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Living in Financial Fear [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-03-11

I am retired and living a good life with an income that supports my current lifestyle. I live alone in a small town on the Washington state peninsula. I have no dependents to support, and am estranged from most of my family.

I currently have 3 incomes: Military retirement, VA disability and Social Security. None of which is a living income by its self, but all combined allow a comfortable lifestyle.

Per our current fearless leader and his lackeys, two of them are under attack. I have no doubt that the third will soon be deemed as undeserved as I am a retired service member, and we know that Mr. Chump has proclaimed that anyone who served in the military during the Vietnam era is a looser and a sucker.

I served in the US Navy for 24.5 years, I wore my uniform with pride and honor. I deployed to Vietnam in ‘65 flying combat missions from Tan Son Nhut Air Base. I was a volunteer, as I chose to serve vice dodge the draft with poorly diagnosed bone spurs or moved to Canada (I may regret that soon). Later durning the ’70/80’s flew covert armed surveillance missions in the Persian Gulf this was prior to the reflagging of the Kuwait oil tankers in the mid ’80’s (protection from Iran).

After my retirement from the Navy I utilized the VA GI Bill(Chapter 34) to enter the field of nursing. I was employed in this occupation for another 25 years.

During all my working years in the Navy and nursing I was never once given the option to not have Social Security deducted from my pay check. It was just part of the deductions that we all accepted and lived with along with the federal income tax deductions.

When it finally came time to hang up my stethoscope and retire to a life of sipping cool adult beverages and sitting the shade, I had a fairly good income between my savings and Military retirement (was not old enough to commence my non-voluntary Social Security). I was, however old enough for heath issues to begin having an impact on my life, as a military retiree I had medical coverage that paid a good portion of my medical bills.



I had utilized the VA Vietnam era GI bill for education (Chapter 34) and house loan guaranty. I also did visit the VA shortly after my Navy retirement and was rated with a 20% disability, but received no monetary compensation. Post fully retiring, I went to visit VA at American Lake at the behest of my wife to see what benefits I might be eligible for in my declining years. After extensive examinations and questions the VA decided that I was 90% disable as a consequence or my Naval service, I was now eligible for disability compensation. I did not have to scream, shout and sue like a lot of veterans do to obtain a disability rating, if it comes right down to it, I feel the VA pursued and encouraged ME.

A few years later I was able to start collecting my non-voluntary Social Security, and of course Medicare kicked in as well. So BOOM, I am living the “Life of Riley”. Good income from 3 sources, great medical coverage from 3 sources. Not too bad.

Now I find that most of my livelihood is coming under attack from someone I did not vote for, but won the election, and his stooges. They have announced that the VA needs to go, they are wanting to cancel Medicare, plus Social Security is a Ponzi scam. Is the next thing on their agenda military retirement?

Am I going to be living in a tent on the side of the road eating cat food?

I feel that I have earned all the monies and benefits I have. To allow an orange draft dodging @hole and his South African stooge boot licker to attack monies and benefits that I paid for and for several years placed my life on the line for is criminal and unconstitutional in so so many ways.

I have used the “I” statement throughout but, there are millions that are in the same boat with me and the orange dictator wannabe is going after all of us.

PS: One of the saddest things is that so many of the “buddies” I served and flew with are now dyed in the wool MAGA’s and support what is happening to them. Are they that blind and stupid?

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