With all the hype about Berkeley and the many efforts to block their stupidity, I thought about an essay that I read once called “Sheep, Wolves, & Sheepdogs”. It’s a poignant essay that people like the Berkeley City Council and others can’t afford NOT to read.
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Senators are pressing the Defense Department on ways to improve the GI Bill. I got an email from Congressman Bartlett about H.R. 5229, a bill to allow servicemembers to transfer unused GI Bill education benefits to family members. In his 2008 State of the Union address, President Bush asked Congress to “join me in…allowing our troops to transfer their unused education benefits to their spouses or children.”
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The anti-war, anti-military zealots in this country would like you to believe that the military is full of poor, uneducated children who have been (or will be) brainwashed into killing mindlessly. They call our recruiters liars and point – falsely – to statistics where Soldiers are not given the entitlements they are promised when they signed up to enlist.
95% of the active duty military force signs up for the Montgomery GI Bill when they enlist. The Bill requires that Soldiers pay in $100 per month for a year ($1200) total. At the conclusion of their military service these Soldiers are entitled to 36 months of benefits which generally equates to a 4-year degree. Additionally, while on active duty service, all Soldiers are entitled to $7,500 per year of tuition assistance to attend classes in the evenings and on weekends. TA pays for tuition and most books. Soldiers are not required to buy into or pay back this money. It’s there for them – free!
The anti-war retards in this country site statistics that very few Soldiers “receive” these benefits they are promised. They produce propaganda pamphlets, create websites, and haunt recruiting stations to spread vile untruths about the military violating their promises on education and other programs when the reality is that Soldiers voluntarily forego these benefits.
I could be a poster boy for the anti-war in this country. I’ve been in the Army over 13 years now and I haven’t been given over $82,000 in benefits promised to me. Guess why? Because I haven’t made the time to seize them. I’ve had other plans. I DECIDED not to receive those benefits by refraining from going to college (I’ve since corrected that minor deficiency in my resume).
According to available data from the Defense Department, about 7% of service members who separated from the armed forces before 1997 had used up all their benefits by the 10-year limit. 29% never even used the benefit. The remainder only used part of it. The anti-war heroes will say that this is proof of their claim that the military lied. What they won’t tell you is that the main reasons are that Soldiers’ intentions changed when they got out. They wanted to start another career, move to another state, get married, have children, travel the world, whatever.
To be fair, I think the 10-year rule is a crock and NEEDS to be changed. As Soldiers, we paid into the GI Bill and we should be able to take our benefits on our time, regardless of how long it takes. Legislation needs to be enacted that gives Soldiers unlimited time to use their benefits. But, the fact remains that ALL Soldiers KNOW that they have 10 years to use or lose their education benefits as currently authorized by law. If we don’t use them, then we’ve screwed ourselves.
Let’s address the recent trend within the military services to accept more recruits without high school diplomas. The anti-military buffoons love to use this one against us as well. First of all, is there something wrong with giving the uneducated youth in this country a step up with vital training, experience, and education in the military? I don’t think so. Where else are they going to go to get out of the rut? How else are they going to overcome their juvenile decisions to drop out of high school?
As if being invited by the President of the United States to the White House for an hour-long chat about military bloggers weren’t enough to convince the Pentagon that we are great tools for getting the truth out, Army Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV is pleading with the armed forces to give milbloggers a chance. LTG Caldwell isn’t just any general. He commanded the mighty 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq recently.
LTG Caldwell suggests a four step approach to accomplishing this.
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The following real-world story was relayed to me by my very good friend, RN Clara Hart who works with wounded warriors every day. What I love about this story is that she can highlight not only the pains and challenges that those wounded on the battlefield have to go through, but she can also show through her writing what I have known for years, and that is the American fighting man and woman can find humor in the worst of times. The ABSOLUTE WORST of times.
“Will you PLEASE stop kicking me!!” I harped at the soldier standing next to me. “I’m going to report you for nurse abuse if you don’t!” I sharply chided him. He simply stood there and with a look of “who me?” on his face responded, “they’d never believe you, they’d take one look at me and cart YOU off”. “Yeah, you’re right” I said, “but, really now, QUIT KICKING ME!” then giving up, shared a laugh with this particular man. A bilateral leg amputee, he was kicking me with his prosthetic legs and having quite a jolly time. In frustration I kicked him back, which only served to make him laugh harder and tell me “that didn’t hurt a bit”.
The sad part is that he does hurt. He and other veterans like him suffer daily with phantom pain, suffer daily with nerve pain and pain that takes over their lives. It becomes all consuming and never-ending, life as they knew it ceases to exist. They suffer from pain you cannot take enough medications to make go away. Marriages suffer, families are torn apart, and the mental anguish is inexplicable.
I recently sat in a meeting and listened to an OEF veteran talk about dealing with his pain. For 3 years after many, many surgeries, an amputation and ongoing physical therapy his pain persists. He often wonders if the pain will ever go away and he admits to fleeting thoughts of suicide. And he is not alone! I sit here right now and at least dozen of my former patients come to mind.
Although it is almost impossible, try and place yourself in his position. Can you even begin to imagine how living with pain every minute of every hour of every day would affect you? What kind of life you would have?
People always make comments like “I wish there were something I could do”. If you are truly serious in wanting to help I have a suggestion. Currently there is legislation proposed to give our OIF/OEF veterans better resources, benefits and assistance when it comes to pain and it’s impact on their lives. You can learn about this by going to the American Pain Foundation’s website www.painfoundation.org and clicking on Military/Veterans and Pain button on the right side. I urge you to go to this site and review everything on these pages. Here you will find plenty of ways to assist our wounded warriors. Only when we understand better and take the initiative to make our voices heard will change come about. They need your help and here is your way! Clara, I, and all wounded warriors challenge you, don’t let them down!
So says the Berkely City Council. On January 29, the City Council passed a resolution advising the Marine Corps that “the Marine recruiting office is not welcome in our city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome intruders.”
But the resolution doesn’t stop there. It also encourages “all people to avoid cooperation with the Marine Corps recruiting station, and applaud residents and organizations such as Code Pink, that may volunteer to impede, passively or actively, by nonviolent means, the work of any military recruiting office located in the City of Berkeley.” You heard me right. An American city is fighting against the people who are fighting for their freedoms. All because of a policy that has NOTHING to do with the Marine Corps – Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. They’re pissed off that gays are not allowed in the military so they’re attacking Marines and, by extension, every servicemember. Instead of hailing them for the heroes they are, the Council instead derided them publicly.
Military recruiters are sales people known to lie to and seduce minors and young adults into contracting themselves into military service with false promises regarding jobs, job training, education and other benefits. Many enlisted persons never see the benefits they are promised and find out they are not eligible for the educational benefits due to loopholes and they did not receive the training promised or it did not qualify them for jobs outside the military.
You’re not reading an OpEd or an internet blog piece. This is an actul, public record, city council resolution. Instead of attacking our elected officials who have done nothing to abolish the law, they attack the very people who are required to abide by it.
Think this is wrong? Let ‘em know it:
CONTACT PERSON
Steve Freedkin, Chairperson, Peace and Justice Commission, (510) 595-4626
Robert Meola, Peace and Justice Commission, (510) 644-1102
Manuel Hector Jr., Secretary, Peace and Justice Commission, (510) 981-5110
You Served's Claire talks about the life of a military spouse - the hardships, the joys, and everything in between.
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