Friday, April 10, 2015

Obama screws the Ft. Hood wounded.... again.

It sucks that we're cursed with a president who hates the military and veterans generally and our combat wounded particularly.

This is the clueless moron who floated the trial balloon of making our combat wounded pay for their own health care insurance:
Dems Fuming Over White House Plan To Make Vets Pay For Service Injuries 

Posted: Updated: ent
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In a letter being sent to the White House, a group of House Democrats, led by Rep. Glenn Nye (D-VA), warned that such a proposal "could harm our veterans and their families in unintended, yet very serious ways, jeopardizing their families' health care and even negatively affecting veterans' employment opportunities." 
"While we strongly support your plans to increase funding for the VA by $25 billion over the next five years," the letter reads, "it is with equal conviction that we oppose the proposal to bill veterans' private health insurance plans for care and treatment of service-connected injuries or disabilities."
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So, it's not terribly surprising that the scumbag-in-chief would screw the wounded from the Ft. Hood Hasan-terrorist attack out of their benefits while finally, as a result of congressional action, getting off that "work-place violence" garbage and giving them their well-deserved Purple Hearts that they obviously qualified for and should have received years ago.

Medically Retired Staff Sergeant Shawn Manning, shot at least 6 times by Hasan (With 2 bullets still inside his body), announced today that he had been denied the benefits that typically accompany award of the Purple Heart... which is given as a result of wounds received in combat in the line of duty.

The specific criteria: (AR600-8-22)
(6) After 28 March 1973, as the result of an international terrorist attack against the United States or a foreign nation friendly to the United States, recognized as such an attack by the Secretary of Army, or jointly by the Secretaries of the separate armed services concerned if persons from more than one service are wounded in the attack
(a) A member described in this subsection is a member who is killed or wounded in action by weapon fire while directly engaged in armed conflict, other than as the result of an act of an enemy of the United States, unless (in the case of a wound) the wound is the result of willful misconduct of the member.
c. While clearly an individual decoration, the Purple Heart differs from all other decorations in that an individual is not "recommended" for the decoration; rather he or she is entitled to it upon meeting specific criteria. 
d. A Purple Heart is authorized for the first wound suffered under conditions indicated above, but for each subsequent award an Oak Leaf Cluster will be awarded to be worn on the medal or ribbon. Not more than one award will be made for more than one wound or injury received at the same instant or from the same missile, force, explosion, or agent. 
e. A wound is defined as an injury to any part of the body from an outside force or agent sustained under one or more of the conditions listed above. A physical lesion is not required, however, the wound for which the award is made must have required treatment by medical personnel and records of medical treatment for wounds or injuries received in action must have been made a matter of official record. 
f. When contemplating an award of this decoration, the key issue that commanders must take into consideration is the degree to which the enemy caused the injury. The fact that the proposed recipient was participating in direct or indirect combat operations is a necessary prerequisite, but is not sole justification for award. 
g. Examples of enemy-related injuries which clearly justify award of the Purple Heart are a 
(1) Injury caused by enemy bullet, shrapnel, or other projectile created by enemy action.
The Army Physical Evaluation Board, citing the specific lack of authorization in the Congressional Act requiring award of the Purple Heart to the Ft. Hood victims has denied Manning's request to recognize Manning's wounds as being sustained while on active duty by enemy action:
"Nowhere in the Act, however, does it offer combat benefits for service members permanently disabled in attacks inspired or motivated by foreign terrorist organizations."
Yet, service members have received the Purple Heart when wounded by members of al Qaida and ISIS.... and what are those if not "foreign terrorist organizations?"

As a result, according to Manning, he and his family will lose back pay, $800 per month in disability pay and other benefits.

He also indicates that this bizarre interpretation by the Administration cheapens the award, which has never been awarded that I can find without the accompanying benefits that come with it.

Until now.

So, instead of doing the right thing, congress will likely have to get involved AGAIN, and right this obvious betrayal of SSG Manning and all of the others tossed into the garbage heap of the Obama administration on this matter by our pro-terrorist president.

Sometimes, I'm ashamed of my Army and my government.

This is one of those times
.

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