Veterans Day 2010

This picture is a few years old but remains one of the most moving we've seen. Pearl Harbor survivor Houston James of Dallas, Texas embraces Marine Staff Sgt. Mark Graunke Jr. during a Veterans Day commemoration in Dallas. Graunke lost a hand, a leg and and eye when he was injured by a bomb in Iraq.





The following is excerpted from a post from a couple years back:

"Where do we keep finding these people..?"

California…. Garden Grove to be exact.

Coronado-based Navy SEAL, Michael Anthony Monsoor was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor today. He is the first Navy recipient of the award in the Iraq war. Story from U-T, here.

Monsoor fell on a grenade and saved the lives of 3 American snipers and several Iraqi soldiers in Ramadi on Sept. 29, 2006. He died within a half-hour.

Monsoor’s remains lay at the Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery out on Pt. Loma here in San Diego. His headstone will be replaced with one that will reflect his award.

Were not psychologists and we don’t have any supporting data in front of us but the description of Monsoor’s personality by family, friends and colleagues appears to fit a pattern we observed in this nation’s bravest: quiet, unassuming guys who were never the BMOC or the best athlete on the high school football or wrestling team but were always the hardest workers who led more by deed than word. They’re all business at work but good-naturedly rambunctious away from it and never turn down an opportunity to play a practical joke on a mate. And perhaps ironically, they never seem to wear their patriotism on their sleeve but all of them, of course, are held in the highest esteem by everyone with which they come into contact.

The 2nd ship of the Zumwalt-class Destroyers (DDG-1001) is named the USS MICHAEL MONSOOR.

B-Daddy has Monsoor's Summary of Action as well as some other related thoughts, here.

A special shout-out to our two older brothers who served honorably and with distinction in the submarine force of the U.S. Navy and the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army.

Lessons Learned?

In the President's address to the troops in Baghdad, yesterday, this is what he had to say with respect to support of the same (video link, here):

“In the federal budget that I have introduced will increase support for military families to make sure that the commitment we make to our veterans is met and so that people don’t have to fight for what they have earned.”

Hmmm…..

Recall this is the same man who floated the worst idea ever by wanting injured troops to pay for combat-related injuries out of pocket. He later backed off after intense criticism from veterans groups (not that this whole sad-sack affair was widely broadcast) but the damage had been done in our minds. Who even conjures up sick stuff like that?

We hope the CinC learned his lesson. We’re hopeful but we’ve got a bad feeling we haven’t seen the last of the worst idea ever.

Fumbling, bumbling, stumbling...

The President has appeared to have dropped the worst idea of all time. Prelude post here.

The Obama administration has abandoned a controversial plan to make veterans use private insurance to pay for costly treatments of combat-related injuries.
Stung by the angry reaction, the decision came following a meeting in the White House today between officials from 11 veterans advocacy groups and top White House officials.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that the intent of the plan had been to "maximize the resources available for veterans." But he said President Barack Obama recognized the veterans’ concerns that it could "under certain circumstances, affect veterans and their families’ ability to access health care."

How exactly does making veteran’s injured in combat pay out-of-pocket for treatment of their injuries, “maximize the resources available for veterans”?

And then, this from Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel:

I think [the President] realized this was the wrong time to ruin what was turning out to be a very good first impression . . . We're very pleased that it turned out this way, and we're very pleased that those of you in the media gave us the chance to make our views clear.

Excuse us? Is there a right time for the worst idea of all time? And all those gracious vets will forever be in gratitude to Obama for restoring the status quo, eh, Rahm?

Gibbs and Emanuel would’ve been better served to just admit they screwed up and then shut the hell up. But, no – instead they suggest that despite their scrapping of the plan, they were really acting in the vet’s best interest (they just don’t know what’s best for them) and that it was just a matter of timing.

Because they had the gall to actually float the worst idea of all time and then after the ass-kicking they received, roll out hubris and arrogance as an exit strategy, the Obama Administration is in no way shape or form off the hook on this one.

Should we be surprised?

We first reported on this Friday and now it looks more and more like a concrete goal rather than a trial balloon.

The leader of the nation's largest veterans organization says he is "deeply disappointed and concerned" after a meeting with President Obama today to discuss a proposal to force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans who have suffered service-connected disabilities and injuries.

We try our best not to blog while angry so we will try to keep this post short and is why we slept on it before writing anything about it.

Socialized medicine is a bad idea. It’s a bad idea that has terrible consequences but wishing to see socialized medicine enacted does not demonstrate a character flaw or personal callousness.

This, though, is entirely different. Wishing to carry out something like this reveals a mentality and springs from a culture that is completely out of touch with what 90% of Americans think and feel, especially with respect to the men and woman of our armed forces.

Attending the church of a racist loon and rubbing elbows with a terrorist was certainly the bellwether to what we are seeing today played out before our very eyes in the Oval Office.

Today is St. Patty’s day but we do not feel like partying. God and DNA have blessed us with an absolute distaste for alcohol if we are ever in an angry, depressed, pissed-off or despondent mood – kind of like we are right now.

We’ve got some other posts in the can right now but we’re not sure we’ll post them today – just not feeling it.

We welcome comments to advise us whether or not we are taking this too seriously or somehow out of context.

Sleep deprivation makes you say the darndest things

Veterans Affair Secretary Eric Shinseki confirmed Tuesday that the Obama administration is considering a controversial plan to make veterans pay for treatment of service-related injuries with private insurers.

But the proposal would be “dead on arrival” if it’s sent to Congress, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, said.

Dead on arrival…. Nice touch, Senator.

We don’ t even know where to be begin with this one. It’s like a sick Onion piece.

Let’s get this straight: Obama, a man who wants everyone else to pay for everyone else’s health care, exempts members of the armed forces who have sustained injuries in service to our country and expects them to do that whole free market thing with their own money. That’ll do wonders for recruiting.

The one element of society where we’d be glad to give a little more (and we do) is going to be denied that sacred trust that exists between they and their country if this plan goes through.

Of course, it won’t go through and that’s part of the problem. Murray’s right –this abomination doesn’t have a prayer – so why even float it? What could the administration be thinking? Are they too tired or just plain incompetent? Or maybe just too busy ginning up their next attack on Rush Limbaugh to realize this one slipped through the cracks?

That we have an Administration that is this blatantly callous to the men and women in our armed forces is one thing. That they are this totally oblivious to their own callousness is entirely another.