Veterans Day and patriotism have been so co-opted by blow-hards for their own nefarious purposes (Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, I’m looking at you) that I usually observe in silence. When flag waving and throw-away lines like “Support our Troops” are wielded to bludgeon out a political point — that has nothing to do with preserving freedom and everything to do with moving a political agenda — it somehow cheapens the sentiment of those of us who really know and appreciate military service. But yesterday, I listened to Obama’s Veterans Day speech, probably his best speech ever, with tears in my eyes. So it’s time for me to stop silent observation and thank the vets, particularly one.
Here is my late father, a career Army officer, a decorated combat engineer, graduated toward the top of his class at West Point, veteran of two wars including several years of deployments without his family.
There is a code in the military that you do not criticize the President as he is, in effect, your ultimate Commander-in-Chief. Dad adhered to this principle to the letter. It was only after he was long past the age when he could be called out of retirement back to active duty that he began to discuss his feelings about the Viet Nam War and politics. Dad was surprisingly a Liberal on many issues. But then I feel many of our veterans are. They are fighting for freedoms not for Patriot Acts. As a very dear friend of mine — a former Navy Seal — once said, “I’m fighting for the full range of American freedoms and that includes the freedom of dissent, even the freedom to burn the American flag.” Not that I’m advocating that. But I think it underscores something I’ve always found with veterans (and I’ve known a lot of them.) They are perhaps more than the rest of us more keenly aware of the nature of the American system and what it should represent. Because they are the people who step up and are willing to put their lives on the line to defend them.

Dad in his usual pose with pipe. I’m betting Dad would have approved of Obama’s Veterans Day speech.
I was also struck by President Obama’s speech yesterday at Fort Hood, not just by his eloquent words in what I think was his best speech ever. When he included the names and a brief biography of the soldiers killed at Fort Hood, it struck me how many on that list were First Generation Americans or even naturalized citizens. Like my father, the son of a Polish immigrant, I think those who are new to this country can sometimes see more clearly the promise of America and are more willing to step forward and protect it.
So thank a Veteran today. And while you are waving the flag, think long and hard about what being an American means and what you as an American should be doing to serve. Maybe not in the military, but perhaps in ways to better your community, support legislation that extends freedoms to all Americans and allows all Americans access to the promise of America. If you are unclear on the concept, ask a vet. They’ll be able to set you straight.
Here’s the transcript of President Obama’s speech at Fort Hood. Read it and weep.
Read this for a great story about how my Dad helped the Red Sox win their historic World Series.
Love the pictures of you father, Lisa. A lifetime of service indeed. Thank you for sharing that.
I always email my brother for Veteran’s Day, Vietnam vet. I am following a blog set up by two young vets of the current wars, Rucksack to Backpack. One of them is in school. The delay in cranking up the new GI bill caused the other one to have to wait until his next term to participate. They both wrote while deployed.
My father is a WW2 vet, served as pharmacist mate in the Navy, never left the states. His job was to be there and ready to take care of the others when they returned to base. Graduated from high school early in 44, signed in at 17. Became a doctor as a member of the Class of 46. The navy was an adventure for him – out to California and back to Virginia.
I have an extended family member who is a young career Marine. I reminded him today that I still sleep better knowing he is watching over us. This year he is with his young family and doing that job here.
Nicely done Lisa.
wow. such great pics of your dad. that first one is heirloom quality.
An interesting trivia fact, that US Military Academy at West Point uniform is essentially unchanged in design since the era of the Napoleanic Wars — or rather of the war we were fighting at the time, The War of 1812.
What a beautiful tribute to your father and to all veterans. I missed that Red Sox post first time around – another wonderful story with some great advice that I’ll have to remember.
Hi Lisa,
What a wonderful tribute to your Father. I also read your Red Sox story, which I had not seen before. He must have been a wonderful Father.
I truly believe we owe a great deal to all of our military forces. I make it a point to shake the hand of any service person I meet and thank them for their service to this country, to the world and to humanity.
I also give thanks to God for keeping my youngest nephew safe during his 4 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with the British Army and pray for his healthy return to “normal” life. He certainly witnessed some horrifc things that will stay with him forever.
Thanks for this heartfelt blog.
Mel
What a wonderful guy.
A deeply touching story about your Dad and the Red Sox.
oh my lisa…this is making me cry.
well said.
Nice post Lisa. It never amazes me that those who actually fight for freedom understand freedom far better than those paper tigers that too often inhabit the oval office.
Veterans Honored?
Please hold your U.S. House and Senate Representatives accountable. Thank you.
Despite the efforts of some, in 2009 it is fifteen (15) of fifty nine (59) years later without the U.S. Congress’s then known violations corrected; REFERENCES [1] thru [7]: A. In 1950 the U.S. Supreme Court Feres Doctrine holds the federal government harmless for injuries to military personnel.[1] B. The 1950 Secretary of the Department of Defense (DOD) issued a no non-consensual military human experimentation memo.[2] C. In Sept. 1994 there was the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) “Human Experimentation” “Testimony” on order disobayed injuries to U.S. Military personnel.[3] D. In Oct. 1994 the Chief Judge of Congress’s 1988 established inferior U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals (COVA) stated that the, “Constitution, statutes and regulations” are “policy freely ignored” by both the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) and “The Veterans Health Administration” (VHA). Also there is the, “The” Veterans Appeals “court may not review the schedule of ratings for disabilities or the policies underlying the schedule.”, e.g., DOD human experimentation issues.[4] That is the herein “STATE OF COURT” transcript PARAGRAPH 9 with Congress’s law of the land, no allowed Court review U.S. CODE, TITLE 38, SECTIONS (§) 511 and § 7252. Decisions of the Secretary; finality; [5] & [6]. and C. The 54 page Dec. 94 U.S. Senate’s “hundreds of thousands” of military guinea pigs acknowledgment plus its, “The Feres Doctrine should not be applied for military personnel who are harmed by inappropriate human experimentation when informed consent has not been given.”[7] The GAO and U.S. Senate established experimentation caused issues can not be addressed by COVA or by any other U.S. Court! Accordingly, do not these violations now continue?
Underlying all, the 1950 U.S. Supreme Court’s FERES DOCTRINE holds the the federal government harmless for no matter the cause, injuries to active duty personnel.[1] On 26 February 1953 was the DOD Secretary’s NO non-consensual, human experiment’s Memo.[2] Thereby an after order disobeyed dereliction of duty demonstrated by the GAO and U.S. Senate in [3] & [7]! In 1988 the U.S. Congress’s Veteran’s Judicial Review Act created COVA. This is a U.S. Congressional no teeth inferior LEGISLATIVE, NOT a Judicial Branch Court. It can not hold the DOD & DVA responsible for the underlying facts of a case. Its Chief Judge describes veterans captured within an out of control, DVA health care process. Lost is a prior to military service right to a facts of the case reviewing and precedence setting, superior Judicial Branch Court. All veterans are captured within the “freely ignored” “Constitution, statutes and regulations” Executive Branch. To date the DOD Secretary’s disobeyed order, the GAO, Veterans Court Chief Judge and U.S. Senate noted violations have not been corrected! Now gone for both active U.S. Service Personnel and U.S. Veterans are the check and balances between our branches of government, i.e., the Legislative (U.S. House and Senate), the Executive (e.g., DOD and DVA) and the Judicial. In 2006 under the “Pandemic All-Hazards Preparedness Act” the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) was established.[8] Under its “national security missions” is an in the foot steps follow on to the DOD injuring biomedical research documented by the GAO and U.S. Senate.[3] & [7]!
A couple of examples of the “initial adjudicators” to date “freely ignored” are this veterans 1957 DVA Physician’s resultant USAF Physician’s, “MPerR PERMANENT” “SURGEON HQ ARRC JUN 25 ‘58 MEDICALLY DISQUALIFIED FOR MILITARY SERVICE” (1952 to 1956)! Then the layman adjudicator’s brainless 6/27/96 Supplemental Statement Of Case (SSOC) no “…competent medical evidence…”. After an ongoing 18 years in the DVA administrative process the veteran receives a 100%disability. To date there is still no recognition of their 1957 DVA physician’s resultant 1958 USAF physician “disqualified”!
REFERENCES (Emphasis added throughout) with comments:
[1] The U.S. Supreme Court decided in 1950, in Feres v. United States, 340 U.S. 135, 71 S. Ct. 153, 95 L. Ed. 152, that the federal government could not be held liable under the statute known as the Federal Tort Claims Act (28 U.S.C.A. Sections 1291, 1346(b), (c), 1402(b), 2401(b), 2402, 2671-80) for injuries to members of the armed forces arising from activities incident to military service. A doctrine that bars claims against the federal by members of the armed forces and their families for injuries arising from or in the course of activities incident to military service. Sourse:
FeresDoctrine
[2] 26 February 1953, DOD Secretary’s NO non-consensual, human experiment’s Memo. Pages 343-345 of “The Nazi Doctors and the Nuremberg Code; Human Rights in Human Experimentation” by George J. Annas and Michael A. Grodin. (Oxford University Press, 1992).
[3] September 28, 1994 GAO Military “Human Experimentation” “Testimony”. GAO/T-NSIAD-94-266
[4] “STATE OF COURT, CHIEF JUDGE FRANK Q. NEBEKER, STATE OF THE COURT, FOR PRESENTATION TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF VETERANS APPEALS THIRD JUDICIAL CONFERENCE, OCTOBER 17-18, 1994 {as it appears in Veterans Appeals Reporter}”
——————–PARAGRAPH 9 of 16 in “STATE OF COURT” TRANSCRIPT records DVA laymen ignoring medical opinion without veteran recourse.—————————–
“I believe my message is clear. There is, I suggest, no system with judicial review which has within it a component part free to function in its own way, in its own time and with one message to those it disappoints — take an appeal. That is, I am afraid, what we have today in many of the Department’s Agencies of Original Jurisdiction — that is AOJs — around the country. Neither the Court, through the Board, the Board, nor the General Counsel has direct and meaningful control over the Agencies of Original Jurisdiction. Indeed, it is also clear that the VHA — the Veterans Health Administration — ignores specific directives to provide medical opinions as directed. And this is resulting in unconscionable delays. Let us examine judicial review. Remember, the Court and the Board do not make policy, the Secretary and Congress do. The Court simply identifies error made below by a failure to adhere, in individual cases, to the Constitution, statutes, and regulations which themselves reflect policy — policy freely ignored by many initial adjudicators whose attitude is, “I haven’t been told by my boss to change. If you don’t like it — appeal it.” The complete 16 paragraph “STATE OF COURT” transcript is available on request. Previously at, and now missing from the Chief Judges and state_of_court sites: http://www.goodnet.com/~heads/nebeker & http://www.firebase.net/state_of_court_brief.htm The legal-dictionary source “http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/federal+court”>Federal Courts notes in part: “The court may not review the schedule of ratings for disabilities or the policies underlying the schedule.”
The top medically ignorant “boss” is Congress’s confirmed “Secretary” of the DVA.
AND THE CONGRESS’S “policy freely ignored” UNITED STATES CODE law of the land, take away from Veterans:
[5] UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 38 > PART I > CHAPTER 5 > SUBCHAPTER I > § 511. Decisions of the Secretary; finality
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/usc…11—-000-.html
“(a) The Secretary shall decide all questions of law and fact necessary to a decision by the Secretary under a law that affects the provision of benefits by the Secretary to veterans or the dependents or survivors of veterans. Subject to subsection (b), THE DECISION OF THE SECRETARY AS TO ANY SUCH QUESTION SHALL BE FINAL AND CONCLUSIVE AND MAY NOT BE REVIEWED BY ANY OTHER OFFICIAL OR BY ANY COURT, whether by an action in the nature of mandamus or otherwise.”
THEREFORE, NO COURT REVIEW OF THE MEDICALLY UNTRAINED DVA laymen and “Secretary” “schedule of ratings for disabilities” decisions as proven by:
[6] UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 38 PART V > CHAPTER 72 > SUBCHAPTER I > § 7252. Jurisdiction; finality of decisions
“(b) Review in the Court shall be on the record of proceedings before the Secretary and the Board. The extent of the review shall be limited to the scope provided in section 7261 of this title. THE COURT MAY NOT REVIEW THE SCHEDULE OF RATINGS FOR DISABILITIES adopted under section 1155 of this title or any action of the Secretary in adopting or revising that schedule.”
[7] December 8, 1994 REPORT 103-97 “Is Military Research Hazardous to Veterans’ Health? Lessons Spanning Half a Century.” Hearings Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, 103rd Congress 2nd Session. With NOTES 1 to 170.
[8] 2006 – Under Public Law (P.L.) 109-417 the “Pandemic All-Hazards Preparedness Act. 42 USC 201” established was the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). Signed into law 16 December 2006. SOURCE: http://www.hhs.gov/aspr/omsph/nbsb/publiclaw109417.pdf
Thank you for your father’s service. I’m proud of my cousin who is currently serving in Baghdad.