Posted on 06/30/2015 6:57:40 AM PDT by rktman
Actor Gary Sinise said there is a “serious disconnect” between the average American citizen and its military, emphasizing the need to educate the public about lasting effects of war.
“Education, as I was saying, is such a critically important part of letting our young people understand why it’s important to support this 0.1 percent of our population that serves in the military. It’s a very, very small percentage of over 300 million people serving in uniform, defending our country,” Sinise said at the National Press Club.
“A lot of young people, if they don’t have a personal connection to somebody who is serving in the military, there’s a disconnect, there’s a serious disconnect between the average American citizen and its military so keeping awareness up, education, that’s why I’m supporting the Medal of Honor Foundation museum.”
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
I served as a combat medic from 1985-1993....Yes it is very nice this ONE man does so much for our enlisted. BUT until EVERYONE has to serve in one shape or form instead of corporate generals playing with tanks we will continue to have the current dog and pony show. To the feds it is nothing but contracts and business...they could give a shit about anything except the balance sheet and the next contract. That is why rules of engagement are so slanted and we prosecute our own who see upfront the animals we should be ridding from OUR planet. Think what you will of my post but until we turn the guns on the congress and white house along with the courts who legitimize all of this corruption and illegalities nothing will change. Start wasting some of these professional politicians in a decent amount and you will see the immediate benefit to this graet country...anything else is pissing in the wind.
I don’t know about his other political leanings, but Sinise has supported the troops for a long time.
He plays many events for our soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen with his Lt. Dan Band.
Tip of the hat to Gary Sinise for supporting the 0.1%.
There’s some serious disconnect between Sinese and some of the other members of Steppenwolf Theater he helped found. Regardless, all great actors. I’ve seen Sinese a few times there. His Street Car Named Desire performance stands out in my mind. Good guy. Does nice things for the troops.
Stephen Pastis who writes Pearls Before Swine did some nice stuff for the troops when he toured Iraq.
Screen getting misty...
Thanks for your service. I’d have a difficult time joining today with the absurd ROE. And not wanting to hurt anybody’s feelings or offending someone. Guess the troops in the ME currently have to kinda celebrate and kinda observe rhama-dhamma-ding dong. Ridiculous.
I deeply appreciate Gary Sinise. He is a great American who genuinely loves our military.
Unfortunately, the disconnect between the military and the general population makes it easier to cut programs and benefits, while sustaining an ops tempo that is wearing out people and equipment at an alarming rate.
I retired from active duty almost 14 years ago; my 21 years in service included the “Clinton Foreign Policy Tour,” with multiple deployments to Bosnia, plus side trips to Haiti and the Middle East. I was also around for Gulf War I (but didn’t deploy); the ops tempo of the 90s was “busy,” but it pales in comparison to what service members have experienced since 9-11.
In a previous job, I did some work at the John F Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (JFKSWCS) at Fort Bragg. Met a number of career SF personnel; as of 2013, it was easy to find operators who had been down-range a half-dozen time since 2001. You can imagine the human impact of so many deployments—not to mention the wear-and-tear on equipment. And just this morning, I read that a small Air Force special tactics unit (Combat Controllers and pararescuemen) had just passed the 5,000th consecutive day with someone in the squadron deployed to Southwest Asia.
It’s not just the SF guys, either. AWACS crews average over 200 days a year on the road, and the RC-135 fleet is close behind. Ditto for every other low density/high demand asset. Yet, we’re cutting the Army to its lowest manning level since before Pearl Harbor, and the number of Air Force fighter squadrons has been reduced by 66% since 1991.
Meanwhile, programs for those who serve are being gutted. Look at the “new” military retirement plan. Young men and women will have to largely fund their retirement out of their own pocket, with the introduction of the 401k-type system. Withholding 5% is going to make it very tough for service members at the bottom of the ladder. Imagine being a SPC, Corporal, Senior Airman or P03 assigned to a high cost of living area. Money is already tight, and now another 5% is going towards a retirement plan.
At the same time, co-pays/deductibles for TriCare (which covers retirees and dependents) continue to rise. There is also a recommendation in the new compensation plan to eventually scrap Tricare and move all of those beneficiaries into Obamacare. And we know what a mess the VA is.
BTW, did I mention that the average military retiree (who retires at the 20-year point) gets about $1600 a month after taxes and other deductions. In many locations, that won’t even pay the mortgage, yet all the smart folks in D.C. tell us the military retirement system (in its present form) is unaffordable.
How do they get by with it? By keeping the military small enough so that it is not a political force to be reckoned with. There aren’t enough active duty, guard/reserve and military retirees to “turn” any election, save a few local contests in regions with large armed forces community.
Get outside places like Norfolk, San Diego, Jacksonville, Fayetteville, NC and Kileen, TX and the military is almost an alien race. In some families, you can’t find a single, living person who actually served, and many actively discourage younger members from joining the military.
I salute Mr. Sinise for all he has done for the military. Sadly, he is in a very small minority, both in the entertainment community and in society at large.
And its
Yup. Pretty sad picture. My relatives have served since the revolution in the mil. My dad was career Navy, I did one enlistment, youngest daughter Navy, oldest grand-daughter FL National Guard, niece career Army, aunt and uncle career Army Air Corps/Air Force, and on and on. Middle grandson is considering it but with the ROE’s today and declining benefits for being overworked and under compensated, I’d have a hard time recommending it.
Much respect to Gary Sinise and those cut from the same cloth as him.
In contrast the gay lobby, also estimated at 3% is drowning in attention.
Friends of Abe — the name refers to Abraham Lincoln — has strongly discouraged the naming of its members. That policy even prohibits the use of cameras at group events, to avoid the unwilling identification of all but a few associates — the actors Gary Sinise, Jon Voight and Kelsey Grammer, or the writer-producer Lionel Chetwynd, for instance — who have spoken openly about their conservative political views.
What has really increased my respect for him is the fact that even though our middle east wars are “over”, he hasn’t stopped working for the vets.
Too many people disappear when the publicity fades, Sinise has kept working to keep our vets and their needs front and center.
I’m getting out soon and the intent is to continue on the outside with the job I do now. But I think it would also be pretty rewarding to work in the veteran advocacy field. The Lt Dan Band came to Ft Stewart last July and played for free, which was pretty cool.
Thanks for your service. Hopefully you’ll be able to continue doing the job you’re doing now in civworld or at least close to it. Much success.
But how come welfare is affordable?
Because there are millions on welfare, and they’re a reliable Democrat voting bloc; the military is one-half of one percent of the U.S. population. Our pay and benefits can be cut, with minimal political risk.
Active Duty/Retiree ping.
Can’t remember how many times he came to Germany while I was there from 04-10. Seems like he was there every other month.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.