I'm a brat. A Navy Brat. And yet, I have done so little to help those who serve and who have served in the past. I need to do much more. Have you done all you can? Can you do more? Give to NFTT.
My father was career Navy (Medical Service Corps), and a mustang (he enlisted in the Navy when he turned 18, in 1951 I think; and was commissioned in 1963). The Navy was good to us (5 kids!). His two older brothers were career Army. Other siblings (he had 12 of them!) served at various times. I had a young nephew (his father, my uncle, was 1 year older than I) who served as a Marine, and died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. My wife’s father served in the Pacific and was wounded there. For my family, the Navy was not only a path to a great education (Dad went to Georgetown and the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey) for a Kansas farm boy, but a great path to a middle income life style. We were not wealthy, but we were not wanting either.
I grew up with military all around me. (Partly because we lived in navy housing for many years!). That isn’t the case anymore. Here in eastern Massachusetts, I never see people in uniform. Not soldiers. Not sailors. Not fliers. It’s seems like it is only when I fly through Chicago or Dallas that I see young people in uniform. Where are the role models for our youth? Why would they think life in the military can be good when they never see anyone around them in uniform? What happened to our “shared sacrifice” when the percentage that serves is consistently 1% or less, and often multi-generational in the same families? The majority of those who serve find themselves challenged to find jobs, to get an education, to get the benefits they were promised and which we owe to them. That isn’t right.
It is up to us to do something about it. While we need to make sure our veterans receive the recognition they deserve, we also need to make sure we care for those who do and have served. I wrote elsewhere an expression of my frustration around how we care for our troops. And I concluded with the statement that "I don't do enough".
I don't.
I have not been an active advocate, to my representatives and senators, and other elected officials, for policies that meet the needs of our active troops.
I have not been an active advocate for policies that meet the needs of their families.
I have not been an active advocate for policies that meet the needs of our veterans as they go through life after service.
I have not been an active advocate for policies to invest in the Veterans Administration, and our health care system, to meet the needs of our veterans.
I have not been an active advocate for peace, to not wage in wars based on political policy, rather than being "just".
It is time I changed that, and I hope this diary will start me down that path. I need your help. They need your help.
My voice alone will not change these policies. Our voices, together, can.
My taxes alone will not fund the efforts we need. Our taxes together can.
My small financial gifts alone with not make a significant impact. Our gifts, together, can.
I don’t do enough. I’m trying to change that. I hope you’ll change with me. Please give to NFTT.
Netroots For The Troops
Netroots For The Troops® is raising funds to send Care Packages to our soldiers stationed overseas.
We are asking all of you to support our efforts and to also make a contribution for this worthwhile cause.
Over the years, many soldiers have sent letters to express their appreciation for these Care Packages and even posted thanks at Daily Kos
It was in the middle six months of my assignment in Afghanistan that the packages started arriving. I received an array of things from them… letters, candy, toothpaste, floss, baby wipes, razors, food, socks, books, dvd’s. The list could go on and on. It was amazing. Netroots for the Troops was always there... The packages were a reminder that our country knows about our fight. Every day, because of their support, I knew that if it was going to be my last day, I would be remembered and I would be honored.
Please make a donation HERE. Thank you from the entire 2012 NFTT Team.
Netroots For The Troops® is a project of Netroots for the Troops, Inc., a Virginia non-profit corporation. The organization raises money for the assembly, mailing and delivery of Care Packages to American military in war zones and to provide assistance to military families in the United States. Netroots For The Troops, Inc. is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization.
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The NFTT diaries are a way for the Daily Kos community to support the troops in Afghanistan. We send them packages of items they might not otherwise receive through the normal military process but that they find useful. This is a non-political diary. While we understand there are differing views on the wars and the warriors, the site gives plenty of opportunity to express those views elsewhere. Furthermore, we would hope that users do not engage with those that attempt to hijack or otherwise disrupt these diaries.
We appreciate your understanding and support. Thanks!