The Purple Heart is awarded for sustaining an injury in battle.  It was the first medal ever authorized by General George Washington and it remains a mark of respect among veterans.  I believe it is held in the highest of regard among civilians, as well.

The unfortunate fact for far too many veterans is that the wound they take in battle doesn't get noticed.  They get no Purple Heart because the wound can't be seen.  When they come home, they are expected to act as if they've never been wounded.  The gaping, gasping hole in their soul goes unnoticed.  Many times, they deny the wound themselves.

For a long time, the existence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was officially denied.  Thankfully, those days are gone.  But the efforts at preventing, identifying, and treating PTSD remain painfully inadequate.  We have to change that.  Now.

You've head it over and over from Republicans:  "the government should be run like a business". If you've had any run-ins with insurance companies, that ought to make you shudder.

Well, one consequence of this "run like a business stuff" is some of the military policies, which reads something like this: "spend as little on the troops as possible".  Here is one example:  sometimes when a soldier is injured in battle, he/she is eventually discharged.  But sometimes the injury (mental or physical) is reclassified as pre-existing so as to enable the Army to recover things like enlistment bonuses!  More below the fold...

Originally published hereand crossposted here.

Now that there's a bit of a lull in the pre-election diary volume,  I'd like to kick the discussion up from the "here and now" issues to an issue that will continue to resonate regardless of who is elected in November: the pathological coupling between religious fundamentalism, flag worship, and what can be called, for lack of a better term, "warrior worship." Join me below the fold,  won't you?

Through this website and IGTNT, I have become an active supporter of our troops, sending one or sometimes even two packages a week to "Any Soldier" in Afghanistan and Iraq from the listings posted at AnySoldier. Although I am a dyed-in-the-wool progressive (or perhaps because of that fact), my opposition is to the Iraq war itself (and, heaven help us, to any war with Iran), not to the brave men and women who daily put themselves in harm’s way on the orders of this corrupt administration.  

I've come alot closer to my full support of Obama, I just don't ever make total decisions when elections are months away, I also don't just look at the single person trying to give their resume, I look at how they present themselves, smear and slam are big no no's, and I look at who they bring close to them in their campaigns and try and figure out, if they win, who will they surround themselves with while in office ( and I hit the nail on the head, which I do for a living, as to the bush crowd, not exactly reading the future but seeing alot of what was to come do so! ), especially as to Federal Representation and the Presidential Office, more towards my Representation on who I would Hire.

Happy 4th of July long weekend, all kos-friends!

25 letters would really really help!

June 28, 2008:  A Happy Happy Joy Joy Hip Hip Hooray Day for Me!

A Wedding.
A Birthday.
and a fabulous project!

Hello dailykos members!  This diary is an official part of Netroots For The Troops.  

It's your letter lady, jlms qkw, home from holiday.  And a big thanks to all previous letter writers, especially those who sent in letters while I was on vacation!

Current Totals:  59 61 Letters!  

This includes my 11 and 49 from wonderful dailykos members and their families!  

42 40 more needed!

Navy Hospitalman Dustin Kelby Burnett, 19, of Fort Mojave, AZ has served his final mission.

He was known as "Tex" to his friends and "Doc" to all the people he helped while serving the 2/7 Marines in Farah province in Afghanistan. He’d been in Afghanistan less than 3 months, but he and his buddies had already received care packages thanks to Military Moms, a Bullhead City, AZ community organization that sends care packages to the troops.

As we mourn his loss, I ask you to consider honoring this corpsman's memory by making a contribution – however small or large – to the Netroots for the Troops’ Care Package project at Netroots Nation ‘08.

Today on the radio I heard a staff sergeant and his CO interviewed about how they were dealing with the heat in Northern Iraq - triple digits every day. In their body armor it feels like 115° and there will be no respite from that in the foreseeable future.

What struck me was that there wasn't even the hint of a complaint from either of these men.

Not that you needed one more reason to contribute to the Netroots for the Troops (NFTT) Care Package Project, but c'mon - lets help make these selfless servicemen's and women's days just a little more bearable.

At Netroots Nation we'll be letting our troops on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan know how much we care by assembling and shipping packages right from Austin. 101 of them to be exact. We'll also honor our fallen servicemen and women with some special tributes during the convention.

The details are below the fold, but before you go there, please Rec this diary!

What the heck is an NFTT diary? And how do I make it go away?

NFTT stands for Netroots for the Troops, a coalition of the IGTNT and Mojo Friday crews. With the generous support of the Daily Kos community, Netroots for the Troops is hosting a Care Packages for the Troops seminar at Netroots Nation 2008 in Austin on July 19.

That's where we will let our troops on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan know how much we care by assembling and shipping packages right from Austin. 101 of them to be exact. We'll also honor our fallen servicemen and women with some special tributes during the convention.

The details about how you can make NFTT fundraising diaries stop are below the fold, but before you go there, please Rec this diary!

The IGTNT and Mojo Friday crews are eagerly anticipating Netroots Nation 2008 in Austin, July 17-20. With the generous support of the Daily Kos community, our coalition, Netroots for the Troops, will pay tribute to our fallen servicemen and women, and let our troops on the ground know how much we care by sending them packages from home. It is our hope that our care-package event will also raise public awareness of the needs that our active-duty troops have for everyday items that most of us take for granted and will show America one of the many creative and positive ways in which Democrats and liberal bloggers support our troops.

FATHERS!

They seem to be the ones coming out and showing the civilian and military leadership, as well as this apathedic country, how the Military Troops should be treated!

This election season, there will be repeated code used to disparage our nominee as a liberal elitist from Chicago, that bastion of Liberalism.

Hyde Park Liberal = Radical

Surrender = Anti-Troops

Sean Hannity wants to scare the rest of America away from the heart of the heartland...  I'm not from Chicago however it holds a very special place in my heart.  It's been a beloved adopted city of mine that I've enjoyed traveling to for about a decade now.  You'll hear about the dirty Chicago Machine, Liberal Chicago Philosophy...

Today, something amazing happened that is Americana personified while I sat at Midway Airport waiting for my flight to Detriot.... That story below the fold.

It's your letter lady again!  (oh noes, i outed my gender!)

Easiest way EVAH to write a letter to a soldier!

Join in our Netroots for the Troops project by 1)donating money for the care packages or 2)writing a letter, emailing it to me (free), for inclusion in the packages.

I'm waiting for primary results.  Are you?  While we wait, let's all write a little letter to a soldier!  Please, pretty please!

I want 101 letters, and I have about 20, with about 40 more promised.  I want 101 more letters and pictures from kids, too.  Netroots for the Troops hosted a discussion with a soldier Sunday night, and he said letters from kids were the best.  

See below for all the details.  

Be nice:  I am guest-hosting in exchange for the chance to get more letters to soldiers for Netroots Support the Troops!

Please share other news stories you find worthy or unusual.  

I selected a few stories, then noticed I was focusing on stories involving individuals not in anyone's headlines, and groups taking some kind of action.  

At the age of 63 I got drafted again.  I’m now in Ninepatch’s Army.  Our mission:   while in Austin for Net Roots Nation, we plan to pack and send 100 Care Packages to our troops.  Tonight we have Jonathan Norrell on the line [think of my role here as Larry King – without the paycheck or toupe].  Jonathan is still in the Army and has been a recipient of care packages – but not from Ninepatch or any of you.