The Veteran Thread

[socialjustice_fsu]

Thank you to every Veteran.
You gave so much.
You gave to many.
You fought for the freedom that surrounds us.
You have been "The Greatest Generation."
You are the Brave.

You are not forgotten.


A special thanks to my precious father who fought in the Korean Conflict and the Pacific Theater. I treasure your loyalty to this Land.

[Greyson]

Thank you to all the Veterans. I remember my first Remeberance Day in Canada. I was very touched by seeing so many wear the poppy and it was the first time I heard "Flanders Field."

Today I will be going to the Veteran's Cemetary in Dixion, Ca. It will be an honor to place flowers on the grave of my step-father. He is an Army veteran and fought in WWII. My mother is interned there too.

I come from a long line of American Veterans and I am humbled by the service so many have given freely and with pupose.

[Nadeest]

I had an interesting time, tonight at Golden Corral. They had seated a fellow Marine and his partner with my friend and I, and during the convo, he asked me where I did my boot camp at. Either he wasn't paying attention, or I looked rather male to him, as I told him that I did my boot camp at MCRD San Diego. What is funny, for all the non-Marines out there, reading this, is that Women Marines are only given their basic training (boot camp) at MRCD Parris Island. Fortunately, nothing bad happened, and he did not say a word about it, to me.

[theoddz]

Originally Posted by Nadeest

I had an interesting time, tonight at Golden Corral. They had seated a fellow Marine and his partner with my friend and I, and during the convo, he asked me where I did my boot camp at. Either he wasn't paying attention, or I looked rather male to him, as I told him that I did my boot camp at MCRD San Diego. What is funny, for all the non-Marines out there, reading this, is that Women Marines are only given their basic training (boot camp) at MRCD Parris Island. Fortunately, nothing bad happened, and he did not say a word about it, to me.

Heh.....I got a chuckle out of that!!! You know, since my own transition, it's been up to me, pretty much, to reveal that I once served as a Woman Marine, but that's something I'm pretty proud of. Every great once in awhile, when I'm at work (I work with Veterans, as you know), there might be someone (a patient) I'll "out" myself to, but it's always been in the spirit of pride and also a bit of trust in the person I'm revealing myself to. Veterans, as a group, tend to be on the "conservative" side, so I generally don't take the chance that my revelation will be met with a positive response unless the conversation comes up and I've had quite a bit of interaction with a patient and I get the feeling that they are more liberal-minded than not.

I do understand and have also experienced that bit of nervousness that you have probably also gotten in some situations, though. The Marine Corps has always had the reputation of being an "ol' boys' club, a "man's world" and "no place for a woman". If women served in the Marine Corps in years gone by, they were assumed by society (and male Marines) to be whores, lesbians or "out to get a husband". I think that's changing, though, as attitudes change, however slowly, and women begin to take on more roles (combat related, mostly) in the Marine Corps. As for me, well, I've gotten remarks like "You're proof that the Marine Corps can make a man out of anyone.", to which I respond with, "Yep, and a better man out of some than others". I seriously and profoundly admire your courage and spirit in being who you are while still maintaining such remarkable pride in the uniform that you served in. I'm proud to be your brother.

I know what you're talking about, though, and that certain "questioning" or period of apprehension that people like you and me go through when confronted with some aspects of our past. I'm a Lifetime Member of the Woman Marines Association, and I'd love to go to one of their national conventions, which are held each year, and serve to bring Women Marines of all generations together. I'd love to go, but I won't. I'm kind of ashamed to say that I don't have the courage to go, at this point in time (). I'm working it up, though. I'll go to one, one of these days.

Anyway, all that said, I want to assure you that I'm very proud to share The Title and the legacy with you. After all, you're the one who made it up "Mount M*therF*cker", not me!!!!!

My hat's off to you!!!

Semper Fi,

~Theo~

[Nadeest]

Originally Posted by theoddz

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Anyway, all that said, I want to assure you that I'm very proud to share The Title and the legacy with you. After all, you're the one who made it up "Mount M*therF*cker", not me!!!!!

My hat's off to you!!!

Semper Fi,

~Theo~

That is one of the hazards of being a 'Hollywood Marine'. :P

[Greyson]

Number of veterans who die waiting for benefits claims skyrockets

Long wait times contribute to delays of tens of thousands of benefits, pensions


By Aaron Glantz on December 20, 2012 - 12:00 a.m. PST


Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, said the data confirmed the worst fears of many veterans and members of Congress.

“The common refrain we hear from many veterans is, ‘Delay, deny, wait till I die,’ ” said Miller, who called the burgeoning backlog of benefits claims a “national embarrassment.”

Nationwide, about 900,000 veterans and their families have been waiting about nine months for a decision on their claims, with those in America’s major urban areas waiting the longest. As of October, the most recent month for which numbers are available, the average wait time for a veteran was 15 months in Chicago, 16 months in New York and a year and a half in Los Angeles.

http://www.baycitizen.org/veterans/s...eid=23f9563460

[theoddz]

Thanks for posting that, Greyson. It is a national travesty that our Veterans have to wait so long to get the benefits that we've earned. It always seems like the nation/political system is forever ready to get us involved in armed conflict, yet is never ready or prepared to take care of us, once the Veteran returns. The VA was in really shabby condition and completely unprepared to care for the Veterans of Vietnam. Again, we see nearly the same and even worse with the VBA (Veterans Benefit Administration) this time around, with OIF/OEF Vets.

I can tell you, from my own personal experience of obtaining my benefits, it is a long, long, lengthy process and most times, nearly every Veteran is denied the first time their claim is presented to the Adjudication Board. A Vet could roll in to the VA as an amputee who had his/her legs blown off in battle and the VA would look at them and say, "No, that isn't service-connected". You know why they do that?? Because they know that there will be a certain percentage of Veterans who will just give up and go away, and that saves the VA a lot of money. Another thing the Adjudication system just LOVES to do, when processing a claim, is to "remand" it and send it back to get "more information". Before the VA and DoD became computerized, it took a LOT longer for this to happen. It took me 12+ years to finally get my full benefits, and that was waaaaaaay too long!!! It just breaks my heart to see our service men and women have to fight the VA like they must in order to get their benefits.

The key to finally getting one's VA benefits/compensation is persistence. You just have to keep at them and keep filing the "Notice of Disagreement" each and every time the claim is denied. Don't give up. Oh, and it also helps a LOT if you get a Service Officer (AMVETS, DAV, American Legion, VFW) to work your claim for you. These guys are provided by their organizations, free of charge to Veterans, for the sole purpose of filing and processing disability claims. They are available at ALL VA Medical Centers and at some clinic locations. Some require appointments and some do walk-in's. If you're trying to get help from these people, call your main VAMC phone number and ask to be connected, or for the phone number, of one of the Service Officers. Don't try to process your claim by yourself. The process is confusing and tends to require many time deadlines. These guys keep track of these things for the Veteran, and most of the time, they have "connections" at the Adjudication Boards that can sometimes speed things up a lot.

Thanks again, Greyson, for posting this!!!!

~Theo~