Free Republic

Somewhere in the late- 1960’s a totally false, entirely made-up narrative began to crop up in the United States. This narrative is now almost totally and universally thought of as factual on college campuses and amongst socialist/Marxist movements in the United States. The narrative was that the United States had no business fighting the war in Vietnam, and the American soldiers fighting it were an instrument of U.S. imperialism. American troopers coming back from the killing fields of Saigon and the Ho Chi Minh were spit upon and called ‘’Baby Killers’’ Gi’s returning home were made to feel ashamed of...

One of the IAs was Tim Patterson, a Navy lieutenant who had finished a tour on a nuclear-powered attack submarine in Groton, Connecticut. After a brief stint of Army training, he landed in Jalalabad in May 2009 to mentor Afghan police officers in the rural areas near the city. The Afghan police stations he visited lacked working sewage systems, and even basic supplies like sandbags to protect officers from attack. At the Jalalabad police headquarters, Afghan police officers were growing marijuana in front of their counternarcotics office, he said. Once a month Patterson traveled to the American base to meet...

COVID-19 survivors are up to a third more likely to suffer kidney damage than people who avoided contracting the virus - and it can effectively age the vital organs by up to 30 years, a new study has found. Veterans Affairs researchers studied 89,000 veterans who overcame Covid, as well as 1.6 million who avoided the virus, and found that those who'd had the virus were 35 per cent more likely to have a damaged kidney, or loss of function in the vital organ. Researchers from the Veterans Health Administration analyzed anonymous medical records from about 1.7 million veterans who...

"The United States withdrawal from Afghanistan is complete today, and on this melancholy day my thoughts are with our veterans, many of whom are suffering from feelings of despair and failure. While the focus of my channel is firmly on pop culture, I could not ignore the sadness and suffering of all my friends who served in that war, the sadness and suffering of their loved ones, and the sacrifice of those who did not come back. I have therefore decided to offer my thoughts on this historic day, in the hopes that they may provide veterans with some consolation....

A network of "hundreds of thousands" of people, including analysts using satellite imagery to locate Taliban checkpoints surrounding the Kabul airport, are coordinating to evacuate Afghan interpreters from the country, an Afghanistan war veteran and member of the coalition told Fox News. These interpreters, now targeted by the Taliban, were essential U.S. allies during the Afghanistan war and played roles much larger than simply acting as translators, according to Matt Zeller. The Biden administration has faced fierce criticism that the U.S. hasn’t made their evacuation more of a priority. "These people that we’re talking about … they were our eyes...

Veterans from all eras are reacting to the events in Afghanistan, such as the U.S withdrawal and the takeover by the Taliban. You are not alone. Veterans may question the meaning of their service or whether it was worth the sacrifices they made. They may feel more moral distress about experiences they had during their service. It’s normal to feel this way. Talk with your friends and families, reach out to battle buddies, connect with a peer-to-peer network, or sign up for mental health services. Scroll down for a list common reactions and coping advice. Resources available right now: Veterans...

To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish dental care in the same manner as any other medical service, and for other purposes. Why didn't any Republicans co-sponsor this bill? Can someone who is a policy wonk explain this to me?

Matt Zeller, an Army veteran and former CIA analyst, was distracted for a very understandable reason during a live appearance on The Week with MSNBC’s Joshua Johnson to discuss the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan: he was waiting for news about several family members and friends who had not yet been able to leave the country. As Johnson introduced him at the beginning of the segment, Zeller could be seen glancing downwards. He would later explain that he had been checking his phone for news of his loved ones.... And I’m trying to get them out,” he continued. “This is personal...

He was getting old and paunchy And his hair was falling fast, And he sat around the Legion, Telling stories of the past., Of a war that he once fought in And the deeds that he had done, In his exploits with his buddies; They were heroes, every one. And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors His tales became a joke, All his buddies listened quietly For they knew where of he spoke. But we'll hear his tales no longer, For ol' Joe has passed away, And the world's a little poorer For a Veteran died today. He won't be mourned...

After the longest war in our country’s history, the United States is on the verge of ending its open involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq. As we wind down these wars, our nation owes a great debt to those who volunteered to serve. Our technology, politics, and culture look a lot different than they did 20 years ago, and our Veterans Affairs should look different too. Our country’s newer veterans need an adaptable, agile, and flexible VA to meet their needs. However, the VA has shown it is neither adaptable nor flexible despite Congress approving new authorities and massive increases in...

The 9/11 attacks changed the Nation's dynamic, a newfound sense of patriotism not felt since World War 2 began. On September 20, 2001, George W. Bush stood before the Nation proclaiming, "Our war on terror begins with al-Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped, and defeated." So, the long war began, with an entire generation growing up knowing nothing but war. Millions deployed to combat zones worldwide for this new form of warfare termed the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). Podcasting flourished during the GWOT...

ABC News panelist Margaret Hoover said on This Week with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday that the government should require patients receiving public health care — including Veterans Affairs care — to be vaccinated for coronavirus. Hoover, who hosts the Firing Line on PBS, used that example to show how the government should make life “almost impossible” for the unvaccinated: If you are going to get government-provided health care, if you’re getting VA treatment, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, anything, and Social Security, obviously, isn’t health care, you should be getting the vaccine, OK, because you’re going to have to — we’re...

My interaction with General Donahoe serves as a microcosm of the American military’s cultural rot. Here we have a two-star General who spends his days on social media hyping a vaccine for an illness that poses minimal risk to his troops. When pressed on why America can’t win wars and why he embraces policies that treat healthy people like biohazards, his first response is to accuse his critics of treachery and then block them from view. This is what $693 billion a year buys you: unbridled arrogance from the leaders of a military that can’t win against third world tribesmen...

Flashback music of Vietnam, the bullwark of the ground pounding grunt in the day.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) launched an effort to prevent forced vaccinations in the military after a massive outreach by troops. In a tweet on Monday, Massie said Democrats have attacked his recent proposal to ban forced vaccinations of U.S. troops. The congressman added he introduced HR 3860 to outlaw vaccine mandates in the military, which has been already back by 24 lawmakers. This came after reports claimed Joe Biden’s Pentagon might require vaccination for U.S. troops by September. “They want everybody to get vaccinated, even those who don’t need vaccinated,” he asserted. “If you followed the science, the Moderna trial...

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col Allen West and more than 600 other U.S. military veterans released a joint letter, first shown to American Military News on Monday, denouncing Marxism and socialism in the United States, as well as “wokeness” they say is infiltrating the military.The letter, organized by West and his Committee to Support and Defend project with the American Constitutional Rights Union (ACRU), states, “As former members of the U.S. military who have proudly served our nation, we write to express our support for Constitutional freedom and liberty and our concern for our country as many powerful forces seek...

Sunday is D-Day plus 76 years. And on Memorial Day we honored and mourned all the men and women who’ve died while serving in our military. So maybe it’s a good time for politicians and pundits from both sides of the aisle to quit pointing fingers at each other for a day and start thinking about what marking the date June 6, 1944 is all about. It’s about honoring all those young soldiers who gave their lives for us so many years ago in World War II. It’s about remembering all those brave young men who jumped out of airplanes...

Some years ago my wife bought her Dad a book called "A Father's Legacy" which has blank pages for Fathers to write thoughts on memories of various activities that affected their own lives. One page asked the question, "If you were in the Armed Forces, how did your service affect your life?" He entered the Korean war as an infantryman and carried a Browning Automatic Rifle and a 1911 in his holster. I have a photo of him fresh off a combat patrol holding his BAR at his side & it was almost as tall next to him as he...

A group of Marine veterans from Michigan will ‘ruck’ 100 miles this Memorial Day weekend to raise money for charity. The money raised will go to two organizations: The Mighty Oaks Warrior Programs and All Things Possible. The groups help veterans and their families overcome trauma. The four veterans hope to raise $25,000 for each organization. Between Friday and Sunday, they are walking from Lansing to Grand Haven. They will also hold a workout on the Grand Haven City Beach on Memorial Day. Daniel Kersting, the veteran leading the group, says it’s important that all those struggling get help. “A...

The wall of faces The virtual Wall of Faces features a page dedicated to honoring and remembering every person whose name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. In an effort to further preserve the legacy of those who sacrificed all in Vietnam, VVMF is committed to finding a photo to go with each of the more than 58,000 names on The Wall. The Wall of Faces allows family and friends to share memories, post pictures and connect with each other.