"You Picked the Wrong Fight Burr, The Wrong Fight Indeed!!"

For many of us older vets know what is really behind those flag pins, the wrapping of oneself in the flag, the magnetic ribbons, the huge defense budgets and so much more of the words and not actions.

Rachel Maddow 'SLAMS' Republican North Carolina Senator Richard Burr because of his obstruction of confirming Tammy Duckworth to the Veterans Administrations



We take an oath when giving of ourselves to the service of the Country and Constitution:

I, (name), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

Does anyone see any mention of political party affiliation in that oath, does anyone see anything that relates to us being used as political pawns by those we hire to represent?


And Jon Soltz Speaks What Many Vets Are Saying and Thinking

His actions angered some veterans groups Friday.

"Senator Burr has had plenty of time to ask questions of her," Jon Soltz, the chairman of VoteVets.org, an organization of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, said in a statement. "Senator Burr is only hurting American veterans with this nonsense. He should stop playing petty partisan games, stop needling the White House for the sheer fun of it and grow up."

Burr still has questions about Duckworth's nomination, his office said. >>>>> Rest Here

AKAKA SPEAKS OUT ON BURR'S DELAY....
OF DUCKWORTH CONFIRMATION

"I did not hear any concerns expressed at the hearing that would block her confirmation ... This is a disappointing setback."

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka issued the following statement tonight after the nomination of L. Tammy Duckworth to be VA Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs was not considered at a business meeting of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee:

Larry Scott at VA Watchdog!!

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Contact Sen. Richard Burr's Office Through his Online Contact Form

Or:

Asheville
Federal Building
151 Patton Avenue, Suite 204
Asheville, NC 28801
Phone: (828) 350-2437
Fax: (828) 350-2439

Rocky Mount
100 Coast Line Street, Room 210
Rocky Mount, NC 27804
Phone: (252) 977-9522
Fax: (252) 977-7902

Washington, DC
217 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3154
Fax: (202) 228-2981


Winston-Salem
2000 West First Street
Suite 508
Winston-Salem, NC 27104
Phone: (800) 685-8916
Phone: (336) 631-5125
Fax: (336) 725-4493

Gastonia
City Hall
181 South Street, Room 222
Gastonia, NC 28052
Phone: (704) 833-0854
Fax: (704) 833-1467

Wilmington
201 North Front Street
Suite 809
Wilmington, NC 28401
Phone: (888) 848-1833
Phone: (910) 251-1058

Now most reading will think, "He's not my Senator so what good would my contacting do, and it's a waste of time and effort.". NOT, the Veterans Administration and the Military are not there just for North Carolina, we serve the Country and it's Constitution. So Contact Today, let him come to work on monday and know, as Jon said: "Grow Up Senator Burr, Grow Up!"

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Major reforms in works for veterans' benefits

""Tammy Duckworth, a helicopter pilot badly wounded in Iraq and now up for a top position in the VA, told lawmakers Wednesday that "If (the VA) cannot be in every hometown across America, we will find partners who are."""

WASHINGTON - For years, government care and benefits for veterans were often hard to get because of bureaucratic or geographic hurdles.

But that may be changing.

Veterans' advocates - including lawmakers and the newly appointed leaders of the Veterans Affairs Department - are pushing sweeping reforms in benefits and management practices to modernize the system.

Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, is shepherding a raft of legislation that would enhance education benefits, increase access to medical care and raise income ceilings that cut off access to services. >>>>>Rest Here

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PSI Supports DoD and VA Mission

to Treat Soldiers with PTSD and TBI

HIMSS 2009 Annual Conference

FALLS CHURCH, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Planned Systems International, Inc. (PSI), a leading provider of information technology (IT) solutions and services to the federal government, is involved in three major initiatives which support the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Veterans Administration (VA) in their mission to deliver critical Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) care for our nation's Wounded Warriors.

An article in US Medicine reported that service members returning from war with PTSD and/or TBI has been a growing concern in the military. In the article, Mike Veasey, Defense Health Services Systems principal deputy program manager, indicated that many of these service-members live in rural areas where they receive care through TRICARE's civilian network. The article highlighted the importance of these civilian physicians having the training they need to care for our veterans.

The Civilian Provider Training Portal, a pilot web portal developed by a team of PSI specialists for the TRICARE Management Activity (TMA), provides training to civilian health care providers who care for service members and veterans with PTSD and TBI. With PSI's assistance, MHS Learn delivers this training through a new front-end portal, complete with continuing medical education certificates, custom reports, and a refined Self Registration process. The pilot program is taking place for six (6) months and will then be evaluated for potential production of additional education courses to help providers treat patients suffering from disorders related to military experiences. The Civilian Provider Training Portal is also supported by Oracle Corporation's (Oracle) iLearning software and On Demand services and can be accessed at Mil/Civilian Provider Education.***** >>>>>Rest Here

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To Last Decades...........

Vets' homelessness, mental problems expected to last decades

Homelessness, family strains and psychological problems among returning veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars will persist in the United States for generations to come, the top U.S. military officer said Thursday.
"This is not a 10-year problem. It is a 50- or 60- or 70-year problem," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told an audience of the Hudson Union Society, a group that promotes non-partisan debate.

Something us 'Nam Vets already know as many of our Brothers have gone through and continue to, for the decades since, as the Nation looks the other way!!!