Tag Archives: Veterans

First Special Service Force: Time to Honor Them

It’s nice to see Congress once again working toward honoring the First Special Service Force. The First Special Service Force was a joint World War II American-Canadian unit that fought during World War II. They trained at Fort Harrison near Helena, Montana.

In the short time this unit was active they kicked butt around the world.

Interstate 15 in Montana and Alberta Highway 4 from Helena to Lethbridge, Alberta Canada, was named the “First Special Service Force Memorial Highway” back in September 1999. There are signs along the route.

Congress is working toward legislation that would grant the Congressional Gold Medal for the unit. The U.S. House passed the bill (H.R. 324) yesterday by a 415-0 vote, which included Montana’s Representative, Steve Daines.

Getting 415 votes in the U.S. House on any bill is pretty historical these days. Continue reading →

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Obama: One Tough Spring

Spring is in the air. It’s a time of renewal with new flowers sprouting from the ground, gardens being planted, and the aroma of fresh-cut grass encircling the neighborhood.

I doubt many in the Obama Administration have stopped to take in the sights and sounds of spring. To say the spring of 2013 (so far) has been tough on the Obama Administration would be an understatement – and summer is still over a month away. That means people will be paying attention for a while longer before school is out and they head off on vacations.

You can bet that some of these issues will stick around and have an effect on the 2014 mid-term elections and some will be the topics of the Presidential race of 2016. Here are the top five issues that the Obama Administration (as well as Democrats) now own and will have to defend for the next few years:

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Thursday Numbers

Welcome to the first “Thursday Numbers” of May! I’m glad you stopped by!

If you are a new visitor, this is my weekly column where I take a look at the numbers that are in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary (sometimes with a little sarcasm).

PLEASE NOTE: By reading this column you may be able to use the information to impress your family, friends, and co-workers. Please consider yourself warned.

This week I write about incentive payments, Electric City Power, hiring veterans, The Weather Channel, Brian Schweitzer, Social Security Administration, explosives, Ted Cruz, Cheap Trick, morning after pill, Chicago Newspaper Guild job opening, hearings about extraterrestrials, and bin Laden. There’s a lot more so read on! Continue reading →

VA Claims Backlog: Bonuses Halted

Here’s an original thought: If employees do not do their jobs, don’t give them bonuses.

The Associated Press (AP) published a story yesterday based on a report from the Center for Investigative Reporting that showed, “The Department of Veterans Affairs is withholding bonuses for senior officials who oversee disability claims, citing a failure to meet performance goals for reducing a sizable backlog in claims processing.”

According to the story, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will use the money saved to help with the backlog of disability claims. Is that an amazing idea or what?

In case you don’t quite understand the VA claims process, you are not alone. Apparently several people in the VA don’t either. Here’s a photo of some claims. Each file (wrapped in a rubber band) is basically a veteran’s life. A person at the VA will go through the files which contain medical records and determine if the veteran’s injury is connected in some way to his/her military service. Now imagine if you are homeless and you need those disability payments to make ends meet. Right now you might need to wait for two years. That’s the problem.

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10 Years and a Wake-up

On this date 10 years ago (the evening March 19, 2003, here in the USA) the invasion of Iraq began. At that time I supported the war. I was not alone. A Gallup Poll taken right after the war started showed 76% of Americans supported the war.

The Great Falls (MT) Tribune is asking their readers this morning, “Was the Iraq War a mistake?” The answer to that question is really pretty simple: It was a mistake. 10 years ago most folks believed it was the right thing to do because almost everyone believed Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and they feared he would use them.

It’s OK to Monday morning quarterback the Iraq War to prevent us from repeating those mistakes.

It seemed almost everywhere we looked back then someone was beating the war drum to take out Saddam Hussein – both Democrats and Republicans – and it became a slippery slope. Around 40 governments participated (in some capacity) in the Iraq War.

For some reason the checks and balances that normally strangle our government (and other governments) failed. It’s interesting to watch some of the news networks today playing clips of politicians from both parties saying in 2003 that we needed to take Saddam Hussein out.  Continue reading →

Caught My Eye…

Congratulations on making it to Friday!  By the way, it’s perfectly fine to take a break from work to read Caught My Eye.

If this is your first time visiting The Western Word, the “Caught My Eye” column is where I take a quick look at some of the stories I did not have time to write about during the week – and I often throw in some sarcasm just to make you smile. So get ready to head into your weekend armed with knowledge and a smile.

Today I write about Dark Money, apprentice hunter certificate, One America News Network, MSNBC, Olbermann, The Girls on Fox News, CPAC 2013, Feinstein v. Cruz, Menendez Grand Jury, Symbolics.com, St. Patrick’s Day, and much more!

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Thursday Numbers

Welcome to “Thursday Numbers” which is my weekly column where I take a look at the numbers in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary (sometimes laced with just a little sarcasm).

DISCLAIMER: If you read this column you may be able to use the information to impress your family, friends, and co-workers. Then again, when they find out that you spend your time reading blogs they may not be too impressed…

This week I write about the Powerball jackpot, Beartooth highway, unemployment, a tax hike proposal, sexual violence, first town meeting, coins, Steve Daines, cable TV for prisoners, Pope Francis, MMMBop, term limits, the Montana Legislature, Allied Veterans, Pi Day, Congressional approval, Tickle, DUI, Crossword champ, and much more!

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Feinstein and Guns

A faithful reader and commentator (Barry) pointed out to me that U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) made some silly remarks about veterans and gun ownership last week. So I checked it out and today’s column is about Feinstein and guns. By the way, if you have tips or ideas about columns, you can leave a comment or e-mail me at western_word@yahoo.com.

To set this up, I am a veteran who spent almost 12 years in the military (honorably discharged). I carried an M-16 rifle for several of those years. I currently own four guns, I don’t actually think President Obama is lurking outside my home waiting to take them, the Patriot Act does not scare me, and drones do not bother me (I do love to joke about all these things).

Sometimes the intelligence of elected officials fascinates me. For example, an article in Military.com about Sen. Diane Feinstein reported, “She was especially concerned over veterans being able to acquire the weapons.”

It goes downhill quickly for Feinstein.  Continue reading →

Military/Veterans Potpourri

Happy Tuesday! As a veteran I always enjoy writing about military and veterans issues! Today I write about the Montana Legislature and HB 49, Congressman Daines hires military/veterans staffers, the Montana GOP, Chuck Hagel, and much more!

House Bill (HB) 49:

Sometimes the Montana Legislature does something good, and when they do I like to write about it (I like to write about the stupid things, too).  A bill (HB 49) which is “An Act Exempting Military Pension or Retirement Income and Survivor Benefits from State Income Taxation” is making its way through the legislative process. The bill was introduced by Representative Pat Ingraham (R).

You can read the bill HERE.

What troubles me is the number of votes against the bill. In the House Taxation Committee it passed 12-8. On second reading it passed 57-43. If my tabulation is correct, 36 Democrats and seven Republicans voted against the bill (and against military retirees and military survivors).

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Average VA Disability Claim: 262 Days

According to a report from McClatchy Newspapers, “Processing time for disability claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs worsened in a majority of its regional offices last year, and the VA has struggled with its much-anticipated plan to correct those problems.”

McClatchy also reports, “Between fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2012, the time it took to complete the average claim rose from 188 days to 262 days.”

Shameful.

The Department of Veterans Affairs in Montana (Fort Harrison) was chosen (with much fanfare) to take part in this new “paperless” way of reviewing disability claims. So far it looks like a failure. The Inspector General of the VA reported that the “VA will continue to face challenges in meeting its goal of eliminating the backlog of disability claims processing by 2015.”

Continue reading →