Wheelers for the Wounded, Texas

Well, I’ve been in absentia a bit, but here’s a report that is long overdue.
A few weeks back, B. and I participated in the Wheelers for the Wounded event at Hidden Falls Ranch. For those of you who don’t know, Wheelers for the Wounded was created by Jason Havlik, who plans to cross the United States hosting injured service members on off-road vehicle trail rides. The Texas event was hosted by Midnight Four Wheelers, a really amazing club here in San Antonio.
For the event, wounded warriors and their families were bused in from Ft. Sam Houston and Ft. Hood. Food was provided from an old fashioned chuck wagon that stewed up beans and grilled ribs.
There were about 100 rigs taking families out on trail rides. Some took gentle trips on dirt paths while others chose to tackle aggressive climbs up rock faces or through water holes. Our group had a blast. We started through water that was so deep it seeped into the Jeep tub through the doors and drainage holes. It got as high as the seat tops, but luckily the engine kept pulling. I’m glad we didn’t have to stop because we were sharing the creek with a cottonmouth that was swimming the other way.
I little further ahead, I unseated a bead on one tire and had to jack the Jeep up in knee-deep water, but luckily the snake did not make a repeat appearance.
At the top of the mountain by the radio tower we got an amazing view of the Hill Country, and we could see all the other vehicles scurrying through the trails below.
It was amazing to see the great spirit of the soldiers who came out for the ride, some of whom were in wheelchairs. A lot of troops brought their children and it was very rewarding to help them to have a day relaxing with their families.
We fared pretty well on some tough trails, and the only damage we sustained was a broken front axle U-joint. As is usually the fashion, there were plenty of other Jeepers willing to jump in and help get it squared away.

Military surviving spouses equity act

Hi, I'd like to pass along a message from a friend.

REP Ortiz, of TX has introduced HR775, the Military surviving spouses equity act, to stop decreasing the amount of money that is received by veterans' widows.

Current law acts in this way: Survivors of veterans killed in the war receive funds under the Survivor Benefit Plan, however, if they receive veterans' Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, this sum offsets (reduces) the amount of money given to widows and orphans. HR775 would correct this.

Progress on the bill is here: (and you can read the full text)

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h775/show

Here is a letter of support from a variety of veterans' organizations:

http://www.roa.org/site/DocServer/090113_nmva_sbp.pdf?docID=14281

I would think this issue was a chip shot, but surprisingly a similar bill, HR1589, failed 2 years ago:

http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_HR_1589.html

Anyway, look into it, and see if it is something you would support.

Thanks,

Chris





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Friends & Family,
My apologies if you've received this already or have been invited to "join the cause" on Facebook. This affects a dear friend of mine, she lost her husband in the war two years ago and is raising 3 kids under the age of 10 on her own now - please help me out with this!
We are organizing a letter writing / e-mail campaign to help the widows and widowers who have lost a spouse in the military. We are urging Congress to pass the Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act (HR 775) so that widows and widowers can rightfully receive the Survivor Benefit Plan ("SBP" - like an insurance plan) that their spouses paid into during their military career. Currently, there are 54,000 widows and widowers who should be receiving these annuities, but, as a result of the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation ("DIC") they are receiving upon becoming a widow / widower, the government has applied an "offset" and those surviving spouses are not receiving the SBP. This is wrong. The SBP payments should not be offset, they have been paid for by the servicemen and women of the military as a benefit for their families in the event of their death. The House of Representatives has just voted an increase in the Special Survivors Indemnity Allowance (SSIA) and that is encouraging that the widows and widowers are having their voices heard. This will not solve the problem, however, the SBP / DIC offset needs to be eliminated so that these surviving spouses receive all of the funds they are entitled to. Please help by sending an e-mail or a letter to your representatives and even to President Obama (if you'd like to do more, contact me and I have many more politicians we can e-mail) . Thank you for your help, please forward this on to as many people as you can - we can get this fixed!
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1. Go to www.house.gov/writerep to get the e-mail or address for your government representatives
2. Copy and paste the text into your letter and send it off
3. Forward this email on to as many people as you can
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To write to President Obama:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

or go to: www.whitehouse.gov/contact ================================

TEXT FOR LETTER: COPY AND PASTE:

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Dear Representative ______________,

Thank you for your attention to this very important matter. Although progress is being made, more needs to be done and can be done to support the 54,000 widows and widowers affected by the SBP / DIC offset.

Please pass the Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act (HR 775) (and S.535, it’s companion bill in the Senate). This act will eliminate the SBP / DIC offset outright and is the only manner by which to truly address the problem and restore the earned retired pay to surviving spouses of those who paid premiums for it or who paid for it with their lives. Raising the SSIA via a provision in HR 1804 will certainly give some financial relief for the military widows and widowers. However, the increase in the SSIA runs the risk of excluding those not currently affected by SBP / DIC offset.

In order to have the resources to raise their children now, many widows / widowers were forced to elect the "child option" over the "spouse option", effectively eliminating the offset - but only while their children are young. Once their children have reached adulthood, the SBP is terminated altogether, leaving the widow / widower without the SBP for which their military spouse paid premiums during his / her service.

As is often the case, the simplest solution is the right solution - pass the Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act (HR 775). We will never be able to restore these families to what they were, but we can ensure they receive the SBP benefit that is rightfully theirs.

Thank you.

Sincerely,


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A friend sent this to me. It was some help to learn more about Phillip Myers as a man and I wanted to share it with you all. I wish peace and comfort for his family.


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Thank you Chris for sharing about Airmen Myers.

I was going to just share the link to this article, but sometimes links change. I read on one site "it was revealed the 30-year-old had been promoted from Staff Sgt to Tech Sgt just days before his death. He had not known of his promotion."His wife gave permission for the media coverage of his return.

Thank you Tech Sgt Myers,may God be with your family.

(name removed)

Family mourns Hopewell airman slain in Afghanistan
By Reed Williams
Published: April 7, 2009

The mother of an Air Force sergeant whose body was returned from war Sunday said she is glad news media coverage will allow Americans to see how respectfully the military honors its dead.Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers of Hopewell died Saturday from an explosion near Helmand province in Afghanistan. With his family's permission, the military allowed the media to cover the arrival at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, the first public return since the Pentagon lifted its 18-year ban on coverage of returning war dead.Myers' mother, Treasa Hamilton of Polkton, N.C., said yesterday that such media coverage will allow Americans to visualize better what is happening overseas."They hear 30 people killed in Iraq -- they've gotten used to it," Hamilton said. "This brings it back to the forefront. They can actually see the soldiers coming home."Myers' wife, Aimee Myers, permitted the coverage because her husband believed in his role overseas and would want the public to witness the dignity with which the war dead are returned home, Hamilton said. Aimee Myers was unavailable for comment."It was all very well done," Hamilton said of Sunday evening's ceremony in Dover. "It was very respectful."Myers, a 30-year-old father of two children, had been scheduled to leave Afghanistan in mid-May and would have been moved to Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, Hamilton said.She said her son told her last week that he wanted to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery if he were killed, a request he had made previously. She said yesterday that Myers will be buried there but that a date had not been set.Myers was assigned to the 48th Civil Engineer Squadron with the Royal Air Force in Lankenheath, England, a base that is used by the U.S. Air Force.He was a member of an explosive ordnance disposal team, and part of his job was to disarm improvised explosive devices, his mother said. She said she didn't know whether he had been trying to disarm the IED that killed him."It took a lot of courage and nerves of steel, because he was constantly handling explosives and on the lookout for explosives," Hamilton said.She said Myers had served in Iraq and Kuwait, as well as in Afghanistan, and that he had conducted bomb sweeps in Washington to protect then-President George W. Bush.Myers attended Hopewell High School and joined the Air Force in 1999, Hamilton said. Relatives described him as a dedicated military man who believed he was protecting his friends, his family and his country.He was especially protective of his children and would make sure his daughter, 5-year-old Dakotah, wouldn't watch TV shows with bad language, family members said.His 2-year-old son, Kaiden, likes to build things with Legos just as his father did when he was little, Hamilton said. Once, Kaiden built a pretend gun. "He said, 'Now I have a gun like Daddy for the bad guys,'" Hamilton said.A ceremony to honor Myers is planned for Thursday in England, Hamilton said. Hopewell Mayor Brenda S. Pelham said the city also would like to have a service for Myers if his family wishes it."My heart just hurts every time I see a young person" killed overseas, Pelham said.Myers is survived by his wife and children, as well as his mother, father, brother and stepfather.