Happy Veteran's Day ~ Thank You
 

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:sparklyheart:

Help , Please !
 

I need a help since I am not familiar with many things . I hired second attorney . He is just getting familiar with my son's case . However . the INS prosecutor requested his Navy records . This attorney it's more credible that we had from beginning . He told me that my sons record will not be available by January 9 th since it has to go Washington DC , which means more time for mine son in facility .

PLEASE , if you have any advise help me . We already don't celebrating Christmas this year for the first time in my whole life . I can't even think to be eating ham when my son will be eating bologna sandwich .

If you have any experience with these records , please help me . thank you so much for people that reply .

Vlasta

I can tell you this, you will just have to wait for the records. Unless your son has a copy of them, there is really nothing else you can do. Trust me when I say this, the government will take their own time and you will get the records when you get them. Wish I had better news.

Thanks Legend ,well that's what I though , they will take they time . One of my houses in SC burned to the grown in 2002 and we lost a lot of paperwork . He doesn't have it .

hugs and kisses

thank you so much for your reply , I would like to now if there be a problem if I PM you for more info ? please let me know . I am so scare if by January 9 th we will not have a paperwork and hearing will be postponed again .

My son was is shock and so was I initially. Actually last night we got into since he was hoping by the hearing things will resolved . Which didn't happened and his state of mind right now it's why I am being treated as a criminal and loosing time with my family and my children .

Please , if you have any info that could help , let me know . I would be grateful .

thanks again

Vlasta

About 10 years ago it took approximately 6 weeks to obtain a full history. That was also back in the day when requests were filed on paper.

Last summer, via electronic request form for DD214 only, it was received in less than 10 days.

It's uncertain from your post whether you are requesting the entire military history or status of discharge upon separation (DD214).

Here is the link that explains in detail what type of records are available and how to go about obtaining them:

http://www.archives.gov/veterans/mil...rvice-records/

Look around that site for other military links that may be of help to you. Read, especially, the paragraph pertaining to ""Emergency" Requests and Deadlines"

There are agencies that will charge fee to do what is available for free using the government's secure website (listed in the above link). Don't get scammed by any site offering to do it for you for a price.

Good luck and hope your son is reunited with all of you soon.

I am sorry for not being clear , what I understand they want DD214. Thanks so much for the link and advice.

Vlasta

It's not you who is unclear it's usually me who is often unable to read clearly.

I filled out the form for the request of DD214, printed it out, and had to sign and fax it to the number indicated on the electronic form. They will not process it without a signature so your longest delay may be in getting his attorney to be able to see him to sign it. After it was faxed it was postmarked 6 days later and it was not an emergency request.

Just to be on the safe side I would indicate your son's request is an emergency (because it is). Also I would make a similar separate emergency request for the complete history. It will save time if the prosecutor decides they want more than a DD214. Your attorney is the best to advise you on this. Again, good luck to all of you.

thank you so much for your advise . It appeared to me when we went to a hearing, prosecutor was just a bitch that she is paid for it and made demands that even judge was looking like WTH ? However , I am still happy that he postponed hearing . Since if he went through the hearing she would appeal right there and it would take another three to four months to wait , which is horrible since my son's wife is pregnant .

Right now I am hoping for his release from INS since he has no criminal record beside this weed past . He is a businessman and if he is out , he will know how to straight this up . I got a new attorney and it seems he it's much more invested in my son's case .

I will definitely do what you suggested and I want to thank you for your kind to reply and be so much helpful .

Vlasta

US Marine Corps.......... 76-79 and 80-82

Um, Theoddz, I'm probably the only one of us that had to climb up Mount Motherfucker as part of basic training. :P

Yes, I am a 'Hollywood Marine', ya swamp fox. :P I do know the feeling. I think that a lot of the people that I served with would be rather astonished if they could see me now. lol

from the Prop 8 Trial Tracker blog
 

OutServe Capital Summit planned for May 14-15 in Washington, D.C.

OutServe, a nonprofit organization that represents active duty LGBT military personnel, announced today that it will be holding its first OutServe Capital Summit on May 14-15 in Washington, D.C. Courage Campaign is one of the co-sponsors of the summit, as well as the Human Rights Campaign and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

OutServe’s theme for its summit will be “Our Families Matter,” and will feature a day of panels and discussions between active duty soldiers of all sexual orientations and advocacy experts about the rights of gay and lesbian military partners under DOMA. Despite the repeal of DADT, same-sex military partners are not eligible for all of the rights that heterosexual military families enjoy, including healthcare, base housing, and other privileges.

The Capital Summit is an exciting idea because it will bring together members of this community who have not necessarily had a chance to discuss the changes in their lives that DADT repeal has brought and provide a space for discussing how DOMA continues to negatively impact LGBT service members and their partners. In addition, the summit will look at what can get done in the future: SLDN, HRC and Courage will lead a discussion about how to elicit congressional action to help LGBT service members, and the second day of the summit will be dedicated to outreach on Capitol Hill.

Registration for the summit opens today at OutServe’s website. Check out the full schedule below!



Monday (May 14th)

8am: Registration

9am-4pm: Our Families Matter Workshops/Presentations

6:30pm: OutServe National Military Families Dinner (tickets sold seperately)

Tuesday (May 15th)

8am: Breakfast/ Morning Briefing

9am: Load Bus

9:30am-3pm: Capitol Hill

I am Air Force for life...cause once you serve in any branch of the military you are...and always will be...a veteran, many of us served prior to everyone in a uniform being called a hero.... back in the olden days, you didnt wear your uniform off base, cause it was not safe..not cause of terrorists but to protect you from having eggs thrown at you, being called a baby killer and you could fool yourself into thinking you blended in with the civilians....
Always thought it was funny watching a group of service folk walking down the sidewalk thinking they blended in as they unknowingly marched in step....

Well blessings to all veterans and current active duty military personnel all over the world and for all countries....and I highly encourage every person that is a veteran to join "veterans For Peace" www.vfp.org The only way to keep all service people alive is to keep peace by dialog not by guns

I so agree and I'm a Vet in US ARMY Intelligency communication MI

Oh and the website is:
www.veteransforpeace.org
sorry about that

The following pictures were taken in Santa Barbara, CA and I am using them as a representation of the images ingrained in my mind, which first prompted me to go to Iraq and spend one of year of my life...I did not go there in the military, although at the time I was still serving in the Air National Guard, I went as a civilian for a large defense contractor. My job consisted of rebuilding the communication infrastructure on various bases, a nice way of saying cable dog.... which means a splicer and installer of cabling and communication equipment. I will never forget the friends and troops I met in Iraq and I am uncertain, but some of them may not have come home....

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Was I scared? You can bet I was.....nothing like having bombs and rounds going off daily while sleeping, working or hanging out with your friends. Would I take that year back....NEVER....I will never forget the troops who put their lives on the line...I just would like to say Thank You to our Military and others who risked their lives......Thank You Very Much.

Would I do it again? Perhaps Afghanistan, never know where I will be......My boots are still ready.


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No, I've never really tried to keep in touch. There have always been very few people in my life that remain as a constant. It seems that my life has been full of change, and continues to be so.

I am very, very glad for you, though, that you have found and reconnected with your friends. That is very marvelous. :)

U.S. Woman Becomes First Openly Gay General
 

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Published: August 13, 2012
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/08/13...-flag-rank.xml
WASHINGTON - An Army officer being promoted to brigadier general openly acknowledged her homosexuality on Friday by having her wife pin her star to her uniform, thus becoming the first openly gay officer of flag rank in the United States military.
The officer, Brig. Gen. Tammy S. Smith, 49, a 26-year veteran of the Army, was promoted in a ceremony at the women's memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. The star was affixed by Tracey Hepner, who was a co-founder last year of the Military Partners and Families Coalition, which "provides support, resources, education and advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender military partners and their families," according to its Web site.
The couple married in March 2011 in the District of Columbia.
The military dropped its "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gay service members on Sept. 20, 2011, after a change in federal law.
The Army said that General Smith was not available for an interview on Sunday. However, she said in a statement that the Defense Department had made sexual orientation a private matter, but that "participating with family in traditional ceremonies such as the promotion is both common and expected of a leader."
Sue Fulton, a spokeswoman for OutServe, a two-year-old organization of lesbians and gay men in the military, said Sunday that it was "highly unlikely" that General Smith was the only gay officer of her rank. She called General Smith's public acknowledgment significant.
"I would say that it's important to recognize 'the first,' because then the next person doesn't have to be first," said Ms. Fulton, a 1980 West Point graduate. "Once we get over each 'first,' each hurdle of 'Well, that's never been done before,' it makes it a nonissue going forward."
Ms. Fulton, who was honorably discharged as a captain in 1986, said she left the Army because of the strains of maintaining a secret lesbian relationship. She called the promotion ceremony in which General Smith acknowledged being gay part of the best in Army tradition. Ms. Fulton quoted a speech last September in which the Army chief of staff, Gen. Ray Odierno, said that "the strength of our Army is our soldiers; the strength of our soldiers is our families."
Ms. Fulton said she had no doubt that General Smith's superiors knew of her sexual orientation when they selected her for promotion.
As a colonel, General Smith was deployed in Afghanistan from December 2010 to October 2011 as the chief of Army Reserve Affairs. She currently serves in Washington as the deputy chief of the Army Reserve.

" Go Army "

Said from the Blue
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OOOOOOOOO RAH!!

I'm thinking about going down to the Veterans Day Parade tomorrow.....San Francisco has a big one....celebrate with my fellow vets.......

Thank you for your service Toughy and thank you to all the other BFP Veterans as well. :)

I love it...........free food for 2 days......lol.... I will say this.........in the Bay Area be prepared for long lines with a long wait. Last year the wait time at the Alameda Applebees was about an hour and a half all day........Alameda is a big retired military (esp navy) town which is probably why the wait was so long. I did have a great time hanging out and talking to other vets...especially us Vietnam era vets.

Thank You!
 

For those in Canada, today is Remebrance Day.



In Flanders Field:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Thank you, veterans.

Just want to say

And a wonderful reminder that not all veterans are the two-legged kind: http://drgrumpyinthehouse.blogspot.c...erans-day.html

Thanks for the reminder Linus.

Thank you to all the Veterans. I remember my first Remeberance Day in Canada. I was very touched by seeing so many wear the poppy and it was the first time I heard "Flanders Field."

Today I will be going to the Veteran's Cemetary in Dixion, Ca. It will be an honor to place flowers on the grave of my step-father. He is an Army veteran and fought in WWII. My mother is interned there too.

I come from a long line of American Veterans and I am humbled by the service so many have given freely and with pupose.

I had an interesting time, tonight at Golden Corral. They had seated a fellow Marine and his partner with my friend and I, and during the convo, he asked me where I did my boot camp at. Either he wasn't paying attention, or I looked rather male to him, as I told him that I did my boot camp at MCRD San Diego. What is funny, for all the non-Marines out there, reading this, is that Women Marines are only given their basic training (boot camp) at MRCD Parris Island. Fortunately, nothing bad happened, and he did not say a word about it, to me.