For the numerous new members who joined in the last two months, I need to introduce myself. When reading this article I am sure without my doing so you would think - "who is this smartass?".
For several years I was involved in blogging on troop/vet and political sites.
About 18 months ago I started a site called Sancho Press for the purpose of assisting with getting our veterans and troops the care they deserve and were/are not receiving. I am able to relate to many of the injuries/illnesses that vets/troops were/are receiving the worst care in. As a veteran (78-82) who has TBI, mental health issues, many physical injuries (auto accident 1999) I was appalled, outraged and saddened by what I was hearing on other sites and through communications with vets of Iraq, Afghanistan, the Gulf Wars and Viet Nam about their health care (or lack thereof).
I received far better care in the civilian health care system for the same injuries/illnesses many of our men and women who served in combat suffer from. I thought it was a good idea to start a site/blog to get citizens I met on political sites to hear about and join in conversations directly with troops and vets so to help in petitioning congress and senate to do something about these atrocities.
Why didn't someone tell me that R&R could be so hard?! I mean, I thought I knew what I was getting into. But in reality I had no idea! This was our second deployment, so we should know what to expect. I had assumed since we missed each other desperately that things would just fall into place. We had talked about it for months before he came home. We went down "the list" of how to have a wonderful R&R. Neither of us had any unrealistic expectations (yeah right!), both of us were considerate and understanding with one another (um, if I heard that HE was on HIS vacation one more time....or about how HE had been in Iraq for the last 8 months I think I would have screamed! Come to think of it....I probably did!). I tried to maintain peace and calm at home as much as possible (while staying with my parents, our three children and five dogs). We both realized that we both needed a break (did I tell you he was on his vacation? Ok, in all honesty, he was a great help with the kids.). We tried to accommodate to one another's needs (which apparently meant I was supposed to be a sex machine. I just wanted him to not leave his clothes all over the place and his shoes in the middle of the floor.). We tried to realize that it takes time to rebuild feelings of intimacy (um, I realized this....him, not so much! Although, he did say he understood....while trying to grope me). We took lots of pictures of our family and our time together (I swear I wanted to rip that camera out of his hand if I saw it in my face one more time!). We shared our feelings (his feelings: wants sex, my feelings: wants sleep). And when it was time to say our goodbyes, we both realize that I pull away and tend to be bitchy (he says I like to pull up to the airport and kick him out the door).
I was reading this article this morning..right after I read the one about the 13 motorcyclists who were arrested for being clocked at 140 mph on interstate 10. http://www.navytimes.com/news/... This E-1 was the 25th sailor to be killed since the fiscal year in October, along with 23 marines and 45 soldiers, 2 of the soldiers whom I attended memorial services for not even 2 months after the boys returned home from deployment. There were a number of factors I believe that contributed to the deaths of the two men from our unit. To include ,in my opinion, PTSD. I knew these two men, and my husband and I had done group rides with them. They were sports bike riders, which I believe contributes to the egos of the young 20 something boys who ride them, but none the less, they are no longer here with us.
There are many misconseptions out there about how military life is.I my personal oppinion it isnt what is made out to be. For example we have the show Army wives being a new Army wife I decided to check it out. I find it almost humurous I have not once at this post seen Generals wifes associating with lower ranking people actually I cant say that I have seen her at all. I also believe that the housung on the show is much nicer then the eight- plex that I live in. The eight-plex smells in the common areas expecially when it rains. There is always trash out in the hallways. My nine year old daughter has made friends with a few peole in the eight-plex I choose not to associate myself with these people because when I first moved in several of the ladies here were hitting on the movers how tacky is that and I would have expected grown women to keep there houses Clean.Military spokes people on tv are always pointing out how they are for military families but I do not see how. They allow soldiers who have risked there lives to be treated unjustly. Another example of this is when my husband re-enlisted in Iraq he signed a three year contract to go to Germany it now truns out that the idiot who helped with his contract failed to mendtion that going to Germany would not inclde his family going with him because he would have had to extend the expiring contract for an additional five months to include our family. it is unclear weather he did it on purpose or he just doesnt know anything either way they should have people who are well informed of ther job to help negotiate contracts for soldiers. The commanders and sgt.majors can pretty much do whatever they want and going to ig does nothing who are we suppost to send complaints to "the army takes care of there own" I hate to hear that statement I think it only applys to higher ranking people They all stick together and the rest of us have to watch out if we piss them off. How rediculous is that. I used to wonder why people say so many negitive things about the army but I have come to realize that I am now, one of those people. I love my husband for wanting to make a difference and serve his country. I just wish the military didnt take advantage of service people.
As a regular viewer of Bill Moyer's Journal, I always find the show intriguing and informative as I learn more than I would with conventional journalism and media. This past Friday's episode with Andrew Bacevich was one of the best episodes I have seen; this was a difficult determination for me, as I believe many of the shows are absolutely phenomenal.
What struck me most was Bacevich's notion of the imperial presidency and its past, present, and future inference on America and the American life. Bacevich, a former Army colonel, Boston University scholar, and old school conservative, discussed this construct at length with Mr. Moyers. His most recent book, The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism, was referenced throughout the dialogue, and included implications of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the responsibility of each individual American to turn this nation around. What haunted me even more was the mention of his son who lost his life in the Iraq war. I cannot begin to assert that I understand what he is experiencing at this time, but as a military spouse of a wounded veteran, I found myself completely saddened by his loss, as it was a reminder of how close I came to losing my husband during the same conflict. I believe, like Bacevich, that we should view war as a last resort: "What we should learn from history is that preventive war doesn't work. The Iraq War didn't work. And, therefore, we should abandon notions, such as the Bush Doctrine of preventive war. We should return to the just war tradition. Which sees force as something that is only used as a last resort. Which sees war as something that is justifiable for defensive purposes."
Seriously,it is like my family has an aura that just begs for lost animals to find us.
I cannot tell you how many birds I have rescued since living here. The number of lost or stray dogs or cats that just wander up to MY lanai even though there are HUNDREDS of other houses around, is just ridiculous. I love animals, and so does my husband and daughter, but, with our lifestyle and the rules of our housing association, it's just not possible to rescue them all. OK, the birds, I'm OK with them... I call the Wild Bird Rehab, and then they come pick them up after a few hours of me babying them and keeping them warm. I have had mynas,doves,pigeons,hummingbirds,honey-creepers,cardinals,every water bird imaginable...and the list goes on. They come from all over, baby chicks, adults with broken wings,sickly ones ,etc.
Hello to all. Left Maine 6/30 and arrived Benson AZ (Tucson area) 7/13. Closing delayed on house so took our time and went scenic route past Niagra falls, Toronto, Chicago, S. Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon and then several other AZ sites. Saw 4 national parks, 4 national monuments and other great stuff on trip. Many glitches in getting closing, television service, phone and finally have wireless (satellite) internet provider hooking us up today. Third one to come out in three weeks, last two said no go. 8 miles from center of town of 5000 people and they act like it is 1000 miles away. WE LOVE IT. Amazing wildlife. Sitting on back porch we look directly at the Rincon mountains. VERY happy and looking forward to exploring all the area has to offer. Just wanted to check in while I was at public library and had computer time. Hopefully this satellite internet will work at our house and I will be back with you soon. Miss you all. Don Quixote. Tom.
Some of you know me and know that what I do comes from the heart.
My husband is a medevac pilot in Iraq. We may have made progress in Iraq, but it isn't pretty. (For example, Magilla the Gorilla, the large stuffed animal I sent my husband that is now part of his crew, needs a harness because he gets tossed around the Blackhawk during missions and is getting bloodied up.)
I tried to invite the candidates to Fort Hood back in November of 2007 (http://blip.tv/file/500866).
What I wrote below, I wrote in response to a personal email, in my OWN voice, not as the President of MSC and not as the organizer of the Fort Hood Presidential Town Hall Consortium.
I have been a Democrat all my life. My husband has taken heat from his chain of command because of my advocacy for our soldiers here at Fort Hood. But I am heartbroken and disappointed and angry with both campaigns. Obama's campaign blew off the town hall with the troops and McCain's campaign COULD HAVE pressured him to take it seriously and they didn't. I am not sure either side really wanted it to happen.
You know, I understand that town halls are risky. But every time my husband gets in that Blackhawk he is risking his life, and he does it anyway. We honor those who have the courage to take risks. The stakes are high, you may be thinking. Yes, they are. They are very high. No one knows that more than we do.
We made it to Germany. The trip itself (the actual plane ride, I mean) was not that bad. There was a small circus that we put on as a family at the Dallas airport getting our dogs ready to be sent to the place where they would later be boarded onto the plane- my youngest daughter burst into tears because she thought she was going to be able to "hold" Trinity on the ride across the ocean. Trinity is a Rottweiler/German short-haired pointer weighing in at about 85 pounds. She wasn't quite small enough to ride in the cabin.
Anyway, we landed in Frankfurt the following morning- groggy, kind of smelly, and very tired. Our bodies were telling us it was only about 3 AM and we should be in BED!! But instead we were being hustled through the airport, with 2 carts, 2 kids, 2 dog crates and what felt like a thousand pieces of luggage.
We arrived at not our post, but a neighboring one because there wasn't room for us at the "home" post's guest house because we had 2 dogs with us. That's fine, I thought. Until I realized how horribly inconvenient it was to be several miles away from where everything we needed was. We stuck it out in that "guest house" for exactly 1 week. It wasn't THAT bad, but man did it make me homesick for our quiet little house nestled down a dirt road outside of Fort Hood, Texas.
And believe me, I never would have thought any place would make me miss Texas.
On July 28, at 10pm ET, MTV will air a program, "Choose or Lose and Kanye West Present: Homecoming," to honor returning veterans by surprising them with home visits and thanking them for their service. The program will feature West and MTV MC Sway Calloway "dropping in unexpectedly at the homes of some Iraq war veterans and seeing firsthand the often difficult and painful challenges the young vets face after returning home." We all know personally that these challenges can include PTSD, TBI, and dealing with a bureaucratic system stifled by itself when trying to obtain benefits for our spouses. It is nice to know that MTV is trying to keep the trials and tribulations of this war at the forefront of young people's minds and hearts.
For those of you who do not know who Kanye West is, he is one of the most successful rappers in the country, and while rap music is not my favorite genre of music, I like some of West's music, particularly "Diamonds are Forever" depicting the detriments of the diamond business. Yes, it is true: some rappers actually have political messages and positive things to say. I am glad that Mr. West has decided to give back to our veterans.
MTV's Choose or Lose initiative focuses on young people becoming and staying active in the political process. Young people are involved in the elections and politics more than ever, and I believe this program had something to do with the increased activism among this demographic. Go to www.chooseorlose.com for more information. Also, for more information about the veteran homecoming special, please visit the MTV website at www.mtv.com. You can read MTV's article about the one-hour special below the fold.
There are drug addicts, there are pessimists, there are kleptomaniacs, and there are alcoholics, each person with their own vices, their curses. In the course of the past month, I have discovered my curse: I am a romantic, and I can't do a damn thing against it. It is the end of our deployment. (I use the plural possessive pronoun because it makes me feel closer to him, but no matter how I spin it, it will always be his deployment; and he will always see it that way.)
We watched one of those WWII movies, a love story-and it reminded me of how times are so different now. We even talked about how we would much rather be fighting that war, than this one. He says that, "In that war, we knew what kind of Army we fought for." My thoughts? "Yeah, well those soldiers lived day by day to see their girlfriends, wives, families again...and they wrote constantly." That is my beef. It could defiantly just be me, but I didn't get any letters. And emails were short.
Who in Hollywood started me on this whirling romance of war? There lies my curse... I have this romanticized view of war. The man leaves, woman waits patiently and faithfully at home He writes her a letter a day whether they get sent or not, he tells her everything and most of all how much he misses and loves her, he pines for her, his heart aches for her in his every waking moment, Then...in every waking moment there were mortars, and rockets, and firefights. There is no time for all that pining and aching.
So I am here in Italy... I know I have been MIA for a long time, but we don't have internet in any internet in the house!! I'll be up and running and posting a million and one articles when we get it set up. Lots of things to talk about...
On a timely note-- there were reports of the deadliest attack in Afghanistan, 9 soliders killed 15 wounded. That happened way to close to home. The guys were from 2/503d, our other battalion, and all my neighbors' husbands, who aren't home yet, are part of second battalion, so it was... insane!! (To say the least.) Their husbands weren't involved, but our community has been hit hard...
The guys who are back, my husband, his buddies, etc, they are all feeling it hard, because everyone was coming home, we were almost done, everyone was on their way home, and fighting in Afghanistan still goes on... and it is getting worse, and worse...
Bitterweet.
I am glad my husband is home... before things got hotter than they are now, but, there are other wives who are sitting at home without their husbands today... bittersweet.
Both candidates have been invited to participate in a town hall near Fort Hood, Texas, to engage in a dialogue with veterans and military families about the future of our Armed Forces, our veterans' support system, and our country. To date, Senator Obama has declined to attend.
There are many ironies and tragedies in this story.
If Senator Obama does not deign to attend, the event will not occur, and thus the organizers' vision of helping the American public realize the breadth and depth of the issues facing veterans, wounded warriors, and military families will go unrealized.
My husband returned from Iraq on December 21. Less than 2 months later we had an RFO (request for orders) for Germany. And it has been an ongoing circus since.
We had to try to either sell our house or rent it out. I wanted to sell, loving husband thought renting was better. He won this battle after we realized the housing market may not be in the best shape for a sale. I was nervous about renting- I put an ad on CraigsList and got many less-than-desirable candidates calling and asking to come look at our house. I quickly yanked the ad and we went about looking for a military person to rent to- I didn't feel like we were totally biased, but I wanted someone dependable and at least trustworthy. Some of the "locals" who wanted our house honestly kind of scared me. I couldn't deal with someone calling me daily in Germany because a light bulb needed replaced in the bathroom. We didn't sign a rental agreement until the very day we finally moved out of our house. Talk about sweating.
The packing and storage process wasn't much better. Three different companies came to pick up 3 different things- first was hold baggage- the sheets and pots and pans and things we'd need right away. However, the second day was storage- that blew my mind because to me, storage should have been last. Because we ended up with 7 crates of household goods because there were a lot of "forgotten" items that I didn't want to take, but I couldn't put into storage because that day was already over. It made me a little crazy.
Then it was onto "where are we going to stay for the next 2 weeks?" We spent the first week at my dad's house in San Antonio, which was only a few hours away from where we lived. We had fun, we ate out a lot,we shopped, we were lazy.
An ongoing issue as well was taking our dogs with us. We have 2 dogs- 1 that had been with us since I was pregnant with my first daughter. It was never an option to NOT take her with us. Then we have a 2-year-old puppy that I wasn't quite as attached to, but couldn't bear to leave behind. We needed microchips, rabies shots, health certificates, kennels for travel...the list seemed endless. I can't imagine them being in a crate, under a plane for almost 10 hours. I'm afraid we'll all hear them barking throughout the whole flight.
The last obstacle (or so it seems right now) is in-flight entertainment. I have to make sure my daughters (almost 3 and almost 5) don't act nuts on the plane. It's a long flight- landing in Frankfurt the following morning, 10 AM their time. I have DVD players, books, crayons, a Leapster, a Nintendo DS and have to still get some snacks. Will it be enough? Someone suggested Benadryl as well. Hmmmm...
This long, long, ordeal will finally end with us waking up in another country- where we will have no car, and we have to stay in a German hotel because the guest house on post is all booked up. But we've got a few tricks up our sleeves for calls to the states and getting Iphones for 1 Euro.
So the next few days will be full of junk food, last minute trips to Victoria's Secret to make sure I have enough bras to get me through til next May when we return stateside for the summer, good-bye dinners with friends and the re-organization of our luggage to make sure we haven't forgotten anything.
Today, I read an article from the New York Times entitled "Obama won't commit to event at military base." The article was written, presumably after a press release announcing the event was disseminated, and states that Senator Obama will not commit to a Presidential Town Hall slated to be convened at the Bell County Expo Center in Belton, Texas on August 11th, 2008 at 9:00 pm EST. During this time, CBS has agreed to televise the event live.
As stated in the article, Senator Obama has a previous commitment on that date. And, if you examine his voting record for the rights of military soldiers and their families, he is very supportive. "Senator Obama strongly supports America's veterans and military families and has worked hard on their behalf in the Senate," said Phillip Carter, director of Mr. Obama's veterans effort and an Iraq war veteran. "While we unfortunately had a previously scheduled commitment on the date proposed, Senator Obama looks forward to continuing the dialogue he's been having throughout the country with veterans on how we can better serve our men and women in uniform as they serve us" (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/12/us/politics/12obama.html).
Recently, I learned about an innovative approach to help veterans returning home to try to adjust to normal life and stay out of trouble. The Veterans Treatment Court, the first of its kind, is part of a program in Buffalo, New York to help all of its defendants, all military veterans, who have served their country. The program's genesis stemmed from a distinctive need. Judge Robert Russell, presiding over the vet court, counted 300 veterans in the local courts last year; thus, he decided to tailor the program incorporating protocols from standard drug and mental health courts. The vet court's Program Director, Hank Pirowski, is a Vietnam veteran, so he can relate to the defendants. Most notably, the court has a waiting list for peer mentors: veterans who want to help their fellow vets in need. What a smart construct: veterans helping veterans when they need it most.
As a substance abuse/criminal justice professional, I think this is a wonderful idea. We all are aware of what causes people to commit crime, and what societal factors contribute to the problem. It is well documented that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have significant issues when they return. "The VA says 70 percent of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan saw some form of combat, either through firefights, rocket attacks, or the most common strikes on troops - roadside bomb attacks on their vehicles (www.cnn.com)." According to the VA, this rate is three times the rate of combat experienced by Vietnam veterans. With this knowledge comes the unfortunate truth: many more Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are suffering from PSTD, TBI, and other ailments than veterans of previous wars. When veterans return home, many of them find the transition back to normal life daunting, and may turn to different things to get them through those times. If veterans don't have strong family support during the trying times, then they can turn to drugs and alcohol.
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news - Isaiah 52:7
Thank you to DonQuixote for helping me post my last Good News offering. I have been on vacation with my family in Colorado for the past two weeks. I am a great beach lover but let me tell you, the mountains in the summer are absolutely breathtaking! We stood at the top of Mt. Evans at an elevation of over 14,000 feet. We saw Bristlecone Pine Trees that are over 1000 years old. We hiked 200 feet to the top of a waterfall. We walked through caves that were first discovered in 1881. What a wonderful planet we live on!
Read below the fold for some great stories about the GOOD that is happening in the Military world.
The beginning of this is an attempt to bring you up to speed on what has been going on this past year leading up to the purpose of this post, a New Investigation on Veterans Care, and the request for those listed in the subject title to get involved with, especially the Veterans having their troubles with the VA and their Care.
It is especially tough to be a soldier at war. The separation from family, the fear, the unexpected. And, many times, when a soldier survives his or her tour of duty they return to a new war. The war in the mind. The war called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.
American veterans face a high incidence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Self, in his book Two Wars, will detail his personal struggles with PTSD, as well as detailing the heroic efforts of his men at war in Afghanistan.
This book is an important read for any veteran, or any person presently serving America in the armed forces. Veterans and their families alike will benefit from the insight into the way a soldier thinks. In addition, Nate Self will inspire them in their faith in God and in their fellow soldier. Two Wars is entertaining, inspirational and educational; a must-read for the military professional.
So, since my last entry, I was really hopeful that there would be room on the plane for me, and there was!! I was called and I was waiting to get my boarding pass from the next counter, until someone asked the Airmen at the desk, "Why are dependents getting on the plane before Active Duty members?"
Apparently, this man and his daughter were in the same situation I was, his wife was deployed to Iraq, but what he had on me was, he was an Airman who came out of Ramstein, and HOW THEY DO IT (the right way) is that Active Duty members on leave come before (the new policy) dependents whose sponsers have been deployed for 365+ days.
So, not only did I get bumped, but two moms and their kids who already had their tickets and bags checked in, were bumped so a couple of the guys could get on the plane.
