Korean War veteran's family told he was doing good....hours after he died of COVID-19 at Veterans Home

A family was told their dad at a Jersey vets home was rebounding from coronavirus. He was already dead.

North Jersey
Scott Fallon
April 18, 2020

Tom's body had even been taken to the other man's funeral home to be prepared for cremation the next day — Tom's wishes were to be buried next to his wife.

WOODLAND PARK, N.J. – It was the best news Steve Mastropietro could have hoped to receive.

His 91-year-old father had made a near-miraculous rebound on Saturday morning after being diagnosed two days before with COVID-19.

A nurse at the New Jersey Veterans Home in Paramus said Tom Mastropietro no longer had a fever.

The Korean War veteran had not only eaten breakfast, but even walked to the bathroom unaided.

“I was stunned but happy,” Steve said. “He looked like hell the last time I saw him. They made me think he had turned a corner.”

Four hours later, the nursing staff called again.

They had made a terrible mistake.

Tom Mastropietro had died hours earlier.
read it here

Disabled Korean War Air Force veteran being kicked out of rehab...during COVID-19

UPDATE

FOX 46 gets results for Air Force veteran almost kicked out of rehab center

CORNELIUS, N.C. - An elderly Korean War veteran set to be kicked out of his rehab center Thursday, despite a statewide stay-at-home order, can now stay put, thanks to FOX 46.

“Thank you FOX 46 for helping,” said the Air Force veteran’s granddaughter, Kelly Wimmer. “It has meant the world to us.” read it here

Elderly veteran to be kicked out of rehab facility, improperly, despite COVID-19

FOX 46 Charlotte
By Matt Grant
April 1, 2020

Hummel, 88, a Korean War veteran, was transferred at the beginning of March from Lake Norman Regional Medical Center to Autumn Care in Cornelius to recover from pneumonia, Wimmer said. The Air Force veteran and lung cancer survivor is an amputee and confined to a wheelchair. Unless something changes, Gorman says her dad will be discharged on Thursday, April 2.

CORNELIUS, N.C. - Despite North Carolina being under a 'Stay-at-Home' order, an elderly veteran in poor health is about to be kicked out of his rehabilitation facility in the middle of a global pandemic because of an insurance payment dispute.

“It’s been hard,” Andrea Gorman, the daughter of Sanford Hummel, said in tears.
read it here

Young veteran helped homeless 83 year old Korean War veteran

Local veteran helps find home for fellow 83-year-old Korean War vet

KNOE 8 News
By Reggie Wells
Jan 31, 2020

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - A local army veteran helped another vet who had been homeless for years. Drew Baker and Arthur Calhoun first met when Calhoun was looking for a warm place to rest in a local restaurant.

“It was quite a shivering cold day that evening," Baker says. "He had came in trying to seek some shelter. It was warm. There were a couple individuals offering to give him a ride home, but Mr. Calhoun explained he didn't have a home. He was living on the street."

After meeting the 83-year-old Korean War veteran a second time on the Louisville Bridge, Baker knew he had to find a way to help him.

Baker gave Calhoun food, opened up his home for a few nights in his home and even helped get Calhoun admitted into the hospital to check on some injuries.

"I put Mr. Calhoun in a hotel for a couple of nights until the Northeast Louisiana Veteran's Home could take him in and get everything processed."

"This guy has saved my neck a time or two,” Calhoun says. “He don't look much like a hero, but he's a pretty good friend."
read it here

Korean War Veteran died alone...buried by community, Governor and Senator

Hundreds packed a Korean War veteran's funeral when he died without surviving family members in Nebraska

CNN
By Christina Maxouris
June 25, 2019

(CNN)When Dale Quick died earlier this month and left no known survivors, a Nebraska funeral home appealed to his community to make sure he got the funeral he deserved.

"We are appealing to any and all veterans, veterans' clubs and organizations and our community to attend Dale's service to honor an individual who so selflessly served our country," Roper and Sons Funeral Home wrote in an obituary posted to its website.

The 91-year-old "led a simple life" after serving in the military for nearly seven years, the funeral home said.

CNN's Jake Tapper also took to social media to spread the word.

The community heard the call.

On Monday morning, hundreds showed up to pay their respects to Quick, including 50 bikers and flag carriers who led his casket, CNN affiliate KLKN reported.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and Sen. Ben Sasse were also there.
read more here

Son shocked to learn Korean War veteran Dad buried in basement

His father was missing for decades. Now human remains have been found under the family home

News Channel 6
November 2, 2018

“I’m in shock. I must have been in this house a thousand times,” Tony Mraz said. If the DNA test results on the remains indicate that it is George Carroll, the family said it will bring them some closure plus allow them to finally bury the Korean War Veteran with honors.

LAKE GROVE, NY (News 12 Long Island/CNN) - For nearly six decades, a family home may have held a secret.

Michael Carroll may have unlocked the mystery of what happened to his missing father. Tuesday night, human remains were discovered under the basement.

“I have a messed up basement, but I am really glad we found what we found,” he said.

The family believes the remains could be from George Carroll, a Korean War veteran who went missing in 1961.
read more here

Korean War Veteran losing sight, borrowed SWAT glasses

Police grant vet's wish to use night-vision goggles before going blind
FOX News
Caroline Judelson
July 17, 2018

An 88-year-old Florida veteran recently called his local police department with an unusual request.

Pembroke Pines PD
88-year old Navy Veteran Stanley Gold, who is 75% blind, reached out to our officers and asked if he could try their night vision equipment before he lost his vision completely. Last night members of our PPPD SWAT met with Mr. Gold to make his dream a reality.

Stanley Gold, who served in the Navy, wanted to know if he could use the Pembroke Pines Police Department's night-vision goggles before he completely loses his sight, Fox 13 reported.
read more here

Stolen Valor: 83 year old civilian collected VA disability benefits

Pensacola man pleads guilty in VA theft case
North West Florida Daily News
By staff reports
Posted Jul 11, 2018

Additionally, Kohl received health care treatment and benefits totaling more than $45,000, and he also was able to stay in a VA vision rehabilitation facility at a cost of more than $63,000, according to court records.

PENSACOLA — An elderly Pensacola man who fraudulently claimed to have served with the Marines in the Korean War has pleaded guilty to theft of government funds by filing false benefit claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Between February 2005 and February 2018, 83-year-old Richard E. Kohl received VA benefit payments and services totaling nearly $220,000, according to a news release from the office of Christopher P. Canova, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Documents introduced at the time of the guilty plea indicated that at some point prior to July 3, 1996, Kohl created and signed a fictitious Form DD-214, a certificate of release or discharge from military service. The faked DD-214 claimed that Kohl served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War and was discharged on Dec. 20, 1961.

Kohl never served in any branch of the U.S. military, but used the falsified Form DD-214 as proof of military service to obtain veterans’ benefits he was not entitled to receive. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 19.
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Korean War veteran facing eviction over service dogs shot by police

Armed veteran, facing eviction over his service dogs, shot to death by police
Miami Herald
BY CHARLES RABIN AND DAVID OVALLE
February 12, 2018

A despondent military veteran — slated for eviction because of complaints about his service dogs, Roxie and Ranger — was shot to death after police say he pointed a gun at officers on Monday afternoon near Homestead.

Jonathan Rodriguez, a friend of Korean War veteran Raymond Bishop, said the 84-year-old Bishop was upset about a pending eviction. Police shot Bishop on Monday after being called to his apartment on a report of an armed man threatening suicide.
Charles Rabin crabin@miamiherald.com

Raymond Bishop, 84, died inside his home at the Hidden Grove apartments. Miami-Dade police officers had rushed to the home after receiving a call of an armed man threatening to kill himself.

At least four Miami-Dade officers wound up opening fire on Bishop from just outside the doorway where he stood, gun in hand — but only after pleading with him extensively to put his weapon down, law-enforcement sources told the Miami Herald. One officer even praised Bishop’s military background in an attempt to get him to surrender peacefully.

The dogs were inside the apartment and were not harmed, one source said.

Bishop, who served in the Korean War, was upset about the apartment complex’s eviction attempt, according to a neighbor. Bishop lived there, according to court records, under a Miami-Dade County government subsidy program.

“They were throwing him out. He had nowhere to go,” said neighbor Jonathan Rodriguez, who often fed Bishop and took him to the veterans hospital for medical treatment.
read more here

Linked from Stars and Stripes

Korean War Veteran Patrols Streets for Homeless

Korean War vet keeps homeless warm at night
San Diego Union Tribune
Pam Kragen
January 2, 2018

Since 2011, the campaign has distributed more than 3,250 sleeping bags. About 40 percent of downtown’s homeless population are veterans, Field said, but the bags are distributed to any one in clear need.

San Diego Veterans for Peace volunteer Stan Levin, 88, gives Shayne Dunn, who is homeless, a package of food before he and Gilbert Fields, background, a new sleeping bag in downtown San Diego on Friday. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune)

At age 88, Korean War veteran Stan Levin has earned the right to spend all his evenings in the warm comfort of his Serra Mesa home.

But several nights a month for the past six years, Levin has patrolled the streets of downtown San Diego, handing out free sleeping bags, socks and snacks to homeless men and women he finds sleeping on the sidewalks.

read more here

Gerald Leo Smith, Homeless Korean War Veteran Needs Help Proving He's Alive

Daytona Beach homeless veteran says he can't get help because government thinks he's dead

WFTV 9 News

By: Lauren Seabrook

Updated: Dec 5, 2017 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - When Teri Ahmann found Gerald Leo Smith living in the bushes in Daytona Beach as Hurricane Irma loomed, she saw a bit of herself in him, having been homeless herself three decades ago.

She decided to reach out to the Navy veteran and offered to buy him a drink.

“For whatever reason, he just looked sad to me, so I walked up and I say, ‘Can I get you a beer?’” Ahmann said.

She then asked Smith where he was planning to shelter during the hurricane.

“He said he didn’t know,” Ahmann said. “He was going to go where God told him to go.”

Ahmann decided to take Smith in and soon learned that he served in the Navy during the Korean War and had been walking the streets for more than three decades.

She helped Smith clean up, bought him new clothes and even tried to open a bank account in his name.

That’s where they realized they had a problem.
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Community Comes Together to Save Home of Korean War Veteran

Lincoln Countians scramble to save Korean War POW’s home

Lincoln County Journal

By Megan Myers
Staff Writer
August 14, 2017

Luckily, Johnson’s plight has been attracting the attention of many in Lincoln County and abroad. Troy resident Kathi Boley is among those trying to help Johnson, whom she began referring to as “our veteran.” 

Flanked by Troy residents Kathi and Doug Boley, Korea veteran Richard Johnson shakes the hand of Albert St. Clair after the group dined together at Harry J’s Steakhouse Aug. 8. The Boleys and St. Clair have been raising money to keep Johnson’s home from being foreclosed on. Megan Myers photo.

Richard Johnson has never been the type to seek attention.

After all, that’s why the 88-year-old Korean War veteran moved to his longtime home in Winfield in the first place. After experiencing a rocky road back to civilian life, the avid nature-lover longed for the peace and quiet of the country.
And for the last 32 years, that’s just what he’s found.

But now Johnson is finding that peace interrupted. About one year ago, his lending company mysteriously increased the mortgage payments on his home from $506 a month to $860. Johnson, who lives on a fixed income, could not afford to make the larger payments. Then in June, he received a letter stating that if he did not come current on the payments, he would lose his home on Aug. 31.

But in the meantime, Boley said that coupled with attorney fees, late fees and interest, the total amount that Johnson will have to pay to stay in his house is around $8,000. So Boley started a GoFundMe account for the cause. In about one week, the account raised more than $2,500, with donations coming from individuals all across the area.Boley also began organizing a team of volunteers to help make necessary repairs and to furnish Johnson’s home with appliances.Many on the team were veterans themselves, including Sheriff John Cottle and Albert St. Clair Sr., an army veteran who runs a charity called St. Clair Hearts Foundation for homeless veterans in the Greater St. Louis area. Guy Kimler, a fellow Patriot Guard rider with Boley’s husband, Doug, donated $250.

read more here 

Veterans Remember Forgotten War

Korean War not forgotten by veterans
Winona Daily News
Kilat Fitzgerald
3 hours ago

With the Korean War overshadowed by World War II beforehand, and the Vietnam War coming shortly after, many failed to see the Korean War's impact. People were sick of war, and the conflict on the small Asian peninsula faded from public memory.

WINONA -- Veterans of the Korean War recognized the 64th anniversary of the armistice that brought about the ceasefire on Thursday.

Often cited as the Forgotten War, the conflict still casts a long shadow over current international politics.

Winona native Neil Hinkley was among the first to be deployed when war broke out in late June 1950.

“We got right in the thick of it right from the start,” Hinkley said. He was among the first three divisions to be deployed at the outbreak of war.

Hinkley’s unit, the 10th Infantry Division, was en route to Japan from Alaska, halfway across the Pacific, when North Korea “started that ruckus” in late June of 1950.

The North Korean blitz across the border was supported by the Soviet Union with weaponry and equipment, pushing back United Nations forces into the Busan (pronounced Pusan) Perimeter.
read more here

How Korean War Started

The forgotten war

Did POTUS Just Tell Senior Veterans They Lived Too Long?

POTUS wants to cut the unemployability part of your compensation because you are too old to work anyway?

You were not able to work when you were younger and did not pay into the Social Security System, so you already lost on that.

If you are no longer 100% Disabled, it means a lot more than just the hundreds of dollars a month you thought would still be honored until the day you die and even beyond for your widows.

Compensation for Disabled Veterans

If you live in Florida, it also means that you may lose this too!

"Any real estate owned and used as a homestead by a veteran who was honorably discharged and has been certified as having a service-connected, permanent and total disability, is exempt from taxation..."

It is bad enough that veterans over the age of 50 are 65% of the suicides and no one is talking about you but now this? Veterans should never have to go through any of this. It is a disgusting disgrace to the majority of veterans in this country!!!!!

"Veterans with a Service-connected DisabilityIn August 2016, about 4.6 million veterans, or 22 percent of the total, had a service-connected disability.

Veterans with a service-connected disability are assigned a disability rating by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the U.S. Department of Defense. Ratings range from 0 to 100 percent, in increments of 10 percentage points, depending on the severity of the condition. (See table 7.)

The unemployment rate for veterans with a service-connected disability was 4.8 percent in August 2016, about the same as veterans with no disability (4.7 percent). The labor force participation rate for veterans with a service-connected disability (46.4 percent) was lower than the rate for veterans with no disability (50.7 percent).

Among veterans with a service-connected disability, 30 percent had a disability rating of less than 30 percent, while another 37 percent had a rating of 60 percent or higher. In August 2016, veterans with a service-connected disability rating of less than 30 percent were much more likely to be in the labor force than those with a rating of 60 percent or higher (54.7 percent and 29.9 percent, respectively). The unemployment rate for veterans with a disability rating of less than 30 percent was 4.4 percent, not statistically different than for those with a disability rating of 60 percent or higher (3.8 percent).

Among veterans who served during Gulf War era II, 36 percent (1.4 million) had a service-connected disability. Of these, 76.0 percent were in the labor force in August 2016, lower than the 86.6 percent for veterans from this period with no service connected disability. Among Gulf War-era II veterans, the unemployment rate for those with a service-connected disability was 5.4 percent, little different from those with no disability (5.7 percent).

In August 2016, about a quarter (901,000) of veterans who served during Gulf War era I had a service connected disability.

Their labor force participation rate (64.0 percent) was lower than the rate for veterans from the era who did not have a disability (86.7 percent). The unemployment rate for Gulf War-era I veterans with a service-connected disability (5.3 percent) was not statistically different than that for Gulf War-era I veterans without a service-connected disability (4.2 percent).

Among the 1.6 million veterans with a service-connected disability from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era, 14.1 percent were in the labor force in August 2016, lower than the 25.3 percent of veterans from these periods who did not have a service-connected disability. The unemployment rate of veterans with a disability from these wartime periods was 3.7 percent, about the same as their counterparts with no disability (3.8 percent)

About 669,000 or 13 percent of veterans who served during other service periods reported a serviceconnected disability in August 2016. The labor force participation rate for these veterans (37.8 percent) was lower than their counterparts without a service-connected disability (50.3 percent), while the unemployment rate was not statistically different for veterans with a service-connected disability (2.0 percent) and those with no disability (4.8 percent).

Regardless of period of service, many veterans with a service-connected disability worked in the public sector. In August 2016, 31 percent of employed veterans with a disability worked in federal, state, or local government, compared with 19 percent of veterans with no disability and 13 percent of nonveterans. In particular, 20 percent of employed veterans with a disability worked for the federal government, compared with 7 percent of veterans with no disability and 2 percent of nonveterans."

Generations of Veterans Gather to say "No regrets, despite their traumas"

On Veterans Day, from World War II to Iraq, vets say: No regrets, despite their traumas
Seattle Times
Erik Lacitis
Originally published November 11, 2016

Military veterans, from left: Angel Gonzalez, Scot Pondelick, Tommy Darnell, Alicia Johnson, Notrip Ticey III and, seated, Merle “Bob” Clapper at the Veterans Resource Center at Clover Park Technical College in Lakewood.
(Steve Ringman/The Seattle Times)

They are six veterans of our various wars. Some saw combat, some not.

They sat together recently at the Veterans Resource Center at Clover Park Technical College in Lakewood. And even though some had met for the first time, there was an easy camaraderie.

They told of their most vivid experiences in the military — the kind that come back in the middle of the night — and some told how the Fourth of July is always a rough day for them.

Some told of the smell of war. You never forget it. They gave advice to those thinking about joining the military.
read more here

Man Held 81 Navy Veteran 4 Years For Checks!

UPDATE
WATCH: Video of Navy Veteran Allegedly Held Captive at Motel for 4 Years that Led Cops to Rescue Him
PEOPLE
BY HARRIET SOKMENSUER
07/22/2016

New details are emerging in the case of an 81-year-old Korean War veteran with dementia allegedly held hostage in a Highland Falls, New York, motel room for four years by a man stealing his pension and Social Security checks.

In video filmed by witness Natasha Blanc, a man police have identified as Perry Coniglio, 43, can be seen berating and forcing Navy veteran David McClellan back into a room at the U.S. Academy Motel, near West Point. Police arrested Coniglio on Tuesday, charging him with grand larceny, unlawful imprisonment and other offenses.

Coniglio is being held at Orange County jail on $15,000 bail and is expected to appear in court on July 25, ABC 7 reports. He automatically had a not guilty plea entered for him, police say. Calls to the Legal Aid Society of Orange County were not returned Thursday or immediately Friday.

"I'm really grateful that [police] took action because otherwise, no one would have," Blanc tells PEOPLE. "He would have died here."
read more here

Navy Vet Held Captive in NY Motel Room for Years: Police
NBC News 4 New York

U.S. Navy veteran David McClellan was taken to the hospital and is in the care of adult protective services

A New York man held an 81-year-old Navy veteran captive for four years, starving and beating him, in order to steal his pension checks for drugs, authorities say.

Perry Coniglio, 43, was arrested in Orange County Wednesday on multiple charges, including unlawful imprisonment, endangerment of an incompetent person, grand larceny and criminal possession of a weapon.

Highland Falls police said Coniglio, a motel handyman, held former U.S. Navy veteran David McClellan captive for four years at the U.S. Academy Motel, near West Point.

Police said they had gotten complaints for years that Coniglio, who was posing as the victim's caretaker, was verbally abusing the elderly man. But when video surfaced that it turned more physical, they raided the motel Tuesday night.
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Korean War Veteran Warns Others About "Advocate" Broken Promises

Veterans say advocate left trail of broken promises 
WDBJ 7 News 
May 13, 2016

"To just wake up one day, and find out it's all been a lie, I just want to get that out there," Castillo said. "I want people to know what she's done. And I want it to stop. Nobody else needs to go through this."

BUCHANAN, Va. Norman Dooley was a cook in the U.S. Army, a Korean War veteran who believes Agent Orange is responsible for the serious medical problems he is still dealing with today.

He hoped Charlotte Krantz would help him qualify for disability benefits.

"And she just seemed to be so promising, and gave us a lot of dreams that you know didn't come true."

Dooley says she agreed to take on his case, and told him his claim was moving forward, but in the last few weeks he learned that wasn't true.

"She told me twice that I had been approved at 100 percent," Dooley said in an interview. "And that I was going to get a lot of money. And of course that made me and my wife happy, you know because we'd be able to get us a home, and stuff like that, but it just didn't come true."

Krantz worked from a storefront on Main Street in downtown Buchanan.

Her name is still on the door, and a flyer in the window explains the services she was offering, but no one was there when we visited Thursday afternoon.

Krantz is currently a resident of the Botetourt County jail.

Investigators believe there might be more veterans who worked with Krantz and face similar circumstances. They're asked to call Detective Tolley at the Botetourt County Sheriff's Office.
read more here

Vietnam Veterans Unaware of Agent Orange Benefits

VA wants all veterans exposed to Agent Orange to apply for benefits
Salisbury Post
By Rick Johnson
August 24, 2015

Many Vietnam veterans aren’t aware of the Agent Orange presumptive diseases. Furthermore, some veterans choose not to go to the VA for their treatment or some veterans have never thought to apply.

Rowan County Veteran Services

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. The first U.S. combat troops arrived in Vietnam in March of 1965.

More than 58,000 Americans died in the Vietnam conflict. Many who survived are fighting diseases the U.S. government now recognizes were caused by a very powerful toxic chemical used in the jungle war zone.

Since 2010, the Department of Veterans Affairs has recognized a list of diseases, cancers and illnesses caused by the chemical Agent Orange. The VA is now making a renewed push to ensure everyone knows about the benefits available to veterans sickened by Agent Orange.
read more here

List Of Diseases Connected to Agent Orange
AL Amyloidosis
A rare disease caused when an abnormal protein, amyloid, enters tissues or organs

Chronic B-cell Leukemias
A type of cancer which affects white blood cells

Chloracne (or similar acneform disease)
A skin condition that occurs soon after exposure to chemicals and looks like common forms of acne seen in teenagers. Under VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure to herbicides.

Diabetes Mellitus Type 2
A disease characterized by high blood sugar levels resulting from the body’s inability to respond properly to the hormone insulin

Hodgkin's Disease
A malignant lymphoma (cancer) characterized by progressive enlargement of the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen, and by progressive anemia

Ischemic Heart Disease
A disease characterized by a reduced supply of blood to the heart, that leads to chest pain

Multiple Myeloma
A cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell in bone marrow

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
A group of cancers that affect the lymph glands and other lymphatic tissue

Parkinson's Disease
A progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects muscle movement

Peripheral Neuropathy, Early-Onset
A nervous system condition that causes numbness, tingling, and motor weakness. Under VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of herbicide exposure.

Porphyria Cutanea Tarda
A disorder characterized by liver dysfunction and by thinning and blistering of the skin in sun-exposed areas. Under VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure to herbicides.

Prostate Cancer
Cancer of the prostate; one of the most common cancers among men

Respiratory Cancers (includes lung cancer)

Cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus

Soft Tissue Sarcomas (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, or mesothelioma) A group of different types of cancers in body tissues such as muscle, fat, blood and lymph vessels, and connective tissues

Children with birth defects
VA presumes certain birth defects in children of Vietnam and Korea Veterans are associated with Veterans' qualifying military service.

Veterans with Lou Gehrig's Disease
VA presumes Lou Gehrig's Disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS) diagnosed in all Veterans who had 90 days or more continuous active military service is related to their service, although ALS is not related to Agent Orange exposure.

Korean War Veteran Says Charity Begins At Home, Taking Care of Veterans

Veterans from every generation are suffering but while they waited longer for the promises made to be kept, they are losing hope. What other choice do they have given the fact that the only veterans being talked about are the new generation?

Ever think about all the OEF and OIF veterans are complaining about have been complained about for decades?

PTSD and TBI may seem knew however they are not. These are old wounds suffered by every generation. Amputations are not new. Bullet wounds are not new. Being poisoned by chemicals used as weapons are not new. All generations are paying the price for retaining freedom on behalf of the nation sent by politicians claiming wars had to fought. These same politicians fail to care for those sent when they return home.

Nothing they face is new. Only some of the names have changed and they belong to elected officials. The VA consistently gets blamed while Congress has jurisdiction over the VA to make sure they get it right. Decade after decade members of Congress hold hearings, make speeches, ask for veterans to vote for them and then they do nothing but repeat all that had been done to veterans before. Would be nice if they started to do "for" veterans for real. Then we wouldn't be seeing claims tied up in a backlog taking hundreds of days while veterans wait, only to have to file appeals that take years. We wouldn't be seeing them commit suicide double the civilian population rate after they survived combat but couldn't survive in the civilian world.

We have new charities popping up all over the country to take care of the newer veterans while older veterans are not even mentioned even though 78% of the suicides represent veterans over the age of 50.

Yesterday I received an email from a Korean veteran in a hand written letter scanned into the computer of his complex because he doesn't have a computer. He is 83 years old and was wounded in 1950.

New Jersey Korean War Memorial

Charity Begins At Home

The TV show Face the Nation Sunday 19th of July Senator Dianne Feinstein, top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee said "We gave $25 billon dollars to Israel" for their security. Veterans $25 Billion dollars could of helped them.

Charity Begins at Home! Do you know that 22 veterans killed themselves every day, 8,000 a year? They were waiting for compensation. Men who had been in combat, who were wounded in limb and body and mind Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

What percentage of all veterans entitled to compensation would $25 billion dollars help? 15%, 25%, 50% 100%?

I would say 100% instead of giving $25 billion dollars, heal our combat veterans!

You bureaucrats don't give a shit about the VA! Washington, Senate, Congress, why should our soldiers die or worse be wounded with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for the rest of their lives for you? Irresponsible!

If you agree with this 83 year old Korean War veteran email or call President Obama in Washington DC and tell him what you have learned from this article.

Signed,
Maestro IH 83 years old Combat Korean War Veteran
Wounded in Action September 18th 1950
Malaria, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder now but then they called Shell Shock.

We know the numbers are higher since veterans commit suicide double the civilian population and the 22 a day was just an average collect from limited data, but you get his point.

WWII and Korea Kept Veteran From Prom, He Finally Got One 66 Year Late

Riverview couple goes to prom for first time at age 89 
ABC Action News
Christie Post
Jun 24, 2015

Now 66 years later, the couple finally got their chance at the Hillsborough County Aging Services Senior Prom.

A lot of us probably remember going to our high school prom, finding the perfect dress or corsage and maybe renting a limo to impress classmates.

If you never got a chance to go, you’re not alone.

For a Riverview couple it ended up on their bucket list.

At age 89, Ralph Wozniak still asks his wife, LaVerne, to go on romantic walks at their favorite park.

“Married to the same girl, and I'm happy for it,” Ralph said.

But he never got to ask her to the prom.

“We didn't have a prom because it was war time,” LaVerne said.

In 1944 Ralph enlisted in the Marine Corps then was deployed overseas during World War II.

“I couldn't make the prom, and I couldn't finish high school,” Ralph said.

When he got back he missed it again after getting a call this time to fight the Korean War.
read more here

Korean War Veteran High School Graduate at 82

Korean War veteran, 82, to get high school diploma 
The Daily Times
By Matthew Stewart
Posted on Jun 11, 2015

In 2010, Tennessee passed a law that allows veterans whose education was interrupted by military service to be issued a high school diploma.

On June 4, 1955, Charles Roy Dossett returned to civilian life after a four-year stint in the U.S. Air Force. Dossett had earned his General Educational Development (GED) credential while overseas at Kimpo Air Base, or K-14, in present-day Seoul, South Korea, and intended to contact Everett High School in order to obtain his diploma. However, he forgot to mail the requisite forms.

Nearly 60 years to the date, the 82-year-old will get his diploma. He is participating in Blount County Adult Education’s graduation ceremony, which is being held at 7 p.m. Friday at William Blount High School, 219 Country Farm Road, Maryville.

“My kids are looking forward to it,” Dossett said. “I’m happy to do it for them, because education is important. You don’t always see it when you’re in school. However, it is and makes your life easier.”
read more here