ptsd Maybe Not The Right Place, But Important And Can Be Moved

[Jim 501st]

--- From: Bobby Ross <kittytahoetoy@yahoo.com>

Subject: Fw: Happy Holidays from LT Bobby Ross

To: Kittytahoetoy@yahoo.com

Date: Sunday, December 21, 2008, 2:54 PM

> Hello to you Veterans or Veteran supporters!

>

> I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very

> Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

>

> What follows are exerts of a speech given by president

> elect Obama to the VFW on August 8, 2008. It was full of

> promises to help Veterans and reform the VA (Veterans

> Administration). It is time to make sure these promises are

> kept. The Iwo Jima LRRP Network founded by me, LT Bobby

> Ross, is committed to making sure that these promises are

> kept.

>

> There is no excuse for the VA to not be fully funded. There

> is no reason for military personnel to be kicked out of the

> military because they are struggling with untreated PTSD.

> 23 page claim forms are ridiculous. Waiting months for

> care and/or appointments is unacceptable. Refusing to treat

> Veterans simply because they make a dollar more than some

> arbitrary means test is breaking a promise made at

> enlistment.

>

> These are just some of the problems Veterans are facing

> when going to the VA. It is time that Veterans get their

> just rewards and proper health care and a decent

> compensation pension for disabilities resulting from

> military service. With this in mind I urge you to contact

> your Senator, Congressman and the President urging immediate

> action on these promises. While nothing will be done on

> these issues until the new President and House and Senate

> take office on January 20th, we can put those now in office

> on notice that we demand and expect action immediately after

> the Inauguration the 20th of January.

>

> The President will have a majority of both the Senate and

> the House at his disposal. Action on this will only happen

> when a majority of Veterans speak up in a unified voice. As

> the saying goes the squeaking wheel gets the oil. It is time

> for us to all squeak together. If we do our squeak will be a

> roar that the politicians cannot ignore.

>

> “Keeping faith with those who serve must always be a core

> American value and a cornerstone of American patriotism.

> Because America's commitment to its servicemen and women

> begins at enlistment, and it must never end.”

>

> “To keep our sacred trust, I will improve mental health

> screening and treatment at all levels: from enlistment, to

> deployment, to reentry into civilian life. No service-member

> should be kicked out of the military because they are

> struggling with untreated PTSD.”

>

> “No veteran should have to fill out a 23-page claim to

> get care, or wait months - even years - to get an

> appointment at the VA.”

>

> “We need more mental health professionals, more training

> to recognize signs and to reject the stigma of seeking care.

> And to treat a signature wound of these wars, we need clear

> standards of care for Traumatic Brain Injury.”

>

> “Recovering troops should always go to the front of the

> line, and they shouldn't have to fight to get there.”

>

> “But we know that the sacred trust cannot expire when the

> uniform comes off. When we fail to keep faith with our

> Veterans, the bond between our nation and our nation's

> heroes becomes frayed. When a Veteran is denied care, we are

> all dishonored. It's not enough to lay a wreath on

> Memorial Day, or to pay tribute to our Veterans in speeches.

> A proud and grateful nation owes more than ceremonial

> gestures and kind words.”

>

> “Caring for those who serve - and for their families - is

> a fundamental responsibility of the Commander-in-Chief. It

> is not a separate cost. It is a cost of war. It is something

> I've fought for as a member of the Senate Committee on

> Veterans' Affairs. And it is something I will fight for

> as President of the United States.”

>

> “It's time for comprehensive reform. When I am

> President, building a 21st century VA to serve our veterans

> will be an equal priority to building a 21st century

> military to fight our wars. My Secretary of Veteran's

> Affairs will be just as important as my Secretary of

> Defense.”

>

> “No more shortfalls - it's time to fully fund the VA

> medical center. No more delays - it's time to pass

> on-time VA budgets each and every year. No more means

> testing - it's time to allow all veterans back into the

> VA. I will immediately reverse a policy that led the VA to

> turn away nearly 1 million middle and low-income Veterans

> since 2003.”

>

> “The VA will also be at the cutting edge of my plan for

> universal health care, with better preventive care, more

> research and specialty treatment, and more Vet Centers,

> particularly in rural areas.”

>

> “I will revamp an overburdened benefits system. The VFW

> has done a remarkable job helping more than 120,000 Veterans

> a year navigate the broken VBA bureaucracy, but you

> shouldn't have to do it alone. I will hire additional

> workers, and create an electronic system that is fully

> linked up to military records and the VA's health

> network.”

>

> “One of the most admired principles of the U.S. military

> is that no one gets left behind. Yet too often America does

> not keep faith with this principle. On any given night, more

> than 200,000 Veterans are homeless. We're already

> hearing about hundreds of homeless Iraq War Vets. That's

> not right. That's not keeping our sacred trust. We must

> not leave these men and women behind. My principle will be

> simple: zero tolerance. Zero tolerance for Veterans sleeping

> on the streets. I've fought for this in the Senate, and

> as President I'll expand housing vouchers, and I'll

> launch a new supportive services housing program to prevent

> at-risk Veterans and their families from sliding into

> homelessness.”

>

> “I will listen to them as a candidate, and I will listen

> to them as President. And I will be clear that whatever

> disagreements we have on policy, there will be no daylight

> between us when it comes to honoring these men and women who

> serve, and keeping faith with our Veterans. This is not a

> partisan issue. This is a moral obligation. This must be a

> beachhead for bringing our country together.”

>

> End of Obama’s remarks

>

> As you can see the President Elect has put forward some

> proposals that will result in “Change” for the VA. This

> “Change” will be of great benefit to our current

> military personnel and our Veterans.

>

> As he said, “This is not a partisan issue. It is a moral

> obligation.” It is now up to us to make sure the

> “Change” in the VA comes about and is not lost in the

> memory of campaign promises.

>

> To locate your congressman, go to

> http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

> To locate your Senator, go to

> http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_info...enators_cfm.cfm

>

>

> Thank you for your support.

>

> >PEACE,

> >