Wounded Warriors. Be ashamed. Be very ashamed.

You're watching TV.  The music starts.  Trace Adkins begins to sing.  "Say a prayer for peace," he croons.  And I get sick to my stomach...


No doubt you've had the chance to see the many commercials on cable TV asking for an ongoing contribution of $19.00 a month to help pay for the care and treatment of our Wounded Warriors.  These are the hero soldiers, marines and sailors who have been hurt defending our honor and our homeland against enemies foreign and domestic.  And these are the brave citizens who've been relegated to a kind of Hell because our Country has so far refused to pay all, or sometimes even a portion, of the cost of their treatment.


$19.00 a month.  That's what Wounded Warrior Project  wants you to donate (supportwwp.org).  And you should.  But only because our Government chooses not to step up and pay the true costs of the physical, mental and emotional care our brave boys and girls require.


It fries me that our Country can spent billions, billions, to teach shrimp to jog on a treadmill.  To find out why Chinese prostitutes smoke so much.  To give billions more in aid to terrorist countries who wish us dead.  And to send our First Family all over the world on numerous, pricey, millionaire vacations (as this is written Michelle O and her extended family are occupying an $8,300 a night suite in Beijing).  But we can't seem to afford, or conjure up the gumption to prioritize expenditures for, the treatment of our wounded vets.  To paraphrase Michelle, "For the first time in my adult life I'm ashamed to be an American." 


I served.  Many friends my age served.  But our country's decision to do away with the draft almost 40 years ago, coupled with its cowardly predilection to no longer declare wars (everything since Korea was a "police action"), has left us with a professional cadre of all volunteer war-fighters. 


That means that since the first invasion of the Gulf War, Operation Desert Shield, we've had literally hundreds of thousands of soldiers enlist and serve.  But that number represents barely 3% of our total population.  That means that those who spend their time shopping at the mall, or attending school, or working at the lumberyard, or watching Jerry Springer reruns, for example, do so safely only because of the selfless service of those who choose to be deployed for 5, 6, 7 or even 8 times halfway around the world in some toilet of a country, which for the most part doesn't appreciate our investment of blood and treasure.  What a shame.


And then there are those who are blown up by IEDs.  Or shot by a goat herder who whipped out an AK-47 and blew off his arm while our soldier was trying to help.  Or even those plagued by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder because of exposure to things the human mind should never have to witness.    


And those poor folks wind up begging to receive services from the VA and waiting for years, years without success.  And then suffer the indignation of having their pensions, health benefits and perks cut by a Government more focused on buying votes with discretionary spending from The Uninformed.   


Forget me.  Our Country should be ashamed of itself.  And until those commercials stop running because America finally steps up and spends the time, effort, energy and money to help those who've given nearly their all for us, I ask that you hold all politicians at fault, from infamous military-hater Obama on down.  Please remember that on Election Day.  And if given the chance, please ask one or more of them what their posture is on this all-important question.  Please.


$19.00 a month.  For shame...