Military Manpower Shortfall

Received a troubling E-Mail from an old shipmate today.

He's 56, last active duty 1975, retired from Naval Reserve 1999, Ready Reserve (like me) since.

He's been called back for active duty with the National Guard! After some quick training in Florida, he will report to Iraq later this spring to serve as an MP for 12 to 15 months.

Things are going so well in Iraq that an old salt, whose specialty is instrument optics, who is less than 10 years from Medicare, is to go overseas and carry a gun in a freakin' war zone!

Does this mean the Chimpster-in-Chief will be joining the fray next February? He still owes some service time, as I reckon. Hey, Georgie! Gonna join in the fun? Ya AWOL bastard.

Catch you later.....

Jim Hightower | CASHING IN ON AMERICA’S VETERANS

This sort of crap should be vigorously prosecuted as a felony:

Jim Hightower CASHING IN ON AMERICA’S VETERANS

And here in San Diego where so many service members, vets and their families live.

Catch you later.....

Vets

As a service-connected disabled vet, I get my health care, when they're able, from the Veteran's Administration Hospital here in San Diego.

My last few visits have been a gut wrenching reminder of the costs of war and who it is that really pays when our nation uses the might of the military to achieve international policy goals.

If you've never been, vet or non-vet, I suggest you could learn a lot and do some real good by arranging with the volunteers to pay a goodwill visit to lonely, deserving wounded veterans at your local Vet's hospital. Especially easy here, as the hospital is way beyond capacity with vets suffering from some of the most brutal wounds ever survived. Some too gruesome to look at, some you can't even see. (Up yours, Bill-O!)

These valiant men and women answered their nation's call, served with honor and distinction. Will we, as American citizens, answer the call of veterans as valiantly? One hopes.

Catch you later.....