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My Veterans Column For Sep08
Folks - And a good three-day weekend to all. As was said: "Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country. All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day... is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation." --- Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor, 1898 --- Regards, Walt --------------------------------------------------- They Gave Him Back A Life: More Than Just Being Alive Once again, Larry Scott, Founder and Editor VA Watchdog dot Org (http://www.vawatchdog.org/), has brought to our attention something I want to share with us all. From a video of ABC World News with Charles Gibson, Thursday, August 21, 2008; Length of video is 4:39, posted on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz8daB-Ox1I). TBIs TBIs -- Traumatic Brain Injuries in other wars would often result in yet another KIA. Since then, much has been done to improve battlefield-medicine. The result, today, many TBI victims are saved.
Yet saving their lives is only the first step in what all too often winds up being a long and tortuous journey; a journey for which the end, time and again, is never in sight. That's where a group of NYC firefighters came in. Because of these men, who I would call my brothers any day, a TBI injured marine was given back a life. Yes, the VA kept him alive, giving him HIS life. However, it was the NYC FD 'soldiers' that gave him back A life, one as he wanted it to be. Him
It does not matter what his name is, or exactly where he was injured. Let's just say he is a current-day service member who had he been injured such that even a few years ago he would not still be with us today. Yet he is...
The Journey Begins; A Decision Must Be Made After months of the finest medical and PM&R (Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation) treatment for TBIs offered anywhere, a point is reached where a decision must be made concerning a service member's continued stay at a VA Med Center, 'just' to receive PM&R therapy. This is a question I myself am well aware. A Little About How That Type Of Decision Affects Me As a tetraplegic I'm
entitled/need PM&R three to five times a week. The VA would gladly
provide me this physical therapy if I had the time to go to the
Northport VA Med Center each day. Even if I was unable to leave my
home, they would gladly provide me therapy one or two days a week; at
least something. However, since I work five days a week it's 'Xin Loi
G.I.' -- 'sorry about that.' The VA will not provide me physical
therapy at my workplace, period. A Decision Made And Help Obtained Our Marine decided he wanted to be home with his family. The VA explained that his needed daily therapy would be cut to one or two days a week. Still, it was at home he wanted to be. NYC Fire Department Members To The Rescue
Every day, a group of NYC firefighters volunteer their time to ensure the needed physical therapy is provided, giving our wounded a life as he wants it to be. Would it not be something if all our various organizations would do something similar... This Week's Almost Not Commented on Story -- Die, Yes - Register For Vote, No HELP OUR VETERANS VOTE, WHAT IS THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS THINKING -- James B. Peake issued a directive that bans nonpartisan voter registration drives at federally financed nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and shelters for homeless veterans. As a result, too many of our most patriotic American citizens -- our injured and ill military veterans -- may not be able to vote this November. There are thousands of veterans of wars in Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf and the current campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan who are isolated behind the walls of V.A. hospitals and nursing homes across the country. We have an obligation to make sure that every veteran has the opportunity to make his or her voice heard at the ballot box. The VA offers two reasons to justify its decision. First, it claims that voter registration drives are disruptive to the care of its patients. This is nonsense. Veterans can fill out a voter registration card in about 90 seconds. Second, the department claims that its employees cannot help patients register to vote because the Hatch Act forbids federal workers from engaging in partisan political activities. But this interpretation of the Hatch Act is erroneous. Registering people to vote is not partisan activity. If the department does not want to burden its staff, there are several national organizations with a long history of nonpartisan advocacy for veterans and their right to vote that are eager to help. The federal government should be doing everything it can to support our nation's veterans who have served us so courageously. There can be no justification for any barrier that impedes the ability of veterans to participate in democracy's most fundamental act, the vote. My Hicksville Trivia: Our Lady of the Surf Day Part II: The South Shore. We'll make this the early '60s. Alcoholic beverages were still allowed at Jones Beach. It being Our Lady of the Surf Day, many Hicksville students could be found at Field 9 (we do not talk about those of Hicksville who preferred West End 1, although I later found out that is where Hofstra University could be found). We being who we were, beer was readily available and the police were 'watching' us. While to this day I believe I know whose idea it was, we'll just call him 'one' of us -- you see, the police had locked and left their squad car unattended. So, one of us asked the telling question: "How many of us do you think it would take to flip the police car?" Notice please, once suggested it was a given that their car would be turned over. The only question was... how many of us it would take. Well, it took some rocking, and ten to twelve of us, but the squad car did wind up on its side. An article, with a picture I recall, wound up in Newsday. And, related or not, alcoholic beverages were soon banned at Jones Beach. Next month I'll reminisce about OLOTSD North Shore Edition, subtitled: Preston Hunt, We Are Still Sorry! Lest We Forget: Currently there are (at least) 5,113 (46 more since last month) Veterans of Modern Warfare who no longer will be "asking" our government for a dime . . . Till next month be well... and remember, "Let No Veteran Ever Stand Alone!" ------------------------------------------------------ --- Walt Schmidt Veteran Services Officer - - --- TOBay's Veteran Services Division - - - - "Let No Veteran Ever Stand Alone!" --- --- WorkDayTime: 516.733.8414 & 24/7 Voice Mail - - --- Anytime: 24/7 Voice Mail 516.799.8300 - - - - Website: http://www.waltsdorsai.net/ Ken Sun - Weekly Column: http://experts.longisland.com/veterans "To know yet to think that one does not know is best; Not to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty." - Lao-Tzu 71:1
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