DIVIDED AND CONQUERED:

AMERICA'S MILITARY AND VETERANS

As Gordon Duff, Marine combat veteran writes:

CAN WE TURN AMERICA'S "STEP CHILDREN" INTO A UNIFIED FORCE?

RESTORING RESPECT FOR MILITARY AND VETERAN VOTERS

And points out:

Let's leave fighting the "boogeyman" to those best armed for that war, the TV and radio "talking heads," and begin standing, united for once and for all.

As he also gives a couple of thoughts from a recently passed on brother of great respect with Vets as well as Country:

The military and veteran vote has always been considered as going to Republican candidates. The officer corps, especially graduates of the service academies, as Dave Hackworth called them, "the perfumed princes of the Pentagon," range from "conservative" to well into the "totalitarian" and even "feudal nobility" range.

And points out:

VETERAN'S GROUPS ARE "THE TAIL".....WE ARE "THE DOG"....AND WE CAN BITE

Organizations that support candidates who vote for new expensive and useless weapons but could care less if a veteran and his family lose their homes or a returning reservist is pushed out of his job can no longer be allowed to pretend to speak for anyone but their puppeteer masters...........

You can find the rest here

On: TBI - PTSD - No Bids & War Profiteering - Obstructionism and the VA

Let me start out with some Good News, but that still have many of us puzzled as to why it took so long to get to the 'Good' and much needed, no answers.

On 'Obstructionism' and the VA, Plus:

I'm saving this cut of the Rachel Maddow show, on the evening of 4.07.09, to show how those we hire to represent us don't.

Not only was Sen. Richard Burr placing a hold on the nomination of Tammy Duckworth an OIF Veteran for the VA, much needed placement of this nominee as two theaters of occupation are still at hand and much has been surfacing as to the incompetent way the Veterans Administration was Administered under the previous Executive Branch, but this also shows how he and his staff conduct their job of representation, they don't.



If trying to get answers from them or just writing them on concerns they tend do as a previous Senator, Sen Dole, did they don't respond. Send an e-mail, regular or fax, no e-mail, et.el, response comes back even acknowledgment of receiving your correspondence, and instead every once in a great while one gets a regular mail response, and these are extremely rare unless an election is coming up than they fly into your mailbox in bulk.

There's another example as well. We found out he had stopped his, no excuse for, hold on Tammy's nomination on the afternoon of the seventh, yet in doing a search after hearing that and into the next day there is no Press Release either publicly or at his Senate website saying the nomination is no longer on hold nor his reasons for that hold, Nothing. We find out in the evening on the Rachel Maddow Show, and she's not hired by us to Represent, her job is Journalism and reporting the facts.

Now the reason for leading off with that cut of last nights show leads into some very recent reports, which add on to the many that have been followed, as we still have our military in two ongoing occupations with soldiers and innocents dying and being maimed daily.

There has been a showing of almost total incompetence that existed under the previous administration and a certain political party that held the power for much of the previous recent past, some of that incompetence has been finally coming into public view these last two plus years. This has been across the board in almost every government agency, but these that follow have more to do with the Military and especially the Veterans Administration. One wonders how much more we'll find out.

Patient Scheduling Debacle Takes Down VA Exec

Dr. Michael Kussman, undersecretary for health at the Veterans Health Administration, has resigned, effective in 30 days, well-placed sources have told me.

Last month, Kussman wrote a memo detailing the near collapse of an eight-year, $167 million effort known as the Replacement Scheduling Application Development Program.

When VA Secretary Eric Shinseki learned of the problems with the program, he told staffers to give him a comprehensive review by Thursday, April 9, and planned a congressional briefing for Friday, according to internal memos.

Now on the heels of the above report comes the announcement from the VA on his upcoming retirement:

Michael J. Kussman, VA Under Secretary for Health, to Retire

April 7, 2009

WASHINGTON – Dr. Michael J. Kussman, the Under Secretary for Health for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), today announced his intention to retire from federal service by May 9, ending a 37-year government career. Dr. Kussman, who attained the rank of brigadier general while in the U.S. Army, has been with VA since 2000.

As Under Secretary for Health since 2007, Dr. Kussman has directed a health care system with an annual budget of approximately $40.2 billion, overseeing the delivery of care to more than 5.6 million Veterans.

Can the problems with the above seemingly wasteful spending and time be attributed all to Dr. Kussman, No, but it can led into the Political Appointee to head the Agency, as any agency, and those they bring along with them to work in the Administration of these Government Agencies, Dr Kussman is taking the political fall.

One of the many problems that keep coming up has been the obstruction of fully diagnosing what the returning soldiers and veterans of the two occupations, OIF and OEF, have been experiencing, or actually misdiagnosing to save on the benefits due them and the government cost of their care and support. This is nothing new it's happened since at least Korea and especially to our brothers of Vietnam right up to the present. But it once again, as during and after 'Nam, been very blatant.

"I am under a lot of pressure to not diagnose PTSD"

A secret recording reveals the Army may be pushing its medical staff not to diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder. The Army and Senate have ignored the implications.

Editor's note: Last June, during a medical appointment, a patient named "Sgt. X" recorded an Army psychologist at Fort Carson, Colo., saying that he was under pressure not to diagnose combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Listen to a segment of the tape here:

UpDate to above Salon report 4.09.09:

Tale of the secret Army tape

After a soldier taped a psychologist saying he'd been pressured not to diagnose PTSD, the Army launched an investigation. Read the details of how the Army declared itself innocent.

Editor's note: Read about Sgt. X's tape -- and listen to a segment of it -- in the first story in this series, "I Am Under a Lot of Pressure to Not Diagnose PTSD." Read a summary of the Army's internal investigation, in which it determined that it was not exerting such pressure, here.

Hidden Wounds 1 in 3 injured troops suffer traumatic brain injury



Now the report above, with this Video, isn't long so I won't do a blockquote as it has a number of links embedded within for further study. But I will place those links here. Like this one TBI in the Military, and this one on the three million civilians who suffer from TBI in the U.S.. They have a link to Hines VA Hospital in Chicago and what they offer in care with high-tech devices. In the video they talk with Brian Sweeney who wrote of his experiences with TBI in Every 21 Seconds

Many Combat Vets Suffer Severe Headaches Upon Return

Almost all of those who had mild brain injury, blast exposure are affected, study says

Headaches have become a common complaint among soldiers who suffered mild head trauma while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.

These headaches tend to be debilitating, mirroring migraines in intensity, according to research released Monday that is to be presented next month at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting in Seattle.

About 15 percent of soldiers deployed to Iraq experience mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), according to background information from the researchers, who are based at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash.

But not much has been known about the headaches that can occur as a result.

And this on the continuing discovery of the Blatant War Profiteering, especially from the wide open no bid contracts dished out by the previous administration, and rubber stamped by those in Congress under the same political banner, to their friends and supporters:

Safety team warns of 'catastrophic' wiring in Iraq

A military team sent to evaluate electrical problems at U.S. facilities in Iraq determined there was a high risk that flawed wiring could cause further "catastrophic results" namely, the electrocutions of U.S. soldiers.

Now into just a few things good to report on. Some followed In Their Boots last year. It's an online series of extremely important video reports that aired weekly on a number of issues facing the soldiers and their families as they returned from these wars. It ran every week and some, like myself, passed on that weeks show in posts. They have now started the second year, with a new site look and a new format, instead of weekly the shows are now every month with showings in different cities around the country.

You can visit the site to view last years shows as well as the first one for this second season "Broken Promises"

Or view the "Broken Promises" here:


They've sent out an e-alert for this months documentary to be shown in Huston Texas area on April 22 called "Fractured Minds" with a message that it should be widely available on the 24th of April. I missed the debut show last month until after it showed, but I believe you can catch this months on their site on the 22nd but it will take to the 24th to be able to link to or embed anywhere.

This is the Trailer for "Fractured Minds"


There also seems to be some real good news for a 'Gold Star Mom' Nadia McCaffrey and her sons, Patrick McCaffrey who was killed in the Iraq War, Wife and Child's hard work on a memorial to her son to help the returning OIF and OEF veterans readjust back to society and help them with any problems some may have.

Nadia's dream was the Veterans Village, which has been growing slowly but surely over these years since her sons death in Iraq. You can visit the link to find out more.

Well it looks like that dream may be speeding up and taking on the direction intended all along:

Veterans project heads in new direction

New leaders focus in on Washington

Coulthard, 64, a Vietnam veteran who has made a name for himself by securing government dollars for veteran housing for the past two decades, is optimistic about turning the Oak Ridge property into "Valley Forge Village," a 400-unit retreat for veterans and their families where they may stay as long as they wish in a self-sustaining common interest community that offers training and reintegration strategies.

He, along with Oak Ridge property owner Jim Jauss, and Nadia McCaffrey, the mother of Patrick McCaffrey, who was killed in the Iraq War, are slated for a visit to Washington April 19-21.

Any Vets in the DC area, especially OIF and OEF Veterans, may want to contact Jimmie Coulthard or Nadia McCaffery to give a hand with the Pols and the Administration, Stimulate this Dream!!

“I Want Some TARP”

A song for our times:

A Hilarious Parody of the government bail out and the 700 Billion dollar Tarp bailout stimulus by Bill Zucker. Go to www.billzucker.com and Amazon or itunes to download song...To become a Tarphead, pickup Tarphead gear (tees, hats, bumper, sticker buttons etc) download MP3s and watch the video. Please share this video with anyone you think would appreciate it or needs to laugh during these crazy times....

Lets Re-Visit the Flyers Puck Drop {Video not seen? and Pics}

No wonder the hockey puck, whoops, hockey mom dressed her youngest daughter in a Flyers Shirt and led her onto the ice, using her, as she even said, as a Political Tool to try and silence the crowd!


Take a look at the reception received on arriving at the rink outside.


The following pics and the video link to the FOX 29 News Report, which I moved to a couple of video saver sites, was posted at the VFP group board site by brother 'Nam Vet Bill Perry, Service Officer Disabled American Veteran CSO, who sigs with this:

Make ANY ERROR in the VA Claims maze, & you'll be forced into a 2 year Appeal process Get Expert Advice, Evaluations, & Treatment

Bill is a member of the Delaware Valley Veterans For America as well as a Disabled American Veteran and member of VVAW, VFP, VFW, and VVA


And who has given me permission to pass all this on.


Lets first watch the FOX 29 report {many may not have seen this video report, many have seen the YouTube one}





Gotta say, I think the reporter is enjoying doing this one, wonder why.


Now to move on to what met the self described 'Hockey Mom' outside as she arrived at the rink, using some of Bill's descriptive narrative:

The Philadelphia Flyers were known as the "Broad Street Bullies" before and
after they won their back to back Stanley Cup Championships in the 70's.
Billy Penn, atop City Hall, in the middle of Broad Street, seems to have turned his back on Gov Palin, in this photo
The adjacent pic was the theme of our Saturday Rally... To reduce
Mechanical McCain & Silly Sarah to the cartoonish characters that they are.

Click on Pics to View Larger Image

This photo is Yours Truly, BP (Green VVAW shirt), & Viet Nam, Iraq, & Delaware Valley Vets banner.
Inaccurately, Historical Revisionists & Democrats call McCain a "war hero"

Okay, before moving on let me give abit of explanation to what Bill writes next. He's abit descriptive but actually if you've never been in a Theater of Occupation and War his description only gives a short picture of what you might see, and see over and over, especially if a grunt in the jungles or on patrols, and in 'Nam riding the rivers on the attack boats.


McCain was a fighter pilot, they got their targets, or calls from the field, to drop their bomb loads or strafe with heavy gun fire, never seeing the destruction done except from air photo's or ground photo's, never up close and personal. During McCains time, and for much of the conflict, we were Nixon had the policy of Carpet Bombing the North which naturally led to many G.I.'s being killed and maimed in the South as well as to the torturing of the POW's that were being held continuing after McCain got shot down. These pilots weren't flying Choppers, who actually did see what War is, they were flying thousands of feet above the ground and dropping their WMD's, bombs geered to do a variety of damage, this is why Bill writes this, and I include it:

When McCain & I were in Viet Nam, all the military age men from the
North were down South, fighting me & my fellow "Boonie Rats"

McCain was raining death on the Women, Children, Babies, and old folks
in the North, while we fought the VietNamese men {I was all around the Parrots Beak
of Cambodia, where the Ho Chi Minh Trail dumped out} as they tried to expel the American Invaders.

McCain was raining death on the innocent Women, Children, Babies, and old folks
in the North at 400 mph. ... In an ILLEGAL WAR.

The U.S. DoD estimates we killed over 2,000,000 folks in AIRSTRIKES. Ain't nothing funny about
finding a baby's torso covered by it's Mother's upper body, then finding BOTH their heads, and some arms & legs in the same damn BOMB CRATER, and counting the same Mother & Child's scattered body parts as 8 KIA's.
Then we'd move on to the NEXT bomb crater.

While respect was there for these pilots, they were trained and doing their jobs, outside of the few migs the North had, that was the reality of their jobs and nature of these wars, they are called Top Guns when the Real Fighting wasn't happening in the skies, it was happening on the ground, in the South, not the North, where Thousands of Soldiers and Innocents were being Killed and Maimed!!


Those who've been there understand, those who haven't should try and understand better, much better, so this is one reason for what greeted the extremely inexperienced VP candidate running with the war hero.

The Police told the Philadelphia Inquirer that 400 of us showed up... That means there were about
800 of us, on BOTH sides of BROAD STREET, for the whole block, and on the center Island

The Gov Palin Motorcade approaches, and IVAW Iraq Vet Gordie Lachance ( 19 Delta Cavalry Scout,
and Garrett Reppenhagan's Squad Leader) prepares to signal us to "choke" the South Bound Broad Street Access.

The Secret Service puts candidates in one of 6 or 8 Chevy Suburbans, in random position, and I missed
a photo of Palin, but 800 rowdy folks lining both sides of Broad Street had REALLY visably shaken poor
little Hockey Mom.
I came home from 'Nam in '68. I have harrassed the Republican ticket in ALL 11 Presidential Cycles since '68.
Reagan, both Bushes, Nixon and Ford, AND their running mates, all tried to do a hearty and haughty fake grin and wave, when accosted by Demonstrators.
Silly Sarah must believe her own hype, because she was visibly shaken, and actually frightened by us Labor, Vet, GLB&T, & Poor Peeps, FIRED UP !
We could actually see her slumping lower and lower in her seat, scared shitless. It was PRICELESS !

The excitement, and espirit de corps was palatable

NOBODY's BUYING SARAH's BULLSHIT in PHILLY !

What I found most interesting was that over the 11 Presidential Cycles that I've harrassed Republican
Presidential Tickets, this is the FIRST TIME that a lot of the Cops seemed to laugh at the Secret Service,
and their Secret Service anal-compulsive nervousness.
AIN'T NOBODY BUYING McCain-Palin BULLSHIT , in Philly !

Most Vietnam Vets had respect for John McCain especially for what he went through, even though if there are hero's from 'Nam and there are, for Soldiers fight to protect each other, themselves, as well as the innocent civilians.


But if what I keep hearing over and over from a number of 'Nam Brothers and Sisters he has Lost that Respect with the way he's running for the CiC and Presidential Office and his pick of this Sarah Palin to run with him, they have taken themselves down to the level of the handfull of those 'Nam Vets calling themselves 'swifties' from the last election and the level their once political party, the GOP, now exists in it's attempt to destroy this Country and build an Imperial one party Dictatorship with No Constitution!!

Not For The Weak Stomach - Reality of War!! {UpDated}

Salon has this up at their site and I'm sure we haven't heard the end of this incident, or like others maybe we have!!


The only way that doesn't happen is if You, the Citizens Of This Country, Make Sure It Gets Investigated and Indictments come down, not for the Soldiers but for those in Leadership, Top Down!!


Friendly fire in Iraq — and a coverup


The Army says no, but a graphic video and eyewitness testimony indicate that a U.S. tank killed two American soldiers. The mother of one soldier demands answers.


I'm not going to give you much here, but Watch the Videio's, warning included, and use the above links, than slam your Representatives with the needs to investigate, help these soldiers Families and this Nation!

Editor’s note: Mark Benjamin’s friendly fire investigation contains 1) the main article, 2) video documentation {Video's Below} and 3) the Army’s own report on the killing of Nelson and Suarez.

The main article starts out with the following:

Oct. 14, 2008 | PHILADELPHIA — Once a cop, always a cop. Asked if she wanted to see a graphic battle video showing her son Albert bleeding to death, Jean Feggins, retired from the Philadelphia Police Department, said yes.

“Listen, I’ve moved dead bodies of people I don’t even know,” she told me, as she sat on a brown couch in the den of her West Philadelphia row house. “I need to know everything. Because he is not a stranger. That’s my baby. That’s my child.”

Listen carefully.

Helmet-cam footage from Ramadi, Iraq (12-min. edited version). Warning: Contains graphic violence and profanity.



An interview with Jean Feggins, mother of Pfc. Albert Markee Nelson, who died of wounds received in the alleged friendly fire incident.



This report is five pages at the site, at the bottom of each page there's a title for the next, below are these titles:

“Dude, I’m almost positive that was that tank, because I saw him flash”


“We know it was a tank. They got an ass whooping coming. That’s all I got to say”


“It is fucking plain as day that the tank shot at the building I was in and killed two of my friends”


“He said, ‘He was killed instantly. He was killed so fast that he didn’t have time to feel pain’”


Accountibility for all that this Country, and much of this World, have been put through, leading up to the Financial Collapse, must be one of the first Orders of this Countries Business when the Civilian Leadership Changes, taking with them many in the Military Ranks as well.

"Bring Them Home NOW, and Take Care Of Them When They Return"

UpDate

New probe sought in servicemembers’ deaths
Lawmaker petitions Army after video of battle suggests friendly fire