Almost 900,000 Veterans Still Awaiting Benefits; 91 Year Old Sailor Graduates Boot Camp; Law Enforcement Line of Duty Deaths To Date

"In war, there are no unwounded soldiers."...Jose Narosky

War Vets Are Still Waiting For Benefits, Some For years

Iraq War veteran, Michael Flynn, filed for disability in March of 2012. He's still awaiting a decision on his claim. In fact, Flynn is one of almost 900,000 veterans awaiting answers on compensation claims for their injuries, wounds and illnesses (A personal note: Recently, I lost one of my best friends. He was a Vietnam Veteran. He waited over 4 years to have his claim from PTSD approved). Two of three veterans wait more than 3 months for answers, some wait years. In fact, one case lain dormant for 20 years.

Many in Congress are frustrated with the VA because they've granted every budget request the VA requested. In fact, in the last four years, the VA's budget has increased over 40%.

"It's still a mess, and too many vets are waiting," said Paul Riechoff, head of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

USA TODAY


91 Year Old Sailor Graduates From Book Camp

You probably never heard of Navy veteran Joe Sanes, but you should. His story is interesting.

Sanes was in the Navy during WWII. He enlisted in 1941 and immediately entered boot camp. That's where his story begins. He was unable to finish boot camp because of an event that occurred on December 7, 1941. The Japanese attacked Pear Harbor that Sunday morning. As a result, with only four weeks into boot camp, Sanes was assigned to a destroyer. He never completed boot camp.

Over seventy years after enlisting, Joe Sanes became an honorary graduate of the Great Lakes Naval Station. "After 72 years, I am proud and happy to be part of this graduation," said Sanes.

Joe took part in several campaigns including the Battle of Midway when his ship, the Hammamm was struck by a torpedo after rescuing 500 sailors from the USS Lexington and the USS Yorktown.

He received an honorable discharge in 1947

Military.com


Law Enforcement Line of Duty Deaths To Date

To date, there have been 50 law enforcement line of duty deaths. The data indicates that is a 16% increase over the same period last year. February's rate was the highest at 14. Forty-six were males and four were females. Average ages was just over 42 and the average tour of duty was 13 years, 3 months. Gunfire accounted for 17 deaths followed by 10 who were killed in automobile accidents.

Officer Down Memorial Page