U.S. Rep. Susan Wild "without specific training in mental health, we cannot recognize and act on the warning signs"

Op-ed by U.S. Rep. Susan Wild: ‘I can only make sense of the loss of my partner in life if I can save someone else’s life’

THE MORNING CALL
JUN 30, 2019

I didn’t run for Congress thinking that suicide prevention and awareness would be a cornerstone of my platform. Yes, I was aware of the pressing problem of veteran suicide, and that the number of suicides has increased dramatically. Never, however, did I think that this issue would become so very personal to me. Sadly, on May 25th, it did. On that day, the person who was my best friend, confidante, and partner in life, took his own life.

I cannot begin to describe the impact of receiving a phone call from an unknown police officer, telling me that my beloved had committed suicide. Disbelief was my first reaction, so much so that I thought it was a prank call. Fairly quickly, however, my mind gathered the warning signs that had existed, and which, sadly, I did not act upon with enough urgency.

For those who think I am assigning blame to myself for this act, and who have rushed to reassure me that there was nothing I could have done to stop this act of madness, you should know I have gotten to a place of peace in terms of my role. Because I now realize that without specific training in mental health, we cannot recognize and act on the warning signs, unless we learn more.

So it has become a new part of my mission to do as much good as I can in this public position I now occupy. Having only recently experienced this tragic loss, I am not yet an expert on the subject. However, I intend to become one. I can only make sense of the loss of my partner in life if I can save someone else’s life, and, just as importantly, can save another family from the devastation of losing their loved one to suicide.
read it here

Disabled workers may be forced to fold last flag

Dozens of disabled workers face layoffs after Huntsville flag manufacturer’s federal contract ends

WAFF 48 News
By McKinley Strother
June 28, 2019

“We’re for employment of all persons. We want to make sure people with a disability have a seat at the table.” Wes Tyler

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - A federal court ruling ends a 25-year flag contract for a Huntsville-based company. The court upheld the U.S. Veteran Administration’s Rule of Two, meaning that veteran-owned companies will be given priority over AbilityOne nonprofits as bids are awarded.

Phoenix in south Huntsville has been producing interment flags for Veterans Administration since 1994. The company primarily employs disabled or veteran flag-makers.

“The contract was cancelled and the final shipment will be made in about 10 days," said Wes Tyler, Phoenix’s VP of Manufacturing and Business Development.

The AbilityOne Program has its beginnings in a 1938 law that allows nonprofits to be awarded certain federal contracts as long as they meet quality and pricing requirements, and 75 percent of the employees are people with disabilities. Through its AbilityOne contracts, Phoenix employs 791 people, 75 of which are veterans.

Nearly two dozen people work on Phoenix’s contract with the VA to manufacture interment flags, 95 percent of whom have a significant disability. Phoenix has produced more than 2.1 million flags since beginning the contract.

“People have come and gone but we still have a lot of folks like myself that have been here 24 years," said Wanda Duboise.

Duboise is worried about her professional and financial future. “I’m still trying to be optimistic that someway or another it can turn around for us," said Duboise.
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Did Rep. Duncan Hunter use campaign funds for affairs with 5 women?

Rep. Duncan Hunter accused of using campaign money to finance affairs with 5 women

Task and Purpose
Jeff Schogol
June 25, 2019

In one case, Hunter was supposed to stay with his wife for three nights in a hotel, but Margaret Hunter arrived a day later than expected because she had to rebook her flight, court documents say. Hunter allegedly kept his room reservation for the first night and spent it with his mistress.

The Justice Department has accused Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) of illegally using campaign funds to pay for extramarital affairs with five women.

Hunter, who fought in the Iraq War as a Marine artillery officer, and his wife Margaret were indicated by a federal jury on Aug. 21, 2018 for allegedly using up to $250,000 in campaign funds for personal use.

In a recent court filing, federal prosecutors accused Hunter of using campaign money to pay for a variety of expenses involved with his affairs, ranging from a $1,008 hotel bill to $7 for a Sam Adams beer.

"Carrying out all these affairs did not come cheap—Hunter spent thousands of dollars treating women to meals, drinks, and vacations, and traveling to and from their homes," according to a June 24 motion to admit evidence of Hunter using campaign funds for personal relationships. "Given the pronounced financial difficulties the Hunters were facing, his use of campaign funds to pursue these relationships was necessary for Hunter to satisfy his desire for intimacy."
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Veteran of Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq running for President

Joe’s In: Former Congressman, 3-Star Admiral Sestak announces campaign for President.

JUNE 22, 2019

Thank you for taking the time to see why I am declaring my candidacy for President of the United States of America.

What Americans most want today is someone who is accountable to them, above self, above party, above any special interest … a President who has the depth of global experience to restore America’s leadership in the world to protect our American Dream at home … and one who is trusted to restructure policies where too many see only the growth of inequity not of the economy.

I want to be that President who serves the American people the way they deserve to be served.

And while my announcement may be later than others for the honor of seeking the Presidency, the decision to delay was so I would be there with Alex, our daughter, as the brain cancer she had courageously beaten at four years old returned this past year. But with her same team of medical heroes, she has again overcome the single digit odds.

I had worn the cloth of our nation for over 31 years in peace and war, but after Alex’s first high-grade brain tumor, I needed to answer to you, the American people, who provided the military healthcare coverage that saved our daughter’s life. I served our nation as a U.S. Congressman for two terms from a Republican District in order to work for all Americans to have the healthcare coverage we fortunately had had for Alex.

Now, the hour has become late to restore U.S. global leadership that convenes the world for two primary objectives that serve our collective well-being here at home: putting a brake on climate change and putting an end to an illiberal world order’s injustices, from China’s control of the 5G network to Russian interference in democratic elections.

However, we cannot meet the defining challenges of our time without a united America. This is our Hobson’s Choice: not just to win this Presidential election, but to heal our nation’s soul by regaining the trust of Americans – all Americans – by a President who the people know will remain accountable to them alone, no matter the cost to him.

I ask that you would take a moment and watch the video(s) below. The first is my announcement summarizing why our next President must have a unique understanding of all the elements of our nation’s power: our economy and diplomacy, our military – including its limitations – and the power of our ideals. The other videos describe the foreign and domestic challenges we face, and the policies I will pursue as President, particularly accountability to America.
go here for more

Veterans Expedited TSA Screening?

This bill would make airport security easier and ‘less intrusive’ for disabled vets

Military Times
By: Natalie Gross
June 20, 2019

Qualifying disabled veterans would get TSA PreCheck for free.
(Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images)

The bipartisan legislation would grant TSA PreCheck privileges to veterans who are blind or paralyzed, as well as veteran amputees.

The service allows members to enter an expedited airport security line and pass through without removing shoes, laptops, liquids, belts and light jackets. It typically costs $85, but qualifying veterans would get it for free — a benefit already extended to active-duty service members and those in the National Guard and Reserves.

“Millions of veterans have sacrificed a great deal in service to our nation and returned home with service-connected disabilities," Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said in a news release. “For those of us who rely on prosthetics and wheelchairs for mobility, air travel and passing through airport security can be a challenge.”

Duckworth, a former Army lieutenant colonel and Iraq veteran, is herself a double amputee. She co-sponsored the Veterans Expedited TSA Screening Safe Travel Act with Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind, and said the measure would make the airport experience “a little easier and less intrusive."
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Veteran behind Blue Water case sees its resolution after 13 years

A bittersweet victory: Veteran behind Blue Water case sees its resolution after 13 years

STARS AND STRIPES
By NIKKI WENTLING
Published: June 20, 2019

The name “Procopio” now represents a major victory for tens of thousands of Vietnam War veterans thanks to the case, Procopio v. Wilkie.

WASHINGTON – Alfred Procopio Jr. said he learned perseverance from his parents, who “never took no for an answer.”

“He was very tenacious,” Procopio said of his father. “He didn’t give up. My mother, she was a fighter, too. I was raised that way — to stand up for what you believe.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., signs the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019, during a ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday, June 18, 2019. At right looking on are Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and the committee's Ranking Member Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn.CARLOS BONGIOANNI/STARS AND STRIPES

It’s that spirit that kept Procopio pursuing his case, through years of rejection, to prove to the federal government that his chronic illnesses were caused by exposure to Agent Orange during his service in the Vietnam War. Procopio, a so-called Blue Water Navy veteran, worked aboard the USS Intrepid, an aircraft carrier that went into the territorial seas off the coast of Vietnam.

Blue Water veterans — who served on open sea ships off the shore of Vietnam but did not step foot on land — have been blocked for decades from the same Department of Veterans Affairs benefits afforded those who served in Vietnam or its inland waterways. The government argued there wasn’t enough evidence that poisonous herbicides contaminated the water used on their ships.

That changed in January, when Procopio won his case.

The Department of Justice decided in May to not challenge the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in favor of Blue Water veterans. Congress approved legislation last week clarifying that those veterans are eligible for VA disability benefits. Lawmakers sent the bill to the White House on Tuesday, where it’s awaiting President Donald Trump’s signature.

The name “Procopio” now represents a major victory for tens of thousands of Vietnam War veterans thanks to the case, Procopio v. Wilkie.

The man himself is happy about the court decision but unsure whether he’ll be around long enough to witness much of its payoff. He was 61 when this process began. Next month, he’ll be 74.

“They appealed it so many times, I thought, ‘How long are they going to deny it? Until we’re all gone?’” Procopio said. “There were a lot of guys who I served with who were older than me, and I know they’re not around.”
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"More than 50,000 organizations that provide suicide prevention services for veterans"

Following blind leaders leaves too many lost

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
June 20, 2019

When you have over a decade of claiming you are paying attention to something, but it gets worse, no matter what you do, that should give you a clue to open you eyes. Somehow, common sense dictates a serious look to find what you got wrong.

Common sense left Washington a long time ago.

Members of Congress are yet again trying to blame guns for veterans committing suicide. Guess they did not see a few facts. 

Taking guns away from veterans, especially if their jobs depend on using them, keeps them away from the VA and prevents them from seeking help from anyone.

They tried that back in 2007 with the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act. If it worked, would his family have to give their heartbreaking account in 2014...seven years later?

Voices: The heartbreak of veterans' suicides

"...Seven years ago, the script was almost exactly the same during a series of hearings I covered about veterans who were killing themselves after combat."

Randall Omvig testifies about his son Joshua's suicide during an appearance before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington in 2007. Omvig's wife, Ellen, is at right. (Photo: File photo by Dennis Cook, AP)

The following year, President Bush signed into law a bill named after Omvig. It called for better screening of veterans returning from combat, better education, more mental health professionals for the Department of Veterans Affairs, more research, a new suicide hotline.

"This bill has Josh's name on it, but it represents so many men and women before and after Josh who were unable to live with the physical, mental and psychological effects of their service," his father, Randall Omvig, said at the time.

In late 2006, Army reservist Joshua Omvig went home for Thanksgiving a week after he returned from Iraq. While home, he pulled out a gun in front of his mother and shot himself.

Kelly Kennedy reported that for USA Today. There is a battle that veterans are losing. It is yet one more price they have paid after serving this country. It has been as it was since they risked their lives to obtain the freedom the rest of the citizens of this country enjoy. 

They tried everything they could think of TO GET THE PEOPLE IN CHARGE TO ACTUALLY THINK OF WHAT IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM!

THEY SUCK AT THEIR JOBS

Leaders keep saying they do not know why the percentage of veterans committing suicide goes up after spending has also gone up. Admittedly, I am far from a genius but I do have common sense and that is the thing that is missing most in Washington.

Yet again, the VA and Congress miss the point as to why veterans commit suicide.

Notice how "first responders" were mentioned? They really think that taking away weapons will prevent suicides? It prevents veterans from seeking help, especially if their jobs are tied to the use of guns AS FIRST REPONDERS!

Notice there are no plans in place to rid the veterans community of ineffective "efforts" to change the outcome, or, hold any of the 50,000 organizations accountable, they want to blame the means instead of the reason.

Federal suicide prevention efforts in coming months will include increased focus on veterans’ access to firearms, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said during a Capitol Hill appearance Wednesday.

“It is key,” he said during a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing on his department’s recent efforts to address the problem. “Seventy percent of veterans who (die by suicide) do so with firearms. We’re dealing with a population that has a special familiarity with firearms. So we’re working on ways to build time and space … between thoughts and impulsive acts.”

The comments came just two days after the first formal meeting of a new presidential task force on preventing veterans suicide, part of a year-long effort to re-energize government’s approach to the problem.

That was from this article

Veterans suicide prevention efforts will include more discussions on firearm safety
Military Times
By: Leo Shane III
June 19, 2019

The comments came just two days after the first formal meeting of a new presidential task force on preventing veterans suicide, part of a year-long effort to re-energize government’s approach to the problem.

The group, which includes eight cabinet officials and the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, named as its executive director Barbara Van Dahlen, founder of the mental health advocacy organization Give an Hour. Wilkie said the work ahead will help establish a strategic plan to coordinate federal, state and community efforts on prevention.

And he also said that work will include discussions of firearms. The topic has long been a problematic political debate on Capitol Hill, with critics calling any discussion of limiting unstable veterans’ access to weapons a violation of their constitutional rights.

But Wilkie said his department has already partnered with several firms to provide gun locks to veterans, and is looking at additional education for veterans on firearms storage and safety issues.

That will include gun safety instruction for veterans caregivers, and more information for veterans families about resources on firearms storage and services.
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Considering that guns have been tied to veterans committing suicide since the first "prevention" bill these folks came up with back in 2007, you'd think they would have figured out by now that is not the solution. 

“Of the 20 veterans who commit suicide every day in this country, roughly 14 of them don’t receive treatment from the VA,” said Warner. “This legislation will target that group by providing grant funding to private organizations with a proven track record of strong mental health and suicide prevention efforts among veterans. It’s my hope that broad coordination between the VA, state veterans affairs departments, first responders, and local leaders, will allow us to support more at-risk veterans and make a meaningful impact on reducing veteran suicide rates in this country.”

In Fiscal Year 2010, the VA requested $62 million for suicide prevention outreach. In Fiscal Year 2020, that number nearly quadrupled to $222 million. Despite the sharp increase in funding, the rate of veterans suicides has remained roughly unchanged at 20 per day. Only six of those 20 veterans are receiving healthcare services at the VA. This points to a significant need to empower the VA to work through community partners to expand outreach. At the same time, national data indicates there are more than 50,000 organizations that provide suicide prevention services for veterans, yet they are hard for veterans to find, access, apply for and use.

That was reported in the following article, and yes, you read those numbers correctly. 

Boozman-Warner bill aims to expand outreach, create measurement tool to improve effectiveness in fight against veteran suicideAugusta Free PressJun. 19, 2019
U.S. Sens. John Boozman (R-AR) and Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced legislation to improve coordination of veteran mental health and suicide prevention services and to better measure the effectiveness of these programs in order to reduce the alarming number of veteran suicides.
The IMPROVE (Incorporating Measurements and Providing Resources for Outreach to Veterans Everywhere) Wellbeing for Veterans Act creates a new grant program to enable the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct additional outreach through veteran-serving non-profits in addition to state and local organizations.
“Congress has provided significant resources to the VA to decrease veteran suicides, yet the number of veterans who take their own lives everyday remains unchanged,” Boozman said. “We all share the goal of saving the lives of veterans. We must have better coordination of existing programs; a common tool to measure the effectiveness of our programs; and better information sharing, data collection and continual feedback in order to identify what services are having the most impact. Creating a framework for these necessary pieces is essential to empowering organizations to work together in the fight against veteran suicide.”

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Taking away one means of doing it, is not the answer. The means can change, but unless we remove the reason, they will still seek death over one more day unless we give them a reason to stay! More female veterans attempt suicide, but since they use less lethal means, many survive the first time they tried it.

Take away the means and they just find another way...forced to find another way because the leaders have been blind to the better way!

We had more veterans living in this country when the VA reported 20 a day...back in 1999! During a time when there was not billions being handed out like prizes with absolutely no judges to weigh the merit of the "effort" they were paid to deliver on. Somehow we managed to save more lives than spend more on creating crap!

Rep. Duncan Hunter's wife pleads guilty to corruption charges

This is why there is so much corruption in Washington. Too many vote for the party instead of the person and refuse to hold them accountable!

Rep. Duncan Hunter’s legal fight tougher as wife pleads guilty in corruption case

The Associated Press
By: Julie Watson
June 14, 2019

She said other expenses charged on the card included $399 for zip lining for Rep. Hunter and two of his three children; $500 in airline travel expenses for their pet bunny, Eggburt; and $351 for a family lunch in connection with a child's Irish dance competition.

SAN DIEGO — Indicted six-term GOP Congressman Duncan Hunter has held steadfast to his contention that a corruption case against him is the result of a political witch hunt.

Margaret Hunter, left, wife of indicted Republican U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, arrives at federal courthouse in downtown San Diego on Thursday, June 13, 2019. (John Gibbins/The San Diego Union-Tribune via AP)

But that argument got tougher Thursday for the former Marine and close ally of President Donald Trump after his wife, who worked as his campaign manager, pleaded guilty to a single corruption count and acknowledged being a co-conspirator with her husband in spending more than $200,000 in campaign funds on personal expenses.

Margaret Hunter accepted a plea deal that calls for 59 charges to be dismissed in exchange for her testimony, full cooperation with prosecutors and other concessions. The conspiracy charge to which she pleaded includes all the allegations contained in the 60-count indictment.

"The walls were closing in on him before, now this just makes it more claustrophobic," said Jason Forge, a former federal attorney who prosecuted California Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham in 2005 for one of the worst bribery scandals to ever bring down a federal lawmaker.

Rep. Hunter "has fewer and fewer options. It's not just his campaign manager. It's his campaign manager and his wife," Forge said.
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Florida Congressman gets it wrong on veterans committing suicide

Member of congress gets it all wrong on veterans committing suicide...

This is wrong

“So just in the last 18 months, 34 service members have committed suicide in a Veterans Affairs hospital or clinic — in the actual place that’s supposed to be taking care of them..."

That would be veterans...not service members.

This is wrong

"The nation’s suicide epidemic among veterans and active-duty personnel — 20.6 self-inflicted fatalities a day, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs"

VA suicide numbers do not include Active Duty. They retracted the statement saying that they were included due to the fact that would mean the DOD was wrong when they were reporting an average of 500 a year.

Rep. Steube trying to halt veteran suicide ‘crisis’

Herald Tribune
By Billy Cox
Staff Writer
Posted May 29, 2019

“So just in the last 18 months, 34 service members have committed suicide in a Veterans Affairs hospital or clinic — in the actual place that’s supposed to be taking care of them ... And if anybody here has a solution to that problem, or ways we can identify service members who are in a higher risk for that category ... I’m all ears to that.”

Freshman Congressman supports removing marijuana from its wrongly classified Schedule 1 status

NORTH PORT — Staggered by the burgeoning numbers of veteran suicides, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube said on Wednesday he supports removing marijuana from its wrongly classified Schedule 1 status.

“And I think you’d be surprised by the amount of Republicans that would support it,” said the Sarasota Republican, who added Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would likely block a descheduling bill. But Steube said a vote would enjoy broad bipartisan support in the House and could come up for a vote this session.

“I think as you’re seeing a younger generation of elected officials — I mean, look at (Florida Gov. Ron) DeSantis and some of the things he’s done — and their positions on those issues are very different.”

Steube’s remarks followed a town hall meeting sponsored by Concerned Veterans of America at the Suncoast Technical College Conference Center. The nation’s suicide epidemic among veterans and active-duty personnel — 20.6 self-inflicted fatalities a day, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs — cast a shadow across the forum, even as many gathered to hear about the latest wrinkles in the Mission Act.

Passed in 2018 to give veterans better access to VA health care, the new regulations will go into effect on June 6. The new law allows patients who’ve been waiting for more than 20 days or who drive more than 30 miles to enter a VA facility to visit a community doctor closer to their residences. The expansion is huge, as it opens new avenues of services to roughly 40 percent of the veteran population. Under current rules, just 8% of veterans have those options.

But solving the suicide epidemic has no easy fix, as Steube told a crowded meeting room. In fact, there’s so much misinformation about what veterans in Florida and other medical marijuana-legal states are liable for with their medical-cannabis prescriptions, the House freshman said he intends to introduce a bill to codify protection for veterans whose urinalyses may test positive for marijuana.

“The directive is, you can’t be denied VA services, but I’ve heard from veterans in my own district who say they’ve been told otherwise ... So I have a bill to make it law that if you live in a state that has lawfully opened up medicinal marijuana and you have a recommendation for a prescription ... you cannot lose those VA benefits.”

A member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Steube calls the suicide epidemic a crisis that can’t ignore any potential remedies. He says the VA is trying to be proactive in its screening procedures, but the numbers continue to skyrocket.
read more here

On the medical pot thing, that is correct and a lot of doctors with the VA would prefer to give their veterans it instead of most of the drugs that actually come with warnings of increasing suicidal thoughts...

Seth Moulton trying to make a difference on PTSD...because he has it

Seth Moulton discloses PTSD, unveils military mental health proposal

POLITICO
By ALEX THOMPSON
05/28/2019

“Just because other presidents haven’t talked about this openly doesn’t mean that presidents haven’t dealt with these issues in the past,” Moulton said.

Democratic presidential candidate Seth Moulton said he hopes opening up about his experience with post-traumatic stress disorder would help ease the stigma that veterans and nonveterans feel when confronting mental illness. | Scott Eisen/Getty Images
The Democratic presidential candidate sought treatment after his combat deployments during the Iraq War.

Rep. Seth Moulton, a Marine veteran who is running for president, will introduce a plan Tuesday evening to expand military mental health services and will disclose that he sought treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder after his combat deployments during the Iraq War.

“I had some particular experiences or regrets from the war that I just thought about every day, and occasionally I’d have bad dreams or wake up in a cold sweat,” the Massachusetts Democrat told POLITICO in an interview ahead of a Tuesday night event in Massachusetts that will begin a Veterans Mental Health Tour in early-primary states. “But because these experiences weren’t debilitating — I didn’t feel suicidal or completely withdrawn, and I was doing fine in school — it took me a while to appreciate that I was dealing with post-traumatic stress and I was dealing with an experience that a lot of other veterans have.”

Moulton arrived home in 2008 and sought counseling in 2009, trying a few therapists before finding one he connected with and met with weekly.

“I got to the point where these experiences weren’t haunting me every day,” he said. “They’ll always be there and there will always be regrets that I have, but I got to a point where I could deal with them and manage them. It’s been a few years now since I’ve woken up in a cold sweat in bed from a bad dream or felt so withdrawn from my friends or whatever that I would just go home and go to bed because I miss being overseas with the Marines.”

Some politicians below the presidential level have been able to openly discuss mental health treatment and still win their elections. Former Gov. Mark Dayton of Minnesota told voters before winning his first term in 2010 that he had been taking antidepressants. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said he had PTSD after serving in Iraq.
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Lawmakers and administration officials remember fallen on Memorial Day

Remembering the fallen: 12 former service members to honor this Memorial Day

Military Times
Leo Shane III
May 26, 2019

Soldiers from the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) march off after supporting military funeral honors in Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on May 8, 2019. ((Elizabeth Fraser/Army)

In honor of Memorial Day, Military Times asked several lawmakers and administration officials to talk about who they will be remembering on the holiday. Here are their reflections:

** Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie, a Navy Reserve and Air Force Reserve veteran

“On Memorial Day we often forget Americans who gave the last full measure offering a helping hand to those whose own world had disappeared.

“On panel 1W Line 121 of the Vietnam Wall is the name of just such a man: Master Sgt. Denning Cicero Johnson. He was 36, a husband, father, medic. He was one of the last Americans to fall in Vietnam, on April 4, 1975.

“He was rescuing orphans whose lives were in danger as the North Vietnamese approached Saigon. Operation Baby Lift rescued 2,000 children on the orders of President Gerald Ford. While Johnson was tending to the children in his care, the C-5 he was on crashed into a rice paddy outside of Saigon.

** Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., an Army veteran and ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee

“There are many incredible men and women that come to mind when I think of our fallen servicemembers, but this Memorial Day I want to especially recognize the life and service of 1st Sgt Thomas E. Thayer from Louisville, Ky.

“Sgt Thayer was a tremendous man that I knew growing up in the Boy Scouts. He was my scoutmaster and taught me so much about leadership and responsibility. Sgt. Thayer died while serving with the Army’s 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. He received a Silver Star in 1965. I will never forget his courage and bravery. Rest in peace, scoutmaster.”
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Other veterans rights being taken away at VA over POW MIA table?

Air Force veteran wants to force his rights by taking away from others?

What part of the Constitution keeps getting missed by those who want to force everyone else to comply with protecting their "free expression" of lack of faith?

Last I heard, Congress did not make a law establishing a religion. 

Vietnam veterans however, did in fact establish the POW MIA table and the ceremony. They established honoring those who served, risked their lives and did not make it back home to enjoy the freedom they sacrifices their lives to provide to others. 

Yes, the same folks who are so terrified they are not being represented for their non-beliefs, they want to make sure that no one else has the right to express their own beliefs...as protected by the whole part of this...

The Bill of Rights – Full Text

Amendment IThe Bill of Rights – Full Text Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

The missing man table consists of the following elements:

• A small table set for one, symbolising the isolation of the absent service member. The table is usually set close to, or within sight of, the entrance to the dining room. For large events, the missing man table may be set for six places representing each of the five armed services (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard), with the sixth symbolising the civilians who died during armed conflict.^[8] The table is round to represent the everlasting concern the survivors have for the missing.^[9]
• One or more head covers may be placed upon the table represent the armed service of the missing persons.^[10]
• A white tablecloth to symbolise the pure intentions of the service members who responded to the country's call to arms.^[11]
• A single rose in the vase symbolising the blood that service members have shed in sacrifice to ensure the freedom of the United States of America. This rose also represents the family and friends who keep the faith while awaiting the return of the missing service members.^[12]
• The red ribbon represents a love of country that inspired the service members to serve the country.^[13]
• A slice of lemon on the bread plate that represents the bitter fate of the missing.^[14]
• Salt sprinkled on the bread plate that symbolises the tears shed by waiting families.^[14]
• An inverted glass to represent fact that the missing and fallen cannot partake.^[12]
• A Bible represents the spiritual strength and faith to sustain the lost. This may be omitted in official displays.^[15].
• A lit candle symbolises a light of hope that lives in hearts to illuminate the missing's way home.
• An empty chair to represent the absence of the missing and fallen^[16]

But even they left it out here.

Manchester VA Medical Center, veterans battle over Bible display

New Hampshire Union Leader
By MICHAEL COUSINEAU
May 7, 2019

MANCHESTER -- A Bible once owned by a prisoner of war -- and on display at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center -- has launched a battle over religious freedom.

An Air Force veteran filed a lawsuit Tuesday looking to remove the Bible displayed on a POW/MIA table.

This Bible on the POW/MIA table at the Manchester VA Medical Center has sparked a controversy. DAVID LANE/UNION LEADER

“We would all be outraged if the MVAMC only provided care to Christians, or denied care to non-believers, or those who worship their God in other ways,” attorney Lawrence Vogelman wrote in the seven-page lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Concord.

“The placement of a Christian Bible on this sacred table is just as objectionable,” he said.

Curt Cashour, press secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs, called the lawsuit “nothing more than an attempt to force VA into censoring a show of respect for America’s POW/MIA community.

“Make no mistake: VA will not be bullied on this issue,” he said in a statement.

Cashour also apologized to veterans for the VA temporarily removing the Bible a few months back.
read more here

Electronic health records from VA and DOD not working still?

VA, DoD Electronic Health Records Still Aren't Compatible, and Lawmakers Are Angry

Military.com
By Richard Sisk
1 May 2019

"For 10 years we've heard the same assurances" that the electronic health records problem will be solved," Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Kentucky, said. "It's incredible that we can't get this fixed."

Maj. Catherine Anderson, chief nurse for the 915th Forward Surgical Team, uses MC4, an electronic healthcare record system developed by the military, at the Medical Treatment Facility at Contingency Operating Base Basra., December 31, 2009. (U.S. Army/Pfc. J.P. Lawrence)

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan was grilled by lawmakers Wednesday on the lengthy and costly effort to develop compatible electronic records systems between the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"I don't ever recall being as outraged about an issue than I am about the electronic health record program," Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, told Shanahan at a House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the DoD's proposed fiscal 2020 budget.

She said a hearing last month with DoD and VA health program managers on the progress of meshing the records "was terrible."

"I can't believe that these program managers think that it is acceptable to wait another four years for a program to be implemented when we've spent billions of dollars and worked on it for over a decade," Granger said.
read more here

Military families still live in squalor?

Fed up with mold, vermin and lead, House budget plan adds $140 million for military housing fixes

Military Times
By: Leo Shane III
April 30, 2019

President Donald Trump has asked for a $750 billion budget with extra funding for his controversial southern border wall project. Many Republicans on Capitol Hill have voiced support for the plan, but Democrats have vowed to oppose it, and control the majority in the House.

Mold and mildew are shown on the ceiling of buildings at U.S. Army Garrison Fort Lee in Virginia. (Terrance Bell/Army)

House Democrats want to add $140 million to the president’s military construction budget for next year to help improve the quality of family housing across the force.

On Tuesday, lawmakers from the House Appropriations Committee offered their first draft of the fiscal 2020 military construction spending bill, which includes an increase of almost 2 percent above last year’s enacted levels.

The majority of that boost will address issues “such as mold, vermin and lead in military family housing.” The topic has been a major focus of both chambers in recent months, since news reports emerged about serious problems at privatized military housing across the country.

About 2 million individuals are currently housed through the military’s privatized housing program.
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Veteran killed himself outside of Cleveland VA

Veteran dies by suicide outside Cleveland VA hospital Monday, lawmakers demand action

USA TODAY
Donovan Slack
April 29, 2019

WASHINGTON – A veteran killed himself outside the Veterans Affairs medical center in Cleveland on Monday – the fourth veteran suicide at a VA facility this month – and more than a dozen lawmakers from both parties called for more to be done to prevent veteran suicides at a rare, joint press conference on Capitol Hill.

The Cleveland death happened outside the facility's emergency room around 3 a.m., according to Melissa Bryant, chief policy officer at Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, who was briefed on the incident.

VA officials declined to release details about what happened, citing privacy regulations. In a statement provided to USA TODAY, they offered "deepest condolences... to the loved ones affected by this death." read more here

⥅Well, the reporters paid attention to the two veterans who committed suicide in Georgia...then the one in Texas. They missed the one in Florida and they missed the one who had been delivered to the VA by Jimmy Johns earlier, in Columbus. Oh, but his death was at Columbus Community Health emergency department in the parking lot.

So exactly when will the "one too many veteran" commit suicide before things change?