Purple Star Veterans and Families

I attended a fundraiser last night for Purple Star Veterans and Families. The event went off without a hitch and a lot of money was raise. There was another purpose for the fundraiser..... to expand public awareness for the problem facing our military personnel when they come home from Afghanistan and Iraq. The military takes several weeks of intense training to take a citizen and tun him into a soldier, but there is almost no time taken to turn that soldier into a citizen. When I came home from Vietnam, guys who were in a firefight in the rice paddies in Nam could find themselves walking the streets in San Francisco as a civilian less than 72 hours later. It isn't much different now! I greeted a group of Air Guard Members back in December when they returned, They got off the plane, met their loved ones and went home. They did have to return the next day to "debrief". One day of decompression adjustment is not enough! We need to do more to make sure these heroes are properly trained to be citizens again. We need to make sure the families are told about PTSD and what to look for and what to do! Winston Churchill once said, " nothing is so exhilarating as being shot at and missed." Our returning troops have had an adrenaline rush like no other. Often they come home and feel the need to feel that rush. They look for a fast car or motorcycle. They live life on the edge. We need to find a way to substitute productivity and accomplishment to get a "rush". Check out this video for some very interesting information http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=embedded&v=6VmUuPab4M Now if you have been moved to help our returning troops, go to http://www.veteransandfamilies.org/home.html

EVERY ONE PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

I SPENT OVER AN HOUR TONIGHT WITH A BROTHER. MY BROTHER MIKE. MIKE AND I HAD NOT MET UNTIL TONIGHT. YET MIKE IS MY BROTHER. WE BOTH SERVED IN VIETNAM. THAT MAKES HIM MY BROTHER. MIKE IS DIEING. HE HAS CANCER; STAGE FOUR CANCER I WAS ASKED TO GO TALK TO MIKE BY HIS HOSPICE NURSE WHO IS A FRIEND FROM LONG LONG AGO. IT SEEMS THAT MIKE JUST WANTED SOMEONE TO TALK TO ABOUT HIS TIME IN NAM. IT WASN'T MUCH OF A CONVERSATION AS MIKE HAD JUST BEEN GIVEN A DOSE OF MORPHINE JUST BEFORE I GOT TO HIS PLACE. YET WE DID TALK AND I LEARNED THAT MIKE AND I WERE CLOSER THAN COMPLETE STRANGERS. MIKE'S COUSIN AND I WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL TOGETHER. MIKE'S UNCLE TRAINED ME ON MY FIRST DAY AS A LETTER CARRIER. HIS DAUGHTER USED TO GET PIZZAS FROM A PIZZA JOINT LESS THAN 100 FEET FROM MY HOME. MIKE GREW UP IN THE SAME AREA AS HIS HOSPICE NURSE'S PARENTS SKATING RINK WHERE I HUNG OUT AS A TEEN. (I TOLD YOU WE WERE FRIENDS LONG LONG AGO) LIKE I SAID MIKE IS DIEING OF CANCER. I AM PROBABLY TOO LATE TO HELP MIKE AND HIS DAUGHTER. HOPEFULLY I CAN HELP OTHERS, BUT I NEED YOUR HELP TO HELP THEM. MIKE'S CANCER IS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO AGENT ORANGE AND HIS SERVICE IN VIETNAM. NEITHER MIKE NOR HIS DAUGHTER WERE AWARE OF THIS UNTIL TONIGHT. HAD THEY KNOWN, MIKE'S CARE TREATMENT MEDICATIONS AND HOSPICE WOULD HAVE BEEN PAID FOR BY THE VA. PLUS MIKE WOULD BE RECEIVING COMPENSATION FROM THE VA FOR A SERVICE CONNECTED DISABILITY. IT IS UNLIKELY THAT MIKE WILL SURVIVE LONG ENOUGH TO RECEIVE ANY BENEFIT FROM THE VA AND THAT HURTS. IT HURTS BECAUSE I FEEL THAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE TO LET MIKE KNOW ABOUT THE BENEFIT THAT HE HAS EARNED. I REALIZE THAT INFORMING ALL VETERANS IS NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY NOR IS IT POSSIBLE FOR ONE PERSON TO LET EVERYONE KNOW ABOUT EARNED OR DESERVED BENEFITS. BUT AS A VETERANS' ADVOCATE I FEEL THAT MAYBE I HAVE NOT DONE ENOUGH. THAT IS WHERE EACH OF YOU WHO READ THIS BLOG CAN HELP. PLEASE ASK EVERY VETERAN YOU KNOW ONE SIMPLE QUESTION.... HOW IS YOUR HEALTH? ONCE THE HAVE ANSWERED DIRECT THEM TO VIETNAM VETS www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/diseases.asp GULF WAR VETS www.veteranprograms.com/id1099.html Or you can have them contact me larry@nam-vet.net PLEASE HELP ME HELP THEM.

Suicide is painless

Suicide is Painless it brings on many changes and I can take or leave it if I please. So says the lyrics of the theme song to the movie and television show M*A*S*H* Ironic that this show was about the Korean War and a Mobil Army Surgical Hospital. Yet the song and the words still have relevance today. Today's men and women in the military are having trouble adapting to life outside the war zones. This is nothing new It has long been reported that in the first few years after returning from Vietnam, More American soldiers killed themselves than were killed in the war. The same can be said of today's soldiers. There have been somewhere near 6000 American deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. and some 5800 veterans of those two wars have committed suicide. The reason for this can be explained by four letters...........PTSD Today's troops are always in harms way no matter where they are stationed in the war zone or in a safe location in Europe or the States. There is no truly safe location. as evidence of that i point to the recent shooting in Germany and the Fort Hood shootings. In addition the high level of alert that our soldiers are required to maintain to secure their own safety contributes to the inability to readjust to civilian life. Troops come home. Their friends and families notice changes in them. They themselves begin to isolate themselves from others. Thus is the way of a war veteran. What happens next depends on the individual and his/her mindset. Some are able to adjust adapt and overcome. Some self-medicate with drugs or alcohol. And some resort to the suicide route. We as American taxpayers who have sent these young men and women of to war and to be changed forever must do whatever it takes to help them adapt. As a PTSD victim, I can tell you that it isn't easy, Not for me nor any other PTSD victim I know. Nor is it easy for the family of a PTSD victim. I went through 3 wives and a liquor store before I realized my problems and sought help. My third (current and last) wife has been trough hell just living with me. My kids have be subjected to temper outbursts that are unprovoked and unwarranted. We must make it easier for our troops to adapt. Today in our VA hospitals nationwide 8 veterans commit suicide. EIGHT VETERANS A DAY COMMIT SUICIDE IN OUR VA HOSPITALS!

EIGHT VETERANS A DAY!!

Through the early morning fog I see

visions of things to be

the pains that are withheld for me

I realize and I can see...

suicide is painless

it brings on many changes

and I can take or leave it if I please

I try to find a way to make

all our little joys relate

without the ever present hate

but now I know that it;s too late and

Suicide is painless

it brings on many changes

and I can take or leave it if I please

The game of life is hard to play

I'm gonna lose it anyway

the losing card Ill someday lay

so this is all I have to say

Suicide is painless

it brings on many changes

and I can take or leave it if I please

The only way to win is cheat

and lay it down before I'm beat

and to another give my seat

for that's the only painless feat

Suicide is painless

it brings on many changes

and I can take or leave it if I please

The sword of time will pierce our skins

it doesn't hurt when it begins

but as it works its way on in

the pain grows stronger... watch it grin

Suicide is painless

it brings on many changes

and I can take or leave it if I please

A brave man once requested me

to answer questions that are key

is it to be or not to be

and I replied"oh why ask me?"

cause suicide is painless

it brings on many changes

and I can take or leave it if I please

and you can do the same thing if you please.

www.veteransandfamilies.org

Freedom of speech

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The Supreme Court today upheld the right of Westboro Baptist Church to Protest at the funerals of deceased military members. Well, actually, what the court decided was to uphold a lower court ruling overturning a multi-million dollar award to the family of a Marine who died in service to our country. But in doing so, The 8-1 decision gives the Westboro Baptist Church family the ammunition they need to again travel the country to garner their 15 minutes of fame.

Almost no one likes the decision but they law as interpreted by the Court is the law. The freedom established in the Bill of Rights is the Freedom that this every American fighting man and woman has fought to defend and preserve.

Personally, Westboro Baptist Church is not a church. It is a family of religious fanatics who are pushing the envelope of free expression. Similar to yelling "FIRE" in a crowded theater. Shouting "Thank God for IEDs" is not free speech it is incitement.

Those who attend funerals of deceased military members that are there to protect and shield the grieving family from hearing these words of incitement should be commended. They are needed more now than ever.

To the Patriot Guard and Legion Riders nationwide I salute you with a huge OORAH and CARRY ON!

The right of those who have lost loved ones to grieve must be preserved by you since the courts will not assist you. Remember you have the right to peaceably assemble between the grieving family and the Westboro family

A VETERAN DIED .... MORE TO FOLLOW

February 27, 2011 Frank Buckles, America's last World War One veteran died. Frank joined the military at age 16. Spent WWI in Europe. He spent most of WWII in a Japanese POW camp even though he was a civilian.

America has no more WWI veterans to salute.

WWII veterans were dying at a rate of over 1025/ day in 2005 I am sure that the rate has increased since then. Meaning that by 2020 there may not be any WWII veterans left to salute.

I have not been able to find any estimate on how rapidly Korean war veterans are dying other than the 2000 census which indicated Korean War Veterans were Dying at a rate of 383/day.
By 2027 we may not have any Korean War Veterans to salute.

Next are the numbers that are hard for me to put on paper. According to the Department of Veteran ASffairs, Vietnam Veterans are dying at a rate of 295/day. Numbers vary but the most consistent number of living Veterans who serve in Vietnam is approximately 850,000. Those numbers mean that Vietnam veterans may well all be gone BEFORE the last WWII veteran dies.

The average WWII veteran today is well over 80. If the statistics on Vietnam Veterans is correct, I will not live to see 70.

Given these numbers, I think I will chose to live each day to the fullest. I will be writing my bucket list immediately. If you have any suggestions on what I should include on my bucket list, I am open to anything.

WISCONSIN PROTESTS AND ME

1. I DO NOT LIVE IN WISCONSIN.
2. I DO NOT PAY TAXES IN WISCONSIN.
3. I DO NOT KNOW ANY PUBLIC EMPLOYEES IN WISCONSIN.

SIMPLY PUT I REALLY DIDN'T CARE ABOUT THE PROTESTS IN WISCONSIN........

UNTIL TODAY !

Today is the day I saw a video taken inside the Capitol Building in Madison. The video shows a memorial dedicated to those who died in war from the state of Wisconsin. It is in a prominent location inside the capitol Building. Flanked by flags on either side, it is obvious that this is a special location.
The video the shows the back side of the memorial. Paper notes and messages are taped to the back of this memorial. Now, to me, a war memorial is a very special place, a sacred place, a hallowed space. A memorial is there for one purpose only.... to remember those who have sacrificed all in service to our country.
It is not there to hold a bunch of notes and messages like a giant refrigerator holding pictures drawn by your grand kids.
I don't care how you feel about the rights of public employees to bargain for their wages and benefits. I have belonged to unions and I have worked in places without unions. I can see the pros and cons of each side of the union debate. That is not the issue here. The issue here is

RESPECT

Respect is a simple act that means so much. Disrespect shows exactly how an individual feels. These young people have no idea that the right that they have for the freedom to assemble is directly a result of the men and women they are disrespecting. Perhaps some of the teachers who were in the capitol should have taken a moment or two to teach these people about the constitution and the bill of rights and where and how these rights were won and preserved.... ON THE BATTLE FIELD !!!

If you can read this .... THANK A teacher
If you can read it in English...... THANK A VETERAN!

View the video and you decide. CLICK HERE

TYSON FOODS TRUTH OR FICTION

The headline reads, "Tyson replaces Labor Day with Muslim Holiday"

SAY WHAT????

That was the headline but the story is something else.

It seems the UNION at the Tyson plant in Shelbyville Tennessee voted to replace their paid day off from Labor Day to a Muslim Holiday. Still sounds ludicrous to me. Yet that is the way it is. The local branch of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) voted in 2008 to replace Labor Day with EID AL-FITR a Muslim Holiday at the end of Ramadan.

Emails and posts to facebook are all over this almost two-year-old story. Most are blaming Tyson Foods. Some are suggesting a boycot hoping that the company will go out of business thereby punishing the Union for such a contract.

But as usual with Email and facebook stories the rest of the story is the real story. Tyson and the RWDSU renegotiated their contract and Labor Day IS one of the employees 8 paid Holidays. in 2008 EID-AL FITR could be taken as a paid holiday or the employees could choose to take their birthday as a holiday. I wish that people would do a bit of investigation BEFORE sending out this type of email or social network post. Once it is out there, it is impossible to take back!!!.

If you see something that infuriates you regarding a Business check it out before you spread the rumor!!! Remember even if it says it has been checked out on snopes it probably was not!