{This blog is not affiliated with the VA. Though a Veteran, four yrs. all shore in Navy last year In-Country Vietnam, I don't work for the VA}
**USN All Shore '67-'71 GMG3 Vietnam In Country '70-'71 - Independent**


In 2003 some 72% of Americans fully supported the Abandoning of the Missions and those Sent to Accomplish so extremely Quickly after 9/11!!
At least some 95%, if not more as less then 1% serve them, not only still support the, just below, total lack of Sacrifice, they ran from any and all Accountability and left everything still on the table to be continually used if the political/military want was still in play in future executive/legislative wants!!
DeJa-Vu: “With no shared sacrifices being asked of civilians after Sept. 11", Decades and War From, All Over Again!!
Especially for the Corporate and Wealthy Community, investors in Defense Industries, and for these, Afghanistan and Iraq, came Two Huge Tax Cuts, with more sweetheart deals to same from states and the fed!!


Thousands of people across America don’t just talk about honoring Veterans; they walk the walk. Dedicated Volunteers Serve Veterans for Decades

On this Executive Administration, it's Cabinet and those directly around same, "Best - Ever": "We haven't had this kind of visibility from the White House—ever." Joyce Raezer National Military Family Association - Dec. 30, 2011, and plenty more of similar since Joyce, others, spoke and continues!

Ask yourself: If the Veterans Administration is so corrupt and mismanaged, as the conservative ideology, under which the seeds of are planted when they control, wants everyone to buy into as they obstruct the budgets and do extremely little after they charge same, then why does the Private sector, many problems within rarely heard about, adopt so many practices and advanced technologies developed within the VA, for free?! The VA, DoD, and in partnership with Universities and Colleges, not just Health Care are constantly in R&D and that developed that works is quickly moved into the private, for profit, sector, even as the VA is long under funded, decades, and especially during and after our wars that the few are sent into!

* * * * *
President Obama 26 August 2014

Fact: "This is not just a job of government. It’s not just a job of the veterans’ organizations. Every American needs to join us in taking care of those who've taken care of us. Because only 1 percent of Americans may be fighting our wars, but 100 percent of Americans benefit from that 1 percent. A hundred percent need to be supporting our troops. A hundred percent need to be supporting our veterans. A hundred percent need to be supporting our military families."

Fact:
"We’ve been able to accomplish historic increases to veterans funding. We’ve protected veterans health care from Washington politics with advanced appropriations. We’ve been able to make VA benefits available to more than 2 million veterans who didn't have them before, including more Vietnam vets who were exposed to Agent Orange. We’ve dedicated major new resources for mental health care. We’ve helped more than 1 million veterans and their families pursue their education under the Post-9/11 GI Bill."

August 26, 2014 - Secretary Robert A. McDonald's Remarks for the American Legion's 96th Annual Convention, Charlotte, NC
Fact: "Unlike, P&G, VA may not be concerned about quarterly profit and loss statements or shareholder value, but it does have a bottom line—Veterans. "
{which is why No Government agency should be turned into a private corporate entity feeding for profit off the Countries duty and responsibility, especially the VA}
* * * * *

Fact: “We are dealing with veterans, not procedures—with their problems, not ours.” —General Omar Bradley, First Administrator of the Veterans Administration

Facts: Matthew Hoh {former Marine and foreign service officer in Afghanistan}: "We spend a trillion dollars a year on national security in this country."
"And when you add up to the Department of Defense, Department of State, CIA, Veterans Affairs, interest on debt, the number that strikes me the most about how much we're committed financially to these wars and to our current policies is we have spent $250 billion already just on interest payments on the debt we've incurred for the Iraq and Afghan wars."
26 September 2014

Fact: "If military action is worth our troops’ blood, it should be worth our treasure, too — not just in the abstract, but in the form of a specific ante by every American." -Andrew Rosenthal 10 Feb. 2013

Fact: "12 years also is a long time. We now have a lifetime responsibility to a generation of service members, veterans and their families." Dr. Jonathan Woodson 11 Sep. 2013: With 9/11 Came Lifetime Responsibility
{two tax cuts, especially for the wealthy, came with these two recent unpaid for wars, nor the results of, DeJa-Vu all over again from the previous decades and wars from! Ignore the many issues, by those served, no need to fund!}

Fact: Sen. Bernie Sanders told Republicans: “If you can’t afford to take care of your veterans, than don’t go war. These people are bearing the brunt of what war is about, We have a moral obligation to support them.” February, 26th, 2014

Fact: 25 June 2014 U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller: Veterans' Affairs issue an 'all too similar' scene

Fact: How We Could Do More For Our Vets: "We need to go into debt to pay our debt to U.S. veterans to make sure they get the care and services we owe them."

Fact: “Why in 2009 were we still using paper?” VA Assistant Secretary Tommy Sowers “When we came in, there was no plan to change that; we’ve been operating on a six month wait for over a decade.” 27 March 2013

WHY? GOOD QUESTION THOSE SERVED SHOULD ANSWER!


Bob Herbert Losing Our Way : "And then the staggering costs of these wars, which are borne by the taxpayers. I mean, one of the things that was insane was that, as we're at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush administration cut taxes. This has never been done in American history. The idea of cutting taxes while you're going to war is just crazy. I mean, it's madness." Bill 'Moyers and Company': Restoring an America That Has Lost its Way 10 Oct. 2014

Presidential Proclamation -- Veterans Day, 2013: "As we pay tribute to our veterans, we are mindful that no ceremony or parade can fully repay that debt." read more>>>


Under two previous Executive administrations and wars from, father and son. With son and conservative congresses leading the extremely quick abandoning of the missions and those sent to accomplish after 9/11:

ProPublica and The Seattle Times Nov. 9, 2012 - Lost to History: Missing War Records Complicate Benefit Claims by Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans
"DeLara's case is part of a much larger problem that has plagued the U.S. military since the 1990 Gulf War: a failure to create and maintain the types of field records that have documented American conflicts since the Revolutionary War."

Part Two: A Son Lost in Iraq, but Where Is the Casualty Report?

Army Says War Records Gap Is Real, Launches Recovery Effort

3/27/15 - U.S. Nerve Gas Hit Our Own Troops in Iraq
"During and immediately after the first Gulf War, more than 200,000 of 700,000 U.S. troops sent to Iraq and Kuwait in January 1991 were exposed to nerve gas and other chemical agents. Though aware of this, the Department of Defense and CIA launched a campaign of lies and concocted a cover-up that continues today."
"When Brown and others tried to obtain their medical records to prove their illnesses were service-related, they learned that the records had disappeared."


Add in the issues of finally recognizing in War Theater and more Veterans, by the Shinseki Veterans Administration and the Executive Administrations Cabinet, what the Country choose to ignore from our previous decades and wars of: The devastating effects on Test Vets and from PTS, Agent Orange, Homelessness, more recent the Desert Storm troops Gulf War Illnesses, Gulf War Exposures with the very recent affects from In-Theater Burn Pits and oh so so much more! Tens of Thousands of Veterans' that have been long ignored and maligned by previous VA's and the whole Country and through their representatives!

How does a Country HONOR It's Fallen, by Their Own 'Sacrifice' in Taking Care of the Brothers and Sisters They Served With!!


"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." - Abraham Lincoln

"To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan" - President Lincoln

She wrote that she's proud of her service but added this: "That doesn't change the fact that I contributed - however indirectly - to human beings vanishing from the earth in a moment of sheer agony."







For our sisters: National Women Veterans Hotline, call 1-855-VA-WOMEN1-855-VA-WOMEN (1-855-829-66361-855-829-6636) New Hotline now up and running







They are a coalition of leading Veterans, mostly of OEF and OIF, and national security organizations who recognize that climate change is a major threat, and support fast, bold action. It is time for Americans to rise to the challenge, and we’re taking on the fight.





Their Mission: Team Rubicon unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. Learn More




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Wednesday, May 6, 2015

HONORING THE FALLEN: After OEF/OIF - April 2015

To Veterans Administration Nurses

A week of gratitude
Though we will be celebrating Nurses Week at VA, we want to also celebrate the care they provide every other day of the year. Generations of nurses past and present have proudly served our Veterans – full of tenacity, passion and an innovative spirit. They represent the backbone of what Veterans have come to rely on for their physical, social and emotional well-being.

National Nurses Day is celebrated on May 6 to raise awareness of the important role nurses play in society. This day marks the beginning of National Nurses Week, which concludes on May 12, the birthday of the English nurse Florence Nightingale. She became known as the founder of professional nursing, due to her pioneering work during the Crimean War (1853-1856).

Since then, Nightingale has been the enduring symbol of selfless dedication and care, epitomizing the essence of nursing. The American Nurses Association encourages its state and territorial nurses associations (along with other related organizations) to honor our Nation’s nurses for their tireless commitment during this weeklong celebration. read more>>>

And throughout the VA, out of a population of some 318.9 million (2014), with tax cuts and demanding more of, where only a few million of, and their families, especially in our flag waving patriotic wars and long occupations resulting, have sacrificed and served, some actually Sacrifice for those that Served them:

"Thousands of people across America don’t just talk about honoring Veterans; they walk the walk!!"

As the Country waves it's flags and use Veterans of the, poser, patriotic wars, especially, as political and marketing tools with symbols, words, and short term actions, while ignoring or out right denying the many issues, finally being addressed under Sec. Shinseki and with the help of the Obama Executive Administration and it's Cabinet Agencies, the Dedicated Volunteers, in all area's, have kept the many VA needs and charges under functioning since the Veterans Administration was first established!! Many being Veterans themselves but also those who've never served in the Military but see and feel the need to those few who've served them, that's 'Patriotism'!!

Dedicated Volunteers Serve Veterans for Decades
April 13, 2015 - This is National Volunteer Week, time to Celebrate Service. Time to salute those great men and women in every VA medical center who give of themselves to others. And time to invite everyone else to come along and discover the power of making a difference.

You’ll meet them every time you visit a VA medical center. In 2014, over 140,000 volunteers gave more than 11 million hours in service to America's Veterans.

We can’t calculate the amount of caring and sharing these VA Voluntary Service volunteers provide to Veteran patients. Our volunteers are a priceless asset to America's Veterans and to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

A Volunteer for Over 50 Years read more>>>

Sen. Bernie Sanders told Conservatives: “If you can’t afford to take care of your veterans, than don’t go war. These people are bearing the brunt of what war is about, We have a moral obligation to support them.” February, 26th, 2014

Gold Star Wives marks 70 years of service
April 9, 2015 - It was 50 years ago when Linda Vrba Geoghegan received the heart wrenching telegram she'll never forget reading.

A cab driver had pulled up to her parents' home in Stedman to deliver the telegram: Her husband, Staff Sgt. Raymond J. Vrba, was killed serving in Vietnam.

Many other women have bonded over similar tragedies - husbands who have died serving in the military, or after they've returned to the country after service. The women have leaned on each other through the Gold Star Wives of America Inc. organization.

April 5 marked the 70th anniversary of the first meeting of Gold Star Wives of America Inc. Congress designated April 5 as Gold Star Wives Day.

The organization's most significant work is helping a spouse navigate benefits available to her, said Ann Childress, president of the local chapter.

"Our main goal is helping the widows get their lives in order," she said. 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

NATO holds ceremony closing Afghan mission
Event carried out in secret due to threat of Taliban strikes in Afghan capital, which has been hit by repeated bombings

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. read more>>>

Obama, Hagel Mark End of Operation Enduring Freedom

December 28, 2014 - Obama marks end of combat in Afghanistan

Statement by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Freedom's Sentinel

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 20,067 U.S. troops had been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon.. In addition to the military deaths, 11 U.S. intelligence operatives have died in Afghanistan.

icasualties.org OEF - Operation Enduring Freedom

CNN Map U.S./Canada and Coalition Afghanistan Casualties

CNN-Iraq/Afghanistan War Casualties

NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan
"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.


Operation Resolute Support

The post-2014 mission in Afghanistan will be known as Operation Resolute Support. Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) Afghanistan will come to an end. The detailed operation plan for Resolute Support was approved by NATO Foreign Ministers at the end of June 2014.
The U.S. military component of RSM will be Operation Freedom's Sentinel.

Operation Freedom's Sentinel - U.S. Wounded In Action: 19

Spc. John M. Dawson, 22, of Whitinsville, Massachusetts, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he was attacked by small arms fire while he was on an escort mission. He was assigned to 1st Squadron, 33 Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. April 09, 2015

'A new chapter': United States shuts down Iraq war
Nine years of conflict saw 4,488 Americans killed, 32,230 U.S. wounded and more than $800 billion spent

By the Numbers: 1.5 Million

Iraq Veterans: ‘National Day of Honor’ 19 March

OIF: Iraq, from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn on Sept 1, 2010

December 20 2011 - Ceremony to Retire Iraq Mission Colors on U.S. Soil

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.

icasualties.org Operation Iraqi Freedom

Iraq war ends with a $4 trillion IOU: 15 December 2011 - Veterans’ health care costs to rise sharply over the next 40 years

CNN Map U.S. and Coalition Iraq Casualties

CNN-Iraq/Afghanistan War Casualties

Brown University - Iraq: 10 Years After Costs of War - Research Papers

Costs of War Project

The British Iraq War Inquiry


Click on banner to visit the DoD Special Report page on In-Theater Operations

Back Into Iraq - Lured Back in the Continuing Blowback From the Previous Failed Policies of Quickly Abandoning the Missions and Those Sent to Accomplish After 9/11! That Created the Growth and Spread, and Now This ISIL or Islamic State, the Criminal Terror in That Region and Beyond of Many Groups Following the al Qaeda Terror Mold and even More Extreme:

‘Operation Inherent Resolve’
Pentagon chose the name to "reflect the unwavering resolve and deep commitment of the U.S."

Airstrikes in Iraq and Syria

Operation Inherent Resolve - U.S. Wounded In Action: 1

Cpl. Jordan L. Spears, 21, of Memphis, Indiana, was lost at sea Oct. 1 while conducting flight operations in the North Arabian Gulf. He was initially classified as a non-global war on terrorism casualty. Spears was assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron-163, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California. October 1 2014

Lance Cpl. Sean P. Neal, 19, of Riverside, California, in Baghdad, Iraq, from a non-combat related incident. The incident is under investigation. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force - Crisis Response - Central Command, whose headquarters element deploys from Camp Pendleton, California. October 23 2014

Capt. William H. DuBois, 30, of New Castle, Colorado, died 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. December 1 2014

Tech. Sgt. Anthony E. Salazar, 40, of Hermosa Beach, California, at an air base in southwest Asia in a non-combat related incident. The incident is under investigation. He was assigned to the 577th Expeditionary Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force Squadron, 1st Expeditionary Civil Engineer Group, U.S. Air Forces Central Command. April 13, 2015

* * * CIA Torture: Read the Senate Intelligence Committee report * * *

In a Democracy: 'Citizens must know what is done in their name'

Pres. Bush: “Prisoners of war must at all times be humanely treated”

Human rights groups call for special prosecutor to investigate CIA torture

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>>>

* * * Seeds of ISIL Planted By Bush/Cheney and Conservative Congresses * * *

* * * The British Iraq War Inquiry * * *
Released will carry private communications between GWBush and TBlair, like this already released: TB said there was a danger the Tories would see this as their chance to get rid of him … Bush said they would make it clear to the Tories that if they moved to get rid of TB "we will get rid of them".

* * * Iraq War Promoted Terrorism Rather Than Reducing It * * *
24 April 2014 - Britain’s involvement in the Iraq War promoted terrorism rather than reducing it and was a “strategic failure”, according to a major new report which estimated the cost of all UK conflicts since the end of the Cold War.
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."

Facts: Matthew Hoh {former Marine and foreign service officer in Afghanistan}: "We spend a trillion dollars a year on national security in this country."
"And when you add up to the Department of Defense, Department of State, CIA, Veterans Affairs, interest on debt, the number that strikes me the most about how much we're committed financially to these wars and to our current policies is we have spent $250 billion already just on interest payments on the debt we've incurred for the Iraq and Afghan wars." 26 September 2014

Bob Herbert "Losing Our Way" : "And then the staggering costs of these wars, which are borne by the taxpayers. I mean, one of the things that was insane was that, as we're at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush administration cut taxes. This has never been done in American history. The idea of cutting taxes while you're going to war is just crazy. I mean, it's madness." Bill 'Moyers and Company': Restoring an America That Has Lost its Way 10 Oct. 2014

$14 Million An Hour: War Costs Top $1.6 Trillion Since 9/11, Say Congressional Researchers
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>>>

“With no shared sacrifices being asked of civilians after Sept. 11"

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

Neither of these recent wars have yet been paid for, let alone the 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, issues! As well as under deficits most of the, grossly under funded, VA budget is still borrowed thus added, problem creating, costs that shouldn't exist!

"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

"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." Rachel Maddow - 23 May 2013

Soldiers - Veterans - Families Of

Veterans Administration into the 21st Century

“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

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

* * * Joining Forces * * *

“We are dealing with veterans, not procedures—with their problems, not ours.” —General Omar Bradley, First Administrator of the Veterans Administration

Jobless Veterans to Employers: We're a very smart and innovative investment!

Today’s military: A well-educated force

First Lady's Joining Forces Initiative Aid to Military Women Continues

Joining Forces Celebrates Its 4th Anniversary

Michele and Jill: Joining Forces Four Yrs. Later

As Congress continues obstructing, conservative ideology, especially as to Military personal and Veterans, the only Government Branch consistent, six plus years, on the issues, the Executive and it's Cabinet, continues actually doing what the Country Served should be! Wars, and the continuing blowback from the policies, still unpaid for as well as VA obstructed budgets still mostly borrowed, which bring about the conservative wanted, and country served, FOX speak media hyped 'scandals'!!

What Veterans Get in Privatizing the Veterans Administration

Push For VA Privatization, for Corporate Profit, Back on Table

When you partner up with companies like, Poser Patriots, Patient Care America, a compounding pharmacy in Florida that makes the creams and supplements, it gives the abilities to back up what is done in Congressional Hearings, and led in by Conservatives, in attacking Government agency personal, giving a wink and nod to those private government contractors they really work for, instead of doing the jobs charged with in working to actually investigate problems and or corruption, thus the, oft repeated from previous Hearings with nothing done to alleviate but cut funding to make sure they continue and grow while causing other problems, 'media hyped scandals' arise. One big help for these private Government contractors is to have, in this case doctors, a stable of professionals, doesn't even need to be that large but the more the better, who like them are concerned with building their bottom lines to the max they can get away with for how ever long and if caught pay out, campaign contributions and more including high paying jobs and titles for after they leave the government and law making, what's needed to soften the blow, get it out of the press and develop new ways to continue the con, all with help from those hired to represent the people but not making it easier to carry out the corrupt scams!!

Civilian, TRICARE-authorized providers who have signed a contract to join the network.

{Poser Patriot} Deanna Dutting with her website 'Healing 4 Heroes':

During the meeting Dutting shared the pitch she makes to service members and veterans.

"Here's these amazing creams, they're completely free. All you got to do is type in your TRICARE number online and submit it," explained Dutting.

Dutting said a doctor then calls the patient and writes a prescription. A one month supply of scar and pain creams, plus a dietary supplement costs taxpayers around $25,000.

"If you want to feel bad or do your own research, you can do just like the rest of us did, but we got over it real quick once we started making our money, you know what I mean?" said Dutting.

Another big help is those same, conservatives especially, either stripping away regulations already on the books, made as law makers to protect the people they're supposed to represent, offering no new regulations to combat the practices of business, corporations and individuals, or just plain ignore regulations that they as hired representatives are charged to do oversite on, not just the agencies but the private sector government contractors practices under the laws they make or are supposed to make!!

Part One: "Free" pain meds for veterans cost taxpayers big bucks

May 5, 2015 - A CBS News investigation has found American troops and veterans are being prescribed dubious drugs that cost taxpayers hundreds of millions dollars. The growing practice of selling the drugs has caused a big, expensive problem for Major General Richard Thomas, who oversees TRICARE, the military health benefit system.

In the last year, TRICARE spending on compounded prescriptions surged from $42 million a month to more than $300 million.

"We're on track this year to spend over $2 billion unless we get our hands around this," said Thomas. "It's just been astronomical, an explosion of the charges in a relatively short period of time."

Virtually all the spending is for products the DOD believes are of dubious clinical benefit, like pain and scar creams. The cost to taxpayers can be $15,000 for a month supply.

Major Thomas told us he hasn't been able to find anything in the creams that justify their expense. The creams are marketed directly to military personnel at "free lunch" events hosted outside the gates of Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.

"There's no free lunch here," said Thomas. "These individuals, their patriotism is directly tied to their paycheck. They're not helping these soldiers." read more>>>

While they've always been on the fringes in this new age of digital communication and more it's even easier to find numerous individuals extremely eager to make a buck or comfortable living by building websites, and especially showing their, Poser, patriotism by tying them to the Military and Veterans of. The constant using of for marketing purposes and that, flag waving Poser, patriotism of a few minutes of 'support them troops' memes and symbols. Build them big enough and millions can be brought in with the principles becoming millionaires rapidly and crumbs, if anything, passed on to the targeted groups of Military and us Veterans. While making sure everyone gets them tax cuts, especially the wealthy, so no Sacrifice needed by those served to the few who serve or have served them!!

Unlike, out of over 300million served, Thousands of people across America don’t just talk about honoring Veterans; they walk the walk. Dedicated Volunteers Serve Veterans for Decades

"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

TRICARE is the health care program for almost 9.5 million beneficiaries worldwide—including active duty service members, National Guard and Reserve members, retirees, their families, survivors, certain former spouses and others registered in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS).

Your health plan option determines the type of doctor or "providerAny doctor, team of doctors, nurse-practitioner, physician assistant, hospital, clinic, laboratory, ambulance company or supplier of medical equipment that delivers medical services or supplies to you." you'll see.

Do you want to invite your provider to join TRICARE? If unfamiliar with visit site and look around>>>

“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

May 6, 2015 - A CBS News investigation revealed American troops and veterans in pain are being marketed questionable, custom-made prescription creams for pain and scars, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Jim Axelrod reports.

Part Two: Doctors seen as "complicit" in costly abuse of military health benefit system
May 6, 2015 - "They're getting providers, doctors or whomever to write scripts, fill in scripts without even seeing the patient," said Thomas.

snip

Dr. Bolger told us he's sent prescription requests like ours by a service that pays him to review patient files from states where he's licensed -- New York, the state of our request, is not one of them.

"I'm only supposed to be sent prescriptions from the states where I'm licensed. Unfortunately, in this case, one time I got a prescription from a state where I wasn't supposed to," said Dr. Bolger.

Dr. Bolger said that our prescription was the only one he's written for someone who lives in a state where he's not licensed. He said he had no idea the U.S. military was billed for prescriptions he writes, but that he does know he's not the only one writing them. read more>>>

Federal Investigations: Mil/Vets TRICARE - Private Sector Compounding Pharmacies & Doctors

An update, from CBS reports, on what I posted yesterday, What Veterans Get in Privatizing the Veterans Administration, as to Conservative 'privatization' of Military and Veterans Health Care!!

6 May 2015 report - {Poser Patriot} Deanna Dutting with her website 'Healing 4 Heroes': " "If you want to feel bad or do your own research, you can do just like the rest of us did, but we got over it real quick once we started making our money, you know what I mean?" said Dutting.

Feds open investigations into compounding pharmacies
May 7, 2015 - CBS News has learned there are multiple federal investigations underway into 90 compounding pharmacies and doctors for suspicious practices.

In a recent investigation related to compounding pharmacies, CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod reported on Paul Borger, a doctor who runs a weight loss clinic in Davenport, Iowa.

Borger wrote a prescription for pain creams for Axelrod even though the two had never met or spoken. read more>>>

6 May 2015 report - Major General Richard Thomas, who oversees TRICARE: "There's no free lunch here," said Thomas. "These individuals, their patriotism is directly tied to their paycheck. They're not helping these soldiers."

"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

Chris Hayes : "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, long ago lost as the party of Lincoln and not just as to us Veterans, opposition to expanding Veterans' benefits on fiscal grounds.

Sen. Bernie Sanders told Conservatives: “If you can’t afford to take care of your veterans, than don’t go war. These people are bearing the brunt of what war is about, We have a moral obligation to support them.” February, 26th, 2014

“With no shared sacrifices being asked of civilians after Sept. 11"

Neither of these recent wars have yet been paid for, so see present day tax payers, especially the wealthy, haven't paid yet for any of this corruption, 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 for decades and the wars from now, VA budget is still borrowed, with interest, thus added problem creating costs, with representative who control the purse strings blaming the mostly dedicated VA personal within, that shouldn't exist!

Veterans' Administration Continues Move Into 21st Century

Online Tools, Standardized Forms, and More

Effective March 24th, 2015, VA is implementing improvements to make it easier for you to apply for benefits.

Online application tools, standardized forms, and a new intent to file process will create faster and more accurate decisions on your claims and appeals.

What does it all mean?

As part of the VA’s full-scale transformation in 2015, these new changes will:

* Streamline the benefits process, making it faster and easier
* Use standardized forms to file disability claims and compensation appeals
* Establish a new intent to file a claim process

Learn more about these important changes:

His father was an abuser. Now that Patrick Stewart knows PTSD was a factor, he has a message
Sir Patrick Stewart's father, Alfred, was a World War II hero. He fought valiantly in the Battle of Dunkirk, a tactically important conflict. But when he came home, he continued to fight.

Patrick Stewart has shared his story about his father's abuse with millions, but this is a new way of thinking about it — even for him.

Back then they called it "shell shock," "war neurosis," or "combat stress reaction," if they called it anything at all. It wasn't until 1980 that the American Psychological Association recognized PTSD as a specific, diagnosable disorder with specific symptoms — the same year Alfred Stewart died. Patrick Stewart didn't realize that his father suffered from PTSD until 2012. read more>>>

Conservative Think, American Enterprise Institute, Tanks Own: Sally Satel Still Selling Care for PTSD Veterans is Waste of Money. Long Time, Vietnam, Veterans Nemesis and Denier

Conservatives Continue Blocking Military Veterans' Access to Medical Marijuana

Sen. Bernie Sanders told Conservatives: “If you can’t afford to take care of your veterans, than don’t go war. These people are bearing the brunt of what war is about, We have a moral obligation to support them.” February, 26th, 2014

“With no shared sacrifices being asked of civilians after Sept. 11"

Chris Hayes : "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, long ago lost as the party of Lincoln and not just as to us Veterans, opposition to expanding Veterans' benefits on fiscal grounds.

When veterans return, their children also deal with the invisible wounds of war
April 16 2015 - Twice a day, Koen Hughes’s medicine alarm beeps and sputters. He yells out across the kitchen to his father, retired Army Staff Sgt. Jonah Hughes, an Iraq war veteran, who suffers from such a severe brain injury that it’s hard for him to remember things like whether he showered, and sometimes how to shower.

Koen is always there, reminding him to take his anti-seizure pills, nervously double-checking his medicine box and squinting as he monitors his father’s behavior.

Koen is 10.

“Daaad! Your medicine!” pants a frantic Koen, who has a mop of light-brown hair and loves geography, Legos and Indiana Jones.

His burly 38-year-old father wears a black Wounded Warriors T-shirt and pocket pants, and speaks slowly, softly, searching for words his brain has lost.

“Got it,” he answers.

He’s what Koen calls a “wounded parent.” And, the boy says, lowering his blue eyes to the ground, “It’s different than having other kinds of parents.” read more>>>

April 16 2015 - Obama to wounded warriors: 'We've got your back'

The ones who don't, have Veterans backs, DeJa Vu all over again, are the people served and through their representatives, and present day so called journalism profession, especially conservatives!!

Out of over 300million, Thousands of people across America don’t just talk about honoring Veterans; they walk the walk. Dedicated Volunteers Serve Veterans for Decades

What we know about PTSD and Vietnam veterans today

That like with Agent Orange, and more ignored or out right denied issues, many have long passed on because of the lack of Responsibility and Duty, let alone Promises Never Kept in building the VA correctly, thus giving conservatives what they want the media hyped, often repeated same over decades 'scandals', many have passed on, still do, because of!!

Conservative Think, American Enterprise Institute, Tanks Own: Sally Satel Still Selling Care for PTSD Veterans is Waste of Money. Long Time, Vietnam, Veterans Nemesis and Denier

April 30, 2015 - For the 2.7 million Americans who fought in the Vietnam War, the painful memories of war still linger 40 years later.

A recent congressionally mandated study by the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that more than 283,000 Vietnam veterans still suffer post-traumatic stress disorder from their war experiences in Southeast Asia. That translates to approximately 283,000 male and 400 female Vietnam veterans living today.

Dr. James Lowery, PTSD clinical team member for the VA of Northern Indiana, said even though their service may have been 40 or more years ago, often the memories are vivid and real as if they happened only recently.

“The nature of the Vietnam War, like all wars, was complex. Because of the topography of the country and the nature of the enemy, in some cases, it was not always clear who was dangerous, or from where the danger might come. This uncertainty led to heightened anxiety in some veterans upon their return,” Lowery said.

PTSD can occur after someone goes through a traumatic event like combat, assault or disaster. Unfortunately, it’s a condition that can ravage our nation’s veterans and lead to dysfunctional lives, alcoholism, and suicide. The mental illness also was linked with other health problems such as cardiovascular disease and ailments of the back, knees or other joints. 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

“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

Sen. Bernie Sanders told Conservatives: “If you can’t afford to take care of your veterans, than don’t go war. These people are bearing the brunt of what war is about, We have a moral obligation to support them.” February, 26th, 2014

“With no shared sacrifices being asked of civilians after Sept. 11"

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 for decades and the wars from now, VA budget is still borrowed, with interest, thus added problem creating costs, with representative who control the purse strings blaming the mostly dedicated VA personal within, that shouldn't exist!

Chris Hayes : "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, long ago lost as the party of Lincoln and not just as to us Veterans, opposition to expanding Veterans' benefits on fiscal grounds.

The Long Shadow of PTSD
May 2015 - After two tours as an infantryman in Vietnam, Dave Dillard came home to a country that he felt didn't understand where he'd been, or how the war had affected him. The Army discharged him with no advice about the lingering mental strains of combat. His family told him to get on with his life. Some of the World War II veterans he met at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post weren't much help, either. "Just forget it," they told him.

He couldn't forget, but he moved on. He studied theater arts in San Francisco and later taught elementary school. But he gradually withdrew from friends and family. He avoided crowds and standing in lines. While mowing the lawn one afternoon, a loud noise sent him diving under a bush. Sleep was tortured. He dreamed that he'd been sent back to Vietnam for a third tour, and always he saw the same North Vietnamese soldier, his face lit up in the darkness by a rifle's muzzle flash.

snip

"They came home, stayed quiet and tried to muddle on as best they could," says Steven Thorp, a San Diego psychologist with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. "They worked really hard as a distraction, 70, 80 hours a week, so PTSD didn't really hit them full force until they retired, or the kids left the house, or they're reminded of loss through the deaths of their friends."

"What they do know is that they're different," Thorp says. "But they don't know why it happened, and they don't know how to change it." read more>>>

Listen, here, to “We’ve Never Been The Same: A War Story”

And visit the Transom site of 'We’ve Never Been The Same: A War Story' to read, and listen also, about.

My Life, My Story: VA’s healthcare improvements through deliberate storytelling
Apr 16, 2015 - My Life, My Story is a VA program that interviews veterans about their lives and adds the written stories to their medical record. The goal of the project is to foster a closer connection between veterans and their VA providers. The stories honor the voices and lived experiences of our veterans.

“Combat comes at a moral cost. The good news is that in the safety of safe, caring relationships … people can find forgiveness and healing for moral wounds. They don't have to be mortal wounds.” – Chaplain (Col.) Thomas Waynick, Pentagon Chaplain

Understanding Moral Injury
May 4, 2015 - As a service member, you may encounter inner conflicts, ethical or moral challenges during deployments, special missions, or in the course of one’s duty. You may be required to act in ways that go against your moral beliefs or witness behaviors by others that make you feel uncomfortable.1 These experiences can lead to moral injury.

This article explores the concept of moral injury, why a service member might experience it and the resources available for care and support.

What is Moral Injury?

Moral injury occurs when one experiences an act that conflicts with or violates a core moral value, or deeply held belief, and leads to an internal moral conflict. It is the betrayal of what you may feel is morally right. It might arise from your own actions or inaction, other people’s behaviors or by witnessing the suffering of others. Moral injury can occur either during or at some point after the event, and may be associated with feeling shame or guilt.

Examples can include participation in direct or indirect actions such as: read more>>>

Vietnam War, 50 years later: Giving a voice to Latino veterans
03/21/15 - Growing up, Tomas Summers Sandoval was surrounded by veterans of the Vietnam War: His father and uncle and neighbors served proudly, the survivors returning to start families in the working-class suburbs of Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Valley and the Inland Empire.

But outside his social circle, Summers Sandoval was dismayed to find very little has been done to document the impact of the war on Latino communities.

This month, 50 years since U.S. troops set foot in Vietnam, Summers Sandoval has found himself face to face with these men as they tell their stories.

“To understand Latinos in California, how they found their way into the military is a window to understanding the educational inequalities in society of the time,” the soft-spoken Summers Sandoval said.

A history professor at Pomona College, Summers Sandoval is researching the Latino experience in Vietnam and plans to calculate the casualties of Latinos in the war, teaming up with economics professor Fernando Lozano to get those figures. read more>>>

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Last Days in Vietnam Extended Preview

04/01/2015 - Nominated for an Academy Award® for Documentary Feature. In April of 1975, the North Vietnamese Army was closing in on Saigon as South Vietnamese resistance was crumbling. With the clock ticking and the city under fire, 135,000 South Vietnamese managed to escape with help from a number of Americans who took matters into their own hands in a desperate effort to save as many people as possible. Watch the preview >>>

Vietnam, the National Guard - 40th anniversary of the end of that conflict

Vietnam, 'Operation Babylift' Forty Years Ago

40yrs. After: The Agent Orange Legacy

A War That {Never Really!} Ended in 1975, 40 years ago on April 30

40yrs. Later, Warm Welcome in Vietnam

Data methods used by VA portray actual Veterans experience
April 2, 2015 - VA is committed to providing high quality, proactive, personalized, patient-driven care to Veterans and strives to improve our services. We are determined to rebuild the trust of Veterans and stakeholders and improve service delivery by focusing on Veteran outcomes.

Some Veterans are still waiting longer than they desire for their appointments, and we are working hard to try to get them the care they have earned where and when they need it.

We realize appointment wait-time data, and how it gets calculated in a system that schedules over 80 million encounters a year, can be complicated and hard to understand—so we want to take this opportunity to explain our methods. We are working in good faith to be as transparent and open as possible with our data, and the way it’s calculated.

VA began publicly posting patient access data online in June 2014. You can find that data here. Back in October, VA made clear that, as directed by Congress, it was establishing new wait-time standards that more accurately reflect whether or not a veteran has been waiting too long for an appointment. VA has done just that, and has been fully transparent about it all along. We began reporting average appointment wait times in two categories: completed and pending. Both of these measures are determined based on the Veteran’s preferred date. The preferred date method is based on a clinician’s specified date for the patient to be seen, or 30 days from a date that the patient prefers to be seen in the absence of a clinical recommendation.

We report this completed appointment average wait time data monthly. VA also regularly advises and updates Veterans service organizations and congressional stakeholders on our patient access data and wait time methods. read more>>>

“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

Homeless Vets Are The 'Conscience Of America,' Retired General Says In Fort Worth
25 March 2015 - Some 50,000 military veterans are homeless each night in the United States. In parts of North Texas, that number is declining. The latest census shows the homeless vet count in Fort Worth has dropped by one-third compared to last year. Seventy vets in that city currently call the Presbyterian Night Shelter home. On Tuesday, at a fundraiser for a vets program, a retired Marine general told vets he's got their backs.

Outside the First Presbyterian Church in Fort Worth, small American flags lined flower beds to welcome 15 homeless veterans. Inside, the smell of fresh biscuits, scrambled eggs and bacon filled a church hall, where 150 people gathered for the second annual Freedom Breakfast.

“I really believe that veterans are the conscience of America,” says retired Marine General Terrence Dake. read more>>>

Listen to Report

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Veteran Information

U.S. Department of Labor Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS)

U.S. Department of Justice Strengthening Our Military Families & Veteran Recruitment

Homeless Veterans': ‘stain on the soul of the nation’ - AMEN!

Highlighting Veteran Homelessness… “Wrong Side of Heaven”

Or this:

Veterans Administration: 'Facts' Are For Media To 'Report'

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.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development – VA Supportive Housing {HUD-VASH}

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

Homeless Veterans - Conferences - Stand Downs

Mental Health Service Utilization by OIF and OEF Veterans
Commentary: War costs last forever
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>>>

Defense Department Releases Crisis Support Guide for Families

Supporting Military Families in Crisis

A Great Resource for Family Caregivers

'The Country You Destroyed': A Letter to George W. Bush

Afghanistan & Iraq Civilian Casualties - War Refugee's

Recording Casualties: Victims of Armed Conflict Worldwide

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

Film Highlights Perils Faced By Iraqis Who Helped U.S.

THE LIST: Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies

A decade after US-led forces toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, IRIN examines the impact of the occupation on basic living standards.

Consistent coverage of the health consequences of Iraq’s conflict by the Lancet medical journal here

The Lancet: lraq's health system yet to heal from ravages of war

Afghanistan: World Report 2013

USCIRF Annual Report 2013 - Tier 2: Afghanistan

Exact Count of Civilian Casualties may never be known, as is the case in every conflict, especially an Invasion by another Country. For it is the Innocent Civilians and those Defending their Countries,of which All would be counted if this country, the U.S., were ever invaded, who suffer the most, during and long after!

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

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

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

America’s Future will Help Define How the Nation Looks at its Veterans

Chairman Makes Case for Support to Veterans

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

Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command - Until They Are Home

Soldier Missing From Korean War Accounted For

April 30, 2015 - The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Master Sgt. Francis H. Stamer of San Fernando, California, will be buried May 6, in Arlington National Cemetery. On Nov. 1, 1950, Stamer was assigned to Company M, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, when his unit was attacked by Chinese forces at Unsan village in North Korea. This attack forced the unit to withdraw five miles southeast to Ipsok village. Stamer was reported missing in action on Nov. 2, 1950. A military board later amended his status to killed in action. 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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