I copied some of this from a post I made on another forum- I have to be all stealthy since I'm on my grandmothers computers.. ;)

If you want to show your love to our vets- for REAL- contact your congressmen and voice your opinion in support of NOT cutting GI Bill benefits for vets. We're talking about mostly 18-22 year old kids going to war for their country- committing their lives for 4 years only to have the benefits they were promised changed for the worse. If you ask me- what they give up for us is worth so much more than what they're getting. We don't even want to imagine war and its unbelievable that congress could approve budget cuts on the backs of vets...

One of our "esteemed" politicians is proposing taking away Tricare (military healthcare) from disabled veterans that are working age. I can't even tell you how furious and depressed that makes me. So many of them are just kids and they're willing to take bullets for you and me. They think they're protecting democracy and freedom (whether they are is questionable but our vets have good intentions) and they are willing to DIE for us..

and they are dying. A lot more of them than you think. The official death count we're given is only the ones who die on the ground over there. Not in helicopters, not in hospitals, not ones who commit suicide.

A majority ones who come home from war are traumatized, they'll never be the same. They have seen and done thigns that you and I cannot even imagine. It ruins their relationships- I was told the Marine Corps divorce rate is 50% normally and with post traumatic stress disorder it goes up but 50%. and the suicide rate is shamefully high. I think its something like one US veteran attempting to commit suicide every 80 minutes....

That is shameful. Its awful and terrible and we HAVE to do something. These are the people who know how to protect us best and they would do (and they have done) what it takes for us and they can't even get therapists at the VA. I know one veteran- 100% disabled and it took him 13 months to get an appointment at the VA with a therapist. The second appointment the therapist told him "we can't do this forever.. what's your goal?" He never went back..

that's a fucking crime.

Please... please write to your congressmen/women about this. It's our turn to protect them and help them.


America won't be the biggest superpower for long. We're going to need these men and women more than ever if this war comes to our doorstep... show them some love. They deserve it. We should have them on a pedestal all year long- our military are the ones who keep us safe. That means so much to me.

Thank you to our veterans. Seriously, thank you so much. Thank you for loving your country- for loving me enough to give up your lives. Freedom is valuable- thank you. Quote

I agree with you & it is not made the important issue it should be in thanking all Veterans and their families for all that they do because even though we are engaged in many wars only 1% of our population is actually serving this great country. Besides calling you representatives also remember that you can make a big difference members and models if you take a moment (use a search engine to find out where to address it to) and send a solider a quick note just letting them know that you are thinking of them. Hmm maybe one night we can have a group letter writing sexy party Quote

For the US there is also a question:

Would a mandatory couple year stint in the service be a good thing as in other countries?

In modern times the gulf between soldier and civilian has really opened up because the civilian now never has to engage in anything remotely like what a soldier does.

Not true a few hundred years back.

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I hope that the suicide rate and other stats the poster mentioned here are not accurate. Our military deserves better. I will email my congressman soon.
There are certain politicians who in fact would prefer that we not have a military at all. The current administration is underfunding our military, and that makes it harder for them to accomplish what they need to accomplish in the War on Terror. Just as in WW II when we were fighting in the Pacific and in Europe, we are fighting this war in several different theatre locations in the world. We need to finish the job.
Thanks again to all those serving in our military. In 2013 you will have the support you deserve to have from Washington DC. Quote