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Please Don't Miss
Defensive
Misgivings and
Veterans as an
Ethnic Minority
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It's not all
that complicated, folks. |
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Monday, 04 September 2006 |
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Defensive Misgivings
Contributed by Russ Vaughn
Recently at the Army’s annual Force Protection Conference I had the honor of speaking with a soldier who earned my immediate respect and admiration for the unique way in which he is continuing to serve his nation’s needs long after retiring from active duty. This soldier, COL Michael J. Wagner, USAR, Ret, PhD, has been working at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for three years in a program to provide assistance to warriors returning from Iraq and Afghanistan bearing wounds of war, both physical and psychological. Dr. Wagner’s experiences there have convinced him and many others involved in caring for these veterans that these wounds of war affect not just the warriors but their families as well, and by extension their home communities. As Dr. Wagner put it to me,
An ex-paratrooper of the ‘70’s, Dr. Wagner is keenly aware of the many problems so many veterans of our war encountered in their reintegration into their communities. He is determined that America will not fail our current warriors as it did those of that earlier era. The Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, already faced with budget constraints and mission limits, are ill equipped to deal with this societal mission creep. Recognizing that reality, Dr. Wagner and other concerned citizens and professionals have formed an organization called MVFA, Military Veteran and Family Assistance, www.mvfa.org to take up this slack by providing needed services in a family based program that seeks to combine the support and resources of community, corporate, military and government agencies. One program, the aptly named Phoenix Project, provides community-based retreats for warriors and their families. In tranquil, pastoral settings such as the Heart of the Hills Camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River in the Texas Hill Country, soldiers and spouses spend a week relaxing with such activities as hiking, fishing, canoeing, riding horses, or if they choose, just lounging around. But there are also group sessions where couples can freely discuss the problems they face and learn how others just like them are coping with similar difficulties. But MVFA has encountered a problem not anticipated in its formative stages. Thinking that the huge military contracting corporations who take in hundreds of billions of dollars from manufacturing every conceivable item our warriors take into combat and use to fight on our nation’s behalf, the organization sent letters soliciting contributions to support their unique programs to all the leading American defense contractors. To his utter astonishment, Dr. Wagner received refusal after refusal, some with explanations that such programs do not fit within the guidelines of their gifting programs. When he related this amazing situation to me, I was as astonished as the doctor and quickly remarked that if these veterans and their families were dealing with AIDS or sexual identity issues, contributions would be rolling in. Sure enough, according to the good doctor, that is exactly the response MVFA received from IBM, which has lucrative contracts with our military: “Sorry, AIDS research is our priority.” May I suggest to the CEO’s of IBM and EDS, United Technologies, and Raytheon, who also are on record as refusing to support these wounded warrior programs that perhaps you should reconsider your corporate “gifting” guidelines to reflect that you have at least as much concern for those harmed in the application of your weapons systems as you do for gender-challenged San Franciscans seeking funding for those ever so essential sex-change operations. Somehow, I think that most American voters and taxpayers, and their elected representatives wouldn’t mind a moderate redirection of corporate gifting away from pet programs like providing safe sex warning posters for gay bathhouses and healthy nutrition programs for inner city crack junkies, to something a little more mainstream America; like, hey, assistance programs for wounded American warriors. What say you CEO’s of Lockheed-Martin, Northrop-Grumman, General Dynamics, Boeing, ITT Industries, and all the rest of you titans of the defense industry? How about you Michael Dell? Everywhere I travel to military installations in my little consulting business, I see Dell computers. Surely out of the hundreds of millions in revenue generated by those computer sales you should be able to shake loose with a million or so for the troops who come to harm while using them. You know, gentlemen, it suddenly occurred to me that, offhand, I simply can’t recall the last time I heard of an AIDS infected, trans-gendered, crack head buying a multi-billion dollar computer or weapons system. Can any of you guys? Actually, I’m willing to be more charitable than these corporations apparently are, by giving their CEO’s the benefit of the doubt that these refusals don’t come from the top but from some tunnel-visioned, third-tiered functionaries far down the corporate ladder. At least for now I am. Russ Vaughn *** Webmaster's note: Please see also: Veterans as an Ethnic Minority, which was inspired by this post. |
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Contributed by Russ Vaughn on September 4, 2006 at 04:46 PM in Best of Old War Dogs, Caring about our troops, Russ Vaughn | Permalink Comments Posted by: John Russ, that really burns me. I had no idea that these guys could be so chinchy. What am I saying? I know that Sanford Weill, Board Chairperson of Citicorp, is ultra solicitous of the needs of gays, transis and race-hustlers like Jesse Jackson. I doubt that his mentality differs all that much from that of the breed of top execs in general. The thing is, I think that pols are the only people who can get the attention of these characters. They certainly don't give a rat's ass about the opinions of stockholders, let alone those of the general public. My senator, Santorum, would be a natural except that he's fighting for survival now. The other guy, Arlen Specter, I wouldn't piss on if he was on fire. I do believe that we should think as individuals about trying to bring pressure to bear on senators and congressmen. Especially any hawkish types on appropriations committees. Posted by: John | Sep 4, 2006 7:02:20 PM Posted by: Zero Ponsdorf What John said! That just sucks, I say! What can we do? Posted by: Zero Ponsdorf | Sep 4, 2006 7:34:06 PM Posted by: 1st Cav What a great program and organization. Just surfed the website and it is indeed what many of our wounded warriors need. At least someone has taken lessons learned from past conflicts and aptly applied them. Those who set up and help with this organization are to be highly commended. Personally will write as many corporations as possible to promote this cause. Like Zero asked, what can we do? Let's figure out a strategy and do it. 1st Cav RVN Posted by: 1st Cav | Sep 4, 2006 8:23:44 PM Posted by: Rurik This is just one more reminder to me of my real ethnicity. I realize I am not a White- or hetero- or an Anglo-American. I am a Veteran-American. And I'm tired of seeing my people sitting in the back of the APC. And BTW - starting now, that's what goes on the official forms. Posted by: Rurik | Sep 4, 2006 8:46:18 PM Posted by: chip Well, where do I begin,,,,, Posted by: chip | Jan 12, 2007 5:59:17 PM Posted by: Hank A disgrace, indeed. And Dr. Wagner has been part of it. Posted by: Hank | Feb 24, 2007 10:05:24 AM Posted by: Eddie Lowenstein Thanks Russ, I stumbled onto your site but its great. Keep up the good work my brother. Eddie Lowenstein Posted by: Eddie Lowenstein | Feb 15, 2008 8:13:44 PM Posted by: Jeanie Corbin Pope I was married to Master Sergeant Todd D Corbin form August 6, 1989 to March 7, 2003. He was active duty Army National Guard in the 45th Infantry Division in Afghanistan. He did two tours of duty, came home with PTSD and May 18, 2007 lest us. He couldn't handle the hatred, death, and lack of concern our country was giving the armed forces. He gave his whold entire life to the Military, and yet with his passing, made me realize how few people realize the life lasting trauma they bring home from such a call of duty. He is survived by a ex-wife that stood by his career for thisteen years, his step daughter Courtney, who is still grieving although giving him a beautiful grandson Feb 4, 2008. We honor who he was, and the song If I Die Before I Wake describes the feelings he had concerning our welfare here in the USA/ Todd gave his entire life to the army and I feel he did not die in vain, for he left the love he shared with so many of his army buddiess and his family...we honor and love you Todd and hope you are soaring with the eagles in thos Mean Lean Army Greens, a song we recorded years earlier in Tennessee. I am signed with BMI, under Jeanie Corbin O'Donnell, and sang him a song from what the beginning of the war was like for us. You can email me at jinglebells56@msn.com. The song was published in the AM radio stations, and published by Merlin's Best Music. It needs to be reprecorded by Toby Keith with his version of his spouse leaving the first day we began the war. Contact me at 405-213-3416. I have the original tapes from Nashville Recording Company using Byrd Burton doing all the arrangements, and would love to share it with all the spouses left behind to end up burying their soldiers. With highest regard for the 45th Inf Bde.. Oklahoma City, OK Jeanie Posted by: Jeanie Corbin Pope | Jul 22, 2008 1:35:08 PM Posted by: Nate I retire in 1982 and i see that we continue to loose benefits first we had to pay Tricare then it was delta dental and now we have to pay for dematology. Why. Posted by: Nate | Aug 24, 2008 3:31:28 PM Post a comment Comments accept simple HTML for formatting and linking. Comments are moderated and may not appear on the site immediately. Comments in violation of our comment policy will never appear on the site. TrackBacks TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451e4ed69e200e550838ea68834
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