire near Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, on June 18, 2013
Staff Sgt.Justin Rasard Johnson Sr. 25 Hobe Sound, Florida, USA 359th Inland Cargo Transfer Company, 10th Transportation Battalion, 7th Sustainment Brigade One of four soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with indirect fire near Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, on June 18, 2013
Sgt.William R. Moody 30 Burleson, Texas, USA 32nd Transportation Company, 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 43rd Sustainment Brigade, 4th Infantry Division One of four soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with indirect fire near Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, on June 18, 2013
Spc.Amber Marie Alt 21 Beech Island, South Carolina, USA 32nd Transportation Company, 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 43rd Sustainment Brigade, 4th Infantry Division One of four soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with indirect fire near Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, on June 18, 2013
Lance Cpl.Jared William Brown 20 Youngstown, Florida, USA 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on June 16, 2013
Sgt.Jan Kiepura 35 Poland 1 Batalionie, 21 Brygady Strzelców (1st Battalion, 21st Rifle Brigade) Killed when a roadside bomb detonated during a joint Afghan-Polish patrol three miles south of a Polish military base in Ghazni, Afghanistan, on June 10, 2013
Staff Sgt.Jesse Lamar Thomas Jr. 31 Pensacola, Florida, USA 66th Transportation Company, 39th Transportation Battalion, 16th Sustainment Brigade Died in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on June 10, 2013
Lt. Col.Todd John Clark 40 Evans Mills, New York, USA Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Clark was one of two soldiers killed when an Afghan soldier opened fire after an argument between the soldier and his trainers at an Afghan National Army base in Zarghun Shahr, Paktika province, Afghanistan, on June 8, 2013. The Afghan soldier was subsequently killed by return gunfire.
Lt. Col.Jaimie Eliabeth Leonard 39 Warrick, New York, USA Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Leonard was one of two soldiers killed when an Afghan soldier opened fire after an argument between the soldier and his trainers at an Afghan National Army base in Zarghun Shahr, Paktika province, Afghanistan, on June 8, 2013. The Afghan soldier was subsequently killed by return gunfire.
Capt.Giuseppe La Rosa 31 Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, Sicily, Italy 3 Reggimento Bersaglieri (3rd Marksmen Regiment) Killed when an insurgent threw a grenade into his Lynx armored vehicle as his unit was returning to base after training Afghan security forces in Farah, the provincial capital of Farah province, Afghanistan, on June 8, 2013
Pfc.Zviad Sulkhanishvili 22 Georgia 42nd Light Infantry Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade One of seven Georgian soldiers killed when a suicide bomber detonated a truck bomb outside a Georgian military base in the Now Zad district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on June 6, 2013
Pvt.Boris Tsugoshvili 29 Georgia 42nd Light Infantry Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade One of seven Georgian soldiers killed when a suicide bomber detonated a truck bomb outside a Georgian military base in the Now Zad district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on June 6, 2013
Pvt.Mikheil Narindoshvili 26 Georgia 42nd Light Infantry Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade One of seven Georgian soldiers killed when a suicide bomber detonated a truck bomb outside a Georgian military base in the Now Zad district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on June 6, 2013
Cpl.Teimuraz Ortavidze 25 Georgia 42nd Light Infantry Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade One of seven Georgian soldiers killed when a suicide bomber detonated a truck bomb outside a Georgian military base in the Now Zad district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on June 6, 2013
Pfc.Zurab Gurgenashvili 32 Georgia 42nd Light Infantry Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade One of seven Georgian soldiers killed when a suicide bomber detonated a truck bomb outside a Georgian military base in the Now Zad district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on June 6, 2013
Cpl.Giorgi Adamov 23 Georgia 42nd Light Infantry Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade One of seven Georgian soldiers killed when a suicide bomber detonated a truck bomb outside a Georgian military base in the Now Zad district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on June 6, 2013
Pfc.Giorgi Ghuchashvili 21 Georgia 42nd Light Infantry Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade One of seven Georgian soldiers killed when a suicide bomber detonated a truck bomb outside a Georgian military base in the Now Zad district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on June 6, 2013
Spc.Robert Allan Pierce 20 Panama, Oklahoma, USA Company A, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division One of two soldiers killed when their dismounted patrol was attacked by a suicide car bomber in Tsamkani, Paktia province, Afghanistan, on June 3, 2013
2nd Lt.Justin Lee Sisson 23 Phoenix, Arizona, USA Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division One of two soldiers killed when their dismounted patrol was attacked by a suicide car bomber in Tsamkani, Paktia province, Afghanistan, on June 3, 2013
Warrant OfficerSean William Mullen 39 Rehobeth Beach, Delaware, USA Company B, 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group Died of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device in Ghur Ghuri, Afghanistan, on June 2, 2013
Pfc.Mariano Martin Raymundo 21 Houston, Texas, USA Company B, 210th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Died in Sharana, Afghanistan, on June 1, 2013
Spc.Kyle Pascal Stoeckli 21 Moseley, Virginia, USA Company C, 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division Died from injuries sustained when his unit was attacked with a roadside bomb in the Maiwand district of Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on June 1, 2013
Staff Sgt.Job Matthew Reigoux 30 Austin, Texas, USA Company B, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Died of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with a rocket-propelled grenade in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, on June 1, 2013
Spc.Ray Anthony Ramirez 20 Sacramento, California, USA Company B, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Died from injuries sustained when his unit was attacked with a roadside bomb in Sayed Abad, Wardak province, Afghanistan, on June 1, 2013
WASHINGTON — 06/27/2013 - The U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service today announced the award of 121 grants, totaling almost $29 million, to provide more than 14,000 veterans across the nation with job training, job placement, housing and other services. The grants were awarded through the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program.
"Military service members and their families have been asked to make tremendous sacrifices for this nation. Although homelessness among veterans has fallen, too many of our heroes cannot find jobs or homes," said acting Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris. "These grants will provide those who have served our nation with the means to find meaningful civilian employment and chart new directions for their lives."
The HVRP grants will help homeless veterans reintegrate into society and the labor force while providing effective services aimed at addressing the complex challenges that homeless veterans often confront. The services provided by grantees will include job placement, on-the-job training, career counseling, life skills and money management mentoring, as well as help in finding housing. read more>>>
After he was discharged from the Army, Gregory Morales visited the Employment Development Department in Merced, Calif., seeking veteran employment services. "I was lost and didn't know where to start," he said. Donald Strong, an Air Force veteran and Disabled Veteran Outreach Program Specialist, stepped in. He offered Morales a career assessment and enrolled him in a workshop to sharpen his interview skills and refine his resume.
When Strong left the military, he received similar help at the same Merced EDD and enrolled in a Department of Veterans Affairs Work-Study program. Eventually, he was hired as a DVOP. Strong thought Morales would bring "passion and new ideas on how to market to younger veterans," so he steered Morales into the same VA Work-Study program to help other veterans with online job applications and resume preparation. Strong's efforts have paid off, as Morales recently was hired by EDD.
May 23, 2013 - Here's a frightening statistic: Every day, some 22 American heroes take their own lives because of the stresses they experienced on the battlefield. Many more don't seek treatment and find their lives spiraling out of control.
"60 Minutes" correspondent Steve Kroft will host "Combat Stress: Finding the Way Home," a special radio hour exploring the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder on our nation's veterans to be broadcast during Memorial Day weekend.
The hour, a partnership between CBS News and CBS Cares - the award-winning public service campaign of the CBS Corporation - will be produced by CBS Radio News.
Finding the Way Home
LISTEN
"PTSD can be devastating. It's a critical issue that needs to be discussed often, so the thousands of vets affected by this illnesses can learn how to cope with it," said Kroft, a combat correspondent and photographer for Pacific Stars and Stripes in the Vietnam War. read more>>>
HUD-VASH vouchers to build on 17 percent decline in veteran homelessness since 2009
WASHINGTON – 29 May 2013 - Approximately 9,000 homeless veterans living on the streets and in the nation’s shelter system will soon find a permanent place to call home. U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Eric K. Shinseki announced today that HUD will provide $60 million to local public housing agencies across the country to provide permanent supportive housing to homeless veterans, many of whom are living with chronic disabling conditions.
The supportive housing assistance announced today is provided through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program which combines rental assistance from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by VA. Since 2008, a total of 48,385 vouchers have been awarded and 42,557 formerly homeless veterans are currently in homes because of HUD-VASH. read more>>>
26 June 2013 - For many women in the military, life isn’t easy. And Casey Larkin and Heather Miles, who each served two tours in Iraq in support roles in Balad, know this firsthand.
“They blew up one of our signal trucks. You would constantly hear alarms and mortars whiz by, and then explosions. It was really rough,” Miles said.
But what Miles didn’t expect was how tough life would be when she got out.
“I was homeless. I didn’t have a family or a husband anymore, so I went straight from Iraq to trying to find a job,” she said.
While they served our country, at first these women said they didn’t feel like vets. read more>>>
June 29, 2013 - For 14 years, veteran Joseph Olczak's remains lay in an unmarked grave.
But thanks to the work of several people, Olczak's plot at Consolata Cemetery finally has a military headstone.
Olczak, a homeless World War II veteran, was 85 when he died under the Kayouchee Coulee bridge near Pine Shadows Golf Course in 1999.
Olczak's simple life touched several people. After David Grove met Olczak during the 1997 ice storm, he began bringing the elderly man meals twice a day. read more>>>
To learn more about airborne hazards and what VA is doing to respond to Veterans' concerns, visit VA Publichealth Air Pollutants Exposures.
Jun. 28, 2013 - As a reminder to the families of returning veterans, the VA has placed five additional defined illnesses to the list of conditions that may be eligible for compensation and healthcare for service connected issues related to traumatic brain injury(TBI).
Veterans who are diagnosed with Parkinsonism, unprovoked seizures, some forms of dementias, depression and hormone deficiency illness linked to the hypothalamus, pituitary or adrenal glands may now apply for VA benefits. read more>>>
Jun 27, 2013 - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced the Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2013, which would address the ongoing challenges faced by the victims of Agent Orange, four decades after the toxic defoliants were heavily used during the Vietnam War.
“Generations of Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans continue to suffer from the tragic effects of the Agent Orange defoliants,” said Congresswoman Lee. “I am proud to introduce this legislation, which would provide important services and protections for those exposed to Agent Orange and their descendants.”
From 1961-1971, approximately 19 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed over the southern region of Vietnam, exposing millions of Vietnamese and tens of thousands of Americans to the toxic chemical. A variety of diseases stem from Agent Orange exposure, including birth defects, Parkinson’s disease, leukemia, and respiratory cancers. read more>>>
07/03/2013 - Staff Sgt. Joe Payne, an Army combat engineer, survived Afghanistan. It was coming home seven years ago that shattered his marriage and nearly killed him.
"When he got home safe we thought it was the end of the biggest battle," Joe's wife Mary, now 31, told The Huffington Post. "We didn't realize that the biggest battles were still ahead."
A decade of war has taken a toll on the nation's military families. read more>>>
March 29, 2013 - The past is never dead, as William Faulkner might have written if he were analyzing the federal budget, it’s not even paid for. Did you realize that World War II still costs U.S. taxpayers $5 billion a year? Or that we haven’t closed the financial books on the Civil War yet?
snip In the 1960s, it often seemed that the Vietnam war would never end — and for government accountants, it hasn’t. They issue checks for $22 billion each year (nearly triple the annual cost of the Transportation Safety Administration) and have already paid $270 billion to vets and their families. And the Middle Eastern wars of the past two decades may prove to be the most costly of all.
Compensation to those veterans and their family members already costs $12 billion a year. Not only are they filing disability claims at what the AP calls “historic rates” — nearly half of the soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are asking for compensation — but the Veterans Administration has steadily expanded its definition of war-related ailments. Vietnam vets with diabetes and heart disease, for instance, can collect extra payments.
snip And, of course, the real bottom line is the dollars are only a marker for the incalculable physical and emotional costs of war: The boys (and, these days, girls) who don’t come home. The kids who grow up missing a parent, the parents who outlive their children. The scarred limbs and broken hearts. How do you write a check for those? Both our major parties seemed increasingly inclined to play cop in the endless, byzantine Mideast power struggles. They ought to take a look at the books first. read more>>>
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
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!
The Rand Corporation Terrorism Report the press release here, you can get the full document here or a summary of the research brief here
Soldier Missing from Vietnam War Accounted For
June 25, 2013 - The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that a soldier, missing from the Vietnam War, has been accounted for and will be buried with full military honors along with two of his crew members.
Army Spc. 5 John L. Burgess, of Sutton Bay, Mich., was the crew chief of a UH-1H Iroquois helicopter that crashed in Binh Phuoc Province, South Vietnam. Also, killed in the crash were 1st Lt. Leslie F. Douglas Jr., of Verona, Miss.; lst Lt. Richard Dyer, of Central Falls, R.I.; and Sgt. 1st Class Juan Colon-Diaz, of Comerio, Puerto Rico. Another crew member, Pfc. John Goosman, survived the crash and was rescued. Remains representing Dyer, Colon-Diaz, and Burgess, will be buried as a group in a single casket, on July 2, at Arlington National Cemetery.
On June 30, 1970, while on a command and control mission, the helicopter was struck by enemy fire, causing it to crash. Shortly thereafter, friendly forces recovered remains of Douglas, Colon-Diaz, and Dyer. The three men were individually identified and buried with full military honors. At that time, no remains were attributed to Burgess. read more>>>
HONORING THE FALLEN: US Military and Coalition Forces Killed in Action, Iraq & Afghanistan/Pakistan from 2001 to January 2013 - 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
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