Serving those who have served/are serving...

Normally I try to keep things light and semi-funny on this blog, but every once in a while something just gets under my skin - and this week has been a streak of related things that hit hard and deep...

As a veteran myself; the son of a veteran; the friend/brother/and now father of veterans; I find myself at a loss to explain some things that have occured this week...

First, my youngest (who just enlisted in the Marine Corp) came home from school - justifiably upset by something that occured in one of his classes at school. Basically, a teacher of his "The Bible as Literature" class, told the students that this war is BS and that the soldiers involved were nothing more than war mongering, baby murderers...

To his credit - he kept his temper in check and proceeded to systematically and logically refute her claims and make her aware that HE would not be tolerant of these things coming from a teacher... I could not have been prouder. Given that we live in a military town - whose economy is largely driven by the military base and DoD contractors that comprise the majority of the employers in the area - not to mention the actual soldiers and veterans that make up over 50% of the local communities - I would say that this teacher may wish to reconsider before voicing their 1960's, Vietnam war era rhetoric to their students in the future.

Next, I find that a friend's father (who is a WWII veteran) is in a nursing home that is costing his family thousands of dollars a month - will cost him his vehicles, the family home, the land the home sits on, and basically his entire life savings. Not to mention what it is costing his children and their families. Why is he not in a VA facility? Because there is a 2 year waiting list to get into one in our area... 2 years?!?!? This man has suffered multiple strokes - and sadly - may not last another 2 years... In 2 years - he will be destitute, his children will have spent thousands, and the insurance and Medicare, etc, will not have covered half of the cost.

This man - this SOLDIER - who served his country in one of the worst wars ever - is now being forced to suffer because our VA has "no room at the inn". This is how our country treats those that served? This is the level of our patriotism in the US? Oh, but wait, if he was an illegal immigrant? THEN he could get free healthcare via welfare? THEN he could get state and federal aid?

His children are working with the local VA office to get SOME kind of aid for him - but this is a long, tedious, process - full of paperwork and red-tape. By the time they see any aid at all - it will most likely be "too little - too late".

I am disturbed and sickened by these two items listed - as well as a multitude of others that I have seen over the years with regards to the men and women who have served/are serving in the US Armed Forces. An Army E5 (SGT) - makes a payscale that would entitle any civilian person to be able to receive state aid and food stamps... Yet they are expected to willingly protect and defend our country, our people, our rights, our FREEDOMS? The rights of people to abuse the system - to receive aid at levels they will never be able to have? The rights of our system / our people to forget them when they no longer choose to or are able to serve?

You don't have to agree with my opinion here - that is your right - and for 9 years - I stood guard to defend that right and the rights of all Americans. The following was the oath I took - and the oath that each enlisted soldier takes:

"I, (soldier's name), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

To this day - I live by this oath - even though I am no longer "serving actively". But I will also be a voice to "support and defend" my brothers and sisters in arms - past/present/or future.