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| Click image for larger view |
Memorial Day Veterans Honor Guard
Kimball County Veterans Honor Guard during Memorial Day Services at the Kimball, Nebraska Cemetery
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Veterans Service Office
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| This monument to Kimball County Veterans is located next to the east entrance of the Kimball County Courthouse. Click image for larger view. |
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| Kimball County Veterans Service Officer Ron Scott works on a veteran benefit package in his office. Click image for larger view. |
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| Ron Scott, decorated veteran of the Korean Conflict, is charged with helping veterans receive their guaranteed benefits. Click image for larger view. |
The Veterans Service Office Hours are 8 a.m. to noon, Tuesday and Thursday; Noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday. You can reach Scott at 308-235-3141 or e-mail rjscott@megavision.com
The mailing address is:
Kimball County Veterans Service Office
114 E. 3rd. St.
Kimball, NE 69145
Stop by and visit with Ron.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
What is a Veteran? Part 2
Part two in an ongoing series highlighting veterans in general and specific veterans.
I, (name), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will
support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies,
foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;
that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose
of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the
office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.
Neither oath has an expiration date.
Oath of enlistment
I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support
and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign
and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that
I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of
the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code
of Military Justice. So help me God.
Oath of office (commissioned officers)
Neither oath has an expiration date.
Here is some food for thought. Despite the assertion made by
many – many who have never served, by the way – that enlisted people are poor,
uneducated fools who lack the intelligence or skills to find non-military work,
U.S. enlisted men and women have to be bright enough to understand their oath
out of the box. They swear to obey the orders of the President and officers
appointed over them, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of
Military Justice. This means that they are required, by oath and law, to
know and understand the difference between lawful and unlawful orders.
This requires sophisticated cognitive and reasoning skills.
Think about it for a while. If you’ve never served, do you think you could
honestly swear that oath and live up to it?
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Cheyenne VA opens new wing
The Arrowhead Building is the newest addition to the Cheyenne VA Center. Located just to the west of the Emergency Department, the Arrowhead Building is where you now go to see your primary care provider for routine appointments.
The new wing comprises more than 40 exam rooms for the Primary Care Clinic, which is an increase from the 16 the VAMC had before. According to a VA spokesman, with the Primary Care Clinic moving into its new space room is freed up in the older building for other clinics to expand also.
On entering the new building you'll find a spacious waiting area, an information desk, and several check-in rooms. Each check-in room serves 3-4 providers, and the names of the providers are prominently displayed. This should reduce confusion and time standing in line for check-in.
The new exam rooms are spacious and nicely appointed.
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| The entrance to the Arrowhead Building is just to the left (west) of the Emergency Department. Click on the picture for a larger image. |
The new wing comprises more than 40 exam rooms for the Primary Care Clinic, which is an increase from the 16 the VAMC had before. According to a VA spokesman, with the Primary Care Clinic moving into its new space room is freed up in the older building for other clinics to expand also.
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| Looking east toward the old entrance. Click on the picture for a larger image. |
On entering the new building you'll find a spacious waiting area, an information desk, and several check-in rooms. Each check-in room serves 3-4 providers, and the names of the providers are prominently displayed. This should reduce confusion and time standing in line for check-in.
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| The old entrance. Click on the picture for a larger image. |
The new exam rooms are spacious and nicely appointed.
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| The information desk in the new Arrowhead Building. Click on the picture for a larger image. |
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| The waiting area and check-in rooms. Click on the picture for a larger image. |
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| World War II veteran Gene Risha and his wife talk with Sandee LaRue, Veterans Affairs nurse, Jan. 4 in one of the new exam rooms in the recently opened Arrowhead Building at the Cheyenne Veteran Affairs Medical Center. Click on picture for a larger image. |
Thursday, January 3, 2013
VA trying to go paperless
The Veterans Administration is trying to shift from a paper-based format to a digital format. This is probably good news, in that claims, applications, and other service requests would in theory move through the system a LOT faster. We'll see how it goes.
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| click image for a larger view |
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Veterans by the numbers, population and federal spending
According to a story published by ABC News, there are presently 2.3 million Americans serving on active duty. They make up 0.7 percent of the U.S. population. This is an interesting statistic because American farmers and ranchers also make up 0.7 percent of the population.
According to the same story, "There are 22,658,000 veterans in america (sic) today." Non-active duty veterans make up 7.1 percent of the U.S. population.
According to this story published by the Heritage Foundation, "Veterans spending, which totaled about $130 billion in fiscal year 2012, has more than doubled over the past 10 years. It includes programs such as income security, housing aid, education and training services, and veterans health care. Under President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget, this spending would rise 18.5 percent from 2012 to 2015 and surpass the $150 billion mark."
While a federal spending increase on veterans services might sound like a good deal, you have to put the numbers in perspective. The $130 billion spent in FY 2012 was only slightly more than the $128 billion spent on the United States Department of Agriculture. To be fair to farmers and ranchers, 81 percent of 2012 ag spending, or $104.1 billion, went to food assistance programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps), WIC (Women and Infant Children), school meal programs, and other programs that provide food to needy people for free or at reduced prices.
Both the Veterans Administration and the USDA are vital to the nation. We all need to eat, and we all need to be protected.
But the fact remains that for every American farmer or rancher, there are 10 American Veterans. For every 10 dollars the government spends on agriculture, it spends one dollar on veterans services.
Even worse, the VA is presently under investigation for out-of-control spending on VA employee conference junkets. According to NBC News, the VA spent more than $100 million on employee conferences in 2011
VA officials later said that an "accurate, reliable figure on the number of conferences (held in the past several years) is not available."
This statement prompted two members of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs to formally write VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, demanding immediate and full disclosure of VA conference spending.
Still unanswered is the question of whether patient care funds have been diverted into the VA's conferencing budget.
As veterans, each of us took a solemn oath to protect and defend our nation. The oath we took did not include an expiration date. We all continue to serve, and part of our job is to advise our elected representatives. As congress continues to play political games with the future of America, they need our guidance on setting priorities. Call, write, or e-mail your representatives. Do it often.
According to the same story, "There are 22,658,000 veterans in america (sic) today." Non-active duty veterans make up 7.1 percent of the U.S. population.
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| Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr. shakes hands with a wounded warrior at the conclusion of the 65-mile "Ride 2 Recovery" bike challenge. |
According to this story published by the Heritage Foundation, "Veterans spending, which totaled about $130 billion in fiscal year 2012, has more than doubled over the past 10 years. It includes programs such as income security, housing aid, education and training services, and veterans health care. Under President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget, this spending would rise 18.5 percent from 2012 to 2015 and surpass the $150 billion mark."
While a federal spending increase on veterans services might sound like a good deal, you have to put the numbers in perspective. The $130 billion spent in FY 2012 was only slightly more than the $128 billion spent on the United States Department of Agriculture. To be fair to farmers and ranchers, 81 percent of 2012 ag spending, or $104.1 billion, went to food assistance programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps), WIC (Women and Infant Children), school meal programs, and other programs that provide food to needy people for free or at reduced prices.
Both the Veterans Administration and the USDA are vital to the nation. We all need to eat, and we all need to be protected.
But the fact remains that for every American farmer or rancher, there are 10 American Veterans. For every 10 dollars the government spends on agriculture, it spends one dollar on veterans services.
Even worse, the VA is presently under investigation for out-of-control spending on VA employee conference junkets. According to NBC News, the VA spent more than $100 million on employee conferences in 2011
VA officials later said that an "accurate, reliable figure on the number of conferences (held in the past several years) is not available."
This statement prompted two members of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs to formally write VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, demanding immediate and full disclosure of VA conference spending.
Still unanswered is the question of whether patient care funds have been diverted into the VA's conferencing budget.
As veterans, each of us took a solemn oath to protect and defend our nation. The oath we took did not include an expiration date. We all continue to serve, and part of our job is to advise our elected representatives. As congress continues to play political games with the future of America, they need our guidance on setting priorities. Call, write, or e-mail your representatives. Do it often.
What is a veteran? Part 1
This is a nicely done piece on the genesis of Veterans Day and gives a concise definition of what it is to be a veteran. It contains a very good video as well.
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