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First Chaplain Killed In War Zone Since 1970/ Associated Press/ Dan Elliott

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Dan Elliott AP

DENVER (Sept. 2) — A chaplain killed in Afghanistan this week was the first Army clergyman killed in action since the Vietnam War, the military said Thursday. Capt. Dale Goetz of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colo., was among five soldiers killed by an improvised bomb on Monday.

Cpt. Dale A. Goetz.

U.S. Army
Capt. Dale A. Goetz, 43, is the first Army chaplain to die in action since the Vietnam War.

Before Goetz, the last Army chaplain to die in action was Phillip Nichols, who was killed by a concealed enemy explosive in Vietnam in October of 1970, said Chaplain Carleton Birch, a spokesman for the Army chief of chaplains. The Air Force said none of its chaplains were killed later than 1970. A spokesman for the Navy Chaplain Corps, which also provides clergy to the Marines, didn’t immediately return a phone call. Goetz, 43, listed his hometown as White, S.D. He once served there as pastor of First Baptist Church, the Argus-Leader in Sioux Falls, S.D., reported. Goetz, his wife and their three sons recently joined High Country Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, where Fort Carson is located, the newspaper reported. A church spokeswoman referred questions to the Army on Thursday, and Army officials declined to comment, citing the family’s wishes. Officials said Goetz had hitched a ride on a resupply convoy when he was killed. Birch said chaplains are considered noncombatants and don’t carry weapons, but they are accompanied by a chaplain’s assistant, a soldier who is armed. A chaplain’s assistant, Staff Sgt. Christopher Stout of Worthville, Ky., was killed in Afghanistan in July, Birch said. Chaplains don’t go on combat patrols but do go onto battlefields to conduct services and counsel soldiers, Birch said. “Many of those places where they travel are very dangerous,” he said. The Army has more than 2,800 chaplains, including those in the Guard and Reserve. More than 400 are in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Alternative Care, Health, Veteran Legislative Update, Veteran Pals, Veterans Benefits, Veterans Global, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

Good News For Victims Of Agent Orange

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Department of Veterans Affairs Promotes New Rule Expediting Claims Process for Veterans Thought to Have Agent Orange Exposure

Monday August 30, 2010

Washington, D.C. – Veterans exposed to herbicides while serving in Vietnam and other areas will soon more easily qualify for disability pay under a regulation published tomorrow by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The new rule expands the list of health problems VA will “presume” to be related to Agent Orange and other herbicide exposures.

Under existing regulations, veterans who served in Vietnam during the war and who have a “presumed” illness don’t have to prove an association between their medical problems and their military service. Adding to the list of illnesses and conditions presumed to be connected to herbicide exposure simplifies and speeds up the application process for veterans suffering from those conditions.

The new rule expands the list of conditions for which service connection for Vietnam veterans is presumed. The VA is adding Parkinson’s disease and ischemic heart disease and expanding chronic lymphocytic leukemia to include all chronic B cell leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia. Eric Shinseki, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, said the decision is based on the requirements of the Agent Orange Act of 1991 and the Institute of Medicine’s 2008 Update on Agent Orange.

“This is an important moment for veterans who waited years for the support they deserved all along,” said Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva of the decision. “Anyone who believes they were exposed to Agent Orange or other chemicals should immediately find out how this rule could help them. This decision is clearly overdue, and I applaud the VA for doing the right thing before any more veterans suffer needlessly.”

Veterans who served in Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides. More than 150,000 Veterans are expected to submit Agent Orange claims in the next 12 to 18 months, many of whom are potentially eligible for retroactive disability payments based on past claims.

Individuals can visit http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/AO/claimherbicide.htm to get an understanding of how to file a claim for presumptive conditions related to herbicide exposure, as well as what evidence is needed by the VA to make a decision about disability compensation or survivors benefits.

Additional information about Agent Orange and VA services for veterans exposed to the chemical is available at www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange.

Uncategorized, Veteran Legislative Update, Veteran Pals, Veterans Global, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

Islam, Muslims And Marines: Isn't It Ironic?

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Isn’t it ironic that our Armed Forces spend all their waking hours hunting down bad guys in Afghanistan and Iraq, while we are training civilian security forces and a nubile Army to be our allies in hunting down the bad guys? We are training Muslims.

With the assistance of anthropologists, psychologists,(black ops ones), linguists and bankers and civilian security specialists, we as liberators are spending billions of dollars to win the hearts and minds of  two Muslim nations while we await our government in a kit program to take hold. Is it not ironic that we need the Muslim people to free the Muslims from the Muslims?

As a Marine, I know our military history has been defined as being liberators not an occupation force. Now, declassified documents will show that the rather sudden deployment of 5000 Marines, about four years ago, was at the bequest of the Marine Command  who were concerned that the Cheney-Rumsfeld  directives were tipping in the direction of occupation forces in Iraq, and loosing sight of the hunt for the bad guys, whose stronghold was and is known to be the mountains of Afghanistan. This edgy occupation stuff was seen as a violation of a long Marine Corps tradition of getting in and out. With one tactical exception, which was to win the hearts and minds of the common people of Iraq. Meaning literally make friends with a Muslim nation.  Given the scene here at home, a bit ironic eh?

The tactic of winning the hearts and minds was created and promulgated inside the Marine Corps, by General Krulak during the Vietnam War. Combined Actions Platoons they were called; CAP Units. Marines were picked to live in the villages and provide security while weeding out the terrorists, (yes we called them terrorists then too), who were embedded in the civilian population. I was assigned to a CAP Unit in 1968 as security. I know well the merits of the program and the dark side, 82% died. We were heading that way in Iraq, like the Vietnamazation program it would have taken decades to refine. No tolerance for that. And the Marines were not in the game of being an occupation force. The irony? We used to say we were saving the Vietnamese from the Vietnamese.  Now we are their trading partner. Us and the happy Communists. Irony number 3.

Fast forward to 2010. Isn’t it ironic that we pour billions into four nations to help save the Muslims from the Muslims?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, our soldiers are returning home to a rising crescendo of extremism that is of the ilk of hatred and insidious racism they just spent 2-4 tours of combat to abate.

Not so long ago we trained Iranian pilots at Davis Monthan Air Force Base. They were Muslim. We train Pakistani pilots and sell them F-16’s. They are Muslim.

We are leaving 50,000 troops,( we always leave 50,ooo, Germany, Korea,), and an undisclosed number of private contractors, men with guns, to complete the training of the marginal security force and the Army of Iraq. They are Muslim.

We built the largest embassy in the history of the United States in Baghdad, so as to have peaceful relations with the Muslim world.

We are spending more money than the GDP of  Afghanistan to train their security and Army. They are Muslim.

We are deeply in debt to Saudi Arabia, who hold 11% of our national debt. They are Muslim.

Poor General Petraeus  is trying to quell the transition strains of 13 Centuries of Suni rule,with the solicitation and support of the local Muslim people, while the psychiatric aberrancy of hatred for the same people in America escalates. Isn’t it ironic?

Germany, Japan, Russia, France, Mexico, England, Vietnam, China and of course the Native Americans, have all been enemies of our State at one time. All were targets of hate and demonization.  Isn’t it ironic that everyone of these nations is now a trading partner or a creditor of the United States.  And the beat goes on.

Where are we headed, another Inquisition?  T.S Elliot once said, “how much reality can humankind handle?” I might say, how much hate can a nation absorb?

It is still, to this day, hard to imagine that an angry contingent tried to say that Roosevelt was a Jew and therefore could not be trusted. Two lies in one,and,thank God, would now be considered a hate crime.

It was not that long ago, that Catholics scared the crap out of WASP America.  Rome, Rum and Rebellion was the siren cry.” Look out for Popery.” they would say. Those Catholics are trying to take over America!

“Its like rain on your wedding day/ It’s a free ride,when you’ve already paid/ Its the good advice that you just didn’t take/ Who would’ve thought…it figures/ Isn’t ironic?

-Alanis Morisette

Is not war the cruelest irony of all?

It seems that the ancient dictum, “anger eats the vessel that contains it,” is prophecy.   I do believe the Tower of Babel has arrived. God save the children.

Politics, Veteran Legislative Update, Veteran Pals, Veteran Statistics, Veterans Global, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

POW/MIA Issues Still Haunt US

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I am often asked why I keep the POW/MIA sticker on the passenger van I use to transport disabled veterans. I, in turn ask, “why would anyone use the word, ‘keep?” Does that not connote that somehow the topic is old and dated. It is not.

I then remind all that the POW/MIA flag is the only flag allowed to fly beneath the American flag.  Might that say something?

I still carry the bracelet of a downed pilot in Vietnam. Lt Curran/USMC

How many POW/ MIA’s are there currently in Iraq and Afghanistan? If you do not know, then you know why the issue is timely and compelling.

Remains of U.S. Army helicopter pilot from Billings found in Vietnam

Remains of U.S. Army helicopter pilot from Billings found in Vietnam JAN FALSTAD Of The Gazette Staff The Billings Gazette | Posted: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 2:14 pm | (39) Comment

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U.S. Army 1st Lt. Paul G. Magers (Courtesy photo)

The remains of U.S. Army 1st Lt. Paul G. Magers of Billings and his gunner from Oklahoma, missing for almost four decades after their helicopter was shot down during the Vietnam War, have been positively identified and are being returned to their families.

Magers, who lettered in track and wrestling at Billings Central Catholic High School, was killed in action in 1971 in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, while flying an AH-1 Cobra. Also killed was Chief Warrant Officer 2 Donald L. Wann of Shawnee, Okla.

Fred Magers of Billings, the oldest of six children, said his brother graduated from Central High in 1963, finished college at Regis College, a Jesuit Catholic school in Denver, and planned on attending medical school. Magers was married in 1969 to Beverly Mohatt of Sidney, Neb., and he enlisted in the U.S. Army. Attending officer training school at Fort Benning, Ga., Magers graduated in the top 10 percent of his class to qualify as an aviator, his brother said.

“He didn’t necessarily want to be a pilot, but that, too, was tough and he liked that,” Fred Magers said. “If it wasn’t tough, it wasn’t worth doing.”

His brother had been in Vietnam less than two weeks when he flew his last mission, Fred Magers said.

On June 1, 1971, Magers and Wann were flying their Cobra during an emergency rescue of an Army Ranger team in Quang Tri, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. After the Rangers were picked up and delivered to safety, the Cobra was ordered to destroy claymore mines that had been left behind in the landing zone. During this mission, ground fire hit Magers’ helicopter, which crashed and exploded. Then the Cobra’s ordnance detonated, tearing the aircraft apart. Pilots who witnessed the explosions said no one could have survived, according to the Defense Department. A ground search was impossible because of enemy soldiers in the area.

The first leads to finding and identifying the airmen came in 1990. Search teams from the U.S and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam surveyed the suspected crash site in 1993 and 1998. Excavation started the following year, but stopped because of bad weather. Then the Vietnamese government, citing security concerns, banned U.S. personnel from Quang Tri Province.

In 2008, artifacts and some human remains were recovered by a Vietnamese team. More remains were found the next year.

Maj. Tim Crowe, public affairs chief for the Montana Army National Guard, said the two men were identified by teams who specialize in returning the remains of military personnel.

“We do everything we can to bring MIA soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines back home,” Crowe said.

The remains of Magers and Wann were identified in March. The Magers family learned of the positive ID of Paul Magers in June, about the time they got their usual yearly update on his status. A U.S. Army officer formally briefed the family in mid-July and the news that Magers and Wann had been found was released Wednesday. The complexity of the process caused the four-month lag, Crowe said.

“These cases are within a pretty formal investigation cycle, so there are a lot of details to do to get this together,” he said. “As you can imagine, they want to get this right.”

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said he is pleased that Lt. Magers is being returned home with dignity and he extended condolences to the family.

“He will be laid to rest with honor and respect,” Tester said.

The Magers family moved from Denver to Billings in 1958, said Fred Magers, who does custom framing at his Billings business, Framing by Fred.

“He (Paul) would deliver The Gazette in the morning. Then when the ditch was dry he and another fellow or two, whoever he could find, would run the ditch,” Fred Magers said. “You know how hard it is to run in wet sand? It’s tough.”

But his playful side led Paul to endlessly tease and play with his nieces and nephews. And that is the spirit his family wants to see at his funeral. Well-wishers should bring smiles and dress in 1960s and ’70s clothes, including paisley, Fred Magers said.

“This is a joyous occasion and if anybody at the services comes wearing somber colors, Mom might just cuss them out and at 92, she has earned the right to do this,” he said.

Both men will be buried with full military honors. Wann’s burial will be Aug. 21 in Fort Gibson, Okla.

A vigil for Magers will be held at 7 p.m. Aug. 26 at Dahl Funeral Home in Billings. Funeral services are planned for at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 27, at Holy Rosary Church in Billings. Then Magers will be buried at the Yellowstone County Veterans Cemetery in Laurel.

Contact Jan Falstad at jfalstad@billingsgazette.com or 657-1306.

Life, Veteran Legislative Update, Veteran Pals, Veteran Statistics, Veterans Benefits, Veterans Events, Veterans Global, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans Transitioning Home From War

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When Johnny and Joan come marching home to their beloved United States of  America after service in Iraq and Afghanistan, are we prepared?

Very soon tens of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airman and marines will be rotating to their hometowns. They will be physically rotating home but their battle minds may be lagging behind a bit. Are we prepared?

Some of us crusty Vietnam vets recall the days when, “Peace With Honor,” was  being implemented and our troops started rotating home in large numbers.  The transition to civilian life  was not the joy filled experience that many anticipated.. Given, the times have changed radically.  I believe the operative word here would be respect.  There is no question about the notable respect we have for our troops and the zeitgeist of  gratitude that fills the air. We have learned much from the tumultuous 60’s and 70″s.  The most salient of all learning being the ability to separate the war from the warrior.  But can the warrior do that? And, I say again, our we prepared to help them in that separation of parallel lives they will  lead for at least a year or two?

The times are no less adverse and probably more so in the polarization of  political  positions. Are we prepared to submerge our intractable penchant to have opinions when in the company of a soldier who may just want to be left alone?  Can Americans shut up long enough to be a bridge of support for these returning troops?

“Think where man’s glory begins and ends, And say, “My glory was I had such friends.”                      -William Yeats

Many of these soldiers will be looking for work, many will not find work.  Are we willing to be at their side while they struggle? The unemployment statistics for OEF/OIF veterans are not good.  Add them to the ranks of the currently unemployed and we have a cinder box,  not unlike 1973.

Where are the bridges? Who are the bridge people?  Maybe Tucson could have the first and finest program in the nation for training bridge people to welcome these men and women back into polite society.  Platoons of caring people trained at all the libraries in the city, with long office hours, even night shift workers, ready to listen and help.

“When you’re weary, feeling small/ When tears are in your eyes/I will dry them all/ I’m on your side/ When times get rough/And friends just can’t be found/ Like a bridge over troubled water/ I will lay me down.      -Paul Simon

I challenge Tucsonans and the leadership to the task of making Tucson, Arizona one of the friendliest places in the nation to return home from war.  I declare that Tucson is a Bridge City.

Veteran Legislative Update, Veteran Pals, Veterans Benefits, Veterans Global, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

Spectacular Job Training Service For Veterans

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With the number of men and women rotating home, this could not be more timely.

The Veterans’ Employment and Training Service and the Employment and
Training Administration’s (ETA) Job Corps are partnering in a
demonstration project that will provide Job Corps’ comprehensive array of
career development services to eligible Veterans 20 to 24 years old to
prepare them for successful careers.

This is a fully-funded, all-expense-paid demonstration project that is
free for the Veterans. The program includes transportation to and from the
Job Corps center, housing, meals, basic medical services, academic and
career technical training, bi-weekly living allowance, and job placement
and post-graduation support.

We have worked with Job Corps to create an accelerated, customized program
developed specifically for Veterans. This program recognizes the maturity
and life experience that our Veterans have gained from their military
experience.

Job Corps employs a holistic career development training approach that
teaches academic, vocational, employability skills and social competencies
in an integrated manner through a combination of classroom, practical and
based learning experiences to prepare participants for stable, long-term,
and high-paying jobs. One of the important outcomes is that participants
will obtain a credential or certificate certifying them in a trade.

Veterans accepted in the demonstration project will be living among
non-Veterans and other Veterans who are also transitioning from the
military
to civilian life. One of the Job Corps program’s key benefits is its
post-graduate support. When Veterans are ready to begin transitioning into
their career, Job Corps staff will assist them in job searching, resume
drafting, and job interviewing skills.

Job Corps will provide graduates with transition services for up to 21
months after graduation, including assistance with housing, transportation
and other support services. Upon completion of training, Veterans will be
assigned to a career transition counselor to assist them with job
placement or enrollment in higher education.

Atterbury Job Corps Center in Edinburgh, Indiana; Earle C. Clements Job
Corps Center in Morganfield, Kentucky; and Excelsior Springs Job Corps
Center in Excelsior Springs, Missouri.

The enrollment will be open and continuous until a center reaches 100
Veterans. It is expected that Veteran participants will be enrolling and
graduating at various rates. Although Job Corps has set aside 300 slots
for the demonstration project, actual participation during the year may
exceed that number due to the continuous enrollment.

We will be announcing this demonstration project and providing handouts
and other information in our TAP Employment Workshops all over the world.
TAP facilitators will discuss this initiative in class and Job Corps
personnel will visit selected sites to answer questions and initiate
applications for interested Veterans. Once a participant has been
identified and accepted into the program, he/she will be given the
opportunity to select one of the three Job Corps training centers chosen
by Job Corps for this demonstration project.

This is a one-year demonstration program and we want to demonstrate demand
for the program and its effectiveness as quickly as possible so that we
can look at expanding it.

To make this demonstration project a success, we need your assistance in
getting the word out. Attached are three brochures that provide all the
pertinent details and contact information.

Brochures (PDF) http://www.dol.gov/vets/jc-brochures/brochure.pdf
Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)
http://www.dol.gov/vets/jc-brochures/faqs.pdf
General Information (PDF)
http://www.dol.gov/vets/jc-brochures/general-info.pdf

Here is the contact info to sign-up for the demonstration project:
(800) 733 – JOBS / 5627
http://www.recruiting.jobcorps.gov

VETS’ point of contact in our National Office is Tim Winter at phone
number,
202 693-4705 or mailto:winter.timothy@dol.gov.

This is a great opportunity for our young Veterans and we all need to help
them take advantage of it.

Sincerely,

Ray Jefferson
Assistant Secretary for Veterans’ Employment and Training

Veterans’ Employment and Training Service
U.S. Department of Labor

*****************************

Dwayne E. Campbell | Department of Veterans Affairs | Center for Minority
Veterans | Hispanic Veterans Liaison | 810 Vermont Avenue, Northwest
(OOM) | Washington, D.C. 20420 | (: 202-461-6197 | 7: 202-273-7092  | *:
Dwayne.Campbell3@va.gov | Website:
http://www1.va.gov/centerforminorityveterans/

“Action is the foundational key to all success.” – Pablo Picasso
Politics, Veteran Pals, Veteran Statistics, Veterans Global, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

Race? Whose Race? My Race? Your Race? Our Race?

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I thought I would be able to let this, “race card” storm pass, but you know the beloved main stream media have managed once again to spawn, fuel and incense America into listening to them. Give them an inch and they take a mile of storytelling, some of which is actually newsworthy, most of which is for their stockholders and ratings.

We have a race issue in America alright, it is the Narcissism Race of 24/7 cable news. They play the race card every hour of the day, waiting to trounce on the most triffling of affairs and spin them into national news stories. But this race is  more akin to a horse race card then any matter of  ethnicity.

True journalists used to work hard to scoop the competition on a breaking news story. Once the competition beat you in the race, the other moved on to another story. Not now. The race is to determine who can sensationalize the changing of the wind once the wind direction is reported, and then milk it all day.  Edward R. Murrow would puke over much of cable news.

Enter Shirley Sherod. Yawn.  A mistake was made. The parties involved were not harmed. Apologies were granted. Move on for cryin’ out loud. This is not news. America is on the brink of an all out Depression and we are at war against the most difficult enemy in our history of warfare. Lets focus and pull together and insert some leadership into the media.

Why does Veteran Veritas hold this out for discussion? Because if these folks were in the Armed Forces, this topic would last about an hour! If the level of enmity and tirade were to occur in the military over a race issue, like it does in the cranked up ADHD MSM, someone would walk away with an Article 15.

Few civilians know that an active duty soldier cannot even have a bumper sticker message on their car on a Military Base?  I like that level of  disciplined civility. Free speech is overrated.

One media outlet, even suggested that we stop and think about how many black people have helped us in our lives, like that Georgia farming family. My God, is that milking a story or what? This could be an episode on the new AMC , Mad Men! Who can give the best identity to a non-story? Get the ad men involved, like Glen Beck does with his staff Psycholgists.

Well, I did stop and think of all the Black Americans who have helped me throughout this pilgrimage. The MSM made me do it.

I learned to fish for trout on the Rock River in Illinois by black men. I learned to sing from those same black men. Four of my soul brothers in Vietnam saved my ass on many a patrol. My black Drill Sgt. in Marine Boot Camp taught me how to survive and be brave but not stupid. A sage black man standing by me on a street corner in the midst of the Watts Riots in 1965, when I was a grunt cub reporter for Norm Woodruff of KRLA News, afforded me a thumb nail sketch of how cities spend money and ignore the inner city. No change to this day.  My VA Psychologist was an Army Officer, black man.  The lady that tracked down vital records for me at the Chicago VA was a black woman named Maude. The most helpful person I could find in my claim process was a black Gunny Sgt at the Marine Corps Records Section in Quantico, Va. He penetrated all red tape and bureaucracy to get my records  amended to show additional war wounds.

So what is the point of referencing these experiences? Not once during those encounters, did I stop and think, “geeeze this is a black person.”   Racism is an implanted idea. It is not a natural human emotion. Do not let them put this weed in your garden.

Summarily, where was the media during World War ll when 80% of the officer corps believed in segregation?  Lets sensationalize that story.

Politics, Veteran Legislative Update, Veteran Pals, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

Stolen Valor Or Stolen Self Esteem

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Good day to you all. Veteran Veritas has been on sabbatical for a few weeks. All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy! Glad to be back amongst you at TC.com’s new look.

The item that jumps out of the National news into my blog is the decision of Colorado’s U.S. District Judge Robert Blackburns dismissal of the case against Rick Glenn Strandlof for violating the Stolen Valor Act.

The Stolen Valor Act makes it a crime punishable by up to one year in jail for the fabrication of earning military medals.

After a lengthy muse, I support Judge Blackburn’s decision in deeming the charges unconstitutional, at least for now. I believe the Judge is up to something. And I believe that he knows his decision will be challenged on appeal, which explains a premeditated notion of giving the Stolen Valor act more teeth in the end.

In the interim, I do believe that one who is under oath and lies is in real hot water. To just lie for the sake of personal gain..is not necessarily criminal. It is a sin with its own consequences and a feeback loop that is likely to be much more painful then any prosecutorial process.

I have been advocating for veterans most all of my adult life. Since 1972 I have heard virtually every confabulated story you can imagine about military service.  I have been in the presence of hundreds of wanna-be’s who telegraph their lame stories right from the get-go.  From the, “I can’t tell you what I did, it  was clandestine.” to the soldier who swore he was exposed to Agent Orange who never left the corn fields of Iowa, to the hombre who I helped with a claim for two years, only to discover he never had an honorable discharge.

Their is an old quote that came out of VFW’s years ago. “By the time a man is 70, he becomes an Audie Murphy.”

It is unfortunate,but there is something about the vacancy in a mans soul that causes him to lie about his military feats or lack thereof. A lie in itself is not a criminal act. Were it so, the halls of Congress would be empty.

As one who has a handful of awards for combat service, I do indeed find Rick Strandlof’s behavior to be despicable, but not criminal. He is not under oath. He is under the Ten Commandments. Different law.

What these men are exhibiting is a cluster of symptomatically low self esteem, and our more in need of a Psychiatrist then a lawyer. I do not feel so much disgust as  pity. Something beneath that drive to grandiosity is a desire to be observed. And embodied in that desire for recognition is some queer form of respect for the achievements of the real combatants–otherwise they would not so badly want to be one.

I say, get the man some clinical help, and let him clean latrines at Camp Pendleton Marine Base for a year.

Politics, Veteran Legislative Update, Veteran Pals

Weekly Update

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National Association
for Uniformed Services®
Weekly Update
June 11, 2010

“Arlington Cemetery stands as one of our nation’s greatest symbols of the sacrifices made for our freedom.  We have carried our fallen heroes to these fields for 146 years. The rows of marble headstones are a testament to how one generation defends the next; to how our nation is built upon unimaginable heroism and sacrifice; and to how these sacrifices stretch from our forefathers to the present day.”

~ Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III ~

Remember to celebrate FLAG DAY Monday June 14!!
Deeply Troubling, Unacceptable Problems at Arlington Cemetery

Tuesday, Army Inspector General LTG R. Steven Whitcomb completed a devastating report that brought to light a faulty record-keeping system that allowed occupied gravesites to be improperly marked or often not marked at all.  The report identified 76 separate deficiencies as well as 101 recommendations to improve operations at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC).

In reaction to the IG report, Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh removed ANC Superintendent John Metzler of all authority and placed his deputy, Thurman Higgenbotham, on administrative leave pending additional personnel actions.  Both are career federal civil servants.

“A majority of these findings are deeply troubling and unacceptable,” Secretary of the Army McHugh told reporters Thursday at a Pentagon news conference. “The [inspector general] found Arlington’s mission hampered by dysfunctional management, by a lack of established policies and procedures and an overall unhealthy organizational environment.”

It is reported that in 2008, a master sergeant was buried on top of a staff sergeant already in the grave, but the error wasn’t discovered until the widow of the first service member buried there complained to authorities that someone else’s headstone had been placed on her husband’s grave.

In response, Sec. McHugh established a new position to oversee the Army National Cemeteries Program and Katherine Condon, formerly the senior civilian for the Army Material Command, has been appointed executive director of the cemeteries program.  Also on Thursday, at the request of the Army Secretary John McHugh, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced that Patrick K. Hallinan, a 31-year employee of VA’s National Cemetery Administration (NCA), is being detailed to the Army to assist in the management of Arlington National Cemetery.

Shinseki said, “We look forward to assisting the Army in serving all Members of the Active and Reserve Components, eligible veterans and their families with the utmost dignity, respect, and compassion.”  NAUS Note:  We applaud the swift and decisive actions by Sec. McHugh to fix a problem that never should have happened.  Our veterans and families must not suffer these types of avoidable and worrisome indignities.

Decision on Medicare/TRICARE Reimbursement Expected Next Week

A Senate vote on H.R. 4213, the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010, is expected to occur sometime next week.  This important legislation postpones a scheduled 21.2 percent cut in payments to doctors who treat Medicare and TRICARE patients through December 2011.

Some Hill sources report that the Senate may amend H.R. 4213 to go beyond the 19-month period provided in the bill, possibly up to three-and-a-half years.  Should this occur, the measure would then have to be reapproved by the House before becoming law, which likely means that Congress will fail to act in time, due to delays in the Senate.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have delayed claims processing to give Congress additional time to correct the problem.  CMS has authority to delay processing for 10 business days, which puts the deadline at Monday, June 14.  The TRICARE Management Activity has taken similar action.

Congress needs to act.  We cannot allow this situation to linger.  You can help.  Use the NAUS CapWiz system to send a message.  Simply click on the link provided to begin.

Concurrent Receipt for Chapter 61 Medical Retirees

The American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act (H.R. 4213) also includes a provision to provide full concurrent receipt to Chapter 61 Medical retirees who are rated 70 to 100 percent disabled by the VA.  However, because sufficient offsets were not found, the provisions would only be funded for two years.

While we would like to see a more aggressive phase-in, NAUS welcomes forward movement on iexpansion of concurrent receipt.  The provision may fall short of our goal, but it will assist a number of brave men and women who served our country in uniform and who carry a disabling injury due to that service.

We remain concerned, however, with the tendency of lawmakers to cite an inability to find sufficient funds for correcting matters like concurrent receipt while seemingly finding money at the drop of a hat for any number of lesser priority items.  Please contact your Senators to let them know the importance of moving forward on concurrent receipt.  Urge their support.  for the concurrent receipt provision as outlined in H.R. 4213.  A Sample Letter is available on our CapWiz site for your use.

TRICARE Programs Update

NAUS met Tuesday with TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) Deputy Director Rear Admiral Christine Hunter to discuss TRICARE access, progress and related issues.  RADM Hunter assured NAUS that DoD is on track to begin the new “Gray Area” TRICARE benefit approved in last year’s defense authorization bill by October 1.  Once implemented, this program will allow Guard and Reserve retirees under age 60 the opportunity to purchase TRICARE Standard individual or family coverage at a premium equal to the full cost of coverage to DoD.

Adm. Hunter also spoke extensively about the rising cost of pharmaceuticals and about actions beneficiaries can take to help reduce them.  She told NAUS a 90-day supply of medication obtained by mail order averages $169, and through the retail pharmacy (your local drug store) $294.  The TMA new effort centers on getting more beneficiaries to switch to the Home Delivery system.

NAUS supports the Home Delivery because it is a matter of dollars and sense—common sense that is.  Prescriptions filled at retail pharmacies cost DoD more than double of those obtained through Home Delivery.  The money saved when beneficiaries switch helps counter arguments for higher fees and copays from the pockets of military retirees.

Patients using Home Delivery for maintenance drugs like those used to treat high blood pressure or cholesterol win big too.  In addition to the benefit of having medications delivered right to the door, these beneficiaries receive a 90-day supply for the same copay at retail, a 66 percent savings.  Learn more about Home Delivery and save money, too, click here.

Agent Orange Update

The Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act, signed by the President on May 5 (Public Law 111-163), includes significant portions of a bill (HR 2926) introduced earlier in the year by Rep. Glen Nye (D-VA) to protect troops exposed to Agent Orange.  The Caregivers bill contains a provision to permanently extend authorization for the VA to provide hospital care, medical services and other treatments to veterans suffering from exposure to Agent Orange or from the ailments commonly known as Gulf War Illness.

HEALTH CARE NEWS

Milestone Reached

TRICARE Management Activity announced that as of May 26, 2010, the one billionth TRICARE Encounter Data (TED) record was processed for TRICARE services around the world.   TED records provide detailed information for each treatment encounter and are required for TMA healthcare and financial reporting.

The TED system helps civilian providers get paid promptly for the services they provide to TRICARE beneficiaries outside of military treatment facilities.  Records are processed for provider payments in less than 24 hours in most cases.

The ease and speed of the TED system gives providers an incentive to participate in TRICARE.  Increased participation in TRICARE networks provide beneficiaries better access to health care.  By verifying and analyzing the information in each record, the TED system allows provider payment to occur promptly and helps reduce payment of duplicate, fraudulent or erroneous claims.  To date, the TED system has processed more than $140 billion of purchased services for TRICARE beneficiaries worldwide.

Overseas Travel and TRICARE

Traveling overseas is one of the many benefits of military service.  Whether on vacation or a business trip, eating different foods, meeting exciting people and enjoying a different climate can make for a worthwhile trip – unless you get sick or have a medical emergency.

Having a medical emergency on an overseas trip can be very stressful.  Understanding your TRICARE coverage before leaving home is key.  The TRICARE Management Activity outlines several important considerations regarding overseas care here.  If you plan on traveling overseas anytime soon, please take time to review this information.

ACTIVE DUTY NEWS

Corps Seeking Family Readiness Feedback

The Marine Corps Inspector General is looking for your feedback about Family Readiness Program.  Marines, sailors, family members of service members, Family Readiness Officers, MCCS Family Readiness Support Personnel and Family Readiness Assistants/Volunteers are encouraged to participate.

The Family Readiness survey component of this assessment will be available until June 18. To complete the survey, visit the Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) webpage.

Navy Changes Individual Augmentee Policy

Starting in October, sailors filling Individual Augmentee (IA) billets will be operating under a new program called Overseas Contingency Operation Support Assignment (OSA), which will replace the Global War on Terror Support Assignment (GSA) program.

OSA will allow sailors to determine when and where they will deploy in support of Overseas Contingency Operations.  Sailors will be also be able to apply online for OSA assignments using Career Management System Interactive Detailing within the 10 to 12 month window before their projected rotation date and prior to negotiating orders with a detailer.  If the application is approved, the OSA detailing team will contact the applicant and offer more detailed information regarding OSA opportunities.  Navy Personnel Command and United States Fleet Forces are working to update existing IA publications and websites, and a comprehensive policy is slated for release in July.

VETERANS NEWS

VA Announces Medication Copay Increases for Some

On Wednesday, the VA announced that veterans who generally have higher income and no service-connected disabilities – referred to as Priority Groups 7 and 8 veterans – will now pay an additional $1 for each 30-day supply of outpatient medications.  Taking effect on July 1, the increase to $9 from $8 is the first change in VA medication copay since Jan. 1, 2006.

Veterans in Priority groups 2-6 will have NO increase in their copay.  When asked why this increase was necessary the VA replied that the CPI for medication was increasing at a higher rate than the rest of the economy and this increase was deemed necessary.  The prices will hold steady for the next 18 months and will again be looked at in January 2012.

States with no Income Tax for Military Retirees

We have received many calls asking about States that do not impose an income tax on military retired pay.  Several States do not tax military retirements.  They include:  Alabama, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The following do not carry any State income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.  And New Hampshire and Tennessee only tax dividend income.

We urge you to contact the State you have interest in to get the latest information on its tax laws.  Although the above-mentioned States exempt military retirement pay, they may not exempt other retirements that you are receiving.

Bill to Improve Post-9/11 GI Bill

U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) recently introduced S. 3447, a bill to improve the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits program. Akaka introduced the bill to provide a starting point for discussion among Members of Congress, veterans service organizations, and concerned Americans who want to improve this benefit program.

Some of the highlights of S. 3447 would:

  • Make members of the National Guard and Reserve programs who were inadvertently omitted from inclusion fully eligible for benefits.
  • Make all types of training— including vocational programs, OJT and apprenticeship training, flight, all types of non-college degree training and more—eligible for benefits under the new program
  • Eligible individuals enrolled in degree granting programs of study at public institutions anywhere in the United States would pay little, if any, out of pocket costs for their education.
  • For students enrolled in other institutions of higher learning, benefits would be paid based on a national average cost of education, which would be indexed and increased annually.
  • Make a book allowance award of up to $1,000 available to individuals enrolled while on active duty and their spouses.
  • Allow individuals enrolled in VA’s program of rehabilitation and training under chapter 31 of title 38 who also have eligibility for the new chapter 33 program to elect the program from which to receive their subsistence allowance. This would mean that a service-connected disabled OEF/OIF veteran would not need to elect to training under the new GI Bill and forego the valuable counseling and support services available under chapter 31 in order to receive an increased living allowance.

NAUS NEWS

Flag Day

This Flag Day (Monday, June 14), NAUS asks you to remember that our flag is a promise of hope, not only to ourselves, but to the world.  It flies today as a tribute to those men and women across the country who have served freedom and given hope to millions living overseas.

And please remember that the pledge to the flag is a spoken commitment to all that we as Americans honor our flag and all that it stands for: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

NAUS on the Road

Upcoming NAUS RAD Appearances

On 19 June, NAUS President Matz presents the keynote address at the Buckley, AFB, CO Retiree Appreciation Day (RAD).

NAUS Monterey/Ft. Ord Chapter President Karl Karl will man a table at the Ft. Ord RAD in Monterey, CA on 19 June.

NAUS Board Member General Billy Bowden will man a table at the Tinker, AFB, OK RAD on 26 June.

Annual I Got Mine! Member-get-a-Member Campaign Now Underway

NAUS Members – Earn rewards, including a chance for the grand prize drawing – a $500 Marriott gift card – for EACH new member you recruit during the 2010 I Got Mine! Campaign.

NAUS Directory

Eager to connect with other NAUS members and network with the larger NAUS community?  NAUS is helping you do just that with our partner Harris Connect.  An Association Membership Directory – a first for NAUS – is now in production and will include up-to-date contact information of thousands of your fellow NAUS members.  Please take a few moments when you receive your postcard or email notice from our publisher, Harris Connect, and call them at 1-800-726-2836 to verify your directory listing information.  Members choose whether they wish to be listed, and also how much/how little information they wish to have published in their listing. There is no cost to be listed in the directory, though members will be offered the opportunity to purchase a directory.  NAUS receives a small royalty on the sale of each directory, so your participation helps your Association financially too!
Our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen stand in harm’s way around the globe to defend our nation and our cherished liberties. NAUS asks you to please pray for their continued strength and protection—and pray as well for their families, who daily stand in support of their spouses, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, and brothers and sisters.

GODBLESSAMERICA
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God Bless
Jose M. Garcia
National Executive Director
Catholic War Veterans,USA
josegarcia4@sbcglobal.net
Better to understand a little than to misunderstand a lot.
In God We Trust