Veterans

Welcome Home, Soldier…

By Mark Thompson | @MarkThompson_DC | April 23, 2011 | +

The gap between our publicly professed pride for our returning troops – and how they actually are treated when they need help – never ceases to amaze. The latest on this care chasm is explained on the front page of Saturday’s Washington Post. It details the woes faced by veterans who believe they have been short-changed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. It’s “a symbol,” reporter Jerry Markon says, “of the accumulating toll of prolonged war, both on soldiers and the bureaucracies created to serve them.” More than a symbol, it’s a shame.

Related Topics: Military, Military Benefits, National Security, Pentagon, Veterans

  • Latest on Battleland

    Army photo / Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod
    Afghanistan May 16, 2012

    Humpin’ It…And Jammin’ It…

    Reuters
    Pacific May 16, 2012

    China’s ‘Security Dilemma’ Risks Arms Race in Asia

    TOKYO – A shooting war with China may not be inevitable, but a dangerous arms escalation seems a dead certainty. That’s the take from a rare public discussion here this week among naval experts from Japan, the U.S. and China.

    Chris Hondros / Getty Images
    Military Mental Health May 16, 2012

    Mental Ills Top Reason U.S. Troops Now Hospitalized

    Four of the top five non-combat medical conditions sending troops to the hospital in 2011 were mental ailments, the Pentagon reports:

  • pintortwo

    People are not a major concern when decisions are made wrt our military. Certainly not the people that live in the areas we covet (despite claims of Liberty and Democracy); and not even our own people- soldiers and civilians don’t matter much to those with the power to decide.
    .
    The only real concern is more.. more weapons, more war, more sales of the tools of war. We are history’s greatest exporter of war, and all its trappings– it is our last remaining area of expertise, technological advancement and manufacturing.
    .
    Is this all we can offer the world? to our children? …What happened to us?

  • http://www.124monkeys.com Sean DeCoursey forgot his password

    Mark,
    -
    People aren’t actually proud of veterans or grateful or any of that nonsense. They’re just really glad someone else is dealing with that whole “war” thing so they and their kids don’t have to. As long as it doesn’t affect them, they absolutely don’t care, but because many feel subconsciously bad about not caring, they make big fake public proclamations and displays about how much they care, and are all over symbolic but meaningless gestures. For example, think about how common those stupid yellow ribbon stickers are on cars.

blog comments powered by Disqus