Posted on 11.13.2017

Veterans Day Revisted

I know Veterans Day has come and gone but I wanted to devote another column to our veterans, as it is my belief that we can never say enough or do enough for the people who have laid their lives on the line to keep America free, the ones who have, the ones who are and the ones who will in the future.

It seems that during the Obama administration the military services took a back seat at the table, their advice on Iraq, a war they had shed a lot of blood to win, was not heeded or even taken into consideration as a �give peace a chance� president followed his own passive instincts, pulled the troops out and gave rise to ISIS, providing our military with another unneeded and dangerous enemy.

Veterans returning from their service found a Veterans Administration that was just that, long on administrating and short on following through with the medical treatment they needed.

The government that had sent them off to war had allowed incompetence and bureaucratic red tape to create long waiting lists and inadequate services, resulting in much suffering and in some instances, death.

There is some disagreement about the number of daily veteran suicides, as the VA does not classify drug overdoses and some other causes of death as suicide, but sources I trust place the number at 22 per day.

Now let�s take this out of the statistical realm for a moment and reduce it to humanity. Imagine that 22 men and women who have served in our military are taking their lives every day. There have to be reasons and there should be an all-out effort on the part of the federal government to find out what they are.

The American media should be all over this story, with investigative reporters, exposing the sordid fact, pressuring government agencies to find the answers, but it seems that the sexual escapades of the Hollywood crowd deserve more space than the reasons that are driving 22 veterans a day to take their own lives.

The needs of our veterans are diverse and many and the job, to a big extent, is being done, not by government, but by private citizens and non-governmental veterans organizations, educating, counseling, sheltering, providing job placement and just being there with a shoulder to lean on.

Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee has opened an on-campus Veterans Center, with state of the art teleconferencing facilities, access to mental health specialists, job placement and a place for the student veteran population to come together with like-minded brothers and sisters who have gone through the same experiences and have the same interests.

The University of Tennessee is in the process of opening their own veterans center and all of us who support our veterans are in high hopes that many other colleges around the nation will participate in providing their own student veterans with a such a facility.

The worth and effect of these on campus centers have been proven many times over, proven by positive results.

And how can a nation devote resources to illegal aliens and refugees when so many of those who risked their lives for us are living on the streets, homeless.

Remember this, America, and I am repeating myself for probably the thousandth time.

Only two things protect America.

The grace of Almighty God and the United States Military.

I never served in the military, but nobody has greater respect, admiration and a sincerer sense of gratitude than I do.

So, at this time that we set aside to honor our veterans, let me express my most profound appreciation to anybody who has ever donned that uniform, you�re all heroes to me.

What do you think?

Pray for our troops, our police, and the peace of Jerusalem.

God Bless America

� Charlie Daniels

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Comments

Thank you for being an advocate for our Veterans!
Mr. Daniels, First, let me thank you for being a great advocate for our Veterans! I am in the early stages of establishing a non profit Veteran program to assist our Vets and their families. I would love your thoughts on the concept, and I am happy to share them via email, or in person. (I am in CT). If there is any chance to connect with you, it would be appreciated. Just to be clear, I am not looking for funding. Thank you! Mike. 203-456-4498.
Posted by Mike
Our Defense
The two greatest defenses we have are the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
Posted by Dana
Veterans Day
As a second generation American, I served during the Viet Nam war. I did so out of an attempt to not go to Nam. Ended up as a Naval aircraft mechanic, in a reserve program serving two years over seas. I was fortunate to be in a noncombat location. My service enabled me to learn the true value of friendship, which I never understood beforehand. Exiting the service at that time was a difficult process. We were lucky not to be spit upon. I never gave much thought to my service until recently, about five to seven years ago. I now feel like the sacrifice I made was for the best interest of our country. Allow me to thank all of our veterans for their sacrifices to our country. Without you we would not be free and live the lives we do. My heart goes out to all veterans that sacrificed their lives and to all who suffer from the negative effects of their service. May our Heavenly Father bless you all.
Posted by Owen
great stuff!
great posts am enjoying CD posts and its high time we stand for what is good about America!
Posted by Peggy
Raven 23
I like ya Mr. Daniels. Your common sense is undeniable. But, I don't blindly follow anyone. I have very serious questions about going to battle when the leaders can't identify the enemy or define victory. These "leaders" need to be harshly questioned about their intentions and goals. They haven't been able to identify the enemy or define victory sense WWII. There is something very screwed up about it. I have a friend who dared to defend himself in Baghdad Iraq, he and four others are serving very lengthy prison sentences in America. They were convicted by a civilian jury in Washington DC. Our country is being subverted. I could talk about this little known tactic of warfare for hours. There more ways to defeat a country then with bullets and bombs. We in America seem very ignorant of these nonconventional forms of warfare. Whereas China practically invented this form of warfare and Russia is very good at it. https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2017/09/24/former-blackwater-security-guard-nick-slatten-i-am-pow-my-own-country/692745001/
Posted by Wayne
22 or More
Amen, Amen & Amen Charlie, I totally agree with all that you have laid out here and can only say that I believe that 22 is probably on the low side. This does not cover that one's that die in policeman during standoffs that end in tragedy, no fault of the police, but definitely some blame must fall on the government. This 22 number does not include fatalities such as Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield, which are far greater than most want to admit. We don't even want to discuss the friendly fire deaths such as Pat Tillman, each and everyone, the ultimate sacrifice. nuff said God Bless Plowboy
Posted by Plowboy
Oceans
There are these things called boats... big ones are often called ships... SMH
Posted by Ben
Veteran's Day Revisited
Amen on all counts, Mr. Daniels!
Posted by Michael
Our Veterans
I couldn't agree with you more. Like you, Charlie, I have had the honor to perform for our troops overseas in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Korea. It truly changed my life. Sometimes I think it's impossible for anyone to truly appreciate the sacrifices our military men and women make until they see it first hand. The very fact that 22 of our heroes take their own lives every day truly breaks my heart. That is why we fully support the Patriotic Service Dog Foundation. Their motto is "22 to 0". The work they do to provide service dogs to our returning soldiers is nothing short of amazing. I will continue to work and pray for our troops, law enforcement, firefighters, and for you Charlie. Thank YOU for all you do.
Posted by Sam
General
Charlie, I can't wait to bring my two boys to hear you tomorrow night in Torrington. The second concert I ever attended (in 1979) was CDB and my guys are psyched to carry on the tradition. One of the things I always appreciated about you is your ability to bring forth American Pride without getting caught up in the blame game that we see all over the place these days. Rather than finding ways to blame others for the troubles in America, I've always looked to you to be someone who focuses on the good and moves forward and I hope that continues. You are and always will be by far one of my favorite musicians, songwriters, etc. Peace, Love and CDB!!!!!!!
Posted by Dave
Veterans Day 2017
Charlie i am so angry at the current state of our government. You�d think with all the science and developments since the �minutemen� the Government could proffiently assist our you returning Veterans. They continue to bury their heads in scandals and lying and cheating- disregarding their true purpose. I agree with the 22 number as the correct number of sucides per day. Many of these Vets have removed themselfs from the VA records. That means records the VA has not already lost on their own. Years back in my era, a soldier with life threathning wounds if survived the field hospital, were medivaced to Japan or Gernany. If they by chance passed on there, they were not considered a casualty of the war. I don�t know what the sucide rate was in the 60�s -70�s but i am sure it was there. I know from experiance my substance abuse rose. Note, those days are behind me. Charlie thank you for what you do for the Vets and words of wisdom. Praise the Lord only he can lead us to a better life..
Posted by Ralph
Homeless Veterans
As a veteran, I recently produced a music video to highlight the homeless vets in our Nation's Capital. There but for the grace... https://youtu.be/uFqRL3li7fs
Posted by Tim