Justin had a visitor today. We both had mixed feelings about the visit. Justin isn’t big on meeting famous people in general…especially high ranking officials. He’s not really the most politically correct (okay, that’s an understatement) and doesn’t like to have to censor himself. While meeting our President is something you don’t get to do every day, so many of his views and agendas directly oppose my personal convictions. He (and probably 99% of politicians…Democrat, Republican, and anything else) isn’t on my top 10 list of people I’d like to meet. To be completely honest, I was a lot more excited about meeting Gary Sinise. Not because of the fact he’s an actor in a show I enjoy watching or because he played the part of a character who was a solider in war who lost both legs in combat in the movie Forrest Gump. I enjoyed meeting him because he takes such an active role in helping wounded warriors and goes all over the place giving morale boosting concerts for active duty soldiers. (So disappointed we’re going to miss the concert at Ft. Stewart that’s coming up!) I attended one of his concerts when we were stationed in Germany. There were a lot of things he could have been doing to celebrate the 4th of July, but he and his band (named after his character in Forrest Gump – Lt. Dan) chose to go to Germany to give a concert for troops and their families. Justin had deployed a couple months prior to the concert, and it was a nice distraction for me and the other spouses whose husbands/wives were deployed.
Anyway, back to today’s visit. I did appreciate that he took the time to come down to Walter Reed to visit Justin and the other wounded warriors. They deserve to get recognition for their sacrifices from their Command in Chief. A lot of stuff in the area was shut down today due to the snow, so he could have easily gotten out of it and nobody would have thought poorly of it. I’ll give him credit for that…though since everything was shut down, he didn’t miss a day of work to visit. Lol Whether or not I agree with his policies (and more often than not, I don’t agree with them), he is our country’s president. I try to avoid political discussions in general because they can be very divisive and are typically rather negative. I have friends that agree with my views which is great, and I have friends that don’t. For the ones that don’t, I would prefer to agree to disagree and leave it at that. Arguing politics won’t change my mind and likely won’t change yours, so it’s a waste of time and can result in hurt feelings. I may not agree with his policies, but I respect the office of President. I may not have voted for him and my not like the direction he’s leading our country, but he is our President. God allowed the people of the United States to vote him into office. I may not understand it all, but God does. I don’t always understand what’s going on in my own life, so I’d be crazy to think I’d understand everything in our country and everything in the world. God is in control even when it seems like things around out of control.
I do wish President Obama and our other elected officials just up the road from Walter Reed would do more to support our military…active duty and retired (both with 20+ years of service and medical retirees), wounded and uninjured. These men and women sacrifice so much, yet they receive so little in return, and what they do receive is slowly being taken away. Some people complain about all the “freebies” military service members and their families receive. I personally don’t know what they’re talking about. If military personnel were paid so highly, why do so many qualify for government assistance to help feed their families? Yes, we get full healthcare, but it comes at a high cost – just not monetarily. The cost of our dental plan is deducted out of Justin’s paycheck just like anyone else, so that’s not a freebie. They pay for us to see the world…yeah, not as exciting as it sounds. You try living in a foreign country for a couple months before your vehicle and household goods arrive. And most of the foreign countries Justin’s visited were not exactly leisure trips. No, it wasn’t all bad. I made some awesome friends and have some great memories too, but I could say the same about Ft. Stewart. And as difficult as it is here at Walter Reed, I can honestly say I’ve made new friends and memories here too. Then there’s the issue of retirement pensions. When you hear on the news about cuts to “working age retirees” a lot of people will think that it doesn’t sound so bad. Most have a new career and make plenty of money. They don’t need all the pension money right now. Let’s think about that a minute. How many post 9/11 combat wounded veterans do you figure are of “retirement age”? The majority of the seriously wounded likely medically retired from military service and are considered disabled. Yes, some may have gone on to other careers depending how serious their injuries are, but many require full time care or are unable to work. Do you think they can afford to have their pay cut? Then there’s the cuts to military installations. When you see on the news about government shutdowns and sequestration, it’s just another story about how our government can’t get along and how bad our country is in debt. When I see those stories, I wonder how badly it will affect us. Commissaries are being closed which will really hurt a lot of families. On post/base hospitals and clinics are having to work on skeleton crews, so wait times are longer and getting an appointment when you’re actually sick is nearly impossible sometimes. They’re talking about decreasing the housing allowance. Speaking from experience, we’ve had months where nearly every dollar of Justin’s paycheck went toward necessities…and we’re typically some of the more responsible people regarding finances. There isn’t an adequate number of houses on post to hold everyone stationed at a given post and the waiting list can be long, so for many, living off post is out of necessity even though it’s financially more difficult at times. Some would say the spouse could get a job. That’s true, but the majority of military spouses that are able to find a job are under-employed. It’s hard to make a career when you have to move every couple years. And when you factor in child care costs (for those with children who aren’t school aged), sometimes the family would be losing money for have the spouse employed. Here at Walter Reed, budget cuts are felt big time. Justin’s physical therapist had her hours cut, not because of her performance but because she was one of the most recent hires. Now Justin is with a different therapist who is okay, but not nearly as personable as the one he had before the cuts. During the shutdown/sequestration the hours were cut for a lot of the civilians, so the military personnel in those departments had to work longer hours and more days in a row without a break. It was difficult for everyone around here. Now they’re cutting the Tri-care service centers where you can do in person and talk to someone about any issues or changes that need to be made. They say you can call in or go online, but I’ve heard horror stories about the call centers customer services and getting into the online “portal” from home isn’t easy if you can at all. You can’t just login like most site. You have to have a military ID (not just a dependent one) and have a card reader to plug the ID into…the majority of times the card readers don’t work or you can’t find the software to make it work because it doesn’t come with any. Talk about a headache. Then there’s deployments. Even if the soldier comes home with no injuries, it takes a toll on families. Justin’s had to miss a lot of Corey’s life or see it only through Skype and pictures. Many fathers have missed the births of their children. Birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries are either missed or celebrated early/late. The constant thought that you may never see your loved one again. The Army (and other branches do the same I assume) had a packet of paperwork for final wishes should the soldier make the ultimate sacrifice. They don’t really cover what happens if your loved one is wounded in combat. It’s a bit morbid, but I mentally prepared myself more for Justin dying than for getting limbs blown off. I don’t think I ever once even considered the possibility of him being seriously injured. I’m not trying to complain or whine about our situation. I’m thankful for the career Justin has had in the Army for the past 8 years and who knows how many in the future. I’m thankful for the care he’s receive in spite of the budget cuts here at Walter Reed. Some of the doctors and nurses that he’s had here are the top of their fields and are highly sought after. The military is the life Justin chose, and what I chose when I chose Justin…but things are definitely a lot different than when he signed his name and swore in.
I’ll stop there for my rant, but I will ask that you all pray for our military (especially those wounded and currently deployed), our elected officials (whether you agree with them or not) and our nation. II Chronicles 7:14 says “if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” And let me tell you, our country needs some healing. Things are getting crazier and crazier. Crime is up, employment is down, and there is such much division in so many different areas. Our country needs to turn back to God before things get even worse.
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