THE DERELICT VETERAN GROUP FAMILY OF VETERANS EXTEND TO THE FAMILIES OF THE FALLEN SOLDIERS OUR MOST SINCERE CONDOLENCES....MAY THEY BE ABLE TO FIND CALM AND PEACE IN THEIR TURBULENT AND PAINFUL SORROWED HEARTS, IN WHATEVER FORM.  WE WISH THEM WELL !

You may click on their hyperlink  names should you wish to know more of and about these fallen soldiers

F.Broos & Robert Jacques

DVG Staff

IED blast sends ripples through close community

Spc. Robert J. Tauteris Jr. re-enlisted last summer so he could deploy to Afghanistan with his son.

On Jan. 8, the younger Tauteris, also named Robert, performed the most solemn duty asked of a son. He escorted his father’s remains home from Afghanistan.

Robert Tauteris Jr., 44, of Hamlet, Ind., and three other soldiers were killed Jan. 6 when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb. The soldiers belonged to the Indiana National Guard’s 713th Engineer Company, which has its headquarters in Valparaiso.

The incident highlights the bonds that are woven through National Guard units like the 713th, where soldiers and their families live, work and serve together in communities across the country.

“In the Guard, it’s everywhere,” said an obviously distraught Maj. Gen. Martin Umbarger, adjutant general of the Indiana Guard. “We are community-based. We don’t live on forts. We live in communities. Almost every time we send our units out, it’s almost the exception when someone’s not [in the same unit with] a brother or father or son.

“That’s just part of our culture. It is family.”

The younger Tauteris belongs to the same company as his father, but the men were assigned to different platoons. The other three soldiers killed were:

• Staff Sgt. Jonathan M. Metzger, 32, of Indianapolis.

• Spc. Brian J. Leonhardt, 21, of Merrillville, Ind. Leonhardt was posthumously promoted to sergeant.

• Spc. Christopher A. Patterson, 20, of Aurora, Ill.

A fifth soldier, Pfc. Douglas Rachowicz, of Hammond, Ind., survived the blast but suffered multiple injuries and as of Jan. 11 was in a medically induced coma at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Bethesda, Md.

According to media reports, Rachowicz’s future brother-in-law was in the vehicle behind his and was one of the first soldiers to reach the destroyed vehicle.

The deaths of the four soldiers is the biggest single loss for the Indiana Guard since March 2005, when four soldiers from the state’s 76th Brigade Combat Team were killed by a land mine in Afghanistan.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, 23 Indiana Guard soldiers have been killed in combat.

The 713th Engineer Company, led by Capt. Cecil Pendleton, mobilized for training in October and deployed to Afghanistan in mid-November, said Lt. Col. Steve Hines, commander of the 113th Engineer Battalion.

The 113th is the parent unit of the 713th but is not currently deployed.

On Jan. 6, soldiers from 2nd Platoon, 713th Engineer Company, moved out from Forward Operating Base Frontenac in Kandahar province to clear a route they regularly had to sweep for improvised explosive devices, Hines said.

The eight-vehicle convoy was about 20 minutes away from the FOB when the third vehicle, an RG 31 mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle equipped with mine rollers in the front, hit an IED buried in the unpaved road, Hines said.

The four soldiers killed that day were the first casualties suffered by the company during this deployment, said Staff Sgt. Les Newport, a spokesman for the Indiana Guard.

“Each time I talk to [Pendleton], they’re getting better and better and stronger,” he said. “They’re noticeably and understandably shaken. At times, they’re fine. Then an individual might see something that reminds them of their loss.”

The soldiers are conducting missions again, he said.

“They’re back in the saddle, I guess you’d put it,” Hines said. “They’re taking it slow and regaining confidence in themselves and their equipment.”

The soldiers’ route-clearance mission is critical, Umbarger said.

“They’re trying to get back out there,” he said. “The grief will always be there, but the job goes on.”

Rachowicz, 29, is expected to survive, but he is still in a lot of pain, Hines said.

“He’s just in so much pain they can’t take him out of the coma,” he said, adding that Rachowicz faces a long, difficult recovery.

As for the younger Tauteris, he will be allowed to decide if he wants to stay in the U.S. or return to Afghanistan, Hines said.

“He will be allowed to decide what’s best for him and his family,” Hines said. “Not only was he the son of one of our fallen and deployed with him, but he was also the primary next of kin.”

The 713th Engineer Company is expected to return home this summer.

The Indiana Guard has received overwhelming support since news of the soldiers’ deaths reached home, Umbarger said.

“It sucks the air out of you,” he said. “It’s a phone call you hope you never get. It makes it doubly, quadruply tough, but as always, we have to start thinking about making certain we do the proper notifications for the families, and we wanted to take that on ourselves. This is our family.”

The state Guard dispatched “numerous” casualty notification and assistance officers to work with the families of the fallen, he said.

The response from the Army and its senior leaders has been tremendous, Umbarger said.

Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. Pete Chiarelli, the Army vice chief of staff; and Lt. Gen. William Ingram, director of the Army National Guard, attended the dignified transfer ceremony for the soldiers at Dover Air Force Base, Del.

“That was special, and I thank them for making that trip,” Umbarger said.

Hines agreed.

“Just the outpouring of support from within the military, all the way back home, it’s been amazing to watch all that happen,” he said. “It speaks volumes about how we take care of our fallen heroes and warriors.”

2 CENT OPINION:  THE VETERAN ORGANIZATION GROUPS WE ARE ALL TOO FAMILIAR WITH BUT IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER THE DERELICT VETERANS GROUP DOES SHARE A COMMON RELATIONSHIP WITH........SERVING THE VETERAN AND HIS OR HER FAMILY, ANNUALLY COME UP AND SUBMIT TO CONGRESS THEIR VISION IN A PROFFERED BUDGET "THEY" WOULD LIKE TO SEE PASSED.  THE TRUTH IS SOMEHOW ALWAYS IGNORED OR SET ASIDE, WHICH IS ABOUT AS SIMPLE AS CAN BE:  VETERANS ARE A DRAIN, IT IS THAT SIMPLE.  THE MILITARY DOESN'T REALLY CARE ABOUT YOU, BECAUSE THEY MUST FACTOR ALL YOU "LIVE" ONES IN THEIR ANNUAL BUDGETS, LIKE IT OR NOT, THAT IS A FACT.  ANOTHER FACT IS....YOU ARE ESSENTIALLY THROWN UNDER THE BUS, FOR IF THE MILITARY COULD DO IT...THEY WOULD SACRAFICE YOU FOR "THE COMMON GOOD" WHICH IS...WEAPONS AND ACTIVE DUTY "SOLDIER AND MAINTENANCE" COSTS.   THAT IS WHY THE DERELICT VETERANS GROUP IS CALLED WHAT IT IS...WE ARE DERELICTS BECAUSE WE ARE CASTAWAYS..WE ARE THAT CONSTANT PROVERBIAL ITCH THAT CAN'T BE SCRATCHED AWAY...WE ARE IN SHORT...A PAIN IN THE ASS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.

YES, I AM AWARE OF ALL THE SOUND BITES AND HOW VALUABLE I AM, YOU ARE, HOW MUCH WE CONTRIBUTE, WHAT WE ARE OWED, THE GRATITUDE...TO ME....THEY CONSTITUTE CHEAP TALK, CAUSE I KNOW IT AIN'T TRUE.  YES, THERE ARE SOME WHO ARE TRULY EMPATHETIC TO THE VETERAN COMMUNITY, NEEDS AND PATRIOTISM...BUT IN WASHINGTON...THE TRUTH IS...YOU ARE GETTING ALOT OF THE BENNIES ONLY BECAUSE YOU ARE A VOTER WHO KNOWS OTHER VOTERS WHO KNOW OTHER VOTERS, SO THE VOTING BLOCK IS MULTIPLIED AND THE ROAR OF THE DISCONTENT LOUD...SHOULD CONGRESS EVER TRY SOMETHING DRASTIC TO REDUCE YOUR BENEFITS.  IF WE DIDN'T BITCH, WE WOULD HAVE LESS. THAT SIMPLE.

THE DVG DOES HAVE A COUPLE OR EVEN A FEW BUDGET IDEAS THAT WILL SAVE THE GOVERNMENT LOTS OF MONEY, REDUCE OUR DEBT, REDUCE THE MONEY NEEDED TO BORROW TO FUND THE GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS AND STILL HAVE A NET POSITIVE IMPACT ON ALL AMERICANS..AND YES, WOULD GO A LONG WAY TO TRULY SERVING THE VETERAN POPULATION IN THE UNITED STATES, AS FOLLOWS, NO MATTER HOW CONTROVERSIAL...YOU ARE WELCOME TO BITCH ME OUT, OR MY COHORT ROBERT, aka BOB...IF YOU DON'T AGREE, OR IT REALLY BUGS YOU, LET US KNOW, BY ALL MEANS:

1. DO AWAY WITH THE '"INDIVIDUAL UNEMPLOYABILITY COMPENSATION RATING"  OR "IU"

REASON:  REPLACE IT WITH A SIMPLE SC RATING FOR THE SAME REASON. WHY? IT SAVES PAPERWORK, IT CUTS DOWN ON THE NUMBER OF PERSONNEL NATIONWIDE CHARGED WITH THE DUTY TO MONITOR THE IU, THE FORMS, THE FOLLOW UPS AND FRAUD (WORKING WHILE COLLECTING). BECAUSE IF A VETERAN IS SAY 70% DISABLED AND HE CANNOT WORK AND IT IS LIKELY THAN NOT PERMANENT, THEN WHAT WILL CHANGE? HE OR SHE IS NOT LIKELY TO EVER GET ANY BETTER, SO INSTEAD OF WASTING ALOT OF PAPERWORK, GIVE IT TO THE VET,,..YOU CAN STILL HAVE IU...WHICH WILL BE EXPLAINED IN OFFER NUMBER 2 BELOW:

2.  WE ALREADY KNOW THAT ANY HOSPITALIZED VET WILL RECEIVE A TEMP 100% RATING DURING THE RECOUP TIME.............LOOK AT OFFER NUMBER 1 ABOVE............INSTEAD OF YET ANOTHER CATAGORY AND YET MORE PAPERWORK AND MORE USELESS PEOPLE DOING USELESS THINGS...CHANGE THAT TO AN "IU" DESIGNATION...BECAUSE CLEARLY, THAT VETERAN IS GOING TO BE UNABLE TO WORK AND THAT....UNLIKE NUMBER 1...HAS A CHANCE OF IMPROVING.....HOW ABOUT THAT FOR SIMPLICITY.

3. WHILE THE DVG UNDERSTANDS THE SYMBIONIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS I,E., VFW (NOT PICKING ON THEM, ILLUSTRATION ONLY) THEY HAVE WITH THE VA REGIONAL OFFICES AND THE PROBABLY GOOD WORKS THEY DO AND ARE INVOLVED IN....DOES NOT MEAN THAT TAXPAYERS SHOULD PICK UP THE TAB FOR THEIR RENT FREE, TAX PAYER PAID OFFICES CONVENIENTLY LOCATED IN THE VA REGIONAL OFFICES....GOOD GRIEF, CHARGE THEM THE GOING RATE FOR OFFICE SPACE THAT IS FAIR VALUE IN THAT PARTICULAR AREA (IT MAY ALSO REDUCE THE PERCEIVED..BUDDY-BUDDY, I SCRATCH YOUR BACK...Ahem)...YOU ALL KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

4. THERE ARE 3 AGENCIES THAT REGULATE SALMON  PRESENTLY...DO AWAY WITH ONE...PERIOD...WHEN THE SALMON ARE OUT TO SEA, THEY ARE GOVERNED BY ONE, WHEN THEY START THEIR RUN, THEY ARE YET GOVERNED BY ANOTHER AND ONCE INLAND, YET ANOTHER...STUPID !

5.  WANNA SAVE MONEY QUICK? GET RID OF A TRIPLICATE AGENCY ""DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION""""""" HELL, I DON'T EVEN REALLY KNOW WHAT THEIR ROLE IN WASHINGTON IS..i KNOW, i KNOW, YOU CAN READ ABOUT IT? BULLSHIT...""REMEMBER""" ""TALKING POINTS""  GIVE THE BLOCK GRANTS TO THE STATES AND LET THEM DEAL WITH IT, THEY KNOW BETTER AND IN THE END...THEY DECIDE ANYWAY AND ANYTHING THEY SEND TO WASHINGTONJ HAS "FUDGED" NUMBERS///SO WHY THE CHARADE...DO AWAY WITH IT.

6.  WHY ARE SENATE AND CONGRESSIONAL PENSIONS AND BENNIES HIGHER AND BETTER AND SHORTER (ONLY HAVE TO SERVE ONE LOUSY TERM) AND EVEN IF YOU'RE A FRIGGEN CROOK, YOU STILL GET IT? MY OH MY..IN THE MILITARY, IF YOU'[RE A CROOK, YOU DON'T GET AN HONORABLE AND THAT MEANS YOU DONT GET MANY OF YOUR BENNIES...DUH !!!!!!...SO WHY DO THEY GET THESE NICE GOLDEN RETIREMENT PARACHUTES..AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN GO TO WAR....NO UNIFORMS AND ALL THAT WAS EVER REQUIRED OF THEM...WAS TO BITCH ABOUT HOW BROKEN THE SYSTEM AND WASHINGTON IS...AND ..WITHOUT POINTING A FINGER AT THEMSELVES...ODD...I SAY.CHANGE IT...GIVE THEM CREDIT, AND THAT'S IT...THEY ONLY APPLIED FOR THE JOB...ACCEPTED BY THE PEOPLE BUT I DON'T RECALL ONE VOTE BY THE PEOPLE IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES THAT GAVE THEM A GYM, A STAFF OF OVER 100 (ALL PAID) HEALTHCARE OF CHOICE, STAFF TOO, RETIREMENT RATE SAME AS A GENERAL...OMG..WHAT HAVE WE DONE? I SAY, FIX IT

7.  I HAVE A FEW MORE, BUT I'LL SAVE SOME IN CASE THESE THINGS THAT ACTUALLY MAKE ALOT OF SENSE TO ME, ALSO MAKES SENSE TO SOME OTHER PEOPLE AND IF IT DOES, I HAVE MORE PROPOSALS....THE ONLY ONE LEFT THEN IS NUMBER 7 RIGHT?   EASY./..MAYBE...WE HAVE.........NONE OTHER THAN....................OBAMA.......VOTE THE SORRY SUCKER OUT OF OFFICE...FOR IT WILL TAKE YEARS TO UNDO THE DAMAGE HE HAS DONE...SO, REMEMBER OCTOBER/.,..JUST CHECKIN YOUR MEMORY..PEOPLE........VOTE IN NOVEMBER !!  IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU DO..FOR IN NOT DOING ..YOU ESSENTIALLY FORFEIT YOUR RIGHT TO BITCH...YA GOTTA PAY..TO SAY !!...HAVE A GREAT ONE PEOPLE AND THE ARTICLE INTENDED BUT SCOOTED OVER, BELOW:

VA groups offer short-term fixes instead of long-term budget cuts

WASHINGTON – With budget-cutting deadlines just a week away, nervous veterans advocates offered lawmakers their proposed changes to federal programs in an effort to save millions without severely impacting medical care or support services.

However, even while supporting more efficient spending, the veterans groups and lawmakers lobbied to have any found savings channeled back into the Department of Veterans Affairs, insisting that the needs of returning and retired war heroes still outweigh the funding available to the agency.

“Funding for major and minor construction has gone down, not up, in recent years, and funding for maintenance and equipment purchases are being cut,” said Joe Violante, national legislative director for the Disabled American Veterans. “We believe if Congress is able to find true savings, the first obligation must be to use them to help fund the needs of the VA health care system.”

Wednesday’s hearing was the latest effort by interest groups to protect their portion of the federal budget from looming cuts by the so-called supercommittee charged with finding $1.2 trillion in savings by Nov. 23.

That panel has been meeting for three months, but has offered few hints about their recommendations.

If Congress doesn’t adopt that plan – or if the bipartisan committee fails to agree on a plan – federal spending would be slashed by $1.2 trillion over the next decade, with few agencies exempt.

Defense spending would absorb at least half of those cuts, but officials from the Office of Budget and Management have not ruled whether veterans medical care and support programs will be protected.

House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller said he hopes that won’t be an issue, and that VA funding will emerge unscathed from the sequester cuts or the supercommittee recommendations. But, he noted, that won’t help the agency escape from lawmakers’ larger push for efficiency in federal spending.

“Needless to say, the next 10 years will look vastly different than the last 10 in terms of spending,” he said. “No agency should ever be exempt from a constant effort to become more efficient in its operations, or root out waste, fraud and other questionable spending.”

Veterans groups offered a host of short-term funding fixes for the department, including changing the way state veterans homes are inspected and assigning fewer personnel to document-shredding work.

The hearing also focused on a new inspector general report released Monday that found up to 80 percent of VA performance and retention bonuses were not justified, due to a lack of documentation or a lack of need. Last month, House lawmakers passed legislation capping those bonuses, a move that would save about $5 million over the next four years.

The veterans groups also called for a review into the rapid hiring of VA bureaucrats in recent years, and the regular use of authorized overtime to compensate VA employees. The groups did not identify how much fixes in those areas could save, but said that they focus directly on the issues of efficiency.

VA officials defended those expenditures and noted that they have already begun the process of reigning in employee bonuses. They also highlighted changes in debt management and electronic payments that have saved millions in recent years, but acknowledged that more can be done.

Veterans groups at the hearing also lamented that lawmakers again failed to pass a new VA budget for 2012 before the start of the fiscal year, which started Oct. 1. The department is currently being funded through a short-term budget extension, a process that the groups have criticized for handcuffing the department’s long-term program programming goals.

That short-term extension is scheduled to run out this week, but Congress is expected to pass another extension through mid-December.

SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE LITTLE TO NO VALUE TO ME, BUT I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT IF YOU HAVE ONE, THEY ARE GOOD TO YOU.

ERES TU

(not hiding behind a username) Jim Strickland....lol  he thinks it.

the DERELICT VETERANS GROUP WAS FOUNDED IN 2009 AND MOVED FROM ITS PARKING SPACE ON ANOTHER INTERNET WEBSITE THAT ALSO SERVED THE MILITARY AND VETERAN COMMUNITY TO ITS OWN HOME.........  TO WHICH YOU HAVE ARRIVED IF YOU ARE READING THIS.

THE MOVE TO OUR OWN WEB PRESENCE WAS NOT DRIVEN BY ANYTHING OTHER THAN OUR FOUNDING MEMBERS DESIRE TO ASSIST VETERANS AS MUCH AS WE CAN BOTH IN WRITTEN SOURCES AS WELL AS EMERGENCY MONETARY OR FOOD STAPLES  WITHOUT MODERATORS AND MANAGERS CONSTANTLY EDITING OUR LANGUAGE, POSTS AND REFERENCES.  WE SAW THINGS DIFFERENTLY, THAT SIMPLE !

WE SAW NO NEED TO STIFLE THE RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH OR EXPRESSION THAT NEARLY ALL VETERAN VISITORS COMMITTED THEIR LIVES TO, LOST THEIR LIVES TO PROTECT.....  THUS, WE HAVE NO  MODERATORS (Unless you're a pervert and wish to load civil unacceptable materials like porno, no matter how I personally enjoy the view of a naked woman)  HERE WAS A SMALL EXAMPLE OF A PUBLISHED LINE THAT...IF POSTED ON ALL VETERAN ORIENTED WEBSITES, WOULD HAVE COME CRASHING DOWN AND THE MEMBER BARRED, PROBABLY FOR LIFE.  WHEN WE FIRST STARTED, WE ALSO EXPERIENCED MODERATORS WHO THOUGHT THEY WERE THE THREE WISE MEN DURING THE BIRTH OF CHRIST, I GUESS, BECAUSE THEY HAD NO PROBLEM THROWING THEIR WEIGHT AROUND, ENJOYING THE BENNIES OF BEING KING (maybe they were) I DO NOT KNOW AND FRANKLY COULD CARE LESS.

THE DERELICT VETERANS GROUP FIRMLY BELIEVES IN YOUR RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH AND EXPRESSION EVEN THOUGH THIS COULD BE CONSTRUED LEGALLY AS "NOT" BEING YOUR WEBSITE, AND THUS, COULD BE MODERATED OR CONTROLLED. THE DVG TAKES EXCEPTION TO THAT AS WELL...WE BELIEVE THAT THIS IS YOUR WEBSITE, YOUR HOME, YOUR COMRADERIE, YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS.........ALL LONGING TO FIND AN ANSWER TO THEIR QUESTION, ALL TRYING TO FIND PEACE AND CALM IN THEIR LIVES BY KEEPING UP WITH THE LATEST NEWS AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, KEEP UP WITH THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION....GET THEIR CLAIMS DONE SO THEY CAN GO "TROPPO"  "FISHING" RELAXED AND SMILING.

WE HAVE VERY RECENTLY RECEIVED A COMPLAINT FROM THE OLD PARTNER AND NOW THE NEW OWNER OF VA WATCH DOG DOT ORG.........AN ORGANIZATION THAT I HAD GREAT ADMIRATION FOR ONCE, BUT NOW SEE IT AS A SELF SERVING MONEY GENERATING ENTERPRISE.....TO ME, THEY HAVE LOST TWO THINGS: HEART & SOUL.

THEIR COMPLAINT? WE STOLE AN ARTICLE FROM THEM AND PUBLISHED IT HERE... WOW !!

I THOUGHT...AND MAYBE I AM THE" FOREST GUMP"...BUT I SINCERELY THOUGHT VETERANS ADVOCATES WERE WHAT THEY ARE BECAUSE THOSE OF US THAT ENJOY A RELATIVE GOOD LIFE SHOULD DO WHAT WE CAN TO ENRICH THE LIVES OF THOSE VETERANS WHO ARE STRUGGLING, FIGHTING AND SOME..WHO HAVE BEEN THROWN UNDER THE BUS....THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT IT WAS ALL ABOUT. MAYBE I AM THE IDIOT...BECAUSE WHILE VA WATCH DOG MAKES ALOT OF MONEY...I AM SINKING A HELL OF ALOT OF MONEY...BUT THEN AGAIN, FOR A WHILE, I THOUGHT OUR MISSION TO BE THE SAME, OUR EMPATHY THE SAME AND OUR DEDICATION TO VETERAN CAUSES TO BE THE SAME...NOT SO !!

THE DERELICT VETERANS GROUP DOES HAVE ITS PARENT COMPANY. THANK GOD ! IF WE DIDN'T, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN BROKE AND FOLDED SHOP A VERY LONG TIME AGO, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE HAVE A DONATIONS PAGE...BUT THAT DOES NOT TRANSLATE INTO DONATIONS MY FRIENDS...ACTUALLY, IT JUST TAKES UP SPACE, THE MONEY SURELY IS NOT FLOWING IN...YET...WE (THE DVG) STILL MANAGED TO HAVE A CHRISTMAS SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM FOR VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES THEY OTHERWISE WOULD NOT HAVE HAD...WHO PAID FOR THE BILL?  WELL, WE DID..DONATIONS? NONE.

SO WHAT'S THE BEEF WITH JIM STRICKLAND OF VA WATCH DOG THEN?

YESTERDAY I FINALLY FOUND THE ARTICLE HE CLAIMED WE STOLE FROM HIM...YOU SEE, THERE ARE COPYRIGHT LAWS, TRUE. THERE ARE ALSO COMPLIMENTARY "FAIR USE" LAWS  SOMETIMES THEY CONFLICT AND THAT'S WHERE YOUR HEART AND SOUL COMES INTO PLAY...WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT.....CREDIT FOR SOME LINES YOU MAY HAVE WRITTEN AND SOMEONE ELSE MAY HAVE ALSO PUBLISHED...OR COULD IT BE THAT THE RECIPIENT...SCREW THE VETERAN ?  I SUBMIT THAT OFTEN A GOOD PIECE IS WRITTEN BUT MISSED, IF IT CAN BE CAUGHT AND READ SOMEWHERE ELSE...TO ME..I SAY...GREAT !!  NOW, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WAS INFRINGED UPON  REGARDING THE ARTICLE THAT JIM STRICKLAND DEMANDED CREDIT FOR...I DIDN'T BOTHER TO READ IT...BUT WHAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION YESTERDAY...WAS...THE REASON I HAD TROUBLE FINDING IT IN THE BACK PANEL LIBRARY...WAS BECAUSE IT WAS ARCHIVED...........THE FRECKING ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN OR PUBLISHED ON OR ABOUT """"""" SEPTEMBER 2011""""  SO IT MADE ME WONDER "WHAT AND WHY ARE PEOPLE DIGGING INTO THE ARCHIVED MATERIAL....UNLESS MY FRIENDS..........WE HAVE CREATED ROOTS, CREATED A PRESENCE ON THE WEB, AND WHILE ONCE WE WERE TOTALLY UNNOTICED ....IT JUST MAY BE..THAT SOME GROUPS NOW SEE US AS A THREAT?

MY 2 CENTS IS... WE DON'T NEED TO BE COMPETITIVE IF WE KEEP OUR EYES ON THE MISSION OF "SERVICE TO AND OF VETERANS"

I WILL PUBLICLY DECLARE THEN...WHETHER OF NOT IT IS A FACT, I DON'T KNOW FOR I HAVE NO INTENTION OF SCOURING OVER VA WATCH DOG'S WEBSITE TO SEE IF IT IS TRUE...THAT THE AUTHOR OF "TDIU" IS JIM STRICKLAND.  NO MATTER HOW PATHETIC I CONSIDER THIS ISSUE TO BE...SO LET THE CREDIT GO TO HIM, AND SO IT SHALL BE.

I HAVE NO NEED FOR RECOGNITION WHATSOEVER, I DO USE A USERNAME ONLY BECAUSE OF WHAT IT MEANS AS WELL AS THE FACT THAT I HAVE USED IT FOR A VERY LONG TIME AND FIND IT COMFORTING...FOR THOSE THAT DO NOT KNOW "ERES TU" MEANS TOUCH THE WIND..IT IS NOT USED, AS VA WATCH DOG STATES ON THEIR SITE....A USERNAME TO HIDE BEHIND........THAT TO ME, IS STUPID. I DO NOT HIDE.

I THINK I CREATED THIS SIGNATURE LINE:

OUR SHIP HAS RIGHTED.

THE SAILS ARE UP

THE WIND HAS ARRIVED

AND WE ARE.........SAILING !!

(that was part of the Username)

ON A LAST NOTE...ANYONE, ANY WEBSITE, ANY PERSON OR ANY ENTITY THAT FINDS ANYTHING ON THE DVG WEBSITE IS WELCOME AND ENCOURAGED TO TAKE, USE AND PUBLISH TO THEIR HEARTS DELIGHT... ANYTHING THEY SO WISH...AND YOU CAN CLAIM ALL THE CREDIT FOR IT.....FOR I MY FRIENDS...HAVE NO NEED FOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, RECOGNITION OR POSITION...I AM A NOBODY TRYING TO DO SOMETHING GOOD FOR MY VETERAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS...AND THE DVG EXIST ONLY """" IN SERVICE TO YOU, THE MILITARY AND VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES"

F, BROOS, BROOS ENTERPRISES LTD LLC, And its subsidiary company DERELICT VETERANS GROUP (A Not for Profit Company). and trust me..we are and will always be BROKE....

Signed:

\F, Broos\

comments welcomed

IF ...  YOU SERVED JUST ONE DAY DURING A RECOGNIZED WAR OR CONFLICT, i,e., VIETNAM, GULF WAR...  AND YOU HAVE REACHED AGE 65, THE NEW, IMPROVED VA PENSION PROGRAM MAY ALLOW YOU TO ENJOY YOUR RETIREMENT YEARS MORE PEACEFULLY IN THAT YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT "Making It" ON YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY ANNUITY ?  NO NEED TO TRY AND STRETCH IT... AND .. HOPEFULLY ALLOW YOU A MUCH LESS STRESSFUL AND WORRISOME LIFE AS YOU ENTER YOUR SUNSET YEARS ?  YEP, NO NEED TO BE RATED DISABLED AND THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE PENSION MUCH REDUCED, AND WHILE IT WILL STILL BE "MEANS TESTED"  MANY OF PRIOR HURDLES REDUCED..........READ THE NEW IMPROVED PENSION VERSION BELOW, YOU MAY JUST FIND THAT THERE IS STILL SUNSHINE IN OTHERWISE CLOUDY SKIES IN LIFE'S WEATHER FORCAST.  THE DVG HOPES IT TO BE OF VALUE TO YOU, AND IF NOT YOU, PERHAPS SOME OTHER VETERAN YOU MAY KNOW.  IF YOUR FELLOW VET FRIENDS DON'T HAVE ACCESS..PASS THIS ALONG !!

Benefits for Veterans

Veterans with limited income who are permanently and totally disabled or 65 years or older may receive an improved pension. To receipt this benefit, the veteran must have been discharged under other than dishonorable conditions and served 90 days or more of active duty, one day of which was during World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War or Gulf War. A Veteran Administration’s improved pension has three levels: Basic Pension, Housebound Pension and Aid & Attendance.

The first level is the Basic Pension, for which veterans 65 and older are eligible. The Veterans Administration (“VA”) classifies any veteran who reaches the age of 65 as permanently and totally “disabled.” This classification entitles the veteran or his widow to a Basic Pension. A doctor’s assessment is not necessary to confirm disability.

In order to receive the Basic Pension, the veteran must be financially eligible for the pension after a review of income and assets. The VA must determine that the veteran’s assets, excluding his home, furnishings and vehicles, are not sufficient to support him for his lifetime. A commonly used measure is whether there is $80,000 or less in assets, regardless of whether the veteran is married or single. The current maximum monthly basic pension is approximately $1,201 monthly ($12,255 annually).

The second level of pension is the Housebound Pension. To be eligible for Housebound Pension, the individual need not require assistance with activities of daily living per se, but must require some assistance as confirmed by the veteran’s personal physician. The veteran must have a single permanent disability that is 100 percent disabling and be permanently confined to his premises or have a single permanent disability that is 100 percent disabling and another disability that is 60 percent or more disabling. The maximum housebound pension is $1,248 per month ($14,977 annually). The veteran cannot receive Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits at the same time.

The highest level awarded is Aid & Attendance. Aid & Attendance is a benefit for veterans and surviving spouses who need assistance with activities of daily living, without which they would not be able to function independently. To qualify medically, a veteran or surviving spouse must need the assistance of another person to perform daily tasks, such as eating, dressing, undressing, taking care of the nature’s needs, etc. Being blind or in a nursing home for mental or physical incapacity, or residing in an assisted living facility also qualifies. The attending physician must certify that the individual’s physical limitations are such that he cannot live independently without assistance. The current maximum monthly Aid & attendance benefit is $1,703 ($20,446 annually).

If Medicaid is covering a nursing home resident’s care, the facility will receive the pension and Aid & Attendance and the resident will receive $90 monthly for his personal needs. Due to the complex nature of benefits for veterans, it is advisable to consult a professional who can provide advice regarding what benefits may be available, and to ensure that the Veteran has his legal house in order.

THE DERELICT VETERANS GROUP X-MAS PROGRAM FOR 2011 - "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED"

The photo captioned above reflects some of the X-MAS  food items that have already been delivered to Active Duty and Veteran Families that were identified in the State of Michigan. On X-Mas Eve, another delivery will be accomplished as well, and there may very well be more, we shall see.

I am only part of the staff that makes up the Derelict Veterans Group (DVG) I am not the DVG, so I wish to take a moment to recognize and publicly post a THANK YOU !!  to the DVG X-Mas Project Managers of our Michigan Chapter : BOB, KATHY JACQUES AND RYAN (MAHPALLY -MARINES- Semper Fi) They have performed well and deserve the recognition for a Job WELL Done.  It was more than an assignment accepted and brought from concept to fruition. It was HEART !  and they had Heart, believe me, they have it.  So how is it that it can be stated? Easy.....HEART requires true empathy. It requires LOVE for one another. It requires EMBRACE of truth, no matter how unpleasant. It requires Selflessness. Lastly but not least...It requires CARE for others with a humble soul.  The DVG X-Mas Project Managers: Bob, Kathy and Ryan or Mahpally went out of their way to make sure that the spirit of the holiday season would be experienced by some who would otherwise not have enjoyed it at all..

Perhaps, we have become so accustomed to just taking care of ourselves and our families, planning, having family get togethers and meals. Presents (Often not measured by the thought but rather by its value) that we have lost sight of those that are out of mind.  It is true isn't it?  If you do not see it, well, then no need to think or worry about it.

This has been my experience for a number of years that I have been involved with homeless programs in my area, one very familiar to me even has a great name that exhumes hope, it gives light and shows itself as a compass to come when one is meandering aimlessly in nowhere. It is called the ROAD HOME...How appropriate.  No matter the volunteers, no matter the number of real live human beings on hard times with empty pockets, no matter the need to care for our fellow human beings...the ROAD HOME is always short of everything: Food, toiletries, socks, coats, name it, we are short on it.  We had more donations 5 years ago than we did all of 2011. A very sad commentary on all who claim themselves to be CHRISTIANS.  Oh, no doubt, these Christians place their numerations on the collections plate, some are downright generous as hell.  PEOPLE....IT IS NOT THE CHURCHES THAT ARE SUFFERING...THERE ARE TOO MANY OF YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS OUT THERE THAT WERE ONCE PROUD MILITARY PERSONNEL...and they...need your help.

You can easily say or think............Ah....they will get help. Or....I am sure others will. Or, Not my problem..........ALL TRUE.

ALL SAD REFLECTIONS: Here is the kicker....YOU THINK that as long as everything is fine for you and yours, the problem is not yours..Let me clue you in on something just as real...NEITHER DID THOSE HOMELESS VETERAN FAMILIES !!....Some, I grant you have substance abuse problems etc., So what? I am not GOd and neither are you, so who the hell are we to judge anyone.  The DVG gave the blessings of a table full of food and gift cards more targeted towards the children who otherwise would have received NOTHING for X-Mas. You know what? Even if, for the sake of argument, one of our recipients manages to make a trade for something other than what the debit gift card was designed for...so what.ONCE GIVEN...ESPECIALLY FROM THE HEART...WE MUST LEARN TO LET GO COMPLETELY...that is the real gift of giving.....the ability to give without even wanting to know how the gift was used.

OUR DVG STAFF IN MICHIGAN DESERVE A HEARTFELT THANK YOU....AND I THANK THEM ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE DVG..AND AS MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS WOULD SAY IN HAWAII  """""""""""""""" MAHALO """"""""and I tell ya...Native Hawaiians know the true meaning of "Family" I have been adopted by more people than i CAN REMEMBER...but they remember me...no matter how little some have it there on Oahu, the first thing they do is fire up that BBQ for some bBQ SPAM...yes sir...they love their spam...SO TO ROBERT, KATHY AND RYAN....I HAVE A CAN OF SPAM FOR YOU AND IT WILL EITHER WAIT TILL WE MEET OR I CAN SEND IT TO YOU....ITS A HAWAIIAN "THANK YOU"

Freddy

THE DERELICT VETERANS GROUP MICHIGAN CHAPTER:

TODAY. WEDNESDAY 21 DECEMBER 2011 THE DVG AND ITS X-MAS PROGRAM MANAGERS WILL DELIVER A X-MAS DINNER (Complete with all the trimmings) AND MASTER CARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS GIFT (DEBIT) CARDS TO FAMILIES THAT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED AS IN GREAT NEED OF ASSISTANCE. THEY ARE ALL EITHER ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY AND VETERAN FAMILIES.  WE EXTEND TO THE FAMILIES A VERY HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON AND A MORE PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.  THE DVG SINCERELY HOPES THEIR FINANCIAL SITUATION TO EASE SO THAT THEY MAY ENJOY A LESS STRESSFUL LIFE STYLE IN THE COMING YEAR.  THEY HAVE ALSO BEEN PROVIDED WITH FOOD ITEMS BEYOND THE HOLIDAY TO AVOID THEM HAVING TO RATION THEIR HOLIDAY DINNER TO INSURE THE STAPLES ARE STRETCHED.  NO ONE, ESPECIALLY OUR OWN FAMILY OF VETERANS WHOM WE CLAIM AS PART OF A BROTHERHOOD SHOULD HAVE TO FORGO THIS HOLIDAY SEASON BECAUSE THEY HAPPEN TO BE VICTIMS OF CIRCUMSTANCE....NO ONE, NOT I, NOT YOU, NOT ANYONE CAN EVER PREDICT FALLING ON HARD TIMES AND THE LENGTH THE SUFFERING MUST BE, SO IT IS INCUMBENT UPON ALL OF US AS FORMER ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY TO LOOK OUT FOR THE WELL BEING OF OTHERS AS BEST WE CAN AND HELP WHERE AND WHEN WE CAN.

I HOPE THIS TO BE A CHALLENGE TO ALL YOU VETERANS WHO COME TO THIS WEBSITE.  THE GOOD YOU DO FOR OTHERS AND EXPECTING NOTHING IN RETURN WILL SURELY COME BACK TO YOU A HUNDRED FOLD IN GOOD KARMA.

THIS ENDEAVOR NEED NOT END WITH THIS ONE HOLIDAY, THUS, I CHALLENGE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU TO DONATE WHATEVER YOU CAN OR WISH SO THAT THE CHAIN OF GIVING IS NOT BROKEN BUT RATHER GROWS WITH TIME AND ITS RESOURCES WITH A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYONE'S HELP. THE DVG WISHES TO CONTINUE PROVIDING FOR VETERAN AND MILITARY FAMILIES, BUT WE CANNOT DO IT WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT. WE HOPE YOU WILL CONTINUE TO AT LEAST CONSIDER PLAYING A PART IN A HUGE PROJECT THAT I BELIEVE WE CAN DELIVER ON.  FOR THE MEANTIME,  WILL CONTINUE TO LEAVE THE ARTICLE POSTING OF A REQUEST TO YOU ALL FOR HELPING US HELP OTHERS FOR A LITTLE WHILE LONGER.  IF YOU FIND THIS OR THE OTHER ARTICLE INTRUSIVE AND INAPPROPRIATE FOR A VETERAN INFORMATION WEBSITE, THEN YOU ARE WELCOME TO EMAIL ME STATING SUCH AND I WILL CAUSE IT TO BE REMOVED. I WOULD HOWEVER REMIND YOU  OF OUR MOTTO THAT IS SHARED BY MANY OTHER VETERAN ORGANIZATIONS, AND THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE "OF SERVICE TO ALL" AND "VETERANS HELPING VETERANS"

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FROM THE DERELICT VETERANS GROUP....WE THANK YOU FOR VISITING, WE HOPE TO HAVE BEEN OF SOME HELP TO YOU AND LASTLY, WISH YOU A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR. RECIPIENTS OF DVG ASSISTANCE WILL ROTATE TO ANOTHER STATE (NOMINATE YOURS) AFTER JULY 2012....THE EXCEPTION IS THAT THE DVG WILL ASSIST AS WE ARE ABLE...ANY VETERAN, ANYWHERE.

DVG Staff