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How many men and women walked into a recruiter’s office and thought: “Hot dam*! These lifetime medical benefits are sa-weet!”

Next to none. Joining the Military is a big “what did I just do?” to many enlistees. I served and was honorably discharged, and married a Soldier. My Soldier still serves. He is 42 year old and has a hearing aid from explosions. He is a combat engineer. He needs a hearing aid on the other ear, but doesn’t want two. The meniscus (spelled wrong, I am sure) in his knee has been torn and repaired 2 times, as he was Airborne (hooah) for many years. He has had Lyme disease, from being out in the woods and field for weeks months years, and having ticks on him. The Military docs thought his swollen knee, at one point, was another knee injury, but it was hot and swollen from Lyme disease.

Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Sardina, Norway, Germany x2, Drill Sgt for 3 years. Route Clearance, which was in Afghanistan. He has disarmed (don’t know the “real” word) IEDs without protective gear. He got one of his ranks pinned/frocked, replacing another Soldier, who got his eyes and face severely injured in garrison while disposing of ordanance. The Soldier lost his eyes. My husband took his place.

Our daughter will graduate with honors this year, and we will have to let her enroll in college and be hundreds, if not thousands of miles from her, as we can and will be moved anywhere in the world. We don’t want to be that far from her, she is our beloved daughter. Yet we have no choice.

And we have been relatively lucky. When I gave birth to our sons in a German hospital, it was free. Of course I was alone for the birth of our middle son, as my husband was clearing mines, minefields,etc, for Bill Clinton in Bosnia.
I know most women would crawl on their hands and knees through broken glass to give birth alone in a German hospital while their husband was clearing mines, as it was free...oh, wait a minute! The average female illegal alien, teen mom, single mom with no husband because she likes to be a hoe, they get it for free, all their medical care. Why on earth would anyone think my husband and our family deserve the benefits we were TOLD WERE OURS FOR SERVICE to America? We were really damn stupid to go thru all this to have anal intercourse with no lubrication from a nasty, ignorant, Kenyan m.f. and all the jerks who say “Sorry! No money left! Guess you pay now.”

My husband runs 6 miles a day most days, and has to be fit and trim. He’s not a fatty riding the Iraq cannon fodder train. When is the last time you ran 6 miles? He does it to remain a Soldier, because it is a privilege to serve, and they can and will take his job from him for being overweight. And still, after getting up very early, and pushing himself to run after punishing his body for 20 plus years, he still doesn’t deserve his bennies? And he’s going to be a multi-millionaire? I have lived in and around Military communities, and I have never met a retired enlisted Soldier who remotely resembled a millionaire, much less a multi- millionaire.

And please don’t think I am complaining. I am so proud of my husband, and our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen all deserve the benefits they were promised when they enlisted or were commissioned.

I swear people who served and got out before retirement and mad because they don’t get the medical benefits retirees do, and want to see our retirees stripped of these benefits out of jealousy.