Honor veterans requires more than holidays

PBS Capitol 4th

Four out of ten Federal Holidays are about the men and women serving this country.

Federal Holiday
1. New Year’s Day
2. Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
3. Washington’s Birthday

*This holiday is designated as "Washington’s Birthday" in section 6103(a) of title 5 of the United States Code, which is the law that specifies holidays for Federal employees. Though other institutions such as state and local governments and private businesses may use other names, it is our policy to always refer to holidays by the names designated in the law.

4. Memorial Day
5. Independence Day
6. Labor Day
7. Columbus Day
8. Veterans Day
9. Thanksgiving Day
10. Christmas Day

George Washington was the 1st President and a veteran.

The History of America’s Independence Day

On June 11, 1776, the colonies' Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and formed a committee whose express purpose was drafting a document that would formally sever their ties with Great Britain. The committee included Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston. Jefferson, who was considered the strongest and most eloquent writer, crafted the original draft document (as seen above). A total of 86 changes were made to his draft and the Continental Congress officially adopted the final version on July 4, 1776.

The truth is, we may honor them with holidays, but we don't honor them with days of caring for them. The problems within the VA are not new. Nothing is new. That is the most disgraceful thing of all. We let it all happen because we forgot about them.

U.S. troops celebrate July 4th in Afghanistan
0:57

July 4, 2014 4:04 PM EDT — American troops mark July 4th at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan with music and games. (Reuters)

American Legion ups pressure on Coburn

American Legion ups pressure on Coburn

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Nov 5, 2009 13:39:38 EST

The American Legion is organizing a grassroots campaign in Oklahoma to try to persuade Republican Sen. Tom Coburn to lift his hold on S 1963, an omnibus veterans bill, so it can be approved and enacted.

“We are contacting Legionnaires in Oklahoma to inform them about how their senator is delaying the bill and what that means for veterans, especially seriously injured veterans and their families,” said Steve Robertson, the Legion’s national legislative director.

The idea is that Legionnaires in Oklahoma would be able to spread the word to bring pressure on Coburn to change his mind, Robertson said.

Coburn is using Senate procedures to delay a vote on the Veterans’ Caregiver and Omnibus Health Benefits Act because he wants to be able to offer an amendment that would pay for the new caregiver benefits, which would include monthly stipends, health care, counseling and other services.

Senate leaders do not want to allow the amendments, hoping to pass the bill quickly before Veterans Day, but Coburn — using rights available to every senator — has been able to prevent this from happening.
read more here
American Legion ups pressure on Coburn

We neglect our veterans to our shame

We neglect our veterans to our shame
Stamford Advocate - Stamford,CT,USA


Staff Reports
Article Launched: 11/12/2008 03:00:24 AM EST


Somehow, somewhere the plight of some veterans became lost in the excitement and hubbub of the national election. In a preview to Veterans Day on Tuesday, it was disclosed that 1,200 veterans of the armed forces are homeless in Southwestern Connecticut. That should not be. Consider that those same veterans served us and protected us from harm. Most of them served overseas in faraway lands, fighting desert sands and other discomforts. They risked their lives every day fighting for our freedom. Why there are not places for them to live is beyond me, and is in a word, shameful.

As a veteran myself, I find that some of our comrades, even those separated from us by a generation, are basically forgotten.

It wasn't always this way. There was a time when we did a much better job of living up to our obligations toward our veterans. Following World War II, veterans came home to temporary housing. Quonset huts were erected on public land. Here in Stamford, that kind of housing was established in Shippan adjacent to Cummings Park. Other, more conventional housing was constructed on city-owned land on High Ridge Road where Rippowam School now stands. They were attractive Cape Cod-style cottages. Many World War II veterans received their re-start and return to family life as they knew it in the temporary housing.

There are some shelters for homeless veterans in Connecticut. In Bridgeport, for example, where they are provided with housing, instruction in the use of a computer,
and programs to help them gain employment. But they are shelters, pure and simple. Not enough.

The questions posed here is: If the government can pour billions of dollars into the banking community, something, by the way, that should be rescued, why hasn't adequate money been set aside to care for our veterans? Not only as far as housing and jobs are concerned - but what about health care and rehabilitation?

Remember the conditions that were discovered at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington - literally under the noses of the administration and our legislators in the Congress? It is almost as though the thinking was, "Send them off to battle with a parade and hugs from their families, and we will think about health care, jobs and their general well being when we get around to it."

We didn't know about the terrible conditions at Walter Reed until reporters from the Washington Post newspaper exposed them. What would conditions be like today if those reports had never come out? The disclosure spirited some good citizens to become active in helping veterans, including a group that established a state-of-the-art hospital for veterans in Texas. But more is needed as the wars go on and service people return with arms and legs missing and need help.
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Presidential Candidates On Veterans

I would be a lot more impressed if they took a look back on what candidates promised veterans and what they delivered on already. Take Bush for example. He had a long, long history of talking a good game and we saw what he did. Like Biden said his father told him "Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget and I'll know what you value." In this case, show us what they promised and what they did for veterans since all of them have a record to stand or fall on.

Posted Thursday, January 03, 2008 11:32 AM
Presidential Candidates On Veterans, Part II
David Botti
Yesterday we took at look at four presidential candidates and examples of how veterans issues factored into their campaigns. Today's post contains five more front-runners:


http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/soldiershome/
archive/2008/01/03/presidential-candidates-on-veterans-part-ii.aspx

As for politics right now I care more about what is being done today than what a bunch of people say they will do if they get the chance to do it. It matters more what they did do with the chances they already had.