And the families left to carry on
Great post Road Kill. Rants are okay..if they make sense.roadkill said:Believe me when I tell you the waiting rooms at my local VA are about as depressing a place as you can imagine.
They are also a source of incredible inspiration - seeing all those vets who are wounded, scarred, maimed, and damaged beyond belief and still manage to have good things to say and keep positive attitudes.
You are correct - veterans have been given tremendous promises - laid everything on the line - and have had those promises served back with a cold side of crap. It's remarkable what the decision makers in DC will hand us. Probably because NONE of them have ever honorably served and had to rely on the VA for service. These same decision makers who have no problem voting a fat pay increase for themselves, pat themselves on the back for such a fine job they are doing - and leave the veterans out in the cold. Some vets rely solely on their disability income - they have no other way to make a living.
It's pathetic.
And still these same veterans who are spit on, cursed, and defamed in every way imaginable still maintain their respect and love for this country. The fact that they faced the adversities and atrocities they did, to support an idea, and simply because they were asked - and yet have to suffer the insults from the very countrymen (and women) they went to defend is the most insufferable insult of all.
If you know a vet - thank them daily for the freedom you love and enjoy allowing you to do pretty much as you wish and giving you the freedom of "self-expression" to desecrate the flag they loved enough to die for.
Yes - this is a rant. Sorry. I know no one here has expressed any negative comments about our nation's veterans - this whole topic about vets and the disgrace known as the VA really gets my blood boiling.
It concerns me, too - and I'm in the military! When will the madness end? Hopefully with the next administration, unless they manage to "slide" Jeb in there (shudder!)Faustian_Pact said:As a Canadian,who has a great love for the USA,.it concerns me to see your country going down. I'm worried. We need a strong United States. These brave kids are being wasted,for a fight THEY don't get either. As the ranks are thinned,and the resources depleted on this debacle,..
I fear a legitimate threat will emerge. Will they have enough left to save us?
You are indeed correct Ghostie. The military has a clear view of why they are over there, why they are fighting for the cause they are, and what their objectives are.ghostie said:They are very clear about why they are in Iraq and focused. It's the media who likes to paint a different picture. No matter how you feel about the war on terrorism, there are many good things going on over there. We will just NEVER hear about it through the media...
You got that right! When I was four years old,growing up in Calgary,Alberta, I remember someone telling me I wasn't an American. They said:"You are a Canadian." I said something like: "Naw..get outta here!".roadkill said:To our Canadian friends - thank you. Believe it or not it means a lot to know we have support from outside our borders. It's kind of hard to see sometimes and it is rarely reported so to hear it is nice. BTW - we think a lot of y'all too.
I never understood that! We from the U. S. are Americans as we're part of "North America". Those from Canada are Americans because they are also from North America!Faustian_Pact said:I remember someone telling me I wasn't an American. They said:"You are a Canadian." I said something like: "Naw..get outta here!".