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

Category: Veterans Issues

  • More budget cuts for DoD

    Fox News headlines today a story this morning about outgoing Secretary of Defense proposing cuts to his department’s budget;

    Defense Secretary Robert Gates is announcing the latest round of cost-cutting measures for the military, including a plan to do away with a new amphibious vehicle that can ferry troops to shore while under fire.

    The plan is aimed at staving off potentially deeper cuts by the White House or Congress by showing that the Pentagon is taking seriously a call to rein in the U.S. deficit.

    Here’s a simple question: how many other government agencies are submitting programs they think ought to be cut? Before all y’all break Google looking for the answer, I’ll give it to you. None.

    Gates is on his way out and DoD is a favorite target of Democrats. Now they’ve all discovered that they can cut defense spending while we’re engaged in a war around the world and no one gets pissed.

    Newly elected lawmakers aligned with the ultraconservative tea party movement, including Sen. Rand Paul, have said that cuts to military spending must be considered if the federal government is to reduce its deficit.

    Yup, even Rand Paul, who convinced a lot of people that he wasn’t allied with Adam Kokesh, the IVAW clown who made a video with Rand Paul to highlight their similarities during Kokeash’s failed congressional race in New Mexico. Now, Paul’s true anti-war colors come out. Why isn’t he calling for cuts in the redundant Commerce Department, or the absolutely useless Education Department?

    So which is easier to cut, weapons or personnel? Weapons create jobs. So that leaves…well…you.

  • Another war memorial in danger from ACLU

    Another war memorial cross in California, this one in San Diego is under fire from the American Civil Liberty Union. The cross, erected in 1954 to memorialize veterans of the Korean War has been determined to be unconstitutional by, who else, the 9th Circuit panel of judges.

    “In no way is this decision meant to undermine the importance of honoring our veterans,” the three judges said in their ruling. “Indeed, there are countless ways that we can and should honor them, but without the imprimatur of state-endorsed religion.”

    Federal courts are reviewing several cases of crosses on public lands being challenged as unconstitutional, including a cross erected on a remote Mojave Desert outcropping to honor American war dead. Tuesday’s ruling could influence future cases involving the separation of church and state.

    U.S. Justice Department spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle said the federal government, which is defending the San Diego cross, is studying the ruling and had no comment.

    So according the article, the court hasn’t ordered that the cross be removed, only that alterations can be made to keep the cross where it was built more than 56 years ago.

  • Landfill grave for Bush aide

    John Wheeler III, 66, West Point graduate, Vietnam veteran, served Presidents Reagan, George HW Bush and George W Bush, led the establishment of the Vietnam Memorial and lately contributed to our cyber-war policy was found in a landfill in Delaware;

    The body of John Wheeler III, 66, was uncovered Friday when a garbage truck emptied its contents at the Cherry Island landfill in Wilmington. The truck had collected the trash from about 10 commercial disposal bins in Newark, several miles from Wheeler’s home in the historic district of New Castle, but police said they aren’t sure which container his body came from.

    Police say there is no crime scene yet.

    Thanks to Rurik, ROS and Old Trooper for the link.

  • Representative Steve Buyer on the New GI Bill Changes

    I missed this this when I was writing my first post:

    “All Americans know that the month of December is already a strain on their pocketbook and to have your paycheck cut would be devastating to anyone. This provision is nothing but a lump of coal for veterans.”

    On Vet groups supporting the bill:

    “Are your representatives in Washington really standing up for you when they endorse a bill that cuts your living stipend during the holidays? Are they really representing your views when they endorse legislation that cuts tuition payments for some veterans by thousands of dollars a year?”

    Overall, I still think these changes are a raw deal for most veterans. The  support for this bill from the American Legion and VFW is also extremely disappointing to me.

    Finally I think this bill is proof-positive of Jonn’s contention that the budget will be balanced on the backs of veterans.

  • Is there a war going on?

    Defense News reports that the Office of Management and Budget and the White have ordered the Department of Defense to cut $78 billion dollars from it’s annual budget over the next 5 years, including $12 million from this year’s budget.

    Has anyone ever heard of a nation that cuts it’s defense spending while it’s fighting a war?

    It remains unclear how that $78 billion will break down over those five years.

    OMB and Pentagon officials late last week were using a defense top-line figure for 2011 that was included in a since-nixed Senate omnibus appropriations bill to plan a 2012 spending level.

    That massive spending measure would have provided the Pentagon with $667.7 billion for 2011, including war funding – some $10 billion below the Pentagon’s request.

    The now-nixed omnibus bill’s defense section called included $157.8 billion for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, leaving $509.9 billion for most other U.S. military expenditures, but excluding things like nuclear weapons, military construction and other military initiatives funded by other budget bills.

    Yeah, well, I have a pretty good idea where those cuts will happen. They always target personnel costs, mostly retirees and health care. Congress always avoids cutting aircraft manufacturing or ship building because of the impact that would have on local unemployment. It’s always easier to cut off retirees and jack up our “free medical” costs.

    I hope the VSOs are paying attention.

  • IVAW in your hometown

    Yesterday, a young soldier home on leave to his hometown for the holiday season found this article in his local newspaper;

    Iraq War veterans Aaron Hughes of Chicago, Scott Kimble of Champaign, and Brock McIntosh of Normal spoke about Operation Recovery, which opposes sending troops with PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Military Sexual Trauma back into battle. Operation Recovery insists that traumatized veterans have the right to heal.

    “I think it’s morally abhorrent to send mentally traumatized soldiers back to battle where they use heavy weapons and armor,” McIntosh said. “Many of these soldiers are on psychotropic drugs and are a danger to themselves, to fellow soldiers and everyone else.”

    Twenty percent of troops deployed repeatedly have PTSD, Hughes said. Suicide rates among active-duty troops are twice as high as that of the civilian population, and veterans with PTSD are six times more likely to attempt suicide, according to the IVAW.

    Hughes said that Military Sexual Trauma is a major problem for female soldiers, one third of them suffering sexual assault. Ninety percent of women soldiers seeking help from the Veterans Administration report sexual assault from fellow soldiers, he said.

    “Women have to go to their commander to prove their case first,” Hughes explained, and often their complaints are dismissed. “Women are expected to return and serve with the same soldiers who assaulted them,” he said. The actual number of cases of MST is difficult to verify, as many sexual assaults go unreported. According to a 2004 study cited by the Service Women’s Action Network, 71 percent of women veterans seeking help from the VA had been sexually assaulted.

    The young trooper, after writing to Blackfive (who forwarded the email to us) fired off this letter to the author of the article;
    (more…)

  • Are the New Changes to the GI Bill Really An Overall “Win” For Vets?

    Lost in all the noise about the repeal of DADT was news that the lame-duck Congressed passed a bill that implemented major changes to the GI Bill. Of course since this bill was passed by a Democrat-controlled Congress, IAVA considers it a win but the American Legion considers it a positive as well (Strangely, I haven’t seen anything on VoteVets about it).  Here are the changes to the GI Bill that will take effect Aug. 2011 according to IAVA:

    In 2008, historic New GI Bill legislation was signed into law.  Since then, IAVA has been fighting for critical upgrades where the benefit was lacking. These upgrades, which were passed last week, will impact 400,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans within the first year.  These include:

    • 85,000 full-time National Guardsmen who will become eligible for the New GI Bill
    • 58,000 students at private and graduate schools will have increased?tuition benefits
    • 25,000 distance learners will receive a monthly living allowance
    • 21,000 disabled vets using Vocational Rehab will receive additional allowances
    • 19,000 Active Duty service members will receive an annual book stipend
    • 6,000 vocational students will receive tuition/fees and a?monthly living allowance
    • 6,000 On The Job training/Apprenticeship participants will get access to an?expanded program
    • 6,000 schools will receive increased fees for processing vets’ paperwork
    • 180,000 new recruits will not have to pay $1,200 to buy into the old GI Bill

    Sounds great right? Well of course thats not the whole story. Here are some of the other changes this bill makes to the GI Bill from the Marine Corps Times (emphasis is mine):

    Living stipends, based on military housing allowances, are now fully paid to a student who is taking a course load that makes them more than a half-time student. This means that someone taking a full load is getting the same living stipend as someone taking fewer credits. The bill would change this by prorating living stipends based on the number of credits, which means people taking less than a full course load would be receiving less money.

    Distance learning students, currently ineligible for living stipends unless they are taking at least one class at a traditional school, would be eligible for the monthly payment equal to one half of the national average for military housing allowance for an E-5 with dependents. That is less than sought by distance learning schools but more than they are getting now.

    So clearly there are some changes to the post-9/11 GI Bill that IAVA didn’t discuss on their website (along with other Veterans groups) that will have a detrimental impact on some veterans, especially those attempting to work or do internships which limit their ability to take a full course load. In regards to my own situation, I know my last semester I am planning on doing an internship (which I cannot receive credit for since I would have already received the maximum amount of credits for an internship) and taking only three classes since I don’t need to take a full load to graduate. Under the current rules, I would receive a full BAH stipend, but under the new rules I will be receiving less money. I can think of  ten other veterans I either served with or know at Arizona State that will be negatively impacted by this rule change as well. I guess using some people’s math, thats a “win” for me and other vets.

    Also, the reason why the GI Bill originally didn’t offer a stipend for online-only students and why in the future that stipend will only be half of regular students’ stipends is because the Democrats who have controlled Congress declared war on for-profit online universities. Now granted some of these institutions have pulled some shady stuff in the past but many state-schools and private colleges offer online degree paths. Again using a personal example I could complete both of my degrees completely online at Arizona State and then get real experience by doing an internship or working fulltime in addition to saving the VA about 1000 dollars a semester since the online programs are cheaper at ASU (as is the case for many state-schools). But instead I am forced to go sit in a classroom and wish I was back in Iraq (Yeah, thats how much I hate going to class). Online programs are also better for veterans with families or other work commitments since its more time-flexible. If anything, in some cases, the VA should be encouraging vets to do online-only programs.

    Now, obviously there are some good parts to this bill. It expands educational benefits for the National Guard and sets aside more money for wounded Vets in addition to making it easier for Vets to attend private schools. However, I think it is a bit disingenuous of IAVA  and other vet groups not to highlight the downsides to this bill, especially considering it will effect a lot of veterans currently using the GI Bill.

  • Westboro stalker released from jail

    Ryan Newell, the double-amputee veteran who was arrested for stalking the Westboro “Baptist” Church protesters in Wichita has been released on his own recognizance from the local jail according to a link that Jerry920 sent us.

    Although Newell will still have to report back to court and face the charges, he was overjoyed at leaving the jail, his defense lawyer, Boyd McPherson, said Tuesday night.

    “It was very emotional for him,” McPherson said.

    “He wasn’t aware that it was going to happen, and it happened very quickly, and it is probably still soaking in.”

    As far as he knows, McPherson said, Newell had never been held in jail before. “To my knowledge, he has no criminal history whatsoever,” McPherson said.

    According to the article, Newell is supposed to be court today for a preliminary hearing and he’s supposed to get counciling at the DVA – which is a good sign for his case.