thedrifter
03-03-03, 01:34 PM
From: Veteran Issues by Colonel Dan <VeteranIssues@yahoogroups.com>
Contact:
Thomas D. Segel
Tomsegel@tiagris.com
1629 Clarke Street
Harlingen, Texas 78550
(956) 423 3126
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Veterans Face More Enemies Than Friends
By Thomas D. Segel
Harlingen, Texas February 27, 2003: In the two decades which have passed
since the end of the Vietnam War, changes in our national political
landscape have done nothing to enhance the lives of more than 26 million
veterans and retired military personnel. Once a grateful nation
extended caring hands to lift up its former military protectors. Today,
it looks upon the men and women who gave of themselves to defend the
Flag, as little more than second class citizens.
Who are the enemies of our veterans? It would be easier to ask.who are
their friends?
The Department of Defense has always been at odds with former service
personnel. It matters not to that agency if they served a day or a
lifetime. Those who are no longer on active duty are of little value to
the agency and will be fought on every issue, if DoD perceives the
veteran's objectives as something, which might drain dollars from its
control.
A perfect example of this is the DoD position on the issue of Concurrent
Receipt. For more than 100 years disabled military retirees have lost
one dollar of their retirement pay for each dollar of disability
compensation they received. No other retiree from government service is
so penalized. Still, those at Defense insist the restoration of
retirement pay would be too costly.meaning it might be taken from the
overall DoD budget.
Before leaving the restoration of retirement pay to those who spent
twenty or more years on active duty another sector of government should
be given the enemy label. This would be our United States Congress.
Even though more than 80% of the congressional members were co-sponsors
of a bill to give the disabled former warriors back the money taken from
them by discriminatory law..this legislative body could not muster the
courage to turn their bill into law.
Congress could also be named the villain in a major issue pending before
the United States Supreme Court. From the start of World War II, until
the late 50s,career service personnel were promised they would earn
lifetime medical care for themselves and their dependent family members,
if they would serve twenty or more years on active duty. Late in the
game, Congress changed its pledge to "space available" medical care and.
as we moved into the 90s, even that care vanished.
They United States Court of Appeals granted that military recruiters and
even Department of Defense directives did promise lifetime medical
care.but that didn't matter, because there was no law on the books
authorizing such action.
Congress could have taken action at any time to pass legislation and
keep the promises of our government.but it has refused to follow such an
honorable course.
The atomic veterans of our country have also been treated deplorably by
the government. From those sitting in the Oval Office to the people in
dark robes sitting in the courts of our land, not one has lifted a hand
to help these veterans. Those thousands of Americans, who were test
subjects during years of atomic blasts, fallout, and radiation exposure,
have been sick and dying for decades. They have been all but ignored by
everyone in government, including the Veterans Administration.
The Veterans Administration is one of the true enemies of former
military personnel. What was created by our government to be an
advocate and benefactor to former servicemen and women has mutated into
an organization which denies veterans most of the benefits they have
rightfully earned. Now the VA has powerfully armed itself, in concert
with Congress. With laws which deny veterans their right to an attorney
of choice, ban them justice in a civil court and even pay bonuses or
"bounty" to senior administrators who cut costs by denying claims, the
VA has reduced its processed claims to no more than 4% a year.
A "special" VA controlled Court of Appeals was created to hear
challenged cases. Of the 170,000 claims filed for review in the past 12
years, less than 130 have been settled in favor of the veterans.
So, today we have denial of support and assistance from every sector of
our government. Veterans and retirees keep looking and hoping, but it
seems friends and supporters are hard to find, while enemies are
everywhere.
Even a presidential candidate who pledged that "promises made to
veterans, would be promises kept", seems to have forgotten those words
now that he is in office.
Perhaps he should rethink his pledge and remember he walked into the
White House by only a sprinkling of votes. He would not be there today
if veterans and servicemen had not believed his words and cast their
ballots accordingly.
Thomas D. Segel
Tomsegel@tiagris.com
1629 Clarke Street
Harlingen, Texas 78550
(956) 423 3126
Sempers,
Roger
United We Stand
God Bless America
Remember our POW/MIA's
I'll never forget!
Contact:
Thomas D. Segel
Tomsegel@tiagris.com
1629 Clarke Street
Harlingen, Texas 78550
(956) 423 3126
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Veterans Face More Enemies Than Friends
By Thomas D. Segel
Harlingen, Texas February 27, 2003: In the two decades which have passed
since the end of the Vietnam War, changes in our national political
landscape have done nothing to enhance the lives of more than 26 million
veterans and retired military personnel. Once a grateful nation
extended caring hands to lift up its former military protectors. Today,
it looks upon the men and women who gave of themselves to defend the
Flag, as little more than second class citizens.
Who are the enemies of our veterans? It would be easier to ask.who are
their friends?
The Department of Defense has always been at odds with former service
personnel. It matters not to that agency if they served a day or a
lifetime. Those who are no longer on active duty are of little value to
the agency and will be fought on every issue, if DoD perceives the
veteran's objectives as something, which might drain dollars from its
control.
A perfect example of this is the DoD position on the issue of Concurrent
Receipt. For more than 100 years disabled military retirees have lost
one dollar of their retirement pay for each dollar of disability
compensation they received. No other retiree from government service is
so penalized. Still, those at Defense insist the restoration of
retirement pay would be too costly.meaning it might be taken from the
overall DoD budget.
Before leaving the restoration of retirement pay to those who spent
twenty or more years on active duty another sector of government should
be given the enemy label. This would be our United States Congress.
Even though more than 80% of the congressional members were co-sponsors
of a bill to give the disabled former warriors back the money taken from
them by discriminatory law..this legislative body could not muster the
courage to turn their bill into law.
Congress could also be named the villain in a major issue pending before
the United States Supreme Court. From the start of World War II, until
the late 50s,career service personnel were promised they would earn
lifetime medical care for themselves and their dependent family members,
if they would serve twenty or more years on active duty. Late in the
game, Congress changed its pledge to "space available" medical care and.
as we moved into the 90s, even that care vanished.
They United States Court of Appeals granted that military recruiters and
even Department of Defense directives did promise lifetime medical
care.but that didn't matter, because there was no law on the books
authorizing such action.
Congress could have taken action at any time to pass legislation and
keep the promises of our government.but it has refused to follow such an
honorable course.
The atomic veterans of our country have also been treated deplorably by
the government. From those sitting in the Oval Office to the people in
dark robes sitting in the courts of our land, not one has lifted a hand
to help these veterans. Those thousands of Americans, who were test
subjects during years of atomic blasts, fallout, and radiation exposure,
have been sick and dying for decades. They have been all but ignored by
everyone in government, including the Veterans Administration.
The Veterans Administration is one of the true enemies of former
military personnel. What was created by our government to be an
advocate and benefactor to former servicemen and women has mutated into
an organization which denies veterans most of the benefits they have
rightfully earned. Now the VA has powerfully armed itself, in concert
with Congress. With laws which deny veterans their right to an attorney
of choice, ban them justice in a civil court and even pay bonuses or
"bounty" to senior administrators who cut costs by denying claims, the
VA has reduced its processed claims to no more than 4% a year.
A "special" VA controlled Court of Appeals was created to hear
challenged cases. Of the 170,000 claims filed for review in the past 12
years, less than 130 have been settled in favor of the veterans.
So, today we have denial of support and assistance from every sector of
our government. Veterans and retirees keep looking and hoping, but it
seems friends and supporters are hard to find, while enemies are
everywhere.
Even a presidential candidate who pledged that "promises made to
veterans, would be promises kept", seems to have forgotten those words
now that he is in office.
Perhaps he should rethink his pledge and remember he walked into the
White House by only a sprinkling of votes. He would not be there today
if veterans and servicemen had not believed his words and cast their
ballots accordingly.
Thomas D. Segel
Tomsegel@tiagris.com
1629 Clarke Street
Harlingen, Texas 78550
(956) 423 3126
Sempers,
Roger
United We Stand
God Bless America
Remember our POW/MIA's
I'll never forget!