Fighting the Continued War on the Homefront

Forced to clean up what was left and wasn't even considered as we sent our soldiers, not into one more failed policy War and long Occupation of others but a second one as well, both still ongoing, both still creating soldiers and veterans, as well as families of, who are owed, more then any previous as they serve in both theaters and multiple tours, adding to all those that preceded and the numbers grow even as us older vets pass on, some getting the help some not and being fought for every step of the way!

Wounded Veterans' New Fight: The VA

This isn't new, this went on as we were coming back from Vietnam and if funding came for the problems created by a long running occupation and those deserving what the country promised for our service it was funneled from funding that had been promised to our brothers from the Korean conflict {one reason I started into veterans advocacy while busy eking out a living}, little new funding, or rather the always not enough, while stretching what was already given to the Veterans Administration by the Congresses, while war raged, as the DoD budgets continued there ever growing rise, where is that money really going, with no objection from the tax payers especially those who strongly complain about even paying taxes and led by their representatives that use that meme along with many other sound bites to keep they're jobs as they claim soul ownership to "Strong on National Defense", they aren't the only ones in our two party system but boy are they the ones that stick together on the votes and lack of over site and investigation, just check past Congressional Records.

Veterans Find Getting Vocational Training Sometimes Means Fighting a New Battle

Former Army medic Jeremy Smith (left) was wounded and paralyzed in Afghanistan. He was surprised when a Veteran's Affairs counselor told him he wasn't disabled enough for vocational benefits.(CBS)

Former Army medic Jeremy Smith was wounded and paralyzed in Afghanistan. Clearly qualified for both medical and pension benefits, Smith was surprised when a Veteran's Affairs counselor told him he wasn't disabled enough for vocational benefits.

"How can I not be disabled enough? How much more disabled do I need to be," Smith asked. "Should I go throw myself under a bus real quick?"

Wounded Soldiers' Homefront Battle

More than 41,000 U.S. servicemen and women have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. Wyatt Andrews reports that for some of these soldiers job training is tough to come by.

Yesterday, 02.26.10, I put together a quick post and placed it on a few sites about finally, hopefully, coming good news for our brothers and sisters of Gulf War I, sadly while the Country ignored and the Congresses and VA stonewalled, for two decades {another check of congressional records especially who controlled} many have passed on while fighting their homefront battle, another DeJa-Vu of War and Vietnam's Agent Orange {defoliants} similar battles and the same type cropping up from these two new theaters.

In one this reply was placed:

I would like to see congress include

veteran's care in the cost of future wars, to budget ahead, so to speak. We certainly have enough data from past wars to be able to figure out the cost of taking care of veterans and start including it in any decisions to go to war.

Glenn Beck wants to Restore Your Honor... do something.

by angelajean on Fri Feb 26, 2010 at 08:36:16 AM EST

Who is a Military Wife and has been waging a week long battle for help, this past week, finally getting one of her Diaries into the Rec List and with the responses and recommends to keep it there for a long period of time.

But the point she makes in her reply is one us older Vets have stated in similar words for decades, especially us 'Nam Vets, and I sometimes add the one result of War and Occupation to not only the soldiers sent but those who live in the countries invaded, PTSD, and how that should sit right along side the meme, rarely used these past decades, of "War as a Last Resort!".

This segment was originally broadcast on Oct. 29, 2006. It was updated on June 28, 2007.

Then there is Kenny Lyon. A Marine sergeant, whose miraculous battlefield rescue in Iraq - and 2 year fight to recover - was profiled on "60 Minutes."

A Fighting Chance July 1, 2007

Those wounded on the battlefield are surviving at historically high rates thanks to new technology and the old-fashioned courage of combat medics and surgeons. Scott Pelley reports.

The VA benefits these veterans requested are from a program called Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment, or Voc Rehab benefits. Separate from the GI Bill, Voc Rehab helps disabled vets get whatever training they need to live on their own or get a job. When it works, which is most of the time, Voc Rehab services range from sign language lessons to technical classes to Harvard Law School.

Snip

The number of veterans not well served, could easily be in the thousands. Last year, as applications surged, the General Accounting Office said most Voc Rehab regional offices had "fewer counselors than they need."

Read GAO Report {this is a 48page pdf}

Snip

It was designed as a nation's welcome home, a way to help disabled warriors return to work. But today's Voc Rehab program is often uneven. Some veterans are approved for Harvard - others randomly rejected. >>>>>

Government agencies by their nature will have problems especially those that are large because of the need and spread across the country in many forms, the VA is no different but it should have been one of the agencies that not only was the best in the world, especially as to care, research and even teaching, it should have been able to stay ahead in the advancing technology needed to run it and all it overseas. The problem with Government, thanks to the People and their Representatives, they make agencies reactive long after any problems have started and grown, thus costing tons more to fix, then proactive and reducing cost but building quality, businesses are now run in the same manner.

We've had some good leaders in the VA, over the decades, but more were appointed because of politics and they brought in similar political ideology people to work in the administrations of as well as new hires across the agency, we readily saw that recently with the previous DoJ, this wasn't done to give those that serve what is due but to save monies and keep budgets down at the same time growing obscenly the Defense Budgets which kept the execs of Defense Contractors and the Wall Streeters, especially the big houses and wealthy, extremely happy as they were also getting huge tax cuts, again same as businesses have grown to be run, especially the recent past decade plus.

One thing I've feared, over the past couple of decades especially, is the hiring and embedding of workers in positions of government employment that is hard to get them disciplined let alone fired for doing work that isn't for the better of those seeking help especially but doing what's needed politically to make new administrations, especially of an opposite political ideology, look extremely bad and heartless, creating enough problems so congress is constantly busy chasing down what went wrong and correcting, and keeping the short minded bases pointing at the problems now not who created them nor when, again costing tons more, rather then concentrating on the needs to move the country forward.

We have another new administrator of the VA and he's brought in a number of new people to help, especially in correcting what wasn't done in the previous decade plus, as two conflicts raged, and finally investigated the last couple of years by congress as well as problems cropping up since they took over and long running issues that have been ignored or stonewalled for years. So far not only hasn't the new administrator, Gen Shinseki, not looked nor acted like a political appointee but neither have those he's brought into his administration. I often use the flurry of the VA press releases as well as reports found since they've taken charge only a few months back in a verity of ways. I should have started this a couple of months after they took over and the flurry had already began, especially in not only tackling the many problems of care, education etc. but also as they've started trying to bring the agency into the 21st century technology wise as to record keeping and any other uses they can find to make the agency run smooth thus cheaper and much better. I have set up a new site: Veterans Administration into the 21st Century, actually yesterday, to start not only posting up some of what's going on but to help me and others keep tab on the statements, programs etc., and promises as we and they move forward and follow any advancements made because of the actions taken.

But it comes all down, as to the VA, to what this Country not only owes those who serve it but the promises made over these decades and not kept!

Not only by the people but those they hire to represent. And as to those hires, we're always here, not only as to an election coming up and you instantly find us and use us for your own purposes, holding that well paying great benefits and great connections power job, for as long as you can or feel the need to advance yourself, and then quickly go back to ignoring or stonewalling us!!