I can't help but marvel at the fact that..................

[RobH]

so many veterans spend so much time complaining about all the wrong being done to them on a consistent basis......

Now, before you "flame" me or curse me, understand that I am a 10 year Army Veteran and Viet Nam Vet who was in-country from 10/68 thru 12/70 serving much of my time on the Cambodian border as a Team Leader for the 69th Inf Det.....

I guess I have been very fortunate in that I have not suffered the health problems that many have, but I am qualified for VA care....but I have either paid for mine or had it covered by my health insurance.....

But what amazes me the most is that for the millions of veterans who are alive today....that we haven't gotten our collective butts in gear and formed a "voting bloc" to "encourage" our elected persons to perform or put them in the street.

Current estimates show that there are approximately 80 million Veterans of all wars and family members of voting age....... Imagine the reaction of members of the House and Senate if they were to be voted out of office....by Veterans!!

Myself, I refuse to belong to any "party". I live in FL and I am registered as an "NPA", which means I am "Not Party Affiliated". I vote only in General Elections....and for the person I believe best qualified to serve.

I am endorsing the call to arms for all Veterans not to vote for incumbents for the sole purpose of cleaning house. I realize that many will think this is a wasted effort.....but I remind you that the only way the evil succeeds is for good people to do nothing. If enough Veterans commit their votes for write in candidates.....or a challenger to an incumbent.....and we unseat enough of the "slackers" inside the beltway....the balance of them might just get a clue.

Our future is in our hands.....and if we just sit and complain without doing anything.....we deserve what we get. The only solution is to band together regardless of political ideology and vote as a "bloc" and show our mettle.

In closing....remember: When the going gets tough, the tough get going ....and the weak fall by the wayside.

[Tamaroa]

Do Veteran's really care about themselves and their predecessor vets throughout all the wars. I have to tell you that sometimes I wonder. From what I have seen where I live, veteran organizations are nothing more than social clubs. a place to swill drinks with your old army buddy and remember the old days.

For the last several years, a friend of mine and I have tried to get the vets in our county interested in a project. Given the nature of the project, one would have thought they were interested. But, alas, it was not to be. I, a CG vet, personally went to every known active and abandoned cemetery in the county. I suffered through a terrible bout of Lyme disease for my trouble. I photographed all the headstones of Civil War vets. By the time I was through, I had 725 Union vets catalogued and 5 Confederate vets. I had a slide show and a presentation on how our veteran's resting places were being ignored. we were published in the paper and gave several presentations. Each time we were lucky if we got 15 to 20 people to come.

I tried to get the local American Legions and VFW's involved. Again they gave us a lot of lip service and thought it was a great idea. We had expanded the project you see. We decided to go beyond civil War vets and do all vets. Everybody thought it was a great idea until it came time when we asked to come to the meetings and give the presentation. all of a sudden, they wouldn't return calls or they were already booked, etc.

First we have to unite to become a voting block. What is the common denominator amongst us veterans that should start the process. We all took the oath to preserve, protect and defend the constitution, didn't we. That's a start at least. We have to start thinking about others and not just ourselves. Otherwise our benefits and pensions will continue to dwindle.

Bill

[RobH]

Bill, Thanks for your reply. I agree with you entirely. Its been 32 years since I came home, and 25 years since I got out of the Army. I have yet to join any Veterans organizations. None of them wanted me when I came home.....they all disdained and disrespected VietNam Vets, though now as their membership of WWII and Korean War Vets pass on to their reward....they want us to swell their ranks to keep the dues flowing..... I don't know about you.....but I have better things to do than lean against a bar and hear about "how it was to fight a real war".....

You are right.....we need to unite as a group under our common bond.....that being that we are Veterans....and vote in such a fashion as to make it clear that we are not happy with how the government is operating, and how the government has broken its promises to its Veterans and especially the Retirees who "kept their promises" and served faithfully those many years til retirement.

Every chance I get, I tell people.....Don't vote for the incumbent.....and if the challenger looks as bad....don't vote for him or her either. DO a write in for someone. I try to get Veterans to get out and vote as I do. Some still think it doesn't matter, and their votes don't count....
But the past Presidential election should have made it clear that "every vote counts". The only vote that doesn't count is the one that wasn't cast!!

I wish I knew of some way to bring the many millions of Veterans together to cohesively vote as a "bloc" and make some changes.....but how do we overcome the many agendas that exist? I know that the Veterans organizations have their own agendas.....very much so, and they are "anti-make waves", afterall....if Veterans rise up and vote cohesively, they might even expect their so called representative organizations to actually be responsive to their membership: the Veterans who fund their salaries......

I'm thinking of bumperstickers and handouts to challenge the voters as well as the Veterans.


You probably would have gotten better results for your projects if you threw a Barbeque and paid for the food and beer......

And, IT IS A SHAME how Veterans Cemeteries are let to deteriorate........but then its symptomatic of how this country treats its Vets.........In time of war they love you...peacetime comes, and who are you?

[Arrow]

Rob try this address. I can't endorse them as I know nothing about their credibility but you might check it out. No sense reinventing the wheel. There is another organization out of TX that has billboards all over the place down there calling for vets to unite. I can't find the url for them though.

click on link and look to the left of their home page then click on veterans voting bloc

www.thetexasfirm.net

[phuloi]

There are no requirements that you stand around and swill beer to become a member of any of the service organizations.I am a life member of Disabled American Veterans,and also belong to Vietnam Veterans of America and Veterans of Foriegn Wars.These groups have a strong lobby in Washington and give tremendous aid to millions of us.Please don`t be so quick to discount them.

[RobH]

phuloi, it isn't so much that I "discount" most or all of the Veterans organizations.... I generally tend to rule them out.

Some have done some good, and others haven't, but I fear that most or all of them are fully vested in their own agendas....or the agendas of their national officers and they like many politicians have lost sight of the needs and desires of the legions of Veterans whose dues pay their salaries.
Many have been charmed or seduced by politicians and photo ops......again losing sight of their duties and obligations.

They have not "marshalled" the Veterans into a voting bloc and exercised that power....and in fact it is considered by many that since most of these organizations are "congressionally chartered"... they have purposely not functioned as they should have.... "in the best interest of Veterans".

Veterans are SPECIAL....we all know that!! We have been the defenders of our freedoms and values. We have answered the call of our nation even when it was unpopular, and we have suffered at the hands of our own people because of it. Given that we have served with Honor and Dignity, why is it that we can't hold our heads up and demand our due from our elected officials and clearly state to them that they are responsible to us....not just special interest groups?

We as Veterans need to throw away our separate ideologies to make a statement and remove the professional trough feeders in elected positions and maybe elect more of our own. But we of all people in this nation owe to ourselves and our nation to elect the best people to represent the people....ALL of the people, not just a few.

[blues clues]

I belong to two organizions the DAV and the Purple Heart both as a Life time member i'm not sure about the DAV but the moph dosen't get any money from the government.
razz

[Andy]

One of the reasons some of us complain about all the wrong being done is due to that being a fact. I do not, will never, allow VA doctors to touch me whenever anything serious goes wrong. At the risk of sounding melodramatic if I had gone to VA doctors in 1997 for my cancer there is no doubt I would have been dead in 1998. I pay for private health insurance. As a retired employee of a sub-division of the state it costs $392 per month for health insurance and is worth every penny. The VA should be doing better, hope we can all agree on that. But how to fix it? Gimpy and others feel that the VA hospitals should be given more money more recourses. Paco and others feel we should be given a health insurance cards and seek our own treatment facilities. Which is the right way to go?

Why don?t all vets get together? Seems it?s because we are all such individuals. There is usually one candidate who seems more pro military than the other but pro vet, there usually isn?t much of a difference. Besides, how do vets feel about abortion, government regulations, school spending, a balanced budget, foreign affairs, church & state, the ?war on drugs?, crime? If 50 people on this site, people who have something in common, were asked to describe the perfect candidate we?d get at least 45 different answers. Perhaps the real concern is that so few members of congress and governors are vets. Thus we are just another issue like unwed mothers who might be seeking aid.

I don?t see a successful resolution to our problems. Moreover the stereotype of vets being a bunch of guys swilling beer at the local VFW can?t possibility be helping our image.
If there is a practical way of uniting a class of rugged individuals who we call vets lets hear it. Sorry, maybe I?m just being a little pessimistic tonight.

Stay healthy,
Andy

[judyvillecco]

Rob you have good ideas. Too many organizations that start out with a purpose lose sight of why they started in the first place. I personally have dealt with the DAV, and even though they are supposed to represent me, the Vet, I do not feel they have my best interest at heart, but a political end. If you are unconfortable you are... no matter who tells you to stop rocking the canoe. I agree with a voting block of "vote the bums out" . I think it would scare politicians to death! Someone like you could start it by simply getting like-minded vets interested and calling on them to send letters like other web sites do. How bout it? Count me In!

[RobH]

Andy....I don't think you are being pessimistic....just a bit realist and pragmatic. I too maintain private health insurance.... my chances of getting help in a VA Clinic down here is not very good, so I get my care privately. But you are right!! We are somewhat rugged and individualistic people and we are not all that likely to agree on everything.....

But I can only hope that we can somehow band together on issues involving Veterans and get more people in elected positions to truly understand that we are in fact "Voters" who will cast our vote as a "bloc" if necessary.

Judy....Thank you for the kind words. I would really like to see some significant changes in the roster of the 107th Congress and some other elected positions as well.

Spread the word!!!