About Us
Mission Statement
Rules of Conduct
 
Name:
Pswd:
Remember Me
Register
 

Ask a Vet
Author: TriSec    Date: 10/20/2020 09:27:19

Good Morning.

There's not a whole lot going on out there today.


Oh, there probably is - but like most things associated with this administration, who knows what the real stories maybe? Over time, I've noticed a change in the tone of the news being reported via my usual military sources. It wasn't that long ago when stories of actual veterans and their challenges were a common theme.

Now it is not. There's only so many stories I can cross-reference about new hardware, upgraded uniforms, or the way soldiers find their recreation in a combat zone. Maybe wartime news was like this once, but it feels like a kind of censorship is creeping in.

Nevertheless - some things are going on. I'm sure you remember the story of the Holyoke Veteran's Home here in this Commonwealth, and the carnage brought by Covid? We weren't alone in that regard. And while Governor Baker (R-MA) has remained complicit by his silence in this matter, one state has taken some action.


TRENTON, N.J. — Gov. Phil Murphy dismissed New Jersey’s top military commander Friday after a coronavirus outbreak hit the state’s three veterans homes resulting in 146 deaths.

Col. Lisa Hou takes over immediately from Maj. Gen. Jemal Beale, Murphy said in a statement.

Murphy, a Democrat, faces criticism from Republicans who continue to call for a legislative review of the governor’s handling of the outbreak. He didn’t give a reason for Beale’s dismissal.

Hou, who served as a field surgeon in Afghanistan and Iraq, succeeds Beale, who was sworn into the post in 2018.

“It is an honor to be called upon to lead one of the greatest battles our department has ever faced,” she said in a statement. “Protecting our veterans and supporting our military personnel will be my priority today, and every day. We must all work together to defeat this pandemic and I am committed to doing everything possible to the lead the Department and the National Guard through this difficult period of time.”

She joined the National Guard in 1994 while she was a medical student at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She received a doctorate in osteopathic medicine in 1996.

She currently serves as the deputy adjutant general and assistant commissioner for operations at the department.


We'll have to see if such changes make any difference. As we are well aware, often they are purely cosmetic, but time will tell.

I have reported previously in the slow erosion of support in some circles for the president among service personnel. In a letter to the editor, another veteran is wondering about his former brothers-in-arms and their current brand of "flag waving".


Did I miss something? We have seen so many strange and unusual happenings occurring in this year 2020. It’s been a year of ongoing uncertainty with almost daily uncommon and ongoing news events ranging from climate change, political unrest and uncertainty to stock market fluctuations, the COVID-19 fiasco, etc., just to name a few. I am almost getting used to adapting and accommodating to the ever-changing values we see being plastered in social media, local and national papers, and the evening news.

The one thing I will never learn to adapt to is the unsolicited and unwarranted assault by this president/commander in chief on our military veterans and their families. Most assuredly, I will never not address any insult and/ or attack to the dignity of those who sacrificed their lives in their service to our country.

Did I miss something? Did I miss seeing our local and national veterans organizations rise up with our unified and collective outrage condemning with their strongest communal voices this unpatriotic affront? Did I miss veterans (Republicans, Democrats, and·Independents), their family members and all Americans rising up to say this deplorable attack is unacceptable?

Calling our deceased veterans “suckers” and “losers” is an unparalled affront to all Americans. The disrespect to our Gold Star family members is up and beyond belief and without precedent. This is not a political or party affiliation issue to be discussed and/or debated. It is about an individual who cowardly attacks our sacred institution of military service and its veterans. The irony of this ongoing assault comes from an individual who himself refused to serve.

Of course to many, this is fake news and probably all made up. It would do you well to review reference articles by the New York Times, The Atlantic and by Jennifer Griffin, the National Security correspondent from Fox News.

If you can somehow justify or rationalize your inaction to this disrespectful betrayal to our veterans and their families, then you are complicit with your silence. You are as much to blame with your silence and passive acceptance as your commander in chief who initiated it.


Like all things, the news is cyclical, even on the veteran's front.
 
 

9 comments (Latest Comment: 10/20/2020 18:34:52 by livingonli)
   Perma Link

Share This!

Furl it!
Spurl
NewsVine
Reddit
Technorati