on the lookout march 2010 busting out all over

Transcription

MARCH 2010
Volume 20, Number 03
ON THE LOOKOUT
Member Florida Press Association
AIRCRAFT OVER GUAM
U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress leads a
formation of two F-16 Fighting Falcons, two Japan
Air Self-Defense Force F-2 attack fighters, two
U.S. Navy EA-6B Prowlers and an E-2C Hawkeye
over Guam during Exercise Cope North, Feb. 15,
2010
U.S.A.F. photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey

A WHITE COAT FOR HONOR
U.S. Arrmy soldiers engage enemy forces during Operation Moshtarak in Badula Qulp, Afghanistan, Feb. 19, 2010.
The soldiers are assigned to the Company A, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment. The International Security
Assistance Force operation is an offensive mission being conducted in areas of Afghanistan prevalent in drugtrafficking and Taliban insurgency. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Efren Lopez
BUSTING OUT ALL OVER
Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia sits under
a white blanket after a storm dumped nearly 24
inches of snow on across much of the mid-Atlantic
region, Feb. 7, 2010. The cemetery was open Feb.
8, 2010, for scheduled funerals, but closed to
visitors.
Arlington National Cemetery photo by Kaitlin Horst

HOLDING BACK THE COLD
U.S. Army soldiers destroy an abandoned compound near Highway 1 in Hutal, Afghanistan, Feb. 18, 2010. The
soldiers are assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division's 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat
Team.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Dayton Mitchell
A VETERAN is someone who, at one point in his or her life,
Wrote a blank check made payable to the United States of
America for an amount of "up to and including their life"!
U.S. Soldiers with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion,
17th Infantry Regiment gather around a fire to stay
warm during an operation in the Helmand province
of Afghanistan Feb. 14, 2010.
(DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Efren Lopez, U.S. Air
Force/Released)
Veterans Post News
FIRST CLASS MAIL
1441 Dr MLK Jr Street South
U.S. Postage Paid
Saint Petersburg FL 33705
VeteransPostNews.com
Page 2
March 2010
Troops, Families Face Cuts In Services
Soldiers and their families on Army bases around
the country could see cutbacks in trash pick-up, lawnmowing and other services as the military tries to hold
down non-war spending while escalating the fight in
Afghanistan.
Even as total defense spending rises, the portion of
the Army budget dedicated to running its bases is
down 20 percent this year. The budgets for individual
bases are not yet final. But the proposed cuts vary in
size and run as deep as 40 percent at some major
installations, including Ft. Campbell, Ky., according
to the figures.
Ft. Campbell, the home of the 101st Airborne
Division, is considering eliminating lawn-mowing
and janitorial services and shortening hours at
recreation centers, Ft. Campbell spokeswoman Kelly
Tyler said. But that may not be enough, she said.
Some members of the military are worried money
will be pulled from programs that help spouses and
children cope with soldiers' repeated tours of duty in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
Army posts provide many of the services that
soldiers and their families have come to rely on,
including child and youth programs, continuing
education, dining and recreational facilities and help
with overcoming drug and alcohol abuse.
At Ft. Campbell, where about 17,000 soldiers are
leaving this year for Afghanistan, commanders have
been told that the operating budget for the current
fiscal year could drop 40 percent, from $177.5 million
last year to $106.5 million, Tyler said.
Cuts could be 39 percent at Ft. Stewart, Ga., 25
percent at Ft. Bragg, N.C., 22 percent at Ft. Drum,
N.Y., and 21 percent in Bamberg, Germany, the
figures show.
Suicide Rates For Veterans Increase
The suicide rate among 18- to 29-year-old men
who've left the U.S. military has gone up
significantly, the government said.
Data from 2007, the latest available, show the rate
increased 26 percent from 2005 to nearly 57 suicides
per 100,000 Veterans.
Vets Help Homeless Heroes In From Cold
At least 20 homeless Veterans spent the chilliest
nights of the cold snap in warm motel rooms in
Titusville, Fla., thanks to other Veterans who rallied
around National Veterans Homeless Support.
The effort drew homeless Veterans from the
woods, where many spend their nights in tents and
sleeping bags. "Nobody needs to be sleeping outside
when it's 28 degrees," said Bill Cox, who collected
money from other Veterans to pay for two nights at
the Super 8 Motel in Titusville. "I talked to our people
and got them another night."
Cox, a Vietnam Veteran who is president of Some
Gave All, which honors those who died in Iraq,
Afghanistan and other wars since Vietnam, is also a
member of VFW Rocket Post 4534 in Rockledge, Fla.
His organization and the VFW each paid for a night.
News For Veterans
George Taylor, president of National Homeless
Veterans Support said the group of homeless have
been in the Super 8, for 4 days and will remain there
until funds run out, or when temperatures get above
40 degrees.
Taylor, who relies on donations from organizations
and individuals to help homeless Veterans, said when
the weather turned cold he gathered some of the
homeless Veterans from the woods and took them to
shelters in Brevard County and Orlando. The shelters
quickly filled to capacity. "My last resort was the
motel," he said.
U.S. Army Veteran Kevin Youngman, 48, and his
girlfriend, Joanne Paez, 48, folded their hands and
prayed silently before digging into their steaming
bowls of soup. "We just thank the Lord for
everything. We are so blessed," said Youngman, who
camps in Cocoa. "This means the world to me."
Taylor said it is a difficult
time for the homeless
because of a lack of
employment. "One thing
when we came back from
Vietnam we had work,"
Taylor said. "Now there is
just no work."
Taylor said he'll continue
to help get some out of
homelessness and assist
those living in the woods in
Brevard
County.
The
greatest needs now include
tents and gasoline for
vehicles he uses to visit and
transport
the
Veterans.
"Homeless and Veteran
should not be used in the
same sentence," he said. "It
should not exist."
www.VeteransPostNews.com
last five years, Air Force leaders in November
delayed the effective date for the new scoring system
while implementing a hybrid approach that
incorporated the bi-annual testing cycle.
During the hybrid period, Air Force Reserve
airmen will fitness test 12 months after their 2009 test
date, then again 6 months later to progress to a biannual cycle. Air National Guard airmen on active
duty and drill status will fitness test 12 months after
their last 2009 test date.
The new fitness program has been reclassified from
a 10-series instruction to Air Force Instruction 362905, Fitness Program, and the new fitness standards
become effective for all airmen on July 1.
To learn more about the new fitness program and
view scoring components that become effective in
July, visit www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/affitnessprogram
USAF Transition to
New Fitness Program
As
airmen
begin
transitioning into the new
testing cycle this month,
officials worked to publish
the new U.S. Air Force
instruction to the Air Force
Publications Web site Jan.
12, with an effective date of
July 1.
Air
Force
officials
unveiled the new fitness
program in August while
still completing a rigorous
schedule to collect feedback,
coordinate the instruction
and publish it by its original
Jan.
1
target
date
Incorporating some of the
most significant changes to
the fitness program in the
The photo is of a billboard recently established on I-75 just South of Lake City. We gathered there today to celebrate its unveiling. The cost of 10 months rental of the
billboard and doing the artwork was $6500. We feel that is a reasonable cost to reach out to 1,000,000 vehicles per month and perhaps motivate their participation in
the electoral process to get our country on a sound footing.

T
h
e
Editorial
 
S
m
a
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P
r
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n
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How Did Criticism Get Racial?
By Phillip Meskin
10/03
We all have those moments when we give our
opinion, even when no one is asking… But when
someone asks you to tell them the truth, (Warning
Notice To Men, we are not talking about when a
woman wants your opinion on how they look, in that
situation there are only three responses and you should
memorize them all and remember to be enthusiastic
when you speak. 1. You look great! 2. You look
vibrant! 3. Wow! You are so special!) Now back to
telling the truth at other occasions.
When the recent Bush was President, he would
flub words from time to time and the world would
know about it, not from hearing him say it, but from
Leno, Letterman, Rivers, Barr and everyone from
news anchors to jock sport announcers. But when our
current prez speaks…
You got it, no one says anything, you know, like
the Emperor with no clothes on. Well in mid February
our pres, you know the Commander in Chief of the
most powerful Military Forces on Planet Earth… He
was making reading a speech from his teleprompter
and talking about this Navy Medic who did a brave
thing in Afghanistan. And in only one paragraph, just
two sentences he stated clearly three times that this
Brave Corpse-man, was out there saving lives. And
Corpse-man Jones did his best and shows by example
how all Corpse-men should be.
With a limited education our minds can only think
of four (4) types of Corpse-men. 1. Funeral Director.
2. Medical Examiner. 3. Army Ranger & 4. Marine
Recon. These are true Corpse-men.
So how come we never heard even one joke about
the prez’s blunder? Because the new rule is, telling the
truth of any kind to the current prez is just plain racial
hate. Two things will become of this.
First, there will be thousands of young men and
women joining the Navy to become Corpse-men…
But more importantly one day this summer, the
prez will walk across the water near the Lincoln
Memorial, he will be waist deep going through it, but
everyone, including the TV people who will record the
moment will tell you, he walked upon the water.
Dear Company Clerk,
I picked up a copy of the Veterans Post News while in
Ocala, Florida Nine Years ago. Been subscribing ever
since, so here is a check for the next Two years.
Keep up the good work.
Perry L. Bache
Dover, OH
Dear Company Clerk,
The Music Stopped! For those who are unaware: At
all military base theaters, the National Anthem is played
before the movie begins.
I attended a showing of 'Superman 3' here at LSA
Anaconda. We have a large auditorium we use for movies,
as well as memorial services and other large gatherings. As
is the custom at all military bases, we stood to attention
when the National Anthem began before the main feature.
All was going well until three-quarters of the way
through The National Anthem, the music stopped. Now,
what would happen if this occurred with 1,000 18-22 yearolds back in the States? I imagine there would be hoots,
catcalls, laughter, a few rude comments, and everyone
would sit down and yell for the movie to begin. Of course,
that is, if they had stood for the National Anthem in the
first place.
Here in Iraq, 1,000 Soldiers continued to stand at
attention, eyes fixed forward. The music started again and
the Soldiers continued to quietly stand at attention. But
again, at the same point, the music stopped. What would
you expect 1000 Soldiers standing at attention to
do? Frankly, I expected some laughter, and every one
would eventually sit down and wait for the movie to start.
But No!!... You could have heard a pin drop, while every
Soldier continued to stand at attention.
Suddenly, there was a lone voice from the front of the
auditorium, then a dozen voices, and soon the room was
filled with the voices of a thousand soldiers, finishing
where the recording left off: "And the rockets red glare,
the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that
our flag was still there. Oh, say does that Star Spangled
Banner yet wave, o'er the land of the free, and the home of
the brave."
It was the most inspiring moment I have had in Iraq and
I wanted you to know what kind of Soldiers are serving
you. Remember them as they fight for us!
Chaplain Jim Higgins
LSA. Anaconda, Iraq
Dear Company Clerk,
So whenever there is an update on the Fort Hood
Massacre, they keep saying the ‘alleged’ shooter… Am I
mistaken, but wasn’t there like 60 witness’s? People took
pictures with their cell phones of this nut job shooting
people willy nilly!
March 2010
Page 3
Why Terrorists Love Liberals
We get all kinds of letters here at the office, some
we can tell right away even before we open the
envelope that it will be a fun read.
Like the #10 envelope that had no sticky stuff on
it to seal it so the sender used 3” wide duct tape. Or
the envelope that comes to us stapled all the way
around the envelope, twice, to make sure it does not
get tampered with. (took us two hours and three band
aid to open that one)
Some folks add special items to the exterior of the
envelope to express their inner feelings, like perfume,
or cat urine, crayon drawings of sex parts, scotch
taped locket of hair, scotched taped rats tail, bird
feathers, shiny stickers with strange words and our
favorite… Glued insects.
But this months letter from a CAIR (council on
American Islamic relations) truly set our mind
spinning for they explained the truth about how the
feel about “Conservatives”.
It seems that Cair don’t like conservatives, as they
won’t give terrorists a second, third or fourth chance
to do bad things. Example…
Cair guy walks up to a liberal and slaps him in the
face. The Cair guy turns red and apologizes again and
again. Five minutes later he slaps the liberal again, he
gets down on his knees and begs forgiveness for his
weakness and his mindless behavior. The liberal
accepts his apology shakes his hand and they part.
The next day the liberal’s wife comes home and
explains that a Cair woman slapped her and
apologized profusely. That evening after dinner their
daughter tells of a similar situation with a Cair girl at
school.
The original Cair male is at the K-Mart and slaps a
conservative man and as the Cair guy starts to
apologize, the conservative beats the daylights out of
the extremist and leaves him half conscious on the
ground in his own blood.
That night and the next day, nothing happens to
the conservative’s wife or daughter.
You see, only with a liberal can Cair and others
like them, be out in the open and get away with all this
stuff. Oh, you can substitute the word terrorist for Cair
anywhere you like.
The guy is a mass murderer, but since we have to be
on egg shells whenever we talk about muslims or islamists,
What kind of screwed up idea is that? When a priest is a
rapist we point them out, why do I have to live in fear for
speaking the truth.
It does not matter if he was a visitor from another
planet, put that dog down! Yes he needed medical care for
when he was shot, but our government should have called
in a specialist to handle his medical care instead of those
other doctors.
Dr Kevorkian would have been my first choice. Of
course I would not have allowed any drugs… We all know
that drugs lead to bad things.
So is a frontal assault of truth the thing that terrorists,
extremists of the muslim and islamic faiths afraid of? Well
then, lets start the battle.
How come I never see one of those rare ‘Good’
Muslim or Islamic people jump up and stop the bad ones
from putting down landmines, IED’s, using children as
human shields, firing rockets at civilian homes, schools,
hospitals, church’s or strapping on a suicide vest? How
come I don’t see that, or hear about that?
Maybe it just never happens. Maybe the good ones are
silent, which actually makes them part of the problem.
Maybe their God tells them to do nothing. Maybe their God
prevents them from doing the right thing. Maybe their God
will not allow them to protect their children, family, friends
or neighbors. Then cannot be held responsible if their God
will not let them do these things.
If this is the truth about their religion and God…
Maybe they should start checking around for something
else to believe in. Find some higher standards.
Darren Highstarr
Jacksonville, FL
Dear Company Clerk,
Dear Mr. President:
During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I
had the pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile
revealed an expensive shiny gold tooth, whose body was
adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and costly
tattoos, who wore a very expensive brand of tennis shoes
and who chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with
a popular R&B ringtone.
While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to
notice that her payer status was listed as "Medicaid"!
During my examination of her, the patient informed me
that she smokes more than one costly pack of cigarettes
every day and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and
beer.
And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this
woman's health care? I contend that our nation's "health
care crisis" is not the result of a shortage of quality
hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the result of a
VETERANS POST NEWSPAPER
Company Clerk - Phillip Meskin
Advertising/Sales Director - Thomas Leisse
Contributing Writers & Photographers
Paul Branesky - David Braun - Dan K. Cedusky
Pamela Christiani - Rebecca Cohen - Hal Cusick
Ronnie L. Harris - Robert Hiles - Frank J. Iamarino
Lana Jarvis - Edward J. Kayworth - Glenda Kelley
Tom LaPointe - Dave Lawson - Frank V. Liberatore
Robert A. MacLean - Harold Macking
Donna Manning - Bill McCaskill - Skip Munger
Walter E. Patt, Jr. - Ronald V. Regan, Sr. - Ben Ritter
Herb Rosenthal - Robert F. Sawallesh - Joseph Turner
Linda D. Watson - Deborah Winton - Richard G. Wishart
Distribution:
Norman Alexander - Paul Branesky – Fred Graves
Mary Ellen Harlan - Stacy Johnston - Frank V. Liberatore
Harold Macking - Bill Peterson - Lester Weeks
Veterans Post News Objectives:
Increase awareness of Veterans activities
Educate and inform Veterans and citizens
Increase membership of Veterans organizations
Ensure that Veterans are not forgotten
The Veterans Post Newspaper is published monthly.
We thank the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces for
maintaining our rights and privileges to have freedom of the press.
All materials within this publication are copyrighted, and are the property of its
respective owner. No article or photograph can be used without giving proper
identification credit to this Newspaper and the writer and/or photographer. This
publication displays advertising from commercial establishments, however, we are
not responsible for its content, nor do we guarantee the veracity of its content.
Political advertisements are paid for by the politicians themselves, and are permitted
within this publication with the understanding that the Veterans Post Newspaper is
not endorsing any candidate who advertises within. Editorials, articles, and letters to
the editor, are the opinions of the individual writers and are not researched by the
Veterans Post Newspaper staff, and do not necessarily reflect the views of this
newspaper. Deadline for articles is the 15th of the month prior to publication. The
Editor reserves the right to refuse any advertisement or article not appropriate for this
publication. Unsolicited articles concerning Veterans can be E-mailed, photographs
and art should be sent as a jpg or pdf to [email protected]
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"crisis of culture", a culture in which it is perfectly
acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while
refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid,
purchase health insurance. It is a culture based in the
irresponsible credo that "I can do whatever I want to
because someone else will always take care of me".
Once you fix this “culture crisis" that rewards
irresponsibility and dependency, you'll be amazed at how
quickly our nation's health care difficulties will disappear.
Respectfully,
Starner Jones, MD
Dear Company Clerk,
"Frankly, I don't know what it is about California, but
we seem to have a strange urge to elect really obnoxious
women to high office. I'm not bragging, you understand,
but no other state, including Maine, even comes close.
When it comes to sending left-wing dingbats to
Washington, we're number one. There's no getting around
the fact that the last time anyone saw the likes of Barbara
Boxer, Dianne Feinstein, and Nancy Pelosi, they were
stirring a cauldron when the curtain went up on 'Macbeth'.
The three of them are like jackasses who happen to possess
the gift of blab. You don't know if you should condemn
them for their stupidity or simply marvel at their ability to
form words."
Burt Prelutsky
Los Angeles, CA
Dear Company Clerk,
On Thursday, 21 January 2010, I was at MacDill AFB
about 1430 hours. I drove by the old hospital which was
being demolished by an Alabama company and a sudden
gust of wind, blowing south to north, blew demolition
dust so thick that you could not see the buildings being
demolished. No doubt the dust was being blown on to
Eagle Park which is a children's park and located next to
the demolition property. Across from Eagle Park are brand
new VIP homes of which some are still under construction.
I looked at some signs on the construction site fence and
here is what the signs read: "Danger, Asbestos, Cancer and
Lung Disease Hazard, Authorized Personnel Only,
Respirators and Protective Clothing are Required in This
Area." It looked like the construction company was using a
home garden hose to wet down the dust.
The Wing Commander's Hot Line was not working so I
called a key person on base regarding the demolition dust.
Also, the digital sign off base that is suppose to warn
people that there is no Emergency Room on base is not
working.
Robert F. Sawallesh
Tampa, FL
Page 4
News Of Interest
March 2010
SEAL-Faker Is Guilty In Stolen Valor Case
A retired Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer 2 who
claimed to be a decorated, combat-hardened SEAL and managed to get a disability rating from the
government - has pleaded guilty to wearing combat
awards he did not earn.
Thomas Barnhart pleaded guilty in federal court in
Roanoke, VA, to two counts of violating the Stolen
Valor Act.
Barnhart served a combined 21 years in the Navy
and the Coast Guard. He joined the Navy in 1969, and
then moved to the Coast Guard 10 years later, retiring
in 1990. He entered the Coast Guard claiming to be a
SEAL who had completed diving school and High
Altitude-Low Opening (HALO) parachutist school,
according to court records. He also claimed to have
earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star with "V" for valor,
a Purple Heart with four stars, a Combat Action
Ribbon and Vietnam War-era awards. The Coast
Guard clerk bought the story and added the awards to
Barnhart's DD 214. Later DD 214 alterations would
add a Navy Commendation with "V" device, a
Presidential Unit Citation with three stars, and the
Vietnamese Medal of Honor, first and second class.
"Witnesses have stated that the defendant would
spin yarns about his secret missions with the Navy
SEALs and describe various combat situations in
which he was wounded," Assistant U.S. Attorney
Craig "Jake" Jacobsen said in his comments to the
court. "As a result of what everyone believed, the
defendant was promoted to Warrant Officer in the
[Coast Guard] ahead of others, likely as a result of the
defendant’s stellar 'combat record.'"
Barnhart, who did serve off the coast of Vietnam in
1969 and 1970, retired Dec. 31, 1990, and applied for
disability through the VA less than a year later. By
this time, he was passing himself off as a member of
SEAL Team 1 with five Purple Hearts and a nod for
the Medal of Honor. He claimed a scar on his left
forearm was the result of a gun shot, though VA
medical records from 1987 said the injury was the
result of his cutting himself on a piece of metal.
Organization
American Legion
American Legion
American Legion
American Legion
American Legion
American Legion
American Legion
American Legion
American Legion
American Legion Auxiliary
Sons of the American Legion
AmVets
AmVets Auxiliary
AmVets
Army Navy Union
Army Navy Union Auxiliary
Disabled American Veterans
Disabled American Veterans Aux
Disabled American Veterans Aux
Jewish War Veterans
Jewish War Veterans
Jewish War Veterans
Jewish War Veterans Auxiliary
Korean War Veterans Assoc.
Marine Corp League
Military Order of the Purple Heart
Military Order Purple Heart Aux
National Order of Trench Rats
Paralyzed Veterans of America
The Retired Enlisted Association
Veterans Memorial Park & Museum
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary
Vietnam Veterans of America
WAC Army Corp Veteran's Assoc
Unit
The VA claim was denied, but Barnhart was
successful after giving it another try - this time with
the help of his congressman - in 2005. This time,
Barnhart claimed he suffered from post-traumatic
stress disorder, and pointed to his altered DD 214 to
support his claim.
During a medical exam in Virginia Beach, VA,
Barnhart told the doctor he was a SEAL in Vietnam
assigned to an elite HALO parachute unit. He claimed
to have engaged in multiple combat missions and
received two Silver Stars, three Bronze Stars and five
Purple Hearts. But an alleged rescue of a downed
pilot, seeing a soldier being blown up by a rocket and
having a pilot die in his arms after their helicopter had
been shot down led to his PTSD, he told the doctor.
"The awards keep growing." Jacobsen said. "I've
seen this in similar pattern in other cases. The phonies
can't help themselves. The awards and accolades
always grow."
Still, the VA decided in 2006 to award Barnhart a
30 percent disability rating for PTSD.
The case against him began when Mary Schantag,
of the POW Network, got wind of the bogus claims.
She began an exhaustive investigation that ultimately
led to the state’s attorney’s office looking into the
matter. On Jan. 25, 2008, he admitted his DD 214 was
altered, and that he was neither a SEAL nor a combat
Veteran. By that time, Barnhart had received $13,923
for his fraudulent PTSD claim.
Meeting Location
3810 West Kennedy Boulevard
26
2207 West Baker Street
111
6918 Florida Avenue
119
130 1st Avenue Southwest
125
6440 5th Avenue South
147
17413 Gunn Highway
252
11433 Park Boulevard
273
600 American Legion Drive
347
699 W Lady Lake Boulevard
5
3810 West Kennedy Boulevard
111
6918 Florida Avenue
119
125
6440 5th Avenue South
147
17413 Gunn Highway
119
98
4629 Bartelt Road
98
4629 Bartelt Road
698
5864 Park Boulevard
3697
11904 Seminole Boulevard
3697
11904 Seminole Boulevard
004
2612 North Tampa Street
067
16314 Cortez Boulevard
078
6711 Jefferson Street
083
115 West Clay
103
360 Douglas Avenue
067
16314 Cortez Boulevard
6711 Jefferson Street
078
373
James A Haley VA Hospital
409
Mier/Kent Jewish Ctr 1955 Virginia St
505
9841 Scenic Drive
Mier/Kent Jewish Ctr 1955 Virginia St
409
014
VFW 4364@ 5773 62nd Street North
169
1211 Penn Street
188
Womans Club Bldg. 450 So Lake Ave
174
15166 Spring Hill Drive
199
@AmLeg 24 - 2000 75th Street West
1002
@VFW 9236 - 3435 Shoal Line Blvd
1980
@DAV Hall, Ohio & Jefferson Street
1980
@DAV Hall, Ohio & Jefferson Street
4801 37th Street North
446
15435
North Florida Avenue
GCC
Surf’s Edge Enlisted Club
58
3602 US Hwy. 301 North
360 Douglas Avenue
2550
14736 Edward R. Noll Drive
10209
14736 Edward R. Noll Drive
10209
787
1511 West Clay Street
@AmLeg 186 - 12091 Cortez Blvd
97
5
"He was very quiet and fessed up when he was
arrested," said Jacobsen, who is an Iraq war Veteran.
"He seemed sincere in his apologies and didn't deny
that he had fabricated his history."
Barnhart’s sentencing is set for April 8 in Roanoke.
He faces 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for
the theft of government funds and one year in prison
and a $5,000 fine for claiming medals he did not earn,
which is a misdemeanor. He also is required to pay
back the $13,923 received from the VA for disability.
Selective Thoughts
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Bay Pines VAMC - Mar 01-05
Tampa VAMC - Mar 15-19
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863-668-9203
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That Means So Much!
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Meeting Times
Phone
Commander
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Jose A Heredia
Things You Wish You Didn’t Know
Prez Gives Foreign Cops New Powers
A little-discussed executive order from President
Obama giving foreign cops new police powers in the
United States by exempting them from such drudgery
as compliance with the Freedom of Information Act
is raising alarm among commentators who say
Interpol agents already have most of the same
privileges as diplomats.
Prez Changes Immigration Policy
The Obama administration quietly announced last
week that it would overturn one of the harsh
immigration enforcement measures enacted by the
Bush administration following the 9/11 terrorist
attacks.
Holy Homeland Insecurity! Prez Appoints
Two 'Devout Muslims' To DHS Posts
President Obama and Secretary of Homeland
Security Janet Napolitano have appointed Arif
Alikhan, a devout Muslim, as the DHS' assistant
secretary for policy development.
And the Arab-American Anti-discrimination
Committee (ADC) has announced that DHS Secretary
Janet Napolitano has sworn in Kareem Shora, another
devout Muslim, who was born in Damascus, Syria, as
the ADC's national executive director, which also
makes him a member of the Homeland Security
Advisory Council (HSAC).
The Prez Trifecta
President Obama has just completed the unholy
and anti-American trifecta:
-First president in 110 years to miss the annual ArmyNavy Football Game.
-First president to not attend any Christmas religious
observance and,
-First president to stay on vacation following a
terrorist attack.
Israel Unhappy With U.S. Arms Sales
New deals with the Obama admin have netted Arab
states advanced weapons like bunker-busting bombs
and anti-ship cruise missiles.
Meanwhile, President Obama has backed a new
Egyptian initiative that requires Israel to make many
up-front concessions to the Palestinians.
Clerk’s Note: Israel has also warned that the weapons
could also end up in the hands of those attacking the
United States. But that did not seem to concern those
living in the White House.
A Dream Come True
Israel is inviting all suicide bombers who also want
to blow up a plane, to board a flight, which will be
piloted by Islamic Suicide Pilots which will be given
up to 6 targets to choose from.
Clerk’s Note: To further show the true sacrifice these
extremists have to endure, the Israeli’s have made sure
that the 6 targets are pre-programmed into the plane’s
computer, which are near where the extremists live.
This will allow their families and friends to see first
hand a close-up and personal work these fine young
men and women do.
Networks Fail To Criticize Obama Despite
Most Jobs Lost In A Year Since 1940
More than 4.1 million U.S. jobs disappeared in
2009, but the network media are not reporting the
"devastating" jobs data as a tragedy or as a failure of
President Obama's stimulus spending. No matter what
the media does not say, the president has presided
over the worst job loss since before WW II.
Tenn Marine's Widow/Baby Return to Japan
A U.S. Marine's widow who has been fighting
immigration law to remain in the U.S. to raise her 1year-old child has returned to Japan.
Robin Ferschke says her daughter-in-law, Hotaru
Ferschke, and grandson, Mikey, returned to Japan on
Jan. 4 so Hotaru could go back to work.
A private bill that would grant Hotaru permanent
residency in the U.S. has not made much progress in
Congress because of the holiday break.
Hotaru married Sgt. Michael Ferschke, of
Maryville, Tenn., by phone in 2008 while he was
stationed in Iraq and she was in Japan. He died in
combat a month later.
Political News
The Homeland Security Department will not
recognize the proxy marriage, saying it was not
consummated - even though Hotaru was already
pregnant with the couple's child.
Clerk’s Note: But we can keep a convicted murderer on
death row for 30 years!
Vatican Blames Israel For All Of
Christians' Problems In The Middle East
A document authored by Arab Catholic bishops
suggests that if Israeli "occupation" didn't exist,
neither would the persecution of Christians.
Clerk's Note: And if Jews didn't exist, there would
have been no Christians to persecute!
Praise For Prez Is 'Planted'
Obama supporters are flooding unsuspecting
newspapers with pro-Obama letters purportedly from
average citizens – with duplicate messages appearing
in more than 70 publications across the nation.
California Suggests Mexican Prisons
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has suggested
California could reduce prison overcrowding and
save $1 billion by sending some inmates to Mexico.
He said Mexican prisons would cost half what those
in California do to build and operate.
California spends $8 billion a year housing
171,000 inmates, one of the biggest prison systems in
the world. More than 10 percent of the inmates,
19,000, are illegal immigrants. Another 10% (19,000)
have expired visas and an additional 20% of all
prisoners are of Mexican background.
IF liberal California did have a death row, they
would have almost 20,000 sitting there, but they only
give life sentences (and almost a 50% chance of
getting out on parole for Murder), so the fine
taxpaying citizens of California, house, clothe, feed,
educate, provide health and dental care that they
cannot afford to give to their taxpaying citizens. So if
you want to be that nice to everyone, it is going to
cost you... Like your whole state going bankrupt!
Obama's Eligibility
A day before President Obama marks one year in
office, lawmakers in Arizona have proposed a law
that would require state officials to begin
independently verifying the accuracy of newly
required documents affirming the constitutional
eligibility of any candidate for the U.S. presidency.
U.S. Federal Judge David Carter has set a trial date
for
Obama's
eligibility
for
Jan..
26.
Many concerned veterans and citizens attended the
hearing in federal court in Santa Ana, Calif., in the
March 2010
Page 5
lawsuit against Barack Obama to determine his
eligibility to be president and commander-in-chief.
About 150 people showed up, almost all in support of
the lawsuit to demand that Obama release his birth
certificate and other records that he has hidden from
the American people.
Judge Carter refused to hear Obama's request for
dismissal. He indicated there was almost no chance
that this case would be dismissed. Obama is arguing
this lawsuit was filed in the wrong court.
Assuming Judge Carter denies Obama's motion for
dismissal, he will likely then order expedited
discovery, which will force Obama to release his
birth certificate in a timely manner (if he has one).
The judge, who is a former U.S. Marine, repeated
several times that this is a very serious case which
must be resolved quickly so that the troops know that
their commander-in-chief is eligible to hold that
position and issue lawful orders to our military in this
time of war. He basically said Obama must prove his
eligibility to the court, and, he said, Americans
deserve to know the truth about their president.
The two U.S. attorneys representing Barack Obama
tried everything they could to sway the judge that this
case was frivolous, but Carter would have none of it
and cut them off several times.
Do Not Call!
Since the inception of the DNC registry in June
2003, the FTC has registered 191,000 million phone
numbers, raised more than $15 million in fees and
levied $22 million in fines against violators who
insist on telemarketing when they shouldn't.
The FTC said 18 million new numbers were added
to the registry in 2009.
The DNC registry allows anyone to block
most
telemarketing come-ons by adding their landline or
cell phone numbers to the registry. You can register
by phone (888-382-1222; TTY 866-290-4236) or
online.
Call from political solicitation organizations, nonprofits and charities registered with the DNC are
exempt from blocking.
Originally, DNC registrations were good for five
years from the date of the most recent registration.
But now, once a phone number is listed on the DNC,
it remains there forever unless the phone owner
removes the number or the number is disconnected
and reassigned to another customer.
DNC violators can be fined up to $16,000 per
prohibited call.
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Page 6
March 2010
Streamlined Citizenship Procedures For
Members Of The U.S. Military
Dept of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet
Napolitano announced the publication of a rule
formalizing DHS' long-standing policy to expedite
and streamline the citizenship process for men and
women bravely serving in America’s armed forces.
"The foundation of our national security is the
patriotic service and extraordinary sacrifices made by
the men and women of our armed forces," said
Secretary Napolitano. "Expediting the citizenship
process for service members reflects our commitment
to honoring those who come from all over the world
to serve our country and become its newest citizens."
The rule amends DHS regulations to conform to
the National Defense Authorization Act of 2004,
reducing the time requirements for naturalization
through military service from three years to one year
for applicants who served during peacetime, and
extending benefits to members of the Selected
Reserve or the Ready Reserve of the U.S. armed
forces. Service members who have served honorably
in an active-duty status or in the Selected Reserve or
the Ready Reserve for any time since Sept. 11, 2001,
can file immediately for citizenship.
The rule also eliminates the requirement for
members of the military to file biographic
information forms (Form G-325B) with their
naturalization applications - removing administrative
redundancy and increasing efficiency for those who
risk their lives for the nation's security.
For more information on USCIS and its programs;
visit http://www.uscis.gov/military
Twelve Students Begin First Bachelor's
Degree Program For UAV Pilots
Citing a "growing market," the University of North
Dakota
is
offering
the
first
bachelor's
degree program for ground-based pilots of unmanned
aerial vehicles.
"Primarily the market is still military, but a lot of
that is shifting over time," says an official with
UND's Unmanned Aircraft Center. "It's going to be a
huge market going out into the future."
DoD, VA, Closer To Integrated Records
The Defense Department soon will join a Veterans
Affairs Department and Kaiser Permanente
partnership designed to improve the way military
Veterans and the nation receive health care, the VA's
News Of Interest
top health affairs policy advisor said today.
For the past month, Kaiser Permanente and VA –
the nation's two largest electronic medical records
systems – have been working to integrate standards
for Veterans through a pilot program in San Diego
using the Nationwide Health Information Network.
The network was developed by the Health and
Human Services Department in 2008, and allows
government and several private sector health care
providers like Kaiser to share health exchanges, such
as integrated delivery networks, pharmacies, labs and
patient information. More than 400 San Diego
Veterans are participating in the pilot.
The partnership has been successful so far, and is
the culmination of decades of work in the medical
community, Dr. Stephen L. Ondra, senior VA policy
advisor for health affairs, said in a press conference
from Kaiser Permanente's Otay Mesa Outpatient
Medical Center in San Diego.
VA is the largest integrated health system in the
nation, serving more than 5.4 million Veterans. More
than half of those Veterans seek some of their
medical services outside the VA. Also, there are more
than 1.5 million Veterans who don't use VA healthcare services at all, said Ondra, a former Army
surgeon and Gulf War Veteran.
Along with the efforts in San Diego, a number of
other private institutions have expressed interest in
joining the VA and Defense Department partnership.
Ondra expects several more pilot programs to be
established this year, he said.
Navy Commissions LCS Independence
The U.S. Navy will commission Littoral Combat
Ship (LCS) Independence, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010,
during an 11 a.m., CST, ceremony at Cooper
Riverside Park, in Mobile, Ala.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead
delivered the ceremony's principal address. Doreen
Scott, wife of the former Master Chief Petty Officer
of the Navy Terry Scott, will serve as ship's sponsor.
In the time-honored Navy tradition, she will give the
first order to "man our ship and bring her to life!"
Five previous ships have been named
Independence, which recognizes the cornerstone of
our nation's foundation that many Americans have
sacrificed to ensure. The first
Independence was a 10-gun
sloop that served during the
War of Independence. The
second Independence, the
first ship of the line in the Navy, was launched in
1814 as a 74-gun ship, but later refitted to a 54-gun
frigate. The third Independence served with the Naval
Overseas Transportation Service following the end of
World War I. The fourth Independence (CVL 22), a
small aircraft carrier commissioned in 1943, earned
eight battle stars during World War II. The fifth
Independence (CV 62) was an aircraft carrier
commissioned in 1959 and decommissioned in 1998.
Independence will be manned by one of two
rotational crews, Blue and Gold, similar to the
rotational crews assigned to Trident submarines. The
crews will be augmented by one of three mission
package crews during focused mission assignments.
The prospective commanding officer of the Blue
Crew is Cmdr. Curt Renshaw, who was born in
Louisville, KY, and raised in New Albany, Indiana.
The prospective commanding officer of the Gold
Crew is Cmdr. Michael Riley, a native of Phoenix,
AZ.
USS Independence will be homeported in San
Diego as a part of the Pacific Fleet.
.
Report: Shortfalls In Countering Internal
Threats
The shooting spree allegedly perpetrated by a selfradicalized soldier of Muslim faith has revealed
shortcomings in the Defense Department's ability to
counter dangerous outside influences on the military,
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today.
Gates disclosed this and several other key findings
of a broad review he ordered after U.S. Army Maj.
Nidal Malik Hasan allegedly killed 13 people in a
Nov. 5 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas.
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Animal Rights = Really Stupid Protesters
Local and state police scoured the hills outside
rural Johnstown, PA, after reports of three animal
rights activists going missing after attempting to
protest the wearing of leather at a large motorcycle
gang rally last weekend. Two others, previously
reported missing, were discovered by fast food
workers "duct taped inside several fast food restaurant
dumpsters," according to police officials. "Something
just went wrong," said a still visibly shaken organizer
of the protest. "Something just went horribly, horribly,
wrong." The organizer said a group of concerned
animal rights activist groups, "growing tired of
throwing fake blood and shouting profanities at older
women wearing leather or fur coats," decided to
protest the annual motorcycle club event "in a hope to
show them our outrage at their wanton use of leather
in their clothing and motor bike seats." "In fact," said
the organizer. "Motorcycle gangs are one of the
biggest abusers of wearing leather, and we decided it
was high time that we let them know that we disagree
with them using it. Ergo, they should stop." According
to witnesses, protesters arrived at the event in a
vintage 1960's era Volkswagen van and began to pelt
the gang members with balloons filled with redcolored water, simulating blood, and shouting "You're
murderers!" to passers-by. This, evidently, is when the
brouhaha began. "They peed on me!" charged one
activist. "They grabbed me, said I looked like I was
French, started calling me 'La Trene,' and duct taped
me to a tree so they could pee on me all day! I was
trying to show my outrage at a man with a heavy
leather jacket. And, he didn't even care. I called him a
murderer, and all he said was, 'You can't prove that.'
Next thing I know is he forced me to ride on the back
of his motorcycle all day, and not let me off, because,
he said, his girl friend was "out of town and I was
almost a woman." Still others claimed they were
forced to eat hamburgers and hot dogs under duress.
Those who resisted were allegedly held down while
several bikers "farted on their heads." Police officials
declined comments on any leads or arrests due to the
ongoing nature of the investigation, however,
organizers for the motorcycle club rally expressed
"surprise" at the allegations. "That's preposterous,"
said one high-ranking member of the biker organizing
committee. "We were having a party, and these people
showed up and were very rude to us. They threw
things at us, called us names, and tried to ruin the
entire event. So, what did we do? We invited them to
the party! What could be more friendly than that? You
know, just because we are all members of motorcycle
clubs does not mean we do not care about
inclusiveness. Personally, I think it shows a lack of
character for them to be saying such nasty things
about us after we bent over backwards to make them
feel welcome." When confronted with the allegations
of force-feeding the activists meat, using them as ad
hoc latrines, leaving them incapacitated in fast food
restaurant dumpsters, and 'farting on their heads,' the
organizer declined to comment in detail. "That's just
our secret handshake," assured the organizer.
A senior official for the Animal Rights group said;
“This was a true learning experience and in the future
will concentrate only on elderly ladies that wear furs.”
JUSTICE? FOR WHO?
Brian Wallace was the victim of a severe beating in
Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 2007, stabbed five times
and hospitalized with lung and kidney lacerations, and
to this day is battling for 7,500 pounds' ($12,000)
compensation from a government fund.
Last month, Wallace learned that his attacker,
Simon Granhof, who had been mistakenly kept in jail
two weeks longer than his sentence, would receive
12,500 pounds ($20,000) from the government for
"deprivation of rights."
Fort Hood Massacre Report 'Gutless And
Shameful'
By Ralph Peters
The non-report on the Islamist-terror massacre at
Fort Hood (released by the Defense Department on
Jan. 15):
The report is so politically correct that its authors
don't even realize the extent of their political
correctness - they're body-and-soul creatures of the PC
culture that murdered 12 soldiers and one Army
civilian.
Political Stuff
The answer is straightforward: Hasan's superiors
feared - correctly - that any attempt to call attention to
his radicalism or to prevent his promotion would
backfire on them, destroying their careers, not his.
Hasan was a protected-species minority. Under the
PC tyranny of today's armed services, no non-minority
officer was going to take him on.
This is a military that imposes rules of engagement
that protect our enemies and kill our own troops and
that court-martials heroic SEALs to appease a
terrorist. Ain't many colonels willing to hammer the
Army's sole Palestinian-American psychiatrist.
Of course, there's no mention of political
correctness by the panel. Instead, the report settles for
blinding flashes of the obvious, such as "We believe a
gap exists in providing information to the right
people." Gee, really? Well, that explains everything.
Money well spent!
The Ft. Hood massacre didn't reflect an intelligence
failure. The intelligence was there, in gigabytes. This
was a leadership failure and an ethical failure, at every
level. Nobody wanted to know what Hasan was up to.
But you won't learn that from this play-pretend report.
The sole interesting finding flashes by quickly:
Behind some timid wording on pages 13 and 14, a
daring soul managed to insert the observation that we
aren't currently able to keep violence-oriented
religious extremists from becoming chaplains. (Of
course, they're probably referring to those darned
Baptists....)
In the end, the report contents itself with pretending
that the accountability problem was isolated within the
military medical community at Walter Reed. It wasn't,
and it isn't.
Once again, the higher-ups blame the worker bees
who were victims of the policy the higher-ups
inflicted on them. This report's spinelessness is itself
an indictment of our military's failed moral and ethical
leadership.
We agonize over civilian casualties in a war zone
but rush to whitewash the slaughter of our own troops
on our own soil. Conduct unbecoming.
A Politician Lied! Say It Isn’t So!
March 2010
Page 7
received military medals. "It's not just the lower-level
people who do this stuff," Doug Sterner said.
Sterner also works with other organizations,
including the Legion of Valor, which was founded in
1890 and chartered by Congress in 1955. The legion
collects information on people who have received the
nation's highest medals, including the Medal of
Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy
Cross and the Air Force Cross. Donald Mason, the
legion's national commander, said the records
provided by Sterner indicate that Herring's biography
is fraudulent. "This is a most egregious case of stolen
valor, " Mason wrote in an e-mail to Sterner. "I will
strive to expunge from all official Texas records any
reference to Mr. Herring's fraudulent claims of combat
action and decorations."
Off-Shore Drilling In Brazil
On a recent segment of the Glen Beck Show was the
following: "In mid January, even though President
Obama is against off-shore drilling for our country, he
signed an executive order to loan $2 billion of our
taxpayer's dollars to a Brazilian oil exploration
company (the 8th largest company in the entire world)
to drill for oil off the coast of Brazil. The oil that
comes from this operation is for the sole purpose and
use of China and not the U.S.A. The Chinese
government is under contract to purchase all the oil
that this oil field will produce, which is hundreds of
millions of barrels of oil."
The largest individual stockholder of this Brazilian
oil company - and who would benefit most from this is American billionaire hate-monge, George Soros,
who was one of President Obama's most generous
financial supporter during his campaign.
Not a word of this transaction was broadcast on any
of the other news networks.
Read the complete Wall Street Journal story here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240529702038
63204574346610120524166.html
How Much Light Does A Cow Need?
And the Kirklees (West Yorkshire, England)
Environmental Health Department cited farmer
Ronald Norcliffe, 65, for inadequate lighting in his
barn, which inspectors said failed to meet the
"psychological needs" of his one cow and her calf. In
his formal appeal, heard in October 2009, Norcliffe
noted (unsuccessfully) that he has had a clean record
as a farmer for 30 years and that in fact, he still lives
fine without electricity in his own house. After his
defeat, Norcliffe's lawyer sighed, "I still have no idea
how much lighting is appropriate for a cow."
Charles Ferguson Herring's biography says he was a
state senator, a federal prosecutor, a confidant of
former President Lyndon B. Johnson and a war hero.
But his claim of receiving combat medals, including
the Navy Cross for exceptional valor in World War II,
is now in question.
Herring died in 2004 at age 89, and his grave is in
an honored place reserved for people whose actions
defined Texas history and culture. Governors, signers
of the Texas Declaration of Independence and artist
Tom Lea, an El Paso native, all are buried at the Texas Want to do business with a Veteran? Check out our
State Cemetery.
VOB (Veteran Owned Business) Page on the Web
Herring was eligible for burial there because of 17
www.VeteransPostNews.com/VOB01.htm
years of service as a Democratic state senator from
Austin. He worked for President Johnson when the
future president was a congressman, and he managed
the Austin headquarters for Johnson's successful
Veterans Law & Military Law
Senate campaign. Herring was U.S. attorney for the
VA DISABILITY COMPENSATION APPEALS
Western District of Texas during 1951-55, making
him the region's top prosecutor.
AVID . ORY, ATTORNEY
Herring served in the Navy during World War II.
However, his stories of combat injuries and heroism
appear to be false. His online biography, posted by the
P.O. Box 3975, Brandon, FL 33509-3975
Texas State Cemetery, states that Herring received the
Email: [email protected]
Navy Cross, three Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star
before leaving the service as a lieutenant commander.
Web: http://davidcorylaw.tripod.com
The Navy Cross is the second-highest decoration for
combat valor, behind only the Medal of Honor.
"His official biography is one of the worst war
stories I've ever seen," said Doug Sterner, creator of a
Web site chronicling the actions of people who
received the nation's top medals for combat valor.
Sterner used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain
Inspirational Gifts for All Occasions
Herring's military records. Those records state that
Stop By And See Us At…
Herring left the Navy Reserve in 1953 as a lieutenant
junior grade, two ranks below lieutenant commander,
after 10 years of service. The records also show no
Bay Pines VAMC - Mar 01-05
medals related to combat duty for Herring. He did
Tampa VAMC - Mar 15-19
receive medals for participating in campaigns in the
Orlando VAMC - Mar 24-26
Pacific and the Philippines.
Sterner's Web site is used by the Texas Department
of Motor Vehicles to help verify requests for
specialized license plates related to military service.
Sterner and his wife, Pam, were the force behind the
Stolen Valor Act of 2005, a law sponsored by U.S.
Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo. That law makes it easier
to prosecute people who falsely claim to have
D
C C
813-662-0760
Selective Thoughts
863-668-9203
A Different Touch,
That Means So Much!
Page 8
March 2010
DoJ Enforces Air Guard Member's Rights
The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced
that it has reached a settlement in its lawsuit against
the city of Milwaukee, Wis., on behalf of Michael
Crivello, a detective in the Milwaukee Police
Department, alleging the city violated the Uniformed
Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act
of 1994 (USERRA).
The settlement, embodied in a consent decree that
the parties have submitted to the court for approval,
calls for Milwaukee to provide Crivello with a
retroactive promotion date in the rank of detective, as
well as $21,190 in back pay, retroactive seniority, and
other benefits that flow from the date adjustment.
The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in
Milwaukee in July 2009, alleges that the city violated
the USERRA when it did not provide Crivello, while
he was a police officer, with the opportunity to take a
make-up examination for promotion to detective that
he missed while on active duty military service,
thereby denying him the seniority, status and
compensation he would have received but for his
active duty service in the military. The city
subsequently promoted Crivello to detective after he
passed the next scheduled administration of the
examination, but the delay still resulted in his loss of
pay, seniority, and other benefits, including eligibility
for future promotions.
Because his delay in promotion to detective also
delayed his eligibility to take subsequent promotional
examinations, Crivello may also qualify for additional
relief if the city administers a lieutenant of detectives
promotional examination within one year from the
entry of the decree.
"No member of our armed services should be
disadvantaged in the work place because he or she
answered a call to duty," said Thomas Perez, assistant
AG for the Civil Rights Div. "I am pleased the city of
Milwaukee cooperated in a resolution that restores
Mr. Crivello's rights without the need for protracted
litigation that would unnecessarily expend the
resources of two public bodies."
The lawsuit was filed after the Department of
Labor's Veterans’ Employment and Training Service
referred a complaint filed by Crivello under the
USERRA to the DOJ's Civil Rights Division upon
completion of its investigation and unresolved
settlement efforts.
Clerk's Note: So basically the City refused everything
News About Veterans
until the Federal Justice got involved, "Then" they
became cooperative. Like we always said; "A smile and
a kind word will take you places. But a smile, a kind
word and a fully loaded automatic weapon will take you
even further!"
65 Years Late, Army Honors WW-II Vet
Sixty-five years after the Germans captured
Norman D. Fellman, of Prescott, Ariz., during World
War II, the U.S. Army recognized him as one of 350
U.S. soldiers who were held as slaves inside Nazi
Germany at the Berga an der Elster camp.
Lt.
Col.
Jim
Adams,
who
represented
Pete
Geren, the secretary
of
the
Army,
presented
Fellman
with
his
Purple
Heart medal at a
ceremony at the Bob
Stump VAMC.
Fellman and other
members
of
B
Company,
275th
Regiment, of the
Army’s
70th
Division, in January
1945, were operating
near
Falkenberg
Ridge, about 12
kilometers outside of
Phillipsbourg,
France, when they
were ambushed by the Germans. Adams said German
tanks surrounded B Company, which was out of
communication with other units or headquarters, as
they moved through waist-deep snow.
In the book Given Up for Dead, written by Flint
Whitlock, Fellman said, "We had scooped out holes
the best we could in the rock, and we were pretty
much out of ammo. The Germans came around with
flame-throwing tanks at the base of the hill, but had
evidently decided to by-pass us initially and had gone
around us and were cleaning up when they came back
to get us."
Fellman said his unit had three choices: "We could
freeze to death, we could starve to death, or we could
surrender."
USAF Selects 2 For Physical Therapy
An Air Force board at Randolph AFB,
Texas, selected two airmen to attend the U.S. ArmyBaylor University Doctoral Program in Physical
Therapy at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
First Lt. Ronald Miller, of Holloman Air Force
Base, N.M., and Tech. Sgt. Aaron Butler, of Moody
AFB, Ga., were selected to attend the 28-month
academic program beginning in October, which will
be followed by a one-year internship.
The board met Dec. 15 and selected two of eight
applicants. Applicants selected had an average 1,090
Graduate Record Examination score and a 3.81 GPA.
The U.S. Army-Baylor University Doctoral
Program in Physical Therapy provides students entrylevel competence in traditional physical therapy
skills. Air Force enlisted students are commissioned
in the Air Force Medical Science Corps at the rank of
second lieutenant. Airmen join the Air Force
Biomedical Sciences Corps upon successful
completion of training. Successful completion of the
program awards a doctor of physical therapy degree
from Baylor University.
Baylor University and the Army first teamed in
1971 to establish an entry-level master's degree
program. In July 2002, the program was approved by
Baylor University to transition to granting a doctor of
physical therapy degree, and the Commission on
Accreditation for Physical Therapy Education
subsequently granted approval for the change. The
first doctor of physical therapy class began the
program in December 2003 and graduated in April
2006.
The next board is tentatively scheduled to meet
Dec. 14, 2010. Packages are due to the Air Force
Personnel Center no later than Nov. 26.
For more information on program prerequisites,
visit www.baylor.edu/graduate/pt
Story Of Maj. 'Pappy' Boyington, USMC
Gregory (Pappy) Boyington was born in Coeur
D’Alene, Idaho on Dec. 4, 1912. He died in Fresno,
Calif., of cancer on Jan. 11, 1988 and is buried in
Arlington National Cemetery.
Read the story about Maj. Boyington and the
real "Black Sheep Squadron" here:
Baa Baa Black Sheep : Veterans Today - News for
U.S. Military Veterans
British Soldier Joins The U.S. Army
By Sgt. Teddy Wade, USA, 55th Signal Company
U.S. Army Spc. Robert Sumner, a native of Birmingham,
England, and a British army Veteran, now serves with the
U.S. Army at Forward Operation Base Joyce in eastern
Afghanistan's Kunar Province. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt.
Teddy Wade, 55th Signal Company)
U.S. Army Spc. Robert Sumner looks like any
other American soldier. But when he speaks, his thick
British accent separates him from the crowd.
Serving with the 10th Mountain Division's 1st
Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, Sumner realizes
his road from the British Isles to the mountains of
Afghanistan was a long and interesting path. Sumner
said he always dreamed of being a soldier, and after
graduating from high school in 1996, he enlisted in
the British army, serving in Cyprus, Hong Kong,
Kosovo, Bosnia and Northern Ireland until 2003. In
2004, he began working for a private security firm,
and he continued working there until 2005, when he
came to the United States for the first time to attend
training in Arkansas. There, he met and married his
wife, Katherine.
For two years, Sumner lived with his new wife in
his new home. But he wanted to give something back
to his new country, and in July 2007, he enlisted in
the U.S. Army. "I enlisted in the U.S. Army because I
wanted to do something for this country that has
given me so much," Sumner said. "When people ask
me in the future, 'What have you done for this
country?' I'll have something to say."
Sumner joined the 10th Mountain Division, based
in Fort Drum, N.Y., after asking one of his drill
Veteran Stuff
sergeants in basic training which unit is the most
deployed in the Army.
"When I was going to Fort Drum, I was all excited
about going over there," Sumner said. "I imagined, 'A
mountain division. They have a lot of mountains to
climb, and I'm an avid hiker. That should be fun.' But
soon after I arrived, I realized that Fort Drum is flat,
and that they just get a lot of snow."
Sumner uses his experience in personal security
operations as a PSD team leader for Army Lt. Col.
Frederick O'Donnell, the battalion commander. "The
first time I met Sumner was back in Fort Drum,"
O'Donnell said. "Back then, he was assigned to
Combat Company. He was a private first class
leading an entire squad during a live-fire exercise. I
was impressed just by watching his execution; he
displayed a lot of ability. It is funny to me, because
he called some of his soldiers 'blokes,' just like they
do back in England. The way he gave the commands
reflected his background and experience."
Sumner noted the difference in the core of the
loyalty professed by soldiers in the two armies in
which he's served. "British soldiers often said they
fight for the queen," he said. "Over here in America,
we fight for the American people. American people
have been so good to me. When I went back to the
U.S. for my rest and recreation," he continued,
"people were clapping at the airport and offered to
pay for my meal. I was so amazed. Nobody does that
in England. Maybe they appreciate my service over
there, but they just showed it in a different way.
March 2010
Page 9
So far, the Pentagon has sent more than 15,000
military personnel to Haiti. However, the U.S. role in
earthquake-hit Haiti has been questioned by some.
A French Minister said that the U.S. military had
controled the airport. "This is about helping Haiti, not
about occupying Haiti," he said on French radio
while in Brussels for an E.U. meeting on Haiti.
Clerk's Note: Can someone please tell us why we saved
France from the Germans?
U.S. Marine, Afghan NCOs Lead Troops
By Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, USMC, 1st Marine
Division's Regimental Combat Team 7
U.S. Military Unsure When To Leave Haiti
The U.S. military has not yet set a time frame to
leave the relief operations in Haiti, said Gen Ken
Keen, the deputy commander of the U.S. Southern
Command and the Commander of Joint Task Force
Unified Response in Haiti, told a video-conference
that it is still too early to say how long it would take
before we could hand over relief operations to the
U.S. and international civilian aid organizations, but
it looks like it might be three to six months.
The U.S. military has been working with the U.N.,
the international community and the Haitian govt to
set up a 5,000-bed hospital to treat survivors from the
earthquake that hit the country on Jan. 12.
U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Galen P. Hafner and Afghan
National Army Staff Sgt. Gulwazir Harin pose for a photo
before setting out on a patrol in Afghanistan's Helmand
Province, Jan. 15. Marines and Afghan soldiers train, eat,
work and fight alongside one another.
Page 10
March 2010
Military/Veteran News
U.S. Lawmaker Proposes Big Boost In
Combat Pay
A California lawmaker’s December trip to
Afghanistan to visit combat troops led him to
introduce legislation that would provide big increases
in combat and hazardous duty pays.
U.S. Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif., proposes
increases in eight different military pays:
• Hostile fire pay, now $225 a month, would
increase to $600.
• Imminent danger pay, also $225 a month, would
increase to $350 a month.
• Family separation allowance, now $250 a month,
would increase to $450 a month.
• Continuation pay for special warfare officers,
now $5,000 for each year of additional service, would
increase to up to $20,000 for each year of additional
service.
• Hazardous duty pay, which ranges from $150 to
$450 a month, would increase to $200 to $500 a
month. Service members could continue to receive up
to three separate hazard pays at the same time.
• Hospitalization pay for members medically
evacuated from a combat zone, now $430 a month,
would increase to $600.
• Special pay for members of weapons of mass
destruction civil support teams, now $150 a month,
would increase to $300 a month.
• Special pay for psychologists and social workers,
now $2,000 to $5,000 a year, would increase to
$4,000 to $10,000 a year.
• Special pay for extending an overseas tour, now
$80 a month or $2,000 a year if paid in lump sum,
would increase to $200 a month, or $3,000 in a lump
sum.
McNerney calls the package of pay increases the
Combat
Operations
and
Medical
Benefit
Authorization for our Troops (COMBAT) Act.
Introduced Jan. 13, the bill, HR 4440, was referred to
the House Armed Services Committee for
consideration as part of the 2011 defense budget.
McNerney is not a member of the armed services
committee, which means chances for passage of the
increase will depend on his ability to get someone on
the committee to support the legislation. He does
serve on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee,
which has close ties to the armed services panel.
A price tag for all of the increases, which will be a
major factor in the bill’s fate, is not yet available.
McNerney said he started working on the measure
after visiting U.S. troops in Afghanistan. “Many of
the service members who I spoke with shared the
struggles they face providing for their families while
away from home and in the midst of grueling
conditions,” he said in a statement. "Raising pay for
service members who encounter injuries, hazardous
duty and separation from their families is simply the
right thing to do. Some of these types of pay haven't
been raised in years."
McNerney visited Afghanistan in late December as
part of a bipartisan delegation.
Army Guard/ Reserve Officers Get
Chance At Active Duty
National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve officers
have a shot at receiving a Regular Army appointment
and serving on active duty through a program
available this year.
The Call to Active Duty (CAD) program is open to
lieutenants of the Individual Ready Reserve, as well
as basic-branch Guard and Army Reserve captains,
majors and lieutenant colonels.
Those not eligible for CAD this year include
lieutenants in a troop unit or an individual
mobilization augmentee position, and all officers of
the Army Medical Department, Judge Advocate
General’s Corps and Chaplain Corps.
Officers who are selected for this program incur
a three-year active-duty service obligation.
The program is one of several measures underway
to meet the 22,000-soldier force expansion planned
for the next two years, said Maj. Gen. Sean Byrne,
commander of the U.S. Army Human Resources
Command.
While most of that growth will be met through
enlistments, about 6,200 lieutenants will be
commissioned via West Point, the Reserve Officer
Training Corps and Officer Candidate School this
year.
The CAD program augments the force expansion
with trained, proven officers. Recently, the program
has generated several appointments each year.
Criteria for this year’s CAD program require that
company-grade applicants be graduates of an Army
Competitive Category Basic Officer Leadership
Course, either BOLC III of BOLC.
• Majors must be graduates of a basic-branch
Captains Career Course, and lieutenant colonels
graduates of the Command and Staff College or
Intermediate Level Education.
• Credit for at least four years of active federal
commissioned service.
• U.S. citizenship.
• Baccalaureate degree or higher.
• Secret security clearance or higher.
• Applicant must be able to reach 20 years of active
service by age 62.
• Officers who have served as enlisted soldiers
must be able to complete 10 years of active federal
commissioned service before reaching 20 years of
total active service.
For information about the Call to Active Duty
program, see MilPer Message 09-303, issued by the
U.S. Army Human Resources Command.
U.S. Military Boosting Use Of Unmanned
Aerial Systems
Unmanned Aerial System technology allows
unmanned aircraft to perform surveillance work, but
pilots are wary of sharing the skies with drones. The
military use of drones is increasing, and the U.S. Air
Force already trains more unmanned pilots than
traditional pilots.
Today, the use of drones in civilian airs pace is
limited by the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA).
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in your/or a friends Email box. See Page 3
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Two bowling teams, one of all Blondes and one of all
Brunettes, charter a double-decker bus for a weekend trip to
Louisiana. The Brunette team rode on the bottom of the
bus and The Blonde team rode on the top level. As the bus
cruises along, The Brunette team down below really
whooped it up, They were having a great time, when one of
them realized she hadn't heard anything from the Blondes
upstairs. She decided to go up and investigate. When the
Brunette reached the top, she found all the Blondes in fear,
staring straight ahead at the road, clutching the seats in
front of them with white knuckles. The brunette asked,
'What the heck's going on up here? We're having a great
time downstairs!' One of the Blondes looked up at her,
swallowed hard And whispered... 'But you've got a driver!!'
1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to
immediately clear your computer history if you die.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an
argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I
was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. MapQuest needs to start directions on #5. I'm pretty sure
I can get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told
you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of
tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a
moment at work when you know that you just aren't going
to do anything productive for the rest of the day. And the
more senior you are, the earlier it comes.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after
Blu-Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection.
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and
it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page
research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will
never wash this --ever.
15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello?
Hello??), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine
times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't
answer? Drop the phone and run away?
16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and
then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a
waste!
17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just
so I know not to answer when they call.
18. My 6-year old asked me in the car "Dad what happens if
you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?
19. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
20. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given
Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite
than Kay.
HEADLINES FROM THE YEAR: 2029
Ozone20created by electric cars now killing millions in the
seventh largest country in the world, Mexifornia, formerly
known as California .
White minorities still trying to have English recognized as
Mexifornia's third language.
Spotted Owl plague threatens northwestern United
States crops and livestock.
Baby conceived naturally! Scientists stumped..
Couple petitions court to reinstate heterosexual marriage.
Iran still closed off; physicists estimate it will take at least
10 more years before radioactivity decreases to safe levels.
France pleads for global help after being taken over by
Lichtenstein. No other country comes forward to help the
beleaguered nation!
Castro finally dies at age 112; Cuban cigars can now be
imported legally, but President Chelsea Clinton has banned
all smoking..
George Z. Bush says he will run for President in 2036.
Postal Service raises price of first class stamp to $ 17.89
and reduces mail delivery to Wednesdays only..
85-year $75.8 billion study: Diet and exercise is the key to
weight loss.
Global cooling blamed for citrus crop failure for third
consecutive year in Mexifornia and Floruba.
Japanese scientists have created a camera with such a fast
shutter speed they now can photograph a politician with
their mouth shut.
Abortion clinics now available in every High School in
United States
Senate still blocking drilling in ANWAR while gas is at $14
a gallon and stations are only open on Tuesday & Friday.
Massachusetts executes last remaining conservative.
Supreme Court rules punishment of criminals violates their
civil rights..
Average height of NBA players is now 8 feet, 6 inches.
New federal law requires that all nail clippers, screwdrivers,
fly swatters and rolled-up newspapers must be registered by
January 2030.
IRS sets lowest tax rate at 75 percent.
Floruba voters still having trouble with voting machines.
I Love This Country! It's The Govt That Scares Me!
Adult Humor
An Irishman goes into the confessional box after years
of being away from the Church. There's a fully equipped
bar with Guinness on tap. On the other wall is a
dazzling array of the finest cigars and chocolates. Then the
priest comes in. "Father, forgive me, for it's been a very
long time since I've been to confession, but I must admit
that the confessional box is much more inviting than it used
to be." The priest replies: "Son get out You're on my side."
There was a couple that had been married for 20 years.
Every time they made love the husband always insisted on
turning off the light. Well, after 20 years the wife felt this
was ridiculous She figured she would break him of this
crazy habit. So one night, while they were in the middle of
a wild, screaming, romantic session, she turned on the
lights. She looked down and saw her husband was holding a
battery-operated sex device, which was soft, wonderful and
larger than the real one. She went completely ballistic.
"You impotent bastard," She screamed at him, "How could
you be lying to me all of these years? You better explain
yourself!" The husband looks her straight in the eyes and
says calmly: "I'll explain the toy, you explain the kids."
A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of
children while they were drawing. She would occasionally
walk around to see each child's work. As she got to one
little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the
drawing was. The girl replied, 'I'm drawing God.' The
teacher paused and said, 'But no one knows what God looks
like.' Without missing a beat, or looking up from her
drawing, the girl replied, 'They will in a minute.'
The children had all been photographed, and the teacher
was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the
group picture. 'Just think how nice it will be to look at it
when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer, she's a
lawyer,' or 'That's Michael, He's a doctor.' A small voice at
the back of the room rang out, 'And there's the teacher, she's
dead.'
A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the
blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, she said, 'Now,
class, if I stood on my head, the blood, as you know, would
run into it, and I would turn red in the face.' 'Yes,' the class
said. 'Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the
ordinary position the blood doesn't run into my feet?' A
little fellow shouted, 'Cause your feet ain't empty.'
The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic
school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of
apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray:
'Take only ONE God is watching.' Moving further along the
lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of
chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note, 'Take all
you want. God is watching the apples.'
We took out a Cadillac Escalade for a test drive, just to
drive that sucker before they become extinct. The salesman
sat in the back seat describing the car and all its wonderful
options. The seats were of particular interest. He explained
that the seats directed warm air to your butt in the winter
and directed cool air to your butt in the summer heat. I said
the car must be a Republican car. He asked why I thought it
was a Republican car and I explained that if it were a
Democratic car, the seats would blow smoke up your butt
year-round.
An Amish boy and his father were in a mall. They were
amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by
two shiny, silver walls that could move apart and then slide
back together again. The boy asked, "What is this, Father?"
The father (never having seen an elevator) responded, 'Son,
I have never seen anything like this in my life, I don't know
what it is'. While the boy and his father were watching in
amazement, a fat old lady in a wheelchair moved up to the
moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened and
the lady rolled between them into a small room. The walls
then closed and the boy and his father watched the small
numbers above the walls light up sequentially. They
continued to watch until it reached the last number, and
then the numbers began to light in reverse order. Finally the
walls opened up again and a gorgeous 24-year-old blonde
stepped out. The father, not taking his eyes off the young
woman, said quietly to his son..."Go get your mother".
The Center for Disease Control has issued a warning about
a new virulent strain of Sexually Transmitted Disease. The
disease is contracted through dangerous and high-risk
behavior. The disease is called Gonorrhea Lectim. And
pronounced "gonna re-elect them" Many victims contracted
it in 2008 after having been screwed for the past year.
Naturalists and epidemiologists are amazed at how
destructive this disease has become, since it is Easily
Cured....By Voting Out All Incumbents!
1. Jim Bakker & Jimmy Swaggert have written an
impressive new book. It's called... 'Ministers Do More
Than Lay People'
2. Transvestite: A guy who likes to eat, drink and be Mary.
3. The difference between the Pope and Your boss, the
Pope only expects you to kiss his ring.
4. My mind works like lightning, One brilliant Flash and
it is gone.
March 2010
Page 11
5. The only time the world beats a path to your door is
if you're in the bathroom.
6. I hate sex in the movies. Tried it once. The seat folded
up, the drink spilled and the ice, well, it really chilled the
mood.
7. It used to be only death and taxes now, of course, there's
shipping and handling, too.
8. A husband is someone who, after taking the trash out,
gives the impression that he just cleaned the whole house.
9 My next house will have no kitchen - just Vending
machines and a large trash can.
10. A blonde said, 'I was worried that my Mechanic might
try to rip me off. I was relieved when he told me all I
needed was turn signal fluid.'
11. Definition of a teenager? God's punishment... for
enjoying sex.
12. As you slide down the banister of life, may The
splinters never point the wrong way.
By following simple advice heard on the Oprah show, you
too can find inner peace. Dr. Oz proclaimed, 'The way to
achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you began and
have never finished. So, I looked around my house to see
what I started and hadn't finished. So before leaving the
house this morning, I finished off a bottle of Tequila, a
bottle of Zinfandel, a package of Oreos, the remainder of
my old Prozac prescription, the rest of the cheesecake,
some Doritos, and a box of chocolates. You have no idea
how freaking good I feel right now. Pass this on if you
know anyone you think might be in need of inner peace.
Let me see if I got this right ... If you cross the North
Korean border illegally you get 12 years hard labor. If you
cross the Iranian border illegally you are detained
indefinitely. If you cross the Afghan border illegally, you
get shot. If you cross the Saudi Arabian border illegally you
will be jailed. If you cross the Chinese border illegally you
may never be heard from again. If you cross the
Venezuelan border illegally you will be branded a spy and
your fate will be sealed. If you cross the Cuban border
illegally you will be thrown into political prison to rot. If
you cross the U.S. Border illegally you get:
A job,
a drivers license,
social security card,
welfare,
food stamps,
credit cards,
subsidized rent or a loan to buy a house,
free education,
free health care,
a lobbyist in Washington
billions of dollars worth of public documents printed in
your language
the right to carry your country's flag while you protest that
you don't get enough respect
and, in many instances, you can vote.
I just wanted to make sure i have a firm grasp on reality.
Since his several extra-marital affairs have come to light,
many of Tiger Wood's sponsors have dropped him.
However, Pfizer has decided to sponsor him. They're
making a new drug called "Tiagra" - it's good for a Master's
Tournament!
Subscription $18.00 per year! See Page 3. Get the
Veterans Post on your computer, only $6 a year.
You know you share this page with others around
the Country, why not get them their own copy?
And every month when they read it, they will call
and thank you. God Bless America & Her Veterans!
One-Liner Business Listings
Advertising / Classifieds
Veterans Post News - 727-822-8387
Credit Unions
Grow Federal Credit Union 800-839-6328
Funeral Services
Gee & Sorensen Funeral Home 727-323-5111
Marketing Services
Veterans Post News - 727-822-8387
Tires New & Used
Brickers Tire Service
727-545-8991
Vehicle Adaptations wheelchairs
CEH, Pinellas Park, FL 727-522-0364
Want your business here? 727-822-8387
Page 12
March 2010
CLASSIFIED RATES
NEW CLASSIFIED RATES
Private & Personal Ads $7.00
for 18 words, personal items
up to $2,500.00 in value.
Additional words .50¢ each.
OR Business Ads 18 words,
$11.00 and all items over
$2,500.00 in value. Additional
words .75¢ each.
BINGO
AmVets 698 Every Sunday doors
open at 1200 Starts at 1300. 5864
Park Blvd, Pinellas Park, Florida
727-548-0698
______________________________________________________________
VFW 2550 Every Wednesday doors
open at 1030 Starts at 1200 to 1500
360 Douglas Ave Dunedin, Florida
727-733-6107
Books
Science Fiction by Special Forces
Veteran. Wild sex and violence on
and off earth.
http://wwrutland.wordpress.com
------------------------------------------------FREE Receive a Chapter from my
book; “When Honor Was Courage”.
Write 7184 Euclid Station North Saint
Petersburg, FL 33734
Business Deal
20th Anniversary Special For You!
January 2010 begins our 20th year
of Service to Our Veteran Family
and Community. In Honor of this
event, we are putting a special price
on Business Classifieds of $20 for
20 words for three months. This
offer will not be around forever so if
you want to save almost 50% off
our regular low cost Classified Ad
rate, now is the time to do it.
For more info, 305-968-4399 or
305-378-6773.
Bay Pines VA is seeking reliable
volunteer shuttle drivers. FDL and
personal liability ins. req. Choice of
AM or PM hours, lunch for volunteers
at the noon meal. Call Charles Clark
727-398-6661, Ext 4686.
If you had
a business
and this
was your
ad…
I would be
reading it
right now
and
finding
out what
you have
to offer.
TREBLE CLEFS BAND
813-289-1292
10/03
Real Estate
Rental Houses
2 Bdrm 1 Bth ½ mile South of Trop
Field in Saint Petersburg. Fenced
backyard. Great neighbors! Looking
for TWO Veterans to share house
and rent of $650 month. Call Tom at
0912
727-822-8387 for info.
Rooms For Rent
Unfurnished room, bath with kitchen
use, yard, garden, parking $325 mo
Share Utilities. 727-822-8387
1004
Sarasota Meeting Room Building For Rent, once a week,
once a month or for that special
occasion. Easy to get to, located at
2449 Fruitville Road, with plenty of
free parking. Large kitchen, lots of
tables & chairs, AC, speaker
system and much more. The
building is a Veteran Organization
owned and operated. 941-9247108
Not So Classified
The Veterans Post
News is also in
Electronic Form.
Everything that is in
our regular
publication except
you don’t get
newsprint on your
fingers!
Only $6 a year!
E-mail:
[email protected]
Visit us online at:
www.VeteransP
ostNews.com
Lots of photos,
links, stories just
for you…
Thank YOU For
Your Service!
Need A Break?
Want To Have
Some Fun?
Entertainment
Learning

Join Us Every Sunday At 1:00
PM At Am Vets Post 698
Have Fun At Bingo!
& Support Veterans
5864 Park Boulevard
Pinellas Park, FL 33781
727-548-0698
Now Cooking Breakfast Every
Sunday Morning 8-11AM
Only $4.00
Save Paper/Save Money
Veteran
Subscribe to the Veterans Post
News via e-mail! You can enlarge
it on your computer for greater
detail. Can save paper and money
too! [email protected]
United States Army Officer
Special Forces
Special Occasions
Nancy Nazar “The Singing Angel”
Singing in the clouds. Sings Acappella the words to “Taps”, for
Veterans Funerals. For special
Events sings National Anthem and
Patriotic Songs. Give your next
event that special touch. 727-7262850 or cell 727-656-2851
Green Berets
Airborne
Chemical Corps
Volunteers Needed
James Haley VA in Tampa needs
volunteers, all work areas, choice
of hours. Call Volunteer Services.
Armed Forces Services Center at
Miami International Airport (MIA):
The military hospitality center at
MIA needs assistance for four (4)
hour shifts. Volunteers must be 21
or older. Seniors and Retired
Military are welcome. The Armed
Forces Services Center at MIA is
located at Concourse B, 4th Floor.
VETERANS BENEFITS APPEALS
Appeals of Veterans’ Benefits claims denied by the Board of
Veterans’ Appeals
AT NO CHARGE TO THE VETERAN!
We also assist Veterans with Medical Malpractice and
Automobile Accidents
Peter J. Meadows, P.A.
Attorney at Law
Mr. Meadows is a member of the Florida Bar and is
licensed to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for
Veterans Claims
800-868-2813
1314 E Las Olas Blvd Ste 1088 - Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301
*The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be made solely on the basis of advertising.
Maybe it is time to
clean out the
garage or closet.
You have
something I want
and you might
want the money I
might be spending
somewhere else!
So Where is
YOUR AD?
Calif Boosts Support To Combat Vets
By Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service
California
Gov.
Arnold
Schwarzenegger
announced a new
state initiative to
better help returning
combat Veterans to
land jobs and get
whatever help they
need in securing
housing, health care
and other Veterans'
services.
Schwarzenegger
unveiled
the
"Operation Welcome Home" outreach campaign
during his State of the State address in Sacramento,
citing "a fundamental obligation to anyone who has
shed or risked blood for this country." The new
program charges state agencies with providing better
support for Veterans.
"California has more returning Veterans than any
other state. So our state, as well as the federal
government, has a special responsibility," he said.
"We have a fundamental obligation to anyone who has
shed or risked blood for this country."
The state plans to hire 325 combat Veterans to
make contact with recently discharged troops in need
of job assistance. Other plans call for recruiting 1,000
volunteers to help Veterans cut through red tape so
they can better tap into services provided by the
Department of Veterans Affairs and state and
municipal programs, as well as non-government
organizations.
Sparked by his pre-Thanksgiving visit to Camp
Victory in Baghdad, Schwarzenegger said he felt
compelled – despite the state's financial crisis - to find
better ways to help troops returning from the combat
theater transition to civilian life. "They have seen and
experienced some hard things. Many have served tour
after tour after tour. As a result, some have lost
News of Interest
homes, spouses, limbs and lives," he said. "Too often
our soldiers bring back the enemy with them in their
heads," noting cases of post-traumatic stress and
suicides.
Schwarzenegger acknowledged troops in uniform
who recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan
and were present at the event, and thanked them for
their service. 'To each of you, I say, 'Welcome home,'"
he said.
Service Member Voting Law Changes
By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service
Laws have changed and service members who want
to vote need to be aware of these changes, the director
of the Federal Voting Assistance Program said.
Generally, military personnel who want to vote are
a higher percentage than the general population. Still,
there can be roadblocks to exercising the franchise.
Overseas-deployed service members may find that
"the absentee ballot doesn't get to them on time, so
they can vote it and send it back to the election official
so it can be counted," Bob Carey explained during an
interview. In the general population about nine out of
every 10 absentee ballots are successfully cast, the
director said. "Only about six or seven out of every 10
military ballots are successfully returned," he said.
The biggest problems, Carey said, involves the
nature of overseas duty and delays in the military
postal system.
Carey's organization is working to expedite the
voting process for military members. On the postal
side, officials are looking at ensuring that all military
ballots take seven days or less in transit. Imagine an
express-mail service for military voters, Carey said.
The power of the Internet also is being harnessed.
Military voters can go to www.fvap.gov for almost
one-stop shopping. A member can go online, find the
necessary voting forms and fill them out right there.
"Down the line we will also have an online ballot
system where they can receive the ballot online, fill it
out online and chose their candidates online," Carey
said. "They will still have to print it out and sign it,
but it would end the wait of getting the ballots."
Deployed service members - at combat outposts and
March 2010
Page 13
aboard ships - are the most affected by voting issues.
Many military voters also are younger and aren't
aware of the processes behind voting, Carey noted.
"We're trying to make it easy," he said, "so they don't
have to know chapter and verse of election law in
order to participate in the process."
ATTENTION
VETERANS
MUST HAVE
MEDICARE A & B
You could be receiving a
monthly reimbursement of up
to $96.40, among many other
benefits from Social Security.
Also; Limited Dental, Vision
and Hearing benefits.
Call
David Ribaric
(A U.S. Marine Corps Veteran)
727-545-0900
AUTO ACCIDENT – INJURY
CALL 813-254-2770
T. Edmund Spinks, Esq. P.L.
Attorney and Veteran
304 South Plant Avenue - Tampa, FL
www.spinkslawfirm.com
Page 14 March 2010
U.S. Taxpayers… Good Sports!
Paid $101,000 For In-Flight Food & Booze
It reads like a dream order for some wild frat party:
Maker's Mark whiskey, Courvoisier cognac, Johnny
Walker Red scotch,
Grey Goose vodka, E&J
brandy, Bailey's Irish
Creme, Bacardi Light
rum, Jim Beam whiskey,
Beefeater gin, Dewars
scotch,
Bombay
Sapphire
gin,
Jack
Daniels whiskey and
Corona beer. But that
single receipt makes up
just part of the more
than $101,000 taxpayers
paid
for
"in-flight
services" – including food and liquor, for House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trips on Air Force jets over
the last two years. That's almost $1,000 per week.
Obama Takes To The Road, Visits Ohio
Obama was in Lorain County, Ohio, on the second
stop of the "White House to Main Street Tour." The
last time he was in Elyria, Ohio, was during 2008
when he promised that he'd be a jobs creating
president. Since then, one plant there has closed, and
the situation has gotten worse.
The Obama Eligibility Saga Continues
Judges on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
have been told President Obama is a "security risk"
and a "usurper" lacking constitutional authority since
he admitted a dual citizenship at birth, thus making
him ineligible for the office under the U.S.
Constitution's requirement that the president be a
"natural born citizen."
More Than 300 Dead In Nigeria Violence
Charred bodies with scorched hands reaching
skyward lay in the streets and a mosque with
blackened minarets smoldered after several days of
fighting between Christians and Muslims killed more
than 300 people.
Thousands of people fled the Nigerian city of Jos
after clashes stoked by religious zealots spread to
nearby towns following three days of violence that
has left 300 dead and more than a 1,000 injured.
Clerk’s Note: Where is Al Shapton and Jesse Jackson?
Don't these people deserve the same attention that
murdering rappers do?
Balad Burn Pit Harmed Troops Living A
Mile Away
As Wendy McBreairty hiked up a 20-foot bluff in
her hometown of Cheyenne, Wyoming, her thigh
muscles felt heavy, as if she had been climbing for
hours. She breathed deeply, trying to fill her lungs
but, as usual, she felt as if she could not get enough of
the clear, cold air. Fatigue overwhelmed her, just as it
does every other day of her life.
The 32-year-old Air National Guard staff sergeant
sat on a rock, leaned toward the setting sun, and
pondered her future. "I had a lot of plans," she said,
biting her lip and wiping back tears. "I wanted a 20year career in the military and I don't see how I'm
going to be able to do another 13. I'm working on my
master’s degree - I'll get that done, but I don't know if
it will do me any good. I don't plan on having kids
anymore."
The root of her radical change in plans, she and her
doctor believe, is the open-air burn pit at Joint Base
Balad, Iraq. Before its Oct. 1 closure, the pit spanned
10 acres, consumed a wide array of potentially toxic
materials and spewed a near-constant plume of thick
black smoke that could be seen from miles away.
When McBreairty got back from Iraq in 2004, she
desperately tried to understand what was causing her
symptoms: shortness of breath, muscle fatigue,
muscle spasms, fatigue and dry eyes. She found that
others had similar, often equally puzzling, problems.
Among the 40 people in her shop alone, five have
neurological or respiratory issues.
One thing they had in common was that they all
lived in the housing area at Balad known as H6 during
their tours of duty in Iraq. H6 sat a mile southeast of
the burn pit, and on many days was downwind of the
plume.
Burn pits operate on U.S. bases throughout Iraq and
Afghanistan, and troops in both theaters have reported
Veterans & Politics
respiratory problems, cancers, neurological diseases,
heart problems and other issues that they believe are
linked to exposure to smoke from the pits. Cases of
respiratory illnesses among active-duty troops have
risen steadily since 2001.
McBreairty said she was healthy before she served
at Balad in 2004 with the New Mexico Air National
Guard, loading bombs on F-16s. She has since been
diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Fatigue came first.
Then muscle spasms. Her jaw hurt. Her arm hurt if
someone brushed it. Her joints ached. She had
headaches. Tests all came back normal. "By the
middle of 2007, I thought I was losing my mind," she
said. Finally, an MRI showed brain lesions - the
telltale sign of MS.
Almost immediately, her dreams of working as a
sheriff’s deputy disappeared. She stopped playing
softball. She gave up plans to become a military
officer. "I told my neurologist about the reports that
had come out about the burn pits," she said. "She was
just amazed they were burning the stuff that they
were. These are biohazards."
McBreairty pulled a letter from a stack of medical
paperwork on her parents' kitchen table. "I received
the fax transmittal from the Department of the Air
Force regarding the burn-pit hazards," wrote Mary
Kerber, McBreairty’s neurologist at Cheyenne
Medical Specialists. "We believe that there are
environmental triggers that can cause the
manifestation of multiple sclerosis. As we learn more
about multiple sclerosis, we may be able to identify
some of the environmental triggers and there may
have been some environmental hazards associated
with the open burn pit that could have triggered the
manifestation of your disease."
guest room. "In the box there was a chain and then in
the envelope there was a letter saying that if she
wanted something to wear with the chain, she should
look under the pillow," Josie said. "I looked under the
pillow and there was the ring. I looked at it and then
sat down on the floor and bawled."
Wedding Ring Lost From Hill AFB
A tragedy that claimed the life of a 28-year-old Hill
Air Force Base, Utah, F-16 pilot ultimately ended
with a miracle.
On June 22, 2009, Capt. George "Ice" Houghton,
originally from Candler, N.C., died when his jet
crashed at the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR),
about 35 miles southwest of Wendover, Nev., during
a night training mission. Assigned to the 388th
Fighter Wing's 421st Fighter Squadron at Hill AFB,
Houghton's jet went down in a remote area of the
UTTR commonly referred to as Baker's Strong Point.
Debris spread for miles from the crash site. Air Force
officials combed through the site, investigating the
accident and gathering Houghton's personal items.
Devastated by the loss of her husband, Houghton's
widow, Josie, wanted only one thing from the crash
site: the pilot's titanium wedding band. Since pilots
aren't allowed to wear rings during flights, Houghton,
like many other pilots, kept his in the pocket of his
flight suit. "A couple of days after it happened, I was
asked if there was anything specific I might want
recovered and I immediately asked for the ring," Josie
said. "In a very tactful and sensitive way, they
basically told me, 'We'll do what we can, but don't get
your hopes up.' So I figured it was kind of a lost
cause."
On Oct. 17, some four months after Houghton's
plane went down, a team of two Hill Explosive
Ordnance Disposal personnel, two members of
Detachment 1 of the 388th Range Squadron, six
volunteers who were stationed at the base, and the
eight members from Trails West all headed to the
crash site on a journey to find the ring. Lt. Col. Sean
Keene, Detachment 1's commander at the 388th
Range Squadron, said the search site encompassed an
area approximately the
size of eight football
fields, with the group
focusing on a central
location within the search
perimeter.
We looked for hours
using metal detectors in a
metal field of debris. It
was after 4pm when the
shout came… I Found It!
Truthfully it was a needle
in a haystack, just one in a
million.
But
the
inscription we were told
was inside the band.
When Josie came
back to Utah, she found
an envelope and a small
box on the bed in her
Subscriptions by Email, Only $6 a year.
www.VeteransPostNews.com
Military Families Get Free Online Tutoring
By Elaine Wilson, American Forces Press Service
The DoD has launched a free online tutoring
service for service members and their families.
The site – http://www.tutor.com/military - offers
round-the-clock professional tutors who can assist
with homework, studying, test preparation, resume
writing and more.
Marine Corps and Army families have had access
to the program for more than a year. Seeing the value,
Defense Department officials decided to expand the
service to encompass all service members and their
families, officials said.
"Providing 24/7 academic and career support for
military families during a time when so many parents
have a deployed spouse has been an important and
New Of Interest
well-received benefit for Marine Corps and Army
families," said Tommy T. Thomas. "We are pleased to
expand this program to all U.S. military families and
provide peace of mind that their children are never
alone when it comes to learning – there is always a
certified, professional tutor available to help," he said.
Active-duty service members, National Guard and
reserve personnel on active duty in a deployed status,
DoD civilians in a deployed status & their dependents
are eligible to participate. Along with test preparation,
the site is open to all students – from kindergartners to
high school seniors – for one-on-one help in math,
science, social studies and English. Many of these
students, are making the most of the live, one-on-one
help. "Thanks for having this service when our family
March 2010
Page 15
is separated at this time due to deployments and
training," a 6th grade child of a Marine commented.
"My father is unable to help one-on-one."
"I really appreciate this," a 9th grader, said. "It
really helps me understand my school work. It's going
to really help me ace my exams coming up! I am
definitely going to use this often."
Tutor.com's network includes more than 1,800
professional tutors and career specialists who have
delivered more than 5 million one-on-one tutoring
sessions since 2001, officials said. Each tutor is
certified through the site, and all sessions are recorded
for quality control.
Related sites: Tutor.com ; Office of Military
Community and Family Policy
Page 16
March 2010
Back Page

on the lookout march 2010 busting out all over

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