Member Cal sends us this wisdom:
The wife left a note on the fridge “It’s not working, I can’t
take it anymore!! Gone to stay with my Mother.”
I opened the fridge, the light came on and the beer was
cold………What the hell is she talking about?
What? What?
In a surprising announcement which I just discovered on my facenovel from Pen Lutt Astronutt, the CDC has decided it’s time for a Boomer physical to see how we fared all these years vis a vis HCV. Yes, they are finally getting around to saying we may be in danger of infection. Just now? 2012? Hellloooooo? McFly????
In a rare moment of spare time, I opted to make a one and a half hour run south from Gig Harbor, Washington to Chehalis to the Veterans Museum. It was well worth the journey.
These ladies and gentlemen, and they all are of the highest calibre, gave me a warm welcome. I remodeled a house for a couple 12 years ago. Cupcake happened to run into them at Chez Depot the other day and she mentioned my new book. Scott and Jean said her dad Ernie was a volunteer at the museum on Thursdays so I opted to run down there with some book materials and a poster. Unfortunately Chip Duncan, the Museum director, wasn’t in so my request for a little space was not immediately addressable.
On to the museum. The displays begin with the Revolutionary War and move forward through America’s history touching on most of our spats over the decades. The World War 2 exhibit is especially poignant as it encompasses both my father’s and my uncle’s service.
The Vietnam War exhibits brought back many raw moments. I thought I was immune to these feelings after 40 years. Seems I was wrong. As for displays, rarely have I seen a collection so complete in every regard with attention to accuracy of detail. Few remember, but we had three-pronged tips on our barrels then. I did see one Car-15 (shortened carbine version of an M-16) with the full shroud, but some of those were reported to have that. They had a nice A1 Air Force version with no bolt assist on the right side as well.
M-14 (top) with an A1 Air Force “smoothie” (no bolt assist) below; Bottom is a big favorite of mine- the M-79 we called “Thumper”
Unexpectedly, they have many demilled, DEWATs including two-count them-two M-79 thumpers and a like new M-60. I also spotted a lovely old friend- the venerable G3 .45 grease gun. There must have been a million of those left over from WW2 because they were all over up in Laos. I found an AK displayed in the Afghanistan cases and an old Russian SKS in another cabinet with some Spanish American rifles.
Russian SKS
M-60
Another 40 Mike Mike thumper-this one looks like New In Box
The glare on the cabinet was nasty but here’s a couple of shots of a battle weary old friend. This is the original with the “organ grinder ” handle of the G3. The G3A1 had the more recessed version slotted in on the receiver.
Original G3
G3 .45 cal.
They have no RPG-2 launcher so I agreed to take mine down there when the books arrive next week.
As I mentioned, this is quite possibly the premier destination for Vet Dads this summer. Here’s the web site and information on it. Rarely do you get this much under one roof in one place. Their collection of old M-2s and Model 1918 HMGs is tremendous. And in addition to guns, they have some beautiful period dress and uniforms from as far back as the Civil War.
This probably isn’t going to be the wife’s cup of tea unless she’s a hardcore vet too, but the sheer volume of artifacts is enough to boggle the imagination. I spent almost two hours in the exhibits. The museum was completed in 2005 and looks like it was built yesterday. The gift shop is well-stocked with all sorts of “gotta haves” as well. If you live up in the northwest corner of the Left Coast, this would be a valuable stop on your way through Chehalis. It’s a hop, skip and a jump off the freeway with a super-easy return. Add in that it’s not on a busy boulevard with a gaggle of people and it makes for a enjoyable outing.
Admission is cheap, too. $5.00 for the 8 percenters and $6.00 for Cupcakes. You can join for $20.00/year and support a wonderful cause, too.
I was sent a private message from one of our illustrious English”VFW”s abroad in Britain (name withheld to protect contributor Rory and Post 9 of the Falmouth Welsh Guard Vets). Apparently some of the recent returnees of the Afghan “Stripes 4 Wounds” Olympics in Helmand Province were pub surfing and heard several “plus-size women” as Rory so politely put it, discoursing in a heavy accent. Being a decent chap and having had a few, Rory politely asked “Pardon but are you ladies from Ireland?”
One politely chirped ” It’s Wales, you friggin’ idiot.”
Rory, never to be put off by a momentary awkwardness, looked down, collected himself and said “Right. Sorry, mum. Are you two whales from Ireland?”
Rory’s nose will heal without any visible scars. The left eye will probably never track in unison with the right, somewhat like Marty Feldman’s, but his vision will be unimpaired for the most part.
TY4YS Rory.
“Severe hoarding disorder and disorganization among VA administrators and employees are a black-eye for the agency. We need to do a better job keeping these employees focused so they aren’t a danger to themselves,” said Ernest Ernest., a Winston-Salem Veteran and founder of the Veterans’ Claims Hoarding Program (VCHP). Working to assist VA employees who, although intelligent and capable, are unable to recall where they put Veterans’ claims folders,VCHP has founded a free National Call Center for VA Claims Folder Hoarder Administrators and Employees.
“Claims hoarders typically suffer from anxiety, anger and depression, have difficulty getting started, staying on task, and keeping their work environment clean and organized. This is a serious, chronic problem and we need to explore the pathological psychology behind this phenomenon from the top down,” said Dr. N. Exus. “These workers are in constant danger of falling through collapsing floors, tripping, bruising, bug bites, respiratory infections and more. They also become delusional because they think they are getting work done, ” he continued. “They have hit rock bottom and many don’t even know it.”
VCHP is planning an event to distribute personal care kits with aspirin, tissue, dust masks, gloves, eye-wash; Limited vouchers for hard hats and adjustable back support braces, wrist and ankle supports are also available for those seeking help.
According to a report by the VA Office of Inspector General, 37,000 C-folders are currently being hoarded in Winston-Salem. “that’s probably just the tip-of-the-iceberg,” Dr. N. Exus added. But with assistance from VCHP, partner organizations, outreach, education, referral, case management, and a few lawsuits, “the end of SVCFH can become a reality,” said Mr. Ernest. “The VA thinks we Veterans are bonkers but sadly, it’s the other way around–as the photographs plainly show.”
The above is a parody but the situation in Winston-Salem is no laughing matter unless you think pathological behavior is funny.
This just in from Houston and the ever-watchful eye of WGM. In all fairness, he spotted it on Ben’s Blog so we must be honest.
In a show of one-upsmanship, the vA transported 1800 of its employees to the Marriott World Center for a four-day seminar in spa technique-not once but twice- to the tune of $5 mil. They also set aside $4 million more for future HR events of this caliber. Very far-sighted indeed.
This on the heels of the GSA’s paltry $823,000.00 extravaganza in Las Vegas, was a classic example of “Our agency is better than your agency and we spend way more”. Yes, in a show of extreme gratitude, the vA let down their hair and relaxed their stance towards drinking on the job. And what better way to bitchslap Veterans?
In an interview with a Decision Review Officer from the Waco RO who wished to remain anonymous, he was ebullient about his experience: ” Dude- we were Extremely Trashed or Hammered the whole time we were there. Get it? ETOH? My friends were playing golf and they took the cart into a water hazard. Awesome! I even got a tattoo on their dime.”
A good time was had by all
In lieu of the need for these training sessions on a fairly regular basis, Congress is rumored to be eyeing an increase to cover them. The President said he feels they are essential to unit cohesion and promote a more relaxed and better understanding of the rating process. “Good raters are happy raters and we want 98% accuracy”. said the VA Secretary at the news conference announcing the future seminars. We at Asknod concur wholeheartedly. Even money says the Undersecretary for Veterans Benefits Denials was a keynote speaker on the subject of Denial Motivation.
For this, we feel the monthly Alfred E. Neuman “What? Me worry about Public Opinion? Award should be shared co-equally by Aunt Allison and Uncle Eric. Their selfless devotion to duty and a desire to make sure each and every one of us get what’s coming to us is indeed heartwarming.
Next Year it’s Mazatlan, dude.
Cupcake bought this Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse for me for bass fishing, It’s nice because it has a very shallow draft for close-in-to-shore casts. The rubber bumpers are permanently installed below the waterline to make sure you don’t damage the hull. They’re very trendy and have good resale value. They come with a pretty beefy inboard and there’s an abundance of horsepower there when you need it to get out of tricky situations. She shot this one of me in one of those tricky situations right after I launched it yesterday.
I like its low profile in the water best. It almost feels like driving a car.
In 2008, in the wake of Shreddergate 1, one of the managers at the Cleveland Regional Office was inexplicably “promoted” to VACO. Of course, the vAOIG “took action” and the ROs immediately stopped shredding evidence AND stopped doing shredder bin inspections.
We are sure they stopped doing shredder bin inspections, but did they stop shredding?
How would we know without follow up shredder bin inspections?
In 2012, at an “embattled director” was “moved” to the Denver Regional Office.
Smells like vA nepotism to me.
Veterans, there are two possible places your evidence could be:
A. The “old” Shreddergate, Shreddergate 1:
What “fishy smell”?
B. The “new” shreddergate, Shreddergate 2:
“Now which one of these do you think you put Jim Smith’s evidence in, anyway?”
Help Hospitalized Vets (occasionally), Inc. is back in the news. They were caught buying each other private golf club memberships to the tune of $80 K back in 2008. That was just the tip of the iceberg apparently. They hauled in a cool $41 million last year and only 35% made it to the VAMCs. That’s a lot of leather cigarette pouches I want you to know. It seems the guys on the Board of Directors drink 100 proof Stolichnaya and fart through silk underwear. Mansions don’t come cheap and you have to keep up appearances to bring in that kind of money. What’s more you have to rent a venue to put on your Dog and Pony Show. We know those don’t come cheap at the 4 Seasons.
Check with Google before donating to their kid’s college fund.
And we thought that NSAIDs and Tylenol were our only enemies. Newsflash. The list of nasties seems to grow longer every day. I spotted this from LIVER GUY on my facebook page. I friended him because anyone with a name like this is probably very liver-conscious. I was right. Steer clear of moxifloxacin and levofloxacin if you are older or have a compromised liver as most of us do. Read and heed. If you are like me with Stage 4 and no hope of killing this bug, stick with the old fashioned Erythromycin and its cousins, assuming they will still work for you.
I question every medication that they prescribe me now and often find doctors are complete boobs when it comes to drug/disease interactions. They are so positive they are a superior life form that the idea of making a mistake never enters their mind. More’s the pity for us unfortunates who depend on them.
asknod
Bethanie Spangenberg
kcraveiro
robinhoodesqvetsatty
Wesley McCauley
Veterans Claims Help 