This time I have a point!


I read the following letter yesterday and it broke my heart. I rarely blog about anything important but I had to share. I also got to talk to MIke  yesterday and he said that 15 of his soldiers that deployed with him to Iraq have been diagnosed with a brain tumor. He mentioned Tim specifically. He's only in his early 40's and is dying. His wife & daughter are having to figure out how to pay their medical bills b/c the army says it's not "service related." HOW can they say that??! 

I believe if we (Americans) are willing to send our military into battle that we have to be willing to take care of them when they return. 

I am amazed by military and their families. I am overwhelmed by what they do, how they give and what they sacrifice for OUR freedom. 

I wish I knew someone "important!" to call personally. But I can (and will) write my Congressman. 

This is Michael- Very rarely if ever do I get on Facebook but “WE” as Americans that have served our country deserve some answers. I just spent the last few days with a great American family and Warrior that gave everything for this country. Now he is giving the ultimate sacrifice his life. This country ask and ask so much of it’s military members and their families. We always say roger that and
execute despite the consequences of what could occur. We deploy over and over again into harms way because its our job and we love this country and our comrades in arms to our left and right. We would do anything for our buddies and that American flag. Still to this day if we were called to do something for this country we would go without hesitation. I just want everyone that reads this to go to google and just look up “veterans with brain cancer from Iraq”. Why are there so many Iraq veterans suffering from not only brain cancer but other forms of cancer? Why is Tim not 100% disabled;because they say its not service related. What? There are 15 other Soldiers just from Tim’s unit alone that are suffering from the same type of cancer. I have another Soldier age 20 that died from brain cancer. Just ask around and I know you will find other Soldiers with some type of cancer. Why???? We never ask that when we deploy into harms way we just execute. We all believe that if something happens the Country will take care of us and our family. As I sat next to Tim I felt so helpless, I felt as though I had let one of my boys down because I couldn’t help him. If we were in combat we would do everything in our power to get our wounded boys taken care of. This is no different. HE DESERVES SOME ANSWERS! How is the VA and someone from the military not by the families side? Why is this family trying to figure “the system” out with no help from the military or the VA? After seeing this I just wonder how many more Soldiers are out there going through this alone? How many veterans are being left on the battlefield? I will never leave a fallen comrade shouldn’t stop when we take off the uniform. “Boys get the litters and load up we are going back in to get Tim”, I know that if I said that not one Soldier would complain or have second thoughts. They (WE) would go because that’s how we operate. Call your Congressman, write a letter, send an email. I don’t care who you send this to but American Soldiers and their families deserve answers. Load up we are going back in to get Tim, any volunteers? Are we going to leave our fallen comrades on the battlefield? HELL NO, Lets go boys!

RLTW!!!!!
Michael Stout
CSM (R)



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