TALK TO THE DADDY

Hello. Come on in. The daddy writes about current events, literature, music and, once in a while, drops something on you from back in the day to make you pause and ponder, stop and stare, and begin to wonder. Who knows? You may start to pace the floor, shake your head from side to side, then fall down on bended knees in a praying position and cry, "Lawd, have mercy! What is this world coming to?" Check yourself! But this blog is NOT about the daddy. It's about you: your boos, your fam, your hood, your country...our hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow. So let's make a pact: the daddy will put it on the track if you'll chase it down and hit him back. Together, we can definitely take it to another level. Shall we?"

Monday, November 9, 2009

IAVA AND THE PLIGHT OF WOMEN IN THE MILITARY

Listen up. One of the veterans The Daddy trusts on military issues is Paul Rieckhoff Executive Director & Founder Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). When this duede lays it down, you can take it to the bank. And speaks in a common language, so his members and his readers know immediately where he's coming from. As the commercial song I heard yesterday says, "When it's real, you know it's real." A few days ago, Rieckhoff emailed me and others andtalked about the plight of women in the military. It's a short piece, but check it out. Note that he said IAVA is issuing a "groundbreaking" on the plight of women in the military:

Dear Mac,

If you blinked, you might have missed it.

With the media still covering Michael Jackson's death, and the circus surrounding reality TV stars Jon and Kate Gosselin, you might have missed an important story that broke this week.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, released a stunning new report detailing significant barriers faced by many female veterans when accessing VA care. Some of the crucial findings include:

  • Privacy standards for women veterans at VA facilities aren't being met.
  • Comprehensive primary care is still not available for women veterans at all hospitals and clinics.
  • The VA still has shortages of qualified women's health and mental health care providers.

This is unacceptable. With more women serving than ever, the VA must work to ensure they receive the care they've earned. Female troops have shown incredible courage in defending our country, and are entitled to the same support and recognition as their male peers.

We want you to know IAVA is working every day to make this a reality. We're on the front lines on Capitol Hill and in the media, fighting for better care and benefits, and ensuring that women's issues are a top priority.

Next month, we're releasing a groundbreaking Issue Report on women in the military, based on extensive research and the experiences of IAVA Member Veterans. Want to be the first to read it? Sign up for mobile alerts by texting REPORT to 69866. We'll send you a text message as soon as the report launches.

Thank you for standing with us.

Sincerely,

Paul

Note: The Daddy can't wait to read this report from one of the finest military organizations out there. How about you?

3 comments:

rainywalker said...

MacDaddy,
I'll try and keep this deep subject brief and to the point since raining on someones parade is not my point.
Perhaps the VA in Colorado Springs is 100 miles from Colorado by air. Our VA has at least two female counselors for both male and female. My doctor at the VA is a female AIG major who does outstanding work.
The Vet Center in Colorado Springs is run by a retired E-7 female who again does outstanding work in counseling. Every member of the staff is a veteran both male and female.
The next time you talk to someone from IAVA, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion ask them how many counselers they have on their staff. The answer is zero.
That is one of the reasons I severed most of my ties with many of the veteran organizations. The bottom line is are they gathering money for their organization [saleries, parties, Friday night dances] or are they really spending the money on helping both male and female veterans?
This is a tuff call in many areas of the United States. You and I are on the same page here, but watch for the "sellouts." The IAVA never came here that I know of and ask one male or female soldier [40,000] how the care at the VA was!
rainy

Kentucky Rain said...

Daddy: I'm with rainy on this one. My experience exactly....

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

"The next time you talk to someone from IAVA, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion ask them how many counselers they have on their staff. The answer is zero."
'Ghe IAVA never came here that I know of and ask one male or female soldier [40,000] how the care at the VA was!"
Rainy: What I am hearing from you and MadMike is a healthy distrust of the military and military organizations. I'll keep it in mind. After what they did to Pat Tillman and his family, I have a healthy bit of both the military and military organizations that say they're out to help vets. But I'll keep it in mind.