10 Suggestions to REALLY Honor Our Servicemembers
1. Fully fund ALL veterans benefits for ALL veterans, including educational, health care, insurance, etc. That means funding the agencies and personnel to DELIVER the services, timely and with a minimum of bureaucratic paper shuffling.
2. Raise the base pay for enlisted E-1 through E-3 by a minimum of fifteen percent, for E-4 through E-6 by 10 percent, and remaining enlisted by five percent, for all warrant ranks by five percent, and adjust special allowances up by at least 3%.
3. Decommission outdated and nonfunctional protective gear, armor, and personal field equipment and replace it all with new gear that's both functional and mission-appropriate.
4. Replace that godawful toilet paper with abundant packets of wipes and absorbent, smooth toilet paper.
5. Upgrade all base housing with insulation, climate control, sufficient power outlets, really functional showers, wi-fi boosters, and room-darkening blinds.
6. Increase housing and living allowances for deployments where no base living facilities are available.
7. Upgrade, shield, and security-protect high-bandwidth communications for personnel on deployment to communicate with family and friends at home, and increase the number of available media stations by somewhere around three times current availability.
8. Improve in-field mental health and substance abuse evaluation, treatment and support services in all combat duty stations.
9. Invest a BUTTLOAD of cash in researching treatment for blast-related injury, and begin immediate triage and treatment in all field and evac base medical facilities the minute any promising treatments emerge.
10. Replace Cadet Bone Spurs with someone who actually gives a shit about soldiers, airmen, sailors, marines, and coast guards.
Some, maybe even MOST of these suggestions would probably be less expensive than a stupid-ass mass troops plus ordinance parade in DC, especially if you include the cost of replacing all those roads torn up by the Bradleys, etc.
I'm just guessing here, but military personnel past and present can correct me if I'm wrong when I say that pretty much all of them would be more welcome to "the troops" than said parade.
helpfully,
Bright
= new reply since forum marked as read
We do #10 first.
Then we'd have the biggest, yughest, bestest parade ever seen!
Then, since Cadet Bone Spurs isn't there to see any other parade, give all of the "parade money" to do steps @1 thru #9!
no need to thank me, just hold a parade! 
