Comments on: The Treatment Of Veterans

By: Bryan

Bryan — Fri, 09 May 2014 01:00:52 +0000

If Abbott is going to adopt US policies I feel really sad for Australians because the policies don’t provide any of the benefits claimed for them, and create unnecessary pain for the regular people.

Kryten, they pulled this crap on Agent Orange in SEA, and whatever the problem is with ‘Gulf War Syndrome’, i.e. deny that there’s a problem until they get buried under a mountain of scientific evidence that contains the bodies of thousands of veterans.

PJ, Congress is the source of all the problems. They change the laws affecting benefits, and there is never a provision that maintains the benefits that were in place when someone initially enlisted.

Mother had good health care, but the changes that provided it were the result of a law suit won by a local attorney who was also a Congressional Medal of Honor winner, and a retired Air Force Colonel, Bud Day. Tricare for Life was a direct result of Colonel Day’s law suit and it saved my Mother thousands of dollars in costs. She received what my Father had been promised when he enlisted for service in World War II, and when the Air Force was created.

I got out after 8 years because they were talking about making 30 years the minimum for retirement.

By: paintedjaguar

paintedjaguar — Thu, 08 May 2014 05:30:09 +0000

I sympathize. After my dad died we were lucky enough to find a competent officer out at Tyndall who helped us through some paperwork. The insurance run-arounds before and after my mom’s death, though — bloody nightmare.

What you’re describing sounds like one more instance of running the government like a business — to be specific, like an insurance company. First, cut customer service personnel and budgets as much as you can get away with. Automate anything you can, so that clients are forced to do the work formerly done by customer service reps. If someone manages to file a claim in spite of your efforts, then delay, throw up chaff and lose the paperwork until they give up and go away.

Having been an AF brat myself, I’ve never felt any animosity towards the military and I’ve argued with civilians about military benefits. On the other hand, as I’ve told some ex-service pals, when the government is busy screwing its hapless citizens right and left, there’s really no reason the armed services should expect to be exempt.

By: Kryten42

Kryten42 — Thu, 08 May 2014 03:41:57 +0000

It’s just totally immoral, unethical, and wrong. I am 100% with you. It isn’t just the USA either sadly. I have my own story regarding Military service. But you will have to wait until 2018 for that, unless I find out for certain I am terminal, in which case… check your mailbox for a package one of these days. 😉

BTW, that’s not a rant m8. That’s a statement of fact about the disaster that passes for Government there. 🙂 But venting is necessary for sanity these days. Things really have changed. But hey… soon we will all be ranting here! Abbot does love your example of Government! Yep!

Sorry my friend.