From The Outside Looking In

I received this in my email and it is an article well worth reading, even if it had been a hoax, though I believe it to be real. It would be nice if those who are causing disturbances in front of recruiter's offices, etc., would go to a different country and look in - maybe then they, too, would appreciate what America has.

The following is from the email:

Read this excerpt from a Romanian Newspaper. The article was written by Mr. Cornel Nistorescu and published under the title "C"ntarea Americii, meaning "Ode To America ") in the Romanian newspaper Evenimentulzilei "The Daily Event" or "News of the Day"

~An Ode to America ~

Why are Americans so united? They would not resemble one another even if you painted them all one color! They speak all the languages of the world and form an astonishing mixture of civilizations and religious beliefs.

Still, the American tragedy turned three hundred million people into a hand put on the heart.
Nobody rushed to accuse the White House, the Army, or the Secret Service that they are only a bunch of losers.
Nobody rushed to empty their bank accounts.
Nobody rushed out onto the streets nearby to gape about.
Instead the Americans volunteered to donate blood and to give a helping hand.

After the first moments of panic, they raised their flag over the smoking ruins, putting on T-shirts, caps and ties in the colors of the national flag. They placed flags on buildings and cars as if in every place and on every car a government official or the president was passing. On every occasion, they started singing:"God Bless America !"

I watched the live broadcast and rerun after rerun for hours listening to the story of the guy who went down one hundred floors with a woman in a wheelchair without knowing who she was, or of the Californian hockey player, who gave his life fighting with the terrorists and prevented the plane from hitting a target that could have killed other hundreds or thousands of people.

How on earth were they able to respond united as one human being? Imperceptibly, with every word and musical note, the memory of some turned into a modern myth of tragic heroes. And with every phone call, millions and millions of dollars were put into a collection aimed at rewarding not a man or a family, but a spirit, which no money can buy.

What on earth can unite the Americans in such a way?
Their land? Their history? Their economic Power? Money?
I tried for hours to find an answer, humming songs and murmuring phrases with the risk of sounding commonplace, I thought things over, I reached but only one conclusion... Only freedom can work such miracles.

Cornel Nistorescu

American Hero For America's Favorite Mom

Take a few minutes to check out the America's Favorite Mom contest. There are some heavy hitters in the running. Among my favorites is a mom who is in her second deployment, has three kids & hubby and is a cancer survivor - and has asked for no special favors. Wow! Click below to vote for Melinda G. or check out the America's Favorite Mom site.

United We Roll March 25 Show Schedule

Stardust Radio


UNITED WE ROLL WORLD TOUR SHOW

Tuesday March 25, 2008

3pm - 5pm Central DST

Show Lineup

Stardust Radio and the United We Roll show has been dedicated to supporting our troops, military families and Veterans through providing information on available assistance for our Heroes of Freedom and by providing an outlet for real news from those who see, breathe and live the news. We will be starting off our show by speaking live with SFC David A. Brissett, who is currently deployed in the Mideast and who is reaching us through our connection with DVIDSHub.net.

After our very long distance call, we will be talking with a stateside member of the Why We Serve program - Sr Petty Officer Ralph E Chavez - who has recently returned from his deployment to talk to us about his experiences in the military and
why he is still in the service.

Next, we will talk with a gentleman who is already part of our Stardust Family, Mr Emery McLendon of ARMAD. You HAM radio operators out there probably already know about ARMAD – but the rest of you are in for a very interesting report about a major event being put on by these enthusiasts to celebrate May – the official Military Appreciation Month.

Then we will be joined by an American businessman and military supporter, Mr Brian Dennard, who was recently out in Berkeley as the truly unbelievable events continue to unfold out there. It is hard to believe that town is in the USA. At least the USA that most of us know, respect and love. God bless our Marines and those who are there to support them! Be sure to visit Mr Dennard's website at www.brigadeamerica.com

We encourage everyone – each and every American – to take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way to stand up and speak out for the support of our military members & Veterans – and to speak out for efforts to keep the clean, respectable American life that most of us have known and loved. Stand up, speak out, BE SILENT NO MORE!

As with every show, if anyone would like to call in with any questions or comments during our show, our toll free # is 877-213-4329.

God Bless Our Troops! God Bless America!

Michael Yon Still Sending Real News Home

Michael Yon Still Living With Our Troops

Check out Michael’s new website at http://67.192.120.151/index.php

And be sure to keep up with his posts as he continues to live with and follow our troops in the MidEast.

Below is just an excerpt from his recent post on March 10th called “Guitar Heroes”:
MICHAEL YON
MOSUL, IRAQ
10 MARCH 2008


"Men crept in darkness to plant a bomb. They moved in an area where last year I was helping to collect fallen American soldiers from the battlefield.


Terrorists. The ones who murder children in front of their parents. The ones who take drugs and rape women and boys. The ones who blow up schools. The ones who have been forcibly evicted from places like Anbar Province, Baghdad and Baqubah by American and Iraqi forces. Terrorists are here now in Mosul. They call themselves al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). AQI cannot win without Baghdad, and cannot survive without Mosul. The Battle for Mosul is evolving into AQI’s last great stand...."


You need to read the rest of this post! If you want to know what is really happening in the MidEast, check out the real sources available to you – tune in to United We Roll each Tuesday 3pm - 5pm Central time and keep up with Michael’s writings - he is right there with our troops!


Stay safe, Michael, and all of our troops with whom you travel!
Stardust Radio Family

APF Helping Troops and Families With Pain Issues

American Pain Foundation Helping Troops and Families With Pain Issues

The American Pain Foundation has long been working on illnesses and injuries that result in chronic pain and the varying effects these have on our daily lives. Because of their expertise in this field, this association has been working closely on health care issues for our injured troops as the numbers of wounded and types of injuries have needed input from their field.

If you or your loved one is having pain issues, I would highly recommend that you check out this site and sign in for some of their online chats on pain issues. Below is an announcement of such a chat that just came out. I hope some of you will be able to take advantage of it.

God Bless,
Judi

PAIN AID CHAT

Online Chat with MICKE BROWN, BSN, RN
Director of Advocacy
American Pain Foundation


Tuesday, March 25th at 8:00 pm EST, come to APF’s PainAid chat with Micke Brown. The topic for the evening will be "Pain 101: An Introduction to Pain for Patients and Caregivers”. Would you like to have a greater understanding about what we currently know about pain, about the barriers to effective pain care and the current concepts around its management? Are you caring for a person with pain and would like to gain some insight? Micke Brown will share what she has learned in the clinical setting and reflect on lessons she has learned from those living with pain.

Micke Brown is the Director of Advocacy for the American Pain Foundation (APF) which is based in Baltimore, Maryland. Her responsibilities include coordinating APF publications, public outreach programs and cultivating relationships with community groups, networking with associations, thought leaders and decision-makers. She works closely with the Executive Director on policy issues that affect pain management and assists the Pain Information Center by serving as a clinical resource for public inquiries and contributing to publications.

Ms. Brown has been a registered nurse for over thirty (32) years with over fifteen (17) years experience as a pain management nurse, program coordinator, educator and advocate. She has served as a clinical nurse specialist, case manager and director of pain services during her tenure within the healthcare industry. Her public speaking experience is extensive to both professional and consumer audiences.

Micke is an active member of the American Society for Pain Management Nursing (ASPMN) and served as their President for 2003-2004. She was the President of the ASPMN Maryland chapter for 2005-2006, on the Board of Directors for the Hospice of Washington County in Maryland (from 1997-2002) and the Maryland Pain Initiative (2002 current). Ms. Brown is the 2006 recipient of the Richard S. Weiner Pain Education Fund Advocacy for People with Pain Award from the American Academy of Pain Management.

Join us for this lively and interesting discussion! There is limited space for this chat, so please go to the Military/Veteran Section of PainAid at http://discuss.painfoundation.org/login.aspx?&cboard=Military/Veteran ASAP for instructions on making reservations. If you do not already have a login name and password for PainAid, please go to http://painaid.painfoundation.org/Register.aspx. If you have previously registered with PainAid and have forgotten your password, go to http://painaid.painfoundation.org/ForgotPassword.aspx. Once you have a login name and password, you can go to http://discuss.painfoundation.org/login.aspx?&cboard=Military/VeteranChatSchedule&ReturnUrl for reservation instructions for the chat. If you have difficulty accessing PainAid or have any questions regarding reservations for this chat, please e-mail PA_Carolina@painfoundation.org for assistance.

Air Force Academy Cadet Says It So Well!

I received this as I am sure many of you did. In case you did not, I invite you to copy this, print it out and keep it handy. Whenever your sense of pride in our country or support for our troops seems to be running a little low, read this:

First year cadets at the Air Force Academy are allowed to leave the
Academy without penalty up through the end of first-year Christmas
break. Those who came back were assigned to write a paper on why they
chose to return.

Here is one young cadet's masterpiece, which has begun to be widely
publicized...
________________________________


Why return to the Air Force Academy after Winter Break?

So after our sunburns have faded and the memories of our
winter break have been reduced to pictures we've pinned on our desk
boards, and once again we've exchanged T-shirts and swim suits for
flight suits and camouflage, there still remains the question that every
cadet at U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs has asked themselves
at some point: Why did we come back? Why, after spending two weeks with
our family would we return to one of the most demanding lifestyles in
the country? After listening to our 'friends' who are home from State or
Ivy League schools chock full of wisdom about how our war in Iraq is
unjust and unworldly, why would we return? And after watching the news
and reading the papers which only seem to condemn the military's every
mistake and shadow every victory, why would we continue to think it is
worth the sacrifice of a normal college life?

Is it because the institution to which we belong is
tuition- free? Anyone who claims this has forgotten that we will, by
the time we graduate, repay the US taxpayer many times over in blood,
sweat, and tears. Is it because the schooling we are receiving is one of
the best undergraduate educations in the country? While the quality of
the education is second to none, anyone who provides this as a main
reason has lost sight of the awesome responsibility that awaits those
who are tough enough to graduate and become commissioned officers in
the U.S. Air Force.


I come back to the Academy because I want to have the
training necessary so that one day I'll have the incredible
responsibility of leading the sons and daughters of America in combat.
These men and women will never ask about my Academy grade point average,
their only concern will be that I have the ability to lead them
expertly; I will be humbled to earn their respect. I come back to the
Academy because I want to be the commander who saves lives by
negotiating with Arab leaders... in their own language.

I come back to the Academy because, if called upon, I
want to be the pilot who flies half way around the world with three
mid-air refuelings to send a bomb from 30,000 feet into a basement
housing the enemy... through a ventilation shaft two feet wide. Becoming
an officer in today's modern Air Force is so much more than just
command; it is being a diplomat, a strategist, a communicator, a moral
compass, but always a warrior first.

I come back to the Air Force Academy because, right
now, the United States is fighting a global war that is an 'away game'
in Iraq - taking the fight to the terrorists.

Whether or not we think the terrorists were in Iraq
before our invasion, they are unquestionably there now. And if there is
any doubt as to whether this is a global war, just ask the people in
Amman, in London, in Madrid, in Casablanca, in Riyadh, and in Bali.

This war must remain an away game because we have seen
what happens when it becomes a home game... I come back to the Academy
because I want to be a part of that fight.

I come back to the Academy because I don't want my
vacationing family to board a bus in Paris that gets blown away by
someone who thinks that it would be a good idea to convert the Western
world to Islam.

I come back to the Academy because I don't want the
woman I love to be the one who dials her last frantic cell phone call
while huddled in the back of an airliner with a hundred other people
seconds away from slamming into the Capitol building.

I come back to the Academy because during my freshman
year of high school I sat in a geometry class and watched nineteen
terrorists change the course of history live on television. For the
first time, every class currently at a U.S. Service Academy made the
decision to join after the 2001 terror attacks.

Some have said that the U.S. invasion of Iraq and
Afghanistan only created more terrorists... I say that the attacks of
September 11th, 2001 created an untold more number of American soldiers;
I go to school with 4,000 of them. And that's worth more than missing a
few frat parties.

Joseph R. Tomczak Cadet, Fourth Class United States Air
Force Academy "

(U.S. Senator Wayne Allard (R-Colorado) had Cadet
Tomczak's essay read into the Congressional Record, and at a meeting of
the Air Force Academy Board of Visitors he presented Cadet Tomczak with
a framed copy of the essay.)

Always Check All Paperwork For Accuracy!

This is a subject we have talked about many times on United We Roll - It is so very important for military members to keep accurate records and to be sure that any errors are corrected immediately - Do not wait for someone in the VA to fix your DD214!
***********************************************************************************


VA Watchdog dot Org - Printer Friendly Page
© V2.0 - CJ Website Design
www.cj-design.com


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


THOUSANDS OF VETS LOSE VA BENEFITS BECAUSE OF DISCHARGE PAPERWORK ERRORS

Many errors are caused by civilian contractors handling discharges, but DoD says

it's the vet's responsibility to see that DD-214 is correct.



Christopher M. Simmance’s passport shows the countries he was in when serving with the Army in the Middle East. (photo: Derek Gee / Buffalo News)



Story here... http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/283512.html

Story below:

-------------------------

Thousands of veterans lose health benefits because of paperwork errors

Correcting mistakes in discharge documents can be a bureaucratic nightmare

By Lou Michel NEWS STAFF REPORTER



Christopher M. Simmance helped keep the peace as an American soldier in the Middle East, but when he returned home and later suffered a breakdown, he was turned away from the VA hospital because the government didn’t acknowledge his overseas duty.

Dana Cushing as a Marine served two tours of duty in Iraq and a third in east Africa, but when she returned home, she found herself labeled a “conscientious objector” and also was denied medical care by the government.

Simmance is one local veteran among roughly 2,000 across the country trying to get corrected incomplete or inadequate discharge papers. Cushing only recently got hers corrected after trying for a year. The result is that many now face a bureaucratic nightmare that prevents them from getting the health benefits they are entitled to receive.

The Army alone has a backlog of 1,890 veterans seeking corrections on their discharge papers, and some have been waiting for three years, accord- ing to the U.S. Department of Defense. Many other veterans probably have faulty discharge papers but don’t know it because they have not sought benefits.

Efforts are being made to speed up the corrections on faulty discharge papers, Army officials said.

But it can’t come quick enough for Simmance, the City of Tonawanda Army veteran who ended up broke and homeless late last year after he suffered service-related psychological problems and was unable to get help because of his faulty discharge paper.

“I lived on my parents’ couch for a couple months, but it was a cramped living space and I couldn’t stay there. I went to the Little Portion Friary and then to the City Mission,” said Simmance, who finally found permanent lodging in a subsidized apartment a few weeks ago.

The 31-year-old entered a free fall in 2006, when he started experiencing service-related mental illness. He lost a $65,000-a-year job, his apartment and his truck while living in Seattle.

When he returned home to Buffalo Niagara and sought help from the local Veterans Affairs office, he said he was told his discharge papers were not in order and he was ineligible for help. Simmance said he was turned down twice for treatment at the VA’s Batavia residential facility for post-traumatic stress disorder.

“The kicker is, I have my official U.S. military passport with all the stamps of the countries I was in overseas, and the Batavia hospital didn’t even want to look at it,” he said. “I served in the Middle East in 2001 with an international peacekeeping force and saw combat.”

He says he continues to wait for a corrected version of his discharge papers — a wait that started seven months ago and shows no sign of ending soon.

Issue called disgraceful

Simmance’s story highlights the struggles of other local veterans who have had difficulty receiving medical and disability benefits from the VA.

Upset over the clerical errors veterans face after serving overseas, often in combat situations, several veterans advocates and public officials met recently at Rep. Louise Slaughter’s office in Niagara Falls to discuss clearing up the backlog.

“It is absolutely unacceptable and, frankly, disgraceful that any veteran would be delayed or denied the benefits they earned after putting their life on the line in service to our country,” said Slaughter, DFairport. “Veterans must be shown nothing less than the same commitment that they showed to us.”

Errors are occurring more frequently on discharge papers, known as DD214 forms, because the work is often farmed out to civilians, according to Patrick W. Welch, director of Erie County’s Department of Veterans Services.

“In the olden days, it was usually military records personnel who were processing you out. They were active duty military people. They had a better feel for what you were entitled to and they would ask questions,” said Welch, a Vietnam veteran.

Civilians who never served in the armed forces, he said, are more likely to make mistakes.

“So as they’re looking through records, they do not properly interpret service,” said Welch, who has worked as an advocate for years and has assisted many vets in correcting their discharge papers.

“The other part of it is that, when they are processing you out, the person leaving just wants to get his paperwork and get out and may not notice errors,” he said. “Quite frankly, I don’t know of any veteran whose DD214 form is 100 percent accurate.”

Military officials, contacted by The Buffalo News, said those leaving the armed forces should carefully check their records because they are in the best position to know if the papers are complete and accurate.

“That’s not true. This is your very first DD214, so how do you know what to look for? On top of that, you don’t know what the code numbers stand for. Unless you work with those codes daily, you don’t know what they mean,” said Ronal R. Bassham, a veterans advocate for United Auto Workers Region 9.

But the Defense Department says it is the service member’s responsibility to make sure everything is in order.

“It’s important to note that the soldier is responsible for reviewing the DD214 and ensuring it is accurate before he/she signs. The soldier is his/her own best defense against DD214 errors,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Withington of the Defense Department.

The errors often aren’t noticed until weeks or months and sometimes even years later, according to advocates.

And the consequences can be devastating.

Veterans suffer

When a veteran later seeks benefits at the Department of Veterans Affairs, a worker looks over the discharge paper listing campaign ribbons, Purple Hearts, notations of overseas service and other evidence the veteran experienced combat or served in a war zone, Welch said.

Without that paper or with an incomplete or faulty discharge paper, he said, “you’re denied services.”

Joseph P. Shydlinski, commander of the Disabled Veterans organization in Kenmore, is also very familiar with the problems caused by inaccurate discharge papers.

“Vets have to go back to the Department of Defense, and half the time the department doesn’t want to listen and there is a hell of a backlog,” said Shydlinski, another Vietnam veteran. “Sometimes the vets get lucky and get it fixed in a day or two, other times it can take months. In the meantime, the veterans are suffering because they are not being properly treated at the VAs.”

That’s what happened to Cushing, the former Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq and a third with an antiterrorism unit in east Africa.

Cushing is a Canadian by birth who enlisted in the Marines to gain U.S. citizenship more quickly.

Home and savings lost

But when she left the service and began suffering health problems related to her military duty, she was denied benefits because of clerical errors on her discharge papers. She ended up living in her car last summer before getting enough money to pay for an inexpensive apartment on Buffalo’s West Side.

Despite her combat service and military citations, she left the Marines with discharge papers that listed her as a “conscientious objector.” She didn’t see the mistake because it was in a code she said she did not recognize.

“We basically hand the American government a blank check with a value of up to our life,” she said.

“In my case,” Cushing added, “the value of that check is I’ll never walk unassisted again, I have wicked PTSD, asthma that will kill me quicker than smoking, radiation exposure from depleted uranium. I’m being watched for skin cancer and soft tissue cancer and I have chronic intestinal problems.”

She was finally able to get her discharge papers amended after 50 weeks, a shorter wait, Cushing noted, than most.

But in the meantime, she burned through her life savings, $20,000, ran up $7,000 in copayment medical bills that the VA refuses to reimburse, and lost her home early last year.

She says she still can’t get over the bureaucracy and how it ends up harming veterans.

Another woman who shares Cushing’s opinion is Tracy Kinn, a New York State veteran counselor highly regarded among several local veterans.

Kinn said she does not believe military employees maliciously make errors in the discharge papers. Instead, she blames it on a lack of knowledge.

“It’s pure ignorance in training, staffing and rushing them along. There are so many veterans and there aren’t enough people to take care of their needs,” Kinn said.

Like other veteran advocates, Kinn says it is not uncommon for her to catch errors in discharge papers.

“It’s crazy. How do you leave something off like a citation [medal]? I sent in a correction last June for notation of a Purple Heart on discharge papers, and we’re waiting for the correction to come through,” Kinn said.

Without a combat medal, she added, the onus is on the veteran to prove he or she suffers from post-traumatic stress from military-related service in order to get medical help or disability benefits.

Veterans, she added, may not have directly participated in a battle, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, but that does not preclude them from witnessing and experiencing wartime horrors.

Legislation mulled

To help veterans work through the bureaucracy, State Sen. George D. Maziarz, who attended the Niagara Falls meeting, said legislation that would require county veterans services workers to review amended discharge forms might help speed up the process.

“Maybe we should look at legislation that would require county veteran services officers to at least offer the ability to come in and review a veteran’s documents,” the Newfane Republican said. “A review by an expert may avoid delays in getting benefits that are rightfully due.”

The organizer of the Niagara Falls meeting, Robert Saunderson, said its purpose was to draw attention to the problems veterans are facing with faulty discharge papers.

“We’re trying to raise awareness in a unified advocacy,” said Saunderson, a Town of Niagara resident and volunteer with the Iraq War Veterans Organization headquartered in California.

A follow-up meeting is set for early April to determine if improvements have occurred. The meeting will include advocates and local VA officials.



lmichel@buffnews.com

-------------------------

posted by Larry Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Printed from: http://vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfFEB08/nf022508-3.htm