Veteran Tribute

Hosted By Sarge the Poet

When I think of veterans...

I think of my friend who was wounded in Vietnam. He may not have wanted to go, but his country called him, and he went -- and faced atrocities that make Hollywood movies look tame. Men died in his arms and left their last wishes in his breaking heart. He came home and was spit on by liberal democrats. He works for freedom to this day.

I think of my neighbor who flew choppers in Nam. He'd spend 12 sweaty hours a day getting supplies to ground troops in hot zones, often under fire, try to sleep, and get up and do it again. He buried friends who knew a kind of love only a combat veteran will ever know. When he meets fellow vets who survived the same conflict, they have an instant bond that requires no words.

I think of my friend who spent years at sea, in and out of hostile ports, while his newborn son grew up far away from his loving eyes and arms.

I think of a member of our gun rights organization stationed halfway around the world who said he joined because he wants some rights to come home to.

I think of my grandfather, who was at one point tasked with picking up body parts after bloody World War II battles. When he got home, my mother was nearly four years old. Grandma said my young mother was "afraid of the big, male stranger."

I think of the young woman nurse who tended tattered soldiers in Korea until an enemy mortar disintegrated everything in sight of the makeshift hospital. She foreswore starting a family until she got back, which never happened.

I think of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who died fighting Hitler and his scummy allies and how there are people in America today trying to put the same kinds of policies in place that made a Hitler possible.

I think of people living in America who hate the military but don't mind living under the umbrella of protection they provide. They don't stop to think about the fact that there are countries where badmouthing the military publicly will get you killed by the government -- and that our military keeps that very government at a distance and keeps a watchful eye on them.

I think of the countless grandmothers, mothers, sisters and daughters who've cried, their souls in pieces, as their servicemen loved ones paid the ultimate price defending a freedom many "Americans" not only take for granted but seem willing to kill or let die.

I think of a fine human being I knew who wasted away from cancer and assorted horrid nervous system maladies due to mustard gas poisoning. He was still getting abused by liberal democrats 20 years after returning from Vietnam for having done what his country asked him to do. He never once spoke badly of them; he said it was their right to hate him and say so.

I think of the thousands of Gulf War Veterans who were subjected to chemical weapons and came back, got sick and in countless cases died as a result of what many now call Gulf War Illness -- and I think of the federal government's blatant coverup of the whole entire tragic fiasco.

I think of the dead on the U.S.S. Cole attack, how people say we shouldn't have a presence in that anti-America hostile territory -- the same people who watched Islamic freaks crash planes into the World Trade Center but who believe our nation should do nothing in retaliation, merely because the cowards behind the act didn't have the guts to stand up and take responsibility.

I think of a few hundred firemen and policemen in New York City and see those men and women -- marching toward a building from which everyone else ran as fast as they could -- as veterans of a war brought to our shore. And I think of their families and friends -- and the many children left behind in the wake of their passing. And I wish those pilots had been armed that day.

I think of what you can find at most any VFW post: men who lost limbs, men who lost friends and family, men who've lost families because they couldn't put the pieces together when they got back. Men who died on the battlefield but came back anyway, because they were still breathing. And men who just want to be around other men who understand.

I think of the cop who'd previously served aboard a naval vessel in places many of us would never want to go even if all expenses were paid. As a police officer, his job was confronting the city's pain, and he did it without complaining. I think of the Medal of Honor he should have gotten for the child he rescued from a perverted, violent kidnapper even though it meant he had to take two bullets and lose partial use of an arm for life.

I think of the great leaders throughout American military history -- heroic, and unsung -- who've innovated and agitated to make sure fewer visits had to be paid to worried mothers whose worst nightmares had just come true.

I think of all of the dog tags sitting on the bottom of all of the oceans and seas of the world that have real names on them.

I think of the colonial mothers who gave not only their husbands but all of their sons -- because they had to fight for the Republic.

I think of the men under General Washington who literally ate boot leather to keep from starving to death but got up and fought on when it was time, their frozen bodies aching for freedom.

And I think of all of our domestic servicemen and women who've never officially served in the armed forces but who stand armed and at the ready in the unorganized militia clearly and officially enumerated in Title 10, Section 311 of the U.S. Code. They work feverishly with spare time and money to assure that their rifle skills aren't needed here, that the fascists, socialists and outright communists in America fail in their obvious missions to undermine everything that makes America unique unto all the world. The unorganized militiamen and women are the modern domestic guard, and they perform their thankless tasks while the media tries to paint them as downright evil -- even though the spirit that drives them is one of overriding love for all that is good.

Being a veteran is ultimately about defending freedom, and freedom is ultimately about rights. In the war being waged against rights in America, there are many who labor and toil to defend our most sacred of rights: the right to defend ourselves, our families, our communities, and, if need be, our very liberties. The last word on liberty's defense was enshrined in the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights. Let us pray we use our First Amendment rights so effectively as to never have to resort to the Second -- but let us remember why the Second was really put in place. And let Liberty's Enemies remember it, too.

There are no words one can offer to the veterans who've already paid with their lives for Freedom; they are gone from us, their gifts cherished. Their presence lives in their descendants, and their spirits touch us all. May we remember them -- and put their ultimate price to work to extend their message.

As for today's servicemen and women and those retired from active duty who still live, one can only hope you have people in your life who will look you in the eye, embrace you with warmth and genuine enthusiasm and say something that conveys deep gratitude and appreciation. We salute you on this fine day and count you as a 21st century patriot.

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Subject: FW: Important information for veterans!

ALL VETS SHOULD COPY THIS AND KEEP IT WITHIN REACH.


Someone has gone to a lot of trouble. If this helps one person, then it was worthwhile. Please pass this on to all Veterans on you e-mail list.

Below are web-sites that provide information on Veterans benefits and how to file/ask for them. Accordingly, there are many sites that explain how to obtain books, military/medical records, information and how to appeal a denied claim with the VA. Please pass this information on to every Veteran you know. Nearly 100% of this information is free and available for all veterans, the only catch is: you have to ask for it, because they won't tell you about a specific benefit unless you ask for it. You need to know what questions to ask so the right doors open for you and then be ready to have an advocate who is willing to work with and for you, stay in the process, and press for your rights and your best interests.


Appeals http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/
admin21/m21_1/mr/part1/ch05.doc 
Board of Veteran's Appeals http://www.va.gov/vbs/bva/ 
CARES Commission http://www.va.gov/vbs/bva/ 
CARES Draft National Plan http://www1.va.gov/cares/page.cfm?pg=105 
Center for Minority Veterans http://www1.va.gov/centerforminorityveterans/ 
Center for Veterans Enterprise http://www.vetbiz.gov/default2.htm
Center for Women Veterans http://www1.va.gov/womenvet/ 
Clarification on the changes in VA healthcare for Gulf War Veterans http://www.gulfwarvets.com/
ubb/Forum1/HTML/000016..html 
Classified Records - American Gulf War Veterans Assoc http://www.gulfwarvets.com/
ubb/Forum18/HTML/000011.html
Compensation for Disabilities Associated
with the Gulf War Service  http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/
admin21/m21_1/part6+/ch07.doc 
Compensation Rate Tables, 12-1-03 http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Rates/comp01.htm

Department of Veterans Affairs Home Page

http://www.va.gov/ 

Directory of Veterans Service Organizations http://www1.va.gov/vso/index.cfm?template=view 
Disability Examination Worksheets Index, Comp  http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Benefits/exams/index.htm
Due Process http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/
admin21/m21_1/mr/part1/ch02.doc
Duty to Assist http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/
admin21/m21_1/mr/part1/ch01.doc 
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations http://www.gpoaccess.gov/ecfr/ 
Emergency, Non-emergency, and Fee Basis Care http://www1.va.gov/opa/vadocs/fedben.pdf 
Environmental Agents http://www1.va.gov/environagents/ 
Environmental Agents M10
http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/
ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1002 
Establishing Combat Veteran Eligibility http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/
ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=315 
EVALUATION PROTOCOL
FOR GULF WAR AND IRAQI FREEDOM
VETERANS WITH POTENTIAL EXPOSURE
TO DEPLETED URANIUM (DU)
http://www1.va.gov/gulfwar/docs/

DUHandbook1303122304.DOC  and

 http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/
ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1158

See also, Depleted Uranium Fact Sheet http://www1.va.gov/gulfwar/docs/
DepletedUraniumFAQSheet.doc 
EVALUATION PROTOCOL FOR NON-GULF WAR VETERANS WITH POTENTIAL
EXPOSURE TO DEPLETED URANIUM (DU)
http://www1.va.gov/gulfwar/docs/
DUHANDBOOKNONGW130340304.DOC 
Fee Basis, PRIORITY FOR OUTPATIENT MEDICAL SERVICES AND INPATIENT HOSPITAL CARE http://www1.va..gov/vhapublications/
ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=206 

Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependants 2005 http://www1.va.gov/opa/vadocs/fedben.pdf  OR, http://www1.va..gov/opa/vadocs/current_benefits.htm 
Forms and Records Request http://www.va.gov/vaforms/ 
General Compensation Provisions http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title38/
partii_chapter11_subchaptervi_.html 
Geriatrics and Extended Care
http://www1.va.gov/geriatricsshg/ 
Guideline for Chronic Pain and Fatigue MUS-CPG http://www.oqp.med.va.gov/cpg/cpgn/mus/mus_base.htm 
Guide to Gulf War Veteran's Health http://www1.va.gov/gulfwar/docs/VHIgulfwar.pdf 
Gulf War Subject Index
http://www1.va.gov/GulfWar/page.cfm
?pg=7&template=main&letter=A 
Gulf War Veteran's Illnesses Q&As http://www1.va.gov/gulfwar/docs/
GWIllnessesQandAsIB1041.pdf 
Hearings
http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/
admin21/m21_1/mr/part1/ch04.doc 
Homeless Veterans http://www1.va.gov/homeless/ 
HSR&D Home http://www.hsrd.research.va.gov/ 
Index to Disability Examination Worksheets C&P exams http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/benefits/exams/index..htm 
Ionizing Radiation http://www1.va.gov/irad/ 
Iraqi Freedom/Enduring Freedom Veterans VBA http://www.vba.va.gov/EFIF/ 
M 10 for spouses and children < http://www1..va.gov/vhapublications/
ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1007 
M10 Part III Change 1 http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/
ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1008 
M21-1 Table of Contents http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/M21_1.html 
Mental Disorders, Schedule of Ratings http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/regs/
38CFR/BOOKC/PART4/S4_130.DOC 
Mental Health Program Guidelines http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/
ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1094 
Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers http://www.mirecc.med.va.gov/ 
MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Centers of Excellence http://www.va.gov/ms/about.asp 
My Health e Vet http://www.myhealth.va.gov/ 
NASDVA.COM http://nasdva.com/ 
National Association of State Directors
http://www.nasdva.com/ 
National Center for Health Promotion
and Disease Prevention http://www.nchpdp.med.va.gov/postdeploymentlinks.asp 
Neurological Conditions and Convulsive Disorders,
Schedule of Ratings
http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/
regs/38cfr/bookc/part4/s4%5F124a.doc
OMI (Office of Medical Inspector) http://www.omi.cio.med.va.gov/ 
Online VA Form 10-10EZ https://www.1010ez..med.va.gov/sec/vha/1010ez/ 
Parkinson's Disease and Related Neurodegenerative Disorders http://www1.va.gov/
resdev/funding/solicitations/docs/parkinsons.pdf 
and, http://www1.va.gov/padrecc/ 
Peacetime Disability Compensation http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=browse_usc&docid=Cite:+38USC1131 

Pension for Non-Service-Connected Disability or Death http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title38/
partii_chapter15_subchapteri_.html  and,

 http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title38/
partii_chapter15_subchapterii_.html 

and, http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title38/
partii_chapter15_subchapteriii_.html 

 

Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Home
 

Current 2 Sept 2010
Check here if any of the related links below are no good
as the VA is redoing the Website Again.

Persian Gulf Registry http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/
ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1003 
This program is now referred to as Gulf War Registry Program (to include Operation Iraqi Freedom) as of March 7, 2005: http://www1..va.gov/vhapublications/
ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1232 
Persian Gulf Registry Referral Centers http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/
ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1006 
Persian Gulf Veterans' Illnesses Research 1999,
Annual Report To Congress
http://www1.va.gov/resdev/1999
_Gulf_War_Veterans'_Illnesses_Appendices.doc 
Persian Gulf Veterans' Illnesses Research 2002,
 Annual Report To Congress
http://www1.va.gov/resdev/prt/
gulf_war_2002/GulfWarRpt02.pdf 
Phase I PGR http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/
ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1004 
Phase II PGR http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/
ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1005 
Policy Manual Index http://www.va.gov/publ/direc/eds/edsmps.htm 
Power of Attorney http://www.warms.vba..va.gov/
admin21/m21_1/mr/part1/ch03.doc 
Project 112 (Including Project SHAD)
http://www1.va.gov/shad/ 
Prosthetics Eligibility http://www1.va.gov/
vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp
?pub_ID=337 
Public Health and Environmental Hazards Home Page http://www.vethealth.cio.med.va.gov/ 
Public Health/SARS
http://www..publichealth.va.gov/SARS/ 
Publications Manuals http://www1.va.gov/
vhapublications/publications.cfm?Pub=4 
Publications and Reports http://www1.va.gov/resdev/prt/pubs_individual.cfm
?webpage=gulf_war.htm 
Records Center and Vault Homepage http://www.aac.va.gov/vault/default.html 
Records Center and Vault Site Map http://www.aac.va.gov/vault/sitemap.html 
REQUEST FOR AND CONSENT TO RELEASE OF INFORMATION FROM CLAIMANT'S RECORDS http://www.forms.va.gov/
va/Internet/VARF/getformharnform.xft
Research Advisory Committee
 on Gulf War Veterans Illnesses April 11, 2002 http://www1.va.gov/
rac-gwvi/docs/Minutes_April112002.doc 
Research Advisory Committee
on Gulf War Veterans Illnesses
http://www1.va.gov/rac-gwvi/docs/ReportandRecommendations_2004.pdf 
Research and Development
http://www.appc1.va.gov/
resdev/programs/all_programs.cfm 
Survivor's and Dependents' Educational Assistance http://www.access.gpo.gov/
uscode/title38/partiii_chapter35_.html 
Title 38 Index Parts 0-17
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?sid=1b0c269b510d3157fbf8f8801bc9b3dc&c=ecfr&tpl
=/ecfrbrowse/Title38/38cfrv1_02.tpl 
Part 18
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?sid=1b0c269b510d3157fbf8f8801bc9b3dc&c=ecfr&tpl
=/ecfrbrowse/Title38/38cfrv2_02.tpl 
Title 38 Part 3 Adjudication Subpart A
"Pension, Compensation, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=1b0c269b510d3157fbf8f8801bc9b3dc&tpl
=/ecfrbrowse/Title38/38cfr3_main_02.tpl 
Title 38
Pensions, Bonuses & Veterans Relief (also § 3.317 Compensation for certain disabilities
due to undiagnosed illnesses found here)
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=1b0c269b510d3157fbf8f8801bc9b3dc&tpl
=/ecfrbrowse/Title38/38cfr3_main_02.tpl
Title 38
PART 4--SCHEDULE FOR RATING DISABILITIES
Subpart B--DISABILITY RATINGS
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=ab7641afd195c84a49a2067dbbcf95c0&
rgn=div6&view=text&node=38:1.0.1.1.5.2&idno=38 
Title 38§ 4.16
Total disability ratings for compensation based on unemployability of the individual.
PART A "SCHEDULE FOR RATING DISABILITIES
Subpart à "General Policy in Rating http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid
=1b0c269b510d3157fbf8f8801bc9b3dc&rgn=div8
&view=text&node=38:1.0.1.1.5.1..96.11&idno=38 
U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims http://www.vetapp.gov/ 
VA Best Practice Manual for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) http://www.avapl.org/pub/
PTSD%20Manual%20final%206.pdf 
VA Fact Sheet http://www1.va.gov/opa/fact/gwfs.html 
VA Health Care Eligibility http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/home/hecmain.asp 
VA INSTITUTING GLOBAL ASSESSMENT OF FUNCTION (GAF) http://www.avapl.org/gaf/gaf.html 
VA Life Insurance Handbook ¬" Chapter 3 http://www.insurance.va.gov/inForceGliSite/GLIhandbook
/glibookletch3.htm#310 
VA Loan Lending Limits and Jumbo Loans http://valoans.com/va_facts_limits.cfm 
VA MS Research http://www.va.gov/ms/about.asp 

VA National Hepatitis C Program
http://www.hepatitis.va.gov/ 

VA Office of Research and Development http://www1.va.gov/resdev/ 

VA Trainee Pocket Card on Gulf War http://www.va.gov/OAA/pocketcard/gulfwar.asp 

VA WMD EMSHG http://www1.va.gov/emshg/ 
VA WRIISC-DC http://www.va.gov/WRIISC-DC/ 
VAOIG Hotline Telephone Number and Address http://www.va.gov/oig/hotline/hotline3.htm 
Vet Center Eligibility - Readjustment Counseling Service http://www.va.gov/rcs/Eligibility.htm 
Veterans Benefits Administration Main Web Page http://www.vba.va.gov/ 
Veterans Legal and Benefits Information
http://valaw.org/ 
VHA Forms, Publications, Manuals http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/ 
VHA Programs - Clinical Programs & Initiatives http://www1.va.gov/health_benefits/page.cfm?pg=13  
VHA Public Health
Strategic Health Care Group Home Page http://www.publichealth.va.gov/

 
VHI Guide to Gulf War Veterans Health
http://www1.va.gov/
vhi_ind_study/gulfwar/istudy/index.asp 

Vocational Rehabilitation http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/ 
Vocational Rehabilitation Subsistence http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/InterSubsistencefy04.doc 
VONAPP online

http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp 

WARMS - 38 CFR Book C http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/bookc.html 
Wartime Disability Compensation http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=browse_usc&docid=Cite:+38USC1110   
War-Related Illness and Injury Study Center - New Jersey http://www.wri.med.va.gov/ 
Welcome to the GI Bill Web Site http://www.gibill.va.gov/ 
What VA Social Workers Do http://www1.va.gov/socialwork/page.cfm?pg=3 
WRIISC Patient Eligibility http://www.illegion.org/va1.html 

Print this out and save it in your VA files. There may be a time for use in the future.



 

 

 

Flanders Visit

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^{The Call}

Apparition

Cry "Havoc!"

Sarge the Poet

a