Comments on: Is the Guy Who Shot Bin Laden Eligible for Health Care Coverage or Not?

By: narciso

narciso — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 17:03:33 +0000

Now the shooter’s plight, may be real or not, but this certainly is;

By: steve

steve — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 13:09:51 +0000

Update: Commander not only (link) says the guy definitely knew what he was and wasn't going to get as a result of leaving before his 20 but was offered chance to stay in until then.

By: freedomcosts

freedomcosts — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 04:47:04 +0000

#45 yes after at least 20 year retirement, family members do get to keep tricare, or at least we did, not sure what is going to happen with obamacare.

By: Jason Adams

Jason Adams — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:03:35 +0000

As a vet, trying to figure out what you’re eligible for and what you’re not, is far from easy. I’m reading a great book right now that I think would help a lot of people out there, Vets or family members, who are trying to figure out the VA system or who are trying to find out what kind of benefits they are eligible for. The book is called “Crack the VA” by Barbara Steinberg. You can check out her site and the book at http://www.blseldercare.com/. As far as whether this SEAL is eligible for benefits or not, I guess depends on who you are and how you look at it. Some say if he had just stayed until his 20 years were up, he wouldn’t have this issue. Others say that regardless, he should be entitled to something considering all he’s done. I personally am on the fence.

By: MD in Philly

MD in Philly — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 20:39:31 +0000

Comment by narciso (3fec35) — 2/14/2013 @ 11:45 am

So, you’re saying that if Esquire wanted to do a respectable piece of journalism they could have asked a guy with military experience and cred to do it, instead of somebody linked with Winter Soldier and looking to find the “truth” from Berkeley?

I may be wrong, but another piece with more unnamed characters (“9 influential senators”) seems to me like double-down on the first piece of misleading reporting.

I’m sure there are things that could be done to improve our care for the military, like making our troop size larger not smaller, so people don’t need to go on as many deployments and force extended use of reserves. But this still sounds like a “pity the poor idiot who can’t get things straight, abused by our government even though he supposedly is a 16 year vet of one of history’s elite fighting forces” story.

By: askeptic

askeptic — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 19:54:29 +0000

Comment by narciso (3fec35) — 2/14/2013 @ 11:45 am

With that background, he’s obviously not qualified to write about any member of ST-6.
To do that, one has to be a lifelong Lefty.

By: narciso

narciso — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 19:45:33 +0000

See here’s the thing, Esquire actually has a correspondent, Mockenhaupt, who served in Iraq, who has good military contacts, and is relatively fair.

By: MD in Philly

MD in Philly — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 19:13:07 +0000

I read the Esquire article you linked to, DRJ. With my little knowledge about it, none of the complaints sound new compared to 1980′s. Family sometimes not even knowing what side of the planet their loved ones are on, secrecy/anonymity maintained even among other military without adequate security clearance.

Things like the administration cooperating with publicity of their missions and compromising secrecy of operations is what really tics them off, from what I can tell.

By: MD in Philly

MD in Philly — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 18:59:00 +0000

Have you ever known someone in special forces, DRJ?

Those I’ve known weren’t even talkers, let alone complainers. I think their main concerns are being allowed to do their job and not have their efforts wasted by Washington BS.

By: DRJ

DRJ — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 18:41:49 +0000

I’ve read some of that, MD, and I’m not discounting it. But sometimes it’s a little like hazing, where people who have endured a certain lifestyle feel like everyone who follows should also endure it. There are benefits to traditions but I’m worried good candidates who are willing to endure hardship themselves will refuse billets in special operations/forces because of the hardship on their families. I’d like to avoid that if we can afford it.