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What Can You and I DO?

19 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by blogsense-by-barb in America, American, Appreciation, blogsense, citizenship, FREEDOM, Heroes, Issues, life, Lifestyle, Military, Military Veterans, National Security, news, Opinion, Participation, People, Seniors, thoughts, WE THE PEOPLE

≈ 8 Comments

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Afghanistan War Vets, help, Iraq War Vets, veterans, Veterans Crisis Hotline, WE THE PEOPLE

Vet suicide helpline

While we hope and pray our politicians will wake up and fulfill the promises made to our returning Veterans, too many are dying in the wait. Too many spend their days on the phone trying to get help to no avail.

I am OUTRAGED! I hope I am not alone. So … I ask you:

WHAT CAN WE DO???

How can we help?

Bottom line, We, the people are responsible for these heroic men and women! It is OUR way of life they have served to preserve. It is OUR future they have fought to protect while politicians squander it away for their our short-sighted gain.

Many Vets I listen to just want JOBS! We all know this administration is deliberately KILLING jobs making it harder and harder for these struggling Vets to find gainful employment. So I repeat …

WHAT CAN WE DO???

How can we help?

PLEASE … let’s discuss it here and come up with a plan! Surely, we can do SOMETHING!!!

NEW Facebook page: WE CAN HELP VETS Stop by and LIKE us!!!

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We OWE Our Service Members!!!

26 Sunday May 2013

Posted by blogsense-by-barb in America, Appreciation, Big Government, blogsense, censorship/political correctness, citizenship, Community interest, FREEDOM, Leadership, life, Military, Military Veterans, National Security, Obama, Opinion, People, Uncategorized

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Afghanistan, Iraq, Memorial Day, Military morale, military suicide, million vet backlog, veteran suicide helpline, veterans, Veterans Administration, veterans crisis line

ContentImage3

VETERANS, You served your country.
Now let VA serve you.

“Tragically, our brave U.S. soldiers aren’t just dying on the battlefield. Roughly 22 veterans commit suicide every day, a rate even higher than previous estimates, according to a report released by the Department of Veterans Affairs recently.

The Huffington Post provides this devastating infographic that brings the military suicide epidemic into focus:
2013_05_VeteranSuicides

Memorial Day commemorates the U.S. solders who lost their lives in service. It’s also a time to recognize a growing but less visible group of fallen solders who chose to end their own lives while serving or after returning from war.

Suicide prevention hotlineThere are about 22 veteran suicides each day, a rate higher than previous estimates, based on a report released by the Department of Veterans Affairs earlier this year. Many veterans who take their own lives are over 50, but the hundreds of thousands of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan also struggle to adjust to civilian life while dealing with the mental and physical effects of war on top of a weak job market.

Adam Legg, a 30-year-old Naval veteran, found that he couldn’t even get a job at McDonald’s after returning from tours in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2009, according to ABC News.

“When you feel like you can’t take care of your family, feed them, shelter them, it’s a very, very dark place. A feeling of uselessness that maybe they would be better off if you’re not around,” Legg told ABC.

Some troops don’t make it home before taking their own lives. Military suicides reached a record high of 349 in 2012, and former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has described the situation as an epidemic.”

WHY? You may ask?

Let me count just a few of the ways this administration has disrespected the military and crippled them at the same time.

  • A US Marine holds an umbrella for US President Barack Obama during a brief rain shower as he hold a joint press conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, May 16, 2013. (Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

    A US Marine holds an umbrella for US President Barack Obama during a brief rain shower as he hold a joint press conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, May 16, 2013. (Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

    While male Marines are generally considered “out of uniform” if they carry an umbrella, at the request of the CIC, it is not an infringement of the Marine code. Yet, to my mind, it is an infringement on their honor to be asked to do something so demeaning and silly.

  • There’s the mess at the VA:

    Lawmakers make pre-Memorial Day calls to fix vet claims backlog

    “In a pre-Memorial Day push to show their concern about the backlog of veterans’ disability claims, House Republicans are calling for an independent task force to recommend a solution while House Democrats pushed the idea of providing temporary benefits to anyone whose claim has been pending before the Veterans Affairs Department for more than 125 days.

    obama-ignors-militaryNeither idea will become law by Memorial Day, but both are signs that lawmakers share many veterans’ concerns that the mountain of compensation claims is not going away any time soon.

    Reps. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman, and Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., introduced a bill Thursday creating a 15-member commission or task force to evaluate the claims process.” READ MORE

  • Obama refocuses terror threat to pre-9/11 level

    “Some call it wishful thinking, but President Barack Obama has all but declared an end to the global war on terror.

    Obama is not claiming final victory over extremists who still seek to kill Americans and other Westerners. Instead, he is refocusing the long struggle against terrorism that lies ahead, steering the United States away from what he calls an equally frightening threat – a country in a state of perpetual war. In doing so, Obama recasts the image of the terrorists themselves, from enemy warriors to cowardly thugs and resets the relationship between the U.S. and Islam.

    His speech Thursday was designed to move America’s mindset away from a war footing and refine and recalibrate his own counterterrorism strategy. Obama asserted that al-Qaida is “on the path to defeat,” reducing the scale of terrorism to pre-Sept. 11 levels. That means that with the Afghanistan war winding down, Obama is unlikely to commit troops in large numbers to any conflict – in Syria or other countries struggling with instability in the uncertain aftermath of the Arab Spring – unless, as his critics fear, he tragically has underestimated al-Qaida’s staying power.”

  • obama ignores Marine salute
  • Obama forgot to salute: Barack Obama shakes Marine’s hand, makes jokes instead?

    “President Barack Obama forgot protocol while boarding Marine One en route to Annapolis, Maryland, CNN reported on Friday.

    “Obama did not salute the Marine standing at the bottom of the helicopter while boarding. Upon realizing the faux pas, the president jogged back down to shake hands with the Marine and spoke privately with him before entering the helicopter again.”

  • The Profound Moral Failure of Benghazi
      These men follow a creed – I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy. Sadly, we now know from the hearings and whistleblower Deputy Ambassador Gregory Hicks, that is exactly what happened to Ambassador Stevens’ body as it was carried away by Libyan militants to a hospital controlled by those who carried out the attacks. Do you know how infuriated and hot that gets the Special Forces community? Men who have sworn to never leave a fallen comrade behind were forced to do just that by the military leaders they trust their lives to. To them it is the ultimate dishonoring of all they stand for. And it came from their own Commander in Chief.
  • BenghaziOClearly, this President is generally unfamiliar and unconcerned with the lifestyle and care of our Military members. From cutting their benefits to cutting numbers, this administration proves its disrespect for the military. They spin it as a “Military slimdown“, but what it means is – those willing to put their lives on the line so that the rest of us can continue to “not be bothered” with the evils of Islam and other misc unrest, continue to pay for the GOVERNMENT’s unwillingness to cut senseless over-spending – like sending huge sums of money to our enemies!) Meanwhile, Benghazi’s HUGE change in the “No Man Left Behind” policy, pulls the rug out from under those willing to serve. While DADT served to keep sexuality under the radar in the Military, that, too, is now gone, and leaders have their hands full trying to maintain discipline while also walking to political correctness tightrope. Is it any wonder, these honorable men and women suffer far beyond those who came before them. The Foundation of our Nation is crumbling out from under them.

    President Obama will say and do anything … ANYTHING to maintain his uniquely detached stance while America burns, including destroy the military, if he can, from within. There was a day that discipline meant everything in the military, but in today’s military, politics & political correctness rule, and, as always, it’s the SOLDIERS that pay.

    VA Suicide Prevention Campaign

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    Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier ~ Thank You!

    11 Sunday Nov 2012

    Posted by blogsense-by-barb in America, Benghazi, Big Government, blogsense, censorship/political correctness, Character, Civility, Courage, FREEDOM, Heroes, Military, Military Veterans, National Security, news

    ≈ 6 Comments

    Tags

    American Veterans, Benghazi petition, heroes, honor, military, patriots, truth, veterans, Veterans' Day

    EVERY VETERAN’S DAY, I stand with millions of Americans in debt to all Patriots who have gone before us in service to our great nation. Though I am a Vet, I served in time of peace, and dared to wear the same uniform as those brave souls who faced cunning and ruthless enemies. It is a debt I cannot repay, but it is a debt for which I am and grateful. I only wish more, particularly young people, had a better grasp of the ugliness of oppression experienced in other parts of our world. Maybe then, their appreciation of the liberties we yet enjoy would be greater.

    Washington at Valley Forge. Lithograph by F. Heppenheimer, 1853.

    THIS VETERAN’S DAY, there is a dark shadow looming overhead as our President continues to stonewall and dodge the questions of the American people concerning the Benghazi fiasco. CIA Directer Gen Petraeus resigned this week to avoid inquiry. Gen Ham of AFRICOM was “fired” after refusing to obey the order to “Stand down!” There is a general PURGE as President Obama removes record numbers of senior military officials. There are several websites collecting signatures on petitions, but I selected the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ). Please take a minute and stand on our enduring Oath to “Support & Defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic … ” Do this in memory of our fallen comrades. Do this to honor the memory of all who have served and given their all for their nation. And Pray …

    BENGHAZI UPDATES:

    • Paul: Benghazi should preclude Clinton from presidency
    • Ratcheting Up Benghazi Questions
    • Benghazi: Can Survivors Answer the Growing List of Questions?
    • CBS: Government has put ‘extraordinary amount of pressure’ on people not to talk Benghazi

    Pray for:

    • the TRUTH about the Benghazi attack, “Fast & Furious,” the downed chinook with 20 members of elite Seal6 aboard for starters;
    • a unified American people;
    • a clear and vibrant vision for the future; and
    • an honest effort to reclaim the moral high ground of American Values




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    A Time in My History

    13 Sunday Nov 2011

    Posted by blogsense-by-barb in America, American, Attitudes, blogsense, Character, citizenship, conservative, Courage, education, FREEDOM, Interests, life, Military, Military Veterans, Moral Character, Musings, Opinion, Participation, Patriotism, People, Random, Relationships, thoughts, writing

    ≈ 2 Comments

    Tags

    experience, help, military service, nonprofit, service, service platoons, veterans

    I practiced and practiced with the platoon until each of us had a chance to dress a chest wound and a head wound just like the book said.

    First aid maneuvers

    There was a lot to learn in the 10 weeks of basic training, most I was completely unfamiliar with. I had never fired a weapon before, any kind of weapon, and the Army trusted me with an M-16! I was thrilled when I qualified as an Expert with it.

    I only got close to two or three girls in basic, and I kept in touch for a few months, but we each landed on our feet far away from one another, so it seemed rather pointless to write. (Yes, this was before email was a twinkle in anyone’s eye!)

    After a tour in Maryland, I deployed to Delta Junction, Alaska, to Ft Greely, the home of the Cold Region Test Center. This would be my home for the next several years.

    It wasn’t long before I began to build a very special relationship with a soldier there with a history in Vietnam. Together, we marveled at the dancing Northern lights, the enormous star blanket & and the largely virgin landscape. We used to lie down on the hood of his truck and watch the Northern Lights by the hour, even in bitter cold temperatures, the heat from the engine warmed us.

    Generally speaking, he was not a “talker,” but once in a while, he would talk about his experience in Vietnam. He would finger his “dog tags” as he spoke, recalling the dreariness and the beauty of the Vietnamese landscape. He reminded me that among the other information on the dog tags, is the blood type of the soldier. He talked about the booby traps he encountered and the explosives he had to neutralize or defuse – and those he never had the chance to. Repeatedly, in these times, he would say that the only thing he ever wanted was to come home.

    "Hanoi Jane" Fonda openly conspired with the North Vietnamese against our US Troops!

    I asked him, too, about that day, the day he returned to US soil. 1968 it was. Like many of our service members, he was spat upon and was the object of tomatoes and bottles. “Kill the heroes,” the grungy youth shouted. “Kill the killers!” Tears silently filled his eyes. I just squeezed his hand.

    To this day I cannot fathom how that must have felt. What a horrendous, shameful thing to have done to our national Heroes. Certainly a shameful time in America’s history. But what about now?

    How do our heroes feel today? News of the wars is largely ignored. Millions and millions of soldiers have returned home and now stand in the unemployment lines. The same outrageous numbers of PEOPLE are victims of government backlog that leaves the medically untreated, psychologically placebo’ed, and generally, unappreciated and left to flounder. They ask for nothing more than what their contracts promised, what they earned in danger’s way!

    shutdown_government_bad

    VA Will Cut Off Disability Payments If Shutdown Lasts a Month

      “If a government shutdown continues through the end of October, the Veterans Affairs Department said it will have to cut off disability and education benefits payments, which could cause financial devastation to veterans, according to the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

      “Veterans Benefits Administration claims processors will continue to handle disability and education claims during a shutdown, VA said. The department employs roughly 19,000 claims processors.

      “VA has excepted VBA claims processors so that it can continue to process claims and beneficiaries will continue to receive their payments,” VA spokeswoman Victoria Dillon said. “However, those benefits are provided through appropriated mandatory funding, and that funding will run out by late October. At that point, VA will be unable to make any payments.”

      “VA will only update its main Web page and hospital Facebook and Twitter feeds intermittently during a shutdown, the department said in a fact sheet. VA also said it will furlough its entire public affairs staff during a shutdown.

      “Call centers for disability claims will operate during the shutdown, but VA said it will close the education benefits hotline. VA will also not operate provide matriculated vets with on-campus counselors.

      “The 152 hospitals, 800-plus clinics and 300 vet centers operated by the Veterans Health Admninistration, funded by multi-year appropriations, will continue to operate, VA said. VHA employs roughly 250,000 people who would continue to work and draw pay during a shutdown.

    Navy veteran Tristan Williamson speaks to homeless veterans during a service project in San Diego earlier this year. Williamson, a former Mission Continues fellow, is heading up one of the group's new service platoons. 	 Courtesy of Mission Continues

    Navy veteran Tristan Williamson speaks to homeless veterans during a service project in San Diego earlier this year. Williamson, a former Mission Continues fellow, is heading up one of the group’s new service platoons.
    Courtesy of Mission Continues

    One innovative Veteran took unemployment as a mission. “Tristan Williamson has been out of the military for five years, but he’s back in a platoon.

    “This time, the Navy veteran is fighting hunger, not the enemy.

    “Williamson’s platoon — 20-plus veterans, already at work on community gardens in San Diego — is among the first of what Mission Continues officials hope will be dozens of neighborhood outreach groups led by veterans.

    “The nonprofit group launched its new service platoons initiative this week. Officials have dubbed it a veterans’ report-for-duty call, with veterans trained in charitable work leading chapters in 30 cities.

    “It’s an extension of the group’s existing goal of engaging veterans through community service, often in areas with limited military presence and even less knowledge of the challenges troops face returning to civilian life.

    “The idea of second service for veterans has emerged as a theme in recent years, with the first combat generation of the all-volunteer force slowly leaving the military but retaining ideals of civic duty.” More HERE

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    Take Your Pick — A Variety of Ways to Help Put a Smile on Every Service Member’s Face! (via Operation Gratitude Blog)

    01 Monday Aug 2011

    Posted by blogsense-by-barb in Uncategorized

    ≈ Leave a comment

    Tags

    Afghanistan, Army, cards, care-packages, charity, combat, community-service, crafts, crochet, deployed, donate, donations, facebook, gifts, hats, heroes, Iraq, knit, letters, Libya, marines, middle-east, military, military-care-packages, military-support, morale, navy, patriotic, sailors, scarves, service members, troops, twitter, uncategorized, usaf, usmc, veterans, volunteer, war

    Lots of ways to help … PICK ONE or two! 🙂

    Take Your Pick -- A Variety of Ways to Help Put a Smile on Every Service Member's Face! We hear from people all across the country who want to join in to support deployed service members and our patriotic cause — but because they live far from our Los Angeles-area location, they think they can't. Not true! There are many, many ways to take part! For starters, check out these flyers for great ideas: Ten Easy Ways to Support the Troops Letter Writing and Letter Writing for Teachers Handmade With Love: Scarves, Hats and Cool-Ties Girl … Read More

    via Operation Gratitude Blog

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