Memorial Day 2013.... Nice to be Home

Getting used to being home in the good old US of A....quite a haul over last 36 hrs to get here from Afghanistan.

Memorial Day this weekend.....Please take time to honor our military who gave the last full measure of devotion to duty, honor and country.

It takes a small bit of your time but it means a lot to all who served.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America ask for your help

Please read this request for you to sign a petition and get the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to do the job that they are well paid to perform.  That wounded Veterans have to wait up to 2 yrs to get the help they need is unacceptable.

Congress, the President and their staff don't have to wait for anything.  It is about time that Veterans who defended our country get the same consideration.  Really.

A shocking report just came out about the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability benefits backlog. It says that delays for new vets to receive disability compensation from the VA are much longer than originally reported, which is saying a lot. (If you’ve had a loved one file a claim, you know what I mean.) We must end this backlog now. Sign a petition to call for action with IAVA. According to the report, more than 900,000 veteran’s benefits claims are currently in the system, a number that VA expects to grow to over a million by the end of this month. Of the 600,000 backlogged, VA has said that the average wait time was 273 days, but this report reveals that veterans are waiting between 316 and 327 days after filing. Furthermore, despite spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on developing a digital claims process, 97% of claims are still on paper. The wait is 490 days in New Orleans. 619 in Los Angeles. 612 in Indianapolis. 586 in Houston. 642 in New York. And 681 in Reno. That’s 681 days to get benefits for injuries received while at war. 681 days. That’s just ridiculous. And it’s gone on for long enough. The men and women who have sacrificed so much deserve better than that. Sign the petition today to call on President Obama to establish a Presidential Commission to end the backlog.  Next week at Storm the Hill, IAVA’s membership will bring the petition with your name to the White House. We’ll also gather IAVA members from across the nation on the steps of the Capitol to demand the President fix this ongoing problem once and for all. We’ll keep the pressure up – and we won’t stop fighting until it's done. Paul Paul Rieckhoff Founder and CEO Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)

NAVY Vet demonstrates commitment to serve his country

Those who took an oath to " protect and defend the US Constitution against all enemies, foriegn and domestic..." do not lay down that oath lightly.....many like Navy Vet Dave Nicholson want to serve after the time in uniform ends.  His dedication to serving his country is what makes him as much a part of those who serve as when he was in uniform.

Many try to paint civilian contractors as modern day pirates - plundering and pillaging.  I understand that some see private contractors negatively due to those who have acted dishonorably.

To paint all who work overseas in support of the military with distain is not only wrong, it is ignoring all the efforts of those like Dave Nicholson who serve alongside our military and provide the services they need to be mission ready.

I am a private contractor and have been there to support those in uniform as I still uphold my oath to protect the US Constitution and to serve our great country.  I am proud to be in service to our country and to those who need our help.  It is a honor and privilege to be here and know that each of us makes a difference in our own way.



Off the Base: Navy Vet, Private Contractor Dave Nicholson - http://www.wusf.usf.edu/

Navy veteran Dave Nicholson is on a mission to raise public awareness about the role of private contractors in Afghanistan and Iraq and to dispel myths about their work.

The fit, 56-year-old visited WUSF’s studios and talked with reporter Bobbie O’Brien as part of our ongoing series, Off the Base, that focuses on the lives of military families and veterans.

Nicholson wore a "Fly Navy" cap and a blue polo shirt with a Lockheed Martin logo.  He has served both. The certified aviation mechanic served 12 years in the Navy before being medically discharged due to a blood disorder.

Nicholson worked in the public realm but missed the travel and sense of service he had in the military. So, he joined the ranks of private contractor because he felt he still had something to give.

He worked in Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia and most recently at an undisclosed Combat Out Post in Afghanistan for Lockheed Martin on a classified project.

That’s where on April 28, 2011 – during a rocket attack  which happened daily – Nicholson and his Lockheed teammates didn’t make it to a concrete bunker in time.

A rocket exploded 10 feet in front of them killing two of his teammates and severely injuring Nicholson.

“A lot of people say, ‘Are you bitter you lost both your legs trying to be a contractor in Afghanistan?’ and I look at it from a different perspective,” Nicholson said. “That’s a small price I personally paid so that others don’t have to. I protected them, that’s priceless. You can’t put a dollar amount on the good that we did.”

His recovery as a double amputee and a private contractor is different than that of active duty military injured in Afghanistan. He has to rely on Workers Compensation for his prosthetics, crutches, wheelchair and things like a van.

Nicholson is up to the challenge with the aid of his two bionic legs.

“It took a lot of hard physical therapy,” Nicholson said, but it’s paying off. He’s at about 85 percent when walking on his computer-controlled bionic legs. He’s ridden a horse, but says the real test will be when he can dance.

MEMORIAL DAY 2012 - It isn't about the BBQs and a trip to Cape Cod

It is one of the ways that things have changed over the last 30 years or so that has bothered me.  Memorial Day Weekend used to be a solemn occasion where all understood it was to honor those who were lost in battle defending our country.

Now, it gets treated as just another three day weekend that people take off to go to the Cape.  I am glad to see the sea of flags that has graced the Boston Common as this is what this weekend is all about.  More people need to take part in ceremonies that most towns hold this Monday as it is vital we pay homage to those who have sacrificed for our freedom.

About 200 volunteers planted 33,000 flags on the Boston Common today to represent Massachusetts soldiers killed since the Civil War.  We remember their sacrifice this weekend and always.

Families of soldiers lost in war plant flags on Boston Common and recall their bravery
By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff

Marine Private Daniel McGuire was born in Middleborough and grew up on the Cape. He played a little bit of lacrosse and loved theater. He was the oldest of four boys and was 19 when he was standing at his post in the middle of the night in Fallujah, Iraq. It was Aug. 14. 2008, a year and a day after he enlisted. His post was attacked, and he was fatally shot.

“The key is, for us as parents, I don’t need you to pay constant tribute to my son, I can do that, but just don’t forget him,’’ said Mark McGuire, who planted a US flag today for his son in a flowing display of 33,000 flags covering a grassy hill at the Boston Common near the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. About 200 volunteers on Wednesday planted the flags, one for each Massachusetts servicemember killed in action since the Civil War.

A final 159 flags were added today for the Massachusetts servicemembers killed since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

An hour-long event at the Common, the “Massachusetts Military Heroes” ceremony, was attended by a crowd of about 300 people, including Governor Deval Patrick, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Attorney General Martha Coakley, and about 20 families of servicemembers killed in action.

Family members read off the names of the 159 in a “roll call.”

McGuire, 49, of Mashpee, had a message for the crowds that are sure to head in his direction this Memorial Day Weekend.

“They just need a big banner on the bridge, saying, ‘It’s not about the barbecue.’ Swing by the national cemetery in Bourne. ... You don’t need to know anyone there. Just ride through.”

Mayor Thomas M. Menino sounded a similar theme
.
“There are people going down to the Cape or going to the mountains,’’ he said, standing at a lectern in front of the display of flags. “They forget, they forget the sacrifices made by so many men and women so we could have the freedom in America today.’’

Thomas Crohan, vice president of the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund, which organized the event, drew the crowd’s attention to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument that serves as a centerpiece to the sprawling Common.

“Its plaque reads in part, ‘To the men of Boston who died for their country on land and sea, the grateful city has built this monument that their example may speak to coming generations,” Crohan said. “We hope these flags speak to the current generation, as a solemn reminder of the enormous sacrifice made by the heroes we honor today.”

Brian R. Ballou can be reached at bballou@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @globeballou.

INCOMING - Obama plans 345% increase in healthcare costs for military

The battle of the budget is on and the feckless idiots in Washington have succeeded in spending our great-great-great grandkids and all the rest of us into a hole so deep they need to pipe light down to us at the bottom.

" Entitlements ' is the issue and who is entitled to what is the crux of the problem. Yes, we need to take care of the truly needy but the number of people who are officially listed as disabled has skyrocketed especially under Social Security. Many who now get a monthly check from Uncle Sam have never paid a nickel into the plan or seen the weekly deduction that is taken from those who work for a living.

Now, we get to the issue at hand, that the "Village Idiot from Chicago" has decided that after all the hard work the military has done for our country, they need to pay a higher premium for their healthcare. I understand that the cost of this program is not something that should be immune from adjustment but when they attempt to foist a 345% increase of the cost on the average military member/family, but at the same time not adjust the cost of the healthcare offered to UNION Government Civilian workers, we have a major problem.

This is par for the shiftless bastard in the White House. He has a life-long disdain for the military so he shafts them while giving preferential treatment to his Union Buddies. We need to send a message to the Idiot in Residence at the White House and send him out of there in November. While increases are needed, they should be shared across all areas and not just given to those who protect our country and serve in distant locations. Protecting Unionized Government workers who have done better than all other classes of workers is what was expected from the unethical poser in chief but now we can respond to this by voting him out of office.

OMG - Obama Must Go. Really.

Trashing Tricare - Obama to cut healthcare benefits for active duty and retired US military
BY: Bill Gertz - Washington Free Beacon - February 27, 2012 3:36 pm

The Obama administration’s proposed defense budget calls for military families and retirees to pay sharply more for their healthcare, while leaving unionized civilian defense workers’ benefits untouched. The proposal is causing a major rift within the Pentagon, according to U.S. officials. Several congressional aides suggested the move is designed to increase the enrollment in Obamacare’s state-run insurance exchanges.

The disparity in treatment between civilian and uniformed personnel is causing a backlash within the military that could undermine recruitment and retention.

The proposed increases in health care payments by service members, which must be approved by Congress, are part of the Pentagon’s $487 billion cut in spending. It seeks to save $1.8 billion from the Tricare medical system in the fiscal 2013 budget, and $12.9 billion by 2017.

Many in Congress are opposing the proposed changes, which would require the passage of new legislation before being put in place.

“We shouldn’t ask our military to pay our bills when we aren’t willing to impose a similar hardship on the rest of the population,” Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and a Republican from California, said in a statement to the Washington Free Beacon. “We can’t keep asking those who have given so much to give that much more.”

Administration officials told Congress that one goal of the increased fees is to force military retirees to reduce their involvement in Tricare and eventually opt out of the program in favor of alternatives established by the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare.

“When they talked to us, they did mention the option of healthcare exchanges under Obamacare. So it’s in their mind,” said a congressional aide involved in the issue.

Military personnel from several of the armed services voiced their opposition to a means-tested tier system for Tricare, prompting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey to issue a statement Feb. 21.

Dempsey said the military is making tough choices in cutting defense spending. In addition to the $487 billion over 10 years, the Pentagon is facing automatic cuts that could push the total reductions to $1 trillion.

“I want those of you who serve and who have served to know that we’ve heard your concerns, in particular your concern about the tiered enrollment fee structure for Tricare in retirement,” Dempsey said. “You have our commitment that we will continue to review our health care system to make it as responsive, as affordable, and as equitable as possible.”

Under the new plan, the Pentagon would get the bulk of its savings by targeting under-65 and Medicare-eligible military retirees through a tiered increase in annual Tricare premiums that will be based on yearly retirement pay.

Significantly, the plan calls for increases between 30 percent to 78 percent in Tricare annual premiums for the first year. After that, the plan will impose five-year increases ranging from 94 percent to 345 percent—more than 3 times current levels.

According to congressional assessments, a retired Army colonel with a family currently paying $460 a year for health care will pay $2,048.

The new plan hits active duty personnel by increasing co-payments for pharmaceuticals and eliminating incentives for using generic drugs.

The changes are worrying some in the Pentagon who fear it will severely impact efforts to recruit and maintain a high-quality all-volunteer military force. Such benefits have been a key tool for recruiting qualified people and keeping them in uniform.

“Would you stay with a car insurance company that raised your premiums by 345 percent in five years? Probably not,” said the congressional aide. “Would anybody accept their taxes being raised 345 percent in five years? Probably not.”

A second congressional aide said the administration’s approach to the cuts shows a double standard that hurts the military.

“We all recognize that we are in a time of austerity,” this aide said. “But defense has made up to this point 50 percent of deficit reduction cuts that we agreed to, but is only 20 percent of the budget.”

The administration is asking troops to get by without the equipment and force levels needed for global missions. “And now they are going to them again and asking them to pay more for their health care when you’ve held the civilian workforce at DoD and across the federal government virtually harmless in all of these cuts. And it just doesn’t seem fair,” the second aide said.

Spokesmen for the Defense Department and the Joint Chiefs of Staff did not respond to requests for comment on the Tricare increases.

The massive increases beginning next year appear timed to avoid upsetting military voters in a presidential election year, critics of the plan say.

Additionally, the critics said leaving civilian workers’ benefits unchanged while hitting the military reflect the administration’s effort to court labor unions, as government unions are the only segment of organized labor that has increased in recent years.

As part of the increased healthcare costs, the Pentagon also will impose an annual fee for a program called Tricare for Life, a new program that all military retirees automatically must join at age 65. Currently, to enroll in Tricare for Life, retirees pay the equivalent of a monthly Medicare premium.

Under the proposed Pentagon plan, retirees will be hit with an additional annual enrollment fee on top of the monthly premium.

Congressional aides said that despite unanimous support among the military chiefs for the current healthcare changes, some senior officials in the Pentagon are opposing the reforms, in particular the tiered system of healthcare.

“It doesn’t matter what the benefit is, whether it’s commissary, PX, or healthcare, or whatever … under the rationale that if you raise your hand and sign up to serve, you earn a base set of benefits, and it should have nothing to do with your rank when you served, and how much you’re making when you retire,” the first aide said.

Military service organizations are opposing the healthcare changes and say the Pentagon is “means-testing” benefits for service personnel as if they were a social program, and not something earned with 20 or more years of military service.

Retired Navy Capt. Kathryn M. Beasley, of the Military Officers Association of America, said the Military Coalition, 32 military service and veterans groups with an estimated 5 million members, is fighting the proposed healthcare increases, specifically the use of mean-testing for cost increases.

“We think it’s absolutely wrong,” Beasley told the Free Beacon. “This is a breach of faith” for both the active duty and retiree communities.

Congressional hearings are set for next month.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars on Feb. 23 called on all military personnel and the veterans’ community to block the healthcare increases.

“There is no military personnel issue more sacrosanct than pay and benefits,” said Richard L. DeNoyer, head of the 2 million-member VFW. “Any proposal that negatively impacts any quality of life program must be defeated, and that’s why the VFW is asking everyone to join the fight and send a united voice to Congress.”

Senior Air Force leaders are expected to be asked about the health care cost increases during a House Armed Services Committee hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

Congress must pass all the proposed changes into law, as last year’s defense authorization bill preemptively limited how much the Pentagon could increase some Tricare fees, while other fees already were limited in law.

Tricare for Life, Tricare Prime, and Tricare Standard increases must be approved, as well as some of the pharmacy fee increases, congressional aides said.

Current law limits Tricare fee increases to cost of living increases in retirement pay.

While you enjoy your Labor Day weekend, remember those at the " Tip O' the Spear "

The re-entry into life in these United States after being over in Afghanistan is something you have to experience to fully understand. The ability to just get in a vehicle and drive wherever you want without worrying about security & going "outside the wire" is a stark reminder of the difference you face between "here" and "there".

I enjoy the simplicity of being able to use a bathroom that is inside the building where you sleep, having easy access to a kitchen full of food (good food) and being able to go out and do whatever you want for the day (like visit my Dad on the Cape) instead of working a 12-14 hour day.....amazing.

The New England Patriots are playing tonight in Foxboro, RED SOX are battling the Yankees in Fenway tonight and there is cold beer to share with friends....awesome.

Meanwhile, I got the Old 1963 Navy Jeep out of the barn, knocked the dust off her and took her for a little cruise around the neighborhood to stretch her legs....she needs it as she hasn't been out of her barn since April. A car show will be visited on Sunday.

Like most, we don't understand fully what we have lost until we lose it. While you are enjoying your Labor Day Weekend, and having fun, remember that there are thousands of Servicemen & Women out there at the tip of the spear, working it 24/7. They too would rather be at home but willingly serve our country under the most difficult conditions.

They do it for you. Remember this next time you seem to be having a difficult day, likely there is someone out there in uniform having a tougher day than you are.

My thanks to those who serve as I know what they are dealing with and salute them for all there dedication and honor.

POTUS mucks it up in a speech regarding MOH Recipient Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti

Everyone makes mistakes...that's a given. The issue isn't making the mistake but the way you handle it and making sure you don't make mistakes about certain things - Things that are very very important.

When you are the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, you don't make errors about who you awarded the Medal of Honor to and whether he was awarded the medal posthumously. Unless you are a former Community Organizer who doesn't respect the military......

YOU are the PRESIDENT - YOU are speaking about a MEDAL OF HONOR recipient...You can't make a mistake in speaking about this, especially when you are speaking to his comrades in arms.

Really??? - I know he has issues when he speaks without a teleprompter but REALLY??

Please, I am begging you...don't re-elect this fool....we have already had enough of his level of incompetence. His lack of care for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice is appalling. He is hazarding our nation and our military.


Commander In Chief Misspeaks About Soldier Killed in Afghanistan
Dana Ritter
CBN News White House Producer

During his remarks to troops at Fort Drum today, the President was reminiscing about the times he has spent with the US Army's 10th Mountain Division, when he got something wrong.

" Throughout my service, first as a senator and then as a presidential candidate and then as a President, I’ve always run into you guys. And for some reason it’s always in some rough spots.

First time I saw 10th Mountain Division, you guys were in southern Iraq. When I went back to visit Afghanistan, you guys were the first ones there. I had the great honor of seeing some of you because a comrade of yours, Jared Monti, was the first person who I was able to award the Medal of Honor to who actually came back and wasn’t receiving it posthumously."

The problem is, Jared Monti was killed in action in Afghanistan, on June 21, 2006. He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously, September 17, 2009. President Obama handed the framed medal to his parents, Paul and Janet Monti. He and the First Lady comforted them in the Oval Office following the ceremony.

I contacted the White House to see what happened. I'm told the President didn't have prepared remarks.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said, "“At Fort Drum, the President misspoke when discussing the first Medal of Honor he presented posthumously to Jared Monti, who was a member of the 10th Mountain Division. The President paid tribute to Monti in his remarks to troops in Afghanistan in March 2010. Last year, the President presented the Medal of Honor to Salvatore Giunta, who was the first living recipient of the Medal who served in Afghanistan.”

The gaffe comes one day after the President announced his plan to bring troops home from Afghanistan at a faster pace. He deliberately spoke at Fort Drum because of the 10th Mountain Division's multiple deployments to Afghanistan

BRITISH MEDIA calls it like it is - "Barack Obama's decision to play golf on Memorial Day was disrespectful and hardly presidential "

At least we count on the BRITISH Press to call out the "Doofus in Charge"....None of the Media in America would have the guts to print this story as the President would shut them out or bar their access to the White House press room......

You can say many things about former President Bush, but he had a sense of decency when it came to how seriously he took BEING the President....the POSER we have presently does not see it the same way. He holds the military in contempt and has not been the biggest supporter of the military prior to getting elected. I feel that his "change of heart" since getting elected is not genuine and that the things we see him doing as President are solely "window dressing" for election purposes....

Either way, the BRITS don't think much of him either...Gotta love the Brits as they don't hold back, unlike the fawning media weasels we have here in the states....

And just so you don't feel I am singling him out, I feel the whole co-opting of the Memorial Day Weekend into another festive holiday when it should be meant to honor our Fallen Heroes is wrong. WE, as a nation, need to be better about making sure we honor those who gave the last full measure of devotion to our country.

Barack Obama's decision to play golf on Memorial Day was disrespectful and hardly presidential
By Nile Gardiner – UK TELEGRAPH

Can you imagine David Cameron enjoying a round of golf on Remembrance Sunday? It would be inconceivable for the British Prime Minister to do so, and not just because of the usually dire weather at that time of the year. Above all, it would be viewed as an act of extremely bad taste on a day when the nation remembers and mourns her war dead. I can’t imagine the PM even considering it, and I’m sure his advisers would be horrified at the idea. And if the prime minister ever did play golf on such a sacrosanct day he would be given a massive drubbing by the British press, and it would never be repeated.

Contrast this with President Obama’s decision to play golf yesterday, Memorial Day, for the 70th time during his 28-month long presidency. For tens of millions of Americans, Memorial Day is a time for remembrance of the huge sacrifices made by servicemen and women on the battlefield. The president did pay his respects in the morning, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, but later in the day traveled to Fort Belvoir to play golf. The story has not been reported so far in a single US newspaper, but was made public by veteran White House correspondent Keith Koffler on his blog. Here’s Koffler’s report:

The business of memorializing our war dead done, President Obama headed out to the Fort Belvoir golf course today, finding his way onto the links for the ninth weekend in a row.

Obama earlier today laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and met with families of those killed in battle. But he emerged from the day’s solemnity to go golfing for the 12th time this year and the 70th time of his presidency.

The decision to golf on Memorial Day invites comparison with President George W. Bush, who gave up the game early in his presidency and said he did it out of respect for the families of those killed in Iraq.

Does it matter if the president chooses to play golf on Memorial Day, and for the second time in his presidency (he did so as well in 2009)? I think it does, and it displays extraordinarily bad judgment, not only by Obama himself but also by his advisers. His chief of staff for example should have firmly cautioned against it. President Obama is not just any American but Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces. The United States is currently engaged in a major war in Afghanistan with over 100,000 troops on the ground, and more than 1,500 have already laid down their lives for their country.

The least the president can do on Memorial Day is spend the whole day with veterans and servicemen’s families while acknowledging their sacrifice. As Koffler points out above, President George W. Bush stopped playing golf out of respect for the families of Iraq War dead. This demonstrated not only good judgment but humility and respect for the men and women who keep America safe. It is little wonder that, as Gallup reveals in a new poll, US military personnel and veterans give Barack Obama lower marks for his job performance than members of the general public. The president’s actions smack of poor taste, as well a lack of empathy and support for the US military, hardly the kind of leadership the White House should be projecting at a time of war.

Memorial Day - “It's not just Cape traffic & cookouts, it's really about the ultimate sacrifice that so many men and women have [made]”

The enclosed picture shows 20,000 flags planed on the Boston Common to represent the servicemen & women who have given their lives in defense of our country and our state of Massachsuetts since Worl War I. As the 13th generation of a family that came to Massachusetts in 1635, quite a few of my ancestors are among those 20,000. I have served and one of my children served in our fine US Navy. It was our distinct privilege to wear the uniform and continue a long tradition of selfless service to our country.

This weekend, make Memorial Day Weekend about more than cookouts and another day off. I'll be here in Afghanistan supporting our fine military. Please do your part to honor our fallen Warriors wherever you are.


Ceremony honors state's fallen ahead of Memorial Day

BOSTON -- Twenty thousand flags filled up Boston Common as the city honored fallen service members heading into the Memorial Day weekend.

“Each of them represent a heart silenced and a life lost in service to Massachusetts and the country from the beginning of World War One until last month,” Steven Kerrigan of the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund said.

One of those flags was for PFC John Hart.

“He always wanted to be a soldier,” his mother, Alma Hart, said.

The 20-year-old lost his life when he was ambushed in Iraq back in 2003.

“He stood up, did his duty and covered the wounded and when he ran out of bullets he was shot,” Hart said.

Years later, his mother had a Memorial Day weekend message.

“You should pause for a moment and think about the hopes and dreams these people had,” she said.

With mourning families, city and state leaders took a moment to remember the fallen.

“This visual behind us, 20,000 flags, is a powerful, silent tribute,” Governor Deval Patrick said.

“It's not just Cape traffic and cookouts, it's really about the ultimate sacrifice that so many men and women have paid for our commonwealth,” Kerrigan said.

The names of 143 Massachusetts servicemen and women killed in recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were also read during Thursday’s ceremony

Thought for the Day......

MILITARY FATHER & SON REUNITE AND CATCH UP AT KAF - " Like any dad, I worry about my son. I just wish we served in closer proximity to each other”

Army Staff Sgt. Robert W. Pharris, left, greets his son, Marine Cpl. Benjamin J. Pharris, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Nov. 17, 2010. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Andrew B. Adcock

SEMPER FI to this Father & Son Duo.....Glad that we can find good news stories coming out of the warzone....

Face of Defense: Father, Son Reunite in Afghanistan
By Army 1st Lt. Andrew B. Adcock - ISAF 12/06/10
Joint Sustainment Command Afghanistan

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Dec. 6, 2010 – It’s not often that a father and son meet in a combat zone, but that’s what happened when Missouri Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Robert W. Pharris reunited with his son, Marine Corps Cpl. Benjamin J. Pharris here Nov. 17.

The last time the two had seen each other was Christmas 2009, when Cpl. Pharris was home on leave.

Staff Sgt. Pharris now is serving in Afghanistan on his first deployment as a member of the Nangarhar Agri-Business Development Team IV, with Task Force Bastogne.

“We’re one component of rebuilding the Afghan infrastructure. We take graduates from Nangarhar University and work with them as they improve their agricultural and farming skills,” the staff sergeant said.

First enlisting in the Army in 1981, and later in the Army National Guard, Pharris has more than 14 years of service in a variety of assignments. Primarily serving as an infantryman, he also has served as a drill sergeant and recruiter. After leaving military service in 1997 and experiencing an 11-year break, Pharris re-joined the Missouri Army National Guard in 2008 after he learned that an infantry unit was being formed.

“I surprised my son by having him show up at my re-enlistment ceremony. He had no idea I was re-enlisting,” Pharris said.

Pharris’ Marine son, also on his first deployment, is serving at Kandahar Airfield as an individual augmentee supply specialist with the 184th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, a Mississippi Army National Guard unit that assumed the responsibilities of Joint Sustainment Command-Afghanistan, Oct. 17.

“As a Marine individual augmentee, I had no idea I was coming to a National Guard unit. It’s been a great experience so far and I want to continue to learn and do well,” the Marine said.

Military tradition runs deep in the Pharris family. In addition to Cpl. Pharris’ father, his mother, grandfather, and great-grandfather served in the military. His great grandfather served in the South Pacific during World War II.

The Marine recounted one of his childhood memories that buoyed his decision to join the military.

“When my mom received an award on the parade field,” he said, “I knew that I would serve. The only question that was left unanswered for quite some time was which service I would join.” Pharris enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2007 after completing high school early.

Pharris said he’s fully supportive of his son’s decision to serve in the military.

“He has done very well and I’m looking forward to his promotion to sergeant,” the father said of his son. “He has continued the family’s military tradition with the same pride in service.”

While deployment is never easy on families, the father and son agree that being together is one of the best things about deploying to a combat zone.

“Like any dad, I worry about my son. I just wish we served in closer proximity to each other,” Pharris said.

“I love it that my dad is over here the same time as I am,” the son said.

The father and son have found effective ways to deal with stress while serving in a combat zone. Both like to exercise during their “down” time, and honing their video-game and card-playing skills.

“I came to Afghanistan to make a tangible difference,” the father said. “Hopefully, 20 years from now, someone will remember an American who was here and be thankful their life is better.”

MIA in 2012 field: Military service

THIS is not a good trend....WE NEED people who have dedicated themselves to our Country for more than a paycheck to be the President. Military service is a good prerequisite for the position. Lack of it makes the learning curve much steeper.


MIA in 2012 field: Military service
By: Kasie Hunt - Politico.com
November 13, 2010 07:04 AM EST
The resumes of the Republicans most frequently mentioned as potential presidential candidates are studded with impressive accomplishments and experience at the highest levels of government.

Yet, nearly all of them are missing a tour of duty that for much of American history has been a prerequisite for the presidency: military service.

Of the 16 top GOP presidential prospects for 2012, only Rep. Ron Paul and Texas Gov. Rick Perry have ever served in the Armed Forces. Since President Barack Obama also never served in the military, the odds are that in two years, Americans are likely to cast their votes in the first presidential race in nearly 70 years where neither major party nominee has ever worn the nation's uniform.

The last time that happened was 1944, when New York Republican Gov. Thomas Dewey lost to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had been crippled by polio.

The veteran-free presidential contest would take place as the nation debates the future of its military presence in Afghanistan — now the nation's longest war — and attempts to figure out how to limit the American presence in Iraq.

Former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.), a Medal of Honor winner who lost part of his leg in Vietnam, points out that while the scenario once might have seemed highly unusual, such a small percentage of the population now serves in the military that few voters care whether a presidential candidate has served in the military.

"I don't see a lot of evidence that it matters to voters anymore," Kerrey said. "We have an all-volunteer force now. ... Once people didn't have real skin in the game, they began to lose interest."

What's developed, he said, is a political culture that's a lot more willing to send men and women to war — and one that's less likely to question leaders who do.

"I think you lose what you would call the political trip wire on expeditionary efforts. Anything that requires men and women to go into harm's way is an awful lot more difficult to do if it's broadly shared by all households," Kerrey said. "I promise you that it would come up at town hall meetings if every 18-year-old had to go sign up for the draft and possibly go to war."

"The bottom line is it's just a sign of the times. We moved several elections ago into the Vietnam and post-Vietnam generations," said John Ullyot, a Republican political consultant who spent years working for the Senate Armed Services Committee under then-Chairman John Warner (R-Va.).

The likely absence of a veteran at the top of the ticket coincides with a decline in the number of veterans serving in Congress. In 1971, there were 398 veterans serving in the House and Senate. By 1981, it had fallen by roughly a quarter to 298, according to the Congressional Research Service. There will be just 113 veterans in the 112th Congress when it convenes in January, down from 121 in the current Congress.

While there are signs that veterans of recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have started entering public life in greater numbers, it's unlikely to significantly move the dial because a hallmark of these wars are repeated tours from the same small group of people. Rep.-elect Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), for example, served a combined five tours with the Air Force, three in Iraq and two in Afghanistan.

"You've asked a very small part of America to take most of the risks for America," said Anthony Cordesman, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies who has advised the Obama administration on its policy in Afghanistan. "I don't think the 2012 Republican slate is as much an issue as the level of sacrifice that's being asked a very small proportion of America to make."


But military service — or lack of it — has been a persistent issue in presidential politics for decades.

John F. Kennedy built his presidential campaign around his World War II heroism. A 1960 campaign brochure noted that he was "a much decorated war hero of World War II" and cited "his four years of service as an officer in the Armed Forces." The pamphlet, which mentioned his authorship of "Profiles in Courage," also told the story of his PT boat experience, referring to it as "one of World War II's most dramatic stories."

Later that decade, future President Bill Clinton acknowledged the importance of military credentials for aspiring politicians. In a now-famous letter written to the head of the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Arkansas in December 1969, Clinton wrote, "I decided to accept the draft in spite of my beliefs for one reason: to maintain my political viability within the system. For years, I have worked to prepare myself for a political life."

In 2004, Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry crafted his persona around his Vietnam War service. Four years later, the years Republican Sen. John McCain spent as a prisoner of war provided the foundation for his powerful narrative as a war hero devoted to country.

"Part of what really launched the McCain campaign was his service and how unique it was," Ullyot said. "In 2000, it gave him instant credibility with voters in New Hampshire because it was out of the ordinary with the crowd at the time. And now you've moved into an era where most people haven't served."

While it hasn't surfaced yet as an issue among the 2012 crop of potential candidates — and the lack of service didn't stop Clinton or Obama from defeating decorated war heroes — the GOP hopefuls recognize that it's an issue that's worth addressing, in one way or another.

"His experiences as the son of a career soldier convinced him at an early age to dedicate his life to his country and to the protection of freedom," former House Speaker Newt Gingrich writes on his website.

He's currently promoting his latest book, "Valley Forge," a tribute to George Washington's famous Revolutionary War camp there. Gingrich, like Clinton, received student deferments during Vietnam.

Other prospective candidates go to lengths to show their support for the troops or to note family members who have served.

"Tim and his wife, Mary, also led efforts to support Minnesotans serving in the military," Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's website says. "In addition to traveling several times to the war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq to visit with commanders and troops, he led efforts to create one of the nation's most comprehensive programs to support veterans, military members and their families."

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, whose son Track served in Iraq, often references his service in the Army.

"As a military mom, I know how much sacrifice is involved when our loved ones choose to serve ... I also know though about the pride that comes with that loved one choosing to defend this country," Palin told a crowd at a June 2010 speech in Norfolk, Va.

The issue proved a thorny one for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney during his 2008 run after he provided an awkward answer in response to a question from a voter about whether any of his five sons has served in the military.

In his new book, "No Apology," Romney cites the visits he made to the military hospital Walter Reed and a boyhood hero who served in the military.

"As a boy, Bill McCaffrey was my hero," Romney writes. "Rather than join his dad's highly successful business, he served for twenty years in the army, often away from his wife and four children on long tours of duty."

Zachary Abrahamson contributed to this report.


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