Does this hurt you as much as it hurts me?

[vetwife]

OLD MEN START WARS YOUNG MEN FIGHT THEM!
What the statement does not reveal is when young men and

women go to serve their country, the very people who sent them

into harms way reject and forget most. This habit started with

the treaty breaking with the Native Americans and only progressed.

No, no one recently has been sent to live on a reservation,

just a box on a street.

They will bog families of veterans down with paperwork and

computerized phone systems along with excuses and extended

waiting periods at the Medical Center and Regional offices that

are supposed to be serving them. Does anyone actually believe that

these new veterans will be treated any differently? Seriously?

visit .....http://groups.msn.com/UnitedVeteransofAmerica/whatsnew


It is so sad to see some of our older WWII Vets, and there are not many left. ,not only choosing between presription drugs but now just thrown away to evicition and some don't have family either. I never thought I would see the greatest generation be treated so badly. The Vietnam veterans are suffering so badly, no one can imagine. Did you know 110,000 died by their own hand after the war ended? Did you know that more than 70 percent are addicted or have been to substance abuse? Did you realize that more than half of homeless people are OUR NAtiON'S VETERANS? Did you know they are calling up THe Gulf War veterans? Did you realize that only you and I are the only outreach some of these people who have borne the battle have? Do you know what these helicopter fly overs are doing to our vets suffering from PTSD? They are sick. They are very sick. You can help !

I talked to Sen. Harkin back in 2000 and he a Navy VN vet corresponded with me after we met at the ADA 10th anniversary. He was disstraught about the Veteran situation. We are the patriots ! We are ! The people on the right will tear down people like Max Cleland, John Kerry and they even dare to shoot a Kerry sign out of acombat vet's yard. This madness has to stop. Please give what you can to help me help veterans. Please check in and visit where I was interviewed on C-Span regarding this small organization. I can't believe that many of the veterans cannot even get to their doctor's appointments without your help. In rural areas they just don't have the gas to get there. They are already sick and this war is making so many sicker. Thank you !

[vetwife]

1. Please help me keep this kicked ! Thanks

[BlueCollar]

2. as a veteran

I thank you for your compassion

[vetwife]

4. Welcome Home !

I so admire and thank you for your service !

[Cheswick2.0]

3. yes it does hurt me

Wo why is it that we are supposed to be happy to be voting for two rich guys who helped send out troops to Iraq?
I am not campaigning against Kerry/Edwards. I am not suggesting people vote for someone else. I just want to know what we do when we get K/E into office and they do not make the changes that so many people here claim are important.

Vote Kerry, just please tell me what we do after the inauguration.

[vetwife]

5. I promise you...We will hold their feet to the fire !

I did Clinton's. I went to Washington twice and Sen. Cleland knows me as well as Tom Harkin. The disabled vets got a 3.5 increase in their compesnation under Clinton and Bush has shrugged them off. The day we invaded Iraq.........they cut 28 Billion from the VA budget. The dems can hold Dem party accountable and don't forget John Kerry knows what its like to face an AK47 and knows what its like to see the death and smell around him. George has no idea !
All he smells is world domination, hurting vets and the smell of money ! He has tainted everything he has touched...

[vetwife]

11. Sad..but true

How many homeless veterans are there?

Although accurate numbers are impossible to come by ... no one keeps national records on homeless veterans ... the VA estimates that more than 299,321 veterans are homeless on any given night. And, more than half a million experience homelessness over the course of a year. Conservatively, one out of every four homeless males who is sleeping in a doorway, alley, or box in our cities and rural communities has put on a uniform and served our country ... now they need America to remember them.

Why are veterans homeless?

In addition to the complex set of factors affecting all homelessness … extreme shortage of affordable housing, livable income, and access to health care … a large number of displaced and at-risk veterans live with lingering effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and substance abuse, compounded by a lack of family and social support networks.

[fujiyama]

9. I share your concern

I don't quite believe that they (Kerry and Edwards) are as much at fault as Bush is though, in that I think it was a vote of political expediancy and cowardice rather than a strong belief in the war itself.

I seriously doubt that Kerry (or many other democrats with the exception of Lieberman) would have led the US into this war. I also don't believe that Kerry will lead us into a war with Syria and other nations, which is a strong possibility with more Bush.

We must hold their feet to the fire, but it is very important to know that we have some chance of doing that with a Kerry admin, but another 4 years of Bush has no hope at all of any accountability (lame duck), which means a possible draft and more wars.

[kayell]

6. Yes, classic Repub thinking - that people are expendable

once they no longer add to the repuke bottom line. Big corporation thinking - once "something" has outlived its usefulness, dispose of it. If it is better for the bottom line to let someone die, then market forces demand that they be let die. The ultimate in capitalist thinking.

[vetwife]

7. Just look wahts happening all over !

b) The laundry service have been out-sourced.

c) At least 90 patient beds have been cut.

d) The $100 million Homeless Program was mandated by Congress for New York, Los Angles and Chicago. To date, there is no program at Hines VA and even those designated to run the program don't seem to know where the funds are. It was supposed to be a 90 bed program.

e) The Therapeutic Pool was closed in December 2001.

f) Mental Health Rehabilitation exercise has been downsized.

g) The Mental Health Intensive Case Management Program (MHICM) was supposed to provide staff to follow community-based mentally ill patients to keep them in the community and out of the hospital to the degree possible. It was told recently that there is no staff or funding.

These program have been cut and under funded without adequate communication between the VA administration and veterans and employees so people know what is going on, what is going to happen and why. Thus, veterans (and employees) feel victimized and used by the VA administration. We need better communication and information.

7) There is major concern about VA employee understaffing, overwork and the resultant poor moral. This leads veterans to complain about the staff. The reality is that employees are so harried and harassed that their morale is extremely low. Activation of more than 500 VA employees to the Iraq theater has the potential to make this substantially worse. We are very concerned about this, particularly at a time when the VA may be required to care for war casualties.

[LiberalManiacfromOC]

8. As anti-war as I am,

I am honored by the service of veterans and this really is sick! I want to donate and will soon enough :thumbsup:

[vetwife]

10. We have a lot of vets and military families on here and they know !

This heat is getting turned up. Marie is in a state of turmoil most of the time, I am running day and night, the vets are not sleeping at all at night (the majority)..That is when the enemy moved..At night. They are so confused about Iraq and Nam at this point, everyday throws most of the VN vets back in the jungle. They feel these guys are fighting just as they did and are fighting to stay alive and for political junk..Nothing more. They know what these kids are gonna face coming back. The nighmares, the flashbacks, the loss of social and even normal lives but ah ha ! They are getting screwed faster ! This, those seasoned vets realize and it is adding trauma to their trauma already. I wish I could show you how awful all of this is ! Bush says, Bring em on...cuts benfits and then laughs as he says "Watch this Drive" ..Oh the insanity of it all !

[vetwife]

12. Kick for a veteran

[jukes]

13. kick from a veteran

& TX, vetwife. VERY important issue.

i'd love to see max cleland posted as sec/def in the new admin.



:kick:

[vetwife]

14. Cleland was very good at Sec of VA affairs

I think that is where he will end up again ! He was extremely good in that position. Vets starting going to the VA again and much improvment was done. Can't remember what year that was.

[vetwife]

15. 1975 or 76 under Carter I think