“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself and in no instance bypass the discriminations of reason? You have been given the principles that you ought to endorse, and you have endorsed them. What kind of teacher, then, are you still waiting for in order to refer your self-improvement to him? You are no longer a boy, but a full-grown man. If you are careless and lazy now and keep putting things off and always deferring the day after which you will attend to yourself, you will not notice that you are making no progress, but you will live and die as someone quite ordinary. From now on, then, resolve to live as a grown-up who is making progress, and make whatever you think best a law that you never set aside. And whenever you encounter anything that is difficult or pleasurable, or highly or lowly regarded, remember that the contest is now: you are at the Olympic Games, you cannot wait any longer, and that your progress is wrecked or preserved by a single day and a single event. That is how Socrates fulfilled himself by attending to nothing except reason in everything he encountered. And you, although you are not yet a Socrates, should live as someone who at least wants to be a Socrates.”
All Veterans
Veterans first
Friday, November 23, 2018
Saturday, August 25, 2018
Statement by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, Jr. on the Passing of Senator John McCain
08/25/2018 08:42 PM CDT
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. NR-248-18
Aug. 25, 2018
Statement by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, Jr. on the Passing of Senator John McCain
Statement by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, Jr.:
"Senator McCain exemplified what it means to be a warrior and dedicated public servant. Both as a naval officer and as a member of Congress, he was a lifelong and tireless advocate for the men and women of the U.S. military.
"He traveled the world to meet personally with Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, to hear what they had to say, and to see firsthand our military in action on the front lines. Senator McCain recognized the sacrifice and hardships military members and their families can experience and proudly served as their champion in Congress. He visited our nation's wounded warriors around the country to offer encouragement and to thank them for their service. Through his tenacious and selfless leadership in the Senate, he fought hard to ensure our Armed Forces remained strong and had the support and resources needed to succeed when placed in harm's way.
"While we mourn Senator McCain's passing, we are eternally grateful for his distinguished service to our nation, his advocacy of the U.S. military, and the incredible example he set for us all."
Monday, August 20, 2018
STAND UP FOR BILL (And Other Veterans and Their Families)
STAND UP FOR BILL
(And Other Veterans and Their Families)
I would like to create state and federal legislation that does the following:
1. Directs the Veterans Administration (VA) and the Nevada Department of Veterans Services to create free, accredited continuing professional education (CPE) for civilian health care workers and paramedical case workers (including social workers and chaplains) on veterans health issues.
2. Directs all health care providers to change their intake forms and health questionnaires to ask if patients “had any US military service” in order to “begin the conversation”. Self identified veterans should be asked to fill out an additional military questionnaire. A proposed format is available.
3. Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to require that all health care workers (including VA health care workers and CHOICE doctors) be familiar with compensable diseases and disabilities so they can refer Vets and their families to the VA benefits office for evaluation and additional assistance.
4. Directs the VA and the Nevada Department of Veterans Services to use public service announcements and other media to reach out to veterans and their families to inform them about presumed connected disabilities and report back to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Nevada state governor and the veterans legislative committee annually on the effectiveness of these techniques.
5. Directs the VA and the Nevada Department of Veterans Services to prominently display flyers and other media on presumed connected disabilities to all offices that work with veterans and their families, including VA cemeteries.
6. Directs the VA and the Nevada Department of Veterans Services to prominently display flyers and other media about survivor benefits to all offices that work with veterans and their families, including VA cemeteries.
7. Directs the VA and the Nevada Department of Veterans Services to contact civilian support groups that routinely work with people who have one of the presumed connected disabilities (e.g. the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) and work with them to identify veterans, children and grandchildren who have a disease presumed connected to military service. Identified veterans and family members should be referred to designated VA resources. Records of these referrals should be rolled up to the governor, state legislative affairs committee and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on a yearly basis.
8. Directs each state to keep records and prepare a yearly report to the governor, the veterans legislative committee and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs evaluating the effectiveness of the training delivered, contacts made and media used to provide information to veterans, spouses and health care professionals.
WE MUST ACT NOW
• We must make sure that Vietnam Veterans who have a presumed connected disease take full advantage of the benefits that they earned by their service to our country.
• We must make sure that Vietnam Veteran survivors have access to the benefits that their loved one earned by their service to our country.
• We must make sure that veterans from other conflicts such as the Korean War, the Gulf War, Iraq War, the war in Afghanistan, certain defense department projects and Camp Lejeune know about the diseases and disabilities presumed connected to their military service.
• We must act now to protect the children and grandchildren of veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during their military service.
The VA has recognized certain cancers and other health problems as presumptive diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service. Veterans and their survivors may be eligible for benefits for these diseases.
• A rare disease caused when an abnormal protein, amyloid, enters tissues or organs
• A type of cancer which affects white blood cells
• A skin condition that occurs soon after exposure to chemicals and looks like common forms of acne seen in teenagers. Under VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure to herbicides.
• A disease characterized by high blood sugar levels resulting from the body’s inability to respond properly to the hormone insulin
• A malignant lymphoma (cancer) characterized by progressive enlargement of the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen, and by progressive anemia
• A disease characterized by a reduced supply of blood to the heart, that leads to chest pain also called coronary artery disease
• A cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell in bone marrow
• A group of cancers that affect the lymph glands and other lymphatic tissue
• A progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects muscle movement
• A nervous system condition that causes numbness, tingling, and motor weakness. Under VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of herbicide exposure
• A disorder characterized by liver dysfunction and by thinning and blistering of the skin in sun-exposed areas. Under VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure to herbicides
• Cancer of the prostate; one of the most common cancers among men
and cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus
• Soft Tissue Sarcomas (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, or mesothelioma) A group of different types of cancers in body tissues such as muscle, fat, blood and lymph vessels, and connective tissues
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis aka Lou Gehrig’s disease causes the death of neuron controlling voluntary muscles. This disease is associated with service in Vietnam.
If you would like to help me in this effort, or if you have ideas on how to spread the word about presumed connected disabilities, please feel free to contact me. I am Barbara Rodgick and I am the widow of an Agent Orange Vet. My phone number is 425-442-7563 and my email address is barbara98065@gmail.com. 8/18/18
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Veteran of the Month
Fwd: Veteran of the Month
MOPH Patriots -- I hope you can join me next Monday, Apr 16th at 1:30 pm in the foyer of the Grant Sawyer building as Governor Sandoval recognizes Raymond Warran III, USMC, as Nevada's April Veteran of the Month.
Len Yelinek
Commander, Las Vegas Chapter 711
Military Order of the Purple Heart
Ray Warren is Veteran of the month for April and the Governor plans on being there. Please get as many of our Purple Heart members to attend as you can. My congratulations to Ray on receiving this important recognition.
Andy LePeilbet 775-772-8747
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: David Johnson <johnsond@veterans.nv.gov>
Date: April 6, 2018 at 12:19:01 PM PDT
To: "'LePeibet Andy (andy@nevadaandy.com)'" <andy@nevadaandy.com>
Subject: Veteran of the Month
Thanks Andy,
His name is Raymond Warran III U.S. Marine Corps
It will be held at the Grant Sawyer Building on Monday April 16, 2018 at 1:30 pm with the Governor attending
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Show Your Gratitude To Our Veterans This Thanksgiving
Show Your Gratitude To Our Veterans This Thanksgiving and through the Holidays
By Supporting
The Gainesville Fisher House on AmazonSmile
It's Easy! Tell your friends!
Families stay through the holidays at the Gainesville Fisher House due to the severity of the medical treatments their loved ones must undergo at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center. We try to do what we can to make the Fisher House feel like home during such a stressful time, but we need your help.
By adding the Gainesville Fisher House as your charity on AmazonSmile, our Fisher House will receive a portion of the proceeds of your purchase at no additional cost to you.
Instructions on how to do so are down below.
Here’s how easy you can support veterans and their families with no additional cost to you:
1. Sign in to https://smile.amazon.com/ with your Amazon login information.
2. Under “Your Account”, select “Change Your Charity”
3. In the “Find Your Charity” search bar, type “Gainesville Fisher House Foundation” and click “Search”
4. Click “Select” next to the Gainesville Fisher House Foundation
5. Shop for all your loved ones this holiday season while supporting the Gainesville Fisher House!
For information on other ways you can support the Gainesville Fisher House, check out our website by clicking below:
Saturday, November 18, 2017
AAFES - HONORABLY DISCHARGED VETERANS use The EXCHANGE - Nov 11, 2017
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Remember when you could shop at the PX, BX, NEX, MCX, or CGX?
November 11, 2017, Veterans with HONORABLE DISCHARGE can shop the [ONLINE] PX and BX athttps://www.shopmyexchange.com
Go to https://www.shopmyexchange.com/veterans or Sign-Up directly at https://www.vetverify.org/index.xhtml
HONORABLE DISCHARGE or HONORABLE SERVICE REQUIRED
TO VERIFY YOUR ELIGIBILITY
1.. Fill out the form - https://www.vetverify.org/index.xhtml
2.. Receive a determination
3.. Start shopping on November 11, 2017 at all online exchanges
ONLINE EXCHANGES:
Army and Air Force Exchange Service https://www.shopmyexchange.com/
Marine Corps Exchange http://www.mymcx.com/
Coast Guard Exchange https://shopcgx.com/
POW/MIA - REMEMBER!
.
Beginning November 11, 2017 … HONORABLY DISCHARGED VETERANS will be able to shop at THE EXCHANGE (formerly known as The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES)).
To get to THE EXCHANGE (AAFES) web site, type: WWW.AAFES.COM
To shop THE EXCHANGE, an HONORABLY DISCHARGED VETERAN must first register athttps://www.vetverify.org/index.xhtml
Thought you might pass the word.
--
Len Yelinek
Commander, Las Vegas Chapter 711
Military Order of the Purple Heart
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Patriots - forwarding a commentary from Oliver North.
A faulty retelling of ‘The Vietnam War’
Richard Nixon kept his promises, Ken Burns did not
By Oliver North - - Monday, October 16, 2017
ANALYSIS/OPINION:
When Richard Nixon was in the White House, I was in Vietnam and he was my commander in chief. When I was on Ronald Reagan’s National Security Council staff, I had the opportunity to brief former President Nixon on numerous occasions and came to admire his analysis of current events, insights on world affairs and compassion for our troops. His preparation for any meeting or discussion was exhaustive. His thirst for information was unquenchable and his tolerance for fools was nonexistent.
Mr. Nixon’s prosecution of the war in Southeast Asia is poorly told by Ken Burns in his new Public Broadcasting Servicedocumentary “The Vietnam War.” That is but one of many reasons Mr. Burns‘ latest work is such a disappointment and a tragic lost opportunity.
It’s sad, but I’ve come to accept that the real story of the heroic American GIs in Vietnam may never be told. Like too many others, Ken Burns portrays the young soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines of the Vietnam War as pot-smoking, drug-addicted, hippie marauders.
Those with whom I served were anything but. They did not commit the atrocities alleged in the unforgivable lies John Kerry described to a congressional committee so prominently featured by Mr. Burns. The troops my brother and I were blessed to lead were honorable, heroic and tenacious. They were patriotic, proud of their service, and true to their God and our country. To depict them otherwise, as Mr. Burns does, is an egregious disservice to them, the families of the fallen and to history. But his treatment of my fellow Vietnam War veterans is just the start. Some of the most blatant travesties in the film are reserved for President Nixon.
Because of endless fairy tales told by Ken Burns and others, many Americans associate Richard Nixon with the totality and the worst events of Vietnam. It’s hardly evident in the Burns “documentary,” but important to note: When Richard Nixon was elected president in 1968, he inherited a nation — and a world — engulfed in discord and teetering on the brink of widespread chaos. His predecessor, Lyndon Johnson, was forced from office with a half-million U.S. troops mired in combat and fierce anti-American government demonstrations across the country and in our nation’s capital.
Ken Burns may not recall — but my family remembers: It was Lyndon Johnson who sent my brother and me to war. It was Richard Nixon who brought us home. It is very likely we are alive today because Mr. Nixon kept his word.
That’s not the only opportunity for accuracy Mr. Burns ignored. He could have credited Mr. Nixon with granting 18-year olds the right to vote in July 1971 with the 26th Amendment to our Constitution. (Does Ken even recall the slogan, “Old enough to fight — old enough to vote!” He should. Mr. Burns turned 18 that same month.)
President Nixon pressed on to all but finish the war. As promised, he brought our combat units home, returned 591 prisoners of war to their wives and families, ended the draft, leveraged the conflict to open ties with China and improved relations with the Soviet Union. He pushed both Communist giants in Beijing and Moscow to force their North Vietnamese puppet into a negotiated settlement. Yet he is portrayed in the Burns documentary as a cold-blooded, calculating politician more interested in re-election than the lives of U.S. troops in combat.
Contrary to the film’s portrayal, Mr. Nixon had a complicated strategy to achieve “peace with honor.” His goal was to train and equip the South Vietnamese military to defend their own country in a process he called “Vietnamization,” and thereby withdraw American troops.
President Nixon succeeded in isolating the North Vietnamese diplomatically and negotiated a peace agreement that preserved the right of the people of South Vietnam to determine their own political future. Imperfect as the Saigon government was, by 1973 the South Vietnamese had many well-trained troops and units that fought well and were proud to be our allies. This intricate and sophisticated approach took shape over four wartime years but receives only superficial mention in Mr. Burns‘ production.
Despite Democrat majorities in both houses of Congress, Mr. Nixon— a deft political powerhouse — attained consistent support from America’s “Silent Majority.”
If Mr. Burns read President Nixon’s memoir or his two successive books in which the former president recounts his emotional anguish at the war’s toll — “No More Vietnams” and “In the Arena” — there is little evidence in the PBS production. Instead, Mr. Burnscherry-picks from the infamous “Nixon tapes” to brand the president as a devious manipulator, striving for mass deception — a patently false allegation.
By the time President Nixon resigned office on Aug. 9, 1974, the Vietnam War was all but won and the South Vietnamese were confident of securing a permanent victory. But in December 1974 — three months after Mr. Nixon departed the White House — a vengeful, Democrat-dominated Congress cut off all aid to South Vietnam.
It was a devastating blow for those to whom Mr. Nixon had promised — not U.S. troops — but steadfast military, economic and diplomatic support. As chronicled in memoirs written afterwards in Hanoi, Moscow, and Beijing, the communists celebrated. The ignominious end came with a full-scale North Vietnamese invasion five months later.
Despite the war’s end — and the trauma that continues to afflict our country — there is little in the Burns so-called documentary about the courage, patriotism, and dedication of the U.S. troops who fought honorably, bravely and the despicable way in which we were “welcomed” home.
The PBS “documentary” frequently reminds viewers of the “gallant nationalist fervor” among the North Vietnamese. But the South Vietnamese are portrayed as little more than conniving urchins and weak pawns of the imperialist Americans.
In a technique favored by the “progressive left,” Mr. Burns uses a small cadre of anti-war U.S. and pro-Hanoi Vietnamese “eyewitnesses” to explain the complicated policies of the U.S. government. Mr. Burns apparently refused to interview Henry Kissinger, telling the Portland Press Herald he doubted “Kissinger’s authority to adequately convey the perspectives of the U.S. government.” This alone disqualifies this “documentary” as definitive history on the Vietnam War.
Though Mr. Burns and his collaborators claim otherwise, the real heroes of “The Vietnam War” were not U.S. protesters, but the troops my brother and I led. They fought valiantly for our country and the president who brought us home.
Since meeting President Nixon in the 1980s, I have always remembered how he understood the incredible sacrifice of American blood in the battlefields of Vietnam. He was dedicated to ending the war the right way and committed to sustaining American honor. He kept his promise to bring us home.
Ken Burns failed to keep his promise to tell all sides about the long and difficult war in Vietnam. Mr. Burns, like John Kerry, has committed a grave injustice to those of us who fought there.
• Oliver North was a Marine platoon leader in Vietnam, and recipient of the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, and two Purple Hearts.
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