War and sacrifice
Who sacrifices the least?
Archive for the ‘Iraq’ Category.
McCain needs to polish up on foreign policy
Otherwise he’s going to keep making a fool of himself, as Keith Olbermann points out.
Injured fighting for your country? Give back your signing bonus.
I can’t even think of anything to say in regards to this story. Once again, I’m stunned by the callous disregard of our government which claims to “support the troops.”
Wounded Soldier: Military Wants Part Of Bonus Back
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -The U.S. Military is demanding that thousands of wounded service personnel give back signing bonuses because they are unable to serve out their commitments.
To get people to sign up, the military gives enlistment bonuses up to $30,000 in some cases.
Now men and women who have lost arms, legs, eyesight, hearing and can no longer serve are being ordered to pay some of that money back.
One of them is Jordan Fox, a young soldier from the South Hills.
He finds solace in the hundreds of boxes he loads onto a truck in Carnegie. In each box is a care package that will be sent to a man or woman serving in Iraq. It was in his name Operation Pittsburgh Pride was started.
Fox was seriously injured when a roadside bomb blew up his vehicle. He was knocked unconscious. His back was injured and lost all vision in his right eye.
A few months later Fox was sent home. His injuries prohibited him from fulfilling three months of his commitment. A few days ago, he received a letter from the military demanding nearly $3,000 of his signing bonus back.
“I tried to do my best and serve my country. I was unfortunately hurt in the process. Now they’re telling me they want their money back,” he explained.
It’s a slap for Fox’s mother, Susan Wardezak, who met with President Bush in Pittsburgh last May. He thanked her for starting Operation Pittsburgh Pride which has sent approximately 4,000 care packages.
He then sent her a letter expressing his concern over her son’s injuries, so she cannot understand the U.S. Government’s apparent lack of concern over injuries to countless U.S. Soldiers and demands that they return their bonuses.
While he’s unsure of his future, Fox says he’s unwavering in his commitment to his country.
“I’d do it all over again… because I’m proud of the discipline that I learned. I’m proud to have done something for my country,” he said.
But Fox feels like he’s already given enough. He’ll never be able to pursue his dream of being a police officer because of his wounds and he can’t believe he’s being asked to return part of his $10,000 signing bonus.
KDKA contacted Congressman Jason Altmire on his behalf. He says he has proposed a bill that would guarantee soldiers receive full benefit of bonuses.
Blackwater more important than American children
Surely you aren’t surprised to hear that Bush followed through with his threat to veto the SCHIP bill? After all, the man has proven time and again that he’s a heartless bastard who only cares about keeping his business partners in business.
Blackwater is an excellent example of how Bush’s priorities rank. Treating Iraq’s government as the sovereign entity he claims it is falls much further down the list than keeping Blackwater in business in Iraq. For that matter, protecting Blackwater appears to be more important then just about anything else these days.
Did you know that while the FBI is in Iraq investigating Blackwater they will be provided security by. . . Blackwater? Yep, there’s bound to be a full, complete, and candid investigation coming out of that situation.
Okay, that whole rant makes no sense. Sorry, but I’m exhausted and pissed. It’s a bad combination.
