Rieckhoff Comments anger Vietnam and Cold War Era Veterans

RIECKHOFF'S NON-APOLOGY TO VIETNAM VETERANS

IAVA chief claims remark was about who fragged the most and not meant
as disrespect.
by Larry Scott, VA Watchdog dot Org

Sometimes I wish people would just do the simple and correct thing
when they open their mouth to change feet:  Apologize for an un-smart
comment and move on. But, no ... Most people have to explain and
explain ... and explain some more in an attempt to make it appear that
what they said really was correct and really wasn't meant to be
offensive ... thus trying to put the onus back on the person(s) they
offended. Such is the case of Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director of
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). Yesterday we
reported that Rieckhoff, in response to a soldier killing five fellow
troops in Iraq, said, in part: "Unlike during the Vietnam War, today's
military is a professional, all-volunteer force." This remark greatly
offended me ... as it did Veterans' Advocate Jim Strickland ... and,
we let our feelings be known.  It also offended many other veterans as
noted by the angry comments at the bottom of the article. Instead of
just saying, "I'm sorry.  It was an insensitive remark and doesn't
reflect my true feelings.  I apologize," Rieckhoff tried to explain
his way out of it. His PR person sent me this email saying that the
statement was from Rieckhoff: "IAVA has never prioritized one
generation of veterans over another. Every year, we have joined dozens
of veterans' service organizations in supporting the Independent
Budget, presenting a united front to Congress in our recommendations
for VA funding. Our top legislative recommendation this year is
advance appropriations, the priority of every leading veterans'
organization. To say that we intentionally disparaged or disrespected
Vietnam veterans is completely untrue. Vietnam veterans have served as
role models to this generation of veterans, and to this organization.
Our statement merely pointed out the fact that 'fragging' has been
exceedingly rare in Iraq and Afghanistan compared to Vietnam. There
have been only a handful of incidents of intentional homicide in Iraq,
while the AP reports at least 600 incidents of fragging in Vietnam
between 1969 and 1971. Military historians link this dramatic change
to the creation of the all-volunteer military. IAVA will continue to
work hard to advocate on behalf of veterans of all generations."
OOPS!  We have some problems.  The first sentence is completely false.
Just look at the name of the group.  Of course they've prioritized
the "new veterans."  Then, why go into the fragging explanation?  It
makes no sense.  Rieckhoff is saying, "My new guys don't frag as much
as you old guys did."  What does that mean?  Why say it at all?  His
original statement should have leaned on the problems our GIs are
having getting adequate mental health care, not a frag count. When Jim
Strickland read this, he emailed me: Not true. The comparisons made
have not been apples to apples. To compare Iraq to Vietnam is to
compare a swimming pool to the Pacific.That dog don't hunt. But, to
make things even worse, Rieckhoff kept over-explaining, trying to dig
his way out of his blunder.  He posted a statement on the IAVA web
site much like the one above ... but, with more and more and more
explaining.  He just had to cover more bases: IAVA Honors and Supports
All Generations of VeteransIAVA has never prioritized one generation
of veterans over another. Every year, we have joined dozens of
veterans' service organizations in supporting the Independent Budget,
presenting a united front to Congress in our recommendations for VA
funding. Our top legislative recommendation this year is advance
appropriations, the priority of every leading veterans' organization
and a step that will benefit generations of veterans. We are working
with the leading veterans organizations including, Vietnam Veterans of
America, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Disabled American Veterans, on
this and all other actions that will benefit veterans and their
families.IAVA has never intentionally disparaged or disrespected
veterans of any generation. Vietnam veterans have served as role
models to this generation of veterans, and to this organization. Our
statement merely pointed out the fact that "fragging" has been
exceedingly rare in Iraq and Afghanistan compared to Vietnam. There
have been only a handful of incidents of intentional homicide in Iraq,
while the AP reports at least 600 incidents of fragging in Vietnam
between 1969 and 1971. Military historians link this dramatic change
to the creation of the all-volunteer military. In drawing this
comparison, our intent was to illustrate that incidents of fragging
have been rare and do not characterize veterans as a whole. IAVA has
always been committed to pushing back on negative stereotypes for all
veterans.Drafted, volunteer, or otherwise we respect the service of
all veterans. IAVA will continue to work hard to advocate on behalf of
veterans of all generations. Mr. Rieckhoff, your non-apology is not
accepted. And, to the staff at IAVA:  Keep Paul Rieckhoff away from
all computers.  He's the only person I know who can dig a hole with a
keyboard.

-------------------------
TOPICS: veterans, veterans' benefits, VA, Department of Veterans'
Affairs, IAVA, Paul Rieckhoff, Vietnam veterans, draftees, fragged,
fragging

IAVA Founder Apologizes to VFW

I wanted to reach out to you personally ASAP regarding the
currentcontroversy surrounding our statement on the Camp Liberty
tragedy.By now, I know you have seen some of the emails going around
saying thatI and/or IAVA are trying to disrespect Vietnam vets.I hope
you knowthat this is totally untrue. We have tremendous respect for
allgenerations of vets--especially Vietnam vets--and would never want
todiss any other veteran, generation of veterans or veterans
group.Itwas not our intent to offend anyone or disparage anyone. If we
did, we sincerely apologize.We can only imagine what you guys went
throughcoming home, and would never attack you--and anyone else who
served inVietnam. We view Vietnam vets as our brothers--and true
mentors. Andthe Chairman of our Board is himself a Vietnam veteran.
Pat Campbell,Todd Bowers, me and our entire team at IAVA have always
been honoredto work alongside Bob Wallace, Eric Hilleman and the
entire DC VFWteam. We also work closely with the Vietnam vets at the
Legion, VVA,DAV and all our other brothers and sisters in the larger
VSO/MSOcommunity.These folks know us well. And know that we have
nothing butrespect for your service--and that of all those in your
generation. Webelieve it, and we say it anytime we have the chance.The
GI Billvictory last year and our recent meetings with the President on
theridiculous third-party billing scheme showed what we can do if we
allstick together. I hope we can keep that level of unity
goingforward--especially in the fight for Advanced Funding--which
benefitsus all.I also hope that this week we can all focus on the
largerissues surrounding the Camp Liberty tragedy, address the mental
healthurgency, and use this as a wake-up call to better serve our
fellow vets. Any in-fighting between our groups will only distract
from moreimportant issues that confront our nation in this critical
time.Iwould be happy to talk to you, or anyone else at the VFW who is
free today or later this week to discuss this further. If you have
anyother thoughts or suggestions about this issue, please send them
myway. We would appreciate your guidance.Again, we are very sorry.And
Ihope we can all work together as our nation deals with this
terribletragedy at Camp Liberty.Thank you very much.

Best,
Paul

--Sent from my mobile device

--
Sent from my mobile device

Veterans to take part in Berlin Airlift observances




An area man and veteran of the epic 1948-'49 confrontation with the former Soviet Union when it blockaded the German city of Berlin, will visit that city and take part in ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of one of the defining moments of the Cold War.



Lewis Dale Whipple of Benton will visit Berlin May 9-16 and will be there for the May 12 anniversary of the end of the blockade. The Soviets abandoned it when free world efforts, led by the United States and the United Kingdom, managed not only to supply the beleaguered city with the food and fuel it needed, but also with luxury items and other goods. This convinced Communist leaders they could not win that loggerhead with the West.

"This is a very important date for the Berliners," said Whipple, who is vice president of the international Berlin Airlift Veterans Association. "There are scheduled ceremonies at the Berlin Airlift Memorial located in font of the old Templehof Airport on May 12, lasting all day. On May 13 there will a program at the Allied Museum with a symposium made up of three American and three British Airlift veterans at the Museum."


Whipple took part in official ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the start of the successful effort. Those were held in June.

At this observance of the close of the airlift, there will be 50 airmen from Ramstein Air Base attending most of the ceremonies, for which 35 U.S Airlift veterans and 40 family members will be making the trip along with British and French veterans.




"There are three scheduled meetings with local school children during our visit," Whipple added.

The Berlin Blockade and the resulting airlift, June 1948 through May 1949, saw Western air services making more than 200,000 flights that provided 13,000 tons of food daily for close to a year. By the time the Soviets conceded and reopened land corridors back into the city that then was deep in a country divided by politics and armies, the flights were delivering more goods a day than had been delivered by rail and truck.


The blockade's failure was humiliating to the Soviets and led to a legacy in Berlin, three world-class airports in each of the former western zones of the city.


It is the 60th anniversary of the end of the Berlin airlift and veterans are in the German city to mark the event. Tim Marshall reports on the story behind it.

Major Crisp Jones (r), in charge of airfield organisation at Wunstorf Airfield



The Berlin Airlift was an 11-month statement of intent by the USA and the UK to the Soviet Union: "This far and no further".

Its success was a crucial moment in the Cold War; strategic thinking at the time was that failure to sustain West Berlin would have been seen by Moscow as the green light to roll on into Western Europe.

In the post-war era, West Berlin was a Western outpost surrounded by Soviet-controlled East Germany.


If Berlin falls, Germany will be next. If we intend to defend Europe against communism, we should not budge.

Ernest Bevin, Foreign Secretary at the time of the airlift

Three years after the end of the Second World War, the Soviet bloc and the Western countries were now glaring at each other across the Iron Curtain.

Soviet leader Joseph Stalin had decided to cut all routes into West Berlin in order to gain control of the whole city.

The Western powers knew that forcing their way through on the ground would quickly lead to a shooting match and, possibly, World War III.

Instead, they risked flying through three existing air corridors, gambling that the Soviets would not shoot down their planes.

The Americans and British had decided that this was a moment to make a stand.



The Berlin Wall finally fell in 1989

The then British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin said: "If Berlin falls, Germany will be next. If we intend to defend Europe against communism, we should not budge."

Between June 24, 1948 and May 12, 1949, the US and British air forces - supported by the French and others - flew more than 200,000 missions into West Berlin.

The city, with a population of two million people, needed 13,000 tonnes of food a day as well as medicines and other supplies.

The siege and the airlift went on month after month until Stalin blinked first and lifted the blockade.

It had cost a fortune, it had been risky, and dozens of people were killed in the 12 crashes which occurred over the 11 months.

Today, the RAF and veteran pilots will be represented at ceremonies in Berlin and at Duxford in Cambridgeshire to remember the monumental effort and the sacrifice of 39 British servicemen and civilians who lost their lives during the campaign.

Russian veterans endure hardships in quest for proper compensation

War veterans endure hardship after their sacrifices for nation.


They get flowers on Victory Day and endure misery the rest of the year. This is what life has become for Ukraine’s dwindling number of World War II veterans, part of the heroic forces who saved the world from the monumental 20th century threat of Nazi fascism.

“In Ukraine, it is scary to get old, sick and to be a disabled veteran. If you are unlucky enough to combine all three, you are in trouble,” said Maria Skalozub, an 86-year-old disabled World War II military nurse from Luhansk Oblast, one of an estimated 350,000 surviving Ukrainian veterans of the conflict.

Government support is meager for Oleksiy Semishan, an 84-year-old veteran still suffering from war wounds in the Battle of Berlin. Semishan receives an Hr 2,140 ($267) monthly pension, but considers himself privileged since other veterans receive Hr 1,000. “The whole world thanks us for breaking the spine of German fascism,” Semishan said. “Haven’t we all deserved to have at least a 2,000 hryvnia pension?”

The Soviet Union lost 20 million lives during World War II, which the Soviet veterans still call The Great Patriotic War. Ukrainians suffered the worst, becoming the battleground in a scorched-earth battle between Nazi and Soviet forces.

An estimated eight million Ukrainians, civilians and soldiers, lost their lives in the war; another two million were forced into exile or imprisoned – a quarter of the population was lost.

Now, many of the aging survivors are sentenced to carry on with abysmal medical care and a couple hundred dollars a month, while Verkhovna Rada deputies retire on at least Hr 15,000, or nearly $2,000, monthly. Younger veterans of other wars, such as the 1979-1989 Soviet one in Afghanistan, endure similar hardships.

Kyivans are not surprised to see a veteran, maybe one missing a limb or two, begging for spare change in metro underpasses. They are living reminders of how far Ukraine still needs to advance to join civilized society.

“Legislation is not fulfilled. If it were, all veterans would have at least Hr 2,000 pensions,” said Semishan, who is also deputy head of the All-Ukrainian Public Organization of the War and Military Forces Veterans. The annual bonus payment on Victory Day for World War II veterans is far short of what the law promises, he said.

“I am a disabled veteran of the first group [the highest level of disability],” Semishan said. “This year I’ve received an Hr 540 payment for Victory Day, when it should be several thousand.”

In 1944, Semishan stepped into the war at the age of 18, when the tide had already started to turn against Nazi Germany in favor of the allied forces which included the Soviet Union, the United States and Great Britain.

“For the nation, native land and parents” he crossed Europe and made it to Berlin. Only a week before the Nazi German surrender, “a fascist grenade got our tank,” Semishan said. He was seriously wounded in the stomach and chest. He spent two years recuperating. Again, he said, he was lucky. Many did not get the chance to make it to a hospital.

Now, he said, he struggles to get the free prescriptions and free annual trip to a sanatorium that he and other veterans are entitled to by law. “The last free prescription I got was six months ago,” he said. “As to the state-guaranteed trip to a sanatorium, some veterans have been on the waiting lists for years.”

Semishan said the high price of prescription drugs and other medicines is a critical issue for the elderly. “Veterans have started to come and beg us [the veteran organization] to do something, to influence higher authorities, so that guaranteed free drug prescriptions are given out,” he said.

His organization has complained to numerous authorities, including the president, the Cabinet of Ministers and the Verkhovna Rada. “The president has never replied,” Semishan said. “Mostly, everybody alleges crisis and lack of budget resources.”

Veterans of the Soviet-Afghanistan war face similar hardships.

Serhiy Chervonopyskiy, leader of the Ukrainian Union of Afghanistan War Soldiers, said the nation lacks much-needed psychological care centers. In the single American state of Texas, 74 rehabilitation centers are in operation for Vietnam War veterans, he said, while Ukraine has only such center for the whole nation.

“It’s a rough example. But I do remember my 19-year-old soldiers gathering parts of the bodies of their mates, not knowing to whom they belong,” Chervonopyskiy said, emphasizing the need for psychological care. “It’s not the same 19-year old who went to the university, got happily married and is more or less content with his life.”

“In the United States they talk about ‘Vietnam syndrome.’ Do you think there isn’t such a thing as ‘Afghanistan syndrome’ among Ukrainian soldiers?” said Iryna Kostyleva, whose husband saw combat in Afghanistan at the age of 20. “Nobody talks about it. Nobody cares.”

Chervonopyskiy said corruption also robs veterans of their meager benefits. “For example, they buy the cheapest Taiwan wheelchairs, which cost $200 maximum, and put $2,000 for the purchasing price. They get the money and the veterans suffer from the poor quality.”

When asked why government comes up so short in helping veterans with promised assistance, Oleksiy Chumak, spokesman of the State Committee on the Matters of Ukrainian Veterans, had a simple reply: “There is not enough money.”

Financial hardships aside, some veterans also say they are upset with anti-Soviet Ukrainian nationalists and their attempts to minimize the Soviet victory, such as by removing monuments, particularly in western Ukraine. “If we only knew back then in the cold, hungry winter of 1943 that nobody would need our victory now,” said veteran Maria Skalozub. “It’s such a humiliation.”

Semishan said it was a mistake to think many soldiers fought for Stalin.

“Soviet soldiers did not fight for communism,” Semishan said. “We fought for our motherland, proudly, patriotically and selflessly. It’s such a purposeful blindness to mix these two notions. When such an evil force as the Nazis rapidly capture the world and no one can resist, the only thing you think about is how to save your life, family and nation.”

At the same time, he recalls the Holodomor, the “death by hunger” on Stalin’s orders that claimed millions of lives in 1932-1933 and other Stalin-era repressions. History, he said, should be taught and learned – completely and honestly.

“Good things should be told, bad things condemned,” Semishan said. “You don’t just cross out the part of history you don’t like. You don’t rewrite it, adjusting to the desires of some political group,” Semishan said.

With dismay, Semishan noted that he’s already noticed historical ignorance on the part of his grandchildren. “We don’t blame them for the ignorance,” he said. “It couldn’t be any other way, when political [forces] demand this state of affairs. Their perception of the world will not be complete and that’s what concerns us the most.”

Assistant Secretary Duckworth Honored at Women to Watch Awards

WASHINGTON (May 6, 2009) - Yesterday, the Department of Veterans AffairsAssistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, L. TammyDuckworth, was honored by Running Start at their annual Women to WatchAwards in Washington, DC. She spoke to a crowd of 300 young women at aceremony at the National Press Club.

"We make our Nation stronger by supporting the 200,000 women currentlyserving in the armed forces and the approximately 1.7 million womenVeterans in our country that need our help," Assistant Secretary L.Tammy Duckworth said. "It's time to stop being surprised that America'sdaughters are fully capable of doing their jobs and fighting for ourfreedoms. I recognize that I am here today because I stand on theshoulders of the men and women who opened the doors for women to serve."

Running Start is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring youngwomen to run for political office. It offers high school and collegewomen the unique opportunity to hear from today's leaders. By educatingyoung women about the importance of politics and giving them the skillsthey need to become leaders, they give them the running start they needto reach their aspirations.

Assistant Secretary Duckworth was introduced by State RepresentativeLinda Chapa LaVia from the state of Illinois. She was recognized as a"Woman to Watch" by Running Start along with Erin Issabelle Burnett,CNBC Television Anchor; Betsy Fischer, Executive Producer of Meet thePress; Julie Gilbert, Founder and CEO of Wolf Means Business; and MonaSutphen, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Obama Administration.

The 125th anniversary of Harry S. Truman's birth

Harry Truman (left), and General Douglas MacArthur. truman125

British Nuclear Test Vets

Please take a minute or two to read this. It is not a chain or spam but a
genuine call for your help.



Were you or was your Father, Grandfather a participant in the British
Nuclear Testing Programme between 1952 and 1967? Or do you know someone
falling in to this category?



If this does not apply could you please help us by forwarding this email to
everyone you know. This is a genuine initiative more details are
available on our website http://bntvg2.fh50.com/ .



If the answer is yes then you need to know that the British Government has
just announced:

Children and grandchildren of servicemen involved in Britain's nuclear bomb
tests are to get medical help for the first time.

The families - who have 10 times the normal rate of birth defects - are to
take part in a landmark £500,000 study, it was announced last week.

On 20th April 2009 Veterans Minister Kevan Jones said there will be a
wide-ranging medical assessment of the families - which is expected to
lead to new research and therapies to help them.

He told Parliament money had already been put aside and that the work would
begin within weeks.

More than 20,000 servicemen were ordered to stand and watch as Britain
exploded hundreds of nuclear devices in Australia and the South Pacific
between 1952 and 1967.

Many of their children were born with twisted limbs, deformed bones, eye,
heart and teeth defects or blood and brain disorders.

Work has already begun to contact the families. The results of the study
are expected to be announced next year.

The British Nuclear Test Veterans Association has been the driving force in
getting this study launched and will continue to play a major role.

If you are a veteran or descendant please let us know – simply send an
email to bntva.g2@googlemail.com giving your contact details* (if you are
an existing member of the BNTVA please quote your membership number). If
you wish to join the BNTVA please put ‘JOIN’ in the subject line of your
email.

As a conservative estimate there should be at least 30,000 descendants out
there and we need to find them.

More information is available on http://bntvg2.fh50.com/ Please visit this
site.

The BNTVA website can be viewed on http://www.bntva.com/

Thank you for your time, please pass this email on.



*All information given in strictest confidence and will not be passed to
any other organisation or used for any marketing purpose, we will not send
unsolicited emails to any address you supply, Full Data Protection
Statement available at http://bntvg2.fh50.com/- please see the two web
links to find more about this Contact Initiative and the wider work of the
British Nuclear Test Veterans Association.