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:
With all the consumer holiday hype, even the FOX speak christian war{?} on christmas was back and the military and us veterans were used as marketing tools, the following happened with barely a whimper from the media and the country served. Reminding many of how extremely quickly we Abandoned the Missions and those sent to Accomplish after 9/11, with almost full flag waving, poser patriotic, support, some 70%plus, for the policies, and all that was carried out under same, of an added, still unpaid for in many ways, invasion and long occupation!
28 Dec 2014 - NATO has held a ceremony in Kabul formally ending its war in Afghanistan, officials said, after 13 years of conflict and gradual troop withdrawals that have left the country in the grip of worsening conflicts with armed groups.The event was carried out on Sunday in secret due to the threat of Taliban strikes in the Afghan capital, which has been hit by repeated suicide bombings and gun attacks over recent years.
On January 1, the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) combat mission will be replaced by a NATO "training and support" mission.
"Resolute Support will serve as the bedrock of an enduring partnership" between NATO and Afghanistan, Campbell told an audience of Afghan and international military officers and officials, as well as diplomats and journalists.
snip "In just a few days, our combat mission in Afghanistan will be over," US President Barack Obama said in his Christmas Day address. "Our longest war will come to a responsible end".
Sunday's ceremony completes the gradual handover of responsiblity to the 350,000-strong Afghan forces, who have been in charge of nationwide security since the middle of last year. read more>>>
Memorial at the New JPED facility at Dover Air Force Base, Del..OEF: Afghanistan - Pakistan!!
There have been 3,485 coalition deaths -- 2,356 Americans, 41 Australians, 453 Britons, 1 Belgian, 158 Canadians, 10 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, 40 Poland, 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 November 3 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 20,065 up to Dec. 30, 2014 {20,048 up to December 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. 1st Class Ramon S. Morris, 37, of New York, New York, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, in Parwan Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when the enemy attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device. December 12, 2014
Spc. Wyatt J. Martin, 22, of Mesa, Arizona, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, in Parwan Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when the enemy attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device. December 12, 2014
Staff Sgt. Matthew R. Ammerman, 29, of Noblesville, Indiana, 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Eglin Air Force Base, in Zabul Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from small arms fire while conducting a clearing operation. December 3, 2014
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2014 – President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel each issued statements today marking the end of the combat mission in Afghanistan.After 13 years of combat operations, Operation Enduring Freedom drew to a close today in a ceremony at the International Security and Assistance Force headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan.
“Today's ceremony in Kabul marks a milestone for our country,” Obama said. “For more than 13 years, ever since nearly 3,000 innocent lives were taken from us on 9/11, our nation has been at war in Afghanistan. Now, thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, our combat mission in Afghanistan is ending, and the longest war in American history is coming to a responsible conclusion.”
“At the end of this year,” Hagel said, “as our Afghan partners assume responsibility for the security of their country, the United States officially concludes Operation Enduring Freedom. … In 2015, we begin our follow-on mission -- Operation Freedom's Sentinel -- to help secure and build upon the hard-fought gains of the last 13 years.”
Today, though, “we give thanks to our troops and intelligence personnel who have been relentless against the terrorists responsible for 9/11 -- devastating the core al-Qaida leadership, delivering justice to Osama bin Laden, disrupting terrorist plots and saving countless American lives,” the president said. read more>>>
December 28, 2014 - At the end of this year, as our Afghan partners assume responsibility for the security of their country, the United States officially concludes Operation Enduring Freedom. Our combat mission in Afghanistan, which began in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, will come to an end.In 2015, we begin our follow-on mission, Operation Freedom's Sentinel, to help secure and build upon the hard-fought gains of the last 13 years.
I want to express my deep gratitude to all U.S. personnel, both military and civilian, who have served in Afghanistan since 2001, many on multiple deployments. I also thank the thousands more who were a part of the mission at home and around the world. In fighting America's longest war, our people and their families have borne a heavy burden, and some paid the ultimate price.
From my first trip to Afghanistan in 2002 to my visit earlier this month, I have seen firsthand the hard and heroic work done by American military and civilian personnel. read more>>>
Jan 04, 2015 - Lara Logan reports from Afghanistan on the future of the country as the U.S.-led coalition draws down its forces read more>>>
"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
Will we abandon the Afghan people again? Like we so quickly did after the Afghan/Soviet long occupation and war, then again most of the missions after 9/11. As we supplied the then Mujahideen fighters with Arms in their fight against the Soviet invasion and long occupation. our promises to help rebuild after years of death and destruction quickly forgotten.
We are now in an 'operation' of training and intelligence support for the Afghan Soldiers and Police Forces. The NATO operation labeled as Operation Resolute Support and the U.S. operation within labeled as Operation Freedom's Sentinel.
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.
Capt. William H. DuBois 30, who was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, of New Castle, Colorado, died Dec. 1 when his F-16 aircraft crashed near a coalition air base in the Middle East. He was assigned to the 77th Fighter Squadron, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. 1 December 2014
22 December 2014 - The ACLU and Human Rights Watch say the offences amount to ‘a vast criminal conspiracy’ and are ‘shocking and corrosive’ to US democracy and credibility read more>>>
The Royal United Services Institute said the UK could face a bill of nearly £65bn, once the cost of long-term care for injured veterans was factored in, with most of the money was spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The study, called Wars in Peace, said both conflicts were largely “strategic failures” for the UK, The Guardian reported."
"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
December 22 2014 - American taxpayers have shelled out roughly $1.6 trillion on war spending since 9/11, according to a new report from Congress’ nonpartisan research arm. That’s roughly $337 million a day -- or nearly a quarter million dollars a minute -- every single day for 13 years. read more>>>
Chris Hayes MSNBC: "If you can run a deficit to go to war, you can run a deficit to take care of the people who fought it" In response to Republican opposition to expanding Veterans' benefits on fiscal grounds
DEC. 31, 2014 - As United States combat operations formally ended, many military families said they sensed they had already been forgotten. read more>>>
Forgotten long ago as the Country quickly Abandoned the Missions and those sent to Accomplish after 9/11, with near full support and, poser patriotic, flags a waving!! And as quickly Abandoned any Accountability as to those leading, with everything done left on the table!!
These, just below, are from our neighbor to the north, Canada, but there are plenty more as well as from Britain and elsewhere, especially when Conservatives have control over the purse strings and are supposed to help the peoples agencies.
This gives some incite without a subscription, needed for just above:
It isn't only the many problems facing Veterans here in America, often just ignored or out right denied they exist, think also Agent Orange, Gulf War Syndrome to name but a few , but elsewhere as well. See if you're homeless, veteran or not, you're a lazy bum, never mind if a Military Veteran and the route causes for many to be homeless you've already ignored those issues, according to conservative politics ideologies and led by FOX speak, as you obviously don't want to work! Hard working and laid off, not fired, so collecting unemployment, meager percent of previous earnings, you like it that way and want it to last. But boy howdy how you're 'supported', poser patriotism from those who never serve or even try to, especially Military and Veterans. As ordered into our free wars and when discharged to a grossly under funded people severed responsibility the VA for care by mostly extremely dedicated personal, who actually do support your service, under constant attack, by mostly conservative, by the hired representatives in government of those served!
It is important that we openly and willingly discuss our mistakes and how we intend to improve. As we acknowledge areas where more work is needed, we also need to set the record straight when our work is unfairly mischaracterized.
December 17, 2014 - Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder who were discharged under “other than honorable” conditions can apply on a new webpage to have their discharge upgraded if it was due to PTSD.
Veterans can go to the site to get information about applying for a change in status through the Army Review Boards Agency.
The Army says it is committed to making sure the veterans receive fair consideration of their service and the conditions that may have mitigated the misconduct that led to their discharge, he said. The Army launched the site in accordance with a Department of Defense memorandum from September. According to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, PTSD was not recognized as a diagnosis at the time of service in past conflicts such as the Vietnam War. read more>>>
But alas don't worry be happy, we got us an expensive private corporate merc army, that also has yet to be paid for, that's also charged with intelligence gathering!!
October 23, 2008 - And now VA investigators are trying to figure out if this one-time survey points to the likelihood that documents have been improperly destroyed for months or even years."Whatever this problem is, it didn't just start in the last two weeks," said Dave Autry, a spokesman for Disabled American Veterans. "It'd be unreasonable to assume that. Who knows what's been destroyed."
The documents, which didn't have duplicates at the VA, would have been critical in deciding veteran pension and disability claims. As a result, many veterans are asking whether their delayed or denied claims were affected by lost paperwork. read more>>>
"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."
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:
And this is only a small part of what happens as problems develop from the ever present Congressional obstruction and then are compounded:
At the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), our most important mission is to provide the high quality health care and benefits Veterans have earned and deserve — when and where they need it. In mid-April, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs directed the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to complete a nation-wide Access Audit to ensure a full understanding of VA’s policy among scheduling staff, identify any inappropriate scheduling practices used by employees regarding Veteran preferences for appointment dates, and review waiting list management.VA is already taking corrective action to address issues resulting from the audit. read more w/Twice Monthly Update links
What the Country Served, poser patriotism, should have already not only funded but built, as technologies advanced, decades and wars from especially, is finally coming into being.
After finding private businesses to contract and work with the DoD and the VA to develop and put into use, decades of problems from lack of funding, along with ignoring and even denying the costly issues of wars, and growing outdated practices which cost extremely much more to fix and are often compounded into other costly problems, personal and monetary, to bring these Government Agencies important issues into 21st century practice and use thus needing only regular maintenance costs to maintain as new technologies enhance their abilities.
This isn't only in sharing health care needs issues between these two agencies, which should have always been, especially in war related times, but existed especially in the Veterans Administration right up to these last recent years and way too long needs of developing updated practices while still working with obstructed and grossly under funded budgets thus taking from other area's, in this present executive administration with help from the other cabinet agencies, of the budget which created more problems that compound.
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Va., Dec. 3, 2014 – The second lady of the United States made a surprise appearance at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial today to honor the Military Spouse Employment Partnership’s expansion and commend companies who have hired more than 65,000 military spouses since Joining Forces launched in 2011.Brainchild of First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, Joining Forces links employment, educational and wellness resources to military families.
“When we launched MSEP, we were excited to have 50 businesses involved [and] today … over 260 businesses have entered the partnership, so that’s nearly five times the number of when we started,” Biden said at today’s event. “These partnerships represent every employment sector and are offering jobs at every level within their organizations.”
The second lady recognized the Class of 2014 signatory partners as well as the 266 enduring corporate partners and other organizations that have been instrumental in posting some 1.8 million jobs on the MSEP career portal.
A personal connection read more>>>
Teaching health-care providers to ask about patients’ military backgrounds.
December 2, 2014 - Chamberlain College of Nursing in Arlington co-sponsored a veteran’s health awareness campaign last month, shedding light on health issues that more prominently affect veterans than the average civilian. The American Academy of Nursing established the initiative, “Have You Ever Served in the Military?” so that all healthcare providers know to ask about their patients’ military backgrounds when assessing overall health.
The American Academy of Nursing has been promoting “Have You Ever Served in the Military?” since its official start on Labor Day 2013. Today, it exists in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Washington. It was created in response to First Lady Michelle Obama’s and Jill Biden’s Joining Forces program, which helps the private and public sectors provide adequate services to the nation’s soldiers and veterans, as well as their families.
#Chamberlain College of Nursing, which began its nursing education programs in 1889, is one the initiative’s official co-sponsors. Chamberlain offers nursing degrees ranging from Bachelor of Science in Nursing to Doctor of Nursing Practice to more than 20,000 students nationwide. read more>>>
November 21, 2014 - Workers began excavation Friday on an additional 66 spots at the Okinawa City soccer field where barrels containing toxic herbicides were found last year.
The announcement to investigate the magnetic anomalies — thought to be more barrels or other metal objects — was made Thursday by the Okinawa Defense Bureau. Should any barrels or substances that indicate the presence of defoliants be found, the bureau plans to notify the city and prefectural governments immediately.
The excavation comes on the heels of a report released by the Japanese government in July that found while 83 barrels already unearthed in the reclaimed land adjacent to the Kadena Air Base fence line contained ingredients used in Agent Orange, they were of the incorrect consistency and quantities however, leading officials to instead believe they were used in a common herbicide.
The barrels caused a stir amongst both locals and U.S. military personnel and dependents when they were found. Veterans who have claimed exposure to Agent Orange while stationed on Okinawa said it confirmed what they had been saying all along. Parents of students at the nearby Amelia Earhart Intermediate School, Bob Hope Primary School and the Kadena middle and high schools expressed concern. Activists and local media also seized on the issue. read more>>>
The delays were driven by an explosion in veterans seeking care. Outpatient visits to the VA system rose from 46.5 million in 2002 to 83.6 million a decade later. The number of veterans receiving mental health treatment grew from less than 900,000 in 2006 to more than 1.2 million in 2012.The problem was exacerbated by the lack of physicians and other medical personnel.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that officials at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Maine may have manipulated treatment information. The same has happened, to differing degrees, at VA facilities throughout the country, and Togus, as the Maine hospital is known, is under the same pressures, with the same rising demand for health care amid the same staffing shortages.The allegations are a further reminder of how widespread the problems at VA hospitals were before the scandal was unearthed earlier this year. More than simply the fault of a few bad apples, the shortcomings at the VA were the result of a systemwide failure that was diverting care, and would have needed fixing even if hospitals had not started fudging the numbers. read more>>>
November 21, 2014 - As part of The Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) ongoing effort to improve Veterans’ access to healthcare, VA announced it has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a new Medical Appointment Scheduling System (MASS).. The new MASS technology will help improve access to care for Veterans by providing schedulers with state-of-the-art, management-based scheduling software.
snip The new system will replace a legacy scheduling system that has been in use at VA since 1985. VA’s acquisition approach for the new scheduling solution remains full and open; any qualified vendor may compete. Potential bidders are not required to have prior experience working with VA. Proposals are due on January 9, 2015. read more>>>
From the 1950s through the 1980s, people living or working at the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, were potentially exposed to drinking water contaminated with industrial solvents, benzene, and other chemicals.
Veterans and their families who lived at Camp Lejeune for 30 days or more between Aug. 1, 1953 and Dec. 31, 1987 may be eligible for VA health benefits. A Dec. 16, 2014 law changed the eligibility date from Jan. 1, 1957 to Aug. 1, 1953.
Veterans: Enroll online or call 1-877-222-8387 for help.
Family members: You may be eligible for reimbursement of out-of-pocket medical expenses for 15 conditions. Apply online or call 1-866-372-1144 for help.
Visit Camp Lejeune: Past Water Contamination to learn more.
Servicemembers who demolished or handled explosive ordinance may have been exposed to warfare agents such as mustard agents or sarin.These exposures may cause health effects.
The Department of Defense (DoD) is contacting Servicemembers and Veterans who may have been exposed. If you were exposed and have not been contacted, call their hotline: 1-800-497-6261. much more information>>>
Washington – October 6, 2014 - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is seeking nominations of qualified candidates to be considered for appointment to serve as a member of the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses (RAC). 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
Neither of these recent wars have yet been paid for, nor the continued blowback from the spread and growth from the policies implemented!
Neither the long term results from, including the long ignored or outright denied existence of, till this Administrations Cabinet and Gen Shinseki, only Government branch consistent for the past six years, Veterans issues from! As well as under deficits most of the, grossly under funded, VA budget is still borrowed, with interest, thus added problem creating costs that shouldn't exist!
Anderson Cooper accompanies volunteers searching for the remains of World War II airmen missing in action in the waters off Palau2014 Nov 23 - More than 400,000 Americans died fighting in the Second World War. Adding to the heartache of that staggering loss, nearly one in five of those killed was declared missing in action. To this day, the families of some 73,000 unaccounted for servicemen have lived with the mystery of how they died and have been deprived of the comfort that comes from a burial. At the end of the war, the technology didn't exist to find and identify many of the missing, but today it does. This is the remarkable story of a group of volunteers who spend their own time and money quietly searching for these long lost servicemen -- remarkable because of what they've discovered in recent years. They are doing it, they say, for the fallen and their families.
And focus on Palau, a Pacific island nation that saw some of the fiercest fighting of the war 70 years ago, a place some pilots called "a forgotten corner of hell."Fly today over Palau's 586 small islands and miles of barrier reefs and you'll see no sign of the carnage that once occurred here. But beneath the jungle canopy you can still find the rusted ruins of Japanese anti-aircraft guns; and in the clear blue water, a graveyard of planes and the men who flew them. As the Second World War raged in the Pacific, the islands of Palau were teeming with Japanese soldiers and under attack by American planes. The skies overhead were filled with Hellcats, Corsairs, Avengers and B-24 Liberators. On September 1, 1944, this B-24, number 453, and its crew took off on a bombing mission. read more>>>
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
American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial - Dedicated on Oct 5th 2014
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