Vietnam War Hero Fighting Low Name Recognition Run for President?

"Fighting low name recognition on the national stage" seemed really odd to read after years of hearing about Jim Webb. After all, if you're a veteran receiving a college education, he's part of the reason. He's done a lot for veterans and not afraid to fight against the establishment. So why would this man with his record be such and unknown? Is it the press? Is it the Super Pacs?

Jim Webb: Money 'screwing up' political process
Richmond Times Dispatch
BY MARKUS SCHMIDT
August 21, 2015

RICHMOND — Democratic presidential candidate Jim Webb said Friday that Super PAC money is "really screwing up the political process" and that it affects his campaign's ability to get his message out.

"The challenge that we have right now in the current political environment, money dominates the process like it never has before," said Webb, who served as a U.S. senator from Virginia from 2007 until 2013, on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

Webb said he was concerned with the buying power of Super PACs that are funneling most of the $388 million spent on the election this year into the race. Unlike the candidates, PACs are allowed to accept unlimited contributions in support of candidates from almost any source.

"I don’t believe that Super PACs are ethically supportable concepts," Webb said. "That money ... is affecting our ability to get out and talk."

Webb also cited reports that less than 400 families nationwide are responsible for almost half the money raised in the 2016 presidential campaign — an unprecedented concentration of political donors.

Webb, 69, a highly decorated Marine rifle platoon and company commander in Vietnam, former Navy secretary, lawyer and book author, announced his White House bid in early July. Since, he has run a quiet but focused campaign, offering a sometimes moderate and at other times hawkish alternative to his fellow Democratic contenders, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Martin O'Malley, the former governor of Maryland.

Fighting low name recognition on the national stage and struggling to move beyond his single-digits in the polls, Webb is still optimistic that he will become a more visible candidate once the dust from Trump's bombastic entering into the race has settled.
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UPDATE
Webb 'proud' to see female Rangers
2 women recently became first females to earn Ranger tabs
Author: By Eric Bradner CNN
Published On: 1 h

"I am totally comfortable now with the military being able to make these decisions in a way that goes to performance," he said, "and I am very proud to see -- these two women are West Point graduates, and they went through the rigorous training, and the military should be able to decide how they are used."

WASHINGTON (CNN)
Former Sen. Jim Webb says he is "proud" to see the first two female Army Rangers, even though he'd opposed women in combat positions in the wake of his experience in the Vietnam War.

Webb, who's now a Democratic presidential candidate, told CNN's Jim Acosta in an interview Sunday on "State of the Union" that he no longer believes the position he took in a 1979 op-ed in The Washingtonian.

"I came back from a very hard war where more than 100,000 Marines were killed or wounded. I had my views about how the political process should be dictating to the military that they make changes," Webb said.
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Vietnam Veteran, Senator Jim Webb, no plans to rest

No Rest for Jim Webb
Dec 27, 2012
The Virginian-Pilot
by Bill Bartel

Webb's most praised Senate achievement was a new GI Bill that passed Congress 18 months after he took office. The legislation dramatically improved education and related benefits for veterans. To date, more than 800,000 former service members have used the benefits.

Jim Webb may be walking away after a single term in the U.S. Senate, but that doesn't mean he's exiting public life for good.

And the 66-year-old is not going into retirement.

"I will be working. Trust me," he said in a recent interview in the wood-paneled conference room of his Capitol Hill office.

"My situation is different than most people up here. I didn't come out of a law firm. There isn't a structure that I can easily go back into. But it's a very healthy thing, at least from the way my career has played itself out, to step out every now and then and just think about things."

The victory was the latest chapter in a career that began in 1969 in the Marines. As a lieutenant, Webb served in Vietnam, earning the Navy Cross, a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts.

He worked on the staff of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs after law school, and he served during the Reagan administration as an undersecretary of defense and Secretary of the Navy.

His books, both fiction and nonfiction, include the critically acclaimed novel "Fields of Fire," which is based on his wartime experiences. He's also won an Emmy as a documentary filmmaker.
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Born Fighting
Sense of Honor
A Country Such As This
Lost Soldiers
Emperor's General

Senator Jim Webb defends Vietnam Veterans

Mitt Romney protested for the Vietnam War, not a problem. He protested for the draft. Not such a huge problem except for the fact that while he supported drafting young men his age, he took off for France and a sandy beach where he wrote how he loved Ann.

There were a lot of guys his age, also in love, but they did their duty and over 58,000 died, but they kept dying of Agent Orange and suicides, much like we talk about today. Back then, no one talked about PTSD or what happened to them when they came home. Now everyone seems to have something to say about the debt we owe all we send. Great thoughts but on the other hand is usually a fist when it comes to really taking care of them. Read about the Romney/Ryan plan and know what's coming if they have their way. Jim Webb went. Vietnam veterans need to hear what he has to say.

Webb drops the hammer on Romney
By CHARLES MAHTESIAN
9/27/12

From Webb’s introductory remarks before Obama’s Virginia Beach appearance:

Governor Romney and I are about the same age. Like millions of others in our generation, we came to adulthood facing the harsh realities of the Vietnam War. 2.7 million in our age group went to Vietnam, a war which eventually took the lives of 58,000 young Americans and cost another 300,000 wounded. The Marine Corps lost 100,000 killed or wounded in that war. During the year I was in Vietnam, 1969, our country lost twice as many dead as we have lost in Iraq and Afghanistan combined over the past 10 years of war. 1968 was worse. 1967 was about the same. Not a day goes by when I do not think about the young Marines I was privileged to lead.

This was a time of conscription, where every American male was eligible to be drafted. People made choices about how to deal with the draft, and about military service. I have never envied or resented any of the choices that were made as long as they were done within the law. But those among us who stepped forward to face the harsh unknowns and the lifelong changes that can come from combat did so with the belief that their service would be honored, and that our leaders would, in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, care for those who had borne the battle, and for their widows and their children.

Those young Marines that I led have grown older now. They’ve lived lives of courage, both in combat and after their return, where many of them were derided by their own peers for having served. That was a long time ago. They are not bitter. They know what they did. But in receiving veterans’ benefits, they are not takers. They were givers, in the ultimate sense of that word. There is a saying among war veterans: “All gave some, some gave all.” This is not a culture of dependency. It is a part of a long tradition that gave this country its freedom and independence. They paid, some with their lives, some through wounds and disabilities, some through their emotional scars, some through the lost opportunities and delayed entry into civilian careers which had already begun for many of their peers who did not serve.

And not only did they pay. They will not say this, so I will say it for them. They are owed, if nothing else, at least a mention, some word of thanks and respect, when a presidential candidate who is their generational peer makes a speech accepting his party’s nomination to be commander-in-chief. And they are owed much more than that — a guarantee that we will never betray the commitment that we made to them and to their loved ones.
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Are we doing enough for our veterans?

Are we doing enough for our veterans?
A Q and A with Jim Webb
By: WESLEY P. HESTER
Times-Dispatch
Published: May 14, 2012

U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., knows a thing or two about veterans' issues.

A decorated Vietnam Marine combat veteran, Webb served as the first assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs and later as secretary of the Navy.

After being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, Webb introduced the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, which passed Congress and became law in 2008, providing a landmark increase in college aid to veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Webb, who is retiring from the Senate next year, spoke with the Richmond Times-Dispatch last week about the current state of services for veterans.

Q: Are we doing enough to help our veterans? If not, what else do we need to work toward?

A: We — as a Congress and a nation — can always do more, but in terms of what we have been able to accomplish in the post-9/11 era, I think we have come quite a long way. I introduced the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill my first day in office, starting with a simple concept: that we owe those people who have served since 9/11 the same type of quality educational benefits that those who served in World War II received. The president's budget request for FY2013 veterans spending is $140 billion — more than double the amount in constant dollars appropriated in 1980, when the veterans' population was larger by a third.

I have worked on many other veterans-related priorities during my time in the Senate. I believe that our nation has a clear responsibility to provide an appropriate level of compensation and outstanding health care coverage to those who have put themselves in harm's way in the service of our country, and I have worked to ensure this as a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee.
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Webb Targets GI Bill Abuse by Schools

Webb Targets GI Bill Abuse by Schools

March 13, 2012
Military.com|by Bryant Jordan
Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, a key supporter of the post-9/11 GI Bill, says new legislation is needed to ensure that the education benefit isn't weakened by veterans using it at some for-profit schools that do not always meet the same educational standards as traditional institutions.

For that reason, Webb is sponsoring a bill that would require for-profit schools, including online learning programs, to meet the same standards as any other school receiving federal funding.

"Growing concerns of abuses by some educational institutions put at risk the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill itself, and the invaluable benefits it provides our veterans," Webb said in a statement. These abuses include hyped or simply untrue claims about graduation rates, graduate employment figures, and whether the school is officially accredited by a U.S. Department of Education-approved agency.

"Some for-profit institutions are providing our students a great education, but with the significant federal dollars being spent, we owe it to taxpayers and our veterans to carefully monitor and provide adequate oversight," Webb said.
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Agent Orange Update

Agent Orange Update


Shinseki to defend new Agent Orange rules

Veterans groups praised the Department of Veterans Affairs last year when officials announced they would add three new diseases to the list of "presumptive illnesses" connected to the use of the Vietnam-era defoliant Agent Orange. But senators concerned about the cost and precedent of such a change put a 60-day hold on money related to the change, and have asked the VA for more information on why Agent Orange claims should be expanded.

On Tuesday, in a speech before the Veterans of Foreign Wars, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said he's happy to defend the decision. "It was the right decision, and the President and I are proud to finally provide this group of Veterans the care and benefits they have long deserved."

The rules regarding the new recognized illnesses -- Parkinson’s Disease, Hairy Cell and other types of chronic, b-cell leukemia, and Ischemic Heart Disease — could open up veterans benefits to 250,000 more Vietnam-era veterans and cost the VA another $13.4 billion over the next 18 months.

Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., has publicly questioned whether scientific research supports including the three new diseases with other Agent Orange exposure conditions, and if the VA is unnecessarily committing billions in compensation payments for problems that are often simply the result of aging.

But Shinseki said he's "happy" to explain the rationale behind the move, and confident lawmakers will support the change. The hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee is set for Sept. 23.

Veterans-For-Change will continue to monitor closely the situation and report any new developments and we strongly urge you to call your Senators and Congressman toll free at 866-272-6622 and politely insist they support Secretary Shinseki’s decision and allow the rule to be finalized immediately.

If you’re able to make the call, please send an E-Mail to: jim.davis@veterans-for-change.com and let us know their response.


Veterans-For-Change Needs Your Support

On behalf of Veterans-For-Change I’d like to request your help in supporting three very important programs we have.

Our first program is our Emergency Financial Assistance program which was developed to help Veterans and their families on a one time bases with utilities, rent, clothing, etc.

Our Second program is a small college tuition assistance program for the children of Veterans. We’d be awarding financial grant assistance of up to $200 to the top three competitors in an annual essay contest.

Our third program is an award program for Veterans, their spouse and children who are ill to due their service or by no fault of their own being family members of a Veteran. And it’s our special way of saying thank you for your service to our Country.

The Annual Fund provides funding to range of vital areas, including those names above and for operations, resources and potential new programs. These donations are critical to maintain the standing that Veterans-For-Change has held as well as make strong forward strides.

Our organization directors are dedicating their time, energy and enthusiasm to work for this cause, and all do this as a volunteer so 97% of every dollar goes back to the Veteran community.

We request your support by considering a donation to Veterans-For-Change.

If you decide to contribute, please send your donation to

Director of Annual Fund
Address
Many of you know that over the past year or so we’ve done our level best to provide assistance to veterans and their families when in need. And as with most small non-profit groups, we’re no different and always have a need for financial assistance.

If you’re able to contribute $25, $50, $100 or more, please click HERE to be taken direct to the PayPal site!

For those who contribute $25, you will be given a Veterans-For-Change E-Mail address for one year. Those at the $50 level an E-Mail address for five years and those at the $100 level a lifetime E-Mail address. And I’d like to thank you all in advance for your continued support!

If everyone receiving this newsletter were to just donate a single $1 bill, we’d meet our goal and fast and would be able to continue to serve the some 5,000-9,000 veterans and widows per month! We could really use your support!

If you’re interested in advertising in our weekly newsletter, click HERE and send us an E-Mail for further details.

We’re also desperately looking for someone who has talent in the field of writing Grant Proposals which we can submit to corporations and grant foundations to assist in our operations and continued support to veterans and their families.

If you have such a talent and can donate your time and talents, please click HERE and send me an E-Mail.

We also have the chance to purchase a copy of the National Association Uniformed Services nationwide membership register for $125, and to join Starthmore’s Who’s Who for $49.95, both would give VFC opportunities to network with other veterans, veteran organizations, and thousands of fortune 500 and 1000 corporations and grant foundations to secure funding for continued operations of Veterans-For-Change. Your donations could open these doors for us.

If you’d prefer to send a check or money order, please send an E-Mail to: Jim.davis@veterans-for-change.com for instructions.

You can also help by book marking and visiting Newsvine frequently: http://jdavis92840.newsvine.com/

VFC earns money on every article a comment and vote that is posted. So visit frequently for things not always in the newsletter, comment and click on comment & vote.

Veterans-For-Change operates under National Faith Based Coalition Disabled Veterans Enterprises
Tax ID #84-1285120

Sen. Webb now asking questions about scrutinized veterans group

U.S. Sen. Webb now asking questions about scrutinized veterans group
By Michael Sluss The Roanoke Times
U.S. Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia has asked the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to clarify the process it uses to screen veterans services organizations listed on its Web site, citing investigations into the activities of a Navy veterans group that soon could be allowed to solicit donations in Virginia.

In a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, Webb raised concerns about a group called the U.S. Navy Veterans Association. The organization and its former director, Bobby Thompson, have been under scrutiny since March, when an exhaustive investigation by the St. Petersburg Times raised questions about the organization's fundraising, its expenditures and the very existence of its national and state directors.
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http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/247270

Vietnam Veteran finally gets his Bronze Star thanks to Senator Webb

Va. Veteran Receives Bronze Star
Updated: Friday, 12 Mar 2010, 9:59 PM EST
Published : Friday, 12 Mar 2010, 7:10 PM EST

An award for combat valor 40 years in the making was finally given on Friday. Virginia veteran Phillip O'Donnell received one of the nation's highest honors-- the Bronze Star. It couldn't come soon enough because the former Vietnam combat pilot has cancer, and he says he may not live much longer.

Senator Jim Webb presented the Bronze Star Medal to Warrant Officer O’Donnell, U.S. Army (Ret.), a Stafford resident and Vietnam veteran who served in both the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service by the Army during that assignment, but the decoration was never presented as the result of an administrative oversight.
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http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/va-veteran-receives-bronze-star-031210

U.S. Senator Jim Webb won freedom for Vietnam Vet John Yettaw

Yettaw's actions in Myanmar 'regrettable'
Story Highlights
NEW: American John Yettaw arrives in Thailand, later to head to U.S.

U.S. Senator Jim Webb won freedom for man who visited Aung San Suu Kyi

Suu Kyi punished after the uninvited American man swam to her home

Webb is first U.S. member of Congress to visit Myanmar in decade

(CNN) -- An American sentenced to seven years hard labor in Myanmar after he sneaked into the home of detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, arrived in Thailand on Sunday with the U.S. senator who secured his release.


American John Yettaw smiles as he arrives at a military airport in Bangkok.

John William Yettaw was taken to hospital in Bangkok shortly after arriving aboard a military aircraft with Sen. Jim Webb.

"I believe what he did was regrettable. I believe it was hurtful to the person that he thought he was trying to help," Webb told reporters in Thailand.
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Yettaws actions in Myanmar regrettable

Post traumatic stress, suicidal soldiers and the nightmare

Post traumatic stress, suicidal soldiers and the nightmare: A Memorial Day wake up call
May 29, 2:39 PM

Linda Mastrangelo

SF Dream Research Examiner
Monday, May 25th, 2009 was Memorial Day. A holiday when we honor the men and women of the military who served this country with courage, grace and fortitude by visiting local and national monuments, personal gravesites or simply by giving our prayers and tears in silent reverence to those we lost. There are those who fought directly in the trenches and then there are the lesser known soldiers who battled internal enemies of the psyche and lost. I am talking about the stunning rise of suicides and suicide attempts among our enlisted men and women.

In 2008, there were 2100 suicide attempts equaling about 5 suicides per day: A number that has dramatically increased before the Iraqi war at 350 attempts in the year 2002. What’s even more alarming is that in 2008 more soldiers died from taking their own lives than from dying in the battlefield. This alarming statistic has prompted Senator. Jim Webb, D-Virginia, to introduce legislation to improve the military's programs for suicide prevention. The Army's 101st Airborne Division will be holding a three day "suicide stand-down training event" at Fort Campbell this week: The second one being held this year, especially in lieu of a U.S. soldier in Iraq who was recently charged with killing five of his fellow troops at a mental health clinic earlier this month.
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Post traumatic stress, suicidal soldiers and the nightmare

Military Officers Assoc. honors Sen. Webb

Military Officers Assoc. honors Sen. Webb

By Allison Brophy Champion

Published: April 24, 2009

The Military Officers Association of America honored Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., this week with its highest award for his consistent support of service members and their families.

A Vietnam veteran and Marine, Webb introduced the Post-9/11 GI Bill on Jan. 3, 2007, his first day in office.

The legislation was signed into law last summer, providing educational benefits — similar to those given to World War II vets — to veterans of the post-9/11 era.

It was for his advocacy that the MOAA presented Webb its highest honor at a ceremony in Washington Tuesday — the 2009 Col. Arthur T. Matrix Congressional Leadership Award, named for the group’s founder.
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Military Officers Assoc. honors Sen. Webb

Senator Jim Webb wants to put dwell-time rule into law

Webb wants to put dwell-time rule into law
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Dec 1, 2008 16:34:32 EST

Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., is not giving up on his so-far unsuccessful bid to guarantee in law that troops will get as much time at home as they spend deployed.


Although the services generally have a 1:1 ratio of time deployed to time at home since U.S. ground forces in Iraq have returned to pre-surge levels, Webb sees benefits to putting the so-called “dwell time” plan into law. “While current policy has taken it down to 1:1, the only way to ensure that is to codify it,” said Webb spokeswoman Kimberly Hunter.

Webb plans to reintroduce legislation early next year, Hunter said, but has not decided when to press for a vote on what could be a key test of whether Democrats will have the support of at least a handful of moderate Republicans to push through legislation that was blocked earlier this year.

With two Senate races yet to be decided, Democrats have 58 votes if they get the support of the Senate’s two independents, just two short of the 60 votes needed to stop a filibuster and push legislation forward.

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Give you one guess on which party has been against doing this.

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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McCain's "us" is really "them"

McCain's heart belongs to Bush. Not us.

When McCain says the word "us" most of us think he's talking about us, the regular people. We think he's talking about the men and women who are in fact the backbone of this country. Everyday people who go to work, dealing with problems the majority of the citizens deal with. Yet, when you consider what he's really saying, what he's proven to really be interested in, the "us" is really the people like McCain and not like the rest of us.

Jim Webb is one of us and cared about us while McCain went against us.

McCain, well, he never had to worry about paying for college because he served and the tax payers took care of his bill. Not that he needed the funding but because he earned it. This is one thing he thought was too good for the men and women serving today when he tried to kill Jim Webb's GI bill. He fought against it saying "it's just too generous" and "will hurt retention" by "making it more attractive to leave the military" and then he flipped when the bill was passed saying he thought it wasn't generous enough. Yet if you raise the fact Obama and his wife spent years to finish paying off their student loans, McCain will say that "but I was a POW and spent five years getting an education at the hands of the Vietnamese."

McCain never had to worry about healthcare because yet again, the tax payers took care of his medical care, because he was a veteran and senator. He doesn't think the rest of the veterans in this country deserve the same care and has proven this by voting against the increase needed for the VA to be able to take care of the new veterans and especially the wounded. We've all read how bad it has been for them but McCain, well, they are just not in the same category he's in. If you say that Obama and his wife had to worry about it most of their lives, he'll yet again say, "but I was a POW and instead of having his health taken care of it was jeopardized at the hands of the Vietnamese."

McCain never had to worry about filling his gas tank to get to a job. As a matter of fact, he didn't even know what gas prices were. Speaking of jobs, he never had to stand in an unemployment line either. He's been on government payroll all his life never having held a regular job the rest of us do and the rest of the veterans have to deal with when they are done serving and have to deal with trying to find a job in the economy Bush/McCain policies created. As veterans come back dealing with trying to readjust, the VA has been unable to keep up with the demands of helping them. Then we have the citizen soldiers who are members of the National Guards and Reservists who have to leave their jobs over and over again, their families, their incomes only to return to find their jobs and businesses are no longer there and their homes have been foreclosed on. Yet again if you raise this with McCain he'll say "I was a POW and my job was staying alive" which he ended up doing what it took in order to survive. He's been doing that ever since. Stooping to any level in order to get elected.

While the rest of us are worrying about losing our homes, McCain can't remember how many he has. Again when this was raised McCain did in fact bring up the fact for five years he was living as a POW at the hands of the Vietnamese.

McCain has never been poor and never living off government payroll. When it comes to his term of "us" he means people in his class not the rest of us. When he refers to "us" as in veterans, he's talking about the ones who are not paying attention and not having to fight to survive for over thirty years trying to have their wounds taken care of and their bills paid when they lost the ability to pay them because they were wounded serving in Vietnam, in the Gulf War and in the two occupations going on right now.

McCain is not one of "us" he's proven he's one of them. The people responsible for the hardships we have to live with because he cared more about the "them" that did it all to us. kc

Gates questions combat training by contractors

Has anything not been "outsource" in Iraq to contractors?

Gates questions combat training by contractors

By Erica Werner - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jul 21, 2008 20:02:22 EDT

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants to know why his military uses private contractors for combat and security training, and how widespread the practice is.

He’s asking for answers from the Pentagon’s top military officer, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen.

“In my mind, the fundamental question that remains unanswered is this: Why have we come to rely on private contractors to provide combat or combat-related security training for our forces?” Gates wrote in a memo to Mullen that was released Monday to The Associated Press by the office of Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va.

“Further, are we comfortable with this practice, and do we fully understand the implications in terms of quality, responsiveness and sustainability?”

Gates’ memo came after Webb raised concerns about the role of private contractors and specifically Blackwater Worldwide, which opened a new counterterrorism training center in San Diego last month over the opposition of city officials.

Webb had been blocking Senate consideration of four civilian Defense Department nominees while waiting for answers. On Monday, Webb told Gates he was lifting his opposition to the nominees.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/ap_contractors_gates_072108/

As for Blackwater, go here to read how they are getting out of this kind of business and then you won't have to wonder why they are.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Blackwater plans shift from security business
Blackwater plans shift from security businessBy Matt Apuzzo and Mike Baker - The Associated PressPosted : Monday Jul 21, 2008 17:54:50 EDTMOYOCK, N.C. — Blackwater Worldwide executives said Monday that they plan to shift away from the lucrative security contracting business because government scrutiny and negative media attention have made the business too costly.“The experience we’ve had would certainly be a disincentive to any other companies that want to step in and put their entire business at risk,” company founder and CEO Erik Prince told The Associated Press during a daylong visit to the company’s North Carolina compound.go here for morehttp://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/ap_blackwater_072108/

Misinformation clouds new GI Bill

Misinformation clouds new GI Bill

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jul 7, 2008 18:10:15 EDT

Full-tuition educational benefits included in a new veterans’ program signed into law on June 30 will not take effect until Aug. 1, 2009, unless Congress approves a change in the new law.

There will be a 20 percent increase, effective this Aug. 1, in Montgomery GI Bill benefits for active-duty veterans and veterans who have served two or more years of active duty, raising the maximum benefit to $1,321 for a full-time student who has three or more years of active service, under terms of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008.

Full tuition benefits, plus stipends for living expenses and books, will not take effect under the law until Aug. 1, 2009, despite earlier claims by aides to the bill’s chief sponsor that those payments would be retroactive to when the bill is signed.

A spokeswoman for Sen. Jim Webb, D.Va., chief sponsor of the new benefits package, said the fact that the benefits are not retroactive came as a surprise; the final bill passed by Congress omitted crucial paragraphs of Webb’s legislation.
click post title for more

Bush's speech on Webb's GI Bill was a load of lies

YouTube - COUNTDOWN: Sen. Jim Webb On The GI Bill 6/30/08
Jim Webb discuss the recent GI bill he sponsored and the hypocritical stance of President Bush and Sen. John McCain trying to take credit for it when they

Statement of Senator Jim Webb on the White House's Embrace of his 21st Century GI Bill
"For the past 17 months, I and my staff have been working every day to provide first-class educational benefits to those who have served since 9/11. I am delighted that after having opposed this legislation, the President has now pledged that he will not veto it when it comes before him as part of this year's supplemental appropriations package.

"The bill being sent to the President contains every provision in S. 22, which has received meticulous scrutiny and the full support of every major veterans' organization. It will pay for a veteran's tuition, books, and a monthly stipend, along the lines of the benefits given to those who returned from World War II. As such, it fulfills the pledge I made on my first day of office to provide today's veterans with the opportunity to move forward into an absolutely first-class future.

"I would like to again express my appreciation to the veterans' service organizations, many of whom communicated their support of this bill directly to a skeptical White House, and to the 58 Senate and 302 House cosponsors of this landmark legislation. This bipartisan coalition consistently rejected the allegations of this Administration, and of Senators McCain, Burr and Graham, among others, who claimed that the bill was too generous to our veterans, too difficult to administer and would hurt retention.

"It has now been nearly seven years since 9/11 -- seven years since those who have been serving in our military began earning the right for a proper wartime GI Bill. I am looking forward to the President living up to his word, and signing this legislation at his earliest opportunity."
To view a Fact Sheet on S.22, please click here
To download a complete press packet on S.22, please click here
To view the Senate co-sponsors, please click here
To view the House co-sponsors, please click here
New York Times Op-Ed: A Post-Iraq G.I. Bill by Senators Jim Webb and Chuck Hagel (November 9, 2007)
Washington Post Editorial: Reward for Service, Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan deserve an improved GI bill (November 11, 2007)
Prominent GI Bill Beneficiaries (Edward Humes, Over Here: How the GI Bill Transformed the American Dream)
Chart on WWII Veterans in the Senate--How Much the GI Bill Would Cover Then & Now

but here is Bush's speech

President Bush Signs H.R. 2642, the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008
Oval Office

Video (Windows)
Presidential Remarks
Audio
En Español



9:48 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. A few moments ago I signed legislation that funds our troops who are in harm's way. Our nation has no greater responsibility than supporting our men and women in uniform -- especially since we're at war. This is a responsibility all of us in Washington share -- not as Republicans or Democrats, but as Americans. And I want to thank leaders of the House and Senate for getting this bill to my office.

America remains a nation at war. There are enemies who intend to harm us. Standing in their way are brave men and women, who put on the uniform, who raise their right hand, and took an oath to defend our freedom. They volunteered to deploy in distant lands, far from their families, far from their homes, and far from comfort of America. And every day, they risk their lives to defeat our adversaries and to keep our country safe.

We owe these brave Americans our gratitude. We owe them our unflinching support. And the best way to demonstrate that support is to give them the resources they need to do their jobs and to prevail. The bill I sign today does exactly that. It provides necessary funds to support our troops as they conduct military operations in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and in other theaters in the war on terror.

I appreciate that Republicans and Democrats in Congress agreed to provide these vital funds without tying the hands of our commanders, and without an artificial timetable of withdrawal from Iraq. Our troops have driven the terrorists and extremists from many strongholds in Iraq; today violence is at the lowest level since March of 2004. As a result of this progress, some of our troops are coming home as result of our policy called "return on success." We welcome them home. And with this legislation we send a clear message to all that are servings [sic] on the front line that our nation continues to support them.

We also owe a debt of gratitude to our nation's military families. They endure sleepless nights, and the daily struggle of caring for children while a loved one is serving far from home. We have a responsibility to provide for them. So I'm pleased that the bill I sign today includes an expansion of the GI Bill. This legislation will make it easier for our troops to transfer unused education benefits to their spouses and children. It will help us to recruit and reward the best military on the face of the Earth. It will help us to meet our responsibilities to those who support our troops every day -- America's great military families.

The bill also includes agreed-upon funding for other critical national priorities. This bill includes $465 million for the Merida Initiative -- a partnership with Mexico and nations in Central America to crack down on violent drug trafficking gangs. The bill includes nearly $2.7 billion to help ensure that any state facing a disaster like the recent flooding and tornadoes in the Midwest has access to needed resources. This bill includes a measured expansion of unemployment insurance benefits with a reasonable work requirement. And this bill holds overall discretionary spending within the sensible limits that I requested.

The bill is a result of close collaboration between my administration and members of both parties on Capitol Hill. I appreciate the hard work of my Cabinet -- especially the leaders of Defense and State, and Veterans Affairs, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, as well as OMB. I want to thank House and Senate leadership and leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. I am particularly grateful to Congressmen Boehner, Hoyer, Obey, and Lewis. And I want to thank members who worked hard for the GI Bill expansion -- especially Senators Webb and Warner, Graham, Burr, and McCain.

This bill shows the American people that even in an election year, Republicans and Democrats can come together to stand behind our troops and their families.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/06/20080630.html

Too bad the fact is Bush, McCain and others fought against this bill and that is why Webb had to fight so hard to get this many to sign onto it. He had to make sure Bush could not be able to veto it as he promised he would and was on tape saying he would veto it. McCain fought it because he said it was just too generous.

Now I heard on the Randi Rhodes show today that McCain is getting disability payments from the VA for his wounds. If he is, he does deserve them but you would think he wouldn't have become part of the "I got mine, screw you club!" since he always votes against veterans.

Bush signs war funding, GI Bill overhaul

Bush signs war funding, GI Bill overhaul

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jun 30, 2008 10:17:41 EDT

A $162 billion war funding bill that includes a $63 billion overhaul of GI Bill education benefits was signed Monday by President Bush.

“The bill shows even in an election year, Republicans and Democrats can come together to stand behind our troops,” Bush said, predicting the GI Bill increases would be a boost to military recruiting and also a boon to families if educational benefits are transferred to family members.

The signing of HR 2642 brings an end to a Pentagon cash-flow crisis that threatened to disrupt military and civilian payroll, cancel or delay maintenance, and postpone nonessential training and travel.

And, for the first time since the Vietnam War, there will be a completely free veterans’ education benefit program that pays enough to fully cover the cost of getting a four-year college degree.

go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/06/military_gibill_signed_063008w/

Iraq Vet Driven by Friend's Death

Iraq Vet Driven by Friend's Death
Daniel W. Reilly


Politico

Jun 25, 2008

June 25, 2008 - On the eve of last month’s Senate vote on Sen. Jim Webb’s GI Bill, Patrick Campbell clicked "send" on one last lobbying e-mail to staffers. Then he broke down and cried.

Campbell, the legislative director for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, had started his message by laying out all of the latest developments on Webb’s bill.

In the final paragraphs, the Iraq war veteran shared the news that was foremost in his mind, news that he hadn’t shared with anyone outside his unit.

"Yesterday," he wrote, "one of my buddies from Iraq committed suicide."

It should have been a heady week for Campbell, a week in which the former staffer for Sen. Barbara Boxer (Calif.) and other Democrats shared a rally stage with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-­Calif.), saw the Senate vote overwhelmingly in favor of Webb’s bill and graduated from law school at Catholic University.
go here for more
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ArticleID/10492

How The GI Bill Changed America

How The GI Bill Changed America
Sunday Morning: Legislation For Servicemembers Returning From WWII Now Updated For A New Generation Of Vets

June 22, 2008


(CBS) PL 346 was the Congressional designation of a landmark bill signed into law 64 years ago today - legislation designed to smooth the transition to civilian life for millions of World War II servicemen. In the process it changed America for ALL of us. Congress is very close to approving expanded benefits for service men and women of today's Iraq War era. Our Cover Story is reported now by Thalia Assuras.

They returned to a hero's welcome - sixteen million men and women who had served their country during World War II, one out of every nine Americans.

Yet, along with all the smiles and the tears of joy, there were fresh worries: Would returning vets be able to find jobs? A place to live? What was next?

"There was a near certainty that after the war - assuming the allies were victorious - that a depression would follow, just as happened after World War I - that the economy would tank," said author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ed Humes.

In his book "Over Here," Humes tracks the fate of those returning GIs.

"You had an economy that had been totally retooled to manufacture arms," he said of wartime America. "You had women entering the workforce in record numbers to take the jobs that the men had to leave to go fight. And so suddenly saying, 'Okay, back to normal,' it was gonna hit us like an explosion."

But it didn't.

In a display of foresight not often seen in Washington, long before victory was assured, President Franklin Roosevelt put into motion a plan to ease vets back into the fragile economy.
go here for more
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/22/sunday/main4200692.shtml


We've all heard for years about how important this "war on terror" is to the security of this country and yet those who seem to scream the loudest about giving Bush every dime he asks for are also the last to pay for it. They won't fund the money going into Iraq or Afghanistan. Sure they can write checks but the fund it all on borrowed money. What's worse is they have no problem doing it with borrowed lives either. Think about the men and women who serve this nation. They borrow their lives to do the jobs the President and the congress say needs to be done. When they are done serving, they also expect these men and women to be left on their own after. When they are wounded, they expect them to just stand in line as their lives fall apart wondering how to pay their bills and support their families. These same war approvers are also the last ones to pay for the lives they borrowed in terms of taking care of their needs. If the "war on terror" is all so important to the security of this nation, wouldn't their lives be worth whatever money it takes to take care of them for real?