An Ungrateful Congress Screws Its Own Military

From Family Security Matters.

An Ungrateful Congress Screws Its Own Military


The budget just passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law by President Obama is shameful because it reduces the cost of living allowance (COLA) by 1% for military retirees under age 62.

In an effort for full discloser, I am a retired U.S. Army Reserve Chief Warrant Officer Five and Afghanistan War veteran. This COLA reduction will not affect me because I'll be 62 by the time the reduction kicks in.

Younger retirees will soon lose tens of thousands of dollars they were promised when they volunteered to join the military. Elected politicians scoff at that because they claim these younger retirees will join the civilian workforce and have additional income in their retirement years. Have they considered how this will affect the over 50,000 retired servicemen and women who suffer from PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, or are physically handicapped from the lost of one or more limbs on the battlefields of Iraq or Afghanistan? These wounded warriors, who may never become gainfully employed again, were not exempted from the reduction in the COLA.

I fault both Democrats and Republican members of Congress who in their haste to go home for the Christmas holidays, decided it was more important to get out of town then actually consider the ramifications of their budget vote.

After the fact, Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA), who voted for the budget, has introduced H.R. 3804, which would completely repeal the reduction in COLA for military retirees. She wants it both ways like most politicians do. Rep. Rodney Davis, (R-IL) and Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA), both of whom voted for the budget, have introduced similar bills as well.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) introduced H.R. 3808, which would exempt service members retired with disabilities from the COLA reductions. Then why did he vote for the reduction for these disabled veterans in the first place? What about retired military members without disabilities? They were promised a full COLA as well.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, (D-NH), who is up for reelection in 2014 and voted for the budget, has introduced a bill to restore the full COLA by "eliminating a tax loophole for offshore corporations," according to a news release from her office.

Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), who did not vote for the budget, has also introduced a similar bill as Brownley's. At least, he's genuinely trying to undo the damage to the military retirees instead of undoing the damage to his reelection prospects.

What makes any of these members of Congress think that this Commander-in-Chief would sign such legislation? President Obama has already signed the budget bill into law, and for him to restore cuts to military retirees seems highly unlikely.

Did members of Congress who voted to reduce retiree's COLA consider the effect it will have on future military recruitment and retention?

Only 17% of military members stay the entire 20-years required to qualify for a retirement. Instead of training 83% of the military over and over again during a 20-year period, servicemen and women should be encouraged to stay in the military where they can look forward to a retirement. Wouldn't that be more cost effective? But instead, Congress, by its recent actions, will encourage more mid-career military service members to look elsewhere, if they can find a job at all in this economy.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) once said at a veteran's event in 2008: "We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam. And you exemplify it. Whatever we think about the war, whatever we call it - Afghanistan or Iraq - we owe our military men and women unconditional support." He later admitted that he had never been to Vietnam, and did everything he could to get deferments while attending college. While running for the Senate, he surrounded himself with VFW members at a news conference as he tearfully tried to explain away his lies about his Vietnam service. I wonder how those veterans, who supported him then, feel about him now considering he voted for the COLA reduction.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was quoted to say that "Veterans have to pay their fair share," as if military retirees and wounded warriors haven't already done so when they put their lives on the line, endured crippling mental and physical injuries, multiple deployments, and long family separations.

Not one Democratic senator and only 32 Democratic Representatives voted against the budget bill that reduces military retirement. A shocking 169 of the 320 Republican Congressmen voted for the budget. Nine Republican-In-Name-Only Senators voted for the budget. They wanted to ensure the media would not blame them for another partial government shutdown.

I don't think the 1.9 million military retirees and their families will soon forget which Members of Congress voted to screw them.

Barack Hussein Obama vs. America's Veterans

The showdown was inevitable.

The story comes from Family Security Matters.

Veterans toss aside memorial barricades, march on White House

Veterans from all over the country gathered at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Sunday morning to protest the closure of the memorials during the partial government shutdown, throwing barricades placed in front of the memorials aside in heaps.

Organized by Brats for Veterans Advocacy, the Million Vet March on the Memorials drew in a crowd of vocal veterans fed up with the federal government's shutdown decisions waving enormous American and "Don't Tread On Me" flags and signs.

"I'm totally, thoroughly disgusted in our government's decision to close these monuments," said retired Army Green Beret Mike Freeman, who served in Vietnam.Retired Master Sergeant Jim Hanson also expressed his anger with the closures, telling The Daily Caller that veterans have every right to visit memorials erected in their honor.

"It's a disgrace to close this memorial," Hanson said, indicating the World War II memorial. "It cost more to close it than to let the veterans pay their respects. The government is not in charge of keeping people out of monuments that were put here in their own honor."

An African-American vet who asked to remain unnamed was dismayed that patriotic commemorations were caught in partisan crossfire and that more black veterans were not joining in the protest.

"I think that things are getting bad when they can find the money to fund academy football teams but can't find the money to give to widows and dead soldiers' families. That's just wrong," he said. "My only regret is that there's not a lot more black veterans here today. It's not a black or a white thing, it's not a Republican or a Democrat thing - it's a right or wrong thing. I'm here today because it's the right thing to do."

The Clock Is Ticking…..

Are we reaching out to our veterans to encourage them to share with our younger generation what it meant to fight for this country and just why we did?

The story comes from Family Security Matters.

The Clock Is Ticking…..

I was like many other teenagers in my youth -- a little bit rebellious and very immature with that feeling of superiority that said that I was somehow smarter than my elders, who seemed to have antiquated thought processes about life and politics. I remember listening to my father talk to family and friends about politics and life in general, thinking silently about how much I disagreed and how far out of touch they really were. I distanced myself as much as possible from those discussions, yet I heard enough to help guide me later in life, even though I did not recognize it at the time.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that age brings with it a certain amount of wisdom born from maturity and experience. I voted for the first time after I was married at the age of twenty-seven, and have voted in every election since. Somehow it just suddenly seemed important.

Issues that I rarely (if ever) thought about before -- taxes; local, state, and federal governments; foreign policy -- all started to matter.

During my forties I began to take an interest in other things that I previously hadn't cared about. My father was a World War II veteran, but the war was something Dad never spoke of and I had no incentive to ask him about it. Yet at this point in my life, I wanted to learn more. I began to read news articles pertaining to major wartime anniversaries and to watch many of the documentaries that still air on some of the cable channels today. I purchased videotapes and DVDs that chronicled the entire war and were said to be historically accurate. I found that I was amazed by the courage and sacrifices of men and women from a time that seemed so distant. Yes, I had read about WWII in grade and high school. Yes, I had seen the evening news when it covered the anniversaries of events like Pearl Harbor, D-Day, and more. I vaguely remember seeing a lot of coverage of those events in my youth, yet it hadn't fully sunk in. I never really understood it before - but it seems that a seed had at least taken root.

Unfortunately, as I entered my late forties and early fifties my father became somewhat frail. He knew his time was limited. Mom had passed away some ten years prior to this, and the need to review his important personal effects weighed heavily on him. As we searched through documents together, my attention was drawn to his discharge papers which listed many of the places he had been. "You were at Normandy?" That was the question that got him talking. I learned of his landing at Normandy. I learned that he had fought in the hedgerows in France. I learned that his patrol had helped to free Allied soldiers who had been captured earlier as they moved inland from Normandy. I learned that his unit has been ordered to the Ardennes, but that they were delayed and thus missed being a part of the Battle of the Bulge.

Perhaps that was the final lesson that my Father taught me: to learn from those who have age and experience on their side, and to ask questions because they may be too humble to volunteer information.

Much of my family is now deceased. I wonder what memories they held dear, and how much I could have learned from them. They lived through times that were amazing as they progressed from the days of the horse and buggy, with no indoor plumbing, no electricity, and no telephones, to missions to the moon and beyond. They were challenged by the Great Depression and one or even two World Wars. They experienced some of the best that mankind has to offer, and some of the most horrific as well.

I was fortunate to be able to tap into a few small pieces of their experiences once I recognized the value of what they knew. Many of today's youth (as well as many too old to be called young) have never had that opportunity. They do not necessarily understand how evil people can be, and how precarious freedom and life itself can become. They know only a relative peace, plenty of food and water, I-Phones and computers -- a life without the true challenges of the past. To them places like North Korea and Iran are distant lands which surely cannot affect our lives and safety, probably much like those who thought little about Nazi Germany and Hitler's rise to power. What is that quote...?

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Today's wars need not be instigated by a strong leader with a powerful coalition of countries. Today's wars need not rely on invasion, nor fought in the forests of a foreign land. They can be initiated by one rogue state without a single soldier leaving their borders. Today's wars can be fought with the flip of a switch -- a single nuclear warhead detonated high above the United States would create a subsequent electromagnetic pulse which would not only change our lives forever, but could change the world order within seconds. It would be the Pearl Harbor of our times, but at a much higher cost.

We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes that led to the rise of Nazi Germany and the Axis powers. One way of avoiding those mistakes is to tap into the memories of our Greatest Generation who remain. They can provide a unique perspective on current events and the newer challenges and risks that exist in today's world; not to frighten us, but to help us understand that there are very real risks and threats, and there are things we can do to effect change and be prepared. They saw the rise of evil many years ago. Are they seeing it again now? How do they feel we should proceed? We may not initially like the answers we hear, but their point of view -- born of courage, sacrifice, and blood -- must be considered.

We also must carry their legacy forward. We need to try to accurately pass their stories on to new generations -- not to glorify war, but to ensure that future generations understand what we have so often heard: "Freedom is never free." We owe them that and so much more.

What of my father? He passed away unexpectedly this past Thanksgiving eve. He had made all of his funeral arrangements long ago, but he did not have them set in stone. I was able to make one important change -- he was buried with the full military honors he deserved.

The clock is ticking. We lose many of those who saved the world from tyranny each and every day. They have so much more to share with us. Are we willing to listen? Our future may depend on it.

Burying Ted

From Family Security Matters:

Burying Ted


We buried my 90-year-old father-in-law, Ted Kosiavelon, last week at Arlington National Cemetery. That's what he wanted. He earned the privilege by serving in both the Solomon Islands and in the Philippines during World War II. Like millions of other young men of his generation, he fought for his country against the forces of evil. In Ted's case, it was against the Japanese whose unprovoked attack on the US Navy at Pearl Harbor brought the United States, and Ted, into the struggle.

A talented swimmer, Ted was selected by the navy for The Naval Training School (Salvage), which after the war became the Diving and Salvage School in Bayonne, New Jersey, made famous in the film "Men of Honor" with Cuba Gooding and Robert De Niro. After his training, he spent most of the war in Manila Bay where the dry dock he worked from was repeatedly attacked by Japanese planes where he was wounded. That's how I remember Ted: a man of honor. He was a humble man, but very proud of his military service.

Fifteen million Americans served their country in World War II which author Studs Terkel called "The Good War." No war is good, especially one in which 400,000 Americans died along with millions of others around the world, but Terkel called it that because there was almost no moral ambiguity. There was little doubt that Americans were the good guys, while German Nazis and Japanese warlords were evil. Ted and millions of others put their lives on the line and most survived to tell about it. Ted spent the rest of his life serving his family just as steadily and reliably as he served his country. He was a humble hero.

Men like Ted and my own father were taken into disciplined training just as they entered manhood five or six years out of knickers. They didn't have to spend a decade or more "finding themselves" the way so many from my own generation did. The world found them and they clearly understood what they had to do. They had to keep fighting until their enemies surrendered. Theirs was a dangerous and difficult task. Victory was anything but assured, especially in the early years of the war when we were losing almost every battle, but at least they didn't have doubts about whether their jobs were important, or meaningful, or whether or not they were doing the right thing. As I mentioned above: moral ambiguity wasn't a problem as they discharged the duty that defined them for the rest of their lives.

Each branch of our military does burials differently at Arlington National Cemetery and I was impressed with the way the Navy handled Ted's. Although more than a dozen veterans are buried there every day, there was no indication of any complacency in the honor guard. They were thoroughly professional and treated Ted with all the dignity and honor he deserved.

Ted's body was driven down in a hearse by a Massachusetts funeral home. When we arrived at the grave, eight uniformed sailors and an officer stood waiting to be pallbearers. Within sight, but off at a distance were seven riflemen with another officer ready to perform a 21-gun salute amidst the perfectly ordered rows of white, marble headstones on the gently-rolling hills. At a similar distance in another direction a lone bugler stood ready to play taps. All their performances were flawless.

Just before flying down there, a friend told me that students from Cheverus High School in Portland, Maine would be helping out 20,000 other Americans the following weekend with the "Wreaths Across America" project. This was begun twenty years ago by Merrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine downeast who found himself with a surplus of Christmas wreaths and was moved to place them on the headstones in Arlington.

All those rows of identical white headstones, mark graves of other men and women who fought for the United States of America and I felt their presence as they welcomed another one of their own for eternal rest among them.

In Flander's Field

By Findalis
Monkey in the Middle


During the early days of the Second Battle of Ypres a young Canadian artillery officer, Lieutenant
Alexis Helmer, was killed on 2^nd May, 1915 in the gun positions near Ypres. An exploding German artillery shell landed near him. He was serving in the same Canadian artillery unit as a friendof his, the Canadian military doctor and artillery commander Major John McCrae.

As the brigade doctor, John McCrae was asked to conduct the burial service for Alexis because the chaplain had been called away somewhere else on duty that evening. It is believed that later that evening, after the burial, John began the draft for his now famous poem “In Flanders Fields”.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Are you wearing your poppy?

Powerball Lottery Winners Announce $1 Million Donation To Military Veterans Service Orgranizations

All I can say is....."Thank You!" What a fantastic precedent set by the group of men that won the nation's Powerball lottery when they announced that five military veterans service organizations will get $200,000 each in the first donation by the group of men. AWESOME!

The groups earmarked for the funds are:

The Bob Woodruff Foundation, based in Bristow, Va.; Building Homes for Heroes, based in Valley Stream, N.Y.; Services for the Under Served (S.U.S.) and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, both based in New York City; and Operation First Response, based in Culpeper, Va.


The report is from ABC.

3 Conn. Powerball winners give veterans $1M


HARTFORD, Conn. -- A trio of money managers who shared a $254 million Powerball jackpot said Sunday they were kicking off the first of many charitable donations by splitting a $1 million gift among five veterans' service organizations.

The Putnam Avenue Family Trust announced through a spokesman that donations of $200,000 each were being given to the five groups for their work helping veterans and military members who have recently returned from deployments.

The trust was created by Greenwich wealth fund managers Greg Skidmore, Brandon Lacoff and Tim Davidson after they learned they had won the jackpot, which they claimed Nov. 28 at Connecticut Lottery headquarters. The jackpot was the largest won in Connecticut and the 12th biggest in Powerball history.

Thomas Gladstone, who identified himself as the landlord for the men's company, said afterward that Lacoff told him they were representing a fourth person who didn't want his identity disclosed, but the men's lawyer and a spokesman for their Putnam Avenue Family Trust have said the speculation is false and there is no fourth winner.

They promised at the time they claimed the jackpot that they would kick off their charitable donations with $1 million within 10 days and said in a statement Sunday that they "cannot think of a more urgent priority than addressing the needs of those men and women who have defended our nation."

"Many of these veterans are faced with a myriad of real and immediate personal issues that range from trauma to foreclosures.

These grant awards reflect the beginning of a process that allows us to leverage lottery winnings into materially helping our society," Lacoff, Skidmore and Davidson said in a statement Sunday.

Their trust took in a $103.5 million lump sum after taxes. The men have said they hope the trust's charitable donations will become an example for other lottery winners nationwide.

The groups receiving $200,000 each are The Bob Woodruff Foundation, based in Bristow, Va.; Building Homes for Heroes, based in Valley Stream, N.Y.; Services for the Under Served (S.U.S.) and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, both based in New York City; and Operation First Response, based in Culpeper, Va.

Officials from the five organizations said they were surprised and thrilled by the donations, which will help with programs for veterans' housing, mental health care, treatment and diagnosis of traumatic brain injuries, education and employment training and other services.

Peggy Baker, president of Operation First Response, called the $200,000 donation "a Christmas miracle," and Andy Pujol, president and founder of Building Homes for Heroes, said they were ecstatic over what they considered "this incredible act of patriotism and generosity."

Skidmore, Davidson and Lacoff work at the Greenwich wealth management firm Belpointe, which provides investment advice, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company manages $82 million, according to the SEC.

They said after claiming their Powerball winnings, and again in their statement Sunday, that they plan to use their investment expertise to build the jackpot into even more money for charitable gifts.

"If we are successful, we believe the creation of this Trust, and its legacy, will serve as a national model for others who have been equally fortunate in winning sweepstakes and now seek to use those dollars to touch the lives of others," they wrote.

The Ugliest Side of Obamacare: When 54 Democrat Senators Voted NOT To Exempt Military Veterans From Prosthetics Tax

Along with many others, I have often accused our Democrat Representatives and Senators of being anti-military. At the same time, I have had no qualms in calling many of them out as unpatriotic. But this example of Democrat abuse of our war veterans is nothing short of just that....abuse. From the story at Family Security Matters, we see how the new Obamacare healthcare law taxes prosthetics and medical devices which the Democrats proudly boasted would bring in $20 billion dollars into the Federal coffer that they probably could spend on their own pet projects down the line. However, when Republican Senators tried to introduce an amendment to this bill that would exclude the tax from applying to U.S. veterans, that amendment was defeated.

It's important that every American is aware of the Senators that voted to make sure that our fighting men and women, who sacrificed their limbs in keeping us safe, are going to be burdened with an excessive tax on the very medical technology that will allow them to walk and function again - the names of those Senators are listed at the end of the article which I have excerpted below.

Call out these Senators. Shame them. The time is over for an elected official in this country to treat our nation's warriors in this way.

Wounded Vets Betrayed by ObamaCare Tax on Prosthetic, Medical Devices - Why?


"You will not see your taxes increased a single dime." - President Barack Obama

"[W]e have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy." - Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

As the nation celebrated Independence Day with parades and barbecues, America's veterans faced a new tax on prosthetic limbs and other vital medical devices.

The health care overhaul passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama earlier this year contains a new tax on medical devices such as prosthetic limbs, pacemakers, and wheelchairs. This tax, which its proponents claim will raise $20 billion over the next ten years, contains no exemption for the nation's 22 million veterans. In fact, Senate Democrats specifically refused to exempt veterans from the tax., according to officials from the non-partisan, public interest group Americans for Tax Reform.

"Did Americans forget President Obama promising that Americans making less than $250,000.00 per year would not see their taxes go up one cent? Once again a politician is caught lying to the voters," said political strategist Mike Baker.

On March 24 2010, Senate Democrats rejected an amendment offered by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) to the healthcare bill. This amendment (SA 3644) would have prevented the medical device tax from hitting veterans covered by the Veterans Healthcare Program or TRICARE for Life.

This amendment was rejected by a vote of 44-54. All but five Democrat senators voted in favor of retaining the tax for veterans.

The medical device tax was one of over twenty new or higher taxes in President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul. This permanent new tax is already being collected by the federal government.
"On March 24, Senate Democrats had the opportunity to exempt our veterans from Obamacare's new tax on medical devices such as prosthetic limbs. But 54 Democrats voted against the measure. They chose to side with the tax-and-spend crowd in Washington over our wounded warriors," said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.

"This is one of the many reasons Harry Reid and the Democrats did not want Americans to read the 2,500 page health care bill before it was passed," Norquist added.

In addition to those who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Department of Veterans Affairs reports the following number of veterans from America's wars:

World War II: 2,079,000
Korean War: 2,507,000
Vietnam War: 7,569,000
Desert Shield/Storm: 2,254,000

The following senators voted for the tax:

Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
Max Baucus (D-MT)
Evan Bayh (D-IN)
Mark Begich (D-AK)
Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Roland Burris (D-IL)
Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Tom Carper (D-DE)
Bob Casey (D-PA)
Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Chris Dodd (D-CT)
Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Russ Feingold (D-WI)
Diane Feinstein (D-CA)
Al Franken (D-MN)
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Tim Johnson (D-SD)
Edward Kaufman (D-DE)
John Kerry (D-MA)
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Herb Kohl (D-WI)
Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Pat Leahy (D-VT)
Carl Levin (D-MI)
Joe Lieberman (ID-CT)
Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
Claire McCaskill (D-MO)
Bob Menendez (D-NJ)
Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Patty Murray (D-WA)
Ben Nelson (D-FL)
Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Harry Reid (D-NV)
Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)
Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Arlen Specter (D-PA)
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Mark Udall (D-CO)
Tom Udall (D-NM)
Mark Warner (D-VA)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Ron Wyden (D-OR)

After Facing Hostile Healthcare Reform Crowds, Obama Decides To Speak To A 'Friendly' Group...The VFW???!!!

I'm starting to think that Barack Hussein Obama is a masochist....perhaps a Marxist masochist. Today, in Phoenix, Obama will address the annual convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and although he will apparently update the group on U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, I wonder how many of the VFW attendees would like to hear more about why Obama voted for withholding funds from the troops in Iraq back when Obama was a U.S. Senator? Or maybe some of those veterans would like Obama to further clarify how, during the Presidential campaign, he referred to U.S. military operations in Afghanistan as "bombing civilian targets." Or...perhaps a few of the VFW'ers will press Obama on the new rules of engagement adopted in Afghanistan that are putting our soldiers and Marines in harm's way at this very moment.

Hey, maybe even one of the VFW members might be able to put this video up on the screen for Obama to explain:




Yes, I hope the VFW convention gives this President, this Commander-in-Chief the kind of reception he deserves as the first U.S. President ever to hold office (with Bill Clinton a close second) that simply hates and detests the military of this land.

Sure, this President will have a canned speech from his teleprompters and he will lie his way through it and there will even be a few sound bites that Katie Couric will laud on the CBS Evening News tonight....hell, he might even wear a flag pin, but one thing will be certain at this speech today and that is this: The Veterans of Foreign Wars know a wolf when they have one in their midst. Fireworks today? Probably not. A warm welcome for the President? No effin' way.

Here's the story from Breitbart:

Obama speaking on conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan

PHOENIX (AP) - President Barack Obama is pausing in his relentless campaign for health care changes to bring a leading veterans organization up to date on how he intends to proceed on dual military commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan.
At the same time, Obama plans in his Phoenix speech later Monday to talk again of efforts he and Defense Secretary Robert Gates are making to revamp the way the Pentagon does business, including changes in procedures for developing and acquiring new weapon systems.

Previewing the talk to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention, press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama will "talk about where we currently are" in Iraq and Afghanistan while at the same time thanking servicemen and women for their commitments to the national defense.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
PHOENIX (AP)—A commander in chief fighting two wars, President Barack Obama plans to thank veterans for their service on Monday while pressing his commitments to wind down the Iraq war and redouble efforts in Afghanistan.
The president is slated to address members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars gathered in Arizona at the organization's annual convention.
"He'll talk about where we are currently in both those two conflicts. He'll talk about what we owe the men and women in uniform" as well as "their contributions to the betterment of those two countries," said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.
Obama has made Afghanistan, which the United States invaded in October 2001 to hunt for Osama bin Laden, one of his top foreign policy priorities. But his administration is grappling with next steps there as it seeks to disentangle 130,000 American troops from Iraq.
The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, is mapping out a revised war plan that he will send to Obama after elections in Afghanistan slated for this week. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said that report will not contain a request to expand the U.S. fighting force, and Gibbs said Obama will not address troop strength or lay out next steps in his speech.
There are 62,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and another 6,000 are headed there by the end of the year.
Gibbs said he also expects the president to discuss his defense budget and decisions such as "whether or not we're going to fund expensive weapons programs the Pentagon says we don't need, or give our men and women fighting in those two dangerous places in the world and other places the resources they need."
Gates wants to change the way the Defense Department does business. He's trying to kill unnecessary or financially troubled weapons systems that siphon money away from the troops and gear needed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Over the objections of some lawmakers who fear their states will lose jobs, the Pentagon chief wants to end production of the high-priced F-22 jet fighter and an aircraft engine project, expensive projects that he says the military doesn't need.
Obama's speech comes at the end of a four-day, four-state trip to the West that was part family vacation, part presidential business. He held a pair of town hall events to promote his plan to overhaul the nation's health care, and his family visited Yellowstone and Grand Canyon national parks.

American Legion Commander Pissed Off At Obama

You know, sometimes I don't think President Obama either a) doesn't have a brain in his head or b) doesn't have a clue what Americans really think about their military and their veterans. In a meeting between President Obama and American Legion commander David K. Rehbein, we are finding out just what Obama plans for the coverage of veterans' injuries and disabilities. It ain't pretty and the American Legion commander isn't pulling any punches on his disgust with the plan. Here's the details from Yahoo News:

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. The Obama administration recently revealed a plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in such cases.
"It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan," said Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion. "He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it."
The Commander, clearly angered as he emerged from the session said, "This reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate ' to care for him who shall have borne the battle' given that the United States government sent members of the armed forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies. I say again that The American Legion does not and will not support any plan that seeks to bill a veteran for treatment of a service connected disability at the very agency that was created to treat the unique need of America's veterans!"

A message to President Obama - you don't fuck with the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars or the millions of families and supporters of America's military. You will lose that battle everytime.

Think about this folks, THIS is about the ONLY cost-cutting measure this President has come up with in the time he has been President - up until now he's been spending like a madman and all of a sudden he comes up with a cost cutting measure and it shafts our veterans??!!

Don't forget, Obama's campaign promises to cut huge $$$ from Defense spending were some of him major "fiscal responsibility" measures. He won't touch any of the entitlement programs in this country that wastes millions each day but he's willing to cut our nuclear weapons and other defense systems. So in a nutshell, Obama's plan is to balance the economy by making us less safe AND treating those who have protected us in the past like shit. One can only hope that this news of this ridiculous program will put this new President in his place. Hard.

I don't know about you, but I am writing to my Congressman today to let him know that I expect him to communicate to the White House that there will be hell to pay if this program moves even one step further.

The American Legion Strongly Opposed to President's Plan to Charge Wounded Heroes for Treatment

WASHINGTON, March 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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. The Obama administration recently revealed a plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in such cases.
"It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan," said Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion. "He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it."
The Commander, clearly angered as he emerged from the session said, "This reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate ' to care for him who shall have borne the battle' given that the United States government sent members of the armed forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies. I say again that The American Legion does not and will not support any plan that seeks to bill a veteran for treatment of a service connected disability at the very agency that was created to treat the unique need of America's veterans!"
Commander Rehbein was among a group of senior officials from veterans service organizations joining the President, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki and Steven Kosiak, the overseer of defense spending at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The group's early afternoon conversation at The White House was precipitated by a letter of protest presented to the President earlier this month. The letter, co-signed by Commander Rehbein and the heads of ten colleague organizations, read, in part, " There is simply no logical explanation for billing a veteran's personal insurance for care that the VA has a responsibility to provide. While we understand the fiscal difficulties this country faces right now, placing the burden of those fiscal problems on the men and women who have already sacrificed a great deal for this country is unconscionable."
Commander Rehbein reiterated points made last week in testimony to both House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees. It was stated then that The American Legion believes that the reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate that VA treat service-connected injuries and disabilities given that the United States government sends members of the armed forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies. The proposed requirement for these companies to reimburse the VA would not only be unfair, says the Legion, but would have an adverse impact on service-connected disabled veterans and their families. The Legion argues that, depending on the severity of the medical conditions involved, maximum insurance coverage limits could be reached through treatment of the veteran's condition alone. That would leave the rest of the family without health care benefits. The Legion also points out that many health insurance companies require deductibles to be paid before any benefits are covered. Additionally, the Legion is concerned that private insurance premiums would be elevated to cover service-connected disabled veterans and their families, especially if the veterans are self-employed or employed in small businesses unable to negotiate more favorable across-the-board insurance policy pricing. The American Legion also believes that some employers, especially small businesses, would be reluctant to hire veterans with service-connected disabilities due to the negative impact their employment might have on obtaining and financing company health care benefits.
"I got the distinct impression that the only hope of this plan not being enacted," said Commander Rehbein, "is for an alternative plan to be developed that would generate the desired $540-million in revenue. The American Legion has long advocated for Medicare reimbursement to VA for the treatment of veterans. This, we believe, would more easily meet the President's financial goal. We will present that idea in an anticipated conference call with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel in the near future.
"I only hope the administration will really listen to us then. This matter has far more serious ramifications than the President is imagining," concluded the Commander.

Vets Pay Tribute At Virtual Vietnam Memorial Wall

This is very, very cool. Vietnam vets are now able to visit the Vietnam Memorial Wall without traveling across the country to do it! This from an article at CNN:

The virtual Wall, a project created by the National Archives and Footnote.com, brings the memorial to millions of American homes.
The Web site, unveiled last week, links names to casualty reports, historical documents and digital photographs, and allows users to leave online tributes to those who died.
Ten Vietnam veterans at an American Legion Post 911 in Atlanta, Georgia, gathered to test the online Wall for CNN.com. They said they believe the new Wall gives a face to each of the names, and helps keep their memories alive.
We can use that to help console people ... To help people realize that ... they are gone but they are not forgotten," Derico said.
"We can show it to you [online]. Your brother, your sister ... They're still there; they are being thought of and they are being treated with due respect."

That says it all..."they are being thought of and they are being treated with due respect."

What a wonderful new technological tool to honor our fallen veterans of the Vietnam War - hopefully countless Americans will be able to pay their respects to those who fought valiantly and proudly for this Land of ours.

Vets pay tribute to fallen comrades at virtual Vietnam wall

As some people searched the virtual Wall for people they knew, others shouted names from across the room, hoping someone would enter a search in the computer.
Some only knew the first names and hoped to match them with the database by unit or hometown.
As they found more names, the group grew in size, huddling closer together as they read the casualty report of the latest name.
For Robert Love, who served in Vietnam as a mechanic, being able to view the Wall with fellow comrades gives the memorial new meaning.
As he used the online version, he reflected on a trip to Washington, where he visited the Wall.
"I had so many different emotions; and then after a while, as you begin to look at the names on the wall, it overwhelms you," he said. "Then you realize that you could be up there, but by the grace of God you aren't."
As he sat with his fellow servicemen Friday, reflecting on the war and sharing memories of those who died, some of the pain eased.
As they located familiar names and learned more about them, the group's excitement grew. Everyone agreed that other veterans should know about the site, and they agreed to spread the word.

It's an excellent opportunity for them to come in and look back on what happened to them in Vietnam," Derico said. "For them to look back on the people they lost in Vietnam. And guess what? It may even shock them to the extent that they come back to reality."