Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Empty Chair Military Tribute

Holidays are often filled with parties and happiness, but remember, there is often a missing chair in many military families.





We would like to ask all of you to join us by remembering the incredible cost paid by those who currently serve as well as all who have served and are unable to be with their loved ones,the ones who give their all to help preserve the freedoms we enjoy and those gallant individuals who fought and died for our country. We also pay tribute to those whose fate is still unknown, those still listed as Missing In Action and Prisoners Of War. These courageous Americans, who dedicated their lives to preserving and protecting our freedom, will never be forgotten.

Those who have served and those currently serving in the uniformed services of the United States are ever mindful that the sweetness of enduring peace has always been tainted by the bitterness of personal sacrifice. We are compelled to never forget that while we enjoy our daily pleasures, there are others who have endured and may still be enduring the agonies of pain, deprivation, and internment.

To honor these men and women, we participate in the Empty Chair Military Tribute.

We call your attention to this small table which occupies a place of dignity
and honor. It is being set for one, symbolizing the fact that members of our armed forces are missing from our ranks. They are currently unable to be with their loved ones either due to the responsibilities of their current service, because they have paid the ultimate cost or because they have become a MIA or POW.

It is because they are unable to be with their loved ones and families, that we join together to pay our humble tribute to them, and to bear witness to their continued absence.

You can do this by placing an empty chair at your holiday table to represent those unable to join their own families and observe a moment of silence or say a prayer during your holiday celebrations.






 Our Tribute is symbolized in the following manner but you can pay homage in your own way:

The Table is round and set for just one symbolizing the frailty of one separated from those they love.

The Tablecloth is white, symbolic of the purity of their intentions to respond to their Country’s call to arms.

The yellow ribbon symbolizes the support of those of at home and the safe return of all service members

The dark red candle in the front center symbolizes POW and MIA.

The top red candle symbolizes the fallen and their valor and bravery.

The blue candle symbolizes the deployed and their vigilance, perseverance and loyalty.

The white candle symbolizes the hope for peace.

Each Candle is reminiscent of the light of hope, which lives in our hearts to illuminate their way home to the open arms of a grateful nation.

The empty chair symbolizes all those who are serving our country who can not be with their families because they are protecting our freedoms.


Remembering you and yours during the holiday season.

Saturday, December 7, 2013

December 7, 1941...a date which will live in infamy!

The USS Arizona (BB-39) burning after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor



The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941 (December 8 in Japan). The attack led to the United States' entry into World War II.

Just before the first bombs dropped on Pearl Harbor, Commander Mitsuo Fuchida, leader of the air attack, called out, "Tora! Tora! Tora!" ("Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!"), a coded message which told the entire Japanese navy that they had caught the Americans totally by surprise.

In just under two hours, the Japanese had sunk four U.S. battleships (Arizona, California, Oklahoma, and West Virginia). There were eight U.S. battleships at Pearl Harbor, seven of which were lined up at what was called Battleship Row and one (the Pennsylvania) was in dry dock for repairs. (The Colorado, the only other battleship of the U.S.'s Pacific fleet, was not at Pearl Harbor that day.)

The seven U.S. battleships on Battleship Row:
  • Nevada - Just over a half hour after the Nevada was hit by one torpedo, the Nevada got underway and left its berth in Battleship Row to head toward the harbor entrance. The moving ship made an attractive target to the Japanese bombers, who caused enough damage to the Nevada that it was forced to beach itself.
  • Arizona - The Arizona was struck a number of times by bombs. One of these bombs, thought to have hit the forward magazine, caused a massive explosion, which quickly sank the ship. Approximately 1,100 of her crew were killed. A memorial has since been placed over the Arizona's wreckage.
  • Tennessee - The Tennessee was hit by two bombs and was damaged by oil fires after the nearby Arizona exploded. However, it stayed afloat.
  • West Virginia - The West Virginia was hit by up to nine torpedoes and quickly sank.
  • Maryland - The Maryland was hit by two bombs but was not heavily damaged.
  • Oklahoma - The Oklahoma was hit by up to nine torpedoes and then listed so severely that she turned nearly upside down. Despite being upside down, a large number of her crew remained trapped on board. Rescue efforts were only able to save 32 of her crew.
  • California - The California was struck by two torpedoes and hit by a bomb. The flooding grew out of control and the California sank three days later.
Also damaged were three light cruisers, four destroyers, one minelayer, one target ship, and four auxiliaries.  Of the U.S. aircraft, the Japanese managed to destroy 188 and damage an additional 159. The death toll among Americans was quite high. A total of 2,335 servicemen were killed and 1,143 were wounded. Sixty-eight civilians were also killed and 35 were wounded. Nearly half of the servicemen that were killed were on board the Arizona when it exploded.

The day following the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed Congress in which he declared that December 7, 1941 was "a date that will live in infamy."


(Note: The text below is the speech as Roosevelt delivered it, which differs slightly from his final written draft. This speech was made by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to a Joint Session of Congress at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, December 8, 1941, in Washington, D.C. The sound recording was made available by the National Archives of the United States. Nicknamed the "Day of Infamy Speech," it is one of the most famous political speeches of the 20th century.)

 
 


Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Senate, and of the House of Representatives:

Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.

Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.

Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.

And this morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.



At the end of the speech, Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. With only one dissenting vote (by Representative Jeannette Rankin from Montana), Congress declared war, officially bringing the United States into World War II.





  • Of these warriors come the Greatest Generation of Americans; 7 Lessons in Manliness From the Greatest Generation. We all could learn many lessons from these brave warriors; both male and female.








Wednesday, December 4, 2013

2014 Scholarships for Military Children Program


 



 

Applications for the 2014 Scholarships for Military Children Program become available Dec. 3 at commissaries worldwide and online.

Applications must be submitted to the nearest commissary by close of business February 28, 2014. Packages must be hand-delivered or shipped via U.S. Postal Service or other delivery methods, not emailed or faxed.

This year's award amount has risen to $2,000, and the program awards at least one scholarship at each commissary with qualified applicants.

An applicant must be a dependent, unmarried child, younger than 21 - or 23, if enrolled as a full-time student at a college or university - of a service member on active duty, Reserve or Guard member, retiree or survivor of a military member who died while on active duty, or survivor of a retiree.

Applicants should ensure that they and their sponsor are enrolled in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System database and have a military ID card. The applicant must attend or plan to attend an accredited college or university, full time, in the fall of 2014 or be enrolled in studies designed to transfer to a four-year program.

Fisher HouseFoundation, a nonprofit organization that helps service members and their families, administers the program. Scholarship Managers, a national, nonprofit, scholarship management services organization, manages and awards the scholarships. Commissary partners and the general public donate money to the program; every dollar donated goes directly to funding the scholarships.

Since the inception of the program in 2001, more than $11.3 million in scholarships have been awarded to 7,412 military dependents from more than 71,000 applicants.

For more information, students or sponsors should call Scholarship Managers at 856-616-9311 or e-mail.

Friday, November 29, 2013

To Sean Dacus, with love. We will never forget.

Sean Dacus - Forever in our hearts - RIP November 29, 2011
 
 
 
Dear Sean,

The minute the news broke about a shooting at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks on November 29, 2011, I knew in my heart that it would be a suicide.

I never got the chance to thank you. I never got the chance to know you. But your story, one of obvious pain, brought me to my knees in prayer asking God, “Lord, what can I do to make a bigger difference for our warriors in pain?”

God gave me that answer; Military Ovation was started shortly there after with the mission of “Standing in support of the troops, veterans and families serving IN and FROM North Dakota.”                                        


While I know I can not turn back the hands of time and give you a hug, I do want you and your family to know that your death is being remembered every day in the work we do across the state. Thank you Sean for pushing me out of my comfort zone regarding suicide as a topic.

Since then, several of us have been trained to facilitate the ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) workshop. We will work hard to train as many people in the intervention process as possible. It is the least that we can do for the sacrifice you made.

Thank you for your service to our country!

Shelle Aberle
Military Ovation Founder



A final request from Iraq vet who took own life

 Sean Alexander Dacus, 31, wrote on his arm that he wanted his organs donated

According to a police source, he wrote on his arm “Donate organs please” shortly before fatally shooting himself outside the emergency room at Altru Health System in Grand Forks. Dacus served two tours of duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.


Sean Alexander Dacus, a veteran of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, wrote out a final request November 29, 2011 -- Tuesday morning before fatally shooting himself in the chest outside the emergency room at Altru Health System.

According to police, the 31-year-old Grand Forks resident walked into the Altru Clinic just before 11:30 a.m. and borrowed a marker at the coffee shop.

He wrote on his arm “Do not resuscitate” and below that, “Donate organs please,” a police source said. To the right of those lines, he wrote “A-,” which police believe was his blood type.

Alone, Dacus sat on park bench outside between the clinic and emergency room and shot himself in the chest with a .380-caliber handgun. Police believe he was not targeting Altru or any person.

Altru security, its station just inside the doors, responded, followed by six emergency room personnel. But attempts to resuscitate Dacus failed, according to emergency services director Dr. Christopher Boe.

Dacus has a large extended family in the region, including his mother and father, who both live in Grand Forks. A relative acting as a family spokesman said they won’t comment at this time.

A former Army buddy expressed shock upon hearing of the suicide. The Dacus he knew was “always upbeat.” One of Dacus’ uncles said that Dacus had changed. “When he came back, he was not the same person who went over there.”


Evidence, autopsy

On Wednesday, police released a portion of a report saying officers had collected Dacus’ possessions into evidence, including clothing, a cell phone and holster, a pill bottle and a wallet. The rest of the report was not released.

Dacus’ vehicle was found in the Altru parking lot and police believe he drove himself to the hospital.

An autopsy was performed on Dacus’ body Wednesday.

Altru would not comment on whether his request to have his organs donated was carried out.


 Military man

Dacus was a member of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division stationed in Ft. Drum, N.Y. Zach Hodros served in the Second Brigade Second Battalion’s Alpha Company with Dacus in Iraq from August 2004 to August 2005.

During one part of the tour, Dacus drove a Humvee, and Hodros said he was the gunner. “We worked in the same truck for over a year. You get really close.”

Their unit was stationed near Abu Ghraib Prison, right outside Baghdad during an escalation of ground combat. The battalion suffered 10 or 11 deaths, two of which were in Alpha Company.

Dacus was friends with one of them, Spc. Brandon T. Titus.

In the Fallen Heroes online memorial, he wrote a tribute after Titus’ 2004 death: “Brandon was a great soldier and a friend to many of us, he was always quick witted and brought a smile to many faces. His hard work and sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

“That was right at the height of everything going on,” Hodros said. “It wasn’t the best place to be.”

But he was shocked to hear of Dacus’ death. “For the situations we were in, he was always upbeat,” Hodros said. “The Sean I knew was a fun guy to be around. He was never a depressed person.”

At that point Dacus had already served a tour in northern Iraq, starting in March 2003. According to police Lt. Grant Schiller, Dacus also served a tour in Afghanistan.

Military service runs in his family. One of Dacus’ uncles, Al Hoffarth, said Dacus’ grandfather was Air Force Col. John Dacus, commander of the task force that built the first Minuteman missile sites in northeast North Dakota in 1964.

Hodros said he kept in touch with Dacus for a while, but lost touch in 2006. Records show Dacus was divorced from his wife that year.

Stephen J. Lee contributed to this report.
Published November 30, 2011, 08:50 PM






When checking out the Facebook set up in Sean's memory-- this post by his friend really stood out.


I posted this on my wall, but wanted to share it with the community on the anniversary of this day.

The picture I am posting is entitled "The Veteran In A New Field" by Winslow Homer. Painted in 1865, it depicts a post-Civil War Union soldier who has returned from the war and is working to readjust to a new life. The painting is so breathtaking, however, because of the details. Where once he was mowing down opponents with a gun, he is now mowing down wheat with a scythe. The field of battle is now a field of wheat. The clothes don't seem to fit just right, as if he has not quite grown into the new role. While there have been many interpretations of this painting, it struck me as exemplifying the problems that soldiers face when coming back from war, and having to readjust to more mundane tasks. Even when adjustments are made, he is still violently cutting a swath through a field, but this time it is in a field of what. Not everything is ...left behind.

I bring this up because today marks one year since my friend Sean Dacus chose to end his life. He also entered the field of battle, and it took a toll upon him that became insurmountable. He struggled with PTSD so much that basic social interactions became a chore. He had the support of loving friends and family, and although he tried his best, he was unable to overthrow the horrors of war and assimilate back into this "new field."

He is not alone. According to Pentagon data, in the first half of 2012, 154 soldiers committed suicide while 127 soldiers died in the Afghanistan War. This is appalling. We can talk all day and night about the justifications for war and the pros and cons, but unless we are able to support our loved ones when they come back, we have failed them as a nation. I do believe that the level of support, be it therapy, medical, or other, by the government is woefully inadequate to face the needs of these men and women. If we, as a country, are going to send people off to war, we damn well better be able to send them to get the necessary care (not just the minimal or most cost-effective) they need to properly assimilate back into a civil society.

Today is a day of reflection for me. I think back on things not said, of things not done, which may have helped Sean. I also think about all the wonderful times spent together, and what a truly wonderful human being he was. To be honest, I don't think I truly appreciated his friendship to its fullest; but I won't make that mistake with others. Sean, in his final act, taught me to value relationships, either with friends, family, or even acquaintances. His friendship was a gift; one that I miss.
 
 
 
 

 
I was able to go to Arlington National this summer. It happened to be on the day of Sean's birthday. I paid respect by bring a Starbucks Cake pop to his site. 
Sean Dacus,
We will never forget you. You changed my direction of troop support when I did not even know you. Today would be your 33rd Birthday. We left 33 rocks and a flag near your name...we also had lollipop cake- sorry that it got squished in my purse, it still was excellent birthday cake. I put the sticks in the ground in front of your name as well. Arlington. Crematorium. Section 7. N1. 14. 1.



Honor. We will never forget.


 

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

"Combating the Stigma of Suicide" -- the blog post.

"Combating the Stigma of Suicide"

 



22 veterans die by suicide every day across the USA.
(But is that information factual? For many reasons, it is more.)
  • The figure, released by the Department of Veterans Affairs in February, is based on the agency's own data and numbers reported by 21 states from 1999 through 2011. Those states represent about 40% of the U.S. population. The other states, including the two largest (California and Texas) and the fifth-largest (Illinois), did not make data available.
  • There is no uniform reporting system for deaths in America. It's usually up to a funeral director or a coroner to enter veteran status and suicide on a death certificate.
  • Homeless veterans are another population that may not be accurately reported into these staggering numbers.
 
 
1 service member every 25 hours dies  by suicide across the USA. That is a lot considering the Military has more than 900 Suicide Prevention Programs across the services.
 
 
 
 
 
The BBC notes American Military suicide is under the microscope. The information in that news brief came from the Department of Defense Suicide Event Report (DoDSER).The DoD Suicide Event Report (DoDSER) standardizes suicide surveillance efforts across the Services (Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy) to support the DoD's suicide prevention mission. The DoDSER is used for a variety of suicide behaviors including suicides, suicide attempts, and some other suicide related behaviors. For more information about DoDSER and other Telehealth and Technology initiatives, please visit www.t2health.org.
 
The DoDSER reports that less than 50% of the suicides stem from deployments and 6% of the military members have actually been in combat. Hand in hand a study (Risk Factors Associated With Suicide in Current and Former US Military Personnel) released this summer in the Journal of the American Medical Association found no evidence of a link between suicide and troops who deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan combat zones over the past decade.
 
 
In North Dakota, that seems to be a fair assessment of the suicides. Not all stem from combat related activity.
 
Interestingly enough, across America suicides by military personnel are down 22 percent so far in 2013, just one year after a record number of service members took their own lives. However, in North Dakota we seem to have hit an uptrend in military suicides with numbers jumping in the Guard and Air Force Bases.
 
 
There is so much stigma behind the word suicide. We decided to take the stigma of suicide and toss it out the window. In the spring of 2014, we are hosting a tour across North Dakota called, "Combating the Stigma of Suicide."
 
 
 
 
Carol Graham, spouse of US Army MG Mark Graham (RET) will be our guest speaker for the week. The Grahams have dedicated their lives to sharing their story. Both sons were in the military; one died by suicide, the other was killed in action. Watch the video on the link below of the Graham's story and their amazing contribution to the cause of suicide prevention and mental health awareness.



 
All presentations will be from 7-9pm with Carol speaking for the first hour and a panel with questions and answers to follow.
 
The dates and locations are:
 
      We are still in the preliminary planning stages, please be watching our Facebook for more details or contact Shelle Aberle for more information Shelle @ MilitaryOvation.org or (218) 779-7271.
       
       
       
       
       

      Monday, November 25, 2013

      A Spouse Speaks: An open letter to the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs

      We have the pleasure of communicating with this spouse frequently. She is a fierce advocate for the life of her husband...




      Dear Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs,


      You do not know me.  To you I was a dependent of government issued property, a number related to the last four of a social security number that wasn’t even mine.  A Department of Defense issued beneficiary ID number.  It was not until the 14th of April 2013 that I became a wife of a veteran.  For the past 3 years, I have been that silent one in the corner.  The silent one that has her Master’s of Public Administration.  The one who was told that what I said will affect my husband’s career. 

      On March 24, 2005 your recruiting team told my husband “you will see the world” and we will take care of you.  The recruiter said that the Army “has all of these benefits” for him and his family while he served his country and when he got done.  My husband did not join for the pay.  He joined to serve his country honorably.  He was not the only young man in America to do so.  He did serve honorably until 14 April 2013 when he was medically retired for severe post traumatic stress disorder and a severe traumatic brain injury.  He kept his promise to you.  What you did not do was keep your promise to him and millions of other veterans.  With that said, I have some questions for you. 

      How can you say you were not prepared for the mental health treatment that was going to be needed by veterans when they returned from combat?  You trained them to go over there, you knew before they did what their mission was going to be.  You sent the soldier through training, telling them it is ok to kill another human being.  While I understand that “war” makes it necessary to do so, the human brain tells them it is not.  I know the soldier voluntarily signed up to do so.  However, they also expected to have care when they returned home.  For a soldier to say “they didn’t expect us to come home” and to find out that the resources really show that you weren’t bothers me to say the least.  In addition, when a soldier does seek treatment, the first thing that is done is the handing out of pills and other medications.  Counseling that you offer involves the soldier telling the stories about what is affecting them.  I’ve never sat in a counseling session, but I have been told in frustration what is talked about.  I do not have a degree in psychology, but common sense will tell a person that when someone is suffering from flashbacks and nightmares they do not want to spend an hour talking about a flashback.  Your counselors talk with a soldier for one hour about the “memories” that are causing these flashbacks.  Talking about the memories open up a chance for more flashbacks, but the hour time is up so you send them home to deal with it.  Exposure therapy, or desensitization, can be a successful program if the soldier is watched carefully.  1 hour once a week is not enough to use this method.  Again, I’m not a counselor.  I am a wife, who has witnessed her husband go through therapy sessions.  What veterans want to know is how to function through the day when they have the flashback.  They want to know how to function tomorrow.  They want to know how to love their family, how to put their guard down, how to enjoy being “stateside”.  Again, the things that are done at war cause a battle of morals within a person.  You program them to function in war.  You do not de-program them when they come home.  Your counselors want to desensitize the wars, not the fact that the soldier is back on United States ground. 






      Maybe that is why a veteran commits suicide every hour.  Maybe that is why the divorce rate is higher within military couples than civilian couples.  I remember sitting in a division meeting at Fort Hood for families prior to the last deployment.  Throughout this hour long meeting, everything was discussed from finances to power of attorneys.  The one thing that was never mentioned was the fact that the man we knew was not going to come home.  Sure, the division commander made a promise that he would bring every man home safe.  For the most part he did.  God bless those who made the ultimate sacrifice.  However, the man that left is not the man that came home.  Odds are the soldier that left is not going to want to be at a large concert right away and will probably wake up many times throughout the night.  The soldier will probably not want to watch war movies and will have a hard time reintegrating back into the family setting.  You don’t want to address those things though.  Those things are not the “happy” parts of a soldier leaving his family for 12 to 15 months. 
       
       
       

      My husband did two tours in Iraq, one a 15 month deployment and another 12 months.  These back to back tours had him blown up 27 times by IED’s, leaving him with shrapnel all over his body including his lungs.  He has severed nerves in his neck from the explosions.  Most recently, he was diagnosed with seizures due to the TBI.  He has been to the military treatment facilities (MTF) on multiple occasions.  I’m not mad at what you did to my husband.  He did it with honor.  I am mad at what you didn’t do.  You see, the first time he went to a MTF he did it to become a better soldier.  Instead, you told him he was “unfit for military duty” and was going to be released from duty.  He is not the only soldier this has happened to.  What about the soldier who you pulled out of a mental hospital with an attempted suicide 24 hours prior because he did get his papers back to be out of the Army?  You would rather him get his discharge papers instead of getting the treatment he needed for the symptoms you caused.   

      For almost 2 years, we lived month to month during the medical evaluation board (MEB) process being told “next month you will be out.”  For almost 2 years, you told him he was worthless to the military.  During this process, our savings was drained going back and forth to appointments around Texas for him to be treated.  You never reimbursed us for that.  His ETS date came up in November of 2012.  Your MEB department at Fort Hood did not sign the right paperwork for an extension, so he did not get paid.  We lost all benefits.  We had nothing.  You still owe us for 45 days of pay.  Finally, in February of 2013 his paperwork came back.  He was going to start terminal leave on 14 February 2013 with his effective date of retirement 60 days following.  That should be exciting, right?  Boy, again YOU ARE WRONG.  He was leaving the only thing he ever knew.  He is sick.  However, you DOD don’t care because he was “relieved from active duty” on 14 February.  You, VA, don’t care because you wouldn’t even take a call until his retirement date.  Yep, he had 60 days of absolutely no treatment.  No treatment for what you relieved him of active duty for.  Now, that is only issue number 1.
       
       
       

      In addition to the money that is still owed to us by you DOD, we had to make sure to clear any debts that he had with the DOD prior to his release from active duty.  The only debt we had was with Central Issuing Facility (CIF).  Being stationed at one duty station for an entire career means the soldier never has to turn in gear throughout the years.   Since he enlisted, he’s had BDU’s, ACUs, Desert gear.  Being blown up by 27 IED’s and being shot at is going to leave gear a little “used”.  To tell a soldier that it needs to be turned in “like new” is ridiculous.  I’m sure that every soldier has high hopes of having gear come back from a war zone in “like new” condition.  You can figure out why.  Then to have that soldier pay for gear that is no longer used in the military is unfathomable to me.  Being someone that asks why, I asked CIF what they do with the gear that is no longer issued.  To tell a soldier who makes a living penny to the dollars of many others in America that the $700 flack vest in expired BDU will be sent to 3rd world country armies or burned makes me outraged.  You mean to tell me, as a wife, that I cannot buy groceries because we have to cloth the same Army that blew up my husband is beyond words.  A further explanation for that would be appreciated. 

      Now, as June 1st rolls around, he sits here knowing that he won’t get his first retirement check on the date you promised.  Some soldiers have been told it takes up to a year before disability checks actually kick in.  So you are telling me, that a soldier who is injured leaving them unable to work in the outside world is suppose to go 365 days without money.  Have you ever thought that maybe it is your system that is causing almost 70,000 veterans to be homeless on any given night?  Your actions force a veteran to seek any job in the civilian world, that they are capable of doing with their injury, so they can eat and have a roof over their head.  However, between lack of civilian employment history and job training from military occupations that do not meet civilian sector positions, veterans in the United States have a higher rate of unemployment than any other demographic.  The sad and frustrating part about this is these men sacrificed civilian training and education to serve their country honorably.  I understand that you are making strides to improve the transition to the civilian world.  The Army Career and Alumni Program (ACAP) recently started a 5 day seminar program that is required for any soldier exiting the Army on honorable terms.  That sounds like a great idea.  However, the thing that is not taught in that seminar is how to function as a civilian.  You, DOD, trained these young men and women to do things that are morally incorrect and illegal in the civilian world.   You, DOD, did not de-program them from the mental thinking that you instilled. 

      Again, you have yet to fully address the causal effects of your treatment of the soldiers that you promised to take care of upon their return from combat.  According to the benefits that you promised and what you, the VA, say you do, every veteran who has served in a combat zone is eligible for services at a Department of Veterans Affairs facility.  Over one million military personnel have served in Iraq or Afghanistan.  This combat zone tour makes them eligible for your services.  Common sense would mean that before you sent 1 million to war, you would ensure that your services are capable of taking care of 1 million people when they come home.  It is taking veterans over 30 days to get an appointment with a doctor at any given VA clinic.  Veterans should never have to jump through hoops to use the benefits that you promised them when they signed that dotted line.  I am not mad at you for what happened to my husband when he served this country honorably.  I am frustrated at how you treat them when they come home.  I see your public relations on TV that show the rest of the civilian world what you are “doing” for our returning veterans.  I also see how those programs actually function.  To quote Theodore Roosevelt, “A man good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards.”  Think about that when you start re-evaluating what you have done and what you plan to do.

      God bless,

      The wife of a veteran

                     

      Friday, November 22, 2013

      814TH ASMC Send-Off Ceremony


      The 814TH ASMC is Deploying to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.







      You are cordially invited to attend

      814TH ASMC

      Send-Off Ceremony

      RJB ARMORY
       
      Bismarck, ND




      Saturday December 7, 2013 at 10:30 a.m.