What I learned in November, 2007 from reading the Veterans forum, part 1 (xpost from Veterans forum)

[unhappycamper]

$3,500,000,000,000 is a. big number. A really big number.


The Army housing privatization effort hit a http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=259x6116">few speed bumps in Little Rock, AR. Unfortunately, no one told Major General Del Eulberg before he glorified privatized military housing. Then those nosy senators got into the act.


In other headlines, the Marines want out of Iraq. I guess there’s some sort of a sock problem - maybe KBR’s washing machines broke down or something. Colorado ranchers are pissed at the Army. The Minot-Barksdale nuke flight is still generating news stories and questions. The Army was getting shit scores on the new language tests, so they used the traditional republican tactic and changed the test. Lastly, the head of the American Legion finally visited Walter Reed. No shit – it only took him six years.


The Veterans Administration and DoD are supposedly working on health care. The first http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=259x6127">baby steps were taken on November 1. Jack Cafferty chimed in on November 2. That single exam agreement between the VA and DoD was looking pretty good until November 9 when somebody pointed out that the VA & DoD has already agreed on this in 1998 and 2004. Then things started turning to shit. Really ugly, bad, stinky shit. But the military sez no problem!


Except that little matter of dunning soldiers injured in the line of duty for a portion of their re-up bonuses, all’s well that ends well. The DoD announced “Bonuses are not recouped simply for one’s inability to complete an enlistment or re-enlistment agreement through no fault of the military member” .


Lots of recruiting enlistment stories this month. Black recruits are up 49% in 2007, but recruiters are having a hard time making their numbers.. Apparently moms and dads are against having their kids killed or maimed. The military is coming after kids in a big way. But the services are making their numbers. Get ‘em young. Outside of a few minor glitches like enlisting murderers, things are going swimingly. Congress took note of the lowered standards and called them ‘unwise’. The Army’s thinking about new rules.


There were lots of articles about stress, TBI and PTSD. Landstuhl hopes to start a TBI center. Honeywell International's working on a way to track brain waves. The bad news is at least 6% of veterans have TBIs.


PTSD is just bad news. There’s http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=259x6858">no getting around it. I’m sure Justin Faulkner http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=259x7245">agrees. Is help actually on the way? If only we could get rid of those damn facts. One problem that may cause future progress on these injuries is that service members either cheat or don’t take the tests.


The Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship program hit a few snags this month. The GAO pointed out you don’t need to spend money on systems for something that isn’t ready-for-prime-time.


November was a good month for MRAP manufacturers. Well, how about kinda good, maybe. The bucks are there. Soldiers dig ‘em. There were some seriesly happy days in Baghdad. Of course an MRAP is a bit too large for a ship, so guess how we’re sending them to Iraq. Apparently the C-5 is over taxed, so we needed a bit of help from our friends. Before you know it, the numbers changed. Then the Marine Corps started asking questions. I guess they didn’t like the answers they were getting, so they said ”I don’t want all those.”


Raptors and F-15s were big on the radar screen this month.

The $330,000,000 F-22 Raptor is deployed and has some problems. The Air Force proudly announced a new squadron of Raptors in Alaska. It appears an aircraft sucked in a piece o something. Some known design flaws surfaced. Lockeed Martin scored some big bucks with a new contract before we had to send them all to the shop for repairs.

Lots of F-15s doings this month. I guess a F-15C fell out the sky in Missouri. The next day the Air Force grounded the entire fleet of F-15s. The French were running missions for us in Afghanistan. Hornets were called in. Uncle assured us we could do the deed with other aircraft. By the middle of the month we got word they would be flying soon. I get the impression the Montana Guard is less than happy about replacing their F-16s with F-15s. On the 14th F-15s were flying in Afghanistan, but they were still grounded in Kadina. On the 20th, the Air Force cleared all F-15s to fly. On the 28th, the AF grounded them all again. All this is leading up to an interesting question: What happens when the money spigot runs out and those spiffy new $330,000,000 airplanes aren’t available?

Oh yea, there was an Osprey ‘oops’ this month.


Part duex coming later this weekend.

[noamnety]

1. I'm one of the people who reads the vets forum.

And I want to thank you for pulling the information together for that forum so consistently.

I don't normally comment there, and most people don't, so I imagine it feels like a thankless mission. But what you don't know is that I draw on the information I see there when I'm out speaking to people, including speaking to classrooms of teens about recruitment.

[Solly Mack]

2. K&R

Thanks!

[razors edge]

3. Thank you for all you do.

I read a lot of your posts and links, but unfortunately I don't reply from work as I don't log in to DU.

(Don't care for someone getting on my puter and logging in while I'm not there, if you know what I mean.)

[DemReadingDU]

4. Thanks for all your postings

I pop in and do read, thanks for finding all these great articles.