Now What Do You Think About Bob? Say It Aint So?

[jbasser]

http://www.militarytimes.com/story/veterans/2015/02/23/veterans-affairs-secretary-robert-mcdonald-special-forces/23918821/

[marine0816]

Another politician. He is only telling the truth when he is sleeping and drinking water

[Berta]

I don't think it should be much of a big deal. He did have Ranger training.

I think the Sec was just trying to establish a quick rapport with the SF Army veteran.

A known principle of psychology depends often on trying to find something in common ( even if it isn't quite the same thing)

with someone , right away, just to open the door, to see what they need help with.

Fox just ran the video clip of this incident.

In my opinion, the fact that this Army Special Ops vet was Homeless should be the big deal.


I am more concerned about the firing figures....maybe the gatekeepers are getting to him with the wrong info...just remember, they are the same gate keepers that withheld stuff from Shinseki.

None of them have been fired as far as I know.

I just feel we have to give Sec McDonald a chance.He immediately corrected his error on the Special Ops stuff.

I never heard from him at all after 2 emails to him.... I think the stuff I emailed him about ( not a claims issue at all) he gave to someone else to look into and they probably swept it under the rug.I sent the info to the H VAC as well.

I have mentioned this same issue here many many times over the years....because it is one of the main reasons why VA gets away with so much malpractice
but no one here was interested so I no longer am either. Then again the OGC is looking into it via my FOIAs on that issue.

But that might not even be productive.

Dr. Bash knows exactly what I am talking about.regarding the VA malpractice issuesWe discussed it on one of our radio shows.and probably by phone as well more than once.

This is my opinion on the new Secretary ,as a civilian (widow of 2 disabled vets and mother of a veteran)

so it might not mean anything to you veterans. And that's OK.

Edited February 24, 2015 by Berta

[Philip Rogers]

I still think he's better than what we've had running the VA! To me he was trying to make the veteran feel a kinship w/him. He didn't say he was in "The Special Forces" but that he was in special forces. I believe, at that time period, both the Special Forces, Navy Seals and Rangers were newly formed units. Many officers and NCO's had been thru Ranger school but I don't believe there were any active Ranger units, since WW-II, until VN. He was a paratrooper, which were, in effect, a special forces "type" unit, in that they were above and beyond the regular Army troops. The same could be said about submariners. I certainly don't ID myself as special forces, even though I was a paratrooper.

One of the guys, in my platoon, that I served with, was later "attached" to The Special Forces, at FT Bragg, upon his return to CONUS (1966/67). He later became a state rep, in Wisconsin and had ID'd himself as a former member of The Special Forces, which he was not. His lie was eventually discovered and he is no longer a state rep, there.

I have a guy, who used to be in my PTSD group, that claims he was in the 173rd Airborne Brigade, when he was actually in the 1/50th Mechanized Infantry, which was "attached" to the 173rd. He even went so far as to get a 173rd tattoo, w/airborne wings on his arm, even though he was neither airborne or assigned to the 173rd.

In the Army, attached personnel are authorized to wear the unit patch, of the unit they were attached to, while in that unit but aren't authorized to wear it as a combat patch, on their right shoulder.

I want to add that many of the homeless, that ID themselves as vets, often aren't, and with further dialog w/them can be discovered as phony's. Many use the vet status as a rouse to get more donations or services, by wearing military clothing.

jmo

pr

Edited February 24, 2015 by Philip Rogers

[broncovet]

Im gonna give the man a "hall pass" on this one because he promptly came clean, and because I think he is helping Vets.

Most of us have had an "oopsie" moment where we go, "Gee, I can not believe I said that..what was I thinking?"

I read where the AVERAGE American lies about 3 times a day. Who among us has not said, "Im Fine", when, in fact we have a headache, a stomach ache, and we just found out our wife ran off with the mailman, and we also just found out our 16 year old daughter is pregnant by the 60 year old neighborhood child molester whom we despise.

We say that because we dont want to give our entire medical history when someone says, "How are you?" We just say "fine" as we do not really want to tell anyone how we really are. What we should say is the rude, but more accurate, "none of your business". Some Vets even get a habit of responding "fine" so much, when they go to the C and P exam, they mistakingly utter that claim killing "fine", when the Vet is EVERYTHING but "fine".

I know for sure, I have told people I was "fine" when I was so sick I did not think I would make it to tommorrow.

By quickly coming clean, and admitting it, this raises my opinion of him, not lowering it. It means he wants to do what's right and be honest. I question the guy who claims he "always" tells the truth...I am probably among the most honest people I have ever met, but I have told lies, too, and yes I regret them.

I have, in the past, tried to hold people accountable for their words, and, sometimes even the same day, have asked forgiveness for words that I spoke which were inaccurate or worse. I should have "at least" as high of standard for myself, as I do for others. Sometimes, I actually have too high of standards for my self, and then I have low self esteem when I can not even meet my own standards.

Edited February 24, 2015 by broncovet

[Notorious Kelly]

Gotta agree on the pass- he got the Tab, kind of a technicality he wasn't assigned to a unit for that and , as said, he was establishing rapport with a vet.

Not that huge to me.