A Veteran that has something to say...

[Bill Hodges]

6/19/2003

Veterans, especially disabled veterans, are livid! Restoration of Retired Pay legislation to treat veterans fairly is bogged down in Congress in the House of Representatives. Congressman Jim Marshall (D-GA), a veteran himself, originated a petition to get H.R. 303 discharged from committee so that the proposed legislation could move along.
Would you care to wager whether or not any of Alabama's Republican congressmen signed the discharge petition to help disabled veterans? Not a single Alabama Republican congressman stepped up to the plate. Only one of Alabama's congressmen did, and is he a freshman Democrat - Congressman Artur Davis (D-AL).
Congressman Terry Everett (R-AL) did not sign the petition to assist disabled veterans. What a direct slap in the face to every service man and woman who ever wore the uniform. Even though Fort Rucker and Maxwell AFB are in his district, when faced with a decision to help disabled veterans he cowered.
There are thousands of patriotic men and women serving with distinction in our armed forces all over the world. After they are wounded, injured or disabled while in service and come home, they are no longer the center of attention of the media. Most are forgotten and are treated worse than second class citizens. This situation continues. With the exception of Congressman Artur Davis, every member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama just spit in the face of every disabled veteran in the State of Alabama.
Please clip this article and send it to active duty *military personnel so that they will know what "their government" will do - not for them, but to them - when they return home!

John B. Givhan

Safford, AL
gelgeptl@hotmail.com


http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag4.gif *http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag4.gif *http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag4.gif *http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag4.gif *http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag4.gif *http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag4.gif *http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag4.gif *http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag4.gif *http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag4.gif *http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag4.gif

[jonessa2]

http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/fwork.gif

http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/peepwallA.gif

Against my better judgement, I'm jumping into this one.

have you ever been in private sector and had an on-the-job-injury?

[jonessa2]

http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/fwork.gif

oh my God http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/exclamation.gif *I hit the wrong button and didn't mean to post my previous posting. *it is like totally not done.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/it.gif

[Bill Hodges]

Quote[/b] ]have you ever been in private sector and had an on-the-job-injury?

Jonessa, what Mr. Givhan is upset about is that veterans were not only promised but guaranteed these benefits. The government came along and decided to cut them off. He feels betrayed (and rightfully so) that something that he was guaranteed as a reward and payment for services rendered to his country, risking life and limb for that country was taken away from him.
He feels equally betrayed because as a staunch Republican, it is not the Republican representatives who are fighting for his cause, it's the Democrats. So, in essence, he has been insulted and feels abused twice over. He has a very valid point when you study the issue.
He earned those very benefits that he wants restored. How did he earn them? First, they were guaranteed to him for serving his country, he did so. He served his country, fought it's war, and honorably served his time as a U.S. soldier. After having had the benefits that were guaranteed to him, they took them away. Explain how they can rightfully take away benefits from military veterans who earned them when the government gives the excuse that they must do so in order to save money, yet the government can afford giving away billions of dollars to people who don't even work in the name of "Tax Credits"? Where is the government's justification in that? It's nothing short of the bank selling you a home and then repossessing it immediately after you just made the down payment. He's angry and he has a legitimate reason to be.


http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag17.gif http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag19.gif http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag17.gif http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag19.gif http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag17.gif http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag19.gif http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag17.gif http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag19.gif http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag17.gif http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/flag19.gif

[NWGOPMom]

I agree that he has a ligitimate complaint, Bill. This subject has been brought to the fore and discussed many times around here. We seem to have alot of Veterans here, and have a very large hospital and medical facility to serve them. We also have a very large Veterans Administration building here to serve them. I don't know how many times my conservative talk radio station has had this as a topic. I can see where he would be upset that the dems are pushing to have his benefits restored vs. the republicans. Where are they on this and why aren't they in the forefront of this issue?

[Charie]

I just e-mailed my representative, Mark Green on this subject. I enclosed half of the letter, too. It takes at least a week to 10 days to get an answer, but I'll post it when he answers. He's good about it.

[jonessa2]

http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/fwork.gif

Bill,
You sound like a wonderful, sincere guy that takes up the cause. Tomorrow I will put together a thread relating to your whole email.
I am a veteran, and believe me, it's not all that it's made out to be. veteran disability payments comes out of your taxes and everyone else's. Many vet's serve one year, two years. rarely four or more. there are few retired veterans and the only men guareeteed 2 hots and a cot and medical for life were WWII vets, and maybe korean war vets. The rest of us could only get care if we were service-connected and/or income deficient. There is a side of Defense that is one of the best kept secrets and it is costing tax-payers money. You earn SS. You earn SSD
.....and yes, the military is a job not an adventure. It's a job basically set up with youth in mind. I don't know what year your vet friend was in, but that could tell me what kind of service he reallly had.
WWII lost 250,000 men. vietnam lost 52,000. this statement was not made to lessen the service of men in vietnam and yes, 'nam vets had it hard coming home. and then again, many never so combat. they were in the arena....the joke used to be that the ones that fought are the only ones that didn't get killed...I won't get started.
My ex-husband was a paratrooper, his captain didn't want him to be point man. (because the guys were doing drugs and couldn't do the job). no, they had him be a radio-operator. nothing like carrying a flag on your back that says shoot me.

Anyway, each 'nam has his demons, and it certainly was not fun to be in-country.

back to disability, if a 'nam vet is unable to work he can apply for non-service connected disabililty, which is about $980.00.
Bill, I've rambled.
I was in the navy from 1/83-8/87. I joined when I was thirty. No I was not in during a war, and yes, I lived in a domicilary after I came back and after my divorce, for a short while. I got a job at the VA because I was a Vet.

let me think about this some more, I can get some of these things out my mouth http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/barf.gif and they can be mis-interpreted.

http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/it.gif