AND GOD CREATED THE INFANTRY

THERE IS SO MUCH TRUTH AND SOME LEVITY HERE. You have to read the whole thing, though. 
The gospel according to Grunts: adapted by some old grunt named Miles:

And God Created the Infantry

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and the Infantry.

And God looked upon the Infantry, saw that it was good, and said unto them “Thou art my chosen children. Take thou dominion over the Earth; over the fish of the Sea, the birds of the Air, and all of the Key Terrain.” And as a mark of His favor, the Lord placed in the hands of the Infantry the sacred relics: the Apostolic Anti-Armor Weapon, the Catholic Claymore, and the Marian Machine Gun. Likewise gaveth the Lord unto the Infantry the Rucksack of Repentance, the Radio of Redemption, the Rifle of Rectitude. Lastly, unto the Infantry, and most divine of all, the Lord gaveth the Holy Hand Grenade.

For the Infantry’s sustenance, the Lord declared “Four shall be thy food groups: Coffee, Tobacco, MRE it does create a perspective, and Alcohol. Shun all other unclean food and drink.”

And the Infantry dwelt in the land therein.

And time passed, and the Infantry cried out unto their God saying “Lord, help us, for we are weary.”

And God smiled upon the Infantry, for they were blessed. Then the Lord took the fattest and laziest of the Infantry and set them upon beasts of burden. And these He called Cavalry. And as the Cavalry became fatter, lazier and heavier still they were known as Armor, or DAT’s for short. And the Lord looked down upon the Armor and saw that it was mediocre.

The Lord then said “Oh, well. Thou canst not win them all. Let them lead in case of landmines.” To the DAT’s the Lord said “Quiche shall be thy food and bottled water they drink. Touch not the sacred cow of the Infantry.”

And the Infantry and the Armor dwelt in the land therein.

And time passed and the Infantry cried out again unto their Lord saying “Lord help us, for we are weary.”

And God smiled again upon the Infantry, for they were his chosen.

Then God took those of the Armor with butts like baseplates and breath like sulfur and tiny, tiny pee-pees and these He made Artillery. But God saw that the Artillery, too, was mediocre and said unto Himself “Oh well, garbage in; garbage out.”

Unto the Artillery He said “The big guns shall atone in part for thy diminutive other stature. Tryst thou not to hurt thyself.”

To the Infantry the Lord said “When the night is darkest these shall light the way…more or less. When the approach is most open these shall, occasionally – with luck, confound the enemy’s sight. When thou callest for fire support these shall – eventually – provide it with high explosive, cluster munitions and, best of all, nukes.” Though the Lord cautioned the Infantry to never, never, never trust Tacfire or any other electronic computer in the hands of the Artillery. And the Infantry, the Armor, and the Artillery dwelt in the land therein. Then the Artillery created the Air Defense Artillery but quickly asked forgiveness.

And time passed and the Infantry called out yet again unto their God, saying “Lord help us, for we are weary.”

Again the Lord looked with favor upon the Infantry. He took those of the Armor, Artillery and Air Defense Artillery who most liked to play in the mud and these he made Combat Engineers, and those who dwelt in darkness and spoke in riddles and these he made Military Intelligence, and those with thieving hearts and these He made Quartermasters, and of those who neither sowed nor reaped and were most fond of hammering square pegs into round holes He made Adjutants General. Of those who liked to tinker with good equipment until it broke, He made the Ordnance Corps. Of those whose penchant was poison, He made Cooks. Of those who ran around in circles, He made the Transportation Corps. Of the least articulate He made Signalers. Of the mindlessly doctrinaire and arrogant He – reluctantly – created Military Police and Inspectors General (though the Lord admitted, to Himself, that He was probably only providing employment opportunities to Satan’s minions). Of those who dealt in controlled substances He made the Medics and of those whose minds had been destroyed by the same made He the Chemical Corps. Yea, the Lord of All filled up the MTOE.

And the Infantry and the others dwelt in the land therein.

Time passed, but yet, again, the Infantry cried out unto their God, saying “Lord, help us, for we are weary.

And the Heavens darkened, and the clouds gathered. The lightning’s spake and the Infantry abased themselves before their God, for they were so afraid.

And the Lord spoke with anger, asking “How canst thou yet be weary? Have I not made the Armor and the Artillery to support thee? Have I not made of the detritus of the earth Quartermasters and Adjutants and Signalers and Transporters and a host of others to assist thee? Verily, have I not even made Military Intelligence, although it was a contradiction in terms?”

Humbly the Infantry abased themselves again before their God, crying “Lord, it is of these that we are weary.”

Amen, Amen

From the Gospel according to Saint Miles, Ground Pounder

George Edward Brown VVA CHAPTER 67
gande3@verizon.net FB GEORGE EDWARD BROWN    TWITTER  @GEORGEEDWARDABN                    

"An unlimited power to tax involves, necessarily, a power to destroy; because there is a limit beyond which no institution and no property can bear taxation." —John Marshall (1819)   "We are all born ignorant, but one must work very hard to stay 

STUPID!"

Benjamin Franklin

(1706-1790)

STAND UP FOR BILL (And Other Veterans and Their Families)

STAND UP FOR BILL

(And Other Veterans and Their Families)

I would like to create state and federal legislation that does the following:

1.  Directs the Veterans Administration (VA) and the Nevada Department of Veterans Services to create free, accredited continuing professional education (CPE) for civilian health care workers and paramedical case workers (including social workers and chaplains) on veterans health issues. 

2.  Directs all health care providers to change their intake forms and health questionnaires to ask if patients “had any US military service” in order to “begin the conversation”.   Self identified veterans should be asked to fill out an additional military questionnaire.  A proposed format is available.

3.  Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to require that all health care workers (including VA health care workers and CHOICE doctors) be familiar with compensable diseases and disabilities so they can refer Vets and their families to the VA benefits office for evaluation and additional assistance. 

4.  Directs the VA and the Nevada Department of Veterans Services to use public service announcements and other media to reach out to veterans and their families to inform them about presumed connected disabilities and report back to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Nevada state governor and the veterans legislative committee annually on the effectiveness of these techniques.  

5.  Directs the VA and the Nevada Department of Veterans Services to prominently display flyers and other media on presumed connected disabilities to all offices that work with veterans and their families, including VA cemeteries.

6.  Directs the VA and the Nevada Department of Veterans Services to prominently display flyers and other media about survivor benefits to all offices that work with veterans and their families, including VA cemeteries.

7.  Directs the VA and the Nevada Department of Veterans Services to contact civilian support groups that routinely work with people who have one of the presumed connected disabilities (e.g. the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) and work with them to identify veterans, children and grandchildren who have a disease presumed connected to military service. Identified veterans and family members should be referred to designated VA resources.  Records of these referrals should be rolled up to the governor, state legislative affairs committee and the Secretary of  Veterans Affairs on a yearly basis. 

8.  Directs each state to keep records and prepare a yearly report to the governor, the veterans legislative committee and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs evaluating the effectiveness of the training delivered, contacts made and media used to provide information to veterans, spouses and health care professionals.

WE MUST ACT NOW

•   We must make sure that Vietnam Veterans who have a presumed connected disease take full advantage of the benefits that they earned by their service to our country.

•   We must make sure that Vietnam Veteran survivors have access to the benefits that their loved one earned by their service to our country.

•   We must make sure that veterans from other conflicts such as the Korean War, the Gulf War, Iraq War, the war in Afghanistan, certain defense department projects and Camp Lejeune know about the diseases and disabilities presumed connected to their military service.

•    We must act now to protect the children and grandchildren of veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during their military service.

The VA has recognized certain cancers and other health problems as presumptive diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service. Veterans and their survivors may be eligible for benefits for these diseases.

•          AL Amyloidosis

•          A rare disease caused when an abnormal protein, amyloid, enters tissues or organs

•          Chronic B-cell Leukemias

•          A type of cancer which affects white blood cells

•          Chloracne (or similar acneform disease)

•          A skin condition that occurs soon after exposure to chemicals and looks like common forms of acne seen in teenagers. Under VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure to herbicides.

•          Diabetes Mellitus Type 2

•          A disease characterized by high blood sugar levels resulting from the body’s inability to respond properly to the hormone insulin

•          Hodgkin's Disease

•          A malignant lymphoma (cancer) characterized by progressive enlargement of the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen, and by progressive anemia

•          Ischemic Heart Disease

•          A disease characterized by a reduced supply of blood to the heart, that leads to chest pain also called coronary artery disease

•          Multiple Myeloma

•          A cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell in bone marrow

•          Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

•          A group of cancers that affect the lymph glands and other lymphatic tissue

•          Parkinson's Disease

•          A progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects muscle movement

•          Peripheral Neuropathy, Early-Onset

•          A nervous system condition that causes numbness, tingling, and motor weakness. Under VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of herbicide exposure

•          Porphyria Cutanea Tarda

•          A disorder characterized by liver dysfunction and by thinning and blistering of the skin in sun-exposed areas. Under VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure to herbicides

•          Prostate Cancer

•          Cancer of the prostate; one of the most common cancers among men

•          Respiratory Cancers  (includes lung cancer)

            and cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus

•          Soft Tissue Sarcomas (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, or mesothelioma) A group of different types of cancers in body tissues such as muscle, fat, blood and lymph vessels, and connective tissues

•          Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis aka Lou Gehrig’s disease causes the death of neuron controlling voluntary muscles.  This disease is associated with service in Vietnam.

If you would like to help me in this effort, or if you have ideas  on how to spread the word about presumed connected disabilities, please feel free to contact me.  I am Barbara Rodgick and I am the widow of an Agent Orange Vet.  My phone number is 425-442-7563 and my email address is barbara98065@gmail.com.  8/18/18

    

Veteran uses talents to help other veterans

Posted December 27, 2017 - 2:23pm

By Chuck N. Baker
Veterans Reporter

Robert Serge served in the United States Navy for 20 months as part of an ordnance laboratory test facility. As he puts it, “We designed harbor mines and stuff like that.”

He trained at Fort Monroe, Virginia, in the cold waters of the nearby bay. “We tested mines out there away from the land mass, so no one would get hurt,” he said. Except sometimes they did.

“I was in the water to set the charges to go off electronically,” he said.

The last time he set a charge and moved to get out of the water, it went off prematurely and threw him against the test boat. The electrician’s mate ended up with a smashed knee cap, cutting short his planned military career. After surgery and other treatment, he received a medical discharge.

As a civilian, Serge earned a degree in structural design and worked as an architectural draftsman, part of a team that helped build RiteAid drug stores. Later, he worked for other companies that had to do with designing pharmacies.

Fast forward to Las Vegas: In his senior years he began to volunteer with the Disabled American Veterans as a driver in the organization’s transportation system.

The local Veterans Affairs provided a short computer training class to enable him to access the program for the DAV transportation system, which schedules veterans requiring travel help. Before long, on his own, he located a private company that helps design websites. It instructed him in the use of computer modules.

“I’d been kind of working with computers for a long time,” he said.

He took to the subject quickly, and before long he was fully engaged in keyboards and monitors. When Vietnam Veterans of America Post 17 wanted a website of its own, Serge volunteered.

Word began to spread, and soon American Legion Post 76 came calling on Serge with a request for a website and a blog. Then another Vietnam veterans group, Chapter 1076 in Henderson, asked about a website. And the group that assists the Fisher House in North Las Vegas, the Nevada Veterans Foundation, was next up.

As his reputation spread around Southern Nevada, John Waid of the Military Order of the Purple Heart invited Serge to a meeting. Serge does not have a Purple Heart, but Waid had a solution. He arranged for the computer operator to become an honorary member of the group, and before long, it was added to Serge’s list of website owners.

Member Richard Small said that as far as he knows, “Serge is the only honorary member of the national group.” Although Serge sometimes uses a three-wheel scooter for transportation, he generally gets by with just a walker, equipment provided by the VA.

Serge is humble about his talents: “To me it’s kind of simple once you use the modules. You type whatever it is you need to, show pictures, and it’s done.”

Serge receives permission from the veterans groups to use their logos and is careful not to infringe on proprietary rights. He said his volunteer work encompasses between 40 and 50 hours a week. And he always makes sure that with all his volunteer work, he does not ignore his wife. She is supportive of his efforts, he said.

“She tells me it’s great that I have something to do. Because I’d drive her crazy if I didn’t,” he explained with a deep laugh.

Chuck N. Baker is a Purple Heart veteran of the Vietnam War and the host of “That’s America to Me” every Sunday at 7 a.m. on 97.1-FM.

Navy Vet's New Skill in Website Design Creates Demand in Southern Nevada

3 days ago - Jan 3, 2018 

---

By Chuck N. Baker 
(Las Vegas) Navy veteran Robert Serge discovered a hidden talent and new passion late in life. It is designing websites. Serge is now in high demand with veteran service organizations in southern Nevada, but the path that led him to this point has been anything but predictable.  
 
Serge served in the Navy for 20 months working in an ordnance laboratory test facility. As he puts it, “We designed harbor mines and stuff like that.” He had to juggle testing dangerous mines while wading in deep waters and moving out of harm’s way before the explosions detonated. He trained at Fort Monroe, Virginia in the cold waters of the nearby bay. “We tested mines out there away from the land mass, so no one would get hurt,” he said. Except sometimes, they did.  
 
He explained, “I was in the water to set the charges to go off electronically.” The last time he set a charge and moved to get out of the water, it went off prematurely and threw him against the test boat. The Electrician’s Mate ended up with a smashed kneecap, cutting short his planned military career. After surgery and other treatment, he received a medical discharge. 
 
As a civilian, Serge earned a degree in structural design and worked as an architectural draftsman, part of a team that helped build Rite Aid drug stores. Later he worked for other firms involved with designing pharmacies.  
 
Fast forward to Nevada and to today, where Serge is now in his senior years. He started volunteering with the Disabled American Veterans as a driver in the organization’s transportation system. During this time, he managed to fit in some study time, learning basic computer skills. “I’d been kind of working with computers for a long time,” he said.  
 
The local VA provided a short computer training class to enable him to access the program for the DAV transportation system that schedules veterans requiring travel assistance. Soon, on his own, he located a private company that helps design websites. The firm instructed him in the use of computer modules. He took to the subject quickly. Before long he was fully engaged tossing around technical lingo and gaining digital knowledge, not to mention a little bit of web design.  
 
When Vietnam Veterans of America Post 17 wanted a website of its own, Serge volunteered. The new website was a hit. Word began to spread. Soon, American Legion Post 76 came calling with a request for a website and a blog. Then another Vietnam Veterans group, Chapter 1076 in Henderson, asked about starting a website. Before long the group that assists the Fisher House in North Las Vegas, the Nevada Veterans Foundation, was added to the mix.  
 
As his reputation spread around Southern Nevada, member John Waid of the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) invited Serge to a meeting. Serge does not have a Purple Heart, but Waid had a solution. He arranged for the computer operator to become an “Honorary Member” of the group, and Serge added the MOPH to his list of website formations. Richard Small of the MOPH pointed out that as far as he knows, “Serge is the only Honorary Member of the national group.”  
 
Serge is humble about his talents stating, “To me, it's kind of simple once you use the modules. You type whatever it is you need to, show pictures, and it’s done.” He said his volunteer work encompasses between 40 and 50 hours a week. Still, he always makes sure that despite his voluminous computer assignments, he does not ignore family life. Serge said his wife is very supportive but joked, “She tells me it’s great that I have something to do. Because I’d drive her crazy if I didn’t!”

---

Gallery