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:
Memorial at the New JPED facility at Dover Air Force Base, Del..OEF: Afghanistan - Pakistan!!
There have been 3,455 coalition deaths -- 2,335 Americans, 41 Australians, 453 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 April 2, 2014, 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 19,873 {19,784 up to June 1, 2014} 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. Thomas Z. Spitzer 23 New Braunfels, Texas, USA 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Died while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on June 25, 2014
Lance Cpl. Brandon John Garabrant 29 Peterborough, New Hampshire, USA 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force One of three Marines killed along with a military working dog when a roadside bomb detonated during combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on June 20, 2014
Lance Cpl. Adam Franklin Wolff 25 Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force One of three Marines killed along with a military working dog when a roadside bomb detonated during combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on June 20, 2014
Staff Sgt. David Hamilton Stewart 34 Stafford, Virginia, USA 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force One of three Marines killed along with a military working dog when a roadside bomb detonated during combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on June 20, 2014
Staff Sgt. Jason Andrew McDonald 28 Butler, Georgia, 30308 Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group McDonald was one of five soldiers killed when an airstrike from a U.S. B-1 bomber accidentally hit their position during a combat operation in Gazah village in Zabul province, Afghanistan, on June 9, 2014.
Spc. Terry John Hurne 34 Merced, California, USA Company B, 710th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Died from a non-combat related incident at Forward Operating Base Shank in Logar province, Afghanistan, on June 9, 2014
Staff Sgt. Scott Richard Studenmund 24 Pasadena, California, USA Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group Studenmund was one of five soldiers killed when an airstrike from a U.S. B-1 bomber accidentally hit their position during a combat operation in Gazah village in Zabul province, Afghanistan, on June 9, 2014.
Pvt. Enlisted Grade 2Aaron Scott Toppen 19 Mokena, Illinois, USA Company D, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Toppen was one of five soldiers killed when an airstrike from a U.S. B-1 bomber accidentally hit their position during a combat operation in Gazah village in Zabul province, Afghanistan, on June 9, 2014.
Cpl. Justin Robert Clouse 22 Sprague, Washington, USA Company D, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Clouse was one of five soldiers killed when an airstrike from a U.S. B-1 bomber accidentally hit their position during a combat operation in Gazah village in Zabul province, Afghanistan, on June 9, 2014.
Spc. Justin Ryan Helton 25 Beaver, Ohio, USA 18th Ordnance Company, 192nd Ordnance Battalion, 52nd Ordnance Group Helton was one of five soldiers killed when an airstrike from a U.S. B-1 bomber accidentally hit their position during a combat operation in Gazah village in Zabul province, Afghanistan, on June 9, 2014.
Pfc.Matthew Herbert Walker 20 Hillsboro, Missouri, USA Company B, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Died of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by enemy fire in Paktika province, Afghanistan, on June 5, 2014
Capt. Jason Benjamin Jones 29 Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania, USA Company C, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group Died of wounds suffered during a small-arms firefight in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, on June 2, 2014
June 30, 2014 - At the direction of the president, the U.S. military augmented its security assistance by up to approximately 200 personnel to reinforce security at the U.S. embassy, its support facilities, and Baghdad International Airport. The president authorized this augmentation as a prudent measure to protect U.S. citizens and property. read more>>>
WASHINGTON, July 1, 2014 – U.S. military personnel who have been sent to Iraq in recent weeks are performing two distinct mission sets, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said today.Kirby said during a Pentagon news briefing that military orders since June 16 now total 770 authorized personnel, with 650 now in the country. Some are providing security assistance, and the rest are serving with assessment and advisory teams at the joint operations center in Baghdad. read more>>>
July 2, 2014 – U.S. officials are waiting to hear the assessment that U.S. special operations troops are making of Iraqi security forces before making a decision on further support, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here yesterday.Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told reporters following a speech at the Pacific Club here that U.S. officials could not decide what kind of assistance to provide when Iraq first asked for help.
“We didn’t have enough information to understand what kind of assistance we could provide,” he said. 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.
"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." Rachel Maddow - 23 May 2013
Neither War, OEF and OIF, has yet to be paid for. And as the decades previous and wars, ignoring the issues of those who served in, of the under funded Veterans' Administration budget is still mostly on borrowed capital, even more so for these two long occupations, after quickly abandoning the missions from 9/11 with those served full 'patriotic' approval!
Only a few years back, while the country had abandoned the missions and those sent to accomplish after 9/11 and waged a companion long war and deadly occupation with cheering flag waving, the Pols, Conservative, from the Federal to the State sought to privatize much of the Salisbury NC VA Hospital care, contracting with local non VA hospitals for emergency services and in patient care, which has a National Cemetery adjacent to the care facilities, for corporate profit off the people served treasury, two tax cuts came with the rubber stamped still not paid for wars, and the ability as a government agency to actually greatly increase the budgets for that growth corporate bottom line. Since it was stopped that VA campus has been expanding in size and care issues under the Shinseki Veterans Administration with help from the present Executive Branch and it's Cabinet. And from early reports does not carry any of these present 'scandal' charges but still operating under grossly inadequate budget funding which is still mostly borrowed with interest. The Fayetteville VA on the other have, in an area of big Military Bases is coming back with much different reading as to these 'scandals' that nobody paid much attention to before, would mean more Sacrifice from them if they did.
This wasn't only happening at that VA and many arguments used were on the conditions of the long ignored facilities not just VA Hospitals but Clinics and more, rapidly issues addressed under the Shinseki VA Administration with help even from the Recovery Act funds which created jobs both short and long term and will greatly benefit the communities where spent economically going forward, including upgrading the existing and expanding the numbers of National Cemeteries across the Country, another of the so many ignored by the Country Served issues as to it's Veterans, those few who've served them.
In one of the links above you'll find this:
“We applaud Senator-elect Kay Hagan and Congressmen Mel Watt and Larry Kissell for standing with veterans and VA employees throughout this ordeal, but this fight is far from over,” said AFGE national secretary-treasurer J. David Cox, who worked as a registered nurse at the Salisbury VA Medical Center for over 20 years. “Senator Burr and VA Secretary James Peake are claiming that they want to do what is in the best interest of veterans and save this hospital, but all they have really done is committed to giving it a slow death. We refused to let that happen and we’ll fight everyday until 2013 to make sure it doesn’t.”
June 29, 2014 - The Fayetteville VA Medical Center has been playing catchup for years.A surge in the veteran population following a decade of war has stressed the system since at least 2010, when Elizabeth Goolsby took the helm of the 21-county region served by the Fayetteville VA.
In the four years since, the number of patients seen at the local VA has grown more than 10,000 to nearly 60,000 each year.
A building boom across several counties is adding new clinics, centers and offices, including significant changes to the VA's main campus in Fayetteville. But it still won't be enough.
"Even when all of this building is done ... we will still be short 200,000 square feet, and that's by the 2012 standards," Goolsby said.
In short, the VA could double the size of its new health center under construction off Raeford Road and still be short on space, she said. read more>>>
Veterans have been dying for decades because those like Rep Miller and Sen Burr, and the ideologies of, lead in ignoring the many issues, PTS, Agent Orange, Gulf War Syndrome to name but only a few, and why because these conservatives seek to privatize, bringing in all the problems within that private sector, for corporate profit off the peoples treasury and as still a government agency they would then have the ability to legislate added fee's and also bigger budgets!!!
There's whistle blowers and political whistle blowers, there's executives and political executives, and the latter work with the politics of those above them in these government jobs add in greed and power to the mix!!
It isn't only about the Veterans, with mutiple tours in theater, of these two recent wars nor about us older Veterans aging out, it's also about the Shinseki Veterans Administration finally addressing long ignored, by the Country served, Veterans issues. Finally being covered, in a still grossly under funded Government Agency, and getting help, even the caretakers of, long ignored as many have passed on from while fighting to get what the Country promises!
Gen. Shinseki, with a target on him after speaking Military Truth and the bushco firing him and political ideology/greed within the agency helping those in power targeting him, with help from this Executive Branch and it's Cabinet, like the Department of Labor - Veterans, The Department of Housing and Urban Development - Veterans and the Department of Justice - Veterans Courts and Related to name but only a few Veterans issues with Executive Branches Cabinet help, was finally addressing decades long ignored issues with some even denied they exist. Long Ignored by those served, other VA Secretaries and Executive Administrations, especially Conservative, and Especially Congresses who Represent the People Served, or are supposed to, and control the Nations purse strings, not for corporations. Across the VA and all issues of the us Veterans and especially from our Wars and long Occupations of others, not just Care Issues!
Already started but an agency can do only so much and at the pace the people served allow with what the agency is budgeted, still grossly under funded with two more long wars and the budget mostly borrowed with interest payments to cause problems thus feeding the conservative want to privatize for corporate profit off the peoples treasury, and country served willing to pay for:
"He would update the VA software program for scheduling called VISTA, a program first used in 1985.Nabors also calls for the VA to hire more doctors and nurses, and build more physical space that will be needed for veterans in the future."
What the VA Needs is Those Served Actually Sacrifice, Not Poser Patriotism from Congress and those, 99%, People Served!!
Build the Veterans Administration Promised from the beginning with Real Patriotism not the decades of, cheap, empty rhetoric and Unfunded Congressional Legislation, putting their names too for that patriotic feel and praise, just like the unfunded flag waving patriotic wars with two tax cuts and no offsets mentioned, still unpaid for, used only to attack the VA personal for not rapidly addressing what was passed, Poser Patriotism!!
June 27, 2014 - The results of the White House investigation of VA health care were released late Friday evening, and they paint a bleak picture.
The review says VA leadership is not prepared to deliver effective day-to-day management and is marked by an inherent lack of responsiveness.
The president ordered the investigation after reports that some VA managers lied about how long veterans waited for health care, hiding the fact that many couldn't get appointments for months.
President Obama sent his deputy White House chief of staff Rob Nabors to be his eyes and ears at the VA, and his report combines scathing criticism with ideas on moving the VA forward. read more>>>
Just the recent history, people, 99%, served representatives, that continues following the previous decades and wars from:
To which directly after the vote they get this reply as to their Poser Patriotism honesty:
Then only a few months later they vote once again, after forced changes on same bill, and pass it, but:
To which follows the usual rhetoric from the obvious group of law makers, decades in doing same, as they seek to privatize for corporate profit off the peoples treasury. As still a government agency they would then have the ability to legislate added fee's and more along with finally raising the budgets for. Only two ways for them to boost those corporate bottom lines, continue placing the budgets on the credit cards or raise the countries taxes, except their wealthy friends, higher. The long conservative ideology, already in play, in the peoples corporate government.
And this is only a small part of what happens as problems develop from the ever present Congressional obstruction and then are compounded:
June 25, 2014 - One of the reasons the case load for VA doctors is so low is that patients in VA medical facilities are older and their complex medical conditions require longer appointments, Lynch said. And some facilities don't have the proper number of exam rooms or staff to handle more patients.
06.24.2014 - In testimony before Congress, Veterans Affairs leaders said that VA facilities are often outdated and ill equipped to handle modern trends in outpatient treatment.
Surge in patients outpaces fayetteville's VA health care's building boomJune 29, 2014 - The Fayetteville VA Medical Center has been playing catchup for years.
And what did the Shinseki Veterans Administration, Finally, and with the help of this entire Executive Administration, start addressing, while addressing the issues of the present Veterans of two long wars some issues already being ignored, that was ignored by those served and the representatives they hire as law makers:
Those using us Veterans as political pawns should really really follow the issues before commenting, especially so called journalist, like by actually visiting the Veterans Administration site. Even the archived information of years past, on issues, and the Veterans of and Wars from, especially. Plenty of issues covered, and fought for help by Veterans, even some denied existed with those denying making good livings from and used for the politics the country wanted so they need not fund. It seems the easier it gets to actually research issues the less research goes into reporting or spinning same, all for political purposes oh and that oh so patriotism so many think they have so much of just by speaking the words or using the cheap symbols of, usually produced by cheap labor oversea's!
Just some of what this present VA was addressing, long ignored, Finally: Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses
This article just below addresses 'Gulf War Syndrome': Jun 25, 2014 - Veterans' Affairs issue an 'all too similar' scene
Or how about Burn Pits Exposures, an issue already being ignored by those served and those hired to represent along with many others from these recent war theaters.
Or how about Radiation Exposures, covering decades of the previous service and wars from to the present war theaters and R&D over the many years.
Then of course we go back further, then the Desert Storm ignored issues, to the Vietnam conflict and Agent Orange Exposures which now covers the use of on Military bases around the world and transport of affecting Military personal, still being added to as Veterans fight for what the Country promised but refuses Sacrifice in fulfilling those promises, not even based In Country Vietnam. Even being addressed by this Administration in Vietnam in cleaning up the known area's where used or stored, not enough and compensation to the Vietnamese especially from the chemical companies still being fought for.
You can find much more at the VA Health Care - Public Health site with plenty of links to delve further into what has been finally happening.
Many issues have been lightly touched over the years, some even moving forward at a sloths pace, some even with legislation usually with no added funding for but used to attack VA personal at hearings because enough wasn't done. With Congress throwing a few million here and there for studies on, knowing full well they'll get the results they want, they and the country served want! But the present VA, under Shinseki and now hopefully continuing after Conservatives got what they wanted, him gone, wasn't having anything to do with that, even in getting obstructed in the much needed funding for, and they had an Executive Branch fully behind them!
Blood Boils Again and Again as I watch the media and the American public served, having almost totally ignored the deaths of tens of thousands of Veterans from the previous decades and war issues of, fixate, Poser Patriotism, on recent deaths and the Politics of!!
They targeted Gen Shinseki after he spoke Military truth and the bush co fired him, with cheers from those war supporters, giving the VA virtually no help, they finally accomplished what they sought, getting rid of him and disgracing what he was accomplishing, along with the continued attacks on the greater majority of true caring VA workers, and they were obstructing at every move.
Never doing when they had control even in conservative executive administrations and especially with full control as they launched two more long wars and occupations!! The media helping them all the way!!
Now if only the flag waving, Poser, patriotic Country served would demand they Sacrifice, like they should have starting decades ago and wars from as well as stop ignoring or denying the issues Veterans continue fighting for their care of!! Pay for the wars, these have yet to be, and fully keep the promises made to those 1% that Served them!!
WASHINGTON - July 2, 2014 - Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Sloan Gibson met with the leadership of 26 Military and Veterans Service Organizations (MSOs and VSOs) to reaffirm his commitment to work together to address the unacceptable, systemic problems in accessing VA healthcare.
During the meeting, he updated the organizations’ representatives on VA’s work with the Office of Special Counsel to restore Veterans’ trust in the system and on VA’s progress in reaching out to get Veterans into clinics and off of waiting lists. He told MSO and VSO leaders that he looks forward to working with them to better serve Veterans nationwide, in communities where they live. He also shared that he has directed all VA Medical Center leadership to hold monthly meetings with VSOs and community partners.
Acting Secretary Gibson thanked MSOs and VSOs for being VA’s valuable partners in serving Veterans and continuing to improve the department and solicited their ideas on how VA can improve Veterans’ access to care and services.
# # #
Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Sloan D. Gibson announced that VA outreach has now extended to nearly 140,000 Veterans across the country to get them off of wait lists and into clinics for medical appointments. VA also released the latest updated, facility-level patient access data. read more>>>
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki speaks at a meeting of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans in Washington, Friday, May 30, 2014. (PHOTO/AP, Charles Dharapak)
May 30, 2014 - This morning, I resigned as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. My personal and professional commitment and my loyalty to Veterans, their families, and our survivors was the driving force behind that decision. That loyalty has never wavered, and it will never wane.
Over the course of the last five-and-a-half years, you have made significant and lasting progress in expanding access for Veterans, in significantly decreasing the backlog in Veterans’ claims while building the system that will end the backlog in 2015, and in bringing an end to Veterans’ homelessness. We have come a long way together in bringing this Department into the 21st Century in ways that will serve Veterans well into the future. Yet, there is more work to be done, and I have no doubt that you will achieve all that you set about doing in the interest of Veterans.
I have been privileged to have served as your Secretary and am deeply grateful to the employees and leaders who have placed the interests of Veterans above and beyond their own self-interests; who are serving with dignity, compassion, and dedication; and who live by VA’s core values of Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence. I know that you will provide your support and loyalty to Acting Secretary Sloan Gibson, who is now your leader. In fact, I expect it.
Thank you. May God richly bless all of you, Veterans, and this great country of ours.
Eric K. Shinseki
July 3, 2014 - In the 1930s and 40s Louie Zamperini was one of the most famous men in America, a national hero in both sports and war.
In 1936 he starred at the Olympics in Berlin. In World War II, after his bomber crashed in the Pacific he floated on a raft for 47 days, fighting off sharks with his bare hands.
Close to death, he was captured by the Japanese, and spent two years in prison camps where he was singled out for brutal torture because of his hero status back home.
But he remained "Unbroken"
-- the title of a bestselling biography.
snip We asked if he considers himself a hero.
"Oh no, no. I got three purple hearts, for what? I got all my limbs. I see these guys in a wheelchair with one, two limbs missing. Those guys are your heroes." read more>>>
The effort to pass a sweepstakes legalization bill in North Carolina collapsed after Burns' arrest in Florida, triggered by probes into a homeless veterans charity prosecutors said was a front for collecting nearly $300 million in untaxed profits from sweepstakes cafes. read more>>>>
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? 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
HONORING THE FALLEN: US Military and Coalition Forces Killed in Action, Iraq & Afghanistan/Pakistan from 2001 to ................. - 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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