What do YOU want, America?

Here it is yet another election year and Americans have the ability to change the course of history. Not just for the next 4 years but likely forever.

I am not advocating one candidate over another but want to ask you whether you want another 4 years of "change" and put up with the same old establishment, captained by yet another non-thinker who will sell our country down the tubes. Are you happy with the free give-away mentality of the current administration?Are you happy with the erosion of your Constitutional Rights? Are you happy with the lack of respect by other nations? Do you agree with the butt kissing by the current administration in their foreign affairs?

Veterans, are you happy with the way the VA is run? Do you think the multiple assignments to head the VA have been beneficial to you? Do you think the people responsible for the deaths and mistreatment of veterans have been adequately punished? Is your life better with the current administration or worse? Do you think your health care is no better or worse than the lowest available under "Obamacare"? Do welfare recipients have better benefits overall than war veterans?

How about it, American workers...do yo think more of your pay is going to fund those who sit and refuse gainful employment than ever before? Do you think you have another family or two to support because of the administration's give away programs? Do you think the US government resembles California's government more and more, where give-away is king and politicians advocate more and more freebies for those who do not earn them? Do you think women who rely on welfare should be required to identify their "baby daddies" and the fathers held responsible for support. If the person is incarcerated should their work stipend be used to offset welfare? Do you think people in Section 8 housing should be required to work for some of those benefits? And that unannounced inspections are in order to catch multiple adult persons living in a single adult person household that you are supporting? And how many illegitimate welfare children should the taxpayers have to support while the parents contribute nothing? Shouldn't there be a limit somewhere?  Multiple generations of families on welfare with no incentive to work or get off, just excuses that they have another child. Maybe the answer is birth control or just close your damned legs??

Are you tired of the open borders and the estimated 13 million illegal aliens in our country while they are coddled by the administration. Tired of the "anchor baby" syndrome? Tired of the lack of enforcement by Immigration and the Border Patrol because they have no backing from Washington? Tired of politicians and their hacks making excuses for the failure of programs like 'Fast and Furious" while an American dies as a result? And thousands of weapons are sent to Mexico to help curb...weapons smuggling? Tired of having appointed idiots in charge of many governmental departments while those who try and do their best are sanctioned and fired.

Are you happy with our foreign policies where we buy "friendship" by sending your tax dollars to foreign countries that hate us? Are you tired of sending Americans off to war to fight battles that the administration and foreign leaders know we won't win because of their policies? And to countries that cannot deal with their own issues so we act as their police force. And Americans die for misdeeds of the administration like Benghazi?

It's time to wake up and make a decision, America. If you don't do it now you will be faced with 4 more years of "change" that seems to be leading us into a socialist society where your work, savings and gains by the sweat of your brow is divided among those who will not work and support themselves. It's not those who really need the support temporarily but the millions who game the system knowing they can get away with it.

There is no more time America. The decision is yours.

Respect for the Disabled...or Better Yet... Differently Abled

Both my son and I are disabled American Veterans and damned proud of it. My disabilities are internal and don't often show, so most people would never know unless they know me, or see that it's one of those days I use the disabled placard at the local shopping center. Pain is a silent and individual disability that takes your joy out of life slowly and insidiously, but some is always there, unless you want to become a slave to medications. I prefer not to become so.

My son's disability resulted in his voice changing and difficulty breathing due to a chemical inhalation accident while serving in the U.S. Army. As a result, he is required to take multiple medications and carries inhalers that may be needed to save his life if his breathing becomes in jeopardy. Perhaps his greatest disability is people...because his high pitched voice doesn't sound like it should come out of a good looking six foot man, one who doesn't seem to bear any outward marks of his challenges in life. And people think that's funny sometimes. Maybe they think he's making a joke. He isn't. If he had another voice, he would gladly We all thank God every day he has a voice and is with us, because he might not have made it. Any voice he has is a gift from God and we're just happy he can tell us he loves us, as we love him.

My son and I have worked, given back to our communities and maybe we're just differently enabled. Sure, they're called disabilities, but getting through the days, weeks, months and years is a whole new challenge that brings out your best. We've raised families and made a good life for them and deserve respect from those who might see us as any different from themselves. Sure. we're different. We've raised above those disabilities and lived a good, productive life. That makes us special! And it makes anyone with disabilities special who makes it through another day and on to the next with hope for a better day tomorrow.

You see, we were volunteers in the service of this country and proud to do so. Nobody made us go, we did it because we wanted to serve our country. No matter what anyone might think of the current administration, or the politicians in office, there is one thing for sure. America's service men and women are willing to place their lives on the line for not only every American, but for others to give them a chance at the freedom we so much enjoy.

So when you see, or hear, a person who has or might have a disability, be respectful. First of all, Thank God or whoever you pray to, that you don't have to bear the cross that person has to bear. Second, if that person is a veteran, Thank God again that there are people like him or her that will stand up for you and this country, so you can live how and where you do. And, yes, even defend your right to be a jackass and giggle or sneer or smirk if you find you have to. But maybe, before you do, take a trip to the local Veterans Hospital or Rehabilitation Center and look at some of the people there and imagine if they were you. How would you feel if the giggle or smirk or comment were pointed your way....huh?

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a time to take a few moments and reflect on the sacrifices that have been made by so many, and so often virtually forgotten by all but those they have left behind.

The grassy fields of Gettysburg, rows of crosses on a foreign land, rows of graves in the National Cemeteries, the names engraved on the granite walls, the plaques and memorials, the statues and emblems of wars gone by, and those still underway. What differs seems to be only the faces and the names; perhaps the name of the memorial, or the name of the war or action. And, the faces and names of the loved ones who mourn timelessly for those who sacrificed all for the country they loved.

Those of us who served alongside others who were killed in action, or who never returned, will never forget those brave and noble warriors. Even now, those who served in a conflict long over, Vietnam, are having their names added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, known to most of us simply as "The Wall," having succumbed to wounds and injuries inflicted long ago.

So, on this Memorial Day, bow your heads and say a prayer for every fallen warrior who has allowed you to enjoy this day. Because without them, and those who follow in their silent footsteps, there would be no freedom for you to enjoy. And while you're at it, if you see a service man or woman, tell them "Thanks for your service." They deserve a big thank you.

And, finally, should you meet a veteran, tell them "Welcome Home." Many never got that when they returned, and it would mean a lot to them.

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a day to remember the fallen warriors of our country; those who made the ultimate sacrifice to give each of us freedom and the ability to reach out for the American Dream. No, they didn't give you the American Dream, you have to work for that yourself. But they gave their lives to assure you had the freedom to reach out for it, free from oppression, tyranny and grave injustice as is the case in so many other countries.

Men and women gave all so that we might live free. They didn't do it for fame or glory or a medal to pin on their uniform. Medals usually came too late to shine in a parade; many were laid on rows of caskets at ceremonies in such places as Arlington and Fort Rosecrans. The Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Coast Guardsman, Air Forceman or Merchant Marine never saw the glint of the Silver Star or Purple Heart or other medal in the sun as it laid upon his casket. But the family knew the bravery that he or she displayed many days or weeks or months before this day came to pass.

Most of our fallen warriors did come home, to be interred in their beloved country near family and loved ones. But many didn't and are buried on foreign shores in huge cemeteries, marked by simple crosses and markers, the only remnants of fierce battles, where Americans shed their blood to give freedom to others in a foreign land. They didn't know the people, but knew freedom was as important to them as it is to us. Freedom, the one thing that is perhaps as much important as life itself.

In my humble opinion, the three most important things are life, love and freedom. Without them life is just a bleak and somewhat hopeless experience. With perseverance and luck, many find love, but it takes a very special person willing to lay it all on the line to fight for your freedom. When you realize the warrior doesn't know you, or the individuals they are fighting for in most cases, it makes it even more impressive that they are willing to sacrifice all for others, to give them a chance at a better life.

On this Memorial Day, I will remember my brothers who have fallen in Vietnam, as well as all those who have fallen before, and after, in every war and conflict. I will remember those who have been ravaged by the remnants of war, and who have died as a result of service-connected injuries and illnesses, those who never appear in casualty rolls, but who are casualties just the same.

And some special prayers to several brothers who are very close in my heart today and always will be. Rest well my brothers; we'll all be crossing the bar to join you some day.

And, just in case anyone ever forgets:

FREEDOM ISN'T FREE!

Vets object to billing private insurance for service injuries & Update

If you think Obama cares who or what group he screws next, as he throws billions away, read on. His latest idiotic idea bears grave notice by every veteran, past and present, as well as every future defender of freedom of this country.

Didn't he even think an injury while in the service would be equal to a Work Comp injury and thus NOT covered by private health insurance anyway? Once again, lay it on the backs of those who served and give more to the welfare recipients and illegals.

This likely won't fly, but it shows how little this man, with no military experience, knows or cares about those who have sacrificed and given so much so he can stand in the place he is now.

By Adam Levine
Pentagon Supervising Producer
March 4, 2009

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Veterans groups are warning President Barack Obama against going ahead with a possible administration move to charge veterans' private health care for service-related injuries.

In a letter sent by 11 of the most prominent veterans organizations, the groups warned that the idea "is wholly unacceptable and a total abrogation of our government's moral and legal responsibility to the men and women who have sacrificed so much."

CNN obtained a copy of the letter sent to the White House last Friday by groups including The American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Read the letter (PDF)

A White House spokesman would neither confirm nor deny the option is being considered.

"The details of specific proposals will be transmitted with the full submission in April. The president has made it clear that meeting the needs of veterans is one of his priorities, and as a result has requested an 11 percent increase in discretionary funding for 2010, and the administration is actively working with the veterans community to ensure we get the details of this budget right," said White House spokesman Nick Shapiro.

In the letter, the groups said they have been told by sources on Capitol Hill and at the VA that the idea under consideration would allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to bill health insurance for a treatment of a disability or injury that was a result of military service.

The argument for the proposal is that it frees up money for the VA by charging the private insurers, allowing the VA to spend on more services, said Joe Violante, legislative director for Disabled American Veterans, who opposes the idea. While there could be savings, Violante warned it also could lead to an increase in premiums for veterans with private coverage.

""We cannot and would not agree to any proposal that would expand this concept any further," the heads of the 11 groups wrote in the letter.

"While we understand the fiscal difficulties this country faces right now, placing the burden of those fiscal problems on the men and women who have already sacrificed a great deal for this country is unconscionable."

Currently, veterans' private insurance is only charged when they receive health care from the VA for medical issues that are not related to service injuries, like getting the flu.

Charging for service-related injuries would violate "a sacred trust," said Veterans of Foreign Wars spokesman Joe Davis. Davis said the move would risk private health care for veterans and their families by potentially maxing out benefits paying for costly war injury treatments.

It could also make it harder for veterans to get private insurance if the companies decide to reject them for pre-existing conditions, rather than be billed for service-connected injuries, Davis said.

"This seems like bad politics and bad policy," said IAVA Policy Director Vanessa Williamson, noting that every veterans group opposes it and warns it will adversely affect veterans. "I don't see this as a tenable option."

As an 3-24 update to this, Obama pulled this from the agenda, but had the balls to ask the Veterans Service Organizations to meet with the VA and figure out how to make up the money they would save by taking this off the table! The VSO's did meet with the VA but told Obama it's not their job to decide how to budget items at the VA! Good on the VSO's for standing up for us vets and shame on Obama for even thinking of this in the first place. And, to the new head of the VA...fight harder for the troops...you used to be one of us if you can recall before being a politician! Or does becoming a politician negate all your past history??

PTSD...Just how "POST" is the trauma?

We've all heard the term PTSD..Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Most people never really heard much about it until about quite a few years following the Vietnam War, although it's nothing really new. It's been around under different names since time immemorial, I guess, and in different vestments and colors. In other wars, people became "shell shocked" or simply traumatized or suffered "combat fatigue" but nobody took into account what happens when the horrors of war. or anything else that befalls a human being, for that matter, is bottled up inside and comes back to haunt you again and again.

As for Vietnam veterans, it just seems that it became more widespread, as they tried to cope with a society that for the most part, hardly welcomed them home with open arms, and who had little mental health services, or others to talk to about their experiences, and were thrust back into and tried to assimilate "normal" societal behavior once again.

PTSD comes in many forms and shapes and isn't limited to combat vets. It happens to crime victims, accident victims, and people from all walks of life. Some people say it sneaks up on you when you least expect it, with nightmares and visions of the past, and others say it's a living thing that you walk with every living hour. Everyone handles it differently, and nobody can tell another exactly what or how to feel when it comes along, since it, unfortunately, is one of those personal things each one experiences differently. Like pain, each has some different degree of tolerance, a level that can bury some, or all, of that experience in the subconscious, most or all of the time, but unfortunately again, not forever.

I once wondered why the veteran suicide rate was so high, and then started thinking whether anyone ever looked at an overall PTSD rate rather than just a combat veteran rate as a total? It's easy to look at numbers when you have a figure that is in hand, such as vets, as you know the numbers who were exposed. But how about others who have had episodes and experiences in civilian life, that rival the trauma of war? What is the rate of alcoholism, drug use and suicide among that group? I don't think anyone has ever done a study to see how that fits into the total equation! Plus, we see the numbers used by the VA may be more or less skewed, as they have been deemed unreliable for many years, while they denied many of the PTSD cases as factual, which were really true cases. Many more await in the wings.

So, how long does PTSD take to manifest itself? In some cases, it's almost instant. In some cases, years. In some cases, it just jumps out at no specific time, and in a very few cases, it remains dormant for decades, and then manifests itself and nobody can understand why the person acts as they do. Strange thing for sure. Remembering like it was yesterday yet wishing it was tomorrow.

Is it really POST? Or is it simply a reliving of the stress and trauma every day, in a mind that simply rewinds to that time or event over and over again? In your mind it reoccurs and it's now, moments ago, today. But even if you think it was yesterday, I guess that would mean it was in the past, but just how far is POST. Yesterday, last week, last month or for some of us, forty or fifty years or more ago? Or more? And for the returning veterans of today, it's likely going to be a lot sooner than later that they will see the effects of PTSD if they are prone to it at all. Maybe it should be Personal Traumatic Stress Disorder...as that's what it seems to be..very personal indeed.

So, it's a personal thing. I know many times I and others have said, just get over it. Move on, the war or the event is over. But frankly, it's like an ugly tattoo. Once it's there , it's forever. You don't have to look at it every minute, but it's not going anywhere. The best you can do is focus on the good things in life and try to filter out the bad. Find love and someone who loves and cares about you, and love and care about them. Find your soulmate if you can, and you'll find an inner peace you've never known before. Stress is a demon that takes a lot to tame and it isn't an easy fight. Kind of like St. George and the dragon I guess. But as I recall, St. George did win in the end.

Oh, yeah. Would you do me a great favor? Next time you see a veteran, especially one from the Vietnam era, tell him or her "Welcome Home." You might see a tear in their eye, or a grin, or smile, or even a shocked look. You see, we were never given a welcome when we returned home, and it's become a tradition for us to welcome each other home, even now, as a way to honor the service each has rendered to our country, and to say that welcome we never received when we returned. Of course welcome every service person you meet and thank them for their service. Because without dedicated men and women willing to lay down their life for this country, you wouldn't be reading this, nor would I have the opportunity to write it either.

God Bless America and keep safe our warriors!

Veterans’ Day 2008

Once again, American families will spend the Veteran's Day holiday weekend enjoying the freedom to walk on the beach, hike in the mountains, picnic, take a drive in the country, watch a football game, relax in their home, secure in the knowledge they are relatively safe from the ravages of war in their homeland.

Yes, there will even be parades, with people marching, flags waving, and lots of military men and women waving at the crowd as they pass by. Some of them will be young, and perhaps not yet scarred from battle, and some will be old, having seen the worst that can be endured by a person and survived. Some will be wearing clothing with patches that signify battles that are from long ago, uniforms that you don’t recognize. Some will wear hats of organizations that signify they are veterans, a title they wear proudly, And some will wear clothing that seems strangely out of place, clothing with many patches sewn to the garments that signify their ties to brothers and sisters that may not have come home, or have died in some strange foreign land in the quest to keep your homeland free.

So, what is Veteran’s Day? As I look around, it appears so many Americans have forgotten what this day is really all about. It’s not just about the men and women who served in the Armed Forces of this great country. It’s about their sacrifices, heroism, dedication and unselfish dedication to the principles upon which this country was founded. It’s their willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice, if need be, for the ideals they hold so high, so that each and every American can enjoy a life of freedom from tyranny and hostility and live in peace. It’s about sacrificing life to save others you don’t even know, so they might live in freedom and democracy.
Some years ago I wrote about what I believe Veterans’ Day symbolizes to me, and some of the difficulties faced by our warriors, and maybe it’s well to repeat it again. This won’t ever give you a picture of what it’s really like to be there, but maybe it will help you think about how much these veterans, those now in service, and those who have served, sacrificed for each of us so we can enjoy not only this Veterans’ Day, but each day of the year:

It's about giving their all that others may have freedom. It's about fighting in the mountains, jungles and deserts in a foreign land, in the hope the same battles will never have to be fought in their homeland.

It's about fighting oppression to allow others the power to express their opinions and views, without fear of reprisal and sanction.

It's about vowing to "leave no one behind" and carrying a comrade in arms from the battlefield on your shoulders in the hopes he will live, but knowing that at the very least, he will be buried in his beloved country.

It's about enduring the horror of war in the hopes your children will never have to do the same.

It's about lying in the mud, or sand or in a hole, and praying that the shelling will end. And looking at your buddies alongside you, and whispering words of hope and encouragement.

It's about being dead tired and still finding the strength to go on, sometimes when the odds are so heavily against you that it almost appears hopeless.

It's about the doctors and nurses who endure hell with you and work tirelessly tending the wounded. It's about visiting a buddy in the hospital and reassuring him that he'll be OK.

It's about writing a letter home for someone who will never return home.

It's about writing that letter for yourself, just in case you are one of the unlucky ones, and putting it in your pack where it would be found.

It's about cursing and swearing and praying and hoping. It's about crying and smiling, sometimes at the same time.

It's about working and fighting side by side.

It's about a common goal, where personal wants and needs are forgotten.

It's about the sharing of a smoke or a candy bar, or cookies sent from home.

It's about the looks on the face of a serviceman when he sees death and carnage for the first time.

And it's about the face and smile of a child, who has been rescued from the ravages of war, even if only for a while.

It's about the fields of white crosses and rows of simple bronze markers in cemeteries throughout the country, marking the graves of brave men and women.

It's about the graves on foreign shores where many died in the name of freedom, but who never were able to come home.

It's for the veteran shedding a tear while remembering friends and comrades from long ago.

It's for the prisoners of war who endured the misery and torture of captivity in enemy hands.

It's for the Missing in Action whom we will never forget and will never stop waiting for their return.

It's for those who venture out in storms because the book says they have to, but the book doesn't say they have to return.

And it's for the families of those brave men and women, who fight a personal battle every day their loved ones are gone.

And, It’s for the family standing at the grave of the recently fallen veteran, or perhaps the veteran from another war, remembering the unsung hero he or she was, and always will be.

It’s for the tear running down the cheek of the elderly man or woman, remembering the son or daughter, father or mother, brother or other family member who gave their all so that they might live in freedom.

It’s for those of us visiting the Wall, remembering our lost friends, touching the Wall and feeling the kinship, and almost feeling them touching us back. Yes, the bond was, and is, that close.

It’s for the disabled veterans, who endure pain and suffering for their sacrifice, whether that sacrifice was yesterday or over 50 years ago, who go forward one day at a time, with a vision that tomorrow will be better than today, and never regret their service to their country.

It’s the camaraderie felt by those in our Armed Forces; The Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard, all coming together to defend and protect the country we love, knowing we will sacrifice to whatever degree necessary, to assure our country is safe from not only enemy aggression, but terrorism as well.

So when you enjoy the 2008 Veterans’ Day weekend, take time to reflect why we celebrate Veterans’ Day. It’s not just another day in time, or just another holiday. It truly is a day of freedom, a day to honor those men and women without whom your ability to enjoy doing what you love to do most, with those you love, would likely not be possible. Give them thanks for all they do and have done.

Veterans Unite Now or Shut Up Later

Military Veterans will get one chance to vote for the new Commander-in-Chief on November 4th. One chance to have their say in how their benefits will be for the next four years and maybe long beyond that. One voice to give Washington direction as to what YOU want out of the Veterans Administration in the form of health care and support, benefits, compensation for service connected injuries and illnesses, rehabilitation, prosthetics, hearing, vision and dental and family benefits. Those things you and fellow military fought, suffered and died for the right to have!

Only one man in the running has the slightest clue what the military is all about and his name is John McCain. For want of a better description, and for brevity, John McCain has "been there and done that." He has been a warrior, a POW, a Senator and a proponent of veterans' rights. His opponent in this election, Senator Obama, has never served this country's armed forces, never been in combat, is a fledgling politician and doesn't know a damned thing about being a veteran or our health care system. That in itself should scare veterans to death!

It shouldn't matter whether you're a Republican or Democrat, folks, that should scare the hell out of you. Mr. Obama knows nothing about the military or the VA or veterans!

Anyone who says they'll have great advisers, and those are the ones they will count on for advice, is full of crap when it comes to us veterans. Remember what happened in Vietnam when we had all those armchair advisers directing the war from Washington? And how about those advisers sitting in plush chairs in Washington and Virginia while troops are taking incoming in Iraq and Afghanistan? And all the blue suited advisers while you're laying in a VA or military hospital, trying to recover from injury or illness, while some senate or congressional committee argues over whether they should fund enough so you can get a decent prosthesis this year?

VA health care is going downhill fast once again. For example, I used to get to see my neurologist every three months, then every four, then it was bumped to every six months. Now they don't make appointments and you have to call and try to get in and they're overbooked. My November appointment was never scheduled and the earliest I can be seen is March. That will be over ten months between neurologist visits! And, they never refilled my medications, twice! So I had to call in twice about that too. If you're not on top of them, frankly, you're going to fall through the cracks and you're screwed!

Plus, they have all new doctors every few years, using residents from the local university medical schools, which means we're getting trainees essentially. By the time you get comfortable with a physician, they're gone and you get a new one; I've had three and onto number four in March, the last at my request as docs who forget to refill prescriptions, tell you they don't believe in meds that have helped you in the past, and have to have a med student present to grandstand with at every visit somehow don't seem all that positive for me. So you walk out with a feeling that you haven't been helped at all. Kind of like facing the enemy and the only good thing is their Kalashnikov was empty.

I can't get to see a cardiologist even though I have a stent implant, since there aren't enough cardiologists in the system to go around. Bet those fat cat politicians in Washington have plenty of cardiologists lined up waiting for their butts when needed!

Care used to be excellent, but it is failing. The in-patient room I was in a few months ago was dirty; your feet stuck to the floors. The bathroom was nasty. You could write your name in the film on the windows. You couldn't understand the nurses on the night shift; none of them spoke fluent English. But they did swab your nose daily to test for MRSA. What about cleaning the damned room? Maybe that would help reduce infection potentials?

They tout the suicide prevention programs, and how they want to help all the troops with PTSD before it ends up like 'Nam? If they handle it with the same bureaucratic bull crap and bungling as everything else, it won't help a whole lot. They'll tell a great story to Congress and the Senate about the wonders they're accomplishing, while military personnel are coming home and offing themselves in a distant field or side road, because they never had anyone who really understood what the hell they went through. And it's been reported the VA under reported many suicides. Why? Probably because they didn't or couldn't do the job they were supposed to do. Funding or flat out F**k-up? It doesn't matter, but there are many families grieving that shouldn't be. And until the funding and people are in place to recognize those who need help and then help them and their families as needed in a timely manner, things won't change.

Truth is, the VA has some wonderful programs, people and facilities, but the system is busted and needs to be fixed before it falls apart. It's fragile, and if it's not fixed, it will crumble fast. I'm seeing that first hand, and I sure don't want to be a service casualty a second time, this time due to lack of medical care funding and follow through.

Fund it, fix it and hold it accountable. Simple enough even for a bunch of stupid politicians!

The VA states the problem is the influx of troops coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. But wait, they didn't expect this? Once again, no leadership at the VA and no foresight. That's something I'm sure John McCain will provide, leadership and someone to kick butt and get this house in order!

Regardless, if you don't get out and vote and make the right choice, you'll see this get worse and worse. Add to that the increased taxes you'll be seeing, and the problems will compound. The taxes won't hit us older people nearly as hard as they will our children and grandchildren, as they're the ones working and coming up in the world.

I can look them in the eye and say I voted for the man who could do the job for the veterans who gave so much for this country...will you be able to do the same?

Veterans On the Front Lines, Then On the Back Burner!

Somehow, America, yes, you read that right A-M-E-R-I-C-A, seems to forget that when you send men and women off to war, we owe them a debt, not only of gratitude, but much more than that. I didn't say we "ought to give them" or "it would be nice to give them" but it's a DEBT, just as big or bigger than any debt we now or will ever owe anyone. It's a debt owed for the freedom we enjoy every day, for the ability to open your eyes in the morning and be free of tyranny and oppression, to have what you have in this country. No matter how much, or how little you have, it's because of THEM that you have anything at all.

We owe them a standard of care, and if needed, a standard of living, commensurate with their sacrifice to this country. They didn't ask for their wounds, external, internal or mental that resulted in their disabilities, whether those disabilities can be seen or not. Many veterans return home from overseas without any signs of traumatic injury, and are seemingly fine for weeks, months, even years, and then the unthinkable occurs. What they were exposed to, be it toxic materials or the traumatic stresses of combat, or even exposures beyond what a human should endure, pours out and they start to fall apart. This can occur slowly or all at once and they have no support system in place. Many vets turn to alcohol or drugs to try and cope. Sadly, some commit suicide. The suicide rate among veterans is high, although this has been underplayed for years by government agencies. Frankly, they don't want you to know how poorly they handle the veterans problems when they return home.

The Veterans Administration is underfunded every year, and organizations that are pro-actively helping the vets, such as the Disabled American Veterans and American Legion, to name two, constantly fight to to push the congress and senate to appropriate needed funds. But it's an uphill battle to secure funding, when the politicians would rather pork barrel money for precious personal projects in their districts, than help those who have sacrificed so much for their country. The politicians constantly attach pork barrel spending to Department of Defense annual appropriations, and lump the Veterans Administration spending in with this, so that when they start to line item some spending out, and it goes to the White House, monies get cut out and the VA loses. Thus, the veterans lose while the pork remains in the budgets for pet projects that don't help the vets one iota!

What is happening is longer waits for veterans to receive benefits from the VA; sometimes years for those benefits to be received. In some cases, the veteran dies before benefits are granted. This is now getting worse as all the new veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are returning. Time to get a medical appointment is longer and the 30 day rule is being bent if not broken. Your visits to your primary care physician have changed from every three months to once every six months to once a year. Where you used to see a specialist every three months for a serious condition, the doctors' workloads have become so high that you're now lucky to see a specialist every six months. And, many of the doctors appear to be newbie residents who are not all that familiar with combat type injuries, although some are very good. You just don't know who'll you'll get as there is a big turnover as well. Don't even think about being referred to a cardiologist unless you're in the ER for a heart condition as they don't have enough in the system to refer you to. That's even if you have a heart condition, and that's from personal experience!

If a vet needs medications for a service related condition, the VA will provide the medication, but if the dosage is half what the VA formulary provides, he will have to split the pills in half, even if it results in an uneven dosage. Wonder how many times that results in medical problems in itself? But again, that saves the government money that can be better spent on political pork!

Americans need to DEMAND their government to appropriately fund the VA annually with a guaranteed budget, and DEMAND our veterans have an ombudsman to oversee their benefits are provided in a timely and fair manner. Every year, these valiant warriors who gave so much to defend your freedom, have to wonder and worry whether there will be funding to provide for them and their healthcare for another year.

Sometime, think of what would have happened in our history, where you and your family would be right now, if nobody had answered the call. If not one person had stepped forward to defend. From the revolution forward, if not one person had written that blank check to the United States Of America, placing their life on the payable to line, for the freedom of this country, and freeing others from oppression and tryanny.

Where would you be right now? .........