Blue Water Navy

FRA Speaks Out on VA Issues
FRA's National President Don Mucheck met with the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee during a round-table discussion on priority veteran's issues this week. Senate leaders in attendance included Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (Mich.), and Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel Akaka (Hawaii).

Issues discussed during the meeting included:
Adequate funding for VA health care and support for wounded warriors;
Improving the VA's claims and funding processes;
Opposing enrollment fees for lower priority-group veterans seeking VA health care;
Ensuring full implementation of Post 9/11 GI Bill by 1 August 2009; and
Eliminating restrictions on Agent Orange disability claims for "blue water" veterans who served in Vietnam.

well at least it was on the agenda. Sure wish I was a fly on the wall.

Me too!!!
I wonder if the DVA explained the double secret 24 hours boots on the ground policy to the FRA???

Dave,
I may have to change my name to Matahari Marcie.....seeing as how us BWN folks are so subversive and making things up like all these diseases that are caused by AO....shoot, bet if you really look hard enough, ya'll probably never even had ships over there.....just like the trip to the moon, it was all filmed in Holly wood.

Yep, Don't know why they gave us Vietnam Service Medals, Combat Action Ribbons, Combat Pay and such since we were all on an all expense paid Vietnam Era pleasure cruise. All of those Deck Logs entries and the like were just a bunch of drunken sailor writing down Sea Stories. Wonder how you e-file a deck log??

Marcie, there is a guy who lives over in Dekalb County who was riding in a HumVee when a roadside bomb was detonated next to it. He spent a little over 8 months in various Army hospitals getting his leg reconstructed. When the Army docs had done all they could for him he was discharged and sent home with one leg about 11/2 inches shorter than the other and in constant pain. When one of the North Alabama groups found out that he had fallen through the cracks and went to the VA the VA wanted proof that it was a combat injuty. Why, he might have fallen off a motorcycle and messed up his leg. All the service organizations ought to be kicking Filner and Akaka's doors down for all veterans.

It seems that all General Shinseki, is concerned with is bringing the DVA into the electronic age with E-doc's. Like, electronic documentation can't be lost, damaged or erased (e-shredded). Electronic documentation is not the answer to our problems. Congress in turn needs to kick his ass and get the attitude at the VA adjusted, that would go a long way to solving everybody's problem.

Dave, et. al,
I would like to dispel the myth that there are large, national veteran "service organizations" that have 'assistance to the veteran' as their primary and motivating factor. Not all the National Service Organization work on behalf of the veteran in critical issues. This loss of focus is abundantly clear in some, we call these "Country Club VSO's"; and is not so clear in others. And, admittedly, a few actually DO have the veteran's well being as a goal. They all serve a purpose, but the relationship to critical veteran issues is where I personally part ways with them. As soon as I can list cold beer, honest bingo, and glossy magazines among issues critical to a veteran, at the expense of getting money into their pockets for earned benefits, I will continue to consider myself on the other side of some Ontological Fence from them.
In this past year, we have accomplished proportionately far more than others and have had more direct influence on social and political influence than others.
-Rossie

johnr wrote:Dave, et. al,
I would like to dispel the myth that there are large, national veteran "service organizations" that have 'assistance to the veteran' as their primary and motivating factor. Not all the National Service Organization work on behalf of the veteran in critical issues. This loss of focus is abundantly clear in some, we call these "Country Club VSO's"; and is not so clear in others. And, admittedly, a few actually DO have the veteran's well being as a goal. They all serve a purpose, but the relationship to critical veteran issues is where I personally part ways with them. As soon as I can list cold beer, honest bingo, and glossy magazines among issues critical to a veteran, at the expense of getting money into their pockets for earned benefits, I will continue to consider myself on the other side of some Ontological Fence from them.
In this past year, we have accomplished proportionately far more than others and have had more direct influence on social and political influence than others.
-Rossie

Here Here Rossie!
My personal experience with the VSOs is not good and I've run across just one veteran's representative in my area worth a damn. He happens to be the first one I met in '02 when I first filed. The office he was in closed and I lost touch with him and just recently ran into him again and got more tips and ideas from him in 30 minutes than the others I've spoken with in the interim combined. He is not affiliated with any of the Country Club VSOs, I think I'm reading you right there... Those CCVSO veterans agents, as soon as they hear I'm Blue Water Navy, immediately throw in the towel and tell me I have no chance. It seems, as little as I know, that I know more about what's going on than they do. I can only attribute that to a couple of sites, including this wonderful site, trying to do due diligence and lots of research.

I certainly agree with these two posts , these are the reasons this website is a valuable tool , and what you do matters ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Knowledge is Power .