Past Articles
Sep 25, 2005 veterans day Sep 24, 2005 Support Our Troops 2005 Jesus Society Oct 25, 2003 rally: Speech text
letter from Dr. Bowman to the President of the United States about Terrorism .
1998 - President Clinton
2001 after the 9/11 attack - President Bush Recent News:
Letter Re Ed Asner & 9-11 Oct 25, 2003 "Wake Up, America!"
Feb 15, 2003 "Peace Is Patriotic"
March 15 Rally Text
2003 State Of Union
2003 State Of the Union (short)
1992 State of the Union Address
Sep 2002 Why War With Iraq? Aug 17, 2002 (Humor) veteran & GW Bush Feb 2002 The ABM Treaty: Dead or Alive? Jan 2002 Denver Catholic Register USA UNDER ATTACK: What Do We Do?
Sep 20, 2001 TERRORISM: Long and Short Sep 27, 2001 Star Wars/War on Terrorism
Bishops against Bush's Star Wars II.
Jun 10, 2001 Lthree months before 9/11 Articles from S&SN available so far are as follows:
Nov 2005 Take Back America
Apr 2005 Religion and Politics
Nov 2004 DU and Birth Defects
Nov 2004 Not Star Wars
Nov 2004 The Task Ahead
Nov 2003 No More Elections?
Nov 2003 VeteransDay
Nov 2003 What Really Happened on 9/11
Nov 2003 Some Dare Call It Treason Nov 2003 Conservative Challenge to Bush
Feb 15, 2003 Peace Is Patriotic Rally Against War Sep 2002 Why War With Iraq?
Feb 2002 The ABM Treaty: Dead or Alive?
Sep 2001 early analysis of 9/11 Mar 2001 George II / Star Wars II.
1998 "The Truth About Terrorism"
Dec 97 Global Warming May 17, 1997 Make A Difference Mar 96 Failure Fuels Cassini (Humor) Nuclear Terrorism 1975 (humor)stabilize weapons industry From Fighter Pilot to Peacenik Bishop 1996 Tax Reform and Class Warfare Feb 1992 A People's State of the Union
Top of Page
Return to News Index
|
Veterans Appreciation Day Speech
by Lt. Col. Robert M. Bowman, USAF, ret.
President, Institute for Space and Security Studies
We are gathered here to honor our nation’s veterans. All Americans, regardless of political persuasion or attitude toward ongoing wars, want to express appreciation to our veterans, whether they’re from World War I or II or freshly back from Iraq or Afghanistan. But it’s not enough to just say “Thanks for all your sacrifices. Here’s a free meal once a year.” No, we must work all year long to see that our veterans are taken care of. We must have full concurrent receipt so that disabled veterans do not lose their compensation. We must see that returning veterans, especially those wounded in combat, get prompt and effective medical care. I’m dying from a rare and incurable cancer. The doctors say I most likely got it from Agent Orange in Vietnam 36 years ago. Yet the VA took decades to accept responsibility for Agent Orange cancers. Now they’re doing the same song and dance with our veterans suffering from Depleted Uranium poisoning. Over 130,000 from the first Gulf War are disabled, and tens of thousands more are being exposed to it today in Iraq. Our veterans do not deserve red tape, foot-dragging, and buck-passing. They deserve to get prompt high-quality medical care at no expense to them or their families. We must see that those who gave their lives are acknowledged and indeed honored, not swept under the rug. We must see that those who survive and return, prone to domestic violence, divorce, and suicide, get the help and counseling they need to reenter the civilian world. Personally, I believe that the best thing our government can do for us combat veterans is to quit making more of us. When I came back from ‘Nam, we were spat upon and called baby-killers. Thank God that doesn’t happen today. The people in the peace movement have finally learned to distinguish between the brave young men and women who risk their lives in foreign lands and the chicken-hawk politicians who send them there. Yes, today all of us are united in respecting and honoring our veterans. Fellow veterans, I salute you for your service, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Top of Page
|