United States Flag
    I would just like to pass on to all concerned. Today, here at KIRKUK AB,  Iraq, we were told that we were no longer allowed to fly the United States  flag. The reason we were given is so we would not offend the Iraqi people. We were told that we are not occupying this country! And apparently we are  not in charge. Well, my question is this. If we are not in charge, then who is? Obviously, the Iraqi people are not. The Iraqi people do not run  any of the bases over here yet, and may not for quite some time. We at KIRKUK AB, Fire Dept., have up to today, both Posted and Retired the colors every day. Today in a show of respect and honor especially for those who  have fallen, we disobeyed the order and raised our flag, but less than an hour later we were ordered to take our flag down. The moral here is low, but our mission remains in focus. It is a slap in the face of those families back home who have lost a loved one. It is also a slap in the face for those who still remain here, not only protecting our people back home,  but trying to make a difference here in the pursuit of freedom for the Iraqi people. I would appreciate the widest dissemination of this message. If we are to fly the Iraqi flag with our flag then so be it. But don't tell us that we can't show respect for our flag, when so many have died in the name of freedom. The only people I think who would be offended, are the people who kill innocent women and children in the name of religion. Thank you for  your support and prayers.

Samuel D. Arbuckle, TSgt, USAFR, FREEDOM AB, Kirkuk, Iraq

"For Those Who Fought For It, Freedom Has A Flavor, The Protected Will Never Know"

I am the Marine that wrote on the top of a case of C-Rats: the above passage.

L/Cpl Edwin L."Tim"Craft, B Co 3rd AT's, Khe Sahn Combat Base, February 1968

An Ode to America
     Why are Americans so united? They would not resemble one another even if  you painted them all one color! They speak all the languages of the world  and form an astonishing mixture of civilizations and religious beliefs.
     Still, the American tragedy turned three hundred million people into a hand put on the heart.  Nobody rushed to accuse the White House, the army, and the secret services that they are only a bunch of losers. Nobody rushed to empty their bank accounts. Nobody rushed out onto the streets nearby to gape about.
     The Americans volunteered to donate blood and to give a helping hand.  After the first moments of panic, they raised their flag over the smoking ruins, putting on T-shirts, caps and ties in the colors of the national flag.  They placed flags on buildings and cars as if in every place and on every car a government official or the president was passing.
     On every occasion, they started singing their traditional song: "God Bless America!" I watched the live broadcast and rerun after rerun for hours listening to the story of the guy who went down one hundred floors with a woman in a wheelchair without knowing who she was, or of the Californian hockey player, who gave his life fighting with the terrorists and prevented the plane from hitting a target that could have killed other hundreds or thousands of people.
     How on earth were they able to respond united as one human being?  Imperceptibly, with every word and musical note, the memory of some turned into a modern myth of tragic heroes. And with every phone call, millions and millions of dollars were put in a collection aimed at rewarding not a man or a family, but a spirit, which no money can buy.
     What on earth can unite the Americans in such a way? Their land? Their galloping history? Their economic Power? Money? I tried for hours to find an answer, humming songs and murmuring phrases with the risk of sounding commonplace.
     I thought things over, but I reached only one conclusion... Only FREEDOM can work such miracles.
 

"Veterans, Who Do They Think They Are?"
By Laurel A. Olmsted
        Today I overheard a young man exclaim, "Veterans, who do they think they are?" Was he a protester carrying a sign? No. Was he someone who had been wronged by a Veteran? No. He simply had discovered that his mail might not be delivered on Veterans Day.
        I don't know who I am more upset with, the mother who didn't say anything to her son, or myself, for not telling this guy just who veterans think they are. So I decided to write something that I can hand to someone should the question ever arise again. This is just a partial list of all that our military has done, and is doing for us.
       "Veterans, Who Do They Think They Are?"
        They are the men and women who live every day in pain. Physical pain from their wounds, lost limbs, or maybe it's the shrapnel they still carry. Emotional pain from being separated from their families for long periods of time. For missing the birth of their child, or death of a parent.  Mental pain for what they have seen and what they had to do. Pain from knowing that they would have died for you and you are not wise enough to
know you should care.

God Bless Our Veterans,

Laurel A. Olmsted
Wife Of A Veteran
Proud Mother of two Veterans

2003, Laurel A. Almsted. All opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of Military.com.

 

 

When Veterans were promised medical care for life if they served 20 or more years, they had to go to the supreme court to fight for it, and still they lost because the congress said, "we never gave our permission". But when it came time to give permission to stop telemarketers, it only took one day. The congress is not doing the right thing and that is against all morals and standards paid for in blood, by Veterans for the freedom of their country.

 

Sept. 2003 Issue of the Veterans Post Newspaper ...

(Used with permission)

The Sleeper Awakens!^©

The Small Print^© by Phillip Meskin

        Mark this day down on your calendar, for no matter what you do, as you read this there is coming a change to this nation and you will remember that you read it here, first.  Today what you read here will profoundly change what happens in our country, it will only start with a ripple, but by the time it reaches coast to coast, it will be a tidal wave of power. It will have more impact on Wash, DC than any protest march ever had.
       Today is the day I tell ALL you Military Retirees, EVERY Veteran who ever served, and ALL Americans who ever complained about what our government has done to, or not done for our Veterans. For all that have said; “What can I do?” or “It’s out of my hands!” I am going to give you the power over your own destiny. Your wish has been granted, but be careful and remember… With great power, comes great responsibility and with these words, I now turn the destiny and guidance of this nation over to you.
      You, the men and women who guided this country through its darkest moments, putting yourself in harms way, between the enemy and this nation.

      You, who served 20 years or longer only to be patted on the head and told; “So What… We Lied, What Can You Do About It?”

      You, disabled by the battle or the longevity of the career, or because the sights and sounds of horror you saw and heard should not be seen or listened to by any human being.

      You, who came home to be denied by the very government you swore to protect.

      You, who are told by men and women in $1,000 suits, paid for by your taxes, that they cannot afford to give you the medical or financial benefits that they promised you, because they have to raise their own salary and give 5 times more than what is in the VA budget to third world nations so they can look good for the international market.  After all, one day they will be out of office (even though they get full salary for life) and might need a job from a foreign country as a lobbyist so they can have their foreign rights to sell to us cheap products that their own countrymen cannot afford, and the profits shared by those in power, not the people. Sound familiar?

      You, who have complained that the Democrats say they will give you more health care, and don’t deliver, or the Republicans who say they will cut your taxes, and then raise the cost of living.

      You, who have about given up because no matter which party they are in, you still lose. They continue to look out for themselves, and YOU Veterans, just keep clogging up the system. Now all they have to do is just try to wait you out because they know by the year 2008 you will be a much smaller group.

      As 1,500 of YOU Veterans die each day, which is 547,500 a year, by the time the parties get ready for the 2008 primary, there will be Two Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand less of YOU.  And that is almost the entire membership of the American Legion World Wide. Which will also drastically reduce all the other Veteran Organizations, since most of the Legionnaires are also members of the other Veterans organizations.

      You have told yourself or maybe that buddy you left behind who gave HIS ALL, you would make a difference when you got back if you could only do something you would, but what can you do, you are only one person.

      Well let me remind you of something… You did not win that War or Conflict or Police Action on your own.  You had the power of the United States Military. All the branches, working together to accomplish one goal… To win!  It was not the weapon that was in your hand, or the tank you drove or the plane you flew or the ship you were on that won that battle… It was YOU! Working together at a time when your country needed you most.  Now I am calling you back for duty, to work together again to fight and win your biggest battle!

      Welcome to the “Veterans Party”!  A political movement that will cross over this nation like the clouds above.  No joke, by the middle of September, you will be able to go down to any office of the Supervisor of Elections in Florida and change your party affiliation to the Veterans Party.  And before the end of the year, you should be able to do it in every state in this Union that YOU helped to protect against ALL enemies, both foreign and domestic.

      Did you say you didn’t want a draft dodgers in office, now you can do something about it.  Did you say you don’t want someone who has skipped out on his service by joining the National Guard and then not showing up for drills, now you can do something about it.  If you say you are too old for this, then you are. If you say you can’t win, then you won’t. Are you scared?  If you won’t do it for yourself, then at least set the groundwork in motion for the returning Veterans from this last battle. Your son’s, your daughter’s, your grandson’s, your granddaughter’s.

      If you sit there and don’t do nothing then you are not the person I thought you were.  If you tell me that if you switch, you will dilute the party you supported who have told you time and time again, they are the friends of Veterans!  Why don’t we just cut out the middleman, the double talk and just Elect Veterans? Is it possible Veterans can do worse? I don’t think so.

      Didn’t you once trust your life to those who served with you, to watch out for you?  Maybe it is time we began trusting each other again. We have a new battle, we don’t need bullets, just ballots. There would be no question about the vote for Concurrent Receipt, we would not have to beg or plead to get what we were promised or earned! But maybe a Veteran congress could reduce the pension and perks of former politicians?

      Remember, if you are not part of the solution…