Tag: Veterans Affairs

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Memes are as prevalent today as tear-off apartment flyers and peg message boards once were before the Internet existed.  As veterans, we find that our community has a lot of memes created around it, many not even made by veterans in the first place.  Wounded veterans, families of grieving servicemembers, and even invoking the memory of a deceased veteran to score political points (Pat Tillman, Chief Owens’ widow at the State of the Union, and Mrs. Wilson receiving a fucked up POTUS condolence call are all prime examples) are not beneath many politicians in this country.  And the sad reality is that memes are free speech, but that doesn’t excuse the pain caused by meme creators wanting to appropriate the pain of both being in and surviving the military.

So for a community that’s constantly told that it actually protects our rights, including free speech, what is a veteran to do when his or her story / photo / video and so on are appropriated for what really amount to propaganda?  Here’s our take on it.

01:00 – Recent veteran medical marijuana news – VA’s change in marijuana policy and AZ doc left in the lurch with her medical marijuana study for veterans with PTSD

5:00 – The death of Mr. Vance Perry, disabled veteran who died of hypothermia after leaving a VA facility

11:35 – Trump admin national security posture changes toward China and Russia

35:15 – Marco Chavez finally comes home to the US after being deported for a crime he denied ever committing.

40:20 – Use of servicemembers, veterans, and their families as political props.  

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/01/09/576577596/va-clears-the-air-on-doctors-talking-to-veterans-about-marijuana-use

https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/health/2017/06/08/arizona-marijuana-doctor-johns-hopkins-university-veterans-administration/378212001/

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/immigration/sd-me-marco-chavez-20171221-story.htmlhttp://www.nbc15.com/content/news/Family-shares-concerns-after-fathers-death-467971303.html

http://www.11alive.com/mobile/article/news/local/army-veteran-freezes-to-death-after-being-released-from-va-hospital/504901459

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2018/01/07/learn-his-name-first-trumps-tweet-politicizing-military-widows-touched-a-nerve/?utm_term=.78d8fe4b9a45

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trolls-scammers-and-verified-facebook-pages-made-this-combat-wounded-vet-an-anti-kneeling-meme-his-real-story-is-much-better?utm_content=tp-facebook&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

Got news to share about our military or veterans?! Or just need to cuss at us for a bit?! Contact us direct by email at fortressonahill@gmail.com

Patreon – www.patreon.com/fortressonahill/

[bctt tweet=”Wounded veterans, families of grieving servicemembers, and even invoking the memory of a deceased veteran to score political points (Pat Tillman, Chief Owens’ widow at the State of the Union, and Mrs. Wilson receiving a fucked up POTUS condolence call are all prime examples) are not beneath many politicians in this country.  And the sad reality is that memes are free speech, but that doesn’t excuse the pain caused by meme creators wanting to appropriate the pain of both being in and surviving the military. ” username=”fortressonahill”]

FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson and Danny Sjursen
The show was mixed and edited by Chris Henrikson
Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL
Music provided royalty free by Bensound.com

Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.