Beyond Tribute

This morning I heard about an organization called Beyond Tribute, They explain their organization this way:

Memorial Day is the solemn time when we honor those who gave their lives for our freedom, the families they left behind, and those who still serve.

And, over the years, it has also become an American business tradition to pay tribute on Memorial Day with holiday sales; "Memorial Day Sale - Save 25%!"

But today, hundreds of thousands of wounded veterans and military families suffer from a lack of essential support. So now we must go Beyond Tribute and actually help our wounded veterans.

The Beyond Tribute campaign is changing how we celebrate Memorial Day by making it possible for businesses to donate a portion of their holiday period sales to actually help our heroes in need. It is that simple

Most people who have stopped by this blog know that my son, 1Lt Ken Ballard was killed in Iraq on 5.30.2004. We got the knock on the door on Memorial Day. While most people were on a shopping spree, Ken's friends and family were struggling to figure out what life without Ken would mean to us. As a 4th generation Army officer, Ken and we knew the importance of Memorial Day and Veteran's Day, but Ken's death made it personal. I have frequently bemoaned the fact that people and businesses look to those days as a day for sales with no regard to the sacrifices our military and their families are making every single day.

Most Americans have not been affected by these wars in Iraq & Afghanistan. After 7 years in Afghanistan and 6 in Iraq, it always surprises me when I am the first Gold Star Mom that people have met. I know that most people do not know the struggles of military families and veterans as they attempt to get their old lives back when they return from the battlefront. I also know that most people would support the troops and veterans if they knew how. It's time for businesses to step up and show their support for our wounded veterans and their families. This is one way they can do that.

The mission statement from Beyond Tribute seems well thought out:

Our mission is to redefine our Memorial Day and Veterans Day holidays by engaging the American business community and its customers in a national campaign that will raise charitable dollars to benefit those who are struggling with the wounds of war, including the invisible wounds: PTSD, traumatic brain injury and combat-induced anxiety and depression. Funds raised go directly to top rated charities that help veterans in need throughout the USA.

I really like the part about funds raised go directly to "top rated charities". I'm not sure which charities are on their radar, but please check Charity Navigator before you make any donations. While there are many good charities that support veterans, there are also many more whose funding is deplorable. Charity Navigator does a good job of breaking down the information.

The Beyond Tribute website has been recently updated but it still has a long way to go to get businesses signed up and to get the word out. I'm doing what I can do, I hope you'll do the same.

Soldiers still waiting for tour bonuses

Dammit, dammit, dammit!

I don't care who is holding up payments to soldiers who were promised monthly bonuses of up to $500 and were forced to remain on active duty beyond their enlistment period and have not been paid - that can wait for a minute. "Senior officials are disappointed that the recent trend has been going in the wrong direction with respect to the numbers (of soldiers currently stop-lossed)," If Senior Pentagon officials are "disappointed", what do you think the military members who are on stop loss and their families are? I don't think disappointed is how they would or should describe it. Outraged? Angry? Perhaps, they are just beaten down from the neglect. They sign a contract and expect the military to honor their side of it, but it just doesn't happen that way without a fight.

Congress approves funding for a program, civilians think it's done and they go on their merry way. A commission on the state of military hospitals is called, civilians think the hospitals are fixed and they go on their merry way. And when it comes to the followup, I assure you that burden falls in the laps of those members of the military and their families.

According to Gregg Zaroya at USA Today in an article on February 22, 2009,

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman acknowledged the five-month delay in paying the bonuses and said the Defense Department is working on a plan to start paying the almost 13,000 soldiers currently under the Army's stop-loss orders. Although Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants to end the policy, the number of soldiers affected has risen since the middle of 2007.

Congress added $72 million to pay for the bonuses in its plan for the budget year that started Oct. 1. The money was to be paid after the Pentagon submitted a plan outlining how the payments would be made.

But no plan has been submitted.

Many people familiar with the term "stop loss", to keep a troop beyond their enlistment contract or retirement date think "stop-loss" is a back door draft. Remember, these troops have fulfilled their military contract and now the Department of Defense just institutes a "stop-loss", voila! no contract end date, no going home soldier, until the DOD tells you to!

Since 2002, the military has relied on stop loss to keep its most skilled and experienced troops in the service. The Army is the only service that has used it in the past five years, according to a Congressional Research Service report released last month. The number of soldiers affected by stop loss peaked in 2005 at 15,758.

Gates first directed the Army to minimize the use of stop loss in January 2007. However, after falling to 8,540 in May 2007, the number of soldiers on stop loss has risen to almost 13,000 in December 2008, Army records show.

If Senior Pentagon officials are disappointed, they need to get un-disappointed. These troops were made a promise by Congress and the DOD and they expected that to be honored. The money is in the budget and it needs to be distributed as promised. I know the DOD can do better for our troops- it's time they show us how. If they can't figure it out, perhaps Congress needs to help them.

The Haters are back

The people who I call the Haters are those who keep a blog, or troll the internet making comments on blogs about whatever subject they want with little regard for the truth. They generally have poor writing & spelling skills. They frequently post their hate-filled lies under the name "Anonymous". They are more patriotic than anyone in the world, ever (sarcasm intended). Of course, there is no need for them to validate any facts, because their bully-pulpit gives them enough power to feel that the facts will only mess up their argument and the truth isn't one of their values anyway.

Back in September 2005, when the Army told me the truth about how my son 1Lt Ken Ballard was really killed in Iraq, 15 months after the fact, the Haters came after me in force. They associated me with people I had never met. They accused me of lying about specific conversations and wanting to know why I wanted to know the truth, even though it was the Army who lied to me and not me to them. Never having walked in my shoes, the verbal attacks continued. Mostly, they accused me of disrespecting my son, hating the military and not supporting the troops. Sadly, when their noise becomes loud enough, some people do start to listen. I didn't feel the need to defend myself then, although I did take the time at least once. 4 years ago I chose to take the high road, as I will this time. I know my truth and I am comfortable with it.

The Haters have crawled out from under their rocks and have plenty to say about me and my suppor of the recent lifting of the ban of media coverage of flag covered caskets returning to military installations,particularly, Dover AFB. I’ll not point you to the particular blogs; they are easy enough to find, if you wish to put on your waders and sink into the muck with them. The Hater's world is black and white, with miles in between them and an intelligent conversation or disagreement. For them it’s "their way or the high way”! These Haters, who spew venom and lies wouldn’t know the truth if it smacked them upside their Neanderthal heads. I would try to set them straight, but they don’t want to know my truth or any truth at all. I know many people who understand the argument for lifting the ban. They may not agree with me, but they understand, not so much with the Haters.

It might be nice to live in a world of black and white, where everything is thus or so. But that isn’t the real world; shades of grey and black & white color the real world. Not ALL military families feel the same about anything, just as not ALL republicans think the same about everything (although I do think you could make a case that ALL haters think the same way about everything, it must be in their genetic make-up and as they march lock-step alongside hateful, obstructionist politicians and others). ALL military families did not want the media ban lifted and not ALL wanted it to remain in place and the same is true even within Gold Star Family population. We all came to this journey from different places in our hearts, in our cities and in our states. We all have reasons for wanting or not wanting a photo, and those reasons should be respected even if they are not understood.

Haters live in a cookie cutter world where one size fits all, black is black, as long as the haters are making the rules and as long as they say so. There is no room for any other opinion regardless of empirical evidence; no need for facts, thank you kindly, just move along, your opinion is not welcome in their world. They tell hateful jokes, admitting they are "bad", while slapping each on their good old boy back and falling on the floor laughing at whoever took the brunt of their not-so-funny joke.

The anonymity of the internet allows them to spread their hate-filled venom and hide behind the name "Anonymous". I'm not sure who is more of a bully, though. The haters who do sign their names are puffing their chests and are looking for a fight and as long as they can hit the "enter" button from far off in cyberspace, they remain physically safe.

It's not about truth, it's about how loud and ugly they can type and I've given them enough of my time. How about we just leave them to play by themselves?

No More

If you haven't seen the movie, Body of War, I suggest you do. It may be difficult to watch, but watching the effects of war would be.

This is a video from Eddie Vetter, who wrote this song, "No More" for the film, Body of War.

"No More" Music Video / Eddie Vedder

Valentines Peeps for Ken

Ken & I had a weird affinity for Peeps®. Whenever Just Born, Inc made them available, we were there. Ken got original chick Peeps® at Easter, of course, hearts on Valentines Day, Christmas trees at Christmas. We even laughed about research on Peeps®.

Since Ken was killed in Iraq in 2004, Peeps® have made me smile and make me think about Ken. When I am able to visit Arlington National Cemetery, I always leave behind seasonal Peeps® as our little inside joke. More often than not though, the Peeps I buy just in case I have the opportunity to fly back to DC, sit on my kitchen counter.

Ken got his Peeps® this Valentines Day! Many thanks to my friends, Neil Sr & Diane Santoreillo, parents of 1Lt Neil Santoriello, Jr, who made the trip to Section 60 at Arlington to visit their son's grave on Valentines day. Thanks, guys, for leaving the Peeps® and the flowers. I'm sure Ken knows his Moms was thinking of him.

Taking Chance

HBO has done a pretty good job of producing important films about the Iraq war like Baghdad ER and Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery, which I have written about here. HBO will show a new film called “Taking Chance” starting February 21, 2009, which I also recommend. Chance is Lance Corporal Chance Phelps who was killed in Iraq in April 2004. "Taking Chance" is the story of the Escort Officer who escorts the body of Lance Corporal Phelps home from Dover AFB in Delaware to Chance's final resting place in Wyoming. HBO provides this synopsis:

In April 2004, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl, USMC, came across the name of 19-year-old Lance Corporal Chance Phelps, a young Marine who had been killed by hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Strobl, a Desert Storm veteran with 17 years of military service, requested that he be assigned for military escort duty to accompany Chance's remains to his family in Dubois, Wyo.

Witnessing the spontaneous outpouring of support and respect for the fallen Marine - from the groundskeepers he passed along the road to the cargo handlers at the airport - Strobl was moved to capture the experience in his personal journal. His first-person account, which began as an official trip report, gives an insight into the military's policy of providing a uniformed escort for all casualties. The story became an Internet phenomenon when it was widely circulated throughout the military community and eventually reached the mainstream media.

'Taking Chance' chronicles one of the silent, virtually unseen journeys that takes place every day across the country, bearing witness to the fallen and all those who, literally and figuratively, carry them home. A uniquely non-political film about the war in Iraq, the film pays tribute to all of the men and women who have given their lives in military service as well as their families.

My older sister, a retired Army nurse sent me LTC Strobl's article in August 2004, about 2 months after my son 1Lt Ken Ballard was killed. She had seen the story in April 2004 when it was first posted on the internet but she saved it to show me after Ken returned from Iraq and was out of harms way. It didn’t turn out that way. I had seen the article when Ken was still alive and was extremely moved by Lt Col Strobl’s story. Military families are told that the journey home from Iraq or Afghanistan was one filled with dignity and respect. Unfortunately, the Bush administration had done a good job of keeping the honors afforded our casualties a secret with the ban on photographs of flag covered caskets. This film shows us the journey and we are able to see of the dignity and respect. We will see a glimpse of the outpouring of respect and sympathy along the journey as well as the military traditions that are performed as a flag covered casket makes it's final journey home.

When Ken's body was returned to San Francisco airport on that awful day in June 2004, the civilian airline employees & TSA employees stood in silence with their hats respectfully removed as they watched his flag covered casket being offloaded from the plane and loaded into the hearse, just as the trailer shows. Ken's personal effects, his dog tags, his Cavalry spurs and his unit belt buckle were given to me when we arrived at our hometown, just as the journal describes. I imagine the rest of the journey of Ken's escort officer paralleled that of LTC Strobl. When you watch this film, remember that this isn't Hollywood; this honorable and difficult journey has taken place in the United States nearly 5000 times since October 2001.

Thanks to HBO, Kevin Bacon, Brad Krevoy, Cathy Wischer-Sola, William Teitler, Lori Keith Douglas, Ross Katz, and Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl for their part in making this film and for understanding that this is a story that needs to be told. Special thanks to Chance’s family for allowing the story to be told and for letting the country share in your grief.

Special thoughts to the nearly 5000 families and the brave men and women who perform the duties of an Escort officer. Thank you for taking care of our loved ones.

Ban on photographs of flag covered coffins

The story about the ban on photographs of flag covered caskets of fallen soldiers has been gaining some traction since Monday night when a CNN reporter asked President Obama whether the policy was being reviewed. Obama responded that "we are in the process of reviewing those policies in conversations with the Department of Defense.". That's good news.

It is also good news to read that Secretary Gates said "I think that looking at it again makes all kinds of sense," and that he was "pretty open to whatever the results of this review may be." He had even raised the possibility of changing it as recently as a year ago when the Bush administration renewed it's enforcement of the ban. There was never a chance to lift the ban during the Bush administration, although when I met with former Secretary of the Army, Francis Harvey, he seemed interested in at least reviewing the policy.

I take this ban on photographs of the flag covered caskets a little personally. On Memorial Day morning 2004, when I was notified of the death of my only child, 1Lt Ken Ballard in Iraq I requested a photograph of his flag-covered casket being returned to Dover AFB. I wanted to see that his body was treated with dignity and respect. I was denied that request with the response that it was "against Army regulations" and "for the privacy of the family". There are no words to describe how devastating this response was to me and caused further pain to my already aching heart. A photograph was never provided to me. Although we have been assured of the dignity and respect afforded our returning casualties, I will never see how the military welcomed him home.

The military has said the policy is meant to protect the privacy of the families of the dead soldiers and maintain dignity. With no identification on these caskets, I do not understand how this policy is "for the privacy of the family". We should rather consider a concept called the Dover Test. Bryan Bender of the Boston Globe describes it"people speak of 'the Dover test,' Pentagon parlance for how many casualties Americans can stomach before they begin in large numbers to question whether the cause is worth so many American lives." But, he noted, "The Defense Department continues to ban any photographs or observation of the bodies returning from overseas."

I am also perplexed when people say it should be the soldier who decides if a photograph is taken of their flag covered casket. Really? An Army who can't even insure that a soldier has a will, much less a properly executed one, is going to make that same soldier decide if a photo should be taken of their casket in the unfortunate circumstances of their death? Please!

The New York Times also reported that Gates said he was told -- he did not say by whom -- that allowing photographers would put undue pressure on families to go to Dover themselves and that in some cases that would be a hardship. During those first awful days after a family is told that their loved one is not coming home alive and while they are waiting about a week for the body to be returned, I seriously doubt that many, if any families consider a trip to Dover AFB, the mortuary for the Department of Defense. Making plans to go to Dover never got on my to-do list that week and the trip never occurred to me; I was lucky to get out of bed. I have never heard from a Gold Star family that would have liked to go to Dover unless it was the nearest airport to their home. Finally, a service member's return to their home airport is generally met with some kind of honor guard or welcome ceremony from the military (although early in the war many families picked up their loved ones caskets at the cargo area of the airport, but that is another story-they tried that on me, but I refused). Dover is how the military honors our loved ones; the local airport is for the local community. This argument about families feeling the need to go to Dover should be put to rest.

When Ken came home to San Francisco on June 8, 2004, he arrived in the belly of a US Airways jet, his casket covered with the red, white & blue of a United States flag. I was on the tarmac when the plane pulled up and the first glimpse of his casket was heart wrenching and possibly as difficult a moment as when I was first notified of his death 8 days before. The airline, TSA and public service employees treated his casket with dignity and respect as should have been afforded him. This ceremony also included an Army Honor Guard and an Army Color Guard. A television station filmed the ceremony and there were photographers present. I was not aware of their presence and not one of them interfered with my privacy. Maybe I was lucky; maybe I was fortunate to have professional journalists assigned to cover Ken's return. The reason you see these photographs is because the ban only applies to military facilities.

When you hear that 1 soldier has been killed in war, you might pause. When you hear that the US casualty count from Iraq and Afghanistan is 4886, you might pause a little longer. But when you see an image of a flag covered casket, it should make the viewer pause for a moment and grieve for the family during this most difficult time. It's the least we can do for the Gold Star families. After 8 years of war, it is time for this nation to participate in these homecomings, even as a viewer of a photograph.

See the difference of how Canada honors their war dead as they return home along the Highway of Heroes. And in Wooten Bassett, a small town right outside of British Royal Air Force Base in Lyneham, England, the community gathers each time as British war dead make their final journey home. It's time the US learns something from other members of the world community of how they honor, not hide their returning warriors. We should do better. We can do better. Yes, we can.

Dear President Obama- Lift the ban on photographs of flag covered coffins

Dear President Obama-

I am writing with a request that I hope you will consider. I know that you are working on many priorities that may seem to be more important than this, but I hope you will understand the importance of this request and find a way to consider and change a longstanding and ill-advised policy. Since lifting the ban on photographs of flag covered caskets was discussed during your press conference on February 9, I think it is time for you to make a decision.

Please review the current Department of Defense policy regarding the ban for taking photographs of the flag covered caskets of US casualties as they process through Dover AFB and other military installations. Please allow these photographs to be taken and shared with the families and our country. That this policy was allowed to survive and even thrive since 1991 since it was instituted by then Assistant Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney, is an insult to our loved ones and their families.

You wear a KIA bracelet honoring the service of Sergeant Ryan David Jopeck, and I wear a bracelet, too. My bracelet honors my son, 1Lt Ken Ballard. On Memorial Day morning 2004, when I was notified of the death of my only child, 1Lt Ken Ballard in Iraq I requested a photograph of his flag-covered casket being returned to Dover. I wanted to see that his body was treated with dignity and respect. I was denied that request with the response that it was "against Army regulations" and "for the privacy of the family". There are no words to describe how devastating this response was to me and caused further pain to my already aching heart. A photograph was never provided to me. I will never see how the military welcomed him home. With no identification on these caskets, I do not understand how this policy is "for the privacy of the families".

My son was a 4^th generation Army officer. Ken loved his tanks and he especially loved his soldiers and serving his country in the Army. How insulting to hide his return to his beloved United States. How insulting to Americans who are not allowed to grieve as a nation when these young men and women come home.

My son's return to US soil was one part of his journey home and to his final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery. Although Ken did not return alive as we prayed he would, his return was still part of the story of his life and yet I have no photographic documentation of that journey into the United States.

We are told these caskets arrive and are processed with great honor as should be accorded to one of our brave service members who have given his or her final measure of devotion for our country. We are told the ceremony is respectful, dignified and moving. But we families do not know as we are not encouraged to be at Dover and photographs are not shared with us.

For too long the Bush administration forced the sacrifice of the human cost of war only on military families in an attempt to minimize the wars affect on our country. How can our nation mourn with the Gold Star families if we do not see these images? How can we grieve for the loss? How will future generations know what the cost of these wars were without photographic images?

The First Lady has said that she will focus her time in the White House on military families. Please remember that we, Gold Star families will always be military families.

President Obama, please consider this request from a Gold Star Mom to allow our nation to share our grief by allowing photographic coverage as these flag covered caskets make their final journey home.

The continuing saga of my bumper sticker

It’s about that dang bumper sticker again. You know, the one on my car that says

BUSH LIED

MY SON DIED

1LTKEN BALLARD KIA 5.30.2004 NAJAF, IRAQ

For the record, my metallic gray Prius also sports an Obama 08 campaign sticker and an oval white sticker that says 01.02.09. While some might, I don’t think it is offensive or disrespectful of anyone, least of all my son. I think I have mentioned that I have gotten some responses in the way of notes from people who were touched by the sentiment. Up until yesterday, they were all positive. Additionally they were all signed, at least with a name, some had an email address, if I was so inclined to get in touch.

I attended a Veteran's Community meeting yesterday at the Livermore Veteran's Hospital in California. It is in a lovely rural setting; the first sign you see instructs "Please Do Not Feed the Turkeys". Very serene, very calming. We had an instructive and positive meeting hearing from Vets, advocates for vets and others

I was feeling pretty good when we walked out after several hours of hunkering down. I was heading to dinner with my fellow Gold Star Moms, Nadia & Mary. Stuck under the windshield wiper on my car was this unsigned note

Shame on you! Your son died for what he believed in. He fought honorably for our country and what we stand for. As a fellow veteran of OIF 1 & 2 you are dragging our son's name in the dirt. You should be honored your son was willing to die for his country helping other people.

Really? Disrespecting my son? Oh man, come on! I thought we had left that "us vs them, I'm more patriotic than you" attitude behind us at the very least on January 20, 2009. I guess not. We've still got work to do!

18 deaths too many

I felt a sickening wave of deja vu when I read the press release from Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) .

SENATORS DEMAND ANSWERS FROM DOD ABOUT ELECTROCUTIONS OF SOLDIERS, WANT DEFENSE SECRETARY TO MEET WITH THEM AND MOTHER OF ELECTROCUTED SOLDIER ON CONTRACTOR ACCOUNTABILITY

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) --- Two U.S. Senators today are requesting a meeting with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and the mother of a U.S. soldier who has been informed by an Army investigator that her son’s death by electrocution at his base in Baghdad has been re-classified by the Army from “accidental” to “negligent homicide” by contractor KBR and two of its supervisors.

U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) chaired a July 11, 2008, Senate Democratic Policy Committee hearing that looked into the death of Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth and 12 other U.S. soldiers electrocuted on Army bases in Iraq. Following the hearing, Dorgan and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) requested that the Pentagon conduct a theatre-wide investigation into KBR’s work on electrical installations in Iraq. In response, the Army conducted a review of the matter and, while asking KBR to improve its performance, continued to rely on KBR to inspect much of its own work and has not imposed any penalties on the company.

In response, the Army agreed to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, but then decided to use KBR to perform much of the review.

Testimony at Dorgan’s hearing last July by former KBR employees disclosed that KBR hired unqualified third country nationals to do electrical wiring at U.S. military bases in Iraq.

Given the latest development, including possible negligent homicide charges against the contractor, Senators Dorgan and Casey have asked Defense Secretary Gates to meet with them and Maseth’s mother, Cheryl Harris, to discuss the process that the Department of Defense intends to follow to guarantee full accountability for any contractor misconduct that relates to the electrocutions of U.S. troops in Iraq.
Dorgan noted the Army originally told Harris her son was electrocuted because he carried an electrical appliance into the shower. The Army later retreated from that account, saying Staff Sgt. Maseth was electrocuted by wires hanging above the shower, an account that was also inaccurate.

“I believe DOD has been less than truthful to the families of soldiers who were electrocuted at military bases in Iraq because of shoddy contract work. It’s time or some straight talk about accountability,” Dorgan said.

“Those who receive contracts to serve our soldiers have an obligation to do so responsibly,” Dorgan said. “We want to know what Secretary Gates intends to do to ensure that contractors are acting responsibly, particularly in light of the Army’s reported finding that KBR and its supervisors may have been criminally negligent. We also want to know why the DOD has not pursued a process to debar contractors who are fleecing our taxpayers and putting soldiers at risk.”

“The news Cheryl Harris received from an Army CID that her son Ryan Maseth’s death has changed classification from 'accidental' to 'negligent homicide' and singles out not just two KBR employees, but the company itself, for potential criminal liability is a significant development,” said Senator Bob Casey. “This revelation validates the perseverance of Cheryl Harris, Ryan’s mother, in
seeking all the facts behind Ryan’s death. We must not only ensure that full accountability is served in this case, but that the Pentagon is also doing all that it can to prevent future electrocutions of American personnel in both Iraq and Afghanistan. We must put an end to our troops continuing to get put in harms way when they are doing something so simple as taking a shower.”

As Chairman of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, Dorgan has chaired 18 oversight hearings on contracting abuses and corruption in Iraq and Afghanistan. The hearings exposed billions of dollars in wasteful spending and numerous accounts of U.S. soldiers, already serving in harm’s way, being put at grave risk due to shoddy work by contractors, and by unsafe water supplies provided by our troops by contractors who failed to do their jobs.

It wasn't the circumstances of the death of Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth as it was the way the Army handled it. There continue to be too many cases where the family is told one thing and the truth is not revealed until the Army has been backed into a corner. As a Gold Star mother who was not told the truth about my son's death in Iraq for 15 months, I can assure you that families only want to know the truth and we shouldn't have to wait until the lie is caught. It is insulting and disrespectful and extremely stupid for the Army to think that we will not find out in other ways. In this age of technology, we will; pure and simple, we will. When will they learn?

That there was a problem with shoddy workmanship goes back at least to July 2007. That the electrocutions of soldiers in Iraq caused by the faulty wiring performed by KBR is still a story is outrageous. That one soldier, let alone 18 soldiers, have been killed in these so-called accidents is criminal. That in 2008 the Army let KBR handle the investigations into these deaths is equally criminal. That KBR is still in business and has not been held accountable to the highest position is beyond me. Maybe, just maybe, now that the long reach of former Vice-President Dick Cheney has been removed from influencing government contracts and with a new administration, we can expect a different kind of attention to be focused on this kind of egregious and deadly behavior.

Kudos to Senators Dorgan and Casey for keeping this story in the news and for pursuing the bad guys. I hope that Cheryl Maseth gets that meeting with Secretary Robert Gates. I hope he looks into her eyes and tells her that no other soldier will be electrocuted due to the negligence of KBR or any other contractor. I hope he tells her how sorry he is that the Army didn't do better for Ryan. I hope he tells her that he has ordered a new Inspector General investigation into these deaths and that charges will be filed when the investigation is complete. I hope he tells her that KBR will be debarred, not suspended, from any federal work. Nothing will bring Ryan back but knowing that her son's death and her own perseverance will prevent another death should matter. I know Ryan is very proud of his mom.

Fitting Goodbye to Bush

The final door on this Bush administration is closing. The final goodbye last night was the final chapter in the Bush Legacy Tour, this view of the past eight years through George Bush's rose-colored glasses. It's too bad there was no view of the past eight years from our vantage point, a cold, hard view of the reality of the damage done during the Bush administration. And it is nearly over.

Never the uniter, always the divider, George Bush's tone was exclusive. His administration was a renewal of the bank accounts of his friends and corporations in general, but never a renewal of America.

Most people I know could not stand to watch Bush speak, regardless of the occasion. They couldn't stand to listen to his voice, his insensitive, threatening, fear-filled rhetoric. Maybe they never did watch or listen to him, but I did and at nearly every opportunity. From that night in 2000 watching the election results; much like watching an accident unfolding in slow motion. And so it was, Bush became the 43rd president of the United States of America. I was unhappy with the results, but my sense was that Bush's presidency would last only 4 years and how bad could it be? How much damage could he do? I wish I knew then what I know now. I didn't like or appreciate the folksiness of George W Bush. Why would you want to have a president who you would share a beer with? So, I watched and I listened, I guess because I didn't trust that he had the best interest of our country or it's citizens in mind. Maybe just maybe I watched and listened expecting that I would hear just a glimmer of hope for something positive from this administration, but that never came.

How could I or why would I miss the last opportunity to watch George Bush in his official capacity as the president? Watching him say goodbye was sweet. I never expected any particular great content or deep thought from this president, but I always watched, never disappointed that he would disappoint and so often pained with what he said.

Over the years, as I watched George Bush speak, my responses varied. I shouted, I yelled, I flipped him off and I cried. I cried so many tears of despair and sorrow as he spoke, but I couldn't stop this obsession. As Bush tried to assure us that he "always acted with the best interests of our country in mind. I have followed my conscience and done what I thought was right. You may not agree with some of the tough decisions I have made. But I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions." As always, he didn't understand what the country wanted and so many of us do not agree. We didn't care about the tough decisions, ALL decisions made by a president may be difficult. We cared about him making the right decisions for this country and that he never did.

So, in the final minutes of his official goodbye, I became inspired for my final goodbye to George W Bush as President of the United States. I had already yelled and shouted and cried in those 13 minutes, but as he said his goodbye, I mooned him. Yep, in the privacy of my own home, I turned away from this president, dropped my drawers and I mooned him. It was a fitting show of disrespect for this man who had earned no respect from us during these past 8 years.

I think Ken would have approved.

Counting the days

Count me among those people counting the days, hours and minutes to the end of our national nightmare called the Bush administration. When I was first given my "Bush Countdown Clock", there were more than 300 days, so now with fewer than 7 days, I am close to ecstatic. It seems almost inconceivable that we are in the single digits, but here we are.

The press conference held at the White House today, Bush's "exit interview" was a stunning example of his disconnect from the real world where the rest of us live. We shouldn't be surprised that until the bitter, and I do mean bitter, end George W Bush, the Fratboy-in-Chief, is in denial for his failed policies and remains a man who never compromised his misguided and damaging principles and a man with few regrets. He smirked, he sighed, he rolled his eyes, he was defiant and defensive, angry and accusing. His Beevis & Butthead "heh-heh" grated on my nerves for the millionth time. If you missed it, you can hear it here. This press conference was his 8 years in office wrapped up in 47 painful minutes. If you had been living under a rock for the past 8 years, you would only need watch this performance to get the Cliff Notes. Thank god there is no quiz; we would pass just because we showed up and endured.

But don't count me among those who want to say good-bye to Bush. I'd prefer "see ya later". Goodbye, in this context means we never want to see him again, as in get thyself back to Crawford or Dallas, stay behind the secure walls of your new gated community and never darken our TV screens again. If we never hear from the 43rd president, some think it would be too soon. Not me. I do not want to hear another babbling, bumbling Bush speech. If the word malapropism didn't exist, we would call them bushisms for all his mangling of the language.

George Bush can go away for awhile, but I look forward to seeing him as he boards the plane to the Hague. I am counting the days. If the United States will not hold him and others in his administration accountable for crimes committed, then I invite another prosecutor from another country to do the job America will not. The subject of accountability is of interest to much of our population and is currently the leading question in the Foreign Policy section on Barack Obama's "change" website.

"Will you appoint a Special Prosecutor (ideally Patrick Fitzgerald) to independently investigate the gravest crimes of the Bush Administration, including torture and warrantless wiretapping?"

The answer must be an unequivocal YES. That would be a loud and clear message that no one is above the law and that the signatures on our own Constitution and the treaties that we put our names to represent America.

One more thing. Bush has long insisted that history will judge his presidency in good light and that he doesn't worry about it; he who isn't into self-pity. At the final press conference, when asked about his legacy, he responded

...I think historians will look back and they'll be able to have a better look at mistakes after some time has passed. Along Jake's question, there is no such thing as short-term history. I don't think you can possibly get the full breadth of an administration until time has passed: Where does a President's -- did a President's decisions have the impact that he thought they would, or he thought they would, over time? Or how did this President compare to future Presidents, given a set of circumstances that may be similar or not similar? I mean, there's -- it's just impossible to do. And I'm comfortable with that.

I beg to differ. I am comfortable that historians will judge George W Bush as the worst US president ever. I don't think he cares or even has the capacity to really care what others think, but I swear until my dying breath that no one will not allow anyone to forget the harm that this man did during his presidency. I will not allow the fading of history to lose sight of the human cost of his administration. George Bush will go to his grave believing that he did well for the country and I will go to my grave making sure that people remember these well-documented, hellish 8 years. I owe it to my country, but mostly, I owe it to my son, 1Lt Ken Ballard who was the 818th US soldier killed in Iraq.

Somone stole my bumper sticker - part II

A few months ago, right before the presidential election, I reported here that someone stole my bumper sticker.

My bumper sticker said

BUSH LIED,
MY SON DIED

Although I live in the bluest of blue California, much to my surprise, this first bit of thievery occurred in Palo Alto. Undeterred, I replaced the bumper sticker. And yet in the heart of blue Silicon Valley, the bumper sticker was stolen again, this time in Sunnyvale. Again, I have replaced the bumper sticker and we'll see how long it lasts until it gets stolen again.

I'm not sure that the theft is because the perpetrators agree or disagree with my message. I still would like to know " Why would someone take my bumper sticker?"

Dear John Doe

I guess my bar is set very low for the Army. They just haven't handled the casualty process for my son, 1Lt Ken Ballard very well since he was killed in Iraq in May 2004. From the poor choice of Casualty Assistance Officer, the pathetic chaplain, the 3 month delay of delivery of the death certificate, 5 months for the return of Ken's personal effects, the 15 month delay in telling me the truth about Ken's death and all the other failures along the way, it's been a rocky road.

So much went wrong that it seemed to me that we were the poster family for whatever could go wrong in the casualty process, would go wrong. To be fair, there have been some shining stars in the military, who have done their best to make the journey just a bit smoother; they alone restore my faith in the feeling that the Army can do better and is a better bureaucracy than my experience has shown. As an Army brat, my Lt Colonel father always made sure that we knew we were part of the Army family, regardless of what happened, the Army would take care of it's own.

When I recently received the letter from the Army providing an update on the charitable organizations that have supported Gold Star Families, the salutation was to "Dear John Doe". It was obviously an "unfortunate mistake", as the Army spokesperson described it, but then they described the 15 month delay of hearing the truth of Ken's death as unfortunate series of events. The Army also called that delay an oversight. It's all just a little too euphemistic and easy. If the Army is so good at using euphemisms, then maybe they have a long history of bureaucratic experience finding those descriptions. I'm not sure it's something you want to get good at.

Most people probably won't remember a similar incident that occurred back in December 2004, when Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld stated that he would personally sign all condolence letters to families of the fallen, because despite previous denials, he admitted that in the past he has not personally signed more than 1000 letters. There is a special place in hell for someone who uses an autopen to sign condolence letters. PERIOD. NO EXCEPTION. Rumsfeld never apologized, however, a Pentagon spokesman said, “In the interest of ensuring timely contact with grieving family members, he has not individually signed each letter.” You can imagine that that insensitive statement did not relieve my pain in any way. I did not go to the mailbox everyday in anticipation of receiving a condolence card from the Secretary of Defense. It isn't right, but we came to expect that kind of arrogance from Donald Rumsfeld.

This "Dear John Doe" error is not the worst thing the Army has done and sadly if won't be the last "unfortunate mistake" they make. These kinds of errors, however unintentional, are so painful to a family member who lost a loved one. I wish the Army could get it right the first time. We deserve better.

Our local CBS affiliate in San Francisco, CBS 5, did a nice story on the "The Dear John Doe letters".

Bush Birds of a Feather

Birds of a feather stick together. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Mullen & Gates are all cut from the same dishonest cloth. They keep telling the same lies, and presenting the last 8 years through the rosy lenses that they view life, and therefore so should we. These birds do stick together. If we ever had faith in this presidency, that died long ago.

Bush is still singing the praises of his disastrous former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. At a military appreciation parade in Fort Myer, Va., began his remarks by saying he was proud to serve with Vice President Dick Cheney and other members of his administration. Bush also thanked the Joint Chiefs of Staff and members of the military. "The decisions I made as your commander-in-chief have not always been popular”, Really? Really? At least Bush got the message from those of us who did not support the war or his administration. But, isn't “have not been popular” a bit of an understatement? 29% favorable ratings is not "have not been popular", it is pretty much as low as you can go.. It might have been more honest to have said they have been disastrous and a failure from day 1.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen couldn't praise Bush long enough. I wouldn't have been able to identify who he was talking about except for the context on the White House website and the accompanying photo. Speaking to those assembled at the grounds of Ft Myer, not far from Arlington National Cemetery, Section 60, where the US military who have been killed in Iraq & Afghanistan lay, Mullen said,

Those voices are an answering volley to you for your high regard and great respect for every single man and woman who serves this nation.

After this nation was attacked by a rising evil, the same evil which later murdered many others in places like London, Madrid, Islamabad and Mumbai, you quickly led us from the grip of fear to a serenity of purpose and unity of action -- serenity well beyond our dreams on September 12th, when all thought further attack was not only likely, but gravely imminent. And through your vision, a new national security was rendered to reach our enemies where they hid and trained and celebrated deadly crimes.

We sent our forces to hills and caves, alongside tribesman on horseback to root them out and hunt them down. We liberated Iraq from tyranny, now on the road to renewal. And we are shifting our focus to Afghanistan. We applauded as you, Mrs. Bush, worked for the freedom and education of young women, and gave hope to children scarred by hate. And always, sir, we felt your unmatched confidence in us, which only made us better.

Yes, we know these images well and we treasure them. But what wasn't always often an image was how you, as our First Family, fully embraced our military family with words of love and prayers of hope. For you have proven that how well we care for our wounded and the families of the fallen defines who and what we really are as a nation. You made it personal, and that has made all the difference.

With quiet dignity, you stretched out hands to those touched by loss, unimaginable loss that can never be made whole so they might be touched yet again.

"fully embraced our military family with words of love and prayers of hope"? Oh please! For you have proven that how well we care for our wounded and the families of the fallen defines who and what we really are as a nation? If the documented pathetic and uncaring care for our wounded and families of the fallen defines who we are as a nation, we should be horribly and tragically embarrassed. If we cannot provide proper and life-long care for our military and our veterans, we have no business going to war! ever! Thde sad thing is, George W Bush is not capable of taking or making anything personal except himself and that made all the difference.

Bush closed with this statement to the military: We will always remember that you answered the call to serve when your nation needed you most. We will always remember that you did your duty with honor and dignity. It's too bad that he, as their Commander-in-Chief did not do the same- do his duty with honor & dignity instead of dishonor and lies.

I have had enough of this administration and all that is wrong with it. With less than 2 weeks to go, they should just shut up and sit down. If they all want to get kissy and smoochy about each other as the sun sets on their time in Washington, they can do it in private. After all, privacy and secrecy was their badge that they wore with pride, screw the rest of us. These birds of a feather just need to get the flock out of here!

The Mysterious Bush Adminstration

Much like the 18 erased minutes of tape from the Nixon administration, the Bush administration has done a good job of removing any empirical evidence of their wrongdoing or even evildoing during the last 8 years. In their eyes, it never happened. In their eyes, "prove it". Proving it may become a cottage industry as this country tries to find and put together the missing pieces of historical facts and provide some historical context to these last 8 years.

Of particular note, of course are the millions of emails that have gone missing from the office of President Bush & Vice President Cheney. According to Cheney, he “alone may determine what constitutes vice presidential records or personal records. Another "so?" to the people of this country, 29% of whom have a favorable view of the job Cheney is doing. Cheney doesn't care what people think and he thinks he has done a fantastic job as Vice President and for the country. I disagree.

Although it might seem insignificant to some, one secret that we must not forget are the missing photographs of the homecoming of the flag covered caskets from Iraq & Afghanistan. This misguided policy was put in place in 1991 by then Assistant Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney. From the National Security Archive at George Washington University, they provide the historical background to the ban on photographs.

The ban on media coverage of returning casualties was imposed by Defense Secretary Cheney after an embarrassing incident in which three television networks broadcast live, split-screen images in December, 1989, as the first U.S. casualties were returning from an American assault on Panama. In that incident, President Bush was seen on television joking at a White House news conference while somber images of flag-draped coffins arriving at Dover Air Force Base moved across viewers' screens. The ban on war casualty images was continued during the Clinton administration, which made several exceptions to allow publication and broadcast upon the return of victims of attacks against U.S. personnel abroad, including the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole in 2000. President George W. Bush continued the ban following the start of the Afghanistan war in October, 2001 and the Iraq invasion in March, 2003.

The censorship of these photographs will deny historians and our country photographic evidence of the casualties of the controversial War on Terror. What stark documentation will be available to see how the United States honored the military casualties during these difficult years? Nothing demonstrates the human cost of war than these photographs and nothing demonstrates the honor afforded to these young men & women. The Bush administration refuses to provide this evidence.

Full disclosure- the day I was told my son, 1Lt Ken Ballard was killed in Iraq in 2004, I requested the photographs of my son's casket being returned to Dover. The Army refused my request stating that "it was against Army policy and it was for the privacy of the families". I never got those photographs despite repeated requests during the week before Ken's body was returned to me in California.

So much damage has been caused by this administration that it is likely we will never know how much. Because of the administration's affinity towards a cloak of secrecy and all the mysteries that lie beneath it and behind it, there is no intention of historians knowing what was done in the name of our Country and it's citizens. What better clue to a verdict of guilty, guilty, guilty?

A New York Times editorial says History is truly the poorer for the Bush administration. President-elect Barack Obama must quickly undo the damage by ordering that records be shielded from political interference, by repairing the freedom-of-information process, and by ending the abuse of the classification process to cloak the truths of the presidency.

We owe it to future generations to provide as much of the truth as we can get. We owe it to ourselves to know the truth as truth defines us as a country and a people. I am not okay with the secrets of this administration and I know I am in good company with people who feel the same.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy said “The very word 'secrecy' is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths, and to secret proceedings.” Only we can answer if Bush & Cheney's secrecy is repugnant or acceptable and indeed whether we are a free and open society. The Obama administration can answer those questions loud and clear.

Veteran's Day 2008- Honoring All Who Served

90 years ago marked the end of WWI hostilities. It was the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the 11^th month in 1918. WWI was called the "War to end all Wars". If only that held true.

Over the years, Armistice Day or Veterans Day resolutions have stated: the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations AND a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace.

As one of my good friends from Veterans for Peace told me, if you aren't fighting for peace, what are you fighting for?

These crosses represent the 4819 American soldiers who have died serving their country in Iraq & Afghanistan and we will never forget them. But Veteran's Day is intended to thank living veterans for their service & sacrifice to their country. The 23.8 million veterans living in America deserve the recognition.

Regardless of how you feel about this war or any war, veterans stand up to serve their country in the military when others choose a different path of service or none at all. Veterans raise their hands and take an oath to solemnly swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. This is a promise they make to their fellow citizens. After 7 years of war, 600,000 individuals have served, with approximately 1.7 million tours logged. We cannot and may not fall victim to war fatigue as long as we have young men and women fighting in our name. If we hate the war, we cannot hate the warrior. Veteran's Day reminds us of this.

Supporting the Troops does not mean putting a magnetic yellow ribbon on the back of your vehicle. These veterans have given 100%; we owe them that much in return. Supporting the troops means we provide them with proper equipment & training. It means we take care of them when they return from the battlefront to the home front. PTSD, Suicide, higher rates of marital problems are not okay, we must do better. We must:

Provide thorough, Professional, and Confidential Mental Health Screening

Properly fund the VA

Overhaul the Military and Veterans' Disability System

Cut VA Claims Backlog

Increase the number of Mental Health Professionals

Fight Homelessness among Veterans

One week ago a new day dawned in America. We have a President elect who seems to understand the needs of Veteran's. It is our job to hold him to the promise that we make to Veterans who have served their country.We must insist on it.

My son is never coming home. 4 ½ years later, I still find it difficult to say those words. 1Lt Ken Ballard was a 4^th generation Army officer and he knew what it meant to serve. He knew the promise that his 2 great grandfathers, Col Roderick Meredith & Major Richard Fox, his grandfather, Lt Col Russell Meredith, and his aunt Lt Col Cathy Patton made. And he knew the promise that he made to this country. On this Veteran's Day, let us make a promise to never, ever forget and to always remember and care for our Veterans.

VOTE!

Someone Stole my Bumper Sticker

Some one stole my bumper sticker from the back of my car yesterday. I put it on more than a year ago. I have been left me some interesting notes, all supportive, many apologetic.

My bumper sticker said

BUSH LIED,
MY SON DIED

Why would someone take my bumper sticker?

A Republican's mailing list

I don't know how it happened, but I ended up on a local McCain supporter's personal email list. As offensive as the emails have been, I believe in keeping my friends close and my enemies closer. I don't know this woman and I don't consider her my enemy, but I know for sure we do not share political philosophies. I wonder if she'll drop me after the election?

This morning I received an email from my Republican 'friend" titled "Please help make this video viral". This video is California Arnold Schwarzenegger speaking to a raucous crowd in Columbus, Oh. When Arnold said "Our democracy is not for sale". The crowd went wild! Sadly, our democracy has already been given away, not sold, to the no-compete secret bidders who would make the most money for George Bush's friends, regardless of the requirements and real needs of the contracts.

As I watched the video, it revealed nothing new for me. It was the same old Republican spin on their view of the world. It fed this red meat crowd and they were ecstatic. It was the same GOP soundbites; as I said, nothing new. But it got me wondering. I understand our Governor's ties to Ohio, it's where he got his start in the bodybuilding world. Ohio is pretty much in the Obama camp at this point, so having Schwarzenegger stand up for McCain in Ohio may make some sense (does politics ever really make sense?). California has got a big red GOP stripe in the middle of our state, so it's likely Schwarzenegger would find some friendly crowds that support McCain but he didn't campaign for McCain here. Obama is leading in California by healthy 2 digit margins in most polls, so I understand why Schwarzenegger wouldn't be campaigning in CA, but it really reflects on how the campaign for McCain is doing in CA that our Governor wouldn't even stand up for the Republican candidate here. I'm just saying.....

I'll RSVP to Jayne here- no, I won't be attending your McCain victory party on Tuesday night. I can only imagine the gloom and doom as you discuss the possibilities of a Democratic president after 8 years of Republican failure in our country and that is not how I will be spending my Tuesday night.