This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Iraq Veterans Against the War

  • Colonel relieved over PTSD “under reporting”

    Dallas Homas M.D., an Army Colonel who’s the head of JBLM’s Madigan Army Medical Center, has been relived after concerns arose of “under reporting” of PTSD among soldiers. Initial coverage by local ABC affiliate KOMO News claims that the Army’s Medical Command has determined soldiers were essentially having their PTSD swept under the carpet in order to reduce PTSD diagnosis and save money. Much of the focus was the result of my old Congressmen, Norm Dicks-(D), voicing concern that Madigan chose to close a PTSD clinic. Two things immediately occurred to me.

    First off it would seem that KOMO, who seems to go out of their way to find the lowest of the low in order to generate sensational quotes they can place next to sympathetic descriptions, has enlisted the help of yet another communist activist, Chanan Suárez. Suárez, at least, is merely a member of the Seattle Chapter of the Trotskyite International Socialist Organization and generic IVAW goon. The last time JBLM was generating controversy in the news the producers at KOMO slithered all the way to the bottom of the heap and enlisted the help of the Stalinists of International ANSWER and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Way to get out the true feelings of the veteran’s community on the PTSD issue, KOMO.

    Tangentially, the other Navy guy they found to stump for the evils of military medicine is Adam Horton. Horton, who is either a former aviation electrician on the EA-6B Prowler according to a profile piece, just recently “won” his own PTSD claim. On the other hand his LinkedIn profile says he got out as an Aircrew Survival Equipmentman 2nd Class. I don’t always speak Navy that well so maybe my confusion is simply a matter of failing to translate.

    The disgusting tendency of local Seattle media to distort the views of the veteran community aside, the second thing to occur to me is that this is probably an old and largely resolved issue that’s catching up to the command staff only now. I never worked in the medical field in the military and I never filed for PTSD but it seemed to be fairly common knowledge among Marines during my time that the flood of disability requests hitting the Navy’s desk during the height of the Iraq War was causing medical to “tighten their belt” when it came to claims. Whether there was an active conspiracy to short PTSD claims, a consensus that standards needed to be reevaluated to ensure funds were available for the highest priority claims or it was all the habitual scuttlebutt of perpetually paranoid Marines, is out of my lane. I’m sure some readers have their own, more qualified, perspectives.

  • Be thankful, Adam

    Adam Kokesh, an IVAW member and Ron Paul supporter complains that the military is enforcing their policy of prohibiting members of the military publicly supporting a presidential candidate during the Ron Paul Rally he’s scheduled for Monday morning – the rally that specifically announces themselves as members of the military who support a presidential candidate;

    The letter reads;

    Subject: [ETHICS] Partisan Political March
    Importance: High

    It has come to our attention that a partisan political march targeting military personnel is being organized for February 20, 2012.

    As a reminder, active duty personnel are prohibited by DoD Directive 1344.10 paragraph 4.1.2.10 from marching in a partisan political parade regardless of whether they are in uniform or civilian clothes. Reservists not on active duty and retirees may not march in uniform pursuant to paragraph 4.1.4. Reservists not on active duty and retirees may march in civilian clothes provided that they do not otherwise act in a manner that could reasonably give rise to the inference or appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement.

    The directive is a lawful general regulation. Violations of paragraphs 4.1. through 4.5. of the Directive by persons subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice are punishable under Article 92, “Failure to Obey Order or Regulation.”

    In addition, DODI 1334.01, paragraph 3.1.2 prohibits the wearing of the uniform by members of the armed forces (including retired members and members of reserve components) during or in connection with political activities.

    You may wish to advise your command regarding this particular event because of the apparent solicitation of active duty personnel.

    Joel A. Weger
    Senior Attorney
    Department of the Navy
    Office of the Assistant General Counsel (Ethics)

    It’s a law, Adam. it’s not like the military had a choice whether or not they had to advise members of their responsibilities to their oaths. It wasn’t written just to victimize Ron Paul supporters. It pertains to members of the military who want to support the President, too.

    Your march is named as members of the military, which is “apparent solicitation of active duty personnel”.

    Adam should be thanking the Navy for the letter, now he has an excuse when participation is quite a bit less than he expects. Regardless, I’ll be there to photographically record the rally for posterity on Monday morning.

    Thanks to Carolyn for the link.

  • “Incident in New Baghdad” has opposition

    Doc Bailey, who you all know was in 2-16 Infantry on that day that the “Collateral Murder” film was shot from a helicopter’s gun cameras, writes to tell us that Ethan McCord, the IVAW member who was also there, is in a documentary titled “Incident in Baghadad“;

    U.S. Army Specialist Ethan McCord bore witness to the devastating carnage, found and rescued the two children caught in the crossfire, and soon turned against the war that he had enthusiastically joined only months before.

    Almost 90 former members of the unit who were also there that day have formed a Facebook group to oppose McCord. And they want your support to get their word out that McCord is being less than truthful in this documentary.

    McCord was brought to IVAW and the Collateral Murder hysteria by Josh Steiber, who was also in the unit, but was being punished that day and restricted to the company area for some sort of malfeasance.

  • Occupy LA co-opted by antiwar March Forward

    Old Trooper sends us a link from PressTV, the English-language Iranian news organization, which tells us that our old buddy, Mike Prysner, IVAW cum March Forward anti-war activist is using his organization to co-opt the Occupy LA sheep to turn them against the nebulous war against Iran;

    Mike Prysner is an Iraq War veteran and an organizer with the Answer Coalition.

    Prysner says protesters want to stop America from starting another unauthorized war in the Middle East, similar to what happened in Iraq.

    Activists say the war drive is based on U.S. imperialism and a desire to control the resources of the Middle East.

    “Similar to what happened in Iraq”? If that was imperialism, why are we not there anymore? Kind of redefines imperialism, doesn’t it?

    Prysner, you might remember, was indeed a veteran who served in Iraq, but his stories about what he saw there are somewhat in doubt because of his job…a radar operator. He wears remnants of his uniform at every opportunity to give himself some measure of authority in the discussion, but that only works among the hippies.

    Prysner also ran for public office, Florida, I think on the ballot for the Party for Socialism and Liberty and he’s a died-in-the-wool socialist. he left the IVAW because they weren’t radical enough, but he returned long enough to run for membership on their board in hopes that he could make them more radical. When that didn’t work, he formed March forward, the veteran arm of the Maoist-inspired ANSWER.

    I’m sure he licks his lips in anticipation at the thought of a nuclear-armed Iran.

  • Crybaby liar

    JAGC dropped off a comment in the previous Matthis post that I should go back and check the HuffPo article, so, cuz I always do what you guys tell me to do, I did, and lo and behold, I got the personal treatment from Matthis hisseff’;

    So I replied, but the comment is awaiting moderation. Firstly, I’d like to point out to Matthis and any other casual obseerver that I have more friends on freaking Huffington Post and that comment above is my fifth in my entire history in Ariana’s clown car ride. The other three comments was when some retard on HuffPo was trying to defend Ballduster McSoulpatch’s fakery. But he has 11 people who like him on HuffPo and I have 15…one of whom is a former girlfriend of his. I don’t even have a column and I have more fans than he does. Why is that? because he’s a rebel who doesn’t need friends?

    What would I have to gain by altering his records? There are people in our small community who served with Matthis in the Army who would be calling me out if I was wrong.

    Bueller? Bueller?

    Crickets.

    I think it’s cute how suddenly I’m the personification of everything that’s wrong in the world. But I’m not the one lying about my military records, am I? In fact, there was a whole shitload of people who left IVAW because he was claiming that he was an Afghanistan veteran and they knew he wasn’t. But there he is telling the HuffPoers that he is…again. Somehow by calling me an “ultra-cons­ervative ‘tea partyish’ blogger” that makes him right and me wrong. but I’m the divisive one.

    And most of the people on this blog would argue the “ultra-conservative” part with him, I’m sure.

    Lilyea has prior gone to such extremes as trying to have me expelled from VA hospitals and educationa­l programs.

    Darn tootin’ I have, and I’ve never stopped trying.

    however, because the VA, unlike Lilyea, knows for a fact that I have never lied about my service and deserve the special care I receive from them as a Veteran of Afghanista­n and elsewhere.

    Until I can get through that thickskulled VA IG’s office to investigate your narrow ass. Then you’re going to have a whoppin’ bill to pay. The VA not dumping his ass is not proof that he deserves care, it only means that they’re too lazy to do the leg work required to evict his ass. Remember the story I tell about the VA paying out millions to thousands of fake POWs? They even have the Chippendale SEAL on a monthly benefit. Their incompetence is not evidence of his veracity. But every dog has his day.

  • Matthis on the urination video

    Yes, Matthis is still calling himself an Afghanistan War veteran, hoping that i won’t continue to post the link to his records which show that he has no service medals related to his participation in that conflict. We’re pretty sure that he spent six days in the country, but the Army hasn’t reflected that brief trip in his records. But now he’s posting his phony military claims for the world to see at Huffington Post;

    In this missive, he uses his phony deployment to give himself a measure of moral authority on the subject of the behavior in the video of the Marines urinating on dead Taliban;

    To others, such as myself and the majority of veterans I associate with, the barbarity of these images is synonymous with our experiences within a military at war. No crime our brothers and sisters commit really surprises us anymore, but confirms to us our nation’s brutal history, of which for a time we became a part, and offers us a reminder that nothing’s really changed.

    Yeah, way to support your comrades, there, Matthis. None of us can think for ourselves and we’re just puppets of the machine which encourages us to pee on dead enemy.

    Yes America, our military is addicted to war porn, and this fact may ultimately usurp any legacy of honor or glory the military may cling to. No longer can the world be duped by the government-controlled facade of the U.S. soldier as a liberating force for good. Our image is that of an armed, drunken fiend in a public square with his pants down pissing into the wind. Sure, we may be an affront to those around us, but we’re only really soiling ourselves.

    Isn’t it great that we have veterans’ advocates like Matthis to stand up for us and improve the image that the American public has of it’s warriors?

    Actually, no. Matthis has a history of trying to drag all veterans down to his cowardly level. He justifies his lack of a martial record by elevating himself on the fallen bodies of his supposed comrades. Matthis is a pussy who didn’t want his New York City college student lifestyle disrupted by his commitment to the country – that’s why he didn’t deploy. It wasn’t due to any commitment to a principal or greater good. And all of this kerfuffle that he has created since has been to justify his cowardice to the rest of us.

    Thanks to Liam for the link. By the way, I’ve tried countless times to warn the Huffington Post readers of Matthis actual service, but my comments, for some reason are all deleted.

  • Like clockwork

    Remember all those optics that went missing from JBLM a couple days ago? Well it turns out it’s about $600k worth of stuff that was secured in a locked but not alarmed room. Whatever, like that doesn’t happen all the time. Somehow, though, the thieves managed to cut the locks and make off with it unbeknownst to the Company’s Supply section for as long as three weeks.

    Right on time, the North Korean apologist, Stalinist lunatics at International ANSWER have crawled across I-5 from Coffee Strong to use this opportunity to take up the locked-down comapany’s cause via their front group “March Forward”. You might remember some illustrious members such as Michael Prysner. According to the Seattle Times:

    The lockdown has angered some of the soldiers, who are part of the brigade’s 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment. They have received support from March Forward, a group of soldiers and veterans opposed to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, who have been circulating a petition calling for an end to the lockdown.

    “The Fort Lewis, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment is again being subjected to abusive treatment by its chain of command,” the petition reads.

    Ah, good to have some emo-Communist burnouts in your corner, isn’t it guys?

    Don’t get me wrong, if I was stuck on lock down in the BEQ because some criminal in cammies stole a bunch of crap from my unit I’d be pretty pissed too. All that being said I have to add that, in the big scheme of things, sitting around drinking beer and watching cable while the CID figures out who’s going to lockup isn’t exactly a humanitarian crisis.

    (more…)

  • So how do you know, Jose?

    Yes, the IVAW is trying to get back in the news. The World Socialist Website does an interview with Jose Vasquez, the executive director of the Iraq Veterans Against the War in regards to the final Marine to be tried in regards to the Haditha incident six years ago;

    “Obviously this was a tragic event. But given the multiple deployments of a lot of the troops and what they faced in Iraq, it is not surprising that some of these folks snapped.”

    Really? Jose? And how would you know, since you avoided your own deployment after ten years in the military. And, oh, the Haditha incident happened in 2005…how many times had those Marines been deployed to Iraq in the less than two years of that war?

    He pointed out that “Winter Soldier” hearings held by the IVAW in 2008 had heard testimony of US troops’ involvement in similar atrocities throughout the war and rules of engagement set by the military command that made them inevitable.

    Funny, TSO and I sat through the Winter Soldiers hearings and heard not one word of “similar atrocities throughout the war”. We heard stories about clowns who ALMOST shot people, or buildings being shot up, we saw pictures of living quarters which were in disarray, and backed up toilets but we didn’t hear about any atrocities. Not. One. Word.

    The IVAW leader expressed little confidence in that the military justice system would hold anyone accountable for the crimes at Haditha.

    Well. you know it could be that there were no crimes at Haditha, that it was all hype from the anti-Bush crowd, hype pumped up by a dead congressman for his own political purposes, and now glommed on to by asswipes who still want to make everything about Bush.

    But, you know, IVAW, you might have a small measure of credibility in the discussion if you had an actual Iraq War veteran speaking for you instead of someone who served in the military for more than 10 years and then chickened out at the moment he was supposed to deploy for the first time.