APA– VETERANS’ GAIN?

Posted on February 11, 2012 by asknod

Here’s an interesting article sent to me by RW, a noted VA attorney and deep thinker.

What Veterans Would Gain From Administrative Procedure Act Adjudications, Tommy, Issue 2, 2002, Arzt, Robin J.

It’s a 2002 article that has more resonance now than when it was written. Who could ever have imagined a backlog of these proportions less than a decade later?

Posted in All about Veterans, Introduction-Read these first, Tips and Tricks, Veterans Law | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

VAROs–WHO DID MY CLAIM?

Posted on February 11, 2012 by asknod

Above, under the Battle for Saigon medal,  is a new category. For those of you who had  or are currently having a claim done by the VA, you can peruse the VARO’s employee lists for the specific VARO and find out a lot about the person/persons doing your claim.  This is more than idle conjecture.  It allows you to see the person’s bona fides, his qualifications, duration of employment and GS rating. Obviously, someone employed there 20 years with a GS rating of 9 is a complete dolt and shouldn’t be allowed to scrub the toilets unsupervised. VA has always been intrusive into our medical history and employment. They have, on occasion, even resorted to the use of the CBI (criminal background investigation) to ascertain any staycations at Institutions for Remedial Moral Reeducation (prisons).

It only seems like turnabout fair play for us to employ some of the same techniques in pursuit of finding out “who’s on first”. A warm thank you to GS for sending this little morsel in.

Above is the world’s largest tie-dyed T shirt. The guy who ordered it never came back to pick it up, so they donated it to some guys in Pomona. They turned it into this, like, totally awesome skateboard park, dude. Sorry. I’m just kidding. It’s called a Danxia Landform and there are several examples of it in China. This one is in  Zhangye Province in Gansu- home of the world famous Gansu carving knives…from the Spiegal Catalogue– Chicago 60609.

Posted in All about Veterans, General Messages, vARO Decisions | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

INNOVATIVE VETERANS

Posted on February 11, 2012 by asknod

When the going gets tough

the tough get going

In this new economy, bold initiatives are called for. Thinking outside of the box is critical to success. Being able to see a trend and seize the high ground is often the difference between financial solvency and ruin. Several of my friends have discovered a silver lining right in their own back yard. When faced with unemployment and the inability to provide for their family, they were forced to put their heads together and ascertain what it was that could truly help and generate income.

Veterans, as we all know, are wise beyond their years. Faced with what most might consider to be the end of their earning years, these two gentlemen below boldly went where no two Vets have gone before. The need for this service has long been a sore point with women and they correctly identified it. If we hope to escape the present malaise in the economy, it will take many more cutting-edge entrepreneurs such as these to accomplish it. I think I speak for all Vets when I commend these fellows for their foresight and resourcefulness in the face of daunting odds.

Notice the colorful demeanor of these fellows. They are dressed for success. They are on a mission from God. They have purpose in life and project it. They have priced their product well within the means of most people’s budgets-firmly asserting their claim to an unchallenged market share . They aren’t trying to send their kids through college solely on your nickel, either. Veterans like this are what makes my chest swell with pride.

Posted in All about Veterans, General Messages, Humor | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

IRISH BIRTH CONTROL

Posted on February 10, 2012 by asknod

 Irish Birth Control

Mrs.  Donovan was walking down  O’Connell  Street in Dublin when  she  met up with Father Flaherty.

The  Father said, “Top o’ the mornin’ to  ye! Aren’t ye Mrs. Donovan and  didn’t I marry ye and yer Hoosband  two years ago?”

She  replied,  “Aye, that ye did,  Father.”

The  Father asked, “And be there  any  wee little ones yet?”

She  replied, “No, not yet, Father.”

The  Father said, “Well now, I’m  going to Rome next week And  I’ll light a  fertility candle for ye  And  yer hoosband.”

She  replied, “Oh, thank ye,  Father…'”  They  then parted ways..

Some  years later they met again.  The  Father asked, “Well now,  Mrs.  Donovan, how are ye these days?”

She  replied, “Oh, very well,  Father!”

The  Father asked, “And tell me , ‘ave  ye any wee ‘uns yet?”

She  replied, “Oh yes, Father! Two  sets of twins and six singles, ten  in all!”

The  Father said, “That’s wonderful! And  how is yer loving hoosband  doing?”

She  replied, “E’s gone to Rome  to  blow out yer fookin’  candle.”

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AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS–AO?

Posted on February 10, 2012 by asknod

I always wonder why one particular person gets something, be it a winning lotto ticket or an autoimmune disorder. In the latter case, i sub-wonder why different variations of that disease induce yet more tertiary responses. An autoimmune disorder is where your body’s immune system falters and decides to attack everything. Rheumatoid Arthitis is one of the most common. However, there are many more. In my case, with the HCV, my rogue Jedi immunity system has decided my liver is the enemy and is mounting quite an attack on it.

People generally bore of reading about another’s panoply of ailments so bear with me. Imagine two years of “exposure” to Agents Orange and Blue. Exposure is a relative term. First of all, Blue is not nearly as obnoxious as it’s  other 5 cousins. I never had them sprayed on me. The Hmong children, usually under 9 years old, used bleach bottle scoops to spread it around the runway, parking aprons and taxiways at 20 Alternate (Long Tieng).  By 10 years old they were expected to shoulder M-1 .30 cal. carbines and become soldiers.

AO was designed to be diluted one to one with kerosene or some kind of diesel/petroleum product. The children were using it full strength and usually got it all over their hands and legs. Ne problemo. Wash off in the creek. I ingested it with my fellow Vets every time a Huey or a BUFF came in or departed and “taxied” down an apron 8′ off the ground. The red clay dirt was nasty until Monsoon season started in August. It got into everything -like your nose or the gas tanks on the aircraft. I even coughed blood occasionally until  August of 1972. I figured it was the Marlboro Reds, so I smartly switched over to Marlboro Lights, which were new on the market. I was going through my  health nut phase back then.

The autoimmune thing popped up in 1995. I started losing weight (165 to 130) and got horrible stomach cramps. I collapsed on the 4th of July 1996. They whacked out 30 cm. of my small bowel and the ileum. Diagnosis? Crohns disease. A healthy 44 year old man coming down with Crohns disease in mid life is like a woman getting pregnant at 69. The surgeon was convinced it was going to be some kind of cancer and was both relieved and puzzled that this happened. He came in to see me several days later and asked me if I’d ever worked in a chemical plant or been around industrial cleaners like toluene or MEK. I mentioned Agent Orange because I now had Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (PCT) diagnosed several years earlier. Bingo. He explained that developing an autoimmune disorder late in life had to have a reason. No one in my extended family had had anything like this. Then my son came down with Ulcerative Colitis.

Ulcerative Colitis is the same thing as Crohns except it occurs in the large intestine. The repair order is prednisone until you need to have it (the large intestine) removed and a colostomy bag installed. Ugly. Scientists have come up with Azothiaprine (Imuran) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000602/  and now Remicade (mouse DNA)  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000267/  to suppress the immune system. Of course, a suppressed immune system leaves you open to every little bug or virus that crawls the earth. You have to become Bubble Boy and shun your grandchildren.  My son has to use Remicade to keep his UC under control. He’ll have to do it for life or until they figure out how to turn it off. Each infusion costs $5400.00. He does it every 70 days. Our medical insurance company hates us and hopes we miss a payment so they can drop our whole company. This explains why I won’t be buying the waterfront cottage in Bermuda and the little 90-foot pocket yacht.

Because I am not a doctor, I will not opine, but rather theorize. If AO and some of the worse ones like Purple and Green, influenced your genes, this would produce the same in your offspring. Since there is now ample evidence of spina bifida in the children of AO exposed Vets, it’s obvious your genes can be warped, too.

What sparks this soliloquy is twofold. First, my autoimmune system has accidentally been switched back on by something and second, WGM’s jetgun documentation records which referenced autoimmune disorders in HCV positive people. Bingo#2. While it most certainly could be that those with excess exposure to AO may be more susceptible to incurring autoimmunity, it can definitely be said that it is a distinct probability it will occur in those infected with HCV.  The enigma is how my son could come down with it via some HCV etiology. As I say, I’m not a doctor, but I observe a lot. Can it be that HCV warps your chromosomes?

The major side effect that may tip you off is an exorbitantly high IgG reading on an Immune blood assay. If you live in a cold place your hands or feet will hurt when you go outside. It’s even more painful when you come in to warm up. This is known as Reynaud’s  phenomenon or disease. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raynaud’s_phenomenon

So those of you with RA, have yourself tested for Lupus, MS – and especially keep track of your ANA and ASMA blood test results.

http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/ana/tab/test       ANA test

http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/asma/tab/test   ASMA test

As a final note, I wish to say that for those of you who have done IFN treatment, keep an eye on DM2, deteriorating eyesight, cognitive brain dysfuntion (brain fog) and anything like numbness and tingling in the extremities (peripheral neuropathy). There are obviously other presents like AI, so be proactive.

For those of you who are considering it,  study the side effects versus hoped for remission. The new Vertex regime is more successful but it is in addition to the regular cocktail of Pegylated Interferon and Ribavirin. Most who have tried it would rather go to a bar and ride a mechanical bull @ 78 RPM for a year-sober.

I’m sorry if I make a lot of jokes about all this, but dying is sooooo depressing!  Jokes and April Fool’s day are far more important in the scheme of things. Besides, it takes your mind off all those dufus depression things that require serotonin reuptake inhibitors.  Sounds like something Klingons used in Star Trek to prevent Scotty from beaming them up… Look! NCC-1701! Ugh! Garth! Take Serotonin- and be quick about it!

Posted in All about Veterans, AO, HCV Health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

COVA– CALUZA V. BROWN–TOTAL RECALL

Posted on February 9, 2012 by asknod

VetCourtAppealsPromoOne of the hallmarks of a famous case from the early days of the CAVC (then the COVA) is name familiarity. When I first started researching why I lost in 1994, I looked first to the VA and there found the BVA decisions. From there I frolicked through nameless files and marveled on how it was done and why some (a lot) lost. The word Caluza vs. Brown (1995) popped up fairly frequently. With it was always the pronouncement that a Vet needed three things to win. Ah! The magic handshake? No, a nexus letter.

This was my ephiphany. Something so simple I had never considered it. All these years I thought you went in, wrote it all down and they gave you your money. My DAV dude didn’t tell me about this. In fact, my AMVETS guy didn’t either. Here I was deep into round three with the MOPH and I was just now discovering the Rosetta Stone. The funny thing about this is that when I asked my representative about it, he blew up like Foghorn Leghorn: “Nexus letter! Nexus letter? Why of course you have to have one. Jez.  I say, I say Everybody knows that, son.”

If I had not found this, there’s a better than even chance I wouldn’t be here telling you about it. Three VSOs and strangely not one said the magic word “nexus”. Which brings us to one Mario G. Caluza. Mr. Caluza was a participant in the Big One-a member of the guerilla service in the Philippine Army.

Mario had some records issues. I can commiserate with him. In war, records go missing or are abandoned. Lots of mine did. His exit physical SMRs in 1945 were silent for any musculo-skeletal issues. In fact, a 1947 affidavit he signed reaffirmed no injuries in service. Seems like 1947 would have been as good a time to pitch a bitch as any if you were wounded.

In 1970. Mr. Caluza showed up at the Manila RO and filed for a right “foot” injury ostensibly incurred in service. He got even more specific and said it was in the middle of the right foot and he had been treated “for a few months” at an Army base afterwards. His doctor disagreed and said he suffered from “Rheumatoid Arthritis, knee and ankle right, and hypertension, moderate.”  Nothing like submitting a nexus that contradicts what you’re claiming, huh? VA denied and that was the last of that claim.

In August of 1987, Mr. Caluza returned with yet another claim. This time it had matured and become a “1943 shrapnel wound to the lower right leg.”Miraculously, he had found several of his comrades from that time and they dutifully confirmed that he had been injured, named the appendage,  the mountain pass where it occurred and date of the injury. He even had an undated wannabe nexus letter from a doctor saying it might have occurred during the war or shortly thereafter.

Eleven months later in July 1988, the RO denied again. No new and material evidence was the reason this time. Mario immediately trotted out two “new” buddy letters from his platoon mates. This time they really got specific and even said a doctor they knew had treated him from 1970 to 80 extensively. He even had a July 1958 medical certificate signed by a Dr. Martinez, which diagnosed “[g]eneral debility and [p]ain in the right leg due to an old wound in the left [sic] leg”. This was getting more and more pathetic by the moment- or should I say by the doctor.

The VA reopened  this two months later  in September 1988 and denied again for very obvious reasons. However, being polite, they didn’t call him a liar. Mario immediately fired off his NOD and got right on his Form 1-9 as they were known then. Appended to his appeal was more new and material evidence. New notarized letters from yet more Vets he’d served with (honorably) corroborated his claims and named the battle. They testified that Mario got the silver BB from an enemy mortar round in the right lower distal shin between the knee and the foot. They even said “that he had been carried in a litter to the temporary battalion aid station, “where no official medical records . . . were ever prepared and issued to the patient”. Caluza v. Brown (1995).

VA wasn’t buying this. Seemed like most all of his running buddies had chimed in and they all said pretty much the same thing. In one last gasp, Mario found two more buddies. The new doctor weighed in and stated that he  miraculously re-remembered that he had indeed treated Mario way back in 1947 and it was for a shrapnel wound from the service. Mario sure was lucky to find all these guys and the doctor should have been the final winner. Not.

The RO still wasn’t buying and sent it up to the BVA. They took one look at it, held their noses and gave it the thumbs down. By now half of Manila had testified that Mario was at Bessang Pass and had been clobbered by something metallic in either the left or right foot leg. The year and the leg were sketchy, but no less than six fellow combat Veterans were saying shit happens and three doctors, when sober, seemed to concur.

After the loss at the Board, Mario appealed to the brand new COVA. He got the standard single judge remand back to the Board for a redo with better Reasons and Bases for the denial. True to form, the BVA got out the art gum eraser, changed a few sentences and came to the same conclusion from Pittsburg rather than Indianapolis.

Upon return to the Court, Mr. Mario finally attained that which Norm Gilbert, Joe Fugo and Tom Caffrey are famous for- a precedental case. Unfortunately, that stardom also came with a loss, as it did for all the others. The Court ruled that Mario needed a “Caluza triangle” or three elements to prevail. Mario only had two. He had no record of this in service and what he did have was pretty shaky. He  claimed he had an injury and enough nexus letters to sink a ship, though.

What Caluza really stands for, in my mind, is the presumptions that attach to a finding of 38 USC §1154-what is known as the combat exception. Mario should have gotten a bye on his testimony because he was a combat Vet. His real problem was way too much conflicting evidence, lack of evidence and a bunch of drunk buddies from the VFW standing in line to testify for him. The wound migrated from left to right leg, then metamorphosed from an “injury” to a shrapnel wound. It occurred in 1945, then 1943. He said he was injury-free in 1947, then said he didn’t understand the question when he signed the affidavit.  About the only thing he didn’t claim was what the definition of “is” was. Then again, Monica Lewinsky hadn’t made her debut yet. She was still shopping for a blue dress. The Court didn’t quibble. They respectfully declined to disturb the BVA’s final decision.

Have you ever visited a movie set in Hollywood? Try the Universal back lot tour. They have a group known as “continuity”. These people are tasked with keeping the set exactly the same if the scene has to be reshot several times. All the silverware and plates on the table have to be in the same place each time. Every car has to be reparked exactly so. Mr. Caluza could have used such a continuity crew for his claim.

Another gentleman named Hickson was informed that he, too needed these three elements to win in 1999. This is where the term “Hickson elements” comes from.  Arthur Hickson unsuccessfully defended himself pro se at the Court and got the royal treatment like Mr. Caluza.  The Court even mentioned his name again, too. I often wonder why it is that all the big guys in VA history lost.  Look at Bob Russell. Same fate. Of course we have a new pantheon of Heroes emerging for the 21st Century. Look at Leroy Macklem. There’s a name that’s slated for far more than Warhol fame.

So, gentle readers, there you have the exciting story of Mario and his amazing band of technicolor guerillas and doctors. In all the cases I have read,  never has one man owed so much to so many for such a vast quantity of bullshit.  Total recall doesn’t even begin to adequately describe it.

Caluza_90-0818

Posted in Important CAVC/COVA Ruling, Nexus Information, Tips and Tricks | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

WGM’S HEPATITIS FILES

Posted on February 9, 2012 by asknod

Attached in PDF are 30 pages of everything you need to file you jetgun claim. It is a compendium of everything wrong with them and why they can cause HCV and a host of other diseases. You may thank WGM in the comments section below when you win. He put a of of time and energy into this and then had VA blow him off in favor of sexually transmitted diseases. While a win is a win, I commiserate with him that they were too chicken to go head to head on this. The evidence here in conjunction with his 4 nexus letters was bullet proof. VA must have thought the same thing because they promptly charged off in what they thought was a safe direction to deny. Wrong.

I apologize for the extreme delay. I had a computer “misadventure” and no longer have a scanner function. I had to scan these into a thumb drive and then make the transfer. Everything made it in one piece except for his SSN and other identifying criteria. I deleted those for obvious reasons. Enjoy WGM’s hard work. He may have saved you days-even weeks of collating and finding info.

scan

Posted in HCV Health, Jetgun BvA Decisions, Nexus Information, Tips and Tricks, vARO Decisions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Golf–TIGER AND STEVIE

Posted on February 9, 2012 by asknod

Tiger Woods & Stevie Wonder are in a bar.

Tiger turns to Stevie and says, “How’s the singing career going?”

Stevie replies, “Not too bad. How’s the golf?”

Woods replies, “Not too bad, I’ve had some problems with my swing, but I think I’ve got that right, now.”

Stevie says, “I always find that when my swing goes wrong, I need to stop playing for a while and not think about it. Then, the next time I play, it seems to be all right.”

Incredulous, Tiger says, “You play GOLF?”

Stevie says, “Yes, I’ve been playing for years.”

Tiger says, “But — you’re blind! How can you play golf if you can’t see?”

Stevie Wonder replies, “Well, I get my caddy to stand in the middle of the fairway and call to me. I listen for the sound of his voice and play the ball towards him. Then, when I get to where the ball lands, the caddy moves to the green or farther down the fairway and again I play the ball towards his voice.”

But, “how do you putt” asks Tiger.

“Well”, says Stevie, “I get my caddy to lean down in front of the hole and call to me with his head on the ground and I just play the ball toward his voice.”

Tiger asks, “What’s your handicap?”

Stevie says, “Well, actually — I’m a scratch golfer.”

Woods, incredulous, says to Stevie, “We’ve got to play a round sometime.”

Stevie replies, “Well, people don’t take me seriously, so I only play for money, and never play for less than $10,000 a hole. Is that a problem?”

Woods thinks about it and says, “I can afford that; OK, I’m game for that.. $10,000 a hole is fine with me. When would you like to play?”

Stevie Wonder says, “Pick a night.”

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SMC-K WARNING

Posted on February 8, 2012 by asknod

Some of you are rated for SMC-K at $99.00/month on top of any other rating. This may include a variety of disorders to include loss of one hand or one foot. It also is paid for loss of use of a creative organ as many of you with DM2 are aware.

The VA has started including vasoinhibitors as available drugs to help those with ED. Mycoxaphlopen  (sold under the trade name Everhard)and Mydixadroopin (generic equivalent sold as Hardix) are now available by prescription. VA is also offering it as a sublingual (under the tongue) tablet.  Here is the rub. By accepting this prescription, VA will drop your SMC-K rating as soon as the VHA communicates this to the VBA. This usually takes six months.  I would suggest avoiding this by getting the prescriptions from private doctors.

We’ll keep you updated on any developments as they arise.

Posted in All about Veterans, Humor, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

WHAT HAPPENED TO OMERTÀ?

Posted on February 8, 2012 by asknod

Omertà. The noun evokes images of Sicilian Mafia henchmen killing their own in an effort to protect themselves against informers. For centuries it was employed to keep the rabble in line. A sure promise of death if you talked to authorities worked until the early sixties when the Americanized version started to break down under a different paradigm. Since then the “code of silence” has been in tatters. Just ask John Gotti.

Omertà. The Government noun is slightly different. When I was in the service, I had a Top Secret/Crypto clearance. If you were of the mind to go over to the other side, there was certainly a guarantee that you would have sunshine pumped down to your cell in the basement after conviction. During my employment with Air America, there were certain times when the CAS stated that something didn’t happen that had. This was revisionist history that had to be relearned-immediately.  An example would be the bombing of the Hospital cum “Chinese Agricultural Mission” in 1970 at Ban Sam Neua, Laos. Everyone knew it was a crossshipment point for munitions on Route 7. The red “cross” on it was to protect it against attack.  The US Ambassador blamed it on Vang Pao’s Hmong pilots, but I doubt there was one within 250 klics of the joint that day and none of them were qualified in F-4s.

Which brings us to VA and Military Omertà. In the newspaper this morning we are finally treated to the soul who had the audacity to spill the beans on the military practice of lowballing, or worse, noballing Vets returning from SWA with PTSD. Yes, the well-known truth, long a fig newton, is out of the bag like the proverbial cat. It turns out that military psychiatrists were given “the briefing” on how to hold the line on handing out ratings for bent brain syndrome (BBS). Newsflash. This isn’t the first time. It’s just the first time the Mainstream Media have been apprised of it.

A Madigan Army Medical Center shrink gave a lecture on this and explained that a 25 year old medical retiree with a dx of 100% brainfukitol would stand to gain approximately $1.5 million over a 46 year period. The  psychiatrist noted that at the current rate of such diagnoses, the Army and the Department of Veteran Affairs would eventually go broke. After the comments about the financial costs, the meeting room was “exceptionally quiet”, a participant remarked. “Not sure if it was because people didn’t know how much a diagnosis of PTSD equated to or why we are talking about dollars in relation to our soldiers”.

“He (the psychiatrist) stated that we have to be good stewards of the taxpayers’ dollars, and that we have to ensure that we are not just ‘rubber-stamping’ a soldier with the diagnosis of PTSD.”  the Western Regional Medical Command (WRMC) ombudsman divulged. Or should I say the soon-to-be former ombudsman?

The Army, true to its roots, is now valiantly attempting to have the offending soldiers (read psychiatrist) fall on their swords and thus commit Omertà.  It’s too late. Senator Tennis Shoes caught wind of this and she will have none of it. Dr. William Keppler and another doctor who were (note the past tense of the verb to be) the big cheese dudes of the Forensic Psychiatric Team have mysteriously been suspended from their duties. Chances are Keppler will surface again at Fort Fumble in a nowhere job with an alphabetic moniker. Of the dozen or so soldiers who lost their ratings? Why, they are being culled from the herd to avoid contamination and being sent to Walter Reed Hospital in Bethesda, Md. for “reevaluation” of their purported BBS.

Isn’t it wonderful how history repeats itself? Why, 1972 seems like just yesterday that I came home to face the music. “BBS?  Why no, Sgt. Nod. You do not suffer from this malady. You just have personality disorders which, unfortunately for you, are non-compensable.  Of course, it is equally fortuitous to us because we don’t have to pay you a dime-ever.’  Now what makes the Government think they could enforce this Omertà thing in the wake of Wikkileaks? What have they been smoking? I want some of this pipe dream tobacco.

My daddy synthesized the Rule of Secrets down to one sentence. If more than one person knows about it, it isn’t a secret. It’s simply a fact that isn’t widely disseminated- yet. What will happen is almost preordained. Several heads will roll. This will never, ever be discussed in public again. The ombudsman for the WRMC will suddenly get his new orders for a command leadership position in a MASH unit in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Shortly after assuming his duties, he will have a military “misadventure” when his Stryker is tagged by friendly fire. PTSD, as a disease, will go into a remarkable decline now that the VA has its own krewe of shrinks doing the exams. VA funding will remain viable due to the foresight of a few enlightened individuals. They, in turn, will be awarded bonuses for the huge savings realized by prudent ratings practices.

Our Guardian of the Gate, Sen. Murray bemoaned ” This is the opposite of everything that we are working for. It is very disheartening to see this in writing”. Loosely translated, that comes out as “I can’t believe those chuckleheads let the ombudsman into the briefing. They knew he wasn’t cleared for this and its obvious where his sentiments lie. I want this cleaned up by the end of the week and nipped in the bud. Is that clear? If soldiers get the idea we’re gonna screw them, we’re going to have to start the draft again!”

I love America. I don’t mean that sarcastically. I do love our country. I got a silver arrow point when I was a Cub Scout for memorizing the 4th stanza of the National Anthem. I still get a lump in my throat when I sing it in the shower. What I do not cotton to is the proclivity of politicians to wage wars as a political statement on the back of the military.  Taking funding legitimately appropriated for the care of those   injured to employ in all manner of social programs is wrong. Where I put my foot down is when these same politicians, in fear for their political futures, start acting like they are God’s gift to Veterans.  Words have consequences. Promises are supposed to be binding,  not subject to reinterpretation when politically expedient. The phrase “For He who shall have borne the battle”  can never become inoperable.

Our first President summed it up when he said that the willingness of citizens to become soldiers and die for their convictions (and ours) will ultimately hinge on how the country treats the ones who go before them. Based on this, I feel we are on thin ice.     America has a habit of praising its military and little else. “No deposit, No Return” should be the current VA motto.  It curdles my blood to think a Vet may get $2769.00/mo. for life after signing his life away.  What’s worse is that certain of  our Government feel this is far too generous. That they have done it to us after every major war is water over the falls now for the most part. The thought that this can continue in a “business as usual” mode shows how our Government and elected politicians think-taxpayers’ funds should not be wasted on Veterans.

Before anyone rushes to judgement, I would ask them to figure out how to live on that paltry sum every month.  Rubbing salt into the wound, contemplate how much these citizens-turned-soldiers will not earn in their lifetimes due to their injuries; how many marriages will founder on the rocks and how many opportunities will be dashed.  $1.5 million over a suddenly truncated lifetime seems grossly unfair.  That assumes these brave souls don’t commit suicide when faced with this bleak prospect. Add ten years and a wealth of VA intransigence to the rating process and then wonder anew  if the remuneration is still commensurate with the sacrifice.

America is a swell place. If we ever get back to our roots, we’ll be in fine shape. Since I am no longer a politically inclined person, I won’t comment on how to fix it. I have my ideas but I keep them to myself along with the BBS I fortunately do not suffer from.

Posted in General Messages, Gulf War Issues, PTSD, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment