Reference Numerals in Patent Drawings: Best Practices Explained
Reference numerals are essential for connecting patent drawings with the written disclosure, helping examiners and readers clearly understand an invention’s components and relationships. This topic explains how proper use of reference numerals improves clarity, consistency, and overall application quality. It outlines best practices such as maintaining consistent numbering across all figures, placing numerals for easy readability, and aligning them accurately with the specification and claims. The discussion also covers common mistakes patent applicants often make, including reused numerals, missing references, cluttered figures, and mismatched numbering between text and drawings. These errors can create confusion, lead to office actions, and slow down patent examination. By following proven guidelines, inventors and patent professionals can avoid these pitfalls and ensure their drawings support the invention clearly and effectively. This resource provides practical insights to help patent applicants prepare cleaner, more professional documentation and improve the chances of smooth patent prosecution.

More Info: https://thepatentdrawing.com/reference-numerals-in-patents/

Patent Search vs Google Search: Which Is More Reliable?
Many inventors begin prior art research with Google Search because it is fast and familiar. However, Patent Search and Google Search are fundamentally different in scope, accuracy, and reliability. Google Search focuses on publicly available web content and lacks access to comprehensive patent databases, detailed claims, legal status updates, and classification systems. In contrast, a professional Patent Search examines global patent offices’ records, published applications, technical literature, and non-patent sources using structured search strategies.

Understanding the difference between Patent Search vs Google Search is critical when making decisions about patent filing, investment, or product development. Relying only on Google can result in missed prior art and false assumptions about novelty. A thorough Patent Search provides deeper insight, reduces risk, and supports stronger IP strategies, helping innovators and businesses move forward with confidence.

More Info: https://ipbrigade.com/patent-search-vs-google-search/

PIP Law Firm in Massachusetts | Mass PIP
Our PIP law firm in Massachusetts helps clients recover Personal Injury Protection benefits after car accidents. We handle Mass PIP claims, denied benefits, medical bills, and wage loss. Get experienced legal support to maximize your PIP coverage and protect your rights.
For More Info:- https://masspip.com/

Pierce Body Works is Melbourne’s trusted specialist for car smash repairs, panel beating, dent removal, and spray painting. With advanced tools and skilled technicians, we restore vehicles to factory condition after accidents, dents, or damage. From paintless dent removal to full restorations, we deliver precision, quality, and fast turnaround. We also assist with insurance claims for a smooth, hassle-free repair experience. Visit https://piercebodyworks.com.au/ today.

AI Testing In Insurance Company
AI testing is reshaping insurance by making processes faster, more accurate, and cost-efficient. From automating test cases to ensuring secure claims and customer portals, insurers gain speed and reliability. With predictive defect detection and continuous monitoring, AI testing empowers insurance companies to deliver trusted digital experiences.
learn more: https://www.webomates.com/blog/ai-testing-the-key-to-unlocking-efficiency-in-your-insurance-company/
#AITesting #InsurTech #DigitalTransformation #TestAutomation #Efficiency

Legislative Victories
The VFW played an instrumental role in virtually every significant piece of veterans’ legislation passed in the
20th century, as well as bills enacted in the 21st century. Note: In each case, this is the year an act was
passed or an institution established.
For more information, contact the VFW National Legislative Service at vfwac@vfw.org.
1917 War Risk Insurance Act Amendments
1918 Vocational Rehabilitation Act (P.L. 178)
1919 Census Act Rider on Veterans Preference Discharge Allowance
1920 Widows and Orphans Pension Act (Spanish-America War)
1921 Veterans Bureau Act
1923 Veterans Preference Point System
1924 House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
World War Adjusted Compensation Act
1925 Senate Subcommittee on Veterans’ Affairs
1926 Spanish-American War benefits
New Johnson Act (WWI benefits)
1930 Veterans Administration (VA) World War Service Disability Pension Act (P.L. 522)
1931 Bacharach Amendment (P.L. 743) allows borrowing on WWI bonus certificates
1933 Wagner-Peyser Act: Veterans Employment Service
1934 Pension for widows of WWI vets
1936 VFW congressional charter signed by President Roosevelt
Bonus bonds ($2.4 billion) to WWI vets redeemable
1938 Armistice Day (Nov. 11) legal holiday
1940 National Service Life Insurance
Selective Service & Training Act
1943 Benefits to WWII veterans (P.L. 10)
Disabled Veterans Rehabilitation Act
1944 GI Bill of Rights (P.L. 346)
Veterans Preference Act
1946 Veteran Emergency Housing Act
1947 Bureau of Veterans Re-employment Rights (BVRR)
1950 Vocational Rehabilitation Act
1951 Servicemen’s Indemnity & Insurance
1952 Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (Korean War GI Bill)
1954 Veterans Compensation Act
Nov. 11 declared as Veterans Day (P.L. 380)
1962 Veterans Benefits Act (Cold War GI Bill)
1966 Veterans Readjustment Benefits Act (P.L. 89-358) (Vietnam War GI Bill)
1970 Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
1972 Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act
1973 Federal court agrees veterans preference applies to state jobs
1974 Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (vocational rehabilitation)
1976 Veterans Education & Employment Assistance Act
1977 Post-Vietnam Era Veterans Educational Assistance Act
1978 Veterans preference preserved
Veterans & Survivors Pension Improvement Act
Veterans Day returned to Nov. 11
1979 Vietnam Veterans Outreach Program (creates Vet Centers)
1980 VFW calls for Agent Orange study
Veterans Rehabilitation & Education Amendments
1981 Former POW Benefits Act
Veterans Health Care, Training & Small Business Loan Act
1982 Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS)
Vietnam Veterans Memorial dedicated
1983 Emergency Veterans Job-Training Act
1984 Montgomery GI Bill Veterans Dioxin & Radiation Exposure Compensation Standards Act
(P.L. 98-542): Agent Orange & Atomic Exposure
1987 New GI Bill Continuation Act
1988 Radiation-Exposed Veterans Compensation Act
Department of Veterans Affairs Act
Veterans Judicial Review Act
1989 VA becomes a Cabinet department Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
1990 Agent Orange service-connection
1991 Agent Orange Act (P.L. 102-4)
Persian Gulf War Veterans Assistance Act (P.L. 102-25)
1992 Veterans Health Care Act
1996 Veterans Health Care Eligibility Reform Act
1999 Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act
2003 Concurrent receipt for military retirees rated 50% disabled or more
2004 Full concurrent receipt for military retirees rated 100% disabled
Traumatic Injury Insurance supplemental created
2005 Protestors banned from military funerals
Stolen Valor Act signed into law
2006 VFW calls for VA/military health care system review after Walter Reed outpatient debacle
2008 Record VA discretionary budget approved
GI Bill for the 21st Century signed into law
2009 Advance Appropriations for VA becomes law
2010 Family Caregiver Legislation signed into law
Ensured all VA and DOD health care programs met minimum health care coverage standards
2011 VOW to Hire Heroes Act
VFW stopped TRICARE premiums from increasing annually
2012 Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act
Extended USERRA protections to veterans working for TSA
2013 Reinstated military Tuition Assistance programs
New Stolen Valor Act signed into law
Stopped Creation of Distinguished Warfare Medal (Drone Medal)
2014 Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014
In-State Tuition for Post-9/11 GI Bill eligible veterans
Advance Appropriations for VA Benefits
2015 Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans (SAV) Act
Eliminated 1 percent COLA reduction penalty on future military retirees
Created government match to military Thrift Savings Plan accounts

Updated 1/2025
2016 Toxic Exposure Research Act to evaluate impact on descendants
Enhanced fertility treatment and adoption services
2017 Forever GI Bill gives veterans a lifetime to use GI Bill benefits
Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017
VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act
Global War on Terrorism Memorial
Improved VA hiring and retention authorities
Veterans Choice Program improvements and expansion
Declassifying toxic exposure documents
Prevented significant copayment increases for TRICARE
2018 Expanded caregiver benefits to veterans of all eras
Consolidated community care into one improved program
Established a process to evaluate and improve VA facilities to better serve veterans
Defeated proposed cuts to Individual Unemployability
2019 Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act
Elimination of the Widow’s Tax
2020 Added bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, and parkinsonism to VA’s list of presumptive
conditions associated with exposure to Agent Orange
Changed the statutory definition of Vietnam veterans to include individuals who served in the
Republic of Vietnam from Nov. 1, 1955, to Feb. 27, 1961
Deborah Sampson Act
Elimination of the 12-year limit on using Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) benefits
2021 Expanded maternity care options from community providers
PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act
2022 Honoring our PACT Act
Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas SERVICE Act
Global War on Terrorism Memorial Location Act
UCMJ reform on sexual assault and harassment
2024 Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, which
included the Not Just A Number Act

Pashtun

Pashtuns (also called Pushtan, Paktun or Pathan) are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. Though their exact numbers are uncertain and as with other communities are contested, previous estimates have suggested that they make up around 42 per cent of the population. They live mainly in the south and the east of the country. They have a distinct language called Pashto (an official language since 1936) but also speak Pakhto, which are both Iranian dialects that fall within the Indo-European group of languages. They are generally able to speak Farsi when necessary, often relying on the language in the context of trade dealings in the region. It is speculated that Pashtuns are descendants of Eastern Iranians, who immigrated to the area from Persia. However, there is also an interesting legend, which claims that they actually originate from one of the ancient tribes of Israel. Pashtuns are Sunni Muslims and can also be found in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan (about 14 million). They are seen as the historic founders of the Afghan Kingdom, with an apparent predominance in administration power until recently.

The social structure of the Pashtuns is based on the Pashtunwali (or Pukhtunwali) code, which is a mixture of a tribal code of honour and local interpretations of Shari’a. This requires the speaking of Pashtu and the adherence to established customs. Hospitality, protection of their guests, defence of property, family honour and protection of the female relatives are some of the most important principles for Pashtuns. They rely on the tribal council jirga for the enforcement of disputes and local decision-making, as well as the seclusion of women from all affairs outside the home. A major aspect of the Pashtunwali code emphasizes personal authority and freedom. Women are required to wear full-face and full-length garments known as the burka. Pashtun culture is celebrated for its traditional music, dancing, poetry and storytelling.

A majority of Pashtuns rely upon agriculture (irrigated wheat) and animal husbandry for their source of income, with some involved in trading in these and other commodities. Population relocation and poverty caused by the chronic lack of stability in Afghanistan has led to a rise in drug trafficking, mainly opium via Pakistan to Europe and North America. The difficult living conditions together with the lack of clean water and health care contributes to a short life expectancy of only about 46 years. Those living in the Kabul area seem to enjoy slightly better living standards.

Tribal divisions

Despite their past political dominance, Pashtuns have never formed a homogeneous group, and many have fallen victim to oppression at the hands of the elites from their own community. The power and leadership of individuals are perhaps what divides Pashtuns, not only into different tribes but also into numerous sub-tribes, each isolated within their own borders. Interference in each other’s affairs has caused conflict among sub-tribes throughout their history. Yet despite their infighting, they have generally rallied to form a unified front when challenged by external threats or interference by a central non-Pashtun government.

Pakistan’s policy has been mainly supportive of the Pashtuns, especially in more recent times, but does not support the claim for self-determination of the 13 million Pashtuns living in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, out of fear of losing part of their territory.

Hazard

The size of the Hazara population, as with other communities in Afghanistan, is highly uncertain as the country’s authorities have never conducted a national census of the population. However, it is broadly recognized that none of the country’s ethnic groups form a majority, and the exact percentages of each group as part of the national population are estimates and often highly politicized.

The size of the Hazara community has also declined significantly as a result of forced migration, land grabbing and persecution. They were once the largest Afghan ethnic group, constituting nearly two-thirds of the total population of the country before the 19th century. Some estimates suggest that more than half of the Hazaras were massacred, forced to flee or taken into slavery during the 1891-93 Hazara War when the Afghan King Amir Abdur Rahman Khan (1880-1901) led a genocidal campaign of violence against Hazaras. Many of the Hazaras who fled the persecution by Amir Abdur Rahman Khan settled in the Indian subcontinent or Iran, laying the foundation of the Hazara communities that now live in the Pakistani city of Quetta and various districts in Iran’s eastern provinces. These communities have increased in size as more Hazaras who fled from Afghanistan over the past four decades have settled within them, especially in Quetta.

The origins of the Hazara community are much debated. Although a common myth suggests that Hazaras originated from a contingent of the army of Genghis Khan in the 13th century, there is no historical evidence to support these claims. Other more plausible theories suggest that Hazaras are more likely to have descended from communities that inhabited the region well before the advent of Genghis Khan.

Hazaras speak a dialect of Dari (Farsi dialect) called Hazaragi and the majority of them follow the Shi’a (Twelver Imami) school of Islam. As a result, Shi’a Hazaras constitute a religious minority in a country where the majority practice Sunni Islam. Significant numbers of Hazaras are also followers of the Ismaili Shi’a school of Islam or are Sunni Muslims. Within Afghanistan, Hazaras are known for their distinctive music and literary traditions with a rich oral history, poetry and music. Hazaragi poetry and music are mainly folkloric, having been passed down orally through the generations.

In Afghanistan, the majority of Shi’a Hazaras live in Hazarajat (or ‘land of the Hazara’), which is situated in the rugged central mountainous core of Afghanistan with an area of approximately 50,000 square kilometres. The region includes the provinces of Bamyan and Daikundi and several adjacent districts in the provinces of Ghazni, Uruzgan, Wardak, Parwan, Baghlan, Samangan and Sar-e Pul. There are significant Sunni Hazara communities in the provinces of Badghis, Ghur, Kunduz, Baghlan, Panjshir and other areas in the northeast of Afghanistan. Ismaili Hazaras live in the provinces of Parwan, Baghlan and Bamyan. In addition, Shi’a as well as Sunni Hazaras are based in substantial numbers in several urban centres of Afghanistan, including Kabul, Mazar-e Sharif and Herat.

Traditionally, the majority of the Hazara community were involved in subsistence farming or working as peasants and artisans. In Afghanistan’s cities, Hazaras traditionally engaged in unskilled labour as they faced discrimination in education and public sector employment. This has contributed to their further stigmatization, reflected in the low rate of intermarriage between Hazaras and members of other groups. Systematic discrimination, as well as recurrent periods of targeted violence and enforced displacement, have led the Hazara community to lose much of their population and standing in the social hierarchy of modern Afghanistan.

By Major Mark A. Smith Sr. (ret)
Note: Some decades ago, a friend in the Pentagon asked me to jot down a few Soldierly thoughts. Through the years I added a couple, but deleted none of the originals. They may not be modern or politically corrected, but they did make the rounds. I stand by them today.
- Mark
1. Never accept an officer as competent based on his source of commission.
2. Your right to influence the battlefield is diminished in ratio to the distance you are from the actual arena of action.
3. The battlefield selects its own Generals. No school or board can replace it.
4. Never call fire on your own troops, unless you stand among them.
5. Leaders are indeed born and no military school can provide what God did not.
6. Equipment procurement will always be compromised by not only being made by the lowest bidder, but by attempting to make it multi-functional.
7. Attempting to lighten the soldier’s load by diminishing the weight of any given weapon, will always result in shorter range and less firepower.
8. Excellent staff officers rarely make good battlefield commanders.
9. Outstanding commanders will surround themselves with excellent staff officers.
10. Never make command a reward for good staff work.
11. Discipline began its decline with the demise of the swagger stick and centralized promotion boards.
12. Outstanding NCO’s may make good officers. But, rarely will a riffed officer make a good NCO.
13. Atheists will never be trusted by their troops on the battlefield.
14. Women can do many things men do, except for a few days every month.
15. Going through the change, has nothing to do with the female senior officer’s uniform.
16. Sexual harassment is a two-lane road.
17. Soldiers tell the truth about good and bad commanders. Their opinion is the ultimate evaluation of an officer.
18. No commander was ever hated for being too hard. But, many are detested for trying to cultivate that image, without substance.
19. The maximum effective range of any weapon is that range at which the individual soldier can hit his target and not an inch further.
20. Pretty females rarely feel harassed by male counterparts.
21. Plain-looking female soldiers are usually the best performers and fit in.
22. Endurance should be judged on the bayonet assault course and not on a marathon run.
23. How far soldiers can run in shorts is unimportant, compared to how far they can speed march with full equipment.
24. Pregnant females are overweight soldiers. Thus, the US Army Weight Control program is not based on equal enforcement of the rules.
25. Tears on the cheeks of any soldier, regardless of gender, are only acceptable on the death of a relative or comrade and when “Old Glory” passes by.
26. Pregnancy is self-inflicted, thus abortions should be paid for by the soldier, as a non line of duty procedure.
27. Soldiers are not ‘sent into combat,” they are led.
28. Your worth as an officer should never be judged on how well you ran with a football in college.
29. West Point is a place of learning, as is any college. Both produce two types of officer; Good and Bad.
30. The computer will never be able to judge the content of a soldier’s spirit, as his Sergeant can.
31. Esprit De Corps cannot be attained at the Battalion picnic or Sports Day. It must be instilled by good leadership and belief in one’s fellow soldiers.
32. No new weapon or tactic will ever instill the same fear in the enemy that one Infantryman with a bayonet can.
33. He who drinks at lunch is a drunken soldier in the afternoon.
34. No soldier is so smart that his physical deficiencies can be overlooked in the Infantry.
35. Painting rocks and serving drinks to officers, have never been soldierly functions. And golf is not a required skill for officers.
36. Consolidation of all administrative personnel at battalion level has eroded accountability and proper reporting.
37. Anyone who thinks that future battlefields will not contain Infantrymen knows nothing about war.
38. Indecision kills more soldiers than any wrong decision. One can command his way out of a wrong decision.
39. The only mission of the Infantry Soldier is to kill the enemy. “Humanitarian Missions" are someone else’s job.
40. Only the Infantry and Armor can gain ground. Only the Infantry can hold it alone.
41. Special Forces are not Rangers or Light Infantry and should never be employed as such.
42. Rangers are light infantry and are not Special Forces.
43. Victory is not a limited objective. There is no other reason to engage an enemy, except victory.
44. Never shower or apply after-shave and cologne, forty eight hours prior to a night attack.
45. Sweat is the true lubricant of the Infantry fighting machine.
46. No American Soldier can be managed to victory. He must be led.
47. The only color in the U.S. Army is green.
48. Use of chemical weapons and biological weapons are a crime against humanity.
49. Not training your soldiers to protect themselves from them is a crime against your own troops.
50. Any tactic written in a book is known to your enemies.
51. If short hair is truly a matter of hygiene and discipline, then all soldiers must have it.
52. No member of a soldier’s family is more important than the mission.
53. No soldier can accomplish his mission if the Army neglects his family.
54. Any soldier who sleeps with another soldier’s wife or lover cannot be trusted on the battlefield and should be shunned.
55. Officers are more likely to wear unauthorized awards than any NCO or Private.
56. Any officer who claims he is accepting an individual award for the entire unit should allow his soldiers to wear it.
57. There can be no quota for awards.
58. Any award for Valor is of more value to the Army than any school diploma or certification.
59. Heroism cannot be taught. But, cowardice is a communicable disease.
60. The machine gun is too important a weapon to be used as a tool for punishing poor soldiers.
61. Precision weapons will jam, if the Commander demands communal cleaning.
62. No officer should be given a command, because, he needs one for his career.
63. No officer should be denied a command, because, he already had one.
64. The state of the Army can be evaluated by how its soldiers look in uniform, at any airport in the world.
65. No reporter can be trusted with operational plans. A reporter who reveals operational plans is a traitor to his country.
66. A combat veteran of any war should be respected by soldiers.
67. American soldiers do not lose wars. Leaders lose wars.
68. What a soldier saw with his own eyes, cannot be ignored or changed by higher headquarters.
69. If Special Forces are not assigned strategic missions, they are being misused.
70. The “Hummer” is a vehicle and is the only thing of that name allowed in the Infantry.
71. If you wish to learn about guerrilla warfare, study Francis Marion and not Westmoreland or Giap.
72. The one night you don’t dig in, will bring mortars on your position.
73. Taking the easy way will always get you killed.
74. Blank ammunition has no place in Infantry training.
75. The more you restrict Infantrymen possessing live ammunition, the more accidents you will have.
76. The Air Force and Navy are supporting arms.
77. Intelligence Officer is usually a contradiction in terms.
78. Inclement weather is the true Infantryman’s ally.
79. There is no special duty so important, that it takes the Infantry Soldier away from his squad.
80. Commanders who use the “Off Limits” authority to deny sex to combat soldiers will have a high V.D. rate.
81. A Commander’s morals are his own and cannot be imposed on his soldiers.
82. Chaplains must present themselves when the soldier has time, not because they have a schedule.
83. An officer must be judged on his ability and not on how many coffees his wife has attended.
84. Senior officers who allow discussions about a brother officer, not present, are not honorable men.
85. A Commander who bad-mouths his predecessor will never be truly respected.
86. Equal opportunity is guaranteed by the law and does not require a separate staff.
87. If a Sergeant Major suggests a unit watch, he is the supplier.
88. The quality of food went down, with the initiation of the consolidated mess.
89. No NCO or Warrant Officer outranks a Second Lieutenant.
90. Any officer who does not listen to NCO’s and Warrant Officers is a fool.
91. If you wish your subordinates to call you by your first name, go sell shoes. There is no place for you in the Army.
92. Any Army man who sneers at a Marine for being sharp and well turned out is no soldier.
93. Any Infantryman who must call higher headquarters before engaging the enemy has a fool for a commander.
94. Soldiers respect leaders worth emulating. They cannot be “ordered” to respect anyone.
95. No man who refused to serve his country in war should be elected or appointed over men and women being sent to fight.

I was a Soldier or I Am A Veteran
- By Colonel Daniel K. Cedusky, USA, Retired

I was a Soldier or I am a Veteran: That’s the way it is, that’s what we were... ARE.

We put it, simply, without any swagger, without any brag, in those four plain words.
We speak them softly, just to ourselves. Others may have forgotten.

They are a manifesto to mankind; speak those four words anywhere in the world — yes, anywhere — and many who hear will recognize their meaning.

They are a pledge. A pledge that stems from a document which said: “I solemnly Swear”, “to protect and defend” and goes on from there, and from a Flag called “Old Glory”.

Listen, and you can hear the voices echoing through them, words that sprang white-hot from bloody lips, shouts of “medic", whispers of “Oh God!”, forceful words of “Follow Me”. If you can’t hear them, you weren’t, if you can you are.

“Don’t give up the ship! Fight her till she dies. Damn the torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead! Do you want to live forever? Don’t cheer, boys; the poor devils are dying.”
Laughing words, and words cold as January ice, words that when spoken, were meant, “Wait till you see the whites of their eyes”.

The echo’s of I was a Soldier. Say what you mean, mean what you say!

You can hear the slow cadences at Gettysburg, or Arlington honoring not a man, but a Soldier, perhaps forgotten by his nation, his family.

Oh! Those Broken Promises, VA claims, Homelessness, Divorces.

You can hear those echoes as you have a beer at the “Post”, walk in a parade, go to The Wall, visit a VA hospital, hear the mournful sounds of Taps, or gaze upon the white crosses, or tall white stones, row upon row.

But they aren’t just words; they’re a way of life, a pattern of living, or a way of dying.

They made the evening, with another day’s work done; supper with the wife and kids. A Beer with friends; and no Gestapo snooping at the door and threatening to kick your teeth in.

They gave you the right to choose who shall run our government for us, the right to a secret vote that counts just as much as the next fellow’s in the final tally; and the obligation to use that right, and guard it and keep it clean.

They prove the right to hope, to dream, to pray, and the obligation to serve.

These are some of the meanings of those four words, meanings we don’t often stop to tally up or even list.

Only in the stillness of a moonless night, or in the quiet of a Sunday afternoon, or in the thin dawn of a new day, when our world is close about us, do they rise up in our memories and stir in our sentient hearts.

And we are remembering family & buddies, who were at Iwo Jima, Wake Island, and Bataan, Inchon, and Chu Lai, Knox and Benning, Great Lakes and Paris Island, Travis and Chanute, Bagdad, Kabul, Kuwait City, and many other places long forgotten by our civilian friends.

They are plain words, those four. Simple words.

You could carve them on stone; you could carve them on the mountain ranges. You could sing them, to the tune of “Yankee Doodle.”

But you needn’t. You needn’t do any of those things, for those words are graven in the hearts of Veterans, they are familiar to 24,000,000 tongues, every sound, and every syllable.

If you must write them, put them on my Stone.

But when you speak them, speak them softly, proudly, I will hear you, for I too, I was a Soldier, I AM A VETERAN."

NSDQ!

I was a Soldier or I Am A Veteran
- By Colonel Daniel K. Cedusky, USA, Retired

I was a Soldier or I am a Veteran: That’s the way it is, that’s what we were... ARE.

We put it, simply, without any swagger, without any brag, in those four plain words.

We speak them softly, just to ourselves. Others may have forgotten.

They are a manifesto to mankind; speak those four words anywhere in the world — yes, anywhere — and many who hear will recognize their meaning.

They are a pledge. A pledge that stems from a document which said: “I solemnly Swear”, “to protect and defend” and goes on from there, and from a Flag called “Old Glory”.

Listen, and you can hear the voices echoing through them, words that sprang white-hot from bloody lips, shouts of “medic", whispers of “Oh God!”, forceful words of “Follow Me”. If you can’t hear them, you weren’t, if you can you are.
“Don’t give up the ship! Fight her till she dies. Damn the torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead! Do you want to live forever? Don’t cheer, boys; the poor devils are dying.”

Laughing words, and words cold as January ice, words that when spoken, were meant, “Wait till you see the whites of their eyes”. The echo’s of I was a Soldier. Say what you mean, mean what you say!

You can hear the slow cadences at Gettysburg, or Arlington honoring not a man, but a Soldier, perhaps forgotten by his nation, his family.

Oh! Those Broken Promises, VA claims, Homelessness, Divorces.

You can hear those echoes as you have a beer at the “Post”, walk in a parade, go to The Wall, visit a VA hospital, hear the mournful sounds of Taps, or gaze upon the white crosses, or tall white stones, row upon row.

But they aren’t just words; they’re a way of life, a pattern of living, or a way of dying.

They made the evening, with another day’s work done; supper with the wife and kids. A Beer with friends; and no Gestapo snooping at the door and threatening to kick your teeth in.

They gave you the right to choose who shall run our government for us, the right to a secret vote that counts just as much as the next fellow’s in the final tally; and the obligation to use that right, and guard it and keep it clean. They prove the right to hope, to dream, to pray, and the obligation to serve.

These are some of the meanings of those four words, meanings we don’t often stop to tally up or even list.

Only in the stillness of a moonless night, or in the quiet of a Sunday afternoon, or in the thin dawn of a new day, when our world is close about us, do they rise up in our memories and stir in our sentient hearts.

And we are remembering family & buddies, who were at Iwo Jima, Wake Island, and Bataan, Inchon, and Chu Lai, Knox and Benning,
Great Lakes and Paris Island, Travis and Chanute, Bagdad, Kabul, Kuwait City, and many other places long forgotten by our civilian friends.

They are plain words, those four. Simple words.
You could carve them on stone; you could carve them on the mountain ranges. You could sing them, to the tune of “Yankee Doodle.”

But you needn’t. You needn’t do any of those things, for those words are graven in the hearts of Veterans, they are familiar to 24,000,000 tongues, every sound, and every syllable.

If you must write them, put them on my Stone.

But when you speak them, speak them softly, proudly, I will hear you, for I too, I was a Soldier, I AM A VETERAN."

NSDQ!

https://votervoice.net/mobile/VFW/Campaigns/109584/Respond?fbclid=IwAR3lco4RyIWCD0m3lS-bGQtryh4bxEzWS1Q_LsrtbEQRYtLVXD_gt3lvmKc

For those who may need assistance.

1 - YOU are YOUR best claims advocate!

2 - companies, ANY & ALL of them, who charge YOU for YOUR benefits is the equivalent of YOU letting "Joe" drive that 18% charger from Gary Mathews.

3 - Stop playing the blame game. "Them" and "They" never stood in any formation or walked in MY boots.

All the information is out there, get off ya butt and find it! Ask for help!

FALL IN!

Sound off on YOUR thoughts...

https://www.kennedy.senate.gov/public/2023/6/kennedy-introduces-bill-to-help-veterans-maximize-disability-benefits-punish-fraudsters#:~:text=Jun%2001%202023&text=today%20introduced%20the%20Preserving%20Lawful,private%20groups%20when%20filing%20claims.