Afghanistan

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Sid Miller, Texas’ new head of the Department of Agriculture, is kind of amusing. At the beginning of his term, he announced with apparent relish that cupcakes were now allowed back onto school menus. He made his announcement while biting into a very tasty looking chocolate cupcake. A few months later, he announced the fryer…

Well, the Texas Legislature pulled back from the edge of the precipice. The state legislature came very close to reducing Hazlewood Act benefits for Texas veterans and their children. I previously wrote about that effort to reduce benefits here and here. The Hazlewood Act allows veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to attend…

Just a few years ago, most Texans were anxious to help veterans. The Texas legislature passed an amendment to the Hazelwood Act which would allow free tuition at state schools for veterans. The veteran could pass that benefit to his/her children. The Texas act did not require service after the amendment was passed. While, the…

So, the other shoe drops. Bowe Bergdahl may not have been appropriate for Army service, at all. It turns out that he had been in the Coast Guard before entering the Army. The Coast Guard kicked him out after 90 days. He was removed administratively. As most veterans know, that typically means he had some…

SGT Bowe Bergdahl has been charged with desertion with intent to shirk important or hazardous duty. The charges will go before an Art. 32 hearing, which is equivalent to a grand jury. He may not spend any time in prison, since he served five years as prisoner of the Taliban. Many members of any court-martial…

The ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) forces capture northern Iraq and some 2 million U.S. veterans look with dismay. See CBS news report. I spent a lot of time traveling north form Tikrit, through the oil fields and the critical bridge over the Tigris River. Now, it is in the hands of…

In this day of increased appreciation for service members, we are hearing a lot of negative news about Bowe Bergdahl, now that he has been freed. It makes sense to me that we have this discussion after he has been freed. I am happy that he is free of his captors. The Taliban are not…

I do not understand the criticism of the Bowe Bergdahl prisoner exchange. Republicans leaders express concern that five Taliban leaders were released. These persons may cause harm to Americans. Pres. Obama mentioned that Sgt Bergdahl’s health was beginning to worsen. Today, Sen. Saxty Chambliss, R-Ga., suggested there was nothing wrong with his health. See CBS…

According to a recent Washington Post news report, KBR and Halliburton required its contract employees in Iraq and Afghanistan to not report fraud or waste.   They required contract employees to sign confidentiality agreements.  To any veteran of the two wars, that requirement is offensive.  We received many of our support services from KBR (owned…

A Seguin man has died from his wounds suffered in Afghanistan.  SSGT Richard Vazquez served in the Special Forces (i.e., the Green Berets).  His wounds were inflicted by an IED (roadside bomb).  SSGT Vazquez graduated from Seguin High School in 2004, where he played on the football team.  He was the quarterback his senior year.