Republicans let the veterans down and they noticed

This is a picture of Senator Jim Webb. He used to be a Republican but switched to the Democratic party. He is the one who started the new GI Bill that McCain not only refused to support, but voted against. Why? Because he said it was too generous. All this time we've heard about what a hero McCain is supposed to be, but here is something that not many talk about when it comes to a Vietnam Veteran who does in fact support the troops and the veterans. This is Jim Webb.

Military service
After graduating from Annapolis, Webb was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. As a first lieutenant during the Vietnam War he served as a platoon commander with Delta Company, 1st Battalion 5th Marines. He earned a Navy Cross, the second highest decoration in the Navy and Marine Corps for heroism in Vietnam. Webb also earned the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts.


Webb received the Navy Cross for actions on July 10, 1969. The citation read:

“ The Navy Cross is presented to James H. Webb, Jr., First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving as a Platoon Commander with Company D, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 10 July 1969, while participating in a company-sized search and destroy operation deep in hostile territory, First Lieutenant Webb's platoon discovered a well-camouflaged bunker complex that appeared to be unoccupied. Deploying his men into defensive positions, First Lieutenant Webb was advancing to the first bunker when three enemy soldiers armed with hand grenades jumped out. Reacting instantly, he grabbed the closest man and, brandishing his .45 caliber pistol at the others, apprehended all three of the soldiers. Accompanied by one of his men, he then approached the second bunker and called for the enemy to surrender. When the hostile soldiers failed to answer him and threw a grenade that detonated dangerously close to him, First Lieutenant Webb detonated a claymore mine in the bunker aperture, accounting for two enemy casualties and disclosing the entrance to a tunnel. Despite the smoke and debris from the explosion and the possibility of enemy soldiers hiding in the tunnel, he then conducted a thorough search that yielded several items of equipment and numerous documents containing valuable intelligence data. Continuing the assault, he approached a third bunker and was preparing to fire into it when the enemy threw another grenade. Observing the grenade land dangerously close to his companion, First Lieutenant Webb simultaneously fired his weapon at the enemy, pushed the Marine away from the grenade, and shielded him from the explosion with his own body. Although sustaining painful fragmentation wounds from the explosion, he managed to throw a grenade into the aperture and completely destroy the remaining bunker. By his courage, aggressive leadership, and selfless devotion to duty, First Lieutenant Webb upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.[7]


James Henry "Jim" Webb, Jr. (born February 9, 1946) is the junior Senator from Virginia. He is also an author and a former Secretary of the Navy under President Ronald Reagan. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

A 1968 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Webb served as a Marine Corps infantry officer until 1972, and is a highly decorated Vietnam War combat veteran. During his four years with the Reagan administration, Webb served as the first Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, then as Secretary of the Navy.

Webb won the Democratic nomination for the 2006 Virginia Senate race by defeating Harris Miller in the primary, then won the general election by defeating the Republican incumbent George Allen. Webb's thin margin in the general election (less than 0.5%) kept the outcome uncertain for nearly two days after polls closed on November 7, 2006, and provided the final seat that tilted the Senate to Democratic control.

Jim is also an author of many books, stating that "I've written for a living all my life, so writing is as much a part of me as working out."[1]

In 2009, upon the planned retirement of John Warner, Webb will become Virginia's senior Senator.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Webb

Most of the fighting going on in Washington for the last couple of years, has been Democrats pushing for the veterans to be taken care of better than they had been. The difference is the GOP no longer controlled the committees. While they tried to make changes for the sake of the troops when the GOP had control, they beat down most of the things the Democrats wanted to do. These are not just my claims. If you look at the rankings the service organizations give to Republicans, you can see their failures in votes, but what you can't see is the words they used to defend their positions. CSPAN has been covering all of this for years now and has done a fantastic job of just showing who says what and when in real time. CSPAN has also covered hearings the Democrats were forced to hold away from the spotlight of the media in basement hearing rooms. If you really want to know, go to YouTube and see some of the hearings that have been uploaded and know for sure that what I'm saying is true.

I have friends and some family members who have always been Republicans. These are not some of the nuts you see on TV but they are stunned to find out how bad the GOP has been when it really comes to supporting the troops and the veterans. What ends up happening is they finally see that while the GOP has increased military spending, it has not been on the troops, but on the contractors who make a bundle off the Congress. The Democrats have been voting for things like body armor and uploaded Humvees, longer dwell time at home between deployments, better care on medical from the DOD and the VA along with everything else the troops need when they become veterans. The GOP has fought against all of it for the most part, but there are several in the GOP who have actually supported the troops and veterans when it mattered instead of paying lip service to their faces but voting against them behind their backs.

This is one thing McCain has been very successful with. Had he been good for veterans, the veterans groups would not have ranked him as terribly as they have. It's as simple as that. He can come up with any excuse he wants, just as they all can, but the record of what happened when the GOP controlled it all speaks for itself. They didn't care enough to act to fix it. Most of the major spending bills and changes in the DOD and VA medical, especially mental health and TBI research has come in the last two years. Gee what a surprise!

It's not that the problems just made it to the ears of the elected. We had a new elected in charge and they took control for the sake of those who serve. When it comes to who does what, it boils down to the GOP are about business and the Democrats are all about people. The troops noticed and more and more veterans are noticing that they have been voting against their best interests for far too long. kc

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation."

- George Washington

Veterans issues remain potent in congressional races
Minneapolis Star Tribune - Minneapolis,MN,USA

By MARK BRUNSWICK, Star Tribune
Last update: October 30, 2008


Everything may be overshadowed by the economy in this election, but veterans benefits and military policy can be deciding factors.

Several retired Marine Corps officers responded to the poll expressing anger at Republicans, the degree of their dissatisfaction surprising pollsters.

"If Republicans are going to have a core constituency, what is it if not that?" said Christopher Parker, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Washington, which conducted the poll. "The military is about good order and discipline and taking care of their own. Republicans are being seen as having failed miserably at all three."

When it comes to military donors, Iraq war critic Obama has held his own with the more hawkish McCain. Until August, Obama had received nearly six times as much money from troops deployed overseas at the time of their contribution as McCain had, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. While Obama continued to lead in military donors with overseas addresses, McCain surged in the final months of the campaign to take the lead among military donors overall, fueled largely by employees of the Department of Defense.
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Veteran speaks in support of Obama at local gathering

Press Photos/Paul L. Newby II
U.S. Army Lt. and Vietnam Veteran Bill Dooling, Veterans Affairs advisor with the Obama campaign, center, listens to Iraq War veterans Grant Collins, of Austin, Texas, left, and Cameron Whitaker, of Grand Rapids, talk about their experiences with war and the veterans' health care system.

Veteran speaks in support of Obama at local gathering
by Kyla King The Grand Rapids Press
Friday September 26, 2008, 7:08 PM

GRAND RAPIDS — As the two major party presidential candidates prepared to debate foreign policy Friday night, veterans stumped for their candidate in Grand Rapids.

Democratic nominee U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., got a boost from retired U.S. Army Lt. and Vietnam Veteran Bill Dooling.

He highlighted the cost of the Iraq War in a Grand Rapids news conference followed by a town hall meeting with local veterans at the UAW region office.

Dooling, a former school teacher and Boston native, said he is backing Obama because he opposed the "costly" war from the beginning.

He also pointed to Obama's Senate voting record and service on the Senate Committee on Veteran's Affairs.
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Durbin, Obama urging VA to occupy vacant Spring Valley hospital

Durbin, Obama urging VA to occupy vacant Spring Valley hospital
By Greg Stanmar
gregstanmar@comcast.net
SPRING VALLEY -- The federal Veterans Affairs Department was urged Wednesday to take over a soon-to-be-vacant hospital in Spring Valley for a VA hospital, but the move was called political and impractical by LaSalle County veterans affairs officer Marty Rue.

U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama jointly issued a letter Wednesday urging VA Secretary James Peake to accept the offer of St. Margaret’s Hospital in Spring Valley. They said the VA should buy the building because “too many Illinois veterans drive too far to receive care at a VA facility.”

The facility would help veterans in the Twin Cities, Peoria, the Quad Cities and Rockford to avoid driving into Chicago or Iowa City, they said.

The proposal “is strictly political” and “fiscally irresponsible,” Rue said.

St. Margaret’s, 30 miles from Streator, announced in January it intended to build a $90 million replacement hospital nearby rather than attempt further renovation. It offered its old site to the VA at a price to be negotiated.
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Obama talks about Montana National Guard at Columbia University

Columbia University Presidential Forum
LIVE VIDEO: Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain make a joint appearance at Columbia University to discuss civic engagement in the post 9/11 world.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22886841#22886841

At about half way through Senator Obama's question and answer session, he brings up the Montana National Guard and their PTSD program. I know I must be boring some readers with this but it is one of the best programs in the country.

Obama promises to repeat Montana's National Guard PTSD work nation wide
Obama Pledges Nationwide Use of PTSD Program

Eric Newhouse

Great Falls Tribune

Aug 28, 2008 - Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama promised Wednesday to expand Montana's pilot program to assess the mental health of combat vets nationwide, if elected.The Montana National Guard has developed a program to check its soldiers and airmen for signs of post-traumatic stress disorder every six months for the first two years after returning from combat, then once a year thereafter. The program exceeds national standards set by the U.S. Department of Defense.The pilot program was created in response to the suicide of former Army Spc. Chris Dana of Helena, who shot himself on March 4, 2007, days after being given a less-than-honorable discharge because he could no longer handle attending drills following a tour in Iraq.

"He (Obama) told me he understood why we need to have additional screenings for PTSD," said Matt Kuntz, Dana's stepbrother, who was among a small group invited to meet with Obama on Wednesday in Billings. "And he told me when he is elected president, he will implement Montana's pilot program nationwide."Kuntz, who recently gave up his job as a lawyer in Helena to advocate for the mentally ill and their families, said he was invited to brief Obama on how Montana had become a national model for assessing the mental health of its combat vets.

click above for more

I've done a lot of posts on the Montana National Guards program.
http://woundedtimes.blogspot.com/search?q=Montana+National+Guard

The other point Senator Obama made, aside from how good this program is, is that Chris Dana's brother gave up his career to take on the cause of PTSD suicides and do something about it. Obama said that he never asked Matt if he was a Democrat or a Republican and he didn't care. All he cared about was that there was a need and Matt stepped up to fill that need.

Now, wouldn't it be great if we all managed to do that?

I am very grateful to Obama for going to Montana to talk to the family of Chris Dana and find out what kind of great work can be done. I was really excited when I read about this knowing that his attention would lead to national attention on this. Now, with this national spotlight on him tonight on MSNBC, I'm sure there will be.

Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos

Namguardianangel@aol.com

www.Namguardianangel.org

www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington

Palin speech raises record $10 million in a day,,,for Obama

After Palin speech, Obama has record $10 million day
Posted: 08:50 PM ET
(CNN) – Barack Obama's campaign for president has raised $10 million since Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin spoke Wednesday night, the campaign announced, calling it a "one-day record."
Palin, the governor of Alaska, launched harsh attacks on Obama, accusing him of being two-faced and a political lightweight with no significant legislative accomplishments.
"Coverage of the Palin attacks on the news this evening just pushed us over $10 million," Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in an e-mail to reporters Wednesday night.
The Republican Party announced earlier in the day it had raised $1 million in the wake of Palin's speech.(Update with new fundraising total)

In Billings, Obama blames GOP for veteran troubles

In Billings, Obama blames GOP for veteran troubles
By TOM LUTEY Billings Gazette

BILLINGS - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, speaking Wednesday in Billings, faulted Republican leaders for chronically underfunding veteran services for troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I have some significant differences with McCain and George Bush about the war in Iraq,” Obama said. “But one thing I thought we'd agree to is when the troops came home, we'd treat them with the honor and respect they deserve.”

Several trends indicate veterans are not getting the health care and other benefits they need to succeed at home, Obama told a group of around 200 people during an invitation-only morning listening session in Riverfront Park.

Armed services veterans are seven times more likely to be homeless than Americans who don't serve. In Montana, roughly half the veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder go untreated for the psychological condition, Obama said.

Before speaking, the candidate met for several minutes with the family of Spec. Chris Dana, a Montana National Guard veteran suffering from PTSD who committed suicide in March 2007, several months after returning from Iraq. Dana's stepbrother, Matt Kuntz, became a vocal advocate for better treatment of PTSD after Dana's death.

Jess Bahr, a Vietnam veteran, drove more than 200 miles from Great Falls to hear Obama. Before being bused to the event with a veteran-heavy crowd, Bahr said the number of homeless U.S. veterans was inexcusable and that the needs of retired warriors across the country were being ignored by communities.

“In Great Falls, they're building a $6.5 million animal shelter and we don't have a shelter for veterans. What does that tell you about priorities?” asked Bahr, a 1967 Army draftee who survived the Tet Offensive, a nine-month series of battles that resulted in more than 6,000 deaths and 24,000 injuries among American and allied troops during the Vietnam War.
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Obama to VFW:You are Democrats and Republicans and Independents

This is what too many in this country forget. Vetearns are not members of one party, but all of them. In the end, they served, risked their lives and live out their days with events of wars inside of them and they did it for this one nation.

“Let me be clear,” Mr. Obama said. “I will let no one question my love of this country. I love America, so do you, and so does John McCain. When I look out at this audience, I see people of different political views. You are Democrats and Republicans and Independents. But you all served together, and fought together, and bled together under the same proud flag. You did not serve a Red America or a Blue America, you served the United States of America.”

That passage received the warmest applause of his 30-minute address.

August 19, 2008, 9:27 am
Obama Returns Fire on McCain in VFW Speech
By John M. Broder

Barack Obama spoke at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention. (Photo: Matt Stroshane/Bloomberg News)Updated ORLANDO – Addressing both his opponent’s charges of weakness and vacillation, and public doubts about his credibility on military matters, Senator Barack Obama on Tuesday told the Veterans of Foreign Wars that he offered not just tough talk but smart answers to national security questions.

Mr. Obama appeared before the V.F.W. a day after his presumed Republican opponent, Senator John McCain, criticized him for advocating a policy of defeat in Iraq and suggested Mr. Obama put personal ambition before the interests of the country.

Mr. Obama struck back with tough language, although his delivery was largely without passion. He received a polite but not enthusiastic response from the estimated 3,000 veterans assembled in a cavernous convention hall here. Many seats were empty because a number of veterans left Orlando ahead of the advancing tropical storm Fay.

“If we think that we can secure our country by just talking tough without acting tough and smart, then we will misunderstand this moment and miss its opportunities,” Mr. Obama said. “If we think that we can use the same partisan politics where we just challenge our opponent’s patriotism to win an election, then the American people will lose. The times are too serious for this kind of politics. The calamity left behind by the last eight years is too great.”
go here for more

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/
2008/08/19/obama-returns-fire-on-mccain-in-vfw-speech/?hp

Troops contribute more to Obama campaign than McCain's

Troops contribute more to Obama campaign

By Rick Maze - Staff writers
Posted : Thursday Aug 14, 2008 14:23:40 EDT

Military personnel are contributing more to Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois than to his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, according to a nonpartisan group tracking donations to candidates.

The Center for Responsible Politics says that in terms of total contributions during the 2008 election cycle, 859 service members have contributed a combined $335,536 to Obama as of June 31, an average of about $391 a person.

In comparison, 558 service members have contributed a combined $280,513 to Sen. John McCain, an average of $503 a person.

Running a close third in the contributions is Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, who has suspended his run for the Republican presidential nomination but has not formally dropped out of the race. He has received $232,411 in contributions from 537 military members, an average of $433 a person.

Looking just at contributions from service members with overseas addresses, McCain trails far behind Obama and Paul.

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Obama playing it safe avoiding McCain? What about the troops who can't play it safe?

The AP reported that people in Obama's campaign said he was playing it safe as the front runner by avoiding doing joint Town Halls with McCain. Fort Hood must be one of the events worth avoiding to him. The troops can't play it safe. They go where they are sent. They do what they are ordered to do and they stay until they receive orders to return home. Seems that for both men this is just politics as usual.

It's mystifying how Obama can suddenly go from sounding like a breath of fresh air in politics to using talking points in order to get toward the "middle ground" when no one wanted him there. Catch the polls lately? When he was running against Senator Clinton and the rest of the pack, he not only sounded different but he was saying what most of us have been waiting to hear. He sounded like we mattered, the people of this country were going to be counted once again. What we really value mattered and the rest of the garbage we've been hearing for the last eight years has been reduced to rants from the fringe.

McCain has gone from a level, albeit hotheaded senator, speaking out on what he saw was abuse of power to being a Bush lap dog in heat over taking over his seat. He sold out everything most people admired about him and now he approves television ads that are lies. The selling job of Obama being an elitists didn't take into consideration Obama and his wife finished paying off their student loans while McCain tossed his disabled wife over for Cindy's millions. As for Obama there is a problem with him too. How can it be that he pulls such huge crowds as he did in Titusville Florida but the polls have him tied to McCain who could hold his appearances in Checker's parking lot with seats left over? (If you never heard of Checker's, it's a drive in burger chain with great hot dogs but the only tables are outside.) None of this makes sense at all. It would be great if just once they would be hooked up to a lie detector every time they opened their mouths and whenever they were covering up for how they really feel they got zapped.

Obama backs away from McCain's debate challenge
Associated Press
Published: Saturday August 2, 2008


WASHINGTON — Democratic candidate Barack Obama on Saturday backed away from rival John McCain's challenge for a series of joint appearances, agreeing only to the standard three debates in the fall.

Obama's reversal on town hall debates is part of a play-it-safe strategy he's adopted since claiming the nomination and grabbing a lead in national polls. Advisers to the Illinois senator, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss strategy, say Obama is reluctant to take chances or give McCain a high-profile stage now that Obama's the front-runner.

In May, when a McCain adviser proposed a series of pre-convention appearances at town hall meetings, Obama said, "I think that's a great idea." In summer stumping on the campaign trail, McCain has often noted that Obama had not followed through and joined him in any events.
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Sorry propaganda on Obama didn't work

Earlier I received and email link to a site saying that Obama never thanked the troops in Afghanistan and that he was not there longer than it took to do a few hoop shots.

Candidate Obama Makes Debut in Europe
By DAVID RISING and PATRICK McGROARTY, APposted: ONE MINUTE AGO

BERLIN (July 24) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as climate and energy issues at Germany's chancellery Thursday, part of a tour aimed at lifting the first-term senator's international standing.
Their meeting featured "very open" and wide-ranging talks, Merkel spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm said in a statement issued after the hourlong session. Obama and Merkel also stressed the "great significance of close and friendly German-American relations," he said.

click post title for the rest of the report and the pictures.

What the propaganda people don't understand is that Obama is surrounded by reporters and they are taking notes along with pictures. Here are just two from the above report.


Obama greets a U.S. soldier Sunday in Kabul. In an interview with CBS News, he called the situation in Afghanistan "precarious" and "urgent" and said the U.S. needs to send more troops.



Obama, second from left, attends a meeting Saturday with officials in Afghanistan. He also met with top leaders at Bagram Air Base. He made the trip with two other senators: Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., second from right, and Jack Reed, D-R.I., right.

While some want to use the troops to defend their political thoughts, they should never, ever use them while lying on top of it.

Senator Obama, what's more pressing than the troops and veterans?

When NAMI sent out a questionnaire on mental illness, you (or one of your advisors) took the time to answer every question, while others didn't bother. When NAMI asked you to send a representative of your campaign to the convention in Orlando, you did when McCain didn't bother to do more than send in the same kind of letter he responded to the request from NAMI with. For most of your campaign, you seem to claim there is nothing more important than taking care of the troops and veterans. You said the invasion of Iraq and occupation of it was wrong and spoke out against it, but for all the claims you have about the importance of the troops and veterans is to you, you decline to participate in a Town Hall meeting with them. What is more pressing then the needs the men and women serving this nation have? What is more important than addressing the military families sacrificing while their family member is deployed? What is more pressing than addressing the special needs of citizen soldiers and their families?


From Carissa Picard, President Military Spouses for Change

If there is one more debate or town hall before the general election, it should be before an audience composed of the men and women whose service and sacrifice ensure that these events continue through their defense of our country and of our Constitution; particularly after six years of war.



Press Release about the event is attached.


NEW YORK TIMES

July 12, 2008
Obama Won't Commit to Event at Military Base
By KATE ZERNIKE
A coalition of military groups is planning a nationally televised town-hall-style meeting with the presidential candidates near Fort Hood, Tex., the largest active-duty military installation in the country. But so far, only Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee, has agreed to attend.

CBS has agreed to broadcast the meeting live from 9 to 11 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, Aug. 11. The candidates would face questions directly from an audience of 6,000 people, made up of veterans, service members and military families from the base.

Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has not agreed to participate.

"Senator Obama strongly supports America's veterans and military families and has worked hard on their behalf in the Senate," said Phillip Carter, director of Mr. Obama's veterans effort and an Iraq war veteran. "While we unfortunately had a previously scheduled commitment on the date proposed, Senator Obama looks forward to continuing the dialogue he's been having throughout the country with veterans on how we can better serve our men and women in uniform as they serve us."

Carissa Picard, managing director of the Fort Hood Presidential Town Hall Consortium, said she had suggested Aug. 11 and asked the campaign to suggest other dates if that was not convenient, but after several conversations she had not been able to work anything out.

"I'm having extreme difficulty getting the Obama campaign to commit to this event, and we do not understand why," said Ms. Picard, whose husband is deployed in Iraq. "We made it very clear to them that if they would commit to the event, we would work with them on dates."

The organizers released details about the event in hopes that it would pressure the Obama campaign to agree to the event.

"This was a decision that was made with tremendous difficulty, to publicize it," Ms. Picard said. "We were at a point where we had no other option. We got the impression that they could talk us to November."

The meeting would be at the Expo Center in Belton, Tex., about 25 miles from Fort Hood.

A military audience might seem more hospitable to a Republican candidate, particularly one like Mr. McCain, who has made his support for the war in Iraq the heart of his campaign. But the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken a heavy toll on Fort Hood; one of the groups organizing the event estimates that up to 800 of the service people who have died in Iraq have come through the base.

And organizers say many Fort Hood residents — the base serves about 218,000 people, including service members, retirees and military families — have grown tired of the war and agree with Mr. Obama's declaration that it must end.

Still, Mr. McCain prefers the town-hall-style format. He had proposed a series of 10 similar events with Mr. Obama, and the two campaigns were said to be working out details for a more limited series of meetings.

Organizers say the veterans and military population in the United States, including families, totals about 44 million people.

"McCain and Obama are asking to be the next commander in chief," Ms. Picard said. "What's a more compelling audience than this, the people that you have asked to maintain our security? It would be tremendous for the morale of this community."

Organizers include American Veterans, Disabled American Veterans, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Veterans for Common Sense and Military Spouse Corporate Career Network.

Carissa Picard, Esq.

Obama: I need to earn troops’ trust

Obama: I need to earn troops’ trust

Candidate lays out defense policies, touts his judgment over McCain’s, holds civilians accountable for missteps in Iraq
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jul 7, 2008 13:11:15 EDT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama knows that to win the vote of current and former military members and their families, he has to prove himself.

“Precisely because I have not served in uniform, I am somebody who strongly believes I have to earn the trust of men and women in uniform,” Obama said in a July 2 interview with Military Times as he contrasted his lack of service with that of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, a Navy retiree and Vietnam veteran who has years of experience in Congress working on national security issues.

Video
• Watch segments of our interview with Obama

“I do not presume that from the day I am sworn in, every single service man or woman suddenly says, ‘This guy knows what he is doing,’” said Obama, a freshman U.S. senator from Illinois, in his most extensive interview to date on a wide range of military issues.
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Now That We’ve ‘Won,’ Let’s Come Home

Now That We’ve ‘Won,’ Let’s Come Home
By FRANK RICH
Published: June 22, 2008

THE Iraq war’s defenders like to bash the press for pushing the bad news and ignoring the good. Maybe they’ll be happy to hear that the bad news doesn’t rate anymore. When a bomb killed at least 51 Iraqis at a Baghdad market on Tuesday, ending an extended run of relative calm, only one of the three network newscasts (NBC’s) even bothered to mention it.

The only problem is that no news from Iraq isn’t good news — it’s no news. The night of the Baghdad bombing the CBS war correspondent Lara Logan appeared as Jon Stewart’s guest on “The Daily Show” to lament the vanishing television coverage and the even steeper falloff in viewer interest. “Tell me the last time you saw the body of a dead American soldier,” she said. After pointing out that more soldiers died in Afghanistan than Iraq last month, she asked, “Who’s paying attention to that?”

Her question was rhetorical, but there is an answer: Virtually no one. If you follow the nation’s op-ed pages and the presidential campaign, Iraq seems as contentious an issue as Vietnam was in 1968. But in the country itself, Cindy vs. Michelle, not Shiites vs. Sunnis, is the hotter battle. This isn’t the press’s fault, and it isn’t the public’s fault. It’s merely the way things are.
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Nothing really gets covered about Iraq on the TV and even less than nothing on Afghanistan. No one noticed the death count in Afghanistan has gone up and we lost more there than we did in Iraq. No one notice the five killed just the other day or the other deaths there this year.

It's easy for the backers of the Iraq fiasco to claim victory when they don't know what's happening behind hearing there are less attacks now and less deaths of American forces, when every other indication leads to even more violence around the corner. It's easy for them to ignore the rise and fall in deaths over the years and even easier to ignore that the Iraqi people are pretty much fed up with all of it. None of the backers noticed the fact that troops have been treated to contaminated water by KBR. The billions of funds missing and unaccounted for. The other pieces of news coming out pointing fingers all at this are easy to ignore when they have their fingers in their ears.

Everyone agrees that the occupation of Iraq will not end unless Obama becomes the President. We know where McCain will take this and it is not to the end as soon as possible but more of the same "whenever" it happens and screw over those sent to finish it out. There is nothing we can do now about any of this until the election is over. It's obvious that Bush has managed to trap the Democrats leaving them no room to end this because the fact is their slim majority is not enough to end it no matter how badly they want to.

What the American people right now can do is put the pressure on Congress to take care of the wounded right now and those who will come until this is finally over. Take care of the families who have been living on food stamps while their husband or wife has been deployed yet again on the meager pay they receive at the same time the cost of living is leaving them out. Yes, the troops worry about their families with the price of food going up along with everything else and gas at over $4.00 a gallon. If you don't think the thought of their families suffering while they are deployed is hurting their morale, you better think again.

Over 800,000 claims backlogged is also damaging their morale when they know the next one added to the pile of claims could be their own claim if they get wounded.

It's not bad enough the people in this country pay so little attention to Iraq and even less to Afghanistan, it's the fact we don't pay attention to the troops either.
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos

75,000 gather for Obama rally at Portland’s Waterfront

75,000 gather for Obama rally at Portland’s Waterfront Park

By David Edwards

About 75,000 people lined up on a sunny Sunday for a chance to see Sen. Barack Obama speak at Portland’s Waterfront Park. Some Obama supporters estimated the crowd at 80,000 people.
This video is from KGW-TV Portland, broadcast May 18, 2008.

He spoke about two wars. One we cannot afford to lose and another that should not have begun. He told the truth. 75,000 to 80,000 people agreed with him in Portland Oregon. Millions across the country agree with him as well. It appears that over 70% of the adult Americans agree. All the more telling is the military donations into campaigns. Ron Paul is receiving the bulk of donations for the Republicans and Obama is receiving the largest share of the contributions into the Democratic runners. Three years ago the donations into the GOP began to dry up. By then it was clear, that the real support the military men and women, their families and their futures, would not be taken care of by the GOP.

To this day, I'm scratching my head and wondering what happened to the GOP that made them begin to think saying no to what the troops needed was worthy of the word, "no" and finding them too expensive to fund what they need. There are a lot of good people in the Republican party and they need to raise their voices so that the right thing is done for the sake of the troops. It's also time they figured out they can no longer afford to have these elected in office when they find no problem funding other things, denying the need for accountability and above all, making speeches saying the troops are not worth funding every dime!

Politico gives W.P credit day later after Army Times reported story

Obama Demands VA Investigation Into PTSD Diagnoses
By Daniel W. Reilly

May 16, 2008
(The Politico) Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is demanding an investigation into reports that a supervisor at a Texas Veterans' Affairs facility told staff members to refrain from diagnosing returning war veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder in order to reduce costs.

On Friday, Obama sent a letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake expressing his "serious concerns" over the reports and demanding an investigation.

The Washington Post broke the story on Friday, which included emails from Dr. Norma Perez suggesting to her staff members that they "refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD straight out," because of the increasing costs of treating the disorder.

"Simply put, Ms. Perez's email is outrageous," Obama wrote in the letter. "As you well know, PTSD is the most prevalent mental disorder afflicting our returning...veterans."

"In order to receive their deserved benefits, these brave men and women must endure a long and arduous process. To hear that a VA official is promoting misdiagnoses of soldiers to save money is unacceptable and is tantamount to fraud. "

Peake issued a statement on the matter, saying that Perez's email was "inappropriate" and did not reflect VA policy.

"Too many veterans see the VA as a bureaucracy with the singular goal of denying services and benefits to veterans," said Obama. "This recent incident merely serves to promote that impression."

The Democratic presidential hopeful gave Peake a deadline of May 23 to inform him if the department will open an investigation.

Obama, who is a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, also wrote a letter to committee chairman Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) asking him to look into the matter.


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/16/politics/
politico/thecrypt/main4103492.shtml

If the Washington Post broke the story on Friday, then how did I post it Thursday and Army Times was where I got it from?

Thursday, May 15, 2008

PTSD in troops dismissed to save money! Was it worth it?
I am posting this is very large type so that no one misses a single word of this.
Four who committed suicide so that the government could save money! Many more each week did the same thing. Over 12,000 a year tried to.
VA Secretary James Peake acknowledged in a statement that the e-mail did come from a VA facility, but said it’s not official policy.

“A single staff member, out of VA’s 230,000 employees, in a single medical facility sent a single e-mail with suggestions that are inappropriate and have been repudiated at the highest level of our health-care organization,” he said. “The employee has been counseled and is extremely apologetic.”

VoteVets.org and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a Freedom of Information Act request May 14 asking VA for all documents relating to PTSD, said Naomi Seligman Steiner, spokeswoman for the latter group.

“We’re not head-hunting,” Friedman said. “There are a lot of great people who work at VA who have helped me and my friends. We had to file the FOIA to get to the bottom of this. Is it from the head of the VA? The presidential administration? Or individual hospitals? I would like to know where this directive is coming from.”

Peake said his staff “works hard” to make sure mental health issues are accurately diagnosed.

“VA’s leadership will strongly remind all medical staff that trust, accuracy and transparency is paramount to maintaining our relationships with our veteran patients,” he said. “We are committed to absolute accuracy in a diagnosis and unwavering in providing any and all earned benefits. PTSD and the mental health arena is no exception.” http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/military_va_adjustmentdisorder_051508w/

Obama: Real patriotism is treating veterans right

Obama: Real patriotism is treating veterans right
Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor May 12, 2008 12:35 PM

Barack Obama told West Virginia voters today that a test of real patriotism is giving veterans the care and services they need -- a test he argued that the Bush administration has sorely failed in a "betrayal of the ideals that we ask our troops to risk their lives for."

"We must never forget that honoring this service and upholding these ideals requires more than saluting our veterans as they march by on Veterans Day or Memorial Day," he said, according to prepared remarks. "It requires marching with them for the care and benefits they have earned It requires standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our veterans and their families after the guns fall silent and the cameras are turned off. At a time when we’re facing the largest homecoming since the Second World War, the true test of our patriotism is whether we will serve our returning heroes as well as they’ve served us," said Obama, who has been criticized for not wearing a flag lapel pin.

The Democratic front-runner renewed his call for creating a "21st century VA," for expanding treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, and for a new GI bill for soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

In calling for expanding services and benefits, Obama also talked at length of personal memories of his grandfather, Stanley Dunham, who enlisted after the Pearl Harbor attacks, fought with General George Patton during World War II, and is buried in a national cemetery in Hawaii with Pearl Harbor victims.

"I knew him when he was older," Obama said, according to the prepared version of the speech. "But whenever I meet young men and women along the campaign trail who are serving in the military today, I think about what my grandfather was like when he enlisted – a fresh-faced man of twenty-three, with a hearty laugh and an easy smile."

"I can still remember the day that we laid my grandfather to rest," Obama continued. "In a cemetery lined with the graves of Americans who have sacrificed for our country, we heard the solemn notes of Taps and the crack of guns fired in salute; we watched as a folded flag was handed to my grandmother and my grandfather was laid to rest. It was a nation’s final act of service and gratitude to Stanley Dunham – an America that stood by my grandfather when he took off the uniform, and never left his side."
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/05/obama_real_patr.html

Republican. Military Veteran. Obama Supporter

Republican. Military Veteran. Obama Supporter.
By Kloris

30 March 2008
Republican. Military Veteran. Obama Supporter.
A post from a "Republican military veteran" on the Republicans for Obama site:

In my opinion as a U.S. Army veteran, the Bush administration has "dropped the ball" in terms of providing quality health care for our wounded and disabled active-duty personnel and our veterans ...our troops have not been --at least consistently-- provided with proper body armor, vehicular armor, and other essential materiel they need to complete their mission. We have 4,000 dead and roughly 20,000 wounded, troops serving multiple combat tours, and radically and constantly shifting military objectives (all detrimental to troop morale) ...

As much as I personally admire Senator McCain, voting for him as president would feel like giving George Bush's failed military leadership and foreign policies a third term to make more of a mess. I do not see any significant difference between Bush's military policies to date and McCain's proposals platforrm for national security ...

Senator Obama captured my attention when he said (in two televised debates, so far) that he would, as president, try to capture or kill Osama bin Laden if he knew where the Al Qaeda leader was hiding in Pakistan, and that he would do it with or without the cooperation of Pakistan’s president ... I am sick and tired of seven years of Osama Bin Laden's continuing televised threats against our nation and our people. President Bush has lost focus on bringing Bin Laden to justice. Senator Obama won't coddle Pakistan's leaders if he believes Bin Laden is in Pakistan.

Please take time to visit the Veterans For Obama website. Learn why I, a Republican military veteran, am supporting Senator Obama for President here.

Clinton and Obama Answer Young Veterans

Clinton and Obama Answer Young Veterans
I just finished watching an hour-long MTV roundtable in which Senators Obama and Clinton each spent half an hour talking to eight veterans under 30 years of age. This is first time I can remember in a political campaign that young veterans were looked at not as a prop for some National Security Theater, but rather as piece of the greater youth constituency with a distinct set of needs and concerns.

The event was slightly overproduced at times (the stories of the veterans were dramatic enough without the re-enactments), but it was honestly one of the best discussions of the campaign thus far on what it really means to support the troops (beyond buying a yellow ribbon) and just what the hell we're actually trying to accomplish in Iraq.

One thing in particular that shook me was the veterans' ages and the amount of time they've spent on active duty in Iraq. One of the veterans, who had a Purple Heart along with another medal, was just 22 years old and had spent 27 months in Iraq. That's more than 2 years out of 22 spent fighting in Iraq. That's astonishing and totally incomprehensible to me.

Hot topics were PTSD (7 of the 8 participants were diagnosed), homelessness and other transitional issues for soldiers reentering the civilian population, as well as some talk about the US strategy on the ground. Both Clinton and Obama talked about the need to fully fund the VA, provide job training and health care for veterans, remove the stigma around PTSD (in and out of the service), and some of the challenges in doing so.
go here for the rest
http://futuremajority.com/node/1052

Senator Obama hears from group of veterans

“The notion that you wouldn’t have services available to you is inexcusable,” Obama said, adding that the military should start the process of treating soldiers suspected of post-traumatic stress disorder “before you are discharged.”

Obama addresses vets on drinking age, PTSD

By Tom Raum - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Mar 18, 2008 7:45:51 EDT

SCRANTON, Pa. — Democrat Barack Obama on Monday promised Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans help with their grievances — save one.

“I know it drives you nuts. But I’m not going to lower the drinking age,” the presidential candidate said.

Army veteran Ernest Johnson, 23, of Connecticut, said one of the things that peeved him before he turned 21 was that he couldn’t come home and drink a beer — even though he was old enough to serve in the armed services and die for his country.

Obama told Johnson he sympathized, but that setting the legal drinking age at 21 had helped reduce drunken driving incidents and should remain.

The Illinois senator was taping a round-table discussion with eight veterans that is to be broadcast by MTV on the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war.

Howard Noel, 28, of New York City, told Obama he “looked at the military as a good thing” when he enlisted. But when he returned, he said he was scorned by friends and, for a while, was homeless.

Seven of the eight veterans raised their hands when Obama asked who had suffered emotional or mental problems as a result of their service.

go here for the rest http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/03/ap_obamadrinking_031708/

Obama, Hagel, and Harkin Address GI Suicides

Obama, Hagel, and Harkin Address GI Suicides
by Piuma, Thu Feb 07, 2008 at 11:36:08 PM EST

The following is excerpted from a diary on the Think On These Things blog:



As news reports reveal growing numbers of suicide among soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, U.S. Senators Tom Harkin, Chuck Hagel, and Barack Obama on January 31, introduced major legislation aimed at preventing suicide among active duty members of the military. The Senators' bill, the Armed Forces Suicide Prevention Act, would direct the Department of Defense (DoD) to create a comprehensive suicide prevention program including annual training for soldiers, improved instruction for field medics and post deployment assistance. The legislation authorizes six million dollars for implementation of the programs. A companion measure will be introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Leonard Boswell (D-IA).

Today's Washington Post reported that Army statistics show that 121 soldiers committee suicide last year - a 20 percent increase from 2006. This is the highest rate of Army suicides recorded since the Army started collecting this data in 1980. The Post also reported that last year about 2,100 soldiers "injured themselves or attempted suicide, compared with about 350 in 2002."

"These startling statistics should serve as a wakeup call that suicide among soldiers and veterans is more than a problem, it is an epidemic," said Senator Harkin. "Thankfully, our push to provide America's veterans with a suicide prevention program was heard last year, when the President signed the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act into law. But there is more work ahead - especially in serving our active duty military personnel. We can and must act quickly to save our soldiers who are so bravely fighting for our country."
go here for the rest
http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/2/7/23368/63265