I thought I would bring you all up to date on my prostatectomy post-op status. I had lab tests for my PSA (prostate specific antigen) level done in March and this month (June); the standard range is 0 to 4.0. My March 12 result was 0.05, and on June 16 it was 0.03.
So Karin and I are pleased that I have been cancer-free since my surgery on February 3rd. I certainly credit my surgeon, Dr. Jay Zink, the many prayers that have been said on our behalf and the Lord for this happy outcome!
And I want to again thank you so much for your support!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
VA Claim Status Update
I wanted to give you an update on my claim for special monthly compensation for Agent Orange-related prostate cancer with the Veterans Affairs Department. I filed my claim through my service officer at the Disabled American Veterans in October 2011. I have checked with the DAV periodically regarding the progress of the claim through the amazingly sluggish VA progress, which included at least one unexplained 30-day delay. About two weeks ago the claim had finally been processed and rated, and sent on to the regional VA office in Muskogee, OK, for final processing and, hopefully, awarding of compensation.
I fully understand the burden the VA is under with so many Vietnam era claims that they now have to process (more than 40 years after we were there), and all the new claims for the service men and women back from Iraq and Afghanistan. I understand that the number is around 250,000. But, as I told my service officer, it sometimes feels like the government has very little intention of fulfilling their promise to take care of us, and that maybe they are just waiting for us to die.
Well, I’ve got that off my chest, so I’ll continue to be patient, because my claim should be settled sometime in July. I’ll let you know the results when they make themselves known.
Meanwhile, hang in their guys! I really don’t think they have forgotten us. And remember that we still have each other and our shared experience at the 225th!
I fully understand the burden the VA is under with so many Vietnam era claims that they now have to process (more than 40 years after we were there), and all the new claims for the service men and women back from Iraq and Afghanistan. I understand that the number is around 250,000. But, as I told my service officer, it sometimes feels like the government has very little intention of fulfilling their promise to take care of us, and that maybe they are just waiting for us to die.
Well, I’ve got that off my chest, so I’ll continue to be patient, because my claim should be settled sometime in July. I’ll let you know the results when they make themselves known.
Meanwhile, hang in their guys! I really don’t think they have forgotten us. And remember that we still have each other and our shared experience at the 225th!
Book Reviews
My son Pete gave me a Kindle for Christmas and I have enjoyed reading like never before! I was telling one of my colleagues at work that I think I have read nearly a dozen books since I got it…and that’s a record for me! Here are some thoughts about a couple of them.
“The Path Between the Seas” by David McCullough
This is a review from Amazon.com: “From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Truman, here is the national bestselling epic chronicle of the creation of the Panama Canal. In The Path Between the Seas, acclaimed historian David McCullough delivers a first-rate drama of the sweeping human undertaking that led to the creation of this grand enterprise. The Path Between the Seas tells the story of the men and women who fought against all odds to fulfill the 400-year-old dream of constructing an aquatic passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is a story of astonishing engineering feats, tremendous medical accomplishments, political power plays, heroic successes, and tragic failures. Applying his remarkable gift for writing lucid, lively exposition, McCullough weaves the many strands of the momentous event into a comprehensive and captivating tale.
“Winner of the National Book Award for history, the Francis Parkman Prize, the Samuel Eliot Morison Award, and the Cornelius Ryan Award (for the best book of the year on international affairs), The Path Between the Seas is a must-read for anyone interested in American history, the history of technology, international intrigue, and human drama.”
“Soldier Dogs” by Maria Goodavage
From Amazon.com: “A leading reporter offers a tour of military working dogs' extraordinary training, heroic accomplishments, and the lasting impacts they have on those who work with them. “People all over the world have been riveted by the story of Cairo, the Belgian Malinois who was a part of the Navy SEAL team that led the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound. A dog's natural intelligence, physical abilities, and pure loyalty contribute more to our military efforts than ever before. You don't have to be a dog lover to be fascinated by the idea that a dog-the cousin of that furry guy begging for scraps under your table-could be one of the heroes who helped execute the most vital and high-tech military mission of the new millennium.
“Now Maria Goodavage, editor and featured writer for one of the world's most widely read dog blogs, tells heartwarming stories of modern soldier dogs and the amazing bonds that develop between them and their handlers. Beyond tales of training, operations, retirement, and adoption into the families of fallen soldiers, Goodavage talks to leading dog-cognition experts about why dogs like nothing more than to be on a mission with a handler they trust, no matter how deadly the IEDs they are sniffing, nor how far they must parachute or rappel from aircraft into enemy territory.
“‘Military working dogs live for love and praise from their handlers,’ says Ron Aiello, president of the United States War Dogs Association and a former marine scout dog handler. ‘The work is all a big game, and then they get that pet, that praise. They would do anything for their handler.’ This is an unprecedented window into the world of these adventurous, loving warriors.”
This is a review from Amazon.com: “From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Truman, here is the national bestselling epic chronicle of the creation of the Panama Canal. In The Path Between the Seas, acclaimed historian David McCullough delivers a first-rate drama of the sweeping human undertaking that led to the creation of this grand enterprise. The Path Between the Seas tells the story of the men and women who fought against all odds to fulfill the 400-year-old dream of constructing an aquatic passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is a story of astonishing engineering feats, tremendous medical accomplishments, political power plays, heroic successes, and tragic failures. Applying his remarkable gift for writing lucid, lively exposition, McCullough weaves the many strands of the momentous event into a comprehensive and captivating tale.
“Winner of the National Book Award for history, the Francis Parkman Prize, the Samuel Eliot Morison Award, and the Cornelius Ryan Award (for the best book of the year on international affairs), The Path Between the Seas is a must-read for anyone interested in American history, the history of technology, international intrigue, and human drama.”
From Amazon.com: “A leading reporter offers a tour of military working dogs' extraordinary training, heroic accomplishments, and the lasting impacts they have on those who work with them. “People all over the world have been riveted by the story of Cairo, the Belgian Malinois who was a part of the Navy SEAL team that led the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound. A dog's natural intelligence, physical abilities, and pure loyalty contribute more to our military efforts than ever before. You don't have to be a dog lover to be fascinated by the idea that a dog-the cousin of that furry guy begging for scraps under your table-could be one of the heroes who helped execute the most vital and high-tech military mission of the new millennium.
“Now Maria Goodavage, editor and featured writer for one of the world's most widely read dog blogs, tells heartwarming stories of modern soldier dogs and the amazing bonds that develop between them and their handlers. Beyond tales of training, operations, retirement, and adoption into the families of fallen soldiers, Goodavage talks to leading dog-cognition experts about why dogs like nothing more than to be on a mission with a handler they trust, no matter how deadly the IEDs they are sniffing, nor how far they must parachute or rappel from aircraft into enemy territory.
“‘Military working dogs live for love and praise from their handlers,’ says Ron Aiello, president of the United States War Dogs Association and a former marine scout dog handler. ‘The work is all a big game, and then they get that pet, that praise. They would do anything for their handler.’ This is an unprecedented window into the world of these adventurous, loving warriors.”
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