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.
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
In contrast the gay lobby, also estimated at 3% is drowning in attention.
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.
Active Duty/Retiree ping.