Ex Senator Faced '2nd Vietnam'

Former Sen. Max Cleland Details Political War Wounds in Memoir: Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome

Vietnam Vet Tells ABC News' David Muir: 'I Went Down Into Almost a Death Spiral'

As a young Army platoon leader in Vietnam, Max Cleland sent hours of audio dispatches home to his parents not knowing just how true his words would become.

"I'm definitely coming back a little bit differently than when I came here," he said on tape.

On April 8, 1968, just days from the scheduled end of his tour in Vietnam, Cleland spotted a hand grenade in the grass as he jumped off a helicopter. It had been dropped by another soldier, and Cleland reached for it, not knowing it was live.

In a flash of fire, Cleland lost both legs, his right arm and, almost, his life.

Snip

Cleland's descent began after he lost a bruising battle for re-election to Republican Saxby Chambliss in 2002. Losing was tough enough, but the way he lost added to the pain. Chambliss' campaign questioned Cleland's "courage to lead" in a campaign ad that flashed pictures of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.

Snip

Playing on television screens at Walter Reed was the inspirational video Cleland had starred in as a senator to help the newly injured returning from war.

"The irony was overwhelming," he said. "I mean, you know, because I could see myself saying those things and they were great and accurate at the time, but I hadn't received the second wound, the second Vietnam, the second loss of sense of meaning and purpose and direction in life.

"I would look down the hall," he added, "and I would see a younger generation, you know, missing arms, legs ... and I thought, 'Oh my God.'"..>>>>>

Max Cleland talks to David Muir


Max's Book: "Heart of a Patriot: How I Found the Courage to Survive Vietnam, Walter Reed and Karl Rove"

Click here to read an excerpt of Cleland's book, "Heart of a Patriot," in PDF form

The Effects of War One in six Americans soldiers suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder



US: Soldiers Forced to Go AWOL for PTSD Care

With a military health care system over-stretched by two ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, more soldiers are deciding to go absent without leave (AWOL) in order to find treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Snip

"What I saw and what I did in Iraq caused my PTSD," Jasinski, 23-years-old, told IPS during a phone interview, "Also, I went through a divorce - she left right before I deployed - and my grandmother passed away when I was over there, so it was all super rough on me."

In addition, he lost a friend in Iraq, and another of his friends lost his leg due to a roadside bomb attack.

Snip

During his pre-deployment processessing "they gave me a 90-day supply of meds to get me over to Iraq, and I saw a counsellor during that period, and I told him "I don’t know what I’m going to do if I go back to Iraq."

"He asked if I was suicidal," Jasinski explained, "and I said not right now, I’m not planning on going home and blowing my brains out. He said, ‘well, you’re good to go then.’ And he sent me on my way. I knew at that moment, when they finalised my paperwork for Iraq, that there was no way I could go back with my untreated PTSD. I needed more help."...>>>>>

Operation Free

We are packing our bags and heading east next week to join the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference. A delegation of veterans from OpFree will be there to make sure the world understands the grave threat climate change poses to global security. We know that climate change makes the world a more dangerous place and that dependence on oil makes America vulnerable. That's why it's time for America to get on the team with the rest of the world and lead by example to combat this threat

We'll be livecasting our press events and updates from the conference.

To keep up to date on activities, sign up here for reminders to watch and/or listen to our broadcasts: "Live from Copenhagen with Operation Free."

Our veterans will bring personal stories and a front-lines perspective to the national security threat, a vital and oft-overlooked aspect of the ongoing negotiations. Most of the veterans served during the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. We hope you'll join us in Denmark.

Thanks for all you do,

Operation Free

Jon Powers

Violation of Disability Rights

Protest of McDonalds over Violation of Disability Rights

Capt. Luis Montalvan was joined by supporters to protest his mistreatment by McDonald's employees when he went there to eat with his service dog, Tuesday.

Protest of McDonalds over Violation of Disability Rights

Luis Carlos Montalván's Facebook Page for more on this.

Counting the War Dead, Daily

As a hobby, he counts the war dead

Michael White says he didn't anticipate casualities continuing at this pace, or the toll his Web site would take on him.

Every day, White, 51, updates a Web site he launched in 2003, icasualties.org, to keep count of the dead: American troops, coalition troops, contractors and Iraqi civilians. He eventually began documenting deaths in Afghanistan as well.

Snip

Nor could White have predicted the toll his task would take on him. As the numbers climbed, the dead came back to life on his screen. They weren't just statistics anymore...>>>>>

Bagpiper: Honor to the Fallen

Bagpiper has been witness to hundreds of soldiers' memorials

Vietnam vet says all of them should get the attention that Fort Hood shooting victims have received...>>>>>

Continuing the Veterans Day Messages......

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, 11.11.09, I caught a couple of important discussions in the continuing known by us veterans are the results of wars and occupations of choice, or any war and occupation, as to the veterans and military personal once they've been sent to serve in and then return home, most being discharged from their service obligation after serving the time they signed up for, all at that point or later becoming the veterans of their service.

This first one is just a news report I happened upon but hits on the issue many of us are long time advocates of and adds to the rest posted below it.

Veterans struggle with stress, PTSD

November 11, 2009 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Along with the common bond of serving the country, many veterans share the burden of dealing with post-war stress...>>>>>

On the NPR Diane Rehm show the following discussion took place in the first hour of her show:

Diane Rehm NPR Show: America's Wars Observed

Guest host: Susan Page

On the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan: A journalist and a photographer document, in unflinching detail, the complex, contradictory and often tragic experiences of U-S troops at war.
Guests

Tammy Duckworth, assistant secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs

David Finkel, author of "The Good Soldiers" (Farrar,Straus & Giroux) national enterprise editor, The Washington Post

Peter van Agtmael, photographer, "2nd Tour Hope I Don't Die"

Listen to the Show:

Windows Media Player

Real Audio Player

Publisher Comments:

It was the last-chance moment of the war. In January 2007, President George W. Bush announced a new strategy for Iraq. He called it the surge. Many listening tonight will ask why this effort will succeed when previous operations to secure Baghdad did not. Well, here are the differences, he told a skeptical nation. Among those listening were the young, optimistic army infantry soldiers of the 2-16, the battalion nicknamed the Rangers. About to head to a vicious area of Baghdad, they decided the difference would be them.

Fifteen months later, the soldiers returned home forever changed. Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter David Finkel was with them in Bagdad, and almost every grueling step of the way.

What was the true story of the surge? And was it really a success? Those are the questions he grapples with in his remarkable report from the front lines. Combining the action of Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down with the literary brio of Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, The Good Soldiers is an unforgettable work of reportage. And in telling the story of these good soldiers, the heroes and the ruined, David Finkel has also produced an eternal tale--not just of the Iraq War, but of all wars, for all time.

Publisher Comments:

A collection of Peter van Agtmael's photography of America's Wars from January 2006 to December 2008

Then on last nights PBS News Hour this was part of their show, first part of a discussion with a veteran of our recent occupations then a discussion on Post Traumatic Stress in many military personal and veterans of all conflicts as to the stress of war:

PBS News Hour: For Some Veterans, the Battle Continues Against PTSD

After returning home from Iraq, Marine Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Workman struggled with the memories of war. As Betty Ann Bowser reports, soldiers like Workman are finding that often time, returning home can mean a new battle with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Snip

BETTY ANN BOWSER: Eventually, Workman was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

In his new book, "Shadow of the Sword: A Marine's Journey of War, Heroism, and Redemption" Workman chronicles that traumatic day in Fallujah and his five-year struggle with PTSD. After returning from Iraq, Workman was sent to Parris Island to be trained as a drill instructor, a much-respected job in the Marine Corps, but he found it made his PTSD worse.

SGT. JEREMIAH WORKMAN: It was pretty bad. I mean, mentally, it was just killing me inside...>>>>>Rest of Transcript Here with Audio Link

Part 1: Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Workman


Part 2: Counseling Soldiers with Traumatic Stress


Extended Comments with Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Workman

Publisher Comments:

Awarded the Navy Cross for gallantry under fire, Staff Sergeant Jeremiah Workman is one of the Marine Corps' best-known contemporary combat veterans. In this searing and inspiring memoir, he tells an unforgettable story of his service overseas-and of the emotional wars that continue to rage long after our fighting men come home.

Raised in a tiny blue-collar town in Ohio, Jeremiah Workman was a handsome and athletic high achiever. Having excelled on the sporting field, he believed that the Marine Corps would be the perfect way to harness his physical and professional drives.

In the Iraqi city of Fallujah in December 2004, Workman faced the challenge that would change his life. He and his platoon were searching for hidden caches of weapons and mopping up die-hard insurgent cells when they came upon a building in which a team of fanatical insurgents had their fellow Marines trapped. Leading repeated assaults on that building, Workman killed more than twenty of the enemy in a ferocious firefight that left three of his own men dead.

But Workman's most difficult fight lay ahead of him-in the battlefield of his mind. Burying his guilt about the deaths of his men, he returned stateside, where he was decorated for valor and then found himself assigned to the Marine base at Parris Island as a Kill Hat: a drill instructor with the least seniority and the most brutal responsibilities. He was instructed, only half in jest, to push his untested recruits to the brink of suicide. Haunted by the thought that he had failed his men overseas, Workman cracked, suffering a psychological breakdown in front of the men he was charged with leading and preparing for war.

In Shadow of the Sword, a memoir that brilliantly captures both wartime courage and its lifelong consequences, Workman candidly reveals the ordeal of post-traumatic stress disorder: the therapy and drug treatments that deadened his mind even as they eased his pain, the overwhelming stress that pushed his marriage to the brink, and the confrontations with anger and self-blame that he had internalized for years.

Having fought through the worst of his trials-and now the father of a young son-Workman has found not perfection or a panacea but a way to accommodate his traumas and to move forward toward hope, love, and reconciliation.

I recently was contacted by Michael Anthony, who last October returned home from a tour of duty from Iraq as an Operating Room Medic with the Army reserves. Upon returning home he began writing a memoir of his time in Iraq. A few months ago he signed a deal and his memoir is now in bookstores. The book is titled: "Mass Casualties: A Young Medic's True Story of Death, Deception, and Dishonor in Iraq"

Publisher Comments:
From the Introduction:

Look around, the drill sergeant said. In a few years, or even a few months, several of you will be dead. Some of you will be severely wounded or so badly mutilated that your own mother can't stand the sight of you. And for the real unlucky ones, you will come home so emotionally disfigured that you wish you had died over there.

It was Week 7 of Basic Training . . . 18 years old and I was preparing myself to die.

They say the Army makes a man out of you but for 18-year-old SPC Michael Anthony, that fabled rite of passage proved a very dark journey. After soliciting his parentsa approval to enlist at only 17, Anthony began his journey with an unshakeable faith in the military born of his family's long tradition of service. But when thrust into a medical unit of misfits as lost as he was, SPC Anthony not only witnessed the unspeakable horror of war but the undeniable misconduct of the military firsthand. Everything he ever believed in dissolved, forcing Anthony to rethink his loyalties, and ultimately risk his career and his freedom to challenge the military he had so firmly believed in.

This searing memoir chronicles the iconic experiences that changed one young soldier forever. A seasoned veteran before the age of twenty-one, he faced the truth about the war and himself in this shocking and unprecedented eyewitness account.

This is Michael Anthony's Website with more information about him as well as his book.

Matthew Hoh: Afghanistan

11.04.09

Matthew Hoh speaks to Rachel Maddow about Afghanistan and the Occupation Of!!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Women at Arms: Coping with PTSD

A Combat Role, and Anguish, Too

For Vivienne Pacquette, being a combat veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder means avoiding phone calls to her sons, dinner out with her husband and therapy sessions that make her talk about seeing the reds and whites of her friends’ insides after a mortar attack in 2004.

As with other women in her position, hiding seems to make sense. Post-traumatic stress disorder distorts personalities: some veterans who have it fight in their sleep; others feel paranoid around children. And as women return to a society unfamiliar with their wartime roles, they often choose isolation over embarrassment.

Many spend months or years as virtual shut-ins, missing the camaraderie of Iraq or Afghanistan, while racked with guilt over who they have become.

Snip

Some psychiatrists say that women do better in therapy because they are more comfortable talking through their emotions, but it typically takes years for them to seek help. In interviews, female veterans with post-traumatic stress said they did not always feel their problems were justified, or would be treated as valid by a military system that defines combat as an all-male activity...>>>Rest Found Here

Women at Arms

A record number of women are coming home from war with post-traumatic stress disorder. Four years after leaving Iraq, Shalimar Bien explains her continuing struggle.

Women at Arms
The Psychological Scars

Articles in this series explore how the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have profoundly redefined the role of women in the military.
Previous Articles in the Series

A series many should visit and read.

Matthew Hoh: "I wish people would refute what I'm saying."

On October 29th 2009 the PBS News Hour had a discussion with Matthew Hoh the State Department Official who resigned over the Afghan War.

Ex-State Department Official Explains Exit Over Afghan War Strategy

A few of Matthews points made during their discussion and the video of same:

Matthew Hoh Former State Department Official
I believe it's only going to fuel the insurgency. It's only going to reinforce claims by our enemies that we are an occupying power, because we are an occupying power.

JUDY WOODRUFF: After five months serving with the State Department in Afghanistan, Matthew Hoh became the first U.S. official known to resign in protest against American policies there.

In his September 10 letter of resignation, revealed this week in "The Washington Post," the former Marine captain said: "I fail to see the value or worth in continued U.S. casualties or expenditure of resources in support of the Afghan government in what is, truly, a 35-year-old civil war."

Hoh's resignation was greeted more in sorrow than in anger by the State Department. Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke said -- quote -- "We took his letter very seriously because he was a good officer."

Mr. Hoh joins us now:

MATTHEW HOH: I don't believe al-Qaida will come back.

I believe that, since 2001, al-Qaida has evolved. They have turned into, as I like to say, an ideological cloud that exists on the Internet and recruits worldwide. They -- if you look at the attacks al-Qaida has been successful with over the last seven, eight years, including attacks on 9/11, they weren't conducted by Afghans or Pakistanis.

And a lot of the preparation and training, it took place in Western Europe or even here in the United States. So, I don't think al-Qaida has any interest in ever tying itself again to a geographical or political boundary. I think they're content to exist as they have evolved. And they are a threat, and they should be our priority. We need to defeat them.

But, again, 60,000 troops in Afghanistan does not defeat al-Qaida.

"The idea that we're losing somebody's son or somebody's husband is dying to support a regime that's profiting off of our aid money is criminal. It's wrong."

MATTHEW HOH: Sure. And I wish people would refute what I'm saying. I have seen that criticism, but I have not seen anyone tell me why it's not a civil war.

I have not seen anyone tell me how stabilizing the Afghan government will defeat al-Qaida. I have not heard anyone tell me how keeping 60,000 troops, or 80,000, or 100,000 troops in Afghanistan will stabilize Pakistan. So, I haven't heard the answers to those questions.

As for the criticisms about my age or that I was only there for five months, I was there for five months. I was in two parts of the country. I worked with as many local people as I could. And I listened as much as possible.

At that point, what I wrote -- first off, what I wrote in my resignation letter, there's not a novel or unique thought in that. Those are thoughts shared by military officers and State Department officers as well. My concern is not how are we fighting this war, but why are we fighting this war...>>>Rest of Transcript {and audio & video links} found here

Matthew Hoh's Resignation Letter to the State Department

The Thin Gray Line: Afghanistan



The Thin Gray Line: The Education of Lt. Jake Kerr a U.S. Military outpost in Afganistan on the border with Pakistan.

October 29th 2009 0n NPR's All Things Considered they also have a discussion with Matthew Hoh:

A Sudden Exit Driven By An 'Irrational' War

A former Marine captain who became the first foreign service official to publicly resign in protest over the war in Afghanistan says staying in the country is not in America's interest.

"The losses of our soldiers do not merit anything that comes in line with our strategic interests or values," Matthew Hoh, who signed on as a foreign service official in Afghanistan after fighting in Iraq, tells NPR's Melissa Block.

Hoh resigned last month after spending five working months in Afghanistan. In his resignation letter, he said he had "lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purpose of the United States' presence in Afghanistan."...>>>Rest found here

You can listen with this link which brings up the NPR player.

Toll of War

At Dover, Obama feels toll of war

Hours after a personal encounter with the grim cost of war, President Barack Obama said Thursday the sight of 18 flag-covered cases holding the remains of Americans killed this week in Afghanistan can't help but influence his thinking about sending more troops overseas.

"It was a sobering reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices that our young men and women in uniform are engaging in every single day, not only our troops but their families as well," Obama said from the White House, reflecting briefly on his surprise middle-of-the-night trip to Dover Air Force Base to observe the return of the fallen Americans to the United States.

Speaking softly and somewhat haltingly, Obama said losses such as these are "something that I think about each and every day."..>>>

Sen John Kerry Slams Dick Cheney

For Obama/Afghanistan Criticisms



Kerry's supposed to be on the PBS News Hour tonight, 10.26.09, to talk about Afghanistan!

You'll be able to view the video, or listen in audio and read the transcript after the show or tomorrow.

Afghanistan: The Big Picture

Afghanistan, September, 2009

Today's entry is the first of a new regular feature on the Big Picture: a monthly focus on Afghanistan. From now on, I will post such an entry at least once every month as long as necessary. Violence in Afghanistan has reached its most intense of the eight-year-old war despite record levels of U.S. and NATO troops being sent to fight the Taliban. July and August were the two deadliest months to date for coalition forces, and September is already the 3rd-deadliest, with 38 U.S. deaths - 68 total including all coalition members. With an apparently resurgent Taliban and over 120,000 foreign troops on the ground, and a recent push for the U.S. to consider sending 40,000 more {beyond the additional 21,000 troops still committed but yet undeployed}, the situation in Afghanistan could possibly become even more intense in the near future. Collected here is a one-month collection of photos related to Afghanistan for September, 2009. {Past entries in category Afghanistan} {43 photos total}

These are some Outstanding Photo's, but must warn those with dialup or slow connections, they are not small photo's each is rather large on a long scroll page, so it might take time to download so you can view.

$3,000 Immediate Checks to be Handed (literally)

This is gonna be short but Real Sweet!!

I want you to go over to VetVoice and visit a post Richard Smith just placed with all the good news of How This New Veterans Administration, under the Obama Administration, Really Works!!

Richard starts the long subject title with what I've got in mine, then leads into this:

To Vet Students Who Haven't Received Benefits

Leading in with this:

Hopefully, that is the first of many headlines we'll see like that, which I can't imagine seeing in the last Administration....Read the Rest Here

Richard Smith, the OIF/OEF Vet who posted the above I'm linking back to, at VetVoice, added another post explaining further the lead up to this decision by the VA.

Now the Veterans administration, and congressional committee's have been coming out with a flurry of announcements, especially once Shinseki was seated.

Go take a visit and read about the above, and to just make this abit longer here's some other news:

VA praises Phila. nursing home after 2008 problems

Slowly correcting the extreme foulups of the previous administration and that incompetent corrupt leadership, especially as to the VA while they started and waged two occupations!!

Seven months after a devastating report detailing degrading and dangerous conditions at the Philadelphia veterans nursing home, an unannounced inspection by regional VA officials found "dramatic improvements."

Michael E. Moreland, network director for the Department of Veterans Affairs region, said his team had talked to every resident and many families, checked medical charts, and examined residents during an inspection in May....>>>Read Rest Here

And this:

Valley Va Hospital

Veterans making another push for Valley VA hospital

Doctors were still digging shrapnel out of Ramiro Galvan’s legs nearly 30 years after he was hit by a mortar blast in Vietnam.

The mortar blew off his calf and sent Galvan in and out of service hospitals for several months before he was discharged in 1970.

The 63-year-old San Benito resident returned home to Cameron County, where he has counted his blessings ever since that his injuries weren’t much worse.....>>>>

Lets All give them a Hand, Especially if you're in Texas, they didn't March earlier this year for Nothing, and Texans you can vote on helping them get this Long Needed Facility!!!

Episode Six: No Longer a Monster

This is Where We Take Our Stand Final Episode

"No one could hear our stories and still support this s***!" -- Geoff Millard

No Longer a Monster from Displaced Films on Vimeo.

No Longer a Monster: "There are no more authoritative voices to speak out about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan than the people who have been there under fire," declares singer Tom Morello (The Nightwatchman, Rage Against the Machine), as he leads a raucous celebration of three days of intense, painful, and liberating testimony. And while James Gilligan reveals the deep similarities between the "bad war" (Iraq) and the "good war" (Afghanistan), Jon Turner declares for all, "I am sorry for the things that I did, I am no longer the monster that I once was."

This is Where We Take Our Stand, the series that tells the riveting and timely story of the hundreds of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who testified at last year's Winter Soldier investigation, continues today. Watch episode five, tell friends, forward this email, spread the word and fan the debate. These stories must be heard.

Krakauer Explores Pat Tillman's Death And Cover-Up

I did a post the other day about Jon Krakauer and his new book: "Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman" with a video report from ABC's Good Morning America and from the ABC World News Tonight.

He's since been on at least two NPR shows one being All Things Considered which is about a seven minute discussion of the book and the Pat Tillman military service story that was propagandized by both the cheney/bush administration, the pentagon and the military!

Krakauer talks to NPR's Melissa Block about his investigation into Tillman's death by friendly fire — and the Army's subsequent effort to cover up the circumstances of that death.

A Spray Of Bullets

At least half the members of a platoon traveling through Afghanistan on April 22, 2004, had never been in a firefight before. But on this day, the enemy attacked. In response, the American soldiers sprayed thousands of rounds from their machine guns, M4s and grenade launchers..........Read Rest Here

The second show was the Diane Rehm show, with a much more indepth discussion and some call in's, on Sept. 16th, he was the second half hour.

Jon Krakauer: "Where Men Win Glory" (Doubleday)

Pat Tillman walked away from a multi-million dollar N-F-L contract to fight with U-S special forces. He was killed in Afghanistan two years later. How the Army tried to keep his family and the public from learning the truth about his death.

Guests
Jon Krakauer, author of "Into the Wild", "Into Thin Air", and "Under the Banner of Heaven," "Eiger Dreams," and editor of Modern Library Exploration series.

You can listen in with Your Real Player or with the Windows Media Player

Jon Krakauer's book: "Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman"

DAV Virtual March on Washington

The March Has Begun



Welcome to the Virtual March on Washington for Veterans

“Million Claims March.”

The YouTube player here is showing the videos in a certain order, but feel free to jump around by clicking on the video if you want to pick and choose. But every message here contains important information. Also, there are links in several of the video descriptions that you might find informative.

Thank you for marching with us and for standing up for veterans!

Before you proceed, please register for the march. It is free and only asks for your name, e-mail address and ZIP code.

Visit the Virtual March Site for much more information.

This Country needs to finally stand up for those who serve, by helping to bring the Veterans Administration into the 21st Century in the Technology needed, we've been playing catchup for far to long causing higher costs and extreme delays. This isn't only in the Veterans Administration but across the spectrum of the Government Agencies.

The blame doesn't just rest in any Executive Administration nor Congress, though there are some who voice support for us Veterans but Obstruct when the needs are placed into legislation. The blame lies with the Country, the majority that don't serve and don't want to sacrifice anything, that causes more costs and hardships over the years from our Wars of Choice, it's long past time to remedy the countries self created problems.

Lets make sure we keep our representatives to their words "In Our Names", but they are only hired to represent, It's Up To The Country To Really Support!

We have a President and Congress, that Congress has been playing catchup the last couple of years correcting what wasn't done nor even thought about as to the military and veterans, Now that are not only trying to fix what wasn't done in the leadup to and continued occupations of two countries over these past eight years but trying to push the Veterans Agency into the twenty first century and bring not only the care and need for quicker resolution to benefits owed but by doing so bringing the cost of operating the agency down.

Press Release Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/

The following resolution was adopted by the Democratic National Committee on Friday, September 11th, 2009 in Austin, Texas.

Resolution Commending Democrats for Delivering a New Direction for America's Servicemembers, Veterans and Military Families

Submitted by: Christine Pelosi, California; Don Fowler, At-Large/South Carolina; Alice Germond, DNC Secretary/West Virginia; Steven K. Alari, California; Belkis Leong-Hong, At-Large/Maryland; Barbara Easterling, At-Large/Virginia; Ben Jeffers, Louisiana; and James Zogby, At-Large, District of Columbia

WHEREAS, Democrats promised a new direction for America's servicemembers, veterans and military families, who have demonstrated great patriotism and sacrifice in their commitment to keeping us safe and free; and,

WHEREAS, in the first 200 days of the 111th Congress and the Obama administration, Democrats have kept this promise, beginning with the FY 2009 Supplemental Appropriations bill that provides our troops with planning, equipment, and leadership to wind down the Iraq war, changes strategy in Afghanistan; and, makes retroactive payments to over 185,000 service members whose enlistments were involuntarily extended since the 9/11 terrorist attacks; and,

WHEREAS, Democrats directed specific aid to servicemembers, veterans and military families in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: the stimulus package provided veterans direct and indirect aid, adding up to $15.8 billion. Disabled veterans received direct benefits in the form of one-time payments of $250 and all businesses can now claim a tax credit for 40 percent of the first $6,000 of wages paid to unemployed veterans. In addition, the stimulus included renovation to national cemeteries and veterans medical facilities, grants to build new veterans care

facilities and money to improve VA benefits administration; and,

WHEREAS, Democrats have led the charge to successfully pass and implement the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and recently expanded the Post-9/11 GI bill benefits to cover the full cost of a college education for all children of fallen U.S. servicemembers; and,

WHEREAS, Democrats have passed, and President Obama has signed legislation that provides mental health screenings and more veterans healthcare resources than at any other time in the 77-year history of the Veterans Administration; and,

WHEREAS, House Democrats have passed legislation to strengthen national security by bolstering State Department resources to prevent conflict and failed states around the world; authorizing a 3.4% pay raise for our troops; expanding support for military families such as health care and housing; investing 15% more than 2009 for medical care, benefits claims processors, and facility improvements; and permitting veterans medically retired from active service to receive both military retirement and Veterans Disability Compensation.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the DNC commends the successful leadership by President Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress to provide a new direction for servicemembers, veterans and military families, and to deliver bipartisan results that make a real difference in their lives, and pledges that Democrats will never waver in our support for our servicemembers, veterans and military families.

SOURCE Democratic National Committee

Pat Tillman "Where Men Win Glory"

This was just reported on ABC World News and apparently ABC Good Morning America also had a report this morning, video from that below.

EXCERPT: Jon Krakauer's 'Where Men Win Glory'
Krakauer Investigates the Life and Death of American Football Hero Pat Tillman

Patrick Tillman, former NFL player, made national headlines when he gave up his lucrative sports career to join the U.S. Army Rangers.

Tillman, one of the most potent symbols of post-9/11 patriotism in America, was gunned down by friendly fire in 2004.

Revelations abound in Krakauer's new book, coming from interviews with friends and relatives, and Tillman's personal journals.

Read an excerpt of the book below:

Excerpt From the Prologue

Ever since Homo sapiens first coalesced into tribes, war has been part of the human condition. Inevitably, warring societies portray their campaigns as virtuous struggles, and present their fallen warriors as heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for a noble cause. But death by so- called friendly fire, which is an inescapable aspect of armed conflict in the modern era, doesn't conform to this mythic narrative. It strips away war's heroic veneer to reveal what lies beneath. It's an unsettling reminder that barbarism, senseless violence, and random death are commonplace even in the most "just" and "honorable" of wars. Consequently, and unsurprisingly, when soldiers accidentally kill one of their own, there is tremendous reluctance to confront the truth within the ranks of the military. There is an overwhelming inclination to keep the unsavory particulars hidden from public view, to pretend the calamity never occurred. Thus it has always been, and probably always will be. As Aeschylus, the exalted Greek tragedian, noted in the fifth century b.c., "In war, truth is the first casualty."

Jon Krakauer's book: "Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman"

Although it wasn't Tillman's intention, when he left the Cardinals to join the Army he was transformed overnight into an icon of post-9/11 patriotism. Seizing the opportunity to capitalize on his celebrity, the Bush administration endeavored to use his name and image to promote what it had christened the Global War on Terror. Tillman abhorred this role. As soon as he decided to enlist, he stopped talking to the press altogether, although his silence did nothing to squelch America's fascination with the football star who traded the bright lights and riches of the NFL for boot camp and a bad haircut. Following his death on the battlefield, the public's interest in Tillman shot through the roof. The posthumous media frenzy shed little light on who he really was, however. The intricate mosaic of personal history that defined his existence was obscured by the blizzard of hype.

In the interview video above, from ABC's "Good Morning America" we find out he was also in Iraq, but not only that he was involved in the operation to rescue Jessica Lynch. Even this author didn't know about that untill he was going through the papers and reports preparing the book. Tillman apparently knew it was a bogus operation and that he might be used in similar manner if something happened, He Was Right!!

He also could have gotten out of the Army and never have gone to Afghanistan, but choose to stay and finish his commitment!!

Read the Rest Here

Think Vietnam Vets Were Screwed?

Wait Until You See How Many Veterans of Bush's Wars End up in Jail

By Penny Coleman

Master Sgt. Hawk Randolph lost his legs during the Gulf War and became homeless when he returned. (Photo: Keith-e / flickr)

Far too many soldiers end up behind bars while the rest of us are free to ignore the human evidence of what our military ventures really cost.

As all the other justifications for the U.S. invasion of Iraq have fallen by the wayside, it is ironic that the one that remains is "freedom," because in the name of someone else's freedom, we train our own soldiers to behave in ways that may very well cost them their own.

Gordy Lane is a retired Syracuse police detective who served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. As a cop, it was his job to put lawbreakers behind bars, but as a veteran, he understands that when you go to war, "you come back a little different than when you went over there."

"Listen," he says, "you pop up out of a foxhole, and you blow a guy's head open like a watermelon. The other two guys in the foxhole start patting you on the back and saying, 'Good job!' because you just did the worst thing that you can do to another person. How do you translate that into civilian life?"

For far too many soldiers, the simple answer is, you don't.........Read Rest Here

Penny Coleman is the widow of a Vietnam veteran who took his own life after coming home. Her latest book, "Flashback: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Suicide and the Lessons of War", was released on Memorial Day, 2006. Her Web site is Flashback.

'I Have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder'

Full Episode: Veterans cope with the horrors of war

True Life - MTV Shows

Arthur, Kenny and Adam struggle to adjust to civilian life despite having PTSD.

Kabul: U.S. Embassy "Lord of the Flies" {UpDated}

We're being charged an extremely high price for this, called security, not only in the monetary but in how our country is perceived, which feeds into stamping as correct the propaganda about us given by others, and just adds to the mounting number of reports already from Afghanistan and also Iraq about our private armies, mercenaries,mercs, hired guns!

Security Contractors Under Scrutiny at U.S. Embassy in Kabul

A nonpartisan watchdog on Tuesday charged that language barriers, overwork, and lewd behavior by U.S. government contractors are undermining security at the American embassy in Kabul. Margaret Warner reports.

POGO Letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton regarding U.S. Embassy in Kabul

September 1, 2009

The Honorable Hillary Clinton
Secretary, Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Clinton:............rest of letter here

Web Site of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul

Where are, hell where were, all these so called 'teabaggers' when reports like this come out, they're supposedly complaining about their tax dollars and the disintegration of their america, yet they were silent, and always are, these last eight years and two long running occupations where the actions of these mercenaries place our soldiers in greater harm.

Where are they now as this report hits? Going to Health Care Townhalls calling everyone who disagrees with them a whole host of childish and dangerous names, while those they listen to and watch hint at harm to the newly elected President and those others not agreeing with them as they come packing weapons!

Even been recent reports, like this dedication tomorrow, of the, doing their thing at Veterans Clinics newly opened and dedicated or at ground breaking ceremonies for, supposedly voicing their opposition to 'socialist? health care' programs, but us Vets know that ain't the case, they just don't want to pay for the needs of those who serve, been that way for ages!

UpDate:

Our very expensive 'Private Army'

Rachel talks about those now making the news, and getting paid extremely well, 'Lord of the Flies' security and 'Animal House' moral U.S. values in a foreign country, one being occupied! As well as our policies in!

Rest In Peace {UpDate}

Marine killed in Afghanistan served country in many ways

Marine Sgt. Bill Cahir was a public servant his whole life.

He served as a congressional staffer, as a journalist, as a political candidate and, finally, as a Marine reservist in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Snip

"There it was," Cahir wrote. "My last, best chance to serve."

Marine Sgt. Bill Cahir's Arlington funeral

Cahir served two tours of duty in Iraq, blending his military work with his journalism.

A year ago, Cahir bought a home in Pennsylvania and settled down to run for Congress, filing for the 5th Congressional District seat left open by the retirement of Rep. John Peterson.

Cahir was one of three Democrats in the race, and he faced criticism for living away from State College for so long. However, Cahir was quick to emphasize his roots, talking about the hospital where he was born, recalling his youth and greeting a former English teacher from the dais at a political forum.

On the stump, Cahir advocated a responsible exit from the war in Iraq and pushed for universal health coverage............Rest Here

Marine Sgt. Bill Cahir's first-person account of his training as a Marine

They spoke of his thoughtfulness and humor, of his integrity and sense of fairness.

But when Capt. Jason C. Brezler recalled his friend and colleague Bill Cahir, he honed in on Cahir's dedication to his comrades and country.

"On paper I was his commanding officer and team leader," Brezler said. "But his opinion mattered to me as much as any senior officer." ...........Read Rest Here

The Question 'Why?'

A Hero's Death in Afghanistan, and the Question 'Why?'

Bill Cahir joined the Marines after 9/11 to fight in Afghanistan, and he finally got there after two tours in Iraq. He was buried Monday at Arlington.

On Saturday, millions watched as Ted Kennedy made his final trip to Arlington National Cemetery. With rather less attention, Arlington's soil opened again Monday to accept the remains of one of Kennedy's former aides, 40-year-old Bill Cahir.

The deceased, an Alexandria resident, was unknown to most Americans, but he did no less for his country than his old boss -- and, gauged by the last full measure of devotion, he did even more. He went from his job working for Kennedy in the Senate to become, at various points, a Washington journalist and a failed congressional candidate. But it was the Sept. 11 attacks that inspired Cahir, at age 34, to get an age waiver from military recruiters in 2003 and enlist in the Marines...............

Rest In Peace with the rest of your, and those of us who preceded in our service to, brothers and sisters, the best of the best, who have fallen while in service to your country, right or wrong it's policies may be, the Noble Cause becomes the protection of those serving with you and they to you!

Maybe some day we will find this countries promised direction once more, that which we had pride once of what we said we were and in many ways showed that, maybe!

The above could be about any of the 5,149 who have fallen, and that continues, in these occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, and while the Country was burying Sgt. Cahir at Arlington two more U.S. and two British troops were killed in Afghanistan, from the many cities and small towns around this country, but it's just one of the recent Honors given to those who serve with pride and honor, their country and constitution.

The pride and honor from many, in this country, seems more towards tearing it and the constitution apart, especially that coming from the extreme groups, and present and previous public servants, given the microphones and press to loudly condemn anything and everything and not backtracking and apologizing when caught in their many lies, just bringing on more!

UpDate: Statement From Rene

Cahir's widow: "Bill was a hero to me"

The following statement was issued Monday by Bill Cahir's widow, Rene Browne:

"While this is a time of incredible loss and sadness for our family, we are deeply grateful for the tremendous outpouring of care and support we've received since the news of Bill's death.

"He was a loved and cherished husband, son, brother and excited father-to-be, as well as a friend and colleague who touched the lives of so many. From across the globe, the shared prayers, tributes and stories have meant so much and will keep Bill's memory alive for all of us.

"Bill was a hero to me, and to his family and friends, long before he gave his life for his country. He acted with the courage of his convictions in every facet of his life. Although I will forever miss him, I am blessed for the years that we spent together and for the stories that I will be able to share with our children of Bill's ideals, bravery, love and compassion.

"Bill would also be grateful to see that his story helped to raise awareness of the untold sacrifices of the men and women serving their country around the world today. It is their sense of duty and patriotism that inspired Bill to serve and will be the legacy of honor and commitment that he leaves to our children, and to the rest of us."