John McCain slams Chuck Hagel

UPDATE
I totally forgot about this part. McCain wanted Hagel when McCain wanted to be President and Hagel backed him up. What did McCain want Hagel for? Secretary of Defense! That's right and here it is out of McCain's own mouth.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Too many people think Senator John McCain as a hero. While that was true a long time ago when he was captured and held as a POW in Vietnam, while serving in the Senate, his record has been one of voting against the best interests of the troops and our veterans.

Looking up his voting record has left many in shock. He has voted against Bills that passed and then accepted credit for them. The biggest one was the GI Bill. McCain and President Bush were against this Bill. McCain said it was "too generous" and "too expensive" but after President signed it, he gave credit to McCain among others.

That is why Senators Jim Webb and Chuck Hagel proposed the new GI Bill, which would bring back WWII-style standards of providing vets with full tuition, room and board. And that is why 51 senators have signed on, including 9 Republicans like John Warner, giving this GI Bill tremendous bi-partisan support.

In 2010 he called the "Suicide Prevention Bill overreach" and blocked the Bill. He said this even though there was a report that in Portland Oregon Suicide Prevention hotline had rescued 5 veterans in a two hour period.

Now he is slamming Chuck Hagel even though, as history has proven, Hagel was right about Iraq. Hagel was part of McCain's campaign for the Presidency in 2008 but now he is not good enough for McCain. Chuck Hagel was not just a Senator, he is also another Vietnam veteran.

Hegal volunteered to join the Army and ended up serving a yearlong tour in 1968 during the Tet Offensive, considered the most violent period in that war. Because of a clerical error, he served side by side with his younger brother.

He earned two Purple Hearts, one of which was for saving his brother's life. The second Purple Heart was for shrapnel he took in the chest while on patrol with his brother; his brother saved his life by patching up the wound.

Vietnam Ghosts At The Door

The post I just put up from Truthout on Joe Wheeler got me to thinking about what Vietnam veterans said when they came home.

With Vietnam veterans, they called contact with other veterans, "ghosts at the door." They didn't want to be reminded of what they were still living with. They didn't want to find out which of the soldiers they knew died, which ones ended up with their legs blown off, which ones got yet another divorce. They wanted to put it all behind them.

Years later, more and more were reaching out to find their buddies. Lost and Found from a Vietnam Veterans site (http://grunt.space.swri.edu/vetorgs.htm) began as a way to help them find each other.

There are a lot of other links from this site and they should be used for the wealth of information they provide.
http://grunt.space.swri.edu/vetorgs.htm

If you go to Lost and Found, read some of their stories as they search for people who were there when a family member was killed in action; when they need help to prove a claim with the VA; when they just want to find someone who they knew, your heart breaks. After all these years, they still reach out at the same time they still try to push it all to the back of their minds.



If you want to know what a Vietnam veteran can do, just look at which ones reached the Senate and the House

Vietnam Veterans in the Senate
"#" in front of the name indicates a combat veteran

#Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI)
U.S. Army 1943-47

Robert Bennett (R-UT)
National Guard 1957-61

Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Army Reserves 1968-74

#Thomas Carper (D-DEL)
U.S. Navy 1968-1973
Navy Reserve 1973-1991

Thad Cochran (R-MS)
U.S. Navy 1959-61

Larry Craig (R-ID)
National Guard 1970-72

Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT)
Army Reserve 1969-75

Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Air National Guard 1967-73

Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
· U.S. Air Force 1983-1989
National Guard 1989-1994

#Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
U.S. Army 1967-68

Tom Harkins (D-IA)
U.S. Navy 1962-67
Navy Reserve 1968-74

James M. Inhofe (R-OK)
U.S. Army 1954-56

#Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Medal Of Honor
U.S. Army 1943-47

Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
National Guard 1966-1972

Tim Johnson (D-SD)
U.S. Army 1969-

Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
U.S. Army 1951-53

#John Robert Kerry (D-MA)
U.S. Navy 1966-1970

Herb Kohl (D-WI)
Army Reserve 1958-64

#Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Army 1942-1946

Richard Lugar (R-IN)
U.S. Navy 1957-60

#John R. McCain (R-AZ)
U.S. Navy 1958-81
*POW Vietnam 1967-73

Bill Nelson (D-FL)
U.S. Army 1968-1970

Jack Reed (D-RI)
U.S. Army 1967-1969

Pat Roberts (R-KS)
U.S. Marine Corps (1958-62)

Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Army Reserves 1973-86

Arlen Specter (R-PA)
U.S. Air Force 1951-53

#Ted Stevens (R-AK)
Army Air Corps 1943-46

#John R. Warner (R-VA)
U.S. Navy 1945-46
Marine Corps 1950-52
Marine Corps Reserves 1952-1964

#Jim Webb (D-VA)
U.S. Marine Corps 1964-1972
Ass't Sec. of Defense 1984-1987
Secretary of the Navy 1987-1988

Vietnam Veterans in the House
"#" in front of the name indicates a combat veteran.

Todd Akin (R-02 Missouri)
U.S. Army

#Joe Baca (D-43 CA)
U.S. Army 1966-1968

Spencer Bachus (R-06 AL)
National Guard 1969-1971

James Barrett (R-03 S.C.)
Army 1983-1987

Michael Bilirakis ( )
Air Force 1951-1955

Sanford D. Bishop (D-02 GA)
U.S. Army 1971

John Boehner (R-08 OH)
U.S. Navy 1968

#Leonard L. Boswell (D-03 IA)
U.S. Army 1956-1976

#Allen Boyd, Jr. (D-02 FL)
U.S. Army 1969-1971

Henry Brown (R-1 SC)
National Guard 1953-1962

Vern Buchanan (R-13 FL)
Air National Guard 1970-1976

Dan Burton (R-05 IN)
U.S. Army 1956-1957
Army Reserves 1957-1962

G.K. Butterfield (D-1 NC)
Army Reserves 1957-1962
Army 1968-1970

Stephen E. Buyer (R-04 IN)
U.S. Army 1984-1987, 1990
Army Reserve 1980-1984, 1987-Present

Christopher Carney (D-10PA)
Naval Reserves 1995 - Present

Howard Coble (R-06 NC)
Coast Guard 1952-1956, 1977-1978
Coast Guard Reserve 1960-1981

Mike Conway (R-11 TX)
U.S. Army 1970-1972

John Conyers (D-14 MI)
National Guard 1948-1950
U.S. Army 1950-1954
Army Reserve 1954-1957

Robert E. Cramer, Jr. (D-05 AL)
U.S. Army 1972
Army Reserves 1976-1978

Geoff Davis (R-04 KY)
U.S. Army 1980 -1987

Thomas M. Davis (R-11 VA)
U.S. Army 1971-1972
Army Reserves 1972-1979

Nathan Deal (R-09 GA)
U.S. Army 1966-1968

Peter A. DeFazio (D-04 OR)
U.S. Air Force 1967-1971

William D. Delahunt (D-10 MA)
Coast Guard Reserve 1963-1971

John D. Dingell (D-16 MI)
U.S. Army 1945-1946

John F. Duncan, Jr. (R-02 TN)
Army Reserve 1970-1987

Bob Etheridge (D-02 NC)
U.S. Army 1965-1967

Terry Everett (R-02 AL)
U.S. Air Force 1955-1959

#Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (R-11 NJ)
U.S. Army 1969-1971

#Wayne T. Gilchrest (R-01 MD)
U.S. Marines 1964-1968

Louie Gohmert (R-01 TX)
U.S. Army 1977-1982

Charles A. Gonzales (D-20 TX)
National Guard 1969-1975

Virgil H. Goode, Jr. (R-05 VA)
National Guard 1969-1975

Bart Gordon (D-6 TN)
US Army Reserve 1971-72

Phil Hare (D-17IL)
Army Reserves 1969-1975

Ralph M. Hall (R-04 TX)
U.S. Navy 1942-1945

Doc Hastings (R-04 WA)
Army Reserves 1964-1969

Maurice Hinchey (D-22 NY)
U.S. Navy 1956-59

David L. Hobson (R-07 OH)
National Guard 1958-1963

#Duncan Hunter (R-52 CA)
U.S. Army 1969-1971

Darrell Issa (R-49 CA)
Army 1970-1972, 1976-1980

William J. Jefferson (D-02 LA)
U.S. Army 1969-1978

#Sam Johnson (R-03 TX)
U.S. Air Force 1951-1979 (POW)

Walter B. Jones, Jr. (R-03 NC)
National Guard 1967-1971

Paul E. Kanjorski (D-11 PA)
U.S. Army 1960-1961

Peter King (R-03 NY)
National Guard 1968-1973

# Mark Kirk (R-10 IL)
Navy Reserve 1989-present

#John Kline (R-02 MN)
USMC 1969-1994

Joseph Knollenberg (R-09 MI)
Army 1955-1957

Ron Lewis (R-02 KY)
U.S. Navy 1973

John Linder (R-7 GA)
US Air Force 1967-69

Edward J. Markey (D-07 MA)
Army Reserves 1968-1973

#James Marshall (D-3 GA)
U.S. Army 1968-1970

Jim McDermott (D-07 WA)
U.S. Navy 1968-1970

Gary Miller (R-42 CA)
Army 1967-1968

Alan Mollohan (D-01 WV)
U.S. Army 1970
Army Reserves 1970-1983

Dennis Moore (D-03 KS)
U.S. Army 1970
Army Reserves 1970-1972

Patrick Murphy (D-08PA)
Army 1999-2004

#John Murtha (D-12 PA)
U.S. Marines 1952-1955, 1966-1967
Marines Reserve 1967-1990

Soloman P. Ortiz (D-27 TX)
U.S. Army 1960-1962

William Pascrell, Jr. (D-08 NJ)
U.S. Army 1961
Army Reserves 1962-1967

Ron Paul (R-14 TX)
U.S. Air Force 1963-1965
National Guard 1965-1968

#Steve Pearce (R-2 NM)
U.S. Air Force 1970-1976

Collin C. Peterson (D-07 MN)
National Guard 1963-1969

John E. Peterson (R-05 PA)
U.S. Army 1957
Army Reserves 1958-1963

#Joseph R. Pitts (R-16 PA)
U.S. Air Force 1963-1969

Ted Poe (R-2 TX)
Air Force Reserve 1970-1976

Jim Ramstad (R-03 MN)
Army Reserves 1968-1974

#Charles B. Rangel (D-15 NY)
U.S. Army 1948-1952

Ralph Regula (R-16 OH)
U.S. Navy 1944-1946

#Silvestre Reyes (D-16 TX)
U.S. Army 1966-1968

Thomas Reynolds (R-26 NY)
National Guard 1970-1976

Harold Rogers (R-05 KY)
National Guard 1957-1964

Mike Rogers (R-8 MI)
US Army 1985-89

Bobby Rush (D-01 IL)
U.S. Army 1963-1968

John Salazar (D-03 CO)
U.S. Army 1973-1976

Robert C. Scott (D-03 VA)
Army Reserves 1970-1974
National Guard 1974-1976

Jose E. Serrano (D-16 NY)
U.S. Army 1964-1966

Joe Sestak(D-07PA)
U.S. Navy [Admiral] 1970-2006

John Shadegg (R-03AZ)
National Guard 1969-1975

John Shimkus (R-19 IL)
U.S. Army 1980-1984
Army Reserves 1987-Present

#Vic Snyder (D-02 AR)
U.S. Marines 1967-1969

John M. Spratt, Jr. (D-05 SC)
U.S. Army 1969-1971

Fortney P. Stark (D-13 CA)
U.S. Air Force 1955-1957

Cliff Stearns (R-06 FL)
U.S. Air Force 1963-1967

John S. Tanner (D-08 TN)
U.S. Navy 1968-1972
National Guard 1974-Present

Gene Taylor (D-04 MS)
Coast Guard Reserve 1971-1984

#Mike Thompson (D-01 CA)
U.S. Army 1969-1972

Edolphus Towns (D-10 NY)
U.S. Army 1956-1958

Tim Walz (D-01MI)
National Guard 1981-2005

Dave Weldon (R-15 FL)
U.S. Army 1981-1987
Army Reserves 1987-1992

Ed Whitfield (R-01 KY)
Army Reserve 1967-1970

Roger F. Wicker (R-01 MS)
U.S. Air Force 1976-1980
Air Force Reserve 1980-Present

Heather A. Wilson (R-01 NM)
U.S. Air Force 1978-1989
*Only woman veteran in Congress.

Joe Wilson (R-2 SC)
National Guard 1972-2003

Frank R. Wolf (R-10 VA)
U.S. Army 1962-1963
Army Reserves 1963-1967

C.W. Bill Young (R-10 FL)
National Guard 1948-1957

Don Young (R-All AK)
U.S. Army 1955-1957

I find it very troubling what with all of these veterans in the Senate and the House, they let all of this happen to this nation's newest generation. Especially troubling are the combat veterans listed here. How could they just close their eyes to what was happening and let the veterans suffer with backlogs in claims and shortages of doctors and nurses along with shortages of claims processors when they were coming back with PTSD and killing themselves, seeing their lives fall apart, their families fall apart and when they joined the ranks of the forgotten homeless?

They can move mountains and most of the sites you see on the net dealing with veterans, began with Vietnam veterans. If anyone is going to understand this new generation it has to be them. So how is it that with so much being done by people in private lives happens yet so little happens in the House and the Senate? Even with the "highest increase in VA history" is still so far below what is needed. How can this be intstead of getting it right, right now? Where are the veterans' centers? Where is the outreach they keep talking about doing? Where are the minds of those with the power to make all of this happen? Is it because they don't want the ghosts knocking at their own doors?