Since I originally posted many more have passed away and budget cuts in veterans care continue. Based on the events that occurred yesterday at Ft. Hood I feel compelled to post again. Although the shooter was not a Wounded Warrior he apparently was impacted by the devastation of war. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to the victims families and those who were Injured. PTSD Not a day goes by that we do not hear of a tragic event involving a war veteran who returns home from the battlefield but loses their life back at home. Whats more sickening to me is that our politicians would love the dirty facts to remain obscure and out of the mainstream. I rarely use my page for political rants however this post may come across very political. Its intended to make us all take a moment and think. Look at some facts: 1. 1 out of 3 troops returning from war are diagnosed with serious PTSD. 2. Only 40% of those diagnosed with PTSD seek out treatment. 3. In 2008 suicide deaths among veterans surpassed that of combat related fatalities. Simply put more veterans took their life than were killed in battle. I didnt see that statistic on CNN in the daily death toll did you? 4. 1/3 of the homeless population in our nation is a veteran. Makes you think twice when you walk past them doesnt it? 5. For every soldier killed in Iraq or Afghanistan 25 veterans take their own life when they return home. There are even more staggering statistics related to divorce, domestic violence and the children of veterans suffering from the ails of multiple deployments and war. Experts state that the two major issues in dealing with PTSD is veterans willingness to be helped and the resources available to help when they return. My question is this; why are these are men and women who put their lives on the line for The United States of America being neglected by the very government they defended and represented? The question begs to be asked that if our government cannot or is unwilling to provide the resources, the treatment and rehabilitation for our men, women and families of our wounded warriors how are they going to take care of you and I through Universal Health Care? Take politics and put it aside, has the Government under any President, any Party since the Vietnam War taken care of its Heroes? The answer is no! Ironically the recent death of former Navy Seal and most prolific sniper in Military history was praised by some as live by the sword, die by the sword while the ex cop turned killer Chris Dorner was Martyred as a righteous man on a righteous quest. I am sorry but righteous quests dont involve shooting and killing innocent people because you were done wrong. Some have cried out that Dorner was entitled to Due Process which is true until you write a manifesto claiming that you will kill police where they stand and engage in a shoot out with them. There is a very strong opposing tide to change the very fabric of America away from a country that was built on faith, ingenuity, hard work, perseverance and assimilation of the worlds greatest people. Yes America was built by immigrants, in the early days most gladly sat online for days to be processed through Ellis Island. Unfortunately now our borders are not just crossed by individuals looking to better their lives and the lives of their family, they have criminal intent or no intention of becoming a United States Citizen but intend on getting the benefits of citizenship without paying the dues. Its not about Democrat or Republican either party will sell us down the river when it comes to election time. Its about America, what she once stood for, what she stands for now and what she will stand for in the future. We can be like every other country or we can be The United States of America, its not up to Congress or the President, its up to you and I to determine that. Ironically who used to be the most widely popular President John F. Kennedys famous lines Ask not what your country can do for you.... Would be mocked by most today. The further we travel away from our core values and faith, the further we dilute the American dream and the foundation that made this country and its people so blessed the closer we become to destruction. Regardless of your opinion, thank a soldier, thank their families, they know first hand the cost of Freedom, many have met with it face to face and face it daily when they look in the mirror and see the repaired skin from being burned or feel it when they walk in new prosthetic legs or hold their children with a prosthetic arm. The face it when they return home from deployment to any empty home and a Dear John letter. Many appear to be normal only to have a viscous storm brewing inside that they attempt to tame in a daily basis. Their families face it when the see a woman or man, a father, a mother, brother or sister changed forever. They paid the price and continue to do so. What have you or I paid? Just my Opinion James.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 13:29:20 +0000
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