DEFENSE DEPARTMENT SALUTES VETERANS

GOD BLESS OUR VETERANS AND OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM TODAY WHO ARE FIGHTING FOR OUR FREEDOM AND SAFETY!

Yes, God bless them all! It is great to have an Administration that respects the military.

The Story of the Unknown Soldier

Armistice Day was observed all over the United States by veteran's parades, public services both religious and secular, with two minutes of silence to honor the dead. In 1920, the British Unknown Soldier was buried in Westminster Abbey, the burial place of kings and queens; that same year a French Unknown Soldier was interred at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, where a perpetual flame burns. In 1921, the American Unknown Soldier, symbolizing all the unknown dead, was chosen in an unusual way. Six soldiers of the American Army of Occupation in Germany were selected from different sectors to act as pallbearers. They met at Chalons-sur-Marne, and were interviewed by General Rogers. Next day, Sergeant Edward F. Younger of the 59th Infantry was asked to make a choice among four caskets, with unidentified bodies disinterred from American cemeteries at Bony, Belleau Wood, Romagne, and Thiaucourt. When the sergeant was ready to perform his solemn duty, he received a bouquet of white roses, with instructions to proceed into the City Hall at Chalons, where the four caskets stood. Sergeant Younger realized fully the grave importance of his action; and after bowing his head, he walked around the coffins three times. On the fourth round, he seemed involuntarily drawn to the second one. Reverently, he laid the roses on it, saluted and reported to his commanding officer that he had accomplished his mission. The body of the Unknown Soldier was brought home on the cruiser, Olympia, reaching Washington, D.C., on November 9, 1921. For three days thousands of people passed by as the body lay in state in the rotunda of the Capitol. For this important Armistice Day in 1921, President Harding requested that flags be flown from sunrise to sunset at half mast, and that all Americans pay silent tribute as the casket was lowered into the tomb at 11 A.M. on November 11, 1921. There were elaborate ceremonies. High army, navy, and other service personnel, along with diplomats, who had followed the caisson to Arlington, heard the President's address. Many wreaths came from all over our country, and from abroad, these were placed on the plain white marble tomb, on which is these words:

Here rests in honored glory An American Soldier Known but to God.

I can remember getting mad when clinton was President and he was supposed to honor our military veterans.

Am so glad that President Bush is now in office and is someone who totally respects the sacrifices that our military hve made!

Getting an early start on Veterans Day after receiving this press release in my email.

Bump for important media release.

Did you know the President has already withheld funds earmarked for VA hospitals? Did you know he has also threatened a veto of the FY2003 Defense Authorizations Bill if it contains any relief for disabled retirees? (That's why it's still gridlocked in the Republican House).

Just the facts, Mam.

I don't think most people understand what a military career entails. Service members are voulenteers. Most of them serve because they love their country and are patriots. They submit to regimentation most civilians could neither understand nor tolerate. They are provided sub-standard housing, lousy pay, (some are on food stamps), they are separated from their families for long periods, they work long hours, 12 hour 7 day weeks occur all too often, they are on call 24-7 for alerts, their work is often dangerous, and they stand the off chance of getting their butts shot off.

Remember the Nam POW's? These were mostly officers shot down by the VC. They spent YEARS in prison camps suffering hunger, beatings, and horrible torture. Most of them came home with some degree of disability. Many of them also found their faithful wives had taken all the pay checks, divorced them, and married someone else.

For every member, there are often postings to goshawful places like Hopedale, Labrador, Incerlik, Turkey, Diego Garcia, or Buggeroff, Bosnia. They work long and hard for that retirement at the end, but if they get wounded, injured, or suffer other disability, the government confiscates part or all of that hard earned retirement Pay.

Absurd!

Even this A$$H8l* democrap (and 83 Senators agree with him) supprots disabled retirees!

Senator says thousands of vets losing out on benefits

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November 7, 2002, 12:29 PM EST

ELMIRA, N.Y. (AP) _ Nearly 12,000 wounded war veterans in New York are being shortchanged on federal disability and retirement benefits because of a century-old law that President Bush has refused to change, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said Thursday.

With Veteran's Day on Monday, Schumer was urging passage of a bipartisan bill to repeal the law, which reduces the retirement benefits of disabled veterans by the amount they receive in disability pay.

"These soldiers made the penultimate sacrifice for our freedoms, sustaining injuries that have put a special burden on them," said Schumer. "The bottom line is that these veterans have already made one sacrifice for their nation, they shouldn't be forced to make another."

Nationwide, the American Legion estimates there are about 600,000 disabled military retirees affected by the current law, which Congress has attempted to change.

Under the existing rule, for example, a veteran rated 100 percent disabled and receiving $2,300 a month in disability benefits now loses all his retirement pay, around $1,500 for someone with 20 years of service.

The Senate, in its version of legislation authorizing 2003 defense programs, agreed to give disabled veterans their full retirement benefits, at a cost of $58 billion over 10 years. The House settled on a plan to phase in full benefits, depending on the degree of disability, and costing $18.5 billion over 10 years.

However, the White House has opposed the change, saying it is too expensive at a time when fiscal discipline is paramount. Other opponents are more blunt, saying the change would allow for "double dipping" by disabled military retirees.

Schumer said he met Thursday with three Chemung County veterans whose benefits were cut because of the existing law.

One of them, Gary Pisall, a former Master Sergeant and a Vietnam war veteran, told Schumer he loses $343 each month because of the reduced benefit payments.

The wife of another veteran, Roy Greene, told the senator she was forced to abandon her beauty shop business to help care for her ill husband who suffers from a military disability.

"Retirement pay is a benefit that goes to those who dedicate their careers to serving in the military. Disability compensation is given to those who have made been wounded in the service of their country. The payments for retirement and disability are two distinct programs because they are for two distinctly different purposes," Schumer said.

"If you qualify for both, you should receive both. This should not be an either-or situation," Schumer said.

Under the Senate version of the bill, about 700,000 military retirees across the country would receive additional payments that would average $6,400 a year, or about $530 a month, Schumer said.

The House version of the bill would allow about 110,000 retirees deemed to have disabilities of 60 percent or more to receive payments that would average $18,000 a year. The two bills are currently being reconciled between Congressional negotiators as part of the Defense Department Authorization for fiscal year 2003. Schumer said he expected Congress to complete work on the bill over the next few weeks when lawmakers return to Washington to finish their work for the year.

"Did you know the President has already withheld funds earmarked for VA hospitals"

I'm up to speed on this issue. The VA has been trying to insitiute a bonus program for VA employees. They want to give bonuses to VA employees for things like showing up on time for work, observing hygene rules for employees, and other stuff which is already part of thier job descriptions. It amounts to taking away money that could be used to hire doctors and giving to self serving bureucrats. The entire VA department needs to get cleaned up before they get more money. The stench of Clinton has not been removed from the Veterans Adminstration just yet.

Thanks for the information.

The VA has been a disgrace for many years. The quality of care is similar to that provided in third-world countries. In fact, that is where many VA doctors come from! They are willing to work cheap and you get what you pay for. The Pharmacy is up-to-date, for the 1950's, and the newer drugs are not available because they are too costly. Even getting an appointment with Dr. Rahman-alBhuti may take two years. I have been waiting OVER two years for an appointment at my local VA clinic.

Don't get me started on the "wonderful" benifits of the BX/PX, and the commissary!

Those Who Didn't Quite Become Veterans

You should contact your local American Legion Post or VFW. They are active in writing letters to politicos about the Veterans Adminstration mess. The politicos need to be made aware of the problem in greater numbers. The Legion also has the ear of Politicos in many areas, they can help.

Some congress persons, liberal democrats excluded, will also cut the red tape at VA if you call their office.

Good Luck.

Thanks for the advice, but I have already sent out hundreds of emails, letters, and made phone calls to Coneress Critters and President Bush. My fingers grow numb sending email after email. If everybody who has something at stake in this would do the same, it might help.

Hmmm...I think I know Dr. Rahman-al-Bhuti. Isn't he the one with the stuffed owl on his desk? He also wears a turbin in the shape of a striking cobra, and prescribes based on his examination of goat entrails. Is that the one?

No President Clinton presiding over the ceremonies.
Each, in every way, things are getting better and better.

I couldn't agree more! Everytime I saw him do anything with the military, I cringed!