OFFE Veterans' Newsletter

January 18, 2017

Fighting the Veteran's Fight

Stanley Zir, OFFE Civilian Corps Coordinator

Tyranny cuts out the eyes so the freedom of press, the watchdog of our liberties, is blinded. It cuts out the tongue so freedom of expression is silenced. America is the beacon of freedom. Our troops protect this beacon and we need to show our support for these brave men and women.

President Trump announced, "I hear you, I see you and you will never be ignored again." In response, the members of Operation Firing for Effect say, "President Trump, we hear you, we support you, and we are counting on you to come through with your promise, because the veterans of these United States have been ignored for too long."

Veterans from all walks of life have proven their allegiance to this country by taking an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. In return for their dedicated service, millions of brave American men and women who have fallen on battlefields across the world and those who have returned with incurable battle scars have shamefully received inadequate care and support by our government.

The atrocious mistreatment of Master Sergeant Roy Benavidez, after he left the service, which is documented below, is only one in thousands upon thousands of similar examples of blatant disregard of veterans that will be represented in the upcoming meeting upcoming meeting of (OFFE) on___________________.

OFFE is a national grassroots organization comprised of military veterans and concerned supportive civilians seeking rightful compensation for veterans who have loyally served our country. OFFE is growing rapidly and we now have representatives in 22 states. OFFE makes routine trips to Washington, DC lobbying for veteran's issues.

The following are excerpts from the personal account of Master Sergeant Roy Benavidez, a former Green Beret sergeant who received the Medal of Honor from President Ronald Reagan for heroism while wounded in Vietnam...

"In 1965, I was sent to Vietnam as an advisor to a Vietnamese infantry unit. After a short period…. I stepped on a mine... I was paralyzed from the waist down... declared never to walk again...

The doctors were initiating my medical discharge papers, but at night I would slip out of bed and crawl to a wall using my elbows and my chin...I get to the wall and I set myself against the wall and I'd back myself up against the wall I'd stand and move my toes, right and left...every single chance I got...I wanted to go back to Vietnam because of what the news media was saying about us: that our presence was not needed there; they're burning the flag....And I saw a lot of other patients coming back, limbs missing. I wanted to go back...

And I remember in my Special Forces training..."Faith, determination, and a positive attitude...will carry you further than ability. I never forgot those three words...I was determined to walk...

Nine months later, here comes my medical discharge papers. And I told the doctor, "Doctor, look what I can do." He said, "Sergeant, I'm sorry. Even if you can stand up, you'll never be able to walk." I jumped out of bed and I stood up right before him...the doctor says, "Benavidez, if you walked out of this room, I'll tear these papers up." I walked out of that ward at Beach Pavilion...with a limp.

I went back to Fort Bragg...I started my therapy again, running 5 miles or 10 miles a day, doing 50 to 100 pushups; and I made three parachute jumps in one day. I was ready to go back to Vietnam…

Then on the morning of May 2, 1968, Mr. Benavidez, a staff sergeant with the Army's Special Forces, the Green Berets, heard the cry ''get us out of here'' over his unit's radio while at his base in Loc Ninh, South Vietnam. He also heard ''so much shooting, it sounded like a popcorn machine...After leaping off the helicopter, Sergeant Benavidez was shot in the face, head and right leg, but he ran toward his fellow troop...He dragged survivors aboard the helicopter, but its pilot was killed by enemy fire as he tried to take off, and the helicopter crashed and burned.

Sergeant Benavidez got the troops off the helicopter, and over the next six hours, he organized return fire, called in airstrikes, administered morphine and recovered classified documents, although he got shot in the stomach and thigh and hit in the back by grenade fragments.

"I was hit in the mouth with the butt of a weapon. My jaws were locked. After my last return back to the helicopter when I was boarded on, I was holding my intestines in my hand...He was bayoneted by a North Vietnamese soldier, whom he killed with a knife. Finally, he shot two enemy soldiers as he dragged the survivors aboard another evacuation helicopter... I didn't want to leave anybody behind... My mission was to recover the classified materials so if anybody had it, he was on the helicopter... at Loc Ninh, Sergeant Benavidez was unable to move or speak.

Just as he was about to be placed into a body bag, he spit into a doctor's face to signal that he was still alive and was evacuated for surgery in Saigon.

Sergeant Benavidez was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in 1968, but a subsequent recommendation from his commanding officer that he receive the Medal of Honor, the military's highest award for valor,

You know, there's a saying among us veterans: "For those who have fought for it, life has a special flavor the protected will never know."...I'm proud to be an American; and I'm even prouder that I've earned the privilege to wear the Green Beret. I live by the motto of "Duty, Honor, and Country."

It is unimaginable that after Master Sgt. Benavidez was discharged, he was forced to fight with the government for years to keep them from cutting off his disability payments. How was that possible in America?, the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. Is there any excuse that this American hero who put his life on the line to protect his fellow soldiers and our national secrets, was treated with less respect than is offered to a stray dog?

Incredulously, it is now thirty years later and essentially nothing has much changed for our heroes in terms of the processing and receiving their benefits. This treatment of our veterans and their families is treasonous. In exchange for their service, their lives and health, they were given the government's word, a promise that they would be taken care of upon their return. Evidently, it has not only remained unimproved over four decades, it has become successively worse with each administration.

The final slap in face to our service men and women, and their dedicated families, was the illegal return of $150 billion dollars of confiscated funds (for criminal acts of aggression against representatives of the United States Government) to Iran under the Obama administration, with the intention of preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear terrorist state.

The returned money, which was knowingly earmarked by Iran to purchase weapons aimed to destroy American military installations, essentially was the equivalent of placing a target directly on the backs of our own military. In other words, Obama funded terrorist assassins to kill American troops.

With this act of treachery, he not only betrayed his own troops, but declared war against the Constitution, the very document he swore to uphold.

Additionally, he violated the sacred trust bestowed upon him as the Commander and Chief to secure the general welfare of our troops by not fulfilling the promises he made to the military to upgrade, improve and make accessible VA Hospitals, Sanctuaries and Centers to veterans and their families.

The effect of these neglectful policies has had a devastating affect on the veterans, resulting in needless suicides, depression, homelessness, improper medical care and coverage, and an overall feeling of disrespect and hopelessness.

That is why, "We the People", the taxpayers and the recipients of their valor, are duty-bound to speak out about this injustice and insist that the government keep its promise and place the health and welfare of our veterans as its top priority. Too many veterans, some of whom are advocates for their colleagues through OFFE, are refused adequate mental and physical treatment that is directly attributed to their service.

But of all the acts of arrogance heaved upon our veterans, the underhanded and conniving land grab engineered by the Veteran's Administration in West Los Angeles is perhaps the most despicable and egregious act perpetrated upon the heroic veterans.

Civilians must stand together in support of our veterans to make sure that this criminal act, one of many showcased by OFFE at the Washington, DC meeting brings attention to the devious miscarriage of justice and the misappropriations of funds earmarked for Veteran care.

To my fellow civilians and to those veterans who have given up and lost faith in the Veteran's Affairs, Operation Firing for Effect, a national grassroots movement comprised of veterans and civilians has pledged to bring these failures and inadequacies to the forefront.

To highlight the treasonous Iranian Deal, Tom and Debbie Pridell, Stan Zir, together with Gene Simes, founder of OFFE stationed ourselves at Trump Towers in NYC prior to the national elections. Gene, wearing his Marine Blues, stood at attention in the lobby with a "target on his back" to reinforce the ultimate deceit made by then President Obama to his own troops. We got lots of attention. In fact, we were able to meet with General Flynn as we explained and outlined our protest.

(full article at www.scrapthedeal.com/urgent/index.php/the-deal ).

Driving together from his home in Rochester, I got to know Gene Simes. What I learned is that if you want to get something done, Gene is the GO TO man. Nothing stops this Marine when it comes to advocating for veteran rights. He waits for no one. With Gene at the helm, together with compassionate and supportive civilians, to face the bureaucratic and political obstacles, we are an unstoppable force of one with a strong and determined vehicle in place to ensure that the rights of our heroes are guaranteed. That is why I am so excited to be a part of this historical and meaningful endeavor.

Under the leadership of Gene Simes, OFFE was the first veteran-led organization to hold an exclusive veterans' affairs national town hall meeting on _______ in Ohio. The intention is to continue and grow these town hall meetings all over the country and generate interest in establishing one signature yearly national convention where veterans can gather together, be educated about all veteran concerns and unify as one strong voice to ensure that all the promised benefits of service are upheld.

With OFFE as your advocate, never again will the vets have to sit idly by while their rights are dishonored. No more humiliation and hopelessness. No more needless and heartbreaking suicides due to lack of care. This meeting will allow us to evaluate exactly where this new Veteran Administration stands. Will they rally with us and take up our cause or is it just more talk? Will our new leaders be accountable for their promises to our heroes and their families? This historic meeting will determine their true commitment.

The veterans are the backbone of our nation. They are the ones who put their lives on the line to ensure the rights and freedoms we civilians enjoy. While they report to the Commander in Chief, he reports to us. "We the People" have the ultimate authority. Remember we hold the purse strings. It is our hard-earned tax dollars that pay the salaries of those we entrust to run our government.

Presently, OFFE is filing a brief with the US Supreme Court to protect and enforce a previously upheld law regarding the dis allowance of disability benefits of veterans in cases of divorce as marital assets which is being ignored by local and state courts for decades. Our rule of law states that all Americans, civilians, courts, and government officials are all subject to the same rules. We must all abide by the Constitution equally, there are no exceptions. The courts must be held accountable for passing illegal judgments that are opposed to the law of the land. Join with us as we continue the fight against those who do not hold the Constitution as their beacon nor respect those who fight to protect it.

VOLUNTEERS!!

OFFE has been leader in the nationwide to protect veterans' disability compensation and benefits for well over a decade. We are looking for many volunteers, students, political groups, religious groups veterans, co-sponsors, etc. who can help with promotion, planning, logistics, communications, etc.

DONATIONS

Your monetary support for OFFE and its continued fight to ensure our veterans receive every benefit they deserve, is greatly appreciated. Your donation makes a difference and acknowledges your thanks for securing the freedoms we all enjoy today. Your donations go towards improving and protecting the services, benefits, and entitlements earned by our veterans and their families.

OPERATION FIRING FOR EFFECT, Inc., is a registered 501-C- 19 veterans service organization. Thank you very much for your kindness.

Mail Your Tax Deductible Donation Today:

Pay to the Order of:

Operation Firing For Effect, Inc.
1700 Waterford Road
Walworth, NY 14568

Online Donations: You can also use Paypal to make your donation. Credit cards accepted too.

Operation Firing For Effect (OFFE) is a bi-partisan Veterans Advocacy group, and subsidiary of Veterans For Veteran Connection, Inc., a 501(c)19 non-profit corporation devoted to the protection and improvement of entitlements and services earned by our men and women in uniform. 
 
 
OFFE does not endorse political candidates running for office. OFFE does report on issues of importance to our former military personnel and their families and that includes ‘News’ from both sides of the aisle. OFFE will grant equal time to any candidate (regardless of political affiliation) who wishes to share and explain their position(s) on ‘Veterans’ Affairs’.