Military Veteran (all nations) Linux users

[dwflo]

Just want to ask if any of you Vets are having problems with the VA. Seems as if they are attempting to get rid of Vietnam Vets.!
This is the feeling here in Albuquerque.

Dave

[bobcollard]

Just want to ask if any of you Vets are having problems with the VA. Seems as if they are attempting to get rid of Vietnam Vets.!
This is the feeling here in Albuquerque.

Dave

My only access is the VA Clinic here and the Hospital in Danville IL. Neither one of them seem ready to move us out in Illinois. I've had some very good relationships with them.

[XidCat]

Just want to ask if any of you Vets are having problems with the VA. Seems as if they are attempting to get rid of Vietnam Vets.!
This is the feeling here in Albuquerque.

26 years USAF retired (about 5 years ago...). Spent 24 years overseas (10 yrs in the UK, 3 in Iceland, 6 in Korea, 3 in Guam, 2 in Thailand) most with Special Operations. Combat/contingency deployments to Iraq (3 times), Bosnia, Somalia, Kosovo, Africa.

Fortunately, because I retired without disability, I don't have to deal with the VA. I have a good friend here who is a Vietnam vet, Silver Star, 2 Purple Hearts, with a combat related disability. He deals with the VA frequently and he feels the quality of care is going down due to the influx of vets from our two current conflicts. He says he feels like he is on the back burner, not because he is a Vietnam vet, but because of his age. We live in the San Antonio area, which has Fort Sam Houston, Brooke Army Medical Center, Lackland AFB and Randolph AFB. So there is a huge number of vets here and I really don't think the VA can handle it. A lot of injured personnel wind up at Brooke, like the area and stay. Nothing wrong with that, it's just that the VA hasn't really ramped up over the last 9 years in proportion to the influx.

Even though I am retired, I work full time. My main search parameter for a job was good medical benefits, even though my family and I are covered for life through Tricare. Despite having two military regional med centers here, it takes up to month for a routine appointment and emergency room waits up to 8 hours are the norm. Military and VA medical have been exempt from budget cuts and in fact spending has increased, but I don't know how long that can continue.

On a side note, how are civil service jobs in Albuquerque? Here, forget about it... The recruiters goes through Brooke and recruit disabled vets that are pending discharge to make sure they have a job. People like me that apply through normal channels, get the scraps, if any. Not complaining, I think it's a good idea, but it sure limits your options... Fortunately I'm blessed with a civilian job that has great benefits and a decent salary, but others (vets/retirees) here aren't so lucky...

[vrkalak]

Just want to ask if any of you Vets are having problems with the VA. Seems as if they are attempting to get rid of Vietnam Vets.!
This is the feeling here in Albuquerque.

Fortunately, because I retired without disability, I don't have to deal with the VA.
but others (vets/retirees) here aren't so lucky...

I am a retired veteran. 9 years in the Army, 13 in the Marine Corps.
3 consecutive tours in Vietnam/Cambodia, El Salvidor, Libya, Croatia/Bosnia and ending in Iran.
I have 2 Purple Hearts and a Silver Star ... but like others I am NOT Service Connected.

Living in Santa FE, NM ... We have a small VA Clinic here, but when I go to the hospital, it is to the Albuquerque VA.

The problems I have found at the Albuquerque VA and subsequent Vet Center (counseling center for combat-related PTSD) are that for years they have taken care of Vietnam Era veterans, (and a few remnants from WW2 and Korea) -- and now there are scores of NEW combat veterans returning everyday. While the patient load has increased drastically, the number of staffing has remained the same.

When I did go for counseling to the Albuquerque Vet Center, would be that I could get in to see my counselor, at least once a week, if needed. Now, with the influx of new vets ... I'm lucky if I can get in once every 3 months. They still have the same number of counselors, and number of vets has quadrupled.

I recently, had Open Heart Surgery (at the Albuquerque VA Hospital) and the service was excellent, as the doctors and nursing staff, are caring people.

My point being, I do not see the VA as not caring for or trying to weed out Vietnam Vets, only that their workload has increased dramatically. And they can only do so much, with what they are given.
The over all funding, to improve or keep the VA system up to par with private health care, comes from the US Government.
We, the US, is getting ourselves into more 'hot-water' than we know what to do with.

[Aging Technogeek]

I'm with vrkalak on the VA. For the last three years, I have lived in the Connecticut State Veterans' Home and all of my medical care has been through the West Haven, Ct. VA Medical Center. From 1996 to 2004 I worked at West Haven VAMC as an Operating Room Cleaner.

I should mention that I have no service connected disabilities that would qualify me for free treatment at any VA hospital.

I have never seen any hint of discrimination against 'Nam vets. If anything, as we Viet Vets age the Va Medical service is getting better at serving our needs (at least in my case). I started using the VA Medical system in 1986 while living in New Jersey and have gotten all of my medical care at the VA ever since.

Over the years I have seen a considerable improvement in all phases on service at VA hospitals. Appointments I once waited months to get now take weeks. Waiting times to see a care provider (with a scheduled appointment) have come down from several hours to less than 30 minutes in most cases.

In 2002 I had a mild heart attack. I went to the Emergency Room at West Haven VAMC and was in treatment minutes after I walked in (at 10 PM on a Saturday).

In 2004, I took a disability retirement from the VA and lived on my Social security disability and VA disability pensions in West Haven (one of the most expensive places to live in Ct.) for 3 years before moving into the State Veterans' Home. I could not have made it for those 3 years without the VAMC to go to for all medical needs at prices considerably below What I would have paid at a civilian hospital.

Like vrkalak, in 2008 I had open heart surgery at West Haven VAMC. The attending surgeon was the Chief of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery at Yale-New Haven Hospital (West Haven VAMC's medical staff are all rotated from Yale-New Haven every 3 months). I paid nothing for the surgery or for the post operative care I received.

As far as I'm concerned, the VA is doing alright by Viet Nam Veterans.

[BMasiak]

Figured this is a good thread for a first post. I've been a linux user on and off since 1997. It's gone a long way since than. Last distro I used before Linux Mint was Ubuntu. Ironically enough, I didn't hear about Linux Mint until about a month ago in Afghanistan from a contractor. He happened to have an ISO for Linux Mint 8 RC1 that I was able to get from him. I love it!

Back on topic. US Air Force here. Currently deployed to Afghanistan (RC-West) 2009-2010, Kuwait 2007-2008. Home stationed @ Dover AFB, DE since 2006. 2T2x1, Air Transportation Specialist.

vrkalak - that term is more commonly known than you think, it's not only something a 'true' jar-head would know

[Daveleh]

Ex Royal Air Force, 1972-1996. Started using Amiga's, used Windows in employment. First Linux was Mandrake8, then Mandriva, then PCLinuxOS and now Mint8

Regards

[Aging Technogeek]

BMasiak,

Welcome to the Mint community. Hope your stay is long and pleasant.

It's good to see that this thread is not dying out. It was idle for a while and I was starting to wonder.

Nice to hear from the RAF. I hoped to hear from many countries when I changed the topic from Viet Nam vets to all vets.

[BuzzKiller]

I didn't hear about Linux Mint until about a month ago in Afghanistan from a contractor. He happened to have an ISO for Linux Mint 8 RC1 that I was able to get from him. I love it!

Your contractor would not happened to be named Josh would he?

US Navy, USS Pennsylvania SSBN-735B, 1991-1996, TM2/SS

[BMasiak]

I didn't hear about Linux Mint until about a month ago in Afghanistan from a contractor. He happened to have an ISO for Linux Mint 8 RC1 that I was able to get from him. I love it!

Your contractor would not happened to be named Josh would he?

US Navy, USS Pennsylvania SSBN-735B, 1991-1996, TM2/SS

Negative. Though it would've been pretty cool if ya knew the guy

[BuzzKiller]

Negative. Though it would've been pretty cool if ya knew the guy

Yes, it would have. Sometimes, weird stuff like that happens and the world seems small indeed:)

[BrenR]

Wife of a vet here. He served in the Marine Corp during the VN war. He never served combat duty, but had boots on the ground. He was stationed in the Philippines.
Two of his brothers served in Nam, combat duty, in the US Army.

[dawgdoc]

US Army here: Honduras, Sinai, JFKSWC, Somalia, Saudi (between storms) and other stuff.

vet x 2; veteran and veterinarian

First dabbled with BASIC on an IBM pdp11

[mercier]

Israeli army. Compulsory service late 80's.

Reserve duty, anually, ever since. Infantry.

First computer - Commodore64. PC for years. Tried LInux somewhere in 2003. and couldn't get it to work. Tried Vista, and after 3rd freeze in one day, decided to check on Linux.
Installed first Mint in January 2006., deleted XP partition 6 months later, still checking on different distros in VirtualBox.

Warm regards to all the vets, and those still on the line. Thank you for doing what you do.

[dawgdoc]

Erev Tov, Mercier

[mercier]

Erev Tov, Mercier

erev tov

[vietveteran]

i guess you can see my username and tell where I'm coming from. Only want to log in to help the Army out as we seem to be outnumbered here.
339th Trans. co
attached to 18th Aviation
Helicopters
(long time ago)

[Aging Technogeek]

Been a little under the weather the last few days so I'm a tad behind in my duties to this thread I started.

BuzzKiller - Is it true that all you nuke squids glow in the dark? Welcome to this small but growing group within the Mint community.

BrenR- You are quite welcome here. Wives of vets sometimes have a harder time than the vets themselves. Please feel free to contribute anything at any time.

dawgdoc and vietveteran - I don't hold it against you that you were Army, some of my best friends were in the Army (of course I would never admit that to another Marine). Welcome both of you.

Mercier - You are our second non US responder. I hope you will not be the last. Shalom.

[Himangshu]

Dears,
I a user of mint linux 8. want to develop a medical software for me and all which will run on it. in prof. i a medical student. totally not know about software development pls help me by any means.
Himangshu Karar.

[dwflo]

Dears,
I a user of mint linux 8. want to develop a medical software for me and all which will run on it. in prof. i a medical student. totally not know about software development pls help me by any means.
Himangshu Karar.

You are asking in the wrong thread. Look here http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewforum.php?f=90