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On Memorial Day

Disagreeable

Well-known member
let's not forget those who have served, those who have not given their lives, but must live with their "wounds" for the rest of their lives. Link below.

"“He was known as the Marlboro Man and with his bloodied, blackened face and piercing stare, he became a symbol of the US soldier in Iraq.
But now, 18 months on, James Blake Miller is fighting another battle. The troubled former marine's life has been ruined by post-traumatic stress.
He can't find work, drinks too much and dreams of death.
In November 2004, when the photograph was taken, Miller had survived an all-night fire-fight in the town of Fallouja.
For 12 hours Lance Corporal Miller and his unit had been pinned down on a rooftop by enemy fire.
As the dawn broke and the shots finally subsided, the shattered 20-year-old, put a Marlboro cigarette to his mouth and this famous image was snapped by a photographer.
The photo was sent around the world. Dubbed the Marlboro Man or the "Face of Fallouja", it captured the essence of the Iraq conflict, symbolising everything from the valour of the fighting man to the loss of youthful innocence and the futility of the war.
For Miller, who did not notice his photograph being taken, the image preserved forever a moment when he did not know if he would see another dawn.
In the days after the photograph, Miller became an overnight celebrity. The US military command tried to move him from the frontline, fearing the public relations disaster of this new hero being killed in combat, but Miller refused to leave. His fame reached all the way to the White House, where US President George Bush sent him a letter and a cigar.
But long after the fame subsided, a new picture began to emerge. One year after the photo was taken, Miller was discharged from the Marine Corps after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Today he barely sleeps, plagued by nightmares.
The Marlboro Man now smokes a packet of cigarettes a day, down from the six in Iraq.
He drinks too much and depends on his wife, Jessica, to hold him for hours as he tries to forget all that he has seen.”


More at the link:
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,19203349%255E663,00.html
 

RoperAB

Well-known member
Im not sure whats out there for American vets but maybe free top notch medical services for vets should be an election issue?
I know the tours of duty are much shorter now than years ago but im under the impression that the actual time in combat is much higher now than say compared to a WW2 vet who served for 5 years.
Even so there is nothing new about shell shock or PTSD but it seems to me that we owe all vets a lot.
 

Steve

Well-known member
Im not sure whats out there for American vets but maybe free top notch medical services for vets should be an election issue?

For some (like Dis) every Vet issue is a a election issue, so she makes allegations with out facts,,,based on biased reporting.....

Having served, retired, and a regular visiter at the VA hospitals, I can attest that there is excellent medical care available,,,, for free....for disabled vets.

The cost of My Meds is FREE....and if I needed to see a doctor the New VA clinic in our county is close....if they can't handle the problem, a free bus will take me to the VA hospital.for more free care...or I could just go to any hospital and Tricare would cover the costs.....for free....

some that have never served complian about the Vets care but never actually see the caring staff at vets hospitals that get vets thru those tough times....

When James Miller is ready the VA will be there to help.....

Dis,....Maybe you should use some other day to whine about politics then Memorial day.....and leave this honorable day to those who have served.....

Memorial day is for Honoring Vets, not your whiney political crap...Maybe if you had served you would understand that.....
 

jigs

Well-known member
Steve said:
Having served, retired, and a regular visiter at the VA hospitals, I can attest that there is excellent medical care available,,,, for free....for disabled vets.

.

Steve, thank you for what you have given in honor of this great nation.

my most humble and thoughtful thanks go out to you and all service men and women.....
 

Cowpuncher

Well-known member
Saw a survey in the last couple of weeks that the VA hospitals were rated excellent and ahead of most civilian facilities. Made my day.
 

RoperAB

Well-known member
Steve said:
Im not sure whats out there for American vets but maybe free top notch medical services for vets should be an election issue?

For some (like Dis) every Vet issue is a a election issue, so she makes allegations with out facts,,,based on biased reporting.....

Having served, retired, and a regular visiter at the VA hospitals, I can attest that there is excellent medical care available,,,, for free....for disabled vets.

The cost of My Meds is FREE....and if I needed to see a doctor the New VA clinic in our county is close....if they can't handle the problem, a free bus will take me to the VA hospital.for more free care...or I could just go to any hospital and Tricare would cover the costs.....for free....

some that have never served complian about the Vets care but never actually see the caring staff at vets hospitals that get vets thru those tough times....

When James Miller is ready the VA will be there to help.....

Dis,....Maybe you should use some other day to whine about politics then Memorial day.....and leave this honorable day to those who have served.....

Memorial day is for Honoring Vets, not your whiney political crap...Maybe if you had served you would understand that.....

I sure did not mean anything disrespectful to vets. I actually thought I was taking up for them.
Just thought I would also mention that Oliver Norths, Freedom Alliance has"Support the Troops" campaign going on for any civilian who wants to do something extra.
Here is a link and an exerpt
http://freedomalliance.org/view_article.php?a_id=696
May 24, 2006
Freedom Alliance Continues Efforts to Support the Military and its Families

Dulles, Virginia – This Memorial Day, Freedom Alliance is asking people to reflect on the sacrifices of our troops and their families and support our injured service members who are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan by donating funds to the Freedom Alliance "Support the Troops" campaign.

“Many of our war wounded are recovering in hospitals far from home and family,” said Freedom Alliance President Tom Kilgannon. “We hope to make their stay in the hospital more comfortable, and show them that America is grateful for their service. There is no better expression of Memorial Day than to help those who defend our freedom throughout the year.”

We are currently collecting phone cards and department store gift certificates: The needs of wounded service members vary by season and the extent of their injuries. Some spend months in the hospital, in which case monetary donations help pay for family travel or increased expenses away from home. Department store gift certificates to national chain stores such as Old Navy, Target, Wal-Mart, Sears, etc., are especially helpful and allow us to meet their needs as they change over time. These months can also be very lonely so phone cards are always requested as they enable our troops to call friends and family anywhere in the country. Thank you in advance for your support of our men and women in uniform.

Monetary donations allow Freedom Alliance to purchase and delivery resources to wounded troops at Thanksgiving, Christmas and throughout the year. Needs include clothing (some arrive with only the clothes on their backs), meals, entertainment, toiletries and other comforts of home. In addition, funds may be used to help with travel and lodging expenses of family members so they may visit and spend more time with their loved ones. In 2005 Freedom Alliance provided over $100,000 in monetary and tangible support to our wounded troops recuperating in military hospitals. We also provided meals at hospitals and military bases at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Military Appreciation Day; provided travel, lodging and food for family members; and $800,000 in college scholarships to the children of permanently injured or fallen service members.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
jigs said:
Steve, thank you for what you have given in honor of this great nation.

my most humble and thoughtful thanks go out to you and all service men and women.....
Ditto to all of that, jigs. You speak for all of us, I hope.

By the way, it's really good to see you back, Steve. We've been missing your posts. :D
 

Disagreeable

Well-known member
RoperAB said:
Im not sure whats out there for American vets but maybe free top notch medical services for vets should be an election issue?

Top notch medical services should be an election issue, but probably won't be. It costs a lot of money and the US is deeply in debt. There will be a lot of lip service, but not much else. The VA is traditionally one of the worst funded government agencies.

I know the tours of duty are much shorter now than years ago but im under the impression that the actual time in combat is much higher now than say compared to a WW2 vet who served for 5 years.

Today the US military has a "stop loss" order against certain specialities. They simply refuse to discharge someone when their service time is completed. There are several lawsuits ongoing about the stop loss program. It's costing much more to recruit soldiers today than five years ago, we're taking older people, less qualified people, and paying them more money to enlist. It's all related to this badly planned, badly managed war in Iraq.

Even so there is nothing new about shell shock or PTSD but it seems to me that we owe all vets a lot.

Yes, we owe our vets a lot. It's too bad this Administration has been so eager to create new veterans, many of whom will require a lifetime of medical care, without planning to take care of them. Bush's projected 2008 budget (after he's out of office) shows a cut in VA medical funding. That's one of his cuts to slash the Federal deficit as he promises. A joke on us and veterans, but a very bad joke.
 

Disagreeable

Well-known member
Cowpuncher said:
Saw a survey in the last couple of weeks that the VA hospitals were rated excellent and ahead of most civilian facilities. Made my day.

Yes, care at some VA hosipitals is very good, if they're not being closed. Or if you can get an appointment. Some have waiting times of 60+ days for a routine appointment.

Some links for you to consider:

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/shared/tx/bush_country/stories/story7.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/19/AR2006011902936.html

and

http://www.vawatchdog.org/milcom/didthevareallyeliminatewaitinglists.htm

To hide a politically-dangerous situation, VA officials moved healthcare waiting lists from outside the system to inside – Veterans still wait months or years for necessary healthcare.”

http://www.military.com/Opinions/0,,Scott_112904,00.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6872403/

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA052806.05B.VA_caravan.81e4c03.html

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA052806.05B.VA_caravan.81e4c03.html

http://peacejournalism.com/ReadArticle.asp?ArticleID=8836

Veterans are a different matter, as a growing number of them are beginning to realize, waking up to the fact that there is an ever-widening gap between what their "commander in chief" says and what he does. While Mr. Bush is busy telling reporters that he supports the troops in Iraq, even military web sites are posting stories like one from February 28 of this year titled "Vets May Be Denied Health Care," which stated: At least tens of thousands of veterans with non-critical medical issues could suffer delayed or even denied care in coming years to enable President Bush to meet his promise of cutting the deficit in half - if the White House is serious about its proposed budget. After an increase for next year, the Bush budget would turn current trends on their head. Even though the cost of providing medical care to veterans has been growing by leaps and bounds, White House budget documents assume a cutback in 2008 and further cuts thereafter.
In the same story, Rep. Chet Edwards of Texas, the top Democrat on the panel overseeing the VA's budget, said: "Either the administration is proposing gutting VA health care over the next five years or it is not serious about its own budget."
Disturbingly and more recently, on March 21st, a House Budget Committee Report shows us that this does indeed appear to be the Bush plan for "supporting the troops":
The President's 2007 budget provides $36.1 billion for appropriated veterans programs, which is $2.9 billion above the amount enacted for 2006 and $1.8 billion above the amount needed to maintain purchasing power at the 2006 level.
Beyond 2007, however, veterans funding is cut in almost every year. Over five years, the budget cuts funding $10.0 billion below the level the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates is needed to maintain purchasing power at the 2006 level.
Thus, their "commander in chief" will cut the veterans discretionary budget by $10 billion over the next five years
.”
 

Disagreeable

Well-known member
Steve said:
Im not sure whats out there for American vets but maybe free top notch medical services for vets should be an election issue?

For some (like Dis) every Vet issue is a a election issue, so she makes allegations with out facts,,,based on biased reporting.....

Biased reporting? Read the links I posted below. Military sites, Congressmen, Senators, American Legion leaders, all comment about problems with VA funding.

Having served, retired, and a regular visiter at the VA hospitals, I can attest that there is excellent medical care available,,,, for free....for disabled vets.

You're not supposed to have to be disabled to use a VA hospital. Any veteran should be eligible to use the hospital, but the space and staff aren't there.

The cost of My Meds is FREE....and if I needed to see a doctor the New VA clinic in our county is close....if they can't handle the problem, a free bus will take me to the VA hospital.for more free care...or I could just go to any hospital and Tricare would cover the costs.....for free....

You're misleading people here. Tricare is not free. Back in '62, our government promised young men free medical care for them and their families for the rest of their lives. But they cut retirees off and it took lawsuits to get them to take us back. Have you tried to make an appointment at the "new VA clinic?" If not, don't tell us how well it works. I'll bet there's a waiting time. Put the phone number out here and let us call and ask for an appointment.

some that have never served complian about the Vets care but never actually see the caring staff at vets hospitals that get vets thru those tough times....

Many of them are understaffed and overworked.

When James Miller is ready the VA will be there to help.....

I hope you're right, but if he waits until after Bush leaves office, the projected funding makes it unlikely.

Dis,....Maybe you should use some other day to whine about politics then Memorial day.....and leave this honorable day to those who have served.....

Memorial day is for Honoring Vets, not your whiney political crap...Maybe if you had served you would understand that.....

:roll: I'm honoring our troops, the live ones as well as the dead, the wounded as well as the healthy. Pretending this Administration "supports the troops" is only doing them a disservice. Bush and Cheney pulled all the strings they could to avoid service in their generation's war, Vietnam. But they're happy to send other people's sons and daughters off to be killed and mained in their war.
 

Steve

Well-known member
Put the phone number out here and let us call and ask for an appointment.

Why your not elgible......so why waste thier time answering the phone so you can pose as a vet and tie up services that could be used for a real vet in need of medical services......
 

Steve

Well-known member
They simply refuse to discharge someone when their service time is completed.

why didn't you complain when Clinton was doing the same "exact" thing.....



or when he forced out hundreds of thousands of soldiers........many who had just returned from extended deployments overseas.........
 

Steve

Well-known member
Rolling Eyes I'm honoring our troops,

about says it all......while you roll your eyes at US, then claim to support the troops......doesn't seem like

:roll: ,....should be in the same sentance as Honoring our troops........
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
My father went to the VA hospital in Sheridan, Wyoming. Got in when he needed too, and had very good care.

Our good friend in Western Montana was always going to the VA hospital
in Helena. Same story there. Got in on time, was well cared for.

You need to get a life, Dis!!!
Try living in the real world instead of taking to heart all that liberal junk you read.
 

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