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:
23 September 2013 - At a memorial ceremony held at the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters in Kabul on Sunday, General Joseph Dunford, Commander of ISAF, and several other Afghan and foreign military officials offered tribute to the soldiers (both foreign and Afghan), who had lost their lives in battle over the past 11 years. read more>>>
You do realize it's the Law, some 143yrs. old, that prevents visitors!! read more>>>
WASHINGTON-- Sep 29, 2013 -- Today the nation and the Army salute Gold Star Mothers who have lost sons or daughters while fighting America's wars.
"Gold Star Mothers Day" was created by Congress in 1936 to honor women whose children were taken from them due to war.
In a tri-signed letter to the Army, the Secretary of the Army along with the Chief of Staff and Sergeant Major, talked about the important legacy Gold Star Mothers and family members carry:
"The Gold Star Mothers, as well as all family members who bear the enormous burden of loss, will always be cherished members of our great Army family. We maintain our commitment to support these families while honoring the legacy of our fallen Soldiers."The Army's Survivor Outreach Services gives mothers and family members access to support groups and counseling which are provided at the closest location to where they live. This service is available as long as they desire. 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
R. M.: "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
Annual funding for the federal government expires Monday, Sept. 30. The President, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the administration strongly believe that a lapse in appropriations should not occur. However, at this time, prudent management requires that the government plan for the possibility of a lapse and Office of Management and Budget is working with VA and other agencies to take appropriate action. This planning is consistent with what was done in previous instances where a potential lapse in appropriations was approaching. read more>>>
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 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 2009 and his status was changed to Missing-Captured on July 3 2009.
As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, The Pentagon, Friday, September 20, 2013
Distinguished guests, General Dempsey, veterans, family members, representatives from veterans service organizations and the national POW/MIA community: it is an honor and a privilege to join all of you for this important observance.
Earlier this year we marked the 40th anniversary of Operation Homecoming, when hundreds of American prisoners of war were brought out of Vietnam to freedom. Many were aviators whose planes had been downed over North Vietnam, aviators such as Rear Admiral Bob Shumaker, who is with us here today.
He, along with hundreds of other service members and civilians, endured unspeakable cruelty, attempts at political exploitation, and years of confinement. But through courage, resilience, and determination, they survived to return home to a grateful nation.
Each POW/MIA Recognition Day, we reaffirm America’s gratitude to all service members throughout our history. These service members who experienced the horror of wartime captivity, and we stand with the families of all who remain missing in action.
We honor patriots like my friend Navy Commander Everett Alvarez, Jr., who was also on the airlift of prisoners out of Hanoi during Operation Homecoming. Commander Alvarez had been shot down while flying a mission after the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, and endured more than eight terrible years as a prisoner of war – virtually the entire length of the Vietnam conflict.
Like many of his fellow POWs, Commander Alvarez continued serving his nation after his return. As a Naval officer, Deputy Director of the Peace Corps, and Deputy Administrator of the Veterans Administration, he sustained his commitment to America’s service members, our country, veterans, their families, and all that he has held dear in his life. read more>>>
WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2013 – The Defense Department will never stop working to bring captured and missing service members home, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pledged at a Pentagon ceremony today.
That commitment extends to Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was captured by enemy forces in Afghanistan more than four years ago, Hagel said.
“Our hearts today are with the Bergdahl family. Using our military, intelligence, and diplomatic tools, the United States is continuing its strong efforts to secure Sergeant Bergdahl’s safe release,” he said.
DOD’s commitment to leave no service member behind also extends to the more than 80,000 Americans who remain missing in action, the secretary said. read more>>>
Memorial at the New JPED facility at Dover Air Force Base, Del..OEF: Afghanistan - Pakistan!!
There have been 3,383 coalition deaths -- 2,280 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, 38 Poles, 2 Portuguese, 21 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 October 4, 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 19,334 {19,200 up to September 30, 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.
Staff Sgt.Thomas Allen Baysore Jr 31 Milton, Pennsylvania, USA Company C, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Died from wounds suffered when an individual wearing an Afghan Army uniform opened fire at a base in Paktia province, Afghanistan, on September 26, 2013
Chief Warrant Officer Jonathon S. Gibson 32 Aurora, Oregon, USA Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 6, Carrier Air Wing 11 Gibson was one of two sailors killed when their MH-60S Knight Hawk helicopter fell off the destroyer USS William P. Lawrence while operating in the central Red Sea on September 22, 2013. The helicopter had just landed when a wave hit the ship severe enough to cause the helicopter to fall into the sea, sources told CNN.
Lt. Cmdr.Landon L. Jones 35 Lompoc, California, USA Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 6, Carrier Air Wing 11 Jones was one of two sailors killed when their MH-60S Knight Hawk helicopter fell off the destroyer USS William P. Lawrence while operating in the central Red Sea on September 22, 2013. The helicopter had just landed when a wave hit the ship severe enough to cause the helicopter to fall into the sea, sources told CNN.
Staff Sgt.Timothy Raymond McGill 30 Ramsey, New Jersey, USA Company A, 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group, Rhode Island Army National Guard One of three soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with small arms fire while conducting range training in Gardez, Paktia province, Afghanistan, on September 21, 2013
Staff Sgt.Liam Jules Nevins 32 Denver, Colorado, USA Company B, 5th Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group, Colorado Army National Guard One of three soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with small arms fire while conducting range training in Gardez, Paktia province, Afghanistan, on September 21, 2013
Spc.Joshua Jacob Strickland 23 Woodstock, Georgia, USA Company D, 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group One of three soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with small arms fire while conducting range training in Gardez, Paktia province, Afghanistan, on September 21, 2013
Spc.James Taylor Wickliffchacin 22 Edmond, Oklahoma, USA C Troop, 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Died on September 20, 2013, at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, of injuries sustained when a roadside bomb detonated near his dismounted patrol during combat operations in Pul-e Alam, Afghanistan on August 12, 2013
Sgt.William Dewitt Brown III 44 Franklin, North Carolina, USA Company C, 94th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Died from a non-combat incident at Forward Operating Base Gamberi, Laghman province, Afghanistan, on September 19, 2013
Staff Sgt.Robert Edward Thomas Jr. 24 Fontana, California, USA 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division Died September 13, 2013, at Brooke Army Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, of wounds suffered during a non-combat related incident in Maiwand, Afghanistan, on April 21, 2013
Staff Sgt.Randall Ray Lane 43 Indianapolis, Indiana, USA 1438th Transportation Company, 190th Transportation Battalion, 38th Sustainment Brigade, Indiana Army National Guard Died from a non-combat related illness in Kabul, Afghanistan, on September 13, 2012
Staff Sgt.Todd James Lobraico Jr. 22 New Fairfield, Connecticut, USA 105th Security Forces Squadron, 105th Mission Support Group, 105th Airlift Wing, New York Air National Guard Killed when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire near Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, on September 5, 2013
What the country wants, free wars and especially not fully funding the results of, as no one has demanded, especially their hired representatives, that it's way past time for those served to Sacrifice for those they've demanded do for them, DeJa-Vu all over again, and again, and.......!!!
This is a republican budget bill, not what the Executive Branch wants nor the Democrats in the House and Senate, but they passed it in the Senate and the President says he'll sign it and yet the Speaker refuses to bring it to a vote, their bill, in the House!!
03 Oct 2013 - On Thursday, October 3, 2013, Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (IL-08) spoke out against $6.2 billion in cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs budget . Cuts would include programs like medical and prosthetic research for wounded Veterans, national Veterans cemeteries, the Veterans appeals board and resources to reduce the claims backlog. She offered a Motion to Recommit that would have brought the Senate passed Continuing Resolution up for a vote and have reopened the entire federal government.
Thank you Mr. Speaker.Mr. Speaker, it would appear that the chairman has resigned himself to keeping government shutdown for 30 days so that the VA will run out of money. The way to ensure that the VA doesn’t run out of money in 30 days is to pass a clean CR to reopen all of government. read more>>>
As they stick flags in their breast pockets or pin to upper breasts and do photo ops with WWII veterans like they really really care and are oh so patriotic!!
September 23 2013 - 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.
Speaker Boehner 4 Oct. 2013: "I think the American people expect if we’re going to raise the amount of money we can borrow, we ought to do something about our spending problem."
Really? Where was that when you were rubber stamping spending bush wants Before 9/11 and then after with the two wars and no bid contracts on the credit card and off the books, still not paid for, and this 'tea party' was all for that!!
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
Visit Publichealth Exposures to learn about military exposures and VA benefits.
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>>>
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
AIRMEN MISSING FROM WWII ACCOUNTED-FOR
September 12, 2013 - The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that two U.S. servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
Army Air Force 2nd Lt. Valorie L. Pollard of Monterey, Calif. and Sgt. Dominick J. Licari of Frankfort, N.Y. will be buried as a group in a single casket, on Sept. 19 at Arlington National Cemetery. The individually-identified remains of Licari were buried on Aug. 6 in Frankfort, N.Y. read more>>>
September 19, 2013 - The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of Air Force pilots Maj. James E. Sizemore of Lawrenceville, Ill., and Maj. Howard V. Andre Jr., of Memphis, Tenn., have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors on Sept. 23 at Arlington National Cemetery. 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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