Tell me again, who hates the troops?

For obvious reasons I'm sensitive to these things.

And the neocons are showing they have absolutely no love whatsoever for us.

"That's ridiculous"

Information most of us "old timers" already know is here. If you're one of the truly ignorant few who still thinks neocons love our troops, it'll open your eyes.

You give your best years to the DOD, or - like too many - sacrifice limb, mental health, and even life for your nation. But when it's all over, if the benefits you've earned are your only safeguard, if you have no other form of insurance or livelihood, you're fucked. And don't go blaming the recruiter. He probably believed all that horseshit too.

Simply put, once your deployability ceases, so does your status as a first-rate citizen. In the DOD's eyes.

Most of us spend the first few years of our military career "young, dumb, and full of come." 90% confidence, 5% brains, 5% experience. It hasn't been that long - I remember. Stories that would make Courtney Love blush. Crazy shit I'd not believe had I not seen it myself.

Young, dumb, and full of come. It's a great time. But it's a delusional time as well.

"Vets got it great. What're they bitchin about?"

Then you get older, move up in the ranks. You get married, have kids. Your family suffers when you're off gallivanting about in Turkey, Sicily or Panama. You see a fellow GI die.

Some of us get wise and successfully land a second career after a 20+ years in the service. Get a good job because you wised up and got a degree, or by virtue of the fact you've spent 20+ years honing a set of high-demand, esoteric skills.

We all plan to enjoy the second half of our productive adulthoods. For many of us beyond the young, dumb... stage, the formula for a post-military career is simple. Something to get beyond relying on a mediocre basic pay formula, a guaranteed system of mediocre medical care, and some pretty cool stories for the grandkids.

But some don't make it that far. Some are stopped short of reaching such a ripe point in their careers. By war. It is, after all, what we're all here for.

Anyone genuinely pro-military, but unaware of the reality of the situation, would be appalled by the shitty conditions vets who have nothing more than their status as veteran are forced to endure.

"My micropenis got me out of Vietnam."

Fixing the veteran support system would require two things: genuine appreciation for their sacrifices, and leadership with enough competency to fix the system. Whenever it happens, it ain't gonna be easy.

The system is broke. If a political party truly loves American GIs, it will get off its ass and fix their safety net.

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