A Letter to Gen. Wesley Clark, Action Alert
By Taters on May 28, 2008 at 7:23 PM in Afghanistan, Current Affairs, GI Bill of Rights, Iraq, Veterans Administration
Recently, Gen. Clark received the letter below from a young veteran. Failing to provide adequate education benefits for our returning soldiers will only dissuade a large number of our best and brightest from choosing military service over other career options. The armed forces will remain strong only if we attract the most talented Americans with a promise of a bright future after they have served our country. We can do better.
21 May 2008
General Clark,
My name is Michael B. I am an Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran. I served with the 89th and 42nd Military Police Brigades in Baghdad, Balad and Ashraf, Iraq in 2004 and 2005. I was only 18 years old when I left my home to go and serve my country. I was a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard for six years and was just separated in April. I am now 23 years old and cannot use my GI Bill anymore. According to the VA, the chapter 1607 GI Bill that I was using is only available to drilling reservists. And I’ve been told that I cannot use the Chapter 1606 GI Bill anymore.
I’m telling you these stories so that you can hear from someone on the ‘front lines’ of this battle. I’ve sent letters to both Senator Bob Casey and Senator Arlen Specter (my senators) asking them to support the new GI Bill. I’m spreading the word among my fellow vets and my family and friends, asking them to spread the word about Bush and McCain not supporting the GI Bill. I’ve heard that they won’t support it because they fear that too many soldiers will want to get out of the military to use their new GI Bill. The net effect of that would be that retention rates drop. Should anyone ever doubt that Americans will stop answering their nation’s call?
Mr. Bush and Mr. McCain are misguided and fearful. I helped three young men join the Army National Guard recently. All three are satisfactory recruits with bright futures. Never should anyone doubt that our military will crumble because of college tuition assistance. If anything, the new GI Bill will help make the decision to join the military easier.
I greatly admire you sir and have appreciated the work that you do for veterans across America. Thank you for your time. God bless you!
Your Fellow Vet,
Michael B.
FDR signs the GI Bill.
President Bush has threatened to veto the New GI Bill. And Sen. John McCain is just plain wrong on this. Please contact your senators and let them know you join thousands of Americans who support our veterans - who give so much and ask so little. Go here.
Just a minute or two and a mouse click sends a strong message that we stand behind our men and women in uniform. Thank you.
hellofuck him.
i’m still voting mccain if hillary isn’t crowned the dem nominee
obama is a
loserno no
i mean loserrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
go hillaryyyyyyyyyyyyy
While I agree with Webb that the Veterans deserve guaranteed benefits I also agree with McCain that a sliding scale of benefits for longer service helps retention. As someone not from a military background I am probably not qualified to make a rational decision. However, from my limited viewpoint McCain’s position makes the most sense.
I am a committed supporter of Hillary Clinton, but having said that I know the depths Obama and the DNC scumbags will go to deny her the nomination. So, I have already bookmarked McCain’s website, on which is a press release (5.22.08–Statement by John McCain on Senator Barack Obama and Benefits for Our Veterans) that not only eats Obama’s lunch but explains McCain’s position on education benefits. I also agree with McCain’s position about the sliding scale, and I am retired military.
I am in the army, soon to deploy for my 2nd time, and I agree with McCain. Retention is low and low numbers mean more deployments and stop loss. If our government REALLY wants to help the soldiers, they will increase their pay and the benefits they while in the army, thus helping the soldiers while increasing recruitment.
I also am Hillary supporter that has bookmarked McCain’s website. If the DNC should nominate Obama as their candidate, in that same moment I will go to McCain’s website and make my first of many donations.
However, that’s IF that should happen. Hillary will have the popular vote, and it doesn’t look like she’s backing down anytime soon (no surprise there - god I love that woman!).
Hillary or McCain in 2008 (and if McCain, then Hillary in 2012).
This is not about politics as far as our veterans go.
If you are a Hillary supporter, you should know she supports this 100%. she will do her best to make this veto proof.
From her piece in Foreign Affairs, from the Nov/Dec 2007 issue…
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20071101faessay86601-p20/hillary-rodham-clinton/security-and-opportunity-for-the-twenty-first-century.html
Something must be done they risked their life for this Country. By the way Obama didn’t serve and before the Obamabots point out that Hillary didnt serve. She would have needed to serve in combat and she was BARRED FROM THAT ROLE during the time she could have served. African American males have not been barred from combat for at least 100 years.
To give Senator Obama the benefit of the doubt he did say that he wouldn’t mind serving if he really felt it was a good war and they served Starbucks coffee. What a guy!
hillary will be our 44th president
I’m with you!
I am with you too.
This bill is quite the hot potato. It sounds great. It also sounds extremely expensive.
Mostly, it sounds like a fake bill that Bush will veto and the current congress will look like they are doing something.
The original GI Bill is often described as an important part of the post war (WWII) economic boom. This bill will have similar positive effects. I don’t think a college education is too generous for 4 years of risking one’s life. It will cause an equal increase in enlistments as it does soldiers leaving the military.
I agree, haypops.
http://www.patriotroom.com/?p=394
Obama’s King Sized Flip-Flop
“I voted against preconditions before I voted for them. In between, I got my rookie ass handed to me.”
Consider that a message sent.
I can’t stand war, but I can’t stand abandoning warriors more.
Thanks Regency.
I agree my son is over there he has been there for six years back and forth. He signed up on 9/11 and has been in the war zone on both fronts since 02.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vince-beiser/obamas-drug-past-isnt-hur_b_103944
Obama’s Drug Past Isn’t Hurting Him — But Thousands Aren’t So Lucky
Speaking of my FAVORITE GENERAL - I just overheard Dan Abrams say he’s going to be on after the commercial (Mom was surfing the TV in the other room)
I love Gen. Clark. A very admirable man and patriot! He would have been a FANTASTIC President!
I don’t know how Obama supporters and those superdelegates can ignore what Wes Clark, Ambassador Joe Wilson (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L19VAVmAAq0), and Larry Johnson keep explaining to them!
Hey Teakwood,
Carl Levin & Debbie Stabenow, my senators both support it. My congressman, Sandy Levin supported it too. I say send this back down Bush’s throat on an override.
WW2 vets - John Warner and Frank Lautenberg support it. Korean war veteran Charlie Rangel supports it.
IAVA, VoteVets, and many others. Wes Clark and Hillary are on the same page on this.
The letter from the young man tells me he served 5 years active duty w/multiple deployments in Iraq but because he’s no longer a drilling reservist, he can’t collect his educational benefits. Something is terribly wrong with that picture.
http://webb.senate.gov/pdf/factsheetgibill042508.pdf
Hi Dawnelle,
I’m kinda partial, too.
Hillary and Wes are on the same page on this. As far as I know, she was the first of the candidates to include the new GI bill of rights in her policy overview.
off topic but this nedsto be noted and repeated.
from taylor marsh:
“IRAQ: scott mcClellan blasts bush, the administration, and the press”
quote
[... But as to Obama and Clinton on Iraq, Joseph Wilson said it best in an interview he and his wife Valerie gave to me a few months ago. It's a perfect time to let him speak again.
"Well, I think the fact that's dominated the narrative is an indication of how little people really understand the dynamics of the debate as it was going on at the time. And the people making a lot of hay over this weren't there. I was there. I was fighting the fight. I looked to the left of me. I looked to the right of me. I didn't see Barack Obama anywhere. I was out there and there is nobody who can deny that. ... I didn't talk to Edwards about it because he was a co-sponsor of that particular resolution, whereas a lot of us were trying to fight for more restrictive language. Being in the minority, you couldn't get that restrictive language at that time. So what happened the day after the bill was passed?
Hillary Clinton and Robert Byrd went down and submitted another bill which further restricted, attempted to restrict the ability for the president to act. But in actual fact, those who were there are the debate will remember that the American people and the U.S. Congress were sold on this resolution not because the president wanted to go to war, because he said publicly, I do not want this resolution to go to war. I want this resolution so I can get to the United Nations and get intrusive inspections. That's what Colin Powell said. That's what the president of the United States said and that's what they got. They got a resolution that permitted the president of the United States to go to the U.N. and get intrusive inspections. The great betrayal of the America people is not in that Resolution. It was in the president not allowing the inspections to reach their natural conclusions. Her short circuited the process. That is the betrayal of the country. That is the betrayal of the Congress. That's the betrayal of the American people. That's the betrayal of the world. People who don't remember that are trying to spin this for their own particular short-term partisan interest and they should not be allowed to get away with it. The most important thing of course now, that aside, ... is what is it going to take to get out of there in a way that, one, protects our national security interests, which has been terribly compromised in the region. ... .." ]
did you know that senator clinton and senator robert byrd had made this effort? i didn’t.
off topic
but this needs to be noted and repeated.
from taylor marsh:
“IRAQ: scott mcClellan blasts bush, the administration, and the press”
quote
[... But as to Obama and Clinton on Iraq, Joseph Wilson said it best in an interview he and his wife Valerie gave to me a few months ago. It's a perfect time to let him speak again.
"Well, I think the fact that's dominated the narrative is an indication of how little people really understand the dynamics of the debate as it was going on at the time. And the people making a lot of hay over this weren't there. I was there. I was fighting the fight. I looked to the left of me. I looked to the right of me. I didn't see Barack Obama anywhere. I was out there and there is nobody who can deny that. ... I didn't talk to Edwards about it because he was a co-sponsor of that particular resolution, whereas a lot of us were trying to fight for more restrictive language. Being in the minority, you couldn't get that restrictive language at that time. So what happened the day after the bill was passed?
Hillary Clinton and Robert Byrd went down and submitted another bill which further restricted, attempted to restrict the ability for the president to act. But in actual fact, those who were there are the debate will remember that the American people and the U.S. Congress were sold on this resolution not because the president wanted to go to war, because he said publicly, I do not want this resolution to go to war. I want this resolution so I can get to the United Nations and get intrusive inspections. That's what Colin Powell said. That's what the president of the United States said and that's what they got. They got a resolution that permitted the president of the United States to go to the U.N. and get intrusive inspections. The great betrayal of the America people is not in that Resolution. It was in the president not allowing the inspections to reach their natural conclusions. Her short circuited the process. That is the betrayal of the country. That is the betrayal of the Congress. That's the betrayal of the American people. That's the betrayal of the world. People who don't remember that are trying to spin this for their own particular short-term partisan interest and they should not be allowed to get away with it. The most important thing of course now, that aside, ... is what is it going to take to get out of there in a way that, one, protects our national security interests, which has been terribly compromised in the region. ... .." ]
did you know that senator clinton and senator robert byrd had made this effort? i didn’t.
note to admin:
please delete the first copy of this comment.
Dear all noquaterusa’s participants and all Hillary supporters:
Recently, I bought a book of poem.
It moved me so deeply, and I wanted to share one poem with you. Here is “Here, Bullet” written by Brian Turner while he was in Iraq.
It’s titled “Here, Bullet.”
Here, Bullet by Brian Turner
If a body is what you want,
then here is bone and gristle and flesh.
Here is the clavicle-snapped wish,
the aorta’s opened valves, the leap
thought makes at the synaptic gap.
Here is the adrenaline rush you crave,
that inexorable flight, that insane puncture
into heat and blood. And I dare you to finish
what you’ve started. Because here, Bullet,
here is where I complete the word you bring
hissing through the air, here is where I moan
the barrel’s cold esophagus, triggering
my tongue’s explosives for the rifling I have
inside of me, each twist of the round
spun deeper, because here, Bullet, here is where the world ends, every time.
I love Gen. Clark!
We need to support our veterans. Hillary understands that.
Well said, SueB.
Fienstien and Boxer are supporting this Bill, as well as my Congresswomen.
For the life of me, I can not understand why our vets are seen on street corners and elsewhere.
This letter strikes at the heart of a nation that has not kept it’s promise in full to those that serve it.
Thank you Taters, for bring this up. I got an email from Wes Clark on this topic as well.
Wes Clark is the best–I would like to see him as Hillary’s VP!