Friday, August 31, 2012

Because They Can...



Why Does The U.S. Government Treat Military Veterans Like Human Garbage?

August 29, 2012

The way that the U.S. government treats military veterans is absolutely disgraceful.  Men and women that have giveneverything for this nation are literally being treated like human garbage by their own government.  After watching how vets are treated, it is absolutely amazing that anyone is still volunteering to be a part of the military.  We pay those in the military like crap, we keep sending our best soldiers back to Afghanistan and Iraq again and again, we don't equip them properly, military suicides are at a record pace, hundreds of thousands of applications for veteran benefits are hopelessly backlogged, homelessness and unemployment among vets is much higher than for the general population, the condition of most VA hospitals is an absolute disgrace, and to top everything off now the Obama administration has started labeling military veterans as "potential terrorists".  What you are about to read should make you very angry.  The abuse, neglect and outright disrespect that military vets receive from their own government is absolutely shocking.  We owe these men and women a great debt for the service that they have performed for our nation, but instead the federal government kicks them to the curb and treats them with no honor whatsoever.  The way a nation treats military vets says a lot about the character of that nation, and right now the way that America treats veterans says that we have the character of a steaming pile of manure.
Multiple Tours Of Duty
The U.S. military just keeps sending young men and women back to Iraq and Afghanistan over and over again without any regard for what the consequences might be.
If you can believe it, an astounding 20 percent of all active duty soldiers in the U.S. Army are on at least their third tour of duty.
Many others have done four tours of duty or more.
The following is from a recent Christian Science Monitor article....
Some 107,000 Army soldiers have been deployed to war three or more times since 2001, or some 20 percent of the active-duty force. More than 50,000 of those currently in uniform have completed four or more combat tours, Army figures indicate.
The physical, mental and emotional toll of these multiple tours of duty should not be underestimated.  It is absolutely unprecedented in U.S. history for so many men to be sent back into frequent combat situations so repeatedly.  The price of this foolishness could potentially be felt throughout our society for decades to come.
Record Number Of Suicides
The fact that many of our soldiers are spending way too much time in active war zones is a big reason why military suicides are at a record pace so far in 2012.
The stress of combat duty builds up over time.  The physical, mental and emotional fatigue that comes with serving in combat is immense.  Many soldiers see their marriages end, and others are left with severe physical and mental disabilities.
At some point many serving in the military cannot take it anymore and they commit suicide.
During the month of July, there were 56 suicides in the U.S. military in just 31 days.
That is absolutely disgraceful, but very little is being done about the underlying causes of these suicides.
Paying To Get Your Medal?
Many U.S. soldiers return home from war only to find that they are being billed by their own government.
One soldier even discovered that he was going to have to pay a 21 dollar shipping fee to get his Purple Heart.  The following is from the Huffington Post....
War comes with an incalculable human cost. And apparently a shipping fee of about $21.
Retired Sgt. Major Rob Dickerson says that's the price he was forced to pay when his Purple Heart -- the medal issued to soldiers wounded in action -- arrived at his door, C.O.D.
Instead of being awarded the military honor in a formal ceremony, the vet with 29 years in the service was handed his award, and a shipping invoice, by a FedEx deliveryman outside his Sioux Falls, S.D., home.             read on..

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