1st female Air Force combat vet in run for congress

[gearhog]

LOL. Cancel culture strikes again.

https://www.salon.com/2020/07/08/martha-mcsally-women-in-the-military-get-pregnant-to-skirt-deployment/

 

[Seriously]

Leftist media hit job.

[SocialD]

4 hours ago, torqued said:

LOL. Cancel culture strikes again.

https://www.salon.com/2020/07/08/martha-mcsally-women-in-the-military-get-pregnant-to-skirt-deployment/

 

LOL, comments are turn off for the youtube video, but the comments on the article are great.  One poster instantly jumps to the "she was pregnant because she was raped," card.  You know, because the only way girls in the military get pregnant is through rape...  

 

Total hit job, and she's not wrong.  She's right that it's just a small portion of people, but it's not just women.  A Chief friend is deployed right now and, just in the last week, has had 7 people fall out of their deployments.  One girl has already been extended almost 3 months as the 4th replacement just fell off for one reason or another.  We had a NCO that has been in for nearly 20 years and has NEVER deployed.  She finally gets told she has to deploy and turns into a total train wreck because, "she can't be away from her kids that long."  Guess who didn't deploy due to a sudden onset of migraines about a month before deployment... I'm continually amazed at the number of unplanned pregnancies and new found ailments that miraculously pop up just prior to a deployment.  

 

Edit:  Just chatted with my Chief buddy.  He said one of his sections only has 19 people and in that section alone (just in the last week), 5 people fell out of their deployment.  

Edited July 9, 2020 by SocialD
updated info.

[viper154]

Couple month trip to the sandbox and some tax free income or 18 years of responsibility for another person and all the hardships that come with children. Unsat on SA/Decision making. Please, get prego and stay home if that’s how you make decisions, I don’t want you anywhere near me in a combat zone. 

[Danger41]

11 hours ago, SocialD said:

 

LOL, comments are turn off for the youtube video, but the comments on the article are great.  One poster instantly jumps to the "she was pregnant because she was raped," card.  You know, because the only way girls in the military get pregnant is through rape...  

 

Total hit job, and she's not wrong.  She's right that it's just a small portion of people, but it's not just women.  A Chief friend is deployed right now and, just in the last week, has had 7 people fall out of their deployments.  One girl has already been extended almost 3 months as the 4th replacement just fell off for one reason or another.  We had a NCO that has been in for nearly 20 years and has NEVER deployed.  She finally gets told she has to deploy and turns into a total train wreck because, "she can't be away from her kids that long."  Guess who didn't deploy due to a sudden onset of migraines about a month before deployment... I'm continually amazed at the number of unplanned pregnancies and new found ailments that miraculously pop up just prior to a deployment.  

 

Edit:  Just chatted with my Chief buddy.  He said one of his sections only has 19 people and in that section alone (just in the last week), 5 people fell out of their deployment.  

JFC that pisses me off. Reminds me of my last PT test where there were 15 people and somehow 13 of them were on profiles. The only two healthy enough to test were me and another pilot. Shocking.

 

[nsplayr]

I remember running a gentlemen’s 12:30 and literally lapping more than half of my fellow test takers. ?!?! How??

Top 5 finishers out of a group of ~25...all ops. Like you said, big surprise. 

[hindsight2020]

Anecdotally at least, it doesn't sound like a round off error to me. I can't stand people who cosplayed pilot for political gain (aka McBlinky), but I have no problem with people speaking the quiet parts out loud if it means we tackle the effetry. 

Fact is I have half a dozen anecdotes of shitbag females pulling similar stunts as was highlighted in the video (and I include join spouse chicanery in that ledger), commissioned officers included. Lotsa weasels in his Majesty's service. VA disability payment racket is another white elephant in the room, and that goes regardless of gender. My shitbag deceased uncle was one of them, 100% payments for life since getting mental health DQ at Benning during Vietnam draft. Didn't lift a finger for the rest of his life. Completely able bodied. I digress.

Again, not saying it's everybody, but just like if you have to shake it more than once -- you know you're playing with it; when running out of fingers counting these weasels, well...a round-off error that is not. 

 

Edited July 10, 2020 by hindsight2020

[pbar]

5 hours ago, hindsight2020 said:

snipped

. VA disability payment racket is another white elephant in the room, and that goes regardless of gender. My shitbag deceased uncle was one of them, 100% payments for life since getting mental health DQ at Benning during Vietnam draft. Didn't lift a finger for the rest of his life. Completely able bodied. I digress.

 

Everybody loves to beat up the VA but nobody talks about all the people clogging up VA services with 100% PTSD or other bogus stuff because they saw a bodybag from 200 yards away after never having left the base during their entire 'Nam or Afghanistan tour.

[Sua Sponte]

The VA disability ratings can be reduce before 20 years or permanent 100%. One thing that makes it difficult is VA law is very veteran friendly with a “more likely than not” legal standard. There are Facebook Groups for VA disability on people trying to fineness disability claims. The big one is 100% since federal student loans are completely forgiven. Some people have $200K+ in debt forgive due to 100% being awarded.

[Negatory]

It’s unfortunate, but every person I know that’s “100% disabled” can still get around just fine and could easily work. Don’t you also get tax free or something?

[hindsight2020]

5 hours ago, brawnie said:

It’s unfortunate, but every person I know that’s “100% disabled” can still get around just fine and could easily work. Don’t you also get tax free or something?

In TX, you are completely exempt from property tax on your home at 100%. That's essentially trifecta in a state with no income tax. Many other examples of perverse incentive exist nationwide that promote the rampant maligning of the VA disability rating system. To suggest the criterion requires a fundamental overhaul is an understatement. But as long as people use legitimate cases as the third rail political shield for this servicemember grift, the looting will continue to worsen.

[SurelySerious]

4 hours ago, hindsight2020 said:

In TX, you are completely exempt from property tax on your home at 100%. That's essentially trifecta in a state with no income tax. Many other examples of perverse incentive exist nationwide that promote the rampant maligning of the VA disability rating system. To suggest the criterion requires a fundamental overhaul is an understatement. But as long as people use legitimate cases as the third rail political shield for this servicemember grift, the looting will continue to worsen.

Politicians use the VA as a third rail with illegitimate causes like the VA version of BRAC to avoid consolidating overlapping centers, and the VA has never faced a real audit and no one knows where the money goes...so I doubt anyone will ever do anything as applicable as assessing “100%,” unfortunately. 

[Sua Sponte]

12 hours ago, brawnie said:

It’s unfortunate, but every person I know that’s “100% disabled” can still get around just fine and could easily work. Don’t you also get tax free or something?

There’s two 100% disabled. One you can work, one you can’t. Disabled veteran benefits vary by the state. In Washington, one pretty has to be 100% disabled for most benefits. I’m moving to Colorado next month and I’ll get free plates for my car due to being over 50% and free hunting and fishing licenses for life if over 60%.

[Right Seat Driver]

There’s two 100% disabled. One you can work, one you can’t. Disabled veteran benefits vary by the state. In Washington, one pretty has to be 100% disabled for most benefits. I’m moving to Colorado next month and I’ll get free plates for my car due to being over 50% and free hunting and fishing licenses for life if over 60%.

I agree some people milk the system, that’s inevitable. But I’ve known a few dudes who were 90-100% that looked able bodied. However, they’re all getting hip and knee replacements in the next few years, as well as spinal surgery to replace buldged disks and to fuse vertebrae. YMMV.


Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

[Sua Sponte]

1 hour ago, Right Seat Driver said:

 

I agree some people milk the system, that’s inevitable. But I’ve known a few dudes who were 90-100% that looked able bodied. However, they’re all getting hip and knee replacements in the next few years, as well as spinal surgery to replace buldged disks and to fuse vertebrae. YMMV.


Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

 

I have 3,000 hours as a -135 Boom. I look fine and walk like an old man due to the boom pod and teaching four years at the FTU. The VA gave me 10% for my back. It’s a crap shoot. There’s also the people who do the holier than thou stance of not wanting to file a disability claim. Which is fine, but that’s a personal choice, but that doesn’t extend your beliefs to other people with their claims. When I was a broke full-time college student my disability pay paid my bills, and I was thankful for it.

[AirGuardianC141747]

I myself HAD personal issues with filing any disability claims, but in the end it’s your right as a veteran. Good friend of mine came down for a visit from the D.C. area where we had both worked, different jobs same swamp antics. Anyway, one of his assignments included the collection and organization of Flag officer disability claims where he racked and stacked the inputs into the proper format before VA input. Not a VSO but something like that perhaps. Either way, I discussed the matter and he mentioned that Flag Officers never hesitate with well over 100K earned pensions so why should you (Not really about the 100K so don’t hyper focus on that) - It’s your right as a veteran whether the substantiating system is broke or not and the majority have been helped to some extent and yes there are questionable folks out there but name one place there isn’t. Like Sua Sponte said “It’s a crap shoot!”, so make sure you put down anything and everything you might think is related to your career. Remember, it’s “Service Connected!”
 

Here is the Bottom Line: “VA Disability is like a dart board, you can throw everything at it but in the end it’s the VA that decides what sticks!”

You may or may not agree with your final rating, but make sure you look into what positives each and every rating gives you access too. 
Minor things as local park entries for free and even more significant benefits which save you from paying a “funding fee” on a VA Loan which doesn’t require a high rating at all but saves you thousands upon thousands I kid you not.

If you have a credible VA hospital nearby, check into it. I enrolled into mine which is within a few miles, keeps all my tests, physical therapy needs (if and when needed), bloodwork & annual review, medical prescriptions and required equipment like clock work. It has been incredibly easy to have my VA provide the critical information for my FAA 1st Class when needed and I am by no means in near perfect working order. It may not have always been this way but they even send me to Vanderbilt for critical medical needs. Not all VA Hospitals are created equal. FL wasn’t as good for me as TN has been, but there are so many so I hope you find yours if you reside there.

Note for Guard/Reserve: Every time you come off orders you can input VA disability claims during your career which would have been much easier than the 2 years of physical reviews and work I did prior to retirement while in an AGR status. It’s all about research and your inputs into the process, no one does it for you it’s your responsibility.  For once, do something for yourself since you earned it. I understand, pension, BX, Commissary and Healthcare is great but some of these extra VA benefits have been extremely useful if not life changing.
 

*My Warning to you - The VA Podiatrist has spent many moons working on getting my stride back into shape after wearing combat boots for decades. Especially for those of you who have done a lot of Army type indoctrination, not just cross trainers. Dr Scholls ain’t got nothing on form fitted Frankensteins.

 

Edited July 12, 2020 by AirGuardianC141747

[hindsight2020]

13 hours ago, Sua Sponte said:

I have 3,000 hours as a -135 Boom. I look fine and walk like an old man due to the boom pod and teaching four years at the FTU. The VA gave me 10% for my back. It’s a crap shoot. There’s also the people who do the holier than thou stance of not wanting to file a disability claim. Which is fine, but that’s a personal choice, but that doesn’t extend your beliefs to other people with their claims. When I was a broke full-time college student my disability pay paid my bills, and I was thankful for it.

We can have a conversation about VA grift without having to justify one's personal choices. When you do that, you risk falling under "lady doth protest too much", and that doesn't help your own point. IOW, don't feed into the false dichotomy. We can recognize both dynamics without having to circle our personal wagons. This is exactly why the grift persists, because legitimate claimants feel it's an encroachment on "muh benefits" to have the conversation in the first place, and the grifters take advantage of that. Stop raising strawmen like the bolded above.

Edited July 12, 2020 by hindsight2020

[Sua Sponte]

I’m curious on your use of the term grift when the VA, through comp and pen exams, determines what, if any compensation to be awarded for anything claimed. Either they award it, they don’t, or if you claimed it under false pretenses and they awarded it, they can investigate you and possibly file federal charges for defrauding the government. This isn’t claiming an expense under $75 on a travel voucher with no review or audit. There’s a review conducted and they determine if you are to be compensated or not. Even if you’re awarded any disability payments, those are subject to review whenever the VA chooses.

You can use your uncles scenario all you want, but he didn’t award his own rating, nor was he accountable for conducting a review of his rating over the years. Is it an imperfect system? Yeah, much like everything else in the government.

Edited July 12, 2020 by Sua Sponte

[dream big]

On 7/9/2020 at 9:32 AM, SocialD said:

 

LOL, comments are turn off for the youtube video, but the comments on the article are great.  One poster instantly jumps to the "she was pregnant because she was raped," card.  You know, because the only way girls in the military get pregnant is through rape...  

 

Total hit job, and she's not wrong.  She's right that it's just a small portion of people, but it's not just women.  A Chief friend is deployed right now and, just in the last week, has had 7 people fall out of their deployments.  One girl has already been extended almost 3 months as the 4th replacement just fell off for one reason or another.  We had a NCO that has been in for nearly 20 years and has NEVER deployed.  She finally gets told she has to deploy and turns into a total train wreck because, "she can't be away from her kids that long."  Guess who didn't deploy due to a sudden onset of migraines about a month before deployment... I'm continually amazed at the number of unplanned pregnancies and new found ailments that miraculously pop up just prior to a deployment.  

 

Edit:  Just chatted with my Chief buddy.  He said one of his sections only has 19 people and in that section alone (just in the last week), 5 people fell out of their deployment.  

It truly is amazing, lots of people join the military who would be fired from McDonalds.  You can be a sack of shit and still get above minimum wage.  

[Erthwerm]

On 7/13/2020 at 12:53 AM, dream big said:

lots of people join the military who would be fired from McDonalds.

No sh*t, when I was at Basic Training (Army Infantry OSUT) we had this "can't get right" private who was a total sh*tshow of a soldier. One of the Drills straight up asked him how he came to the decision to join the Army, he replied "Walmart wouldn't hire me." Thankfully he washed out, but there is no shortage of soldiers out there who would probably be homeless or dead without the military. Sometimes those people get promoted and become the most toxic NCOs. Sometimes they turn it around, but that's a small percentage. 

[pbar]

The Social Security Disability system is even more rife with grift, fraud, and scammers than the VA.  

[Majestik Møøse]

On 7/9/2020 at 9:11 PM, nsplayr said:

I remember running a gentlemen’s 12:30 and literally lapping more than half of my fellow test takers. ?!?! How??

Top 5 finishers out of a group of ~25...all ops. Like you said, big surprise. 

Also at M9 qual.

[Breckey]

4 minutes ago, Majestik Møøse said:

Also at M9 qual.

In one of my M9 classes there was an airman from services that was deploying to Kuwait to hand out towels at the gym and needed M9 for some reason. She had never handled a weapon outside of basic and never handled a pistol at all. I had to help her load her magazines. At the end of the qual she had one of the best groupings in the class and shot expert. She just listened to what the CATM instructors were saying and had no preconceived notions on how to fire a pistol. Damndest thing I ever saw.

[dream big]

On 7/9/2020 at 11:11 PM, nsplayr said:

I remember running a gentlemen’s 12:30 and literally lapping more than half of my fellow test takers. ?!?! How??

Top 5 finishers out of a group of ~25...all ops. Like you said, big surprise. 

Weird because the nonners are always taking off work at 1430 to go “PT.”  

[nsplayr]

4 hours ago, dream big said:

Weird because the nonners are always taking off work at 1430 to go “PT.”  

I always took that to mean “pizza time” 😆🍕