Halliburton Caught Poisoning The Troops In Iraq

Billbee — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 22:44:45 +0000

Halliburton Caught Poisoning Troops In Iraq:
> http://beforeitsnews.com/story/235/145/Halliburton_caught_poisoning_the_troops_in_Iraq.html
>
> Get Tested:
> http://iraqforsale.org/gettested.php
>

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For OEF/OIF Veterans

Billbee — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 20:05:13 +0000

Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2010 2:41 PM
Subject: For OEF/OIF Veterans

Please share this with any veteran who is – or knows of – a veterans from the Global War on Terror. thx – gabe

We’ve got some exciting news here at IAVA HQ.

We’ve teamed up with JCPenney and Joseph Abboud to launch “Welcome Home Joe,” a program that starts today and will give away $1 million in professional attire to Iraq and Afghanistan vets transitioning from combat to career – all for free.

Do you know a veteran of Iraq or Afghanistan ? Please take a minute to forward this email so they have a chance to receive a $200 certificate for professional attire through The Rucksack.

This is another groundbreaking way that IAVA is working with our partners to help new veterans get jobs by giving them the tools they need.

Don’t forget that Veterans Day is just around the corner – IAVA will be taking part in local events across the country. Whether it’s marching in a parade, volunteering on the ground, or helping spread the word, there are many ways to get involved. Sign up here and we’ll let you know how you can get involved this year.

Thank you for having our backs.

Paul

Paul Rieckhoff
Executive Director and Founder

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) http://iava.org/about

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JUST A BIKER

Billbee — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 19:58:52 +0000

JUST A BIKER

I saw you hug your purse closer to you in the supermarket, but you didn’t see me put an extra $10.00 in the collection plate last Sunday.

I saw you pull your child closer when we passed each other on the sidewalk. But you didn’t see me playing Santa at the local Mall.

I saw you change your mind about going into the restaurant when you saw my bike parked out front. But you didn’t see me attending a meeting to raise more money for the hurricane relief.

I saw you roll up your window and shake your head when I rode by. But you didn’t see me riding behind you when you flicked your cigarette butt out the car window.

I saw you frown at me when I smiled at your children. But you didn’t see me when I took time off from work to run toys to the homeless.

I saw you stare at my long hair. But you didn’t see me and my friends cut ten inches off for Locks of Love.

I saw you roll your eyes at our Leather jackets and gloves. But you didn’t see me and my brothers donate our old ones to those that had none.

I saw you look in fright at my tattoos. But you didn’t see me cry as my children where born or have their name written over and in my heart.

I saw you change lanes while rushing off to go somewhere. But you didn’t see me going home to be with my family.

I saw you complain about how loud and noisy our bikes can be. But you didn’t see me when you were changing the CD and drifted into my lane.

I saw you yelling at your kids in the car. But you didn’t see me pat my child’s hands knowing she was safe behind me.

I saw you texting as you drove down the road. But you didn’t see me squeeze my wife’s leg when she told me to take the next turn.

I saw you race down the road in the rain. But you didn’t see me get soaked to the skin so my son could have the car to go on his date.

I saw you run a red light just to save a few minutes of time. But you didn’t see me trying to turn right.

I saw you cut me off because you needed to be in the lane I was in. But you didn’t see me leave the road.

I saw you waiting impatiently for my friends to pass. But you didn’t see me. I wasn’t there.

I saw you go home to your family. But you didn’t see me. Because I died that day you cut me off.

I was just a biker. A person with friends and a family. But you didn’t see me.

Repost this around in hopes that people will understand the biker community..

If you don’t repost this, it sucks to be you. I hope you never lose someone that rides.

EVEN IF YOU DON’T LIKE US, RESPECT OUR RIGHTS TO RIDE WHAT WE CHOOSE AND TAKE A FEW EXTRA SECONDS TO BE SURE WE ARE NOT IN ‘YOUR’ WAY ….

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http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-4667

Billbee — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 19:49:22 +0000

A long time member and supporter to Walk With the Warrior has passed and he shall be missed greatly. A great Warrior

Jake Singer
Commander
WWW Inc.
7616 Millcreek Dr.
Richmond VA 23235
804-728-9411

From: ooh***@hotmail.com
To: blackbear****@msn.com
Subject: Walk of The Warriors Charter Member Dies
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2010 21:22:05 -0600

.ExternalClass .ecxhmmessage p { padding: 0px; }.ExternalClass body.ecxhmmessage { font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; } Brother Jake – We are saddened by the death of our Brother, One of the original charter member, of then, ‘Walk of The Warriors’ now ‘Walk With The Warriors’ has Died. Albert Tso, familiar face, WWII Veteran, untiringly, walked and participated in all of the walks across and around the Navajo Nation and across the Nation from California to Washington DC. It all begin with a march from, Farmington, New Mexico to Thoreau, New Mexico. and to what it is today. Baca/Prewitt community will miss one more of its warrior and hero. I will keep you posted on when the service will be held. onez,nambro

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H.R. 4667:Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2010

Billbee — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 19:21:00 +0000

To increase, effective as of December 1, 2010, the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans, and for other purposes.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-4667

This bill became law. It was signed by Barack Obama.
Last Action:	Sep 30, 2010: Became Public Law No: 111-247.
Related:	See the Related Legislation page for other bills related to this one and a list of subject terms that have been applied to this bill. Sometimes the text of one bill or resolution is incorporated into another, and in those cases the original bill or resolution, as it would appear here, would seem to be abandoned.
Votes:	Mar 22, 2010: This bill passed in the House of Representatives by roll call vote. The vote was held under a suspension of the rules to cut debate short and pass the bill, needing a two-thirds majority. This usually occurs for non-controversial legislation. The totals were 407 Ayes, 0 Nays, 22 Present/Not Voting. Vote Details. You are not tracking any senators or representatives. To see their votes here, look up a Member of Congress. Sep 22, 2010: This bill passed in the Senate by Unanimous Consent. A record of each senator’s position was not kept. View all 1 votes on this bill.

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Save the Earth, Help a Veteran

Billbee — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 19:15:01 +0000

Old CELL = Cell Funds
Save the Earth, Help a Veteran
To: All my Friends and Relatives
From: Jake Singer – Commander
Walk With the Warriors Inc.
7616 Millcreek Dr.
Richmond VA 23235
804-728-9411

Reference: Walk With the Warriors Inc. is sponsoring Recycle Cell Phones for a fund raising drive.

I appreciate the opportunity to work with you and your willingness to help Walk With the Warriors Inc. We continue efforts to initiate funds for our veteran organization. Walk With the Warriors Inc. will give a lending hand in saving our Earth Mother and attempt to undue damage we have cast upon Her. We are seeking to act as a voice for our beloved Mother and stand up to what harms the earth, and inevitably all that live upon it.
Refurbishing or recycling cell phone is one way of contributing. What do you do with your dated cell phones? Put them in a bag somewhere and save them for what? We hate to throw them in the trash because we know they harm our environment. Here is your chance to give back to the environment in unified effort. You can help us by simply collecting all those old, discarded cell phones. All you have to do is call your friends, even businesses and collect them for us. Call, text, or email me and I will tell somewhere convenient for you to drop them off. I can be contacted on cell at (804) 728-9411, blackbear415@msn.com.
The monies received from Cell Refurbishing Companies will be used towards expenditures for advocacy work, to promote American Indian Veterans Day, designated on Nov 7th each year. Promotional activities have been taking place on the Mall in Washington DC. since 2002. Walk With the Warriors, Inc. has made a long walk from San Pedro ,CA . to Washington D.C. so make others aware of our recognition efforts. Our warriors have come forward and fought for our rights and freedom. They deserve better health care, rehabilitation facilities and educational benefits. Our organization also carried a resolution in congress to make a Native American Veterans Day in November. Please visit our web site for more information about our organization at www.warriorwalk.org .
We all carry cell phones. But what happens to those phones we toss? If they are not properly disposed of their toxic material will dangerously pollute our air, water, and soil.
Facts About Cell Phones

•    Every cell phone contains no less than 8 hazardous materials:
•    To include arsenic, antimony, beryllium, cadmium, copper, lead, nickel and zinc.
•    One cell phone can pollute up to 132,000 liters of water.
•    If 500 million unused cell phones (The number currently in American households)
•    If Dumped into landfills, it could potentially leak 312,000 pounds of lead into
o    underground water systems.
•    Last year, Americans discarded 100 million cell phones. Less than 10% were
o    Recycled.
•    According to the EPA, recycling 100 million cell phones could have saved
•    That is enough energy to power 194,000 homes for a year.
•    The average American household has 3 cell phones collecting dust in drawers,
o    closets and toy boxes.
•    Burning cell phones in a waste incinerator releases chemicals associated with
o    reproductive harm, cancer and child development problems.

Our Commitment to the Community
•    All cell phone components (plastic, metal and batteries) will be recycled.
•    Material reclamation operations are performed at EPA licensed and regulated
•    Facilities.
•    Every submitted unit is reclaimed.

We thank “yuall” our many friends and relatives for your support and willingness to help our warriors. Unfortunately, many of our veterans have ended up in dark allies, under bridges and in cold wooded areas across Nation. In any case, there are veterans surrounding all of you. Lift them up and give a gift of love. Find an unused cell phone and give back to those who sacrificed for you. Show gratitude to our kind Mother and help Her survive a little longer.

Love, Peace, and Respect,
Jake Singer

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Veterans & the DD214

Billbee — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 19:08:24 +0000

DD Form 214:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DD_Form_214
Welcome Veterans to the DD214 Website!:
http://www.dd214.us/
Injustices Exposed - The Secret Code on Veteran’s DD214:
http://www.apfn.org/apfn/dd214.htm
> ~~
> Discharges from the Military:
> http://www.landscaper.net/discharg.htm#Introduction%20Spin%20codes

VA Watchdog dot org:
http://www.vawatchdog.org/

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Advocates see trouble for misdiagnosed soldiers

Billbee — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 19:03:00 +0000

AP – Chuck Luther speaks about his combat experience while standing in his garage at his home near Fort Hood …

By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer Anne Flaherty, Associated Press Writer – Sun Aug 15, 2:22 pm ET

WASHINGTON – At the height of the Iraq war, the Army routinely dismissed hundreds of soldiers for having a personality disorder when they were more likely suffering from the traumatic stresses of war, discharge data suggests.
Under pressure from Congress and the public, the Army later acknowledged the problem and drastically cut the number of soldiers given the designation. But advocates for veterans say an unknown number of troops still unfairly bear the stigma of a personality disorder, making them ineligible for military health care and other benefits.”We really have an obligation to go back and make sure troops weren’t misdiagnosed,” said Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, a clinical psychologist whose nonprofit “Give an Hour” connects troops with volunteer mental health professionals.

The Army denies that any soldier was misdiagnosed before 2008, when it drastically cut the number of discharges due to personality disorders and diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorders skyrocketed.
Unlike PTSD, which the Army regards as a treatable mental disability caused by the acute stresses of war, the military designation of a personality disorder can have devastating consequences for soldiers.
Defined as a “deeply ingrained maladaptive pattern of behavior,” a personality disorder is considered a “pre-existing condition” that relieves the military of its duty to pay for the person’s health care or combat-related disability pay.
According to figures provided by the Army, the service discharged about a 1,000 soldiers a year between 2005 and 2007 for having a personality disorder.

But after an article in The Nation magazine exposed the practice, the Defense Department changed its policy and began requiring a top-level review of each case to ensure post-traumatic stress or a brain injury wasn’t the underlying cause.
After that, the annual number of personality disorder cases dropped by 75 percent. Only 260 soldiers were discharged on those grounds in 2009.

At the same time, the number of post-traumatic stress disorder cases has soared. By 2008, more than 14,000 soldiers had been diagnosed with PTSD — twice as many as two years before.
The Army attributes the sudden and sharp reduction in personality disorders to its policy change. Yet Army officials deny that soldiers were discharged unfairly, saying they reviewed the paperwork of all deployed soldiers dismissed with a personality disorder between 2001 and 2006.

“We did not find evidence that soldiers with PTSD had been inappropriately discharged with personality disorder,” wrote Maria Tolleson, a spokeswoman at the U.S. Army Medical Command, which oversees the health care of soldiers, in an e-mail.
Command officials declined to be interviewed.

Advocates for veterans are skeptical of the Army’s claim that it didn’t make any mistakes. They say symptoms of PTSD — anger, irritability, anxiety and depression — can easily be confused for the Army’s description of a personality disorder.
They also point out that during its review of past cases, the Army never interviewed soldiers or their families, who can often provide evidence of a shift in behavior that occurred after someone was sent into a war zone.

“There’s no reason to believe personality discharges would go down so quickly” unless the Army had misdiagnosed hundreds of soldiers each year in the first place, said Bart Stichman, co-director of the National Veterans Legal Services Program.
Stichman’s organization is working through a backlog of 130 individual cases of wounded service members who feel they were wrongly denied benefits.

Among those cases is Chuck Luther, who decided to rejoin the Army after the Sept. 11 attacks. He had previously served eight years before being honorably discharged.
“I knew what combat was going to take,” he said.
Luther, who lives near Fort Hood, Texas, said throughout his time in the Army, he received eight mental health evaluations from the Army, each clearing him as “fit for duty.”

Luther was seven months into his deployment as a reconnaissance scout in Iraq’s violent Sunni Triangle in 2007 when he says a mortar shell slammed him to the ground. He later complained of stabbing eye pain and crippling migraines, but was told by a military doctor that he was faking his symptoms to avoid combat duty.
Luther says that he was confined for a month in a 6-by-8 foot room without treatment. At one point, Luther acknowledges, he snapped — biting a guard and spitting in the face of a military chaplain.

After that episode, Luther says, the Army told him he could return home and keep his benefits if he signed papers admitting he had a personality disorder. If he didn’t sign, he said, he was told he would be kicked out eventually anyway.
Luther, whose account was first detailed by The Nation, signed the papers.
His case highlights the irony in many personality discharges. A person is screened mentally and physically before joining the military. But upon returning from combat, that same person is told he or she had a serious mental disorder that predated military service.
As in the civilian world, where many insurance companies deny coverage for illnesses that develop before a policy is issued, the government can deny a service member veteran health care benefits and combat-related disability pay for pre-existing ailments.
Despite the Defense Department’s reforms, groups such as the National Veterans Legal Services Program say they don’t have enough manpower to help all the veterans who believe they were wrongly denied benefits.

Stichman says his organization has more than 60 law firms across the country willing to take on the legal cases of wounded veterans for free. But even with that help, the group doesn’t know when it would be able to take on even one new case.
A congressional inquiry is under way to determine whether the Army is relying on a different designation — referred to as an “adjustment disorder” — to dismiss soldiers.

Sen. Kit Bond, a Missouri Republican, wants the Pentagon to explain why the number of these discharges doubled between 2006 and 2009 and how many of those qualified to retain their benefits.
As for Luther, he got lucky. After about a year, he says the Veterans Administration agreed to reevaluate him and decided that he suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome coupled by traumatic brain injury. The ruling gives him access to a psychologist and psychiatrist every two weeks, despite his discharge status, he said.
But Luther acknowledges that he still struggles. In June, he received word that the Army had turned down his appeal to correct his record, which means he could never return to the service or retire with full benefits.
A week later, he says, he lost his job delivering potato chips because a superior felt threatened by him. Luther says he misses the Army.
“When I was in uniform, that defined me,” he said. “It’s what made me, me.”
___
Online:
U.S. Army Medical Command: http://www.armymedicine.army.mil
Department of Veterans Affairs: http://www.va.gov/
“Give an Hour”: http://www.giveanhour.org
National Veterans Legal Services Program: http://www.nvlsp.org/

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101st Airborne

Billbee — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:17:55 +0000

Saturday the VFW Post 4641 in Dickson, TN had an appreciation day for the 101st with free food, drink and live music.

The 101st Airborne Division

There was a promise made in Forty-two
By the first commander, General Lee
He told his raw, brand-new Recruits
They had a, “Rendezvous with destiny.”

He said, like the Eagle on their badge
They would swoop down from the skies
Come crashing, like a Thunderbolt
Amongst the enemy’s, fearful cries.

And ever since that fateful day
(Especially, for our enemies)
The One Hundred First was a part
Of, so many Battle’s histories.

They had led the way on D-Day
With a night drop before invasion
And ever since, they’ve bravely fought
For a very proud, and grateful Nation.

When surrounded at Bastogne
“Nuts!” was McAuliffe’s reply
When a surrender was demanded
Although, all knew it was, do or die.

Those brave Soldiers fought the fight
Until the siege was finally lifted
They showed that in the art of War
The Division, was truly, gifted.

They earned four Campaign Streamers
For their valiant deeds, during the War
Along with, two Presidential Citations
Just, the first of their Honors, galore.

After the War, they moved around
De-activated, and then reborn again
In Fifty-six, at Fort Campbell
As a permanent, Combat Division.

The mid-sixties saw the 1st Brigade
And then in, Sixty-seven, all the rest
Deployed, to the War in Vietnam
To try to straighten out, that mess.

In almost seven years in Nam
And in campaign after campaign
Fifteen fought in, to be exact
They added honors, to their proud name.

In Sixty-eight, they changed again
To the Airmobile Force, we now see
The World’s only air assault outfit
With, its unparalleled, mobility.

In Ninety-one, another, “Rendezvous”
In the first War, deep in Iraq
Just one hundred hours to win that one
And every one, lived to, come back.

They’ve supported relief efforts
Over in Rwanda, and Somalia
They’ve supplied the peacekeepers
There, in Haiti, and in Bosnia.

Then, shortly, after Nine Eleven
They shipped off to, Afghanistan
The 3rd Brigade “Rakkassans”
Swiftly brought down, the Taliban.

Into the other War against Saddam
To help, to quickly bring him down
Then, the humanitarian mission
To help the folks, in Mosul town.

They’ve come Home, gone back again
To Serve and do, their very best
It seems no matter where they serve
Those “Screaming Eagles” pass the test.

A TV series made about them
Brings all of us, some insight
Enough to know, in any War
We surely need them, in the fight.

This day, is just a chance
To, thank them, one and all
Those Soldiers, and their Families
Who, answer, our Nation’s Call.

Del “Abe” Jones
04.11.2009

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Section Sixty The Saddest Acre In America

Billbee — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:10:27 +0000

Section Sixty
The Saddest Acre In America

Men and Women buried here
Who gave their all for you and me
In Iraq and Afghanistan
So that, others, might be Free.

Row after row of headstones
Where friends and families grieve
They pay respects and say a prayer
There’s some, don’t want to leave.

Some will place a memento
For their Hero, neath the ground
And far too often, during the day
Hearing “Taps”, a mournful sound.

The white stones bear their Name
Rank and Branch and conflict Served
The dates of Birth and Death
And the Citations, they deserved.

Maybe, a symbol for their Faith
Something, etched above their name
But no matter what, their beliefs
They’re all treated just the same.

Once, Comrades in Battle
And now, resting neath that stone
Forever with, those other Heroes
So, they will never be alone.

Section Sixty, just a small part
Of this sacred, hallowed ground
But, each plot a special place
Where, a Hero may be found.

They all are in good company
Two hundred sixty thousand souls
Buried here at Arlington
Some young, with unfulfilled life goals.

All Served our Country selflessly
And they all deserve our praise
We should, remember them and thank them
Not just, only on, these holidays.

Del “Abe” Jones
05.23.2009

GOLD STAR MOTHERS

Started with a group of twenty-five
In the year of twenty-eight
By those who’d lost a Son or Daughter
>From the wartime’s cruel fate.

When the Blue Star on the Service Flag
Was replaced with one of Gold
Everybody knew a Mother grieved
With a loss from that household.

“Out of tragedy, we were formed”
And, “Out of love we continue.”
This legacy of Gold Star Mothers
With the heartache, that they knew.

They use the memories and love
Of those who gave their all
To help those other Veterans
Who answered our Nation’s call.

It’s so sad, they still exist
And most likely always will
As long as, we go to war
There’s a need they must fulfill.

Del “Abe” Jones
10-04-2003
Their observance day is the last Sunday in September.

GOLD STAR FAMILIES

There’s too many Gold Star Families
Their numbers growing every day
Too much to ask those loved ones
Such a terrible price they pay.

All will say they are very proud
That their loved one knew the cost
That in the horrors of Wartime
Precious lives are sometimes lost.

But the death of a brave Hero
In the Service of this Land
Dying for some other country
Is oft times, hard to understand.

“In the name of Freedom!”
“For the good of fellow man!”
“To put an end to oppression!”
Or, sometimes some other plan!

There have always been those Souls
Who will rally to the battle’s call
Who will bear those deadly arms
Who will march and sometimes fall.

Some will just bear the wounds
Though, not always clear to see
Some will never return the same
As the people, they used to be.

But the ones who have that void
Of that hole in heart and mind
They are the greatest Heroes
That we can ever hope to find.

Maybe one day in our future
Peace will be the way we’ll live
But until then we’ll have those
Who give all they have to give.

Gold Star Families stand in front
And shed their tears of loss and pain
And as long as Man goes to War
We’ll see them time and time, again.

Del “Abe” Jones
8-22-2006

Time to Go

I could see the flash of cannon
Over the ridge of the hill
Could hear the shots over my head
As I lay deathly still.

I looked up at the twinkling stars
Through the haze of the gunsmoke
And I could hear my comrades
Whispering as they spoke.

There was a quaking in their voice
That betrayed their mortal fear
And as I gazed into the sky
I asked, “What am I doing here?”

I thought of all those buddies
Killed on this foreign shore
And of loved ones back home
And then, I knew, “What for!”

To fight for God and Country
Is a calling, most will heed
To keep freedom safe from those
Who would plant an evil seed.

I lay there in my foxhole
Gripped by the numbing cold
But then, felt a warmth, from inside
Like I was held in the “fold”.

I felt my best friend touch me
And couldn’t believe he said,
“No need to call the corpsman,
‘Cause he’s already dead!”

And then my head felt light
As I looked down below,
Whispered, “I’ll see ya’, Bros
Because it’s time for me to go!”

Del “Abe” Jones
http://www.myspace.com/22219221

More poetry >
http://iwvpa.net/jonesd/index.php “OF NATIVE AMERICAN”, and “MOONTIDES, AND OTHER CHANGES” as well as “THE WORLD, WAR, FREEDOM, AND MORE” are now available for free viewing or download in text format at http://home.att.net/~abeabe/index.html
To see pics of Ellis County Veterans Memorial in Waxahachie, Texas where two of my poems are inscribed go to http://www.rootsweb.com/~txellis/photos/veterans.htm
“Mankind’s greatest accomplishment is not the revolution of technology it is the evolution of creativity ” copyright Del “Abe” Jones 1984

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