The Veteran Thread

[*Anya*]

US Marines get first female infantry officer

26 September 2017

A female US Marine has made history by becoming the first woman to complete the Corps' famously gruelling infantry officer training.

The lieutenant, who wants to keep her identity private, graduated in Quantico, Virginia, on Monday.

She will soon be assigned to lead a 40-strong platoon.

Marine Corps commandant Gen. Robert Neller tweeted a picture of the woman, saying he was "proud of this officer & her fellow leaders".

There are almost 1.4 million active duty troops in the US armed forces, and about 15% are female.

In March 2016, then-President Barack Obama opened all military positions to women, including combat units.

The 13-week officer training course started in July with 131 Marines, and 88 ultimately graduated.

The Corps says it educates would-be officers in "the leadership, infantry skills, and character required to serve as infantry platoon commanders".

Traditionally around a quarter of all applicants miss the mark, 10% of them on the first day.

In an opinion piece for the New York Times, former Marine captain Teresa Fazio said the female officer would be a major asset in Afghanistan.

"Female troops are invaluable for searching houses and communicating with local women, gaining access to spaces and information that, because of local custom, male troops cannot get," she wrote.

The Marine Corps tweeted a video showing the female officer engaged in exercises in the mountains alongside her male counterparts.

She will now be sent to the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, California, for her first assignment.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41394646

[Greco]

Wishing all fellow Veterans on bfp a good day, today, tomorrow, and always.
I now that sounds weird, but have been thinking of all my friends, some
alive, more not, and how proud I feel to have served with them all.

Sgt. P...still wear the St. Christopher's medal, thank you for everything!
RIP



Greco

[girl_dee]

Thank you for your service! I appreciate your sacrifice!

[Greco]

dee, I thought long and hard about what I'm about to say.
Yes, I served and proudly, but, no ma'am I made no sacrifice.

I've had my 20's, 30's,40's, 50's, and now my 60's, but
generations of young men and women did not get the
chance to have these years, they sacrificed.
My best buds are heavy on my mind this afternoon.

dee, don't take this personally, I know you meant no
harm. I certainly do appreciate your sentiments.

Greco

Originally Posted by girl_dee

Thank you for your service! I appreciate your sacrifice!

[Greco]

Rolling Thunder Demonstration: Soldier's 4 Hour Salute

Greco

[Dean Thoreau]

When I was in the Air Force I was identified as a female...
I served during the viet nam era.
Not a very fun time to say the least.
We were not allowed to wear uniforms off base, as the civilians would harass, threaten and in some cased throw thing, eggs, bottles, etc.
Words did not was off and being called baby killer was a bit much.

When i eventually left the usaf, i never really talked about my years in service till over 20 years later, I got used to not mentioning it so i wiould not have to hear how horrible viet nam was by people who could not find it on the map.
I got tired of being looked at and treated like a monster because i joined during that time period.

Many folks who did not go overseass in a battle zone feel they did not sacrifice,,,let explain a few sacrifices we did make.
1. we joined while the war mongers did not.
2. stateside provides the support to our brothers and sisters in arms all over the world.
3. We all sacrificed our lives, by willingly becomeing military property for the number of years we served. We were not free to quit, take a vacation, leave, curse out a boss and quit, and in some cases say no.
4. Any biological female in the military is/was/continues to be subjected to sexual harrasment and intimidation; is at a greater risk for rape, and other forms of violence from her own,,,"friendly forces" than in some cases the onew we are at "war" with.
Those are a few of the sacrifices, to say nothing of women with children, whom have been called to active duty and must leave their little ones with freinds and family, etc etc

When we enlisted in the military, we made a decision to make sacrifices in service to our country, as well as our willingness to make the ultimate sacrifiec, death in service to our country. What no woman in the military agreed to was the sacrifice of her body, her identity, her self to be sexually, physically, psychologically, molested, harassed, or raped by anyone especially members of her own unit, branch or country.

sacrifice?
yes, i wllingly sacrificed much.
i also unwillingly sacrificed, my youth, my dignity, my body, my mind, and almost 50 years later, i can say i survived the friendly fire.....
with traumatic brain injury, ptsd, non functional parts, and a few replacements...
and at last i say im a vet, and i hear the words..thank you for your service....
I still can only nod....cause i am not sure if i had it to do over i would opt to serve, and be willing to sacrifice my life, for a country of war mongers that sent my friends to die in a country for the sake of...oil? precious metals? elements? not democracy, not honor, not to save civilian lives....but for oil, vendettas, corporate profits, boron, and other rare earth metals, no thanks, i woud opt out and not buy the batteries, ipads, laptops, etc...if i knew then it would keep my friends and neighbors and classmates that had no choice but were drafted and were sacrificed in viet nam, the gulf, afghanistan, iraq, DRC, etc. ALIVE...
Darn right, those computer goods have to high of a price,,and not willing to sacrifice this generation or the next for more toys!

[*Anya*]

VA knew for years about dangerous conditions at Washington, D.C., hospital

Donovan Slack, USA TODAY Published 10:00 a.m. ET March 7, 2018 | Updated 12:46 p.m. ET March 7, 2018

WASHINGTON — Department of Veterans Affairs officials at nearly every level knew for years about sterilization lapses and equipment shortfalls at the Washington, D.C., VA Medical Center, but they were either unwilling or unable to fix the problems, an inspector general's investigation found. The failures put patients at risk and squandered taxpayer dollars.

Local, regional and national officials had been informed of the issues repeatedly since 2013, but investigators concluded “a culture of complacency and a sense of futility pervaded offices at multiple levels.”

“In interviews, leaders frequently abrogated individual responsibility and deflected blame to others,” the investigation report says. “Despite the many warnings and ongoing indicators of serious problems, leaders failed to engage in meaningful interventions of effective remediation.”

The probe found clinicians put patients under anesthesia before realizing they didn’t have equipment to perform scheduled procedures. In some cases, they canceled and redid surgeries later. In others, they ran across the street to a private-sector hospital to borrow supplies during procedures.

Investigators also found more than 1,000 boxes of unsecured documents that contained veterans’ personal information — including medical records — in storage facilities, the basement and a dumpster.

The hospital paid exorbitant amounts for supplies and equipment, including $300 per speculum that could have been purchased for $122 each, and $900 for a special needle that was available for $250.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ion/396914002/