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Weekly Address
July 10, 2010
Last weekend, on the Fourth of July, Michelle and I welcomed some of our extraordinary military men and women and their families to the White House. They were just like the thousands of active duty personnel and veterans I’ve met across this country and around the globe. Proud. Strong. Determined. Men and women with the courage to answer their country’s call, and the character to serve the United States of America. Because of that service; because of the honor and heroism of our troops around the world; our people are safer, our nation is more secure, and we are poised to end our combat mission in Iraq by the end of August, completing a drawdown of more than 90,000 troops since last January. [What I'm not telling you: Just like the Clinton's, I loathe the military and all they stand for; using their might to force countries around the world to accept democracy as their form of government; occupying allied countries through America's installations, manned by thousands of men and women. The Iraqi 'draw-down' timetable is purposeful on my part; now the Ba'athists, the Sunni Islamists, the Shia Islamists, the Badr Organization, the Egyptians, the Syrians, the Sudanese, the Saudis, the Jordanians, the Iranians, the Palestinians, et al, will have but to wait for the end-date to restart their own offensives.]
Still, we are a nation at war. For the better part of a decade, our men and women in uniform have endured tour after tour in distant and dangerous places. Many have risked their lives. Many have given their lives. And as a grateful nation, humbled by their service, we can never honor these American heroes or their families enough. Just as we have a solemn responsibility to train and equip our troops before we send them into harm’s way, we have a solemn responsibility to provide our veterans and wounded warriors with the care and benefits they’ve earned when they come home. [What I'm not telling you: With the demand for socialist spending over the last twenty years, military veterans' and retirees' benefits have been systematically diminished, primarily by not keeping up with inflation and by randomly foregoing annual pay raises. Other benefits such as dependent health care, commissary, exchange [department store] and travel have been reduced as well.]
That is our sacred trust with all who serve – and it doesn’t end when their tour of duty does. To keep that trust, we’re building a 21st century VA, increasing its budget, and ensuring the steady stream of funding it needs to support medical care for our veterans. To help our veterans and their families pursue a college education, we’re funding and implementing the post-9/11 GI Bill. To deliver better care in more places, we’re expanding and increasing VA health care, building new wounded warrior facilities, and adapting care to better meet the needs of female veterans. To stand with those who sacrifice, we’ve dedicated new support for wounded warriors and the caregivers who put their lives on hold for a loved one’s long recovery. And to do right by our vets, we’re working to prevent and end veteran homelessness – because in the United States of America, no one who served in our uniform should sleep on our streets. [What I'm not telling you: Remember when I wanted to institute a policy of wounded soldiers pay for their hospital care..... EVEN in military hospitals?!?! Holy Crap!! That didn't go over very well!! This is one of the points where the obama Handler Group realized that they'd have to pacify the commoner to a greater degree before bestowing more socialist/fascist spending and political policies on them. With instituting these proposed veterans' policies, over time the affected veteran and his/her family will realize who's "buttering their bread," and the votes will come our way!! By-and-large, military members DO NOT vote obamacRATic in national elections. The obama Handler Group believes all these "wounded warrior" and retiree benefit upgrades will go far to buy the military vote!! Given the unforeseen opposition to the obama Handler Group's fascist policies they've had me blather about; the congressional trashing of legislative rules in the name of the Group's fascist laws and policies--the only way the obama Regime will continue beyond being a "one-term wonder" is to buy more votes than the other guy!!]
We also know that for many of today’s troops and their families, the war doesn’t end when they come home. Too many suffer from the signature injuries of today’s wars: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. And too few receive the screening and treatment they need. Now, in past wars, this wasn’t something America always talked about. And as a result, our troops and their families often felt stigmatized or embarrassed when it came to seeking help. Today, we’ve made it clear up and down the chain of command that folks should seek help if they need it. In fact, we’ve expanded mental health counseling and services for our vets.
But for years, many veterans with PTSD who have tried to seek benefits – veterans of today’s wars and earlier wars – have often found themselves stymied. They’ve been required to produce evidence proving that a specific event caused their PTSD. And that practice has kept the vast majority of those with PTSD who served in non-combat roles, but who still waged war, from getting the care they need.
Well, I don’t think our troops on the battlefield should have to take notes to keep for a claims application. And I’ve met enough veterans to know that you don’t have to engage in a firefight to endure the trauma of war. So we’re changing the way things are done.
On Monday, the Department of Veterans Affairs, led by Secretary Ric Shinseki, will begin making it easier for a veteran with PTSD to get the benefits he or she needs. This is a long-overdue step that will help veterans not just of the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, but generations of their brave predecessors who proudly served and sacrificed in all our wars. It’s a step that proves America will always be here for our veterans, just as they’ve been there for us. We won’t let them down. We take care of our own. And as long as I’m Commander-in-Chief, that’s what we’re going to keep doing. [What I'm not telling you: With the concentration on PTSD and TBI {Traumatic Brain Injury}, where will the wounded/disabled Viet Nam veteran fall?? The signature injuries of their conflict were PTSD and explosive amputations. Do we ignore them for the greater voting block of the current soldier?? The Viet Nam conflict was designated 'a loss' by the media, while a statistical win, given the data available. The socialists wanted a loss here and were thus provided by the congress, the Pentagon and the then-current administration. This was the first armed conflict to prove that the best military decisions were made by commanders in the field, NOT from 'downtown' Washington!! Relating to the two current armed conflicts: Given my knowledge of and lack of affinity for the military, so long as my massive ego remains intact and massaged periodically, they can do whatever they want!!]
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