| PRESS ADVISORY THURSDAY- JANUARY 5- 2012 - 8am. CONTACT: TOM TRENTO Tom@TheUnitedWest.org 561-319-5533 HISTORIC CAPITOL - HOUSE CHAMBER 400 S. MONROE ST - TALLAHASSEE TUESDAY, JANUARY 10 - 10:30 - 4PM “When Johnny Comes Marching Home … to What?” The United West – first to Recognize Florida’s Returning Heroes Gov. Scott - Lt. Gov. Carroll, both veterans, expected to attend. The United West will be holding the first event in Florida following the end of the Iraq War, entitled “Saluting Our Military.” “Saluting Our Military” will be held at the start of the new legislative session in Tallahassee, January 10th in the House Chambers of the Historic Capitol Building from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m and have the theme, “When Johnny Comes Marching Home … to What?” While expressing the nation’s thanks and appreciation for a job well done, the program will focus on jobs, health care, morale and welfare for returning vets and their families in tough economic times. The United West event will coincide with Florida Governor Rick Scott’s State of the State message. Tom Trento, Director of The United West and organizer of “Saluting Our Military”, said, “As we enter a new year and the Florida legislature convenes, it is only fitting that all Floridians join together to honor the men and women who serve and sacrifice each day for us all. Not to recognize their service is a travesty. Florida has experienced the largest deployment of its Reservists and National Guard personnel in history to Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. Central Command, the joint command headquarters for the War in Iraq and Afghanistan, is located at MacDill AFB in Tampa. Florida is home to over 1.8 million active duty, Reserve, National Guard and veterans. On January 10, 2012 we will honor them all.” The United West, “Saluting Our Military” features a number of speakers who will appear at the event being held in the House Chambers of the Historic Capitol Building from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., January 10th. Among the honored speakers are two wounded warriors – SSG William Castillo, U.S. Army (Ret.) and SGT Joshua Cope, U.S. Army (Ret.) They know personally the price of freedom paid by their comrades in arms. Among the nationally recognized speakers at the event in Tallahassee will be Lt. Gen. William “Jerry” Boykin U.S. Army (Ret.), US Rep. and Lt. Col. U.S. Army (Ret.) Alan West,(video message), David Beamer, father of 9/11 Flight 93 passenger Todd Beamer and Ann Lindholm, wife of a former US Army Ranger. For biographies of the speakers and complete details for “Saluting Our Military" please consult our website: www.SalutingOurMilitary.com ########## BACKGROUND The cost of freedom falls hardest on those who defend it The decade-long war against Islamic terrorism has cost America considerably in both blood and treasure. As the New Year begins, over 6,200 American service personnel were lost in mortal combat; 47,000 were wounded in action in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The wounded have suffered grievously from extensive loss of extremities, head injuries and post-traumatic stress. Front-line emergency medical and rapid evacuation coupled with advanced rehabilitation and orthopedic technologies have raised the survival rate from the Viet Nam era’s 86.5 % to over 90.2%. Veterans Health Administration statistics circa March 2011 reveal the extent of combat related treatment: - Of the 2.3 million active-duty and reservists deployed in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, 1.3 million have become eligible for VA care. 685,000 (62%) have sought care from the VA since 2002.
- 75,000 service members have been diagnosed with post traumatic stress syndrome during deployment or upon return.
- 35,000 service members have suffered traumatic brain injuries.
In 2010, the Pentagon spent over $2 billion treating more than 400,000 patients from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that $55 billion will be required for treatment over the period from 2011 to 2020, averaging more than $5.5 billion per year. These young warriors, who faced a vicious enemy in Iraq, upon returning home face a bleak economy and lack of meaningful employment. On November 11, 2011, Bloomberg Business Week reported: [I]t’s sobering to realize just how badly the job market has turned against the men and women who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their rate of unemployment was 12.1 percent in October, vs. 9 percent for the U.S. overall. But that only scratches the surface of the employment picture for vets. Dig deeper into the pages of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data and it becomes apparent that while the job market is slowly improving for most Americans, it’s moving in the opposite direction for Gulf War II vets (defined by the BLS as those on active duty since 2001). The youngest of veterans, aged 18 to 24, had a 30.4 percent jobless rate in October, way up from 18.4 percent a year earlier. Non-veterans of the same age improved, to 15.3 percent from 16.9 percent. For some groups, the numbers can look a good deal worse: for black veterans aged 18-24, the unemployment rate is a striking 48 percent. [Authors’ emphasis] These veterans and young families are returning to their home towns with little hope of gainful employment. For many in the Florida National Guard and Reserves who were activated the picture is bleak as well.
≈≈≈ January 5, 2012 | 
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