Title says it all:
Eric Holder: No Plans at DOJ to Investigate Secret Waiting Lists and Veteran Deaths at VA Hospitals
Is anyone surprised? God knows how Holder can look at himself in the mirror.
Holder would do well IMO to remember one thing, though. It wasn’t the Watergate break-in that ended Nixon’s Administration.
It was the cover-up afterwards that nailed them. And John Mitchell was one of those who ended up doing time.
We tend to give the French grief fairly often. And in truth, as a nation and a society they do have their faults. And they definitely also look out for French interests first.
Yet as I’ve written several times before, the French also have a true sense of national honor. They also remember those who’ve helped them in the past.
This was recently again proven. This time, the proof came at West Point, NY.
At a recent ceremony held there, 34 US World War II veterans were presented the French Legion of Honor. The presentation was part of events leading up to the celebration of the 70th Anniversary of D-Day this year. In the words of the Consul General of France Bertrand Lortholary:
“Seventy years have passed since then, and yet the memory of the sacrifice of American soldiers remains more vivid than ever in the villages of France — in Normandy, in Provence, in the Ardennes, whose cemeteries bear witness to war’s cost in life. I want to tell you that your example gives us inspiration for the future.”
The choice of location for the presentation was intentional. During his remarks, Lortholary also indicated his belief that it was important to express France’s gratitude before those who would become some of the next generation of US officers.
Today, we don’t always see 100% eye-to-eye with the French. And as I said above and have said elsewhere: the French indeed have their faults. But ingratitude and a short memory certainly don’t seem to be among them.
This Army Times article provides more details, and several photographs. If you have the time, IMO it’s worth a look.
We’ve discussed this Dang Tan Ngoc fellow who claimed to be SFC John Hartley Robertson, a missing soldier since 1968 in Laos. Folks have tried to tell the film makers of the movie “Unclaimed” that it wasn’t Hartley based on his testimony, but Hartely’s family clung to the hope that Ngoc’s story was true. Well, now a DNA test says otherwise, reports Stars & Stripes;
“We have received the results of the [nuclear] DNA test, and sadly there was NOT a match,” Robertson’s niece, Cyndi Hanna, wrote on her GoFundMe webpage that raised money for the test. “This is very disappointing.”
Hanna could not be reached for comment, but wrote that an Alabama-based forensics laboratory compared a recent sample from Robertson’s nephew with a blood stain collected from Ngoc.
The film maker, Michael Jorgensen, refused to believe the rest of the world and showed the film at the GI Film Festival, claiming that the US government had abandoned Robertson and that through his masterful detective skills had discovered what they couldn’t, despite evidence to the contrary. He still claims that Ngoc is an American “Unclaimed” by the US government. I guess his credibility is shot, though, so he should just take his little film off of the “documentary” list and label it as a fantasy or wishful thinking.
We’ve written more than once before here on TAH about Zachariah Fike and his nonprofit organization, Purple Hearts Reunited (two previous articles can be found here and here). Their mission is to return recovered military decorations to their original owners and/or next of kin.
Well, it looks like they’re due for some more public recognition and thanks.
The 1945 Good Conduct Medal of Navy retiree Richard Gene Woody was recently found hidden inside an empty VCR cassette, wrapped in plastic and hidden in a tree in Milton, VT. A number of other military-related artifacts were also found with Woody’s GCM.
Woody died in 1982. However, Fike was able to locate Woody’s son, Myron Gene Woody in Sidney, NE. He plans to return the medal to Woody’s son.
Well done, folks. Thanks.
Purple Hearts Reunited is a nonprofit organization. If you have a few spare dollars looking for a home, IMO maybe you should consider them.
MCPO Ret. In TN sends us a link to The Leaf Chronicle which reports on a speech at the Marines’ Memorial Club in San Francisco by General James Mattis, arguably the greatest leader of this generation. Mattis rejects the “veterans as victims” myth;
“While victimhood in America is exalted I don’t think our veterans should join those ranks,” Mattis said.
[…]
“There is also something called post traumatic growth where you come out of a situation like that and you actually feel kinder toward your fellow man and fellow woman,” Mattis said.
[…]
Mattis said the U.S. military must be steeled to fight a fanatical enemy that has a medieval worldview. The enemy must be convinced that it has a warrior class that won’t back down.
“We are going to have to have young people in our country who are willing to go toe to toe with this because two irreconcilable wills exist,” he said.
Of course, I’m sure this won’t resonate well, with the Left who has tried to make us victims so that we can join them. Mattis is especially courageous to stand up to the stank-ass hippies in this regard. As we’ve seen, many of the phonies milk this victimhood label to cover for their own malfeasance and to bilk the government out of the benefits that should, instead go to someone who earned the benefits. These phony victims clog the system, while the real troops bravely stand in line and fight on for what is owed them.
The ones who want to be seen as victims are the phonies While the real deals keep their derring-do to themselves, speaking up only to honor others.
If this Administration is looking for a leader for the Veterans’ Affairs Department, I can give them only one. But you should read the entire article.
Somehow we missed this.
Back in February, the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) selected Gary Sinise as the recipient of the 2014 Dwight D. Eisenhower Award. He was selected to receive the award due to his “continued support of America’s service men and women”.
The Eisenhower Award is a prestigious one. it’s normally awarded to elected or appointed officials.
Award to an entertainer is rare. In fact, Sinise is precisely the second entertainer to receive it. The other? A guy named “Bob Hope”.
The award was presented in a black-tie gala at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner in McLean, Virginia, on 11 April 2014.
Mr. Sinise certainly is one of the “good guys”. He’s a helluva deserving recipient.
The official announcement of the award can be found here. It’s worth taking a couple of minutes to read.
NDIA certainly got this one right. A belated congrats, Mr. Sinise.
Postscript – NDIA isn’t the only organization to honor Sinise. In 2012, he was named an Honorary CPO of the US Navy by then-MCPON Rick D. West.
We all know that the myth of the “messed up Vietnam vet” is a persistent one, at least as applied to Vietnam vets in general. Despite clear evidence to the contrary it persists to this day. IMO it’s the genesis of the recent media efforts to demonize more modern vets due to PTSD.
The term “myth” is absolutely apropos. Truth be told, a tiny fraction of vets did come back from Vietnam with serious issues; this has been the case in every war in history. But the vast majority came back and got on with their lives successfully. Despite the media’s portrayal of Vietnam era vets as “messed up losers” Vietnam veterans – those who actually served in-theater – as a group are actually more successful and well-adjusted than their non-vet peers.
During the 1960s and 1970s the music industry bought into that media myth. It persisted into the 1980s as well. Hell, even Springsteen made mucho dinero off of the myth with “Born in the USA”. It’s perhaps the quintessential ode to the myth.
Regardless, the Vietnam veterans simply continued with their lives. In general they became, and stayed, well-adjusted and successful. They simply kept their mouths shut and tended to business – just as their fathers and uncles from World War II and Korea had done.
But they also knew that they’d gotten a raw deal from a very influential segment of society. As a group, they were portrayed as brutes and losers; in reality, they were anything but. And no one seemed willing to defend them.
That freaking hurt. So they simply suffered their bad days in silence, and kept on keeping on.
But in the mid-1980s things changed a bit. The music industry began to alter its perspective. (I wonder if the POTUS at the time might have had anything to do with that, albeit indirectly?) And a few tunes that IMO captured the reality of the Vietnam veteran were released.
One of those songs in particular IMO captured their post-war experience. No, it’s NOT “Born In the USA”; that POS of a tune did nothing but reinforce the media myth. The tune I’m speaking about IMO gave voice to the real Vietnam vet’s frustration – the guy who came home, got on with his life, and put things behind him. Mostly.
It wasn’t a plea for help, or a “woe is me” story. It was a simple statement of fact, and of disappointment – and a well-deserved accusation of ingratitude aimed at much of US society.
It damn sure opened my eyes. I think the first time I heard it was when it dawned on me how badly our Vietnam vets got the shaft after they came home.
Why do I say “ingratitude”? Because that’s exactly it was – from US society in general. Vietnam vets got treated damn shabbily because many people didn’t support that conflict. So they shunned the people who were sent there.
Soldiers don’t choose the wars we’re sent to fight. Rather, we go where we’re ordered, and fight – and sometimes die – because the nation sent us. All that we ask is that we get treated fairly afterwards.
The Vietnam generation didn’t want a hero’s welcome. But they sure as hell didn’t deserve to be spit on and called “baby killers”, either – or portrayed like a bunch of losers or ticking time bombs by the press.
Vietnam vets didn’t complain much at all about getting screwed over. But they sure as hell remembered. And after Desert Storm, they were instrumental in making sure it didn’t happen again.
IMO, we’re seeing much the same today. The media is once again resurrecting the specter of the “messed up vet” – this time due to PTSD – and using it to portray all vets as “messed up losers” because a few have been badly affected by their war experiences.
. . .
Here’s the tune that opened my eyes. No video accompanying this one. IMO, none is needed.
To a man, they were neither “losers” nor “babykillers”. They were damn fine men. Those who are still alive today still are.
They got treated shabbily as hell afterwards by US society in general and by the media in particular. And that’s a damn shame, bordering on the criminal.
Again? Oh hell no. We got this one, elder brothers-in-arms.
Never again.
The Department of Labor sent us a press release yesterday hoping we’d tell you about the stuff they added to the eBenefits website;
At today’s anniversary celebration of Joining Forces, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden announced the launch of a new integrated employment tool to connect veterans and service members with employers, and to help translate military skills into the civilian workforce. The Veterans Employment Center, an integrated, online tool connecting veterans, transitioning service members and their spouses with both public and private-sector employers, is the result of an interagency effort to improve, simplify and consolidate the current array of employment resources for veterans. Additionally, this will provide one comprehensive database of resumes for employers who are seeking to leverage the skills and talents of veterans, service members, and their spouses.
“Our service members haven’t always had the time or information they needed to prepare their resumes, to plot their career goals, to meet with employers and get the jobs they deserve. And that’s simply not acceptable,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “As my husband has said, when you’ve fought for this country around the world, you shouldn’t have to fight for a job when you return home. Starting today, every single service member, every veteran, and every military family will have access to a new online tool that will revolutionize how you find jobs in both the public and private sectors. All you have to do is log on to ebenefits.va.gov.”
“Veterans deserve an authoritative source for connecting with employers,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “The online Veterans Employment Center is the single, federal source for veterans looking for new career opportunities, service members transitioning to the civilian workforce, and spouses and beneficiaries looking to connect with job opportunities.”
The new online resource, called the Veterans Employment Center, is the first interagency tool to bring a wealth of public and private job opportunities, a resume-builder, military skills translator and detailed career and training resources together in one place. In connection with the First Lady and Dr. Biden’s Joining Forces initiative, the Department of Veterans Affairs worked with employers, the Departments of Defense, Labor, Education, and the Office of Personnel Management to design and develop the site and incorporate features of existing online employment tools within government.
The result is an integrated solution providing veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses with the tools they need to connect to employers. With this tool, employers will be able to search and view Veteran, Service Member, and spouse resumes in one comprehensive location.
The result is an integrated solution providing veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses with the tools they need to connect to employers. With this tool, employers will be able to search and view Veteran, Service Member, and spouse resumes in one comprehensive location.
“Our service members transitioning to civilian life, as well as their spouses, deserve the resources they need to be successful,” said Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. “Through this effort, they are getting that help. Our troops and their spouses are proven leaders, highly-skilled and hard-working. Employers hiring them are getting the best this nation has to offer.”
“Improving veterans’ employment is an all-hands-on-deck enterprise,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez. “With more than 1 million service members projected to leave the military in the coming years, the Veterans Employment Center, along with the wealth of services the Department of Labor offers through its 2,500 American Job Centers, will connect our veterans and service members with both public and private sector employers eager to hire those with military experience.”
“OPM’s USAJobs program is excited to be partnering with the VA on making this a robust tool for our nation’s veterans and transitioning service members seeking Federal employment,” said OPM Director, Katherine Archuleta. “It has been more than four years since President Obama established the Veterans Employment Initiative and, in that time, the Executive Branch of Government hired the highest percentage of military veterans in more than 20 years – of the 195,000 new employees hired in FY 2012, approximately 56,000 were veterans, equaling 28.9 percent of total hires. We can continue to honor and show our appreciation for the dedicated and heroic service of America’s veterans by ensuring that they have every opportunity to continue their service to this great nation as Federal civilian employees. The Veterans Employment Center helps us honor these men and women by making employment opportunities available when our servicemen and women lay down their uniforms.”
The Veterans Employment Center will provide employers with access to a targeted pool of resumes from veterans and transitioning service members, allowing them to search resumes to identify veterans with skill sets applicable to civilian employment at their organization, and to track progress towards reaching their veteran hiring goals. Resumes are visible to all employers with an active LinkedIn or Google profile. To prevent spam, an applicant’s name and email address are redacted and only visible to employers verified by the VA as registered companies with the IRS.
Joining Forces is a national initiative launched by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Biden to engage all sectors of society to give our service members and their families the opportunities and support they have earned. The site is built using open data and an open application programming interface to attract private-sector innovation. The Veterans Employment Center can be found at: https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/jobs. For a tutorial video on how to use the Veterans Employment Center, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWfhI-eSoWk.
So, I checked my eBenefits thingie and yup, the “employment center” is in a tab right below the banner. Hope it helps.