By Michael Woyton
What kind of message does it send to anyone who might be considering a military career when they see that they can be allowed to serve their country one day and be kicked out the next?
When the felon-in-chief came back into office, he re-instituted his first administration’s ban on transgender Americans serving in the military, an article on MSNBC said.
The adjudicated rapist reversed President Barack Obama’s end to the existing ban in 2016, and President Joe Biden reversed the reversal.
Now the United States Air Force is upping the ante by not allowing long-serving transgender service members to take early retirement.
We are talking about transgender service members with 15 to 18 years of service.
The brain trust in Pete Kegseth’s Defense Department — put in office by the cheating golfer who never served in the military and calls veterans suckers and losers — are now forcing trans Air Force personnel out of service with no retirement benefits.
According to Reuters, “These longer-serving transgender service members will have the same choice as more junior ones: quit or be forced out, with corresponding lump-sum payments as they walk out the door, the August 4 memo says.”
Adding insult to injury, Reuters reported that many of the service members had been approved for early retirement already, but those were rescinded, calling them “prematurely approved.”
I can’t help but think that when word gets out about yet another betrayal of those who feel compelled to put their lives on the line by joining the armed forces it will have a chilling effect on those willing to serve.
Coupled with the blatant firing or demotions of high-ranking women in the military, just what kind of fighting force will we have left?
A fish rots from the head.
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Not only is this administration anti-veteran, but also anti-union.
On Wednesday, leaders at Veterans Affairs announced that nearly all its collective bargaining agreements with federal unions will be terminated, Military Times reported.
About 80 percent of Department of Veterans Affairs staff members are union members.
A statement issued by VA Secretary Doug Collins called the move “good news” for veterans and their families, caregivers and survivors.
Collins’ warped rationale was that “[t]oo often, unions that represent VA employees fight against the best interests of Veterans while protecting and rewarding bad workers.”
Union leaders are not happy with the move, saying that they have protested for months against proposed cuts at the VA. They say smaller staffs will hurt benefits and health care.
They also accused Collings of working to privatize the agency by “sending more money for medical appointments into civilian hospitals and medical offices, rather than VA clinics,” Military Times reported.
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With apologies to Tor Johnson …
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