Monday, March 14, 2016
Done with the Veteran's Administration
I have tried for over six years to get a VA ID card, so I can get 10% off my purchases at Home Depot and other places. I got the word VETERAN put on my driver's license, but Home Depot says, that don't count. Even showing my DD214 does not help. Today, I went to the VA Regional offices here in the Valley. And I have even gone to the one in Prescott to talk to them. Four times total they have said NOPE. I asked WHY? "You are over the salary cap for your Zip Code", they say. I tell them, I don't care about the medical care, I just want the ID card. Sorry, they say, the card goes with the medical care.
Then I hear about a House Bill that was passed in 2015 saying ALL Veterans can go to the VA or any military installation and get an ID Card. So I called Luke Air Force Base. They tell me that the government has not released the funds to print the cards, so the base can not do the cards. I asked the VA the same question and they said the VA does not think it is a good idea to get cards out to ALL veterans and they are not doing it. Are the bills law when passed? So can the VA say no the House and Senate when they are TOLD to do something? How would it go if I told the government I was not going to pay my taxes? Would they let me slide? HELL NO!
So Bill H.R. 91 is useless? Three years in the making and it's useless? And my time in the military (6 years total) was useless too? No, I don't believe that, but DAMN IT, give me a stinking ID card. I'll pay for it.
It's not the card. It's not the recognition. It's not the medical care. It's the principal that the government can not pay the vets their due for sacrificing their years of time, their separation from family, and sometime their lives. And when they do, there are SO many hurdles to jump over, under, and crawl through, to get that small bit they get and more than deserve. And I will guarantee if Trump gets elected, the Vets will get even a bigger shaft than they do now. My Shell family ancestors served this wonderful nation in every war and/or conflict since the Revolutionary War through every male generation, except one, and we are DAMN proud of it.
So now, because I make too much money, the government will not give me a $2 ID card proving I am a Vet, and that I did my time. That's OK, I'll pay that 10% at Home Depot and maybe, just maybe, I'll send the VA a bill at the end of the year for the discounts I DID NOT get because they did not think I deserve to be officially recognized as a Vet. Stuff it VA!
Monday, March 7, 2016
The "Caisson Project" story
As many of you probably already know, I bought a fire truck last August while we were in Idaho on a RV trip. I have wanted one for many years, just for fun. But after attended so many 
retired firefighter funerals, I began to think, it would be great if we as a brotherhood could pay a final tribute to our brothers. A truck dedicated as a firefighters' hearse. A Caisson.
Well then the work started. I sent the word out to other retirees, and told them of my idea. The requests to help came flowing in. I then stopped by stores and booths at car shows telling the same thing. They seemed to all want to be a part of the project. Some people actually started to weeping when I explained the project. I went to get my teeth cleaned, and the dentist asked what I had been doing. When I told him, he went into his office and came out with a check for $100. The donations have been overwhelming at times. It makes me reverse my thoughts about the human race and people's attitudes, especially about firefighters.
Now, nearly 7 months later, and hundreds of man-hours, we are getting so close to painting the truck. We have sound deadened and insulated the cab, insulated the turbo, upgraded the fuel system, done a complete tune-up, replaced all the fluids and filters, replaced broken glass, pulled out the water tank, re-fabricated the entire hose bed to accommodate caskets and urns, built bench seating in back for pallbearers or honor guard personnel, rewired the truck, repaired air leaks and SO much more.
Now, don't think I come up with this idea. Well, sort of, for the Valley I did. There are many other community departments who have done the same thing. And the trend is growing since 9-11. Tucson Arizona has a beautiful old Mack for their Caisson. Their "Last Alarm Foundation" and us, made an agreement to cover the state of Arizona for ALL firefighters if requested.
I donated the truck to the Phoenix Fire Foundation because they are a 501 3-C non-profit organization which I help establish back in 1986. With the Foundation having ownership of the truck, it is easier to get donations from corporations for services and goods. The foundation in return, put me on the board as a member, and made me the Chairperson of the Caisson Project.
The Team Fishel construction company donated the use of a huge spray booth for our final preparations on the truck for paint. Pittsburgh Paint donated the paint, a local upholsterer donated his time and materials to re-do the interior and the list goes on. But the real credit goes to the retirees who have come to my shop and to the spray booth spending HUNDREDS of hours working on this project. I am proud to be a part of this project and to associated with these retirees. And lastly, thanks to all who sent their gratitude for our labors.
The final photo is the truck we are modeling our after.
retired firefighter funerals, I began to think, it would be great if we as a brotherhood could pay a final tribute to our brothers. A truck dedicated as a firefighters' hearse. A Caisson.
Well then the work started. I sent the word out to other retirees, and told them of my idea. The requests to help came flowing in. I then stopped by stores and booths at car shows telling the same thing. They seemed to all want to be a part of the project. Some people actually started to weeping when I explained the project. I went to get my teeth cleaned, and the dentist asked what I had been doing. When I told him, he went into his office and came out with a check for $100. The donations have been overwhelming at times. It makes me reverse my thoughts about the human race and people's attitudes, especially about firefighters.
Now, nearly 7 months later, and hundreds of man-hours, we are getting so close to painting the truck. We have sound deadened and insulated the cab, insulated the turbo, upgraded the fuel system, done a complete tune-up, replaced all the fluids and filters, replaced broken glass, pulled out the water tank, re-fabricated the entire hose bed to accommodate caskets and urns, built bench seating in back for pallbearers or honor guard personnel, rewired the truck, repaired air leaks and SO much more.
Now, don't think I come up with this idea. Well, sort of, for the Valley I did. There are many other community departments who have done the same thing. And the trend is growing since 9-11. Tucson Arizona has a beautiful old Mack for their Caisson. Their "Last Alarm Foundation" and us, made an agreement to cover the state of Arizona for ALL firefighters if requested.
I donated the truck to the Phoenix Fire Foundation because they are a 501 3-C non-profit organization which I help establish back in 1986. With the Foundation having ownership of the truck, it is easier to get donations from corporations for services and goods. The foundation in return, put me on the board as a member, and made me the Chairperson of the Caisson Project.
The Team Fishel construction company donated the use of a huge spray booth for our final preparations on the truck for paint. Pittsburgh Paint donated the paint, a local upholsterer donated his time and materials to re-do the interior and the list goes on. But the real credit goes to the retirees who have come to my shop and to the spray booth spending HUNDREDS of hours working on this project. I am proud to be a part of this project and to associated with these retirees. And lastly, thanks to all who sent their gratitude for our labors.
The final photo is the truck we are modeling our after.
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