Caring for Those Left Behind
How does America pay the families of it greatest Citizens? It doesn’t!
Does America owe the families of those who paid the ultimate price? Absolutely!
Then why is this statement from Bill Faith ring so true.
We treat our military like second-class citizens.
We as Americans need to change this fact. I stand with Bill Faith in disgust at our elected leaders for not working to take better care of our military families. America went to bat and supported the families that we impacted by the attacks on 9/11. This has its own issues.
Kenneth Feinberg was appointed the special master of the Victim Compensation Fund created by Congress to compensate those injured or killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Among the estimates of how much Feinberg’s fund is preparing to pay the families of victims who died are the following:
- A 30-year-old stockbroker survived by a wife and two children: $4.3 million
- A 55-year-old janitor survived by a wife and two children: $540,000
- A 26-year-old unmarried, childless apprentice electrician: $670,000
- A widowed, 67-year-old coffee-shop waitress with two adult children: $500,000
Here is a link to what the average 9/11 ceived.
An average American vetran family is compensated with $12,000 dollars death benifits. While I do not believe that this is totally wrong. I do believe that America needs to support and improve the way we treat our military families with the same amount of respect and care.
Surviving spouse has two children. At the time of the veteran’s death, the veteran was in receipt of or entitled to receive compensation for a service-connected disability rated totally disabling for a continuous period of at least 8 years immediately preceding death.AND the surviving spouse was married to the veteran for those same 8 years
Basic Rate $881
1st Child $222
2nd Child $222
8 Year Provision + $191
total $1,516
This is just not fair. While I do not believe that we should pay millions to our military families, we do need to provide more support than what we are doing now. Our thanks is not enough...
Bill has reached his limit and I think America should also.
GOD DAMN IT TO HELL, PEOPLE! Is this what our Warriors deserve? Is this how we reward an all volunteer force? Don’t the men and women dying for our country deserve to at least know their loved ones will be taken care of? Who’s going to help me make some noise about this? Here’s the least that I’ll be happy with, and I don’t care which side of the aisle it come from. Hell, I could end up voting for a Democrat next time if they do what’s right here. I want full pay and benefits continued to surviving spouses for life, or to their surviving children until they’re 21, whichever comes last. Brianna does not deserve to wear second-hand clothes because her Daddy gave his all for his country. Brianna’s mother does not deserve to have to go husband-hunting because that’s the only way she can support Brianna. Damn it! DAMN IT!
I’m going to push this one people, and keep pushing it. I don’t know how, but I am. Brianna, you can take that as a promise. I’m not in a lot of important Rolodex’s, but I do have some valuable email addresses, and I know a little about “networking”, and I am heap highly pissed. I want a “Brianna” bill passed in the next Congress. Republicans: Help me because it’s the right thing to do. Democrats: Help me because it will make going to war more expensive. Just help me.
We as Americans need to fix this great injustice. I have written my elected leaders and think that you shoudl also. I say we have a letter writing campaign to our elected leadership to have one make them aware of the issues and our belif in there impact on America.
Semper Fi
Update form Bill Go check out the SgtMaj’s information on who to contact. also some information here.
2 Comments »
2 Responses to “Caring for Those Left Behind”



Bill Faith on 19 Dec 2004 at 17:13 #
Michael,
Thank you for your support on this. I wish I could claim credit for doing more on this than I have so far. Partly I’m waiting on a good e-friend I think can help generate some publicity to recover from a major case of bronchitis and another to have more time to think about it after the holidays. I’m going to wait for some more feedback from them and then try to start a major publicity blitz sometime after the first of the year. I’ve been having enough health issues myself recently that about all I can do for now is to keep my blog alive so people will see the post you linked to, but I WILL make time to do more; With the sacrifices our Warriors make for this nation every day, what right do I have to say “I’m not up to it”? - None, whatsoever. For now, I want to let you know that SgtMgr at The Quonset Hut has posted some great information on contacting your government officials at http://www.thequonsethut.com/index.php?page_id=99. His page looks like a good starting place for anyone who’d like to help but doesn’t know where to start and you might want to post a link to it; I’m ashamed to say I haven’t yet but I will tonight.
Small Town Veteran on 30 Dec 2004 at 01:11 #
I haven’t forgotten, Brianna — Updated 2004.12.29
I made you a promise, young lady, and I’m not going to forget about it. I’ll have to spend some time on other things, and I’ll have to slow down to eat and sleep now and then, but I’ll keep