[BushCountry]

Now you will begin to understand why it is hard to cut government spending. I think that there is a small reduction in health benefits. Sure veterans served our country (Me <--- 8 years Marine Corps), but once given something, like welfare puppies they cry like babies at the slightest hint of a reduction in benefits. This goes for everyone that is happy feeding at the government troft. The slightest reduction in increases causes a tremendous outrage.

[Salgak]

What bothers me about all this is that promises were made in return for service. In the commercial world, they call that a contract. But Uncle Sam decides to changes the terms AFTER the service was paid. And THAT stinks. Unlike those at the welfare trough, be they individuals or corporation, we're talking about people who GAVE to the US and put their butts on the line. . .

[bybybill]

One of the reasons that total vet benifits are costing less is that we are losing the WWII and Korean vets due to old age

[joesnuffy]

One of my childhood friends and I went to Vietnam and had overlapping tours 68-69-70
He was a good troop made SSGT the hard way ..through the ranks he was no shake n bake-

His last month in RVN he was in a fire fight - with a few of his men wounded and while he was consolidating his position...getting the wounded safe and calling in airstrikes and medivacs he was hit in the neck by a rifle bullet

At the tender age of 19 he became a quadrapalegic...he literally gave up his life for his country
Never to have married, to have kids, to have any meaningfull relationship with a woman, No Carreer..confined to a wheel chair controlled by a puff of air blown into a tube..

His fingers barely work his head like the rest of his withered body remains supported by a mechanical brace..his quality of life compared to those who hid in the National Guard or conjored up phony medical records or ran to Canada only to be pardoned later isnt even close..it is as far as the east is from the west

When the budget cuts hit the VAs he suffered...he was told that he had to buy his own leg bags (urine collection bags) and other medical supplies directly related to wounds or conditions accerbated by those wounds... at one point some affirmative action VA counselor gave him a pretty hard time about Vets leeching off system

Anti war protesters told him he deserved what he got for being a baby killer

The boys down at the VFW told him that Vietnam was a police action and as such Vietnam vets werent welcome..( they changed their minds a few years later..but their words hurt nontheless)

But the thing that really hurt him the most was hearing other vets who made it back or never were in combat or never seriously wounded say denegrating things about the wounded being a drain on the system and hearing the VA employees say similar kinds of things..

The complaints about the treatment of the wounded by the wounded not only falls on deaf ears...but then some have the unmitigated gall to say that they are whiners or cry babies and compared to welfare leeches...sucking off the public teet...

That is just about the lowest thing I've heard a so called vet say...but before its all over I suspect I will hear worse......imo

[AAABEST]

I agree with you. I'm a VFW (not in the org though) and I never used one single "benefit" or asked for a damn thing, unless you count the VA loan on one of my properties.

That being said, there is much cutting to be done before we get to vets. We could start with stuff like "farm" welfare payments to Ted Turner and work our way down.