I Can't Believe This is True or Can I?
We were sitting in McDonalds having a coffee and a "McMuffin" type of breakfast defying our doctor's advice to not do these types of things to our bodies. But, what the heck, at 74 and 76 who really cares?
I was reading a book of some kind that I always drag with me so I am not staring out into space and Carl was looking through the free papers for some crossword puzzles when he stopped short in his tracks and said "Look at this."
A little paragraph in a local weekly in Louisville said the following: "Can't possibly be true. In March change of regulations, the Pentagon began saving money by reducing "combat injury" benefits for all except those wounded while actually fighting, explaining that combat "related" injuries were simply not worthy of full compensation. This, in examples offered by the Washington Post in November, Marine Cpl. James Dixon and Army Sgt. Lori Mesell were not entitled to full combat injury coverage for their Iraq wounds (Dixon from a roadside bomb and a land mine, and Meshell while diving for cover during a mortar attack.).
Because neither were actually fighting at the time, (Dixon, initially denied about $16,000.00 by the classification, recently won a hard-fought reversal, but Meshell, drawing $1,200 less per month because of the change is still appealing.")
As the parents of a solder, no a warrior, from Desert Storm, who eventually died as the result of the chemicals from Desert Storm, we were appalled. Our son served his country for almost 15 years in the Army, was given the Bronze Star for bravery above and beyond the call of duty and spent 6 months inhaling chemicals that the Army denies were there and which caused incredible damage to his mind during the nine years after he left the Army and eventually caused his self destruction. His wife and two children still have not received a dime from our government.
Why in the world would any human being in their right mind want to serve and protect their country in any branch of the service when these branches of service constantly have to "tone down" their budgets in the areas that protect our veterans?
Our military service people do the rotten jobs that society refuses to do or are incapable of doing. They have done these duties for years. Our country's strength, globally, is in our Military service people and has always been and always will be until all people on this planet voluntarily lay down all arms and declare universal peace.
Keeping that in mind why are we not taking care of our veterans? Does anyone in their right mind think that Cpl. Dixon and Sgt. Mesell were just taking a Sunday stroll in Iraq or on a holiday! There were there because they were sent there by our government. They were doing their duty regardless of whether they were engaged in combat or not and yes just by being there they were engaged in combat. I am sure they did not become aggressive; they were in a situation that resulted from the aggressiveness of people who did not want them to be in their country. As the result of this why should these veterans and their families suffer?
They were there because our politicians put them there and until our politicians stop playing the "money game" in countries that have things we want or need, then the part of "doing business as usual" should be to pay our disabled veterans what they deserve when they are sent on missions by our government.
Isn't it time that our government started to protect the people who protect us. Isn't it time that some of the money we send to countries that really don't want us there to be spent here in our country.
As the mother of the children of a Korean war Navel veteran, the widow of a Marine veteran of WWII and Korea, the grandmother of two Navy service people, the mother-in-law of an Army serviceman in his 22nd year and the aunt of 2 U.S. Air Force Majors, I say, "I don't know about you, but I am mad as hell and it is time for a change!"