Matt of All Trades blog, like the title suggests, is by a Vermont author and offers offbeat musings on pop culture, media, journalism, humor, weirdness, stupid people, smart people, my life as a journalist, landscaper, photographer, married gay man, dog lover and weather geek and more. It's run by me, Matt Sutkoski, a native Vermonter living in St. Albans, Vt.
Sully, who was George H.W. Bush's service dog, sleeps and stands guard
in front of his casket in early December. Because of a directive from
Bush, Sully has a new job helping veterans at the Walter Reed Military
Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
One of the most heartrending photos I saw after former President George H.W. Bush died on November 30 was an Instagram image of his service dog, Sully.
There, Sully was sleeping, but still on guard in front of Bush's casket. The caption on Instagram read "Mission Accomplished."
There have been disturbing news reports lately that in various ways, veterans have not been getting the respect and help they obviously deserve. That Sully will help veterans is just touching good news all around. It is also an indication that Bush 41 knew that if there was something good in this world, like Sully, he had to be put to good use.
Sully, a two-year-old Labrador retriever, was paired with and specifically trained to help Bush 41 with his daily tasks. As noted, that job was completely successfully. Talented and smart Sully has more to give.
Former President George W. Bush - Bush 41's son - said, "As much as our family is going to miss this dog, we're comforted to know he'll bring the same joy to his new home, Walter Reed, that he brought to 41."
I was never a fan of George 41's politics. I voted against him. But I knew that as imperfect as he was, he always wanted to do right for the nation and his fellow humans. Seems like that trait is in woefully short supply these days.
In a current world where we find too many humans acting especially unhelpful, it's great to see a dog step up to the plate in such a noble fashion. And do so at the behest of someone who could teach us sometbing about common decency. .
Robert D'Andrea, a retired Army Major, has been toldhe has to
repay $20,000 in enlistment bonuses because
recruiters improperly issued the bonuses. So he's being
punished for somebody else's misdeed. Photo by Al Seib/LA Times.
It's possible the clawbacks might be reinstated at some point, at least for some people, though that's in doubt.
And what do you do with the people who already repaid the bonuses, which were given improperly, though the people that received them had no idea they were given the money wrongly.
Congress might step in and wipe the slate clean for everybody involved. But you can't trust Congress with anything these days.
It was nice of Ash Carter to suspend the clawbacks, but why did he, along with everybody else, wait to take action until bad publicity, courtesy of the LA Times, caused the uproar?
THAT, I'd like to hear.
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION
I guess when you don't need extra soldiers to fight your wars, you throw them under the bus.
"Nearly 10,000 soldiers, many of whom served multiple combat tours, have been ordered to repay large enlistment bonuses - and slapped with interest charges, wage garnishments and tax liens if they refuse - after audits revealed widespread overpayments by the California Guard at the height of the wars last decade."
In other words, the California Guard brass improperly offered the bonuses, but its the soldiers who took the bonuses that are being punished, even though they had no idea the bonuses were improper.
The soldiers, understandably, are angry the Pentagon is reneging on ten year old agreements and imposing terrible financial hardships on veterans.
As one of many examples, The LA Timescited Robert Richmond, 48, who received a bonus, and then received permanent back and brain injuries in a road side bomb blast in Iraq. The Pentagon is trying to claw back more than $19,000 in bonuses, penalties and interest from Richmond.
He's too far in debt to qualify for a home loan, and doesn't know how to pay back the money.
"I signed a contract tht I literally risked my life to fulfill.....We want the somebody in the government, anybody, to say this is wrong and we'll stop going after this money," Richmondtold the LA Times.
So far, it does not appear the crooked leadership of the California Guard is getting in all that much trouble.
After a federal investigation regarding the bonuses started, Army Master Sgt. Toni Jaffe, California Guard's incentive manager, pleaded guilty to filing $15.2 million in false claims and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, the Los Angeles Times said.
OK, fine, but, again, why are they punishing the soldiers who took the bonuses in good faith?
As always, it seems, the mucky-mucks don't get screwed for their misdeeds. Instead, their victims get victimized again.
Aren't you proud to be an American?
Now that the Los Angeles Times has thrown a harsh light on this scandal, politicians are finally falling all over each other to fix this mess.
The Pentagon says they were required to seek the reimbursements from the soldiers because it was a matter of law, something that only Congress can do.
God save us.
Anyway, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said there would be a House investigation on this issue, and called the situation disgraceful.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle now say they want to change the law to void the repayments.
Where were they, though, before the shit hit the fan and the publicity struck? After all, I'm sure some of these soldiers and veterans who were being harassed to repay the money contacted their local Congress Creatures, asking for help.
Couldn't legislation have been introduced before so much of this heartache happened? The Los Angeles Times said Congress has known about this situation for two years and did nothing. Why?
I hope this isn't another case where we make soldiers risk their lives and throw them away. Can't we do better than this?
Donald Trump said his foundation gave $1,000 to a Vermont
veterans organization. He didn't, but GoFundMe
donors came to the rescue
There's a nice little group who helps veterans here in Vermont which actually got a big boost because of Donald Trump.
Of course, the catch is, the big boost is because it appears Donald Trump did something rotten.
IRS tax forms from 2013 indicate the Donald J. Trump foundation gave Friends of Veterans in White River Junction, Vermont $1,000.
The veterans group said they never got the Trump donation.
According to the Concord Monitor, a GoFundMe page was set up to help Friends of Veterans, to "Help the Vets That Trump Forgot." The goal for the fundraiser was $2,000. At last check, Friends of Veterans was set to get $21,400 from at least 480 contributors, says the Concord Monitor.
Says the Monitor:
"'It kind of knocked me for a loop,' said Larry Daigle, the organization's president and a Vietnam War veteran who has volunteered with the nonprofit for 15 years. 'We're still kind of analyzing things ourselves.'"
Trump might have confused Friends of Veterans in White River Junction with Friends of Veterans in Palm Beach, Florida.
However, that donation to Florida helped pay for a parade, which is nice, but not as nice as actually helping veterans cover security deposits for housing and head off eviction notices, as the Vermont organization does for veterans in Vermont and New Hampshire.
Friends of Veterans in Vermont has a $150,000 annual budget, so this latest GoFundMe windfall will surely help.
Her songwriting is amazing, and so is her wonderful country music voice.
Some people are even bigger fans of Lambert. Like the person who held up a sign at a recent Miranda Lambert concert in Hartford Connecticut.
The sign read, "3 combat tours - your voice was the last thing I heard every night. Thank you."
When Lambert spotted the sign, she had just launched into her classic song "The House That Built Me."
She couldn't finish the song. She was understandably moved to tears.. I think this is why performers like Lambert do their job; many of them want their music to help and comfort people, to help understand life, and get them through their days
So a big thanks to Lambert, and an even bigger thanks to the soldier who held up the sign.
The Whipple Hollow Cemetery in West Rutland, Vermont looking immaculate thanks to the hard work of many town residents. Thanks to Ken and Jean Heleba for photo.
Years ago, my dad, Red Sutkoski, restored an old cemetery in a remote corner of his hometown of West Rutland, Vermont.
He loved his projects, and the outdoors, so he spent a lot of time at the cemetery, clearing TONS of brush, trying to prop up old gravestones, planting flowers and erecting a flag pole at the Whipple Hollow Cemetery.
It was a huge project. People stepped forward to help him by excavating rocks and debris, donating flowers, and doing whatever it took to make the cemetery whole again.
Red's project - and the town's great help with it - caused quite a little stir, garnering publicity from the Associated Press and the Boston Globe, among others. Dad had a great sense of history, and remembering the dead was important to him.
He thought that we all build on the shoulders of the people who came before him and us, so we need to honor everyone who came before us, and remember the contributions they made. ,
Now dad has passed on, having slipped away at the age of 95 back in January.
A couple months after dad died, I stopped by the Whipple Hollow Cemetery. People had been trying to take care of it the best they could. Somebody had been mowing the grass. Some weeds had been pulled here and there.
But Red in his later years couldn't handle the big jobs. The woods was beginning to encroach again into the grave sites, wild grapevine was attacking everything at the cemetery and tall weeds rattled against the gravestones in the cold March wind.
The Whipple Hollow Cemetery was beginning to look sad again.
My dad, Red Sutkoski, at the West Rutland World War II Memorial unveiling last August
April 24, which would have been my dad's 96th birthday, was a sunny, pleasantly cool day. Me, my siblings, our husbands and partners and nephews, I think there were eight of us, went to the Whipple Hollow Cemetery to do a needed cleanup.
We got a lot done. We removed piles of broken branches and grapevine and stuffed it into the woods, hiding the mess. We raked away tons of leaves and weeds. We didn't get the whole cemetery done, but it definitely looked better.
And Red was smiling down on us. Because the cemetery he'd worked on brought the family together that day.
We laughed and enjoyed ourselves as we worked and visited and joked with each other as we cleaned up the cemetery on that bright April afternoon.
It's exactly what Red would have wanted on his birthday.
Come to find out the whole town of West Rutland, it seems, is also thinking about the Whipple Hollow Cemetery.
Forgive me, here, because I don't know the names of most of the people who have been helping, but I do know the town has the cemetery's back. And the backs of all those who came before them.
I know Stanley Dziubek has been up there at Whipple Hollow, clearing a LOT of brush and grapevine that we missed earlier, and doing a ton of other work. My sister Laurie tells me a nice woman in West Rutland who has donated flowers to dad for the Whipple Hollow Cemetery in the past, has done so again.
People raised a flag on the cemetery flag poll, and planted American flags at gravesites.
Today is Memorial Day, when we remember the veterans who served our country and thank them for their incredible service (Red was a veteran, too!)
People from West Rutland have been called "Stone peggers," a legacy of marble quarry labor riots back in the 1930s.
Metaphorically, West Rutlanders have been embracing the grave stones at Whipple Hollow Cemetery. They remember the importance of the past, and the people who lived in those days.
Like my dad, Westsiders know they've built their lives on the shoulders who came before them, like those buried back in the 19th century in this cemetery.
They're remembering the veterans who served. They're remember my dad, which is an honor for the Sutkoski family. They're remembering the people who built West Rutland, They're honoring the way people in this rugged little town help each other out, and honor memories.
Want more proof? Just check out the amazing World War II memorial in front of the West Rutland Town Hall. That was another major community-wide undertaking that drew in the whole town.
The unveiling of that memorial last August was one of the final public events my father went to, and as a World War II veteran, he told me how humbled and proud he was of the way West Rutland remembered its veterans.
I guess you could call the warmth and giving and remembrance as seen at the Whipple Hollow Cemetery a new form of being a "stone pegger."
My dad, Henry "Red" Sutkoski, 95, catches up with
friends during a World War II Memorial unveiling
in his home town of West Rutland, Vermont Saturday.
My father, Henry "Red" Sutkoski, now 95, says he remembers when World War II ended, the troop ship carrying him and fellow soldiers returned home and prepared to dock in Boston Harbor.
A tug boat pulled up along side the troop ship dad was on. Suddenly, a band on the tug boat started playing "Sentimental Journey" to welcome the returning soldiers.
To this day, "Sentimental Journey" is just about dad's favorite song.
Fast forward 70 years later and there we were, in West Rutland, Vermont Saturday, where dad has lived most of his life, taking another sentimental journey, this one returning back to World War II.
There was a lot of 'em, considering the town only had about 3,000 residents at the time. About 600 West Rutland residents served in World War II, or about 20 percent of the town's population.
Few World War II veterans survive to this day, of course. My dad was an honored guest at the memorial unveiling, along with a few other surviving West Rutland veterans like Joe Czachor, Leo DiGangi, Charlie Katomski and Stanley Wos.
The story of how West Rutland's new World War II memorial came to be is its own sentimental journey, one graced with an overwhelming need to honor the town's World War II heroes.
On Facebook, people began to wonder what happened to an old memorial that had to be taken down years ago because it had deteriorated.
A nice crowd gathers in front of the West Rutland, Vermont
Town Hall Saturday for the unveiling of a
World War II memorial.
The town's historical society had a World War II discussion one night and somebody came up with the idea for a new memorial. The idea took hold, big time.
Lots of research, lots of community fundraising and lots of planning over several years led to this new World War II memorial that was unveiled Saturday.
The memorial, listing all 609 men and women from West Rutland who served in the war, is in a place of honor at the most prominent place in West Rutland, right in front of the community's handsome Town Hall.
On Saturday, the guest speaker was retired Senior Master Air Force Sergeant Rick Aldridge. He's too young to have served in World War II, but the West Rutland native who served a long, proud career in the military announced at the beginning of his talk that he would take the audience on a sentimental journey back to those war years.
I don't know if Aldridge's announcement that his talk would be a sentimental journey was a nod to my dad or not, but Aldridge told the story of the quarry workers, farmers, merchants and others from West Rutland who answered the call of duty to fight in the war, because that's just what had to be done.
Aldridge described how everyone else left behind in West Rutland during the war coped with strict rationing, the worry over what the Axis dictators would do if they were not defeated, and fear for the fate of their loved ones literally battling to save democracy.
After the war, the returning West Rutland veterans picked up their lives. Some stayed put in the quarrying community, others set off to start educations, careers, families elsewhere in the nation.
Aldridge remarked how the people of the World War II era are always referred to as the "Greatest Generation."
He's right, of course. If I had to judge a "Greatest Generation" by the way my father has lived his life, he truly lived the life of someone who deserves that title.
Through the decades, through his successes, his mistakes, his fortitude, cheerful stubborness and especially his sense of humor, dad has always been a model of how to live a life with dignity and grace.
So many people from the "Greatest Generation" are like dad, too. In this era of screaming, bickering TV pundits, a "gimme gimme" culture, opportunistic politicians, corrupt business people, routine dishonesty and other ills of today's society, we'd all do well to take careful notes on how the "Greatest Generation" lived their lives during and after the war.
My generation, the ones after that, and the ones who aren't even born yet should just take a sentimental journey and look back at what the World War II generation did.
They say the Greatest Generation made America great. That's true. They also say America isn't as great as it once was. Maybe that's true, too.
All the more reason why we should really embrace the ethos of the World War II veterans. Like the ones gathered in West Rutland on Saturday. Like my dad.
The World War II memorial unveiling in West Rutland Saturday sent me on my own sentimental journey, reflecting on the lessons my dad taught me. The example if his life, teaches me, teaches everyone, how to live honorable.
I don't measure up to my dad's level, of course, but at least he's a guide that puts me on the right path and keeps me from veering off course into too much laziness, meanness, or selfishness.
Maybe if we all follow the steadiness and honor of World War II veterans, this country might yet have another "Greatest Generation"
That would be the ultimate way to thank all the World War II heroes, like my dad.
Also, dad? Here's that song you like. Thank you. For everything.
CNN and other media outlets have been investigating delays in Veterans Administration appointments and hospitalizations for veterans that have led to needless deaths.
Did the VA hospital in Phoenix delay or deny care to veterans?
Their report this week on a Phoenix, Arizona really takes the cake. Lots of politicians say veterans deserve all the help they can get, they served our country and they deserve the utmost respect.
But when it comes to shelling out money to offer that respect and service to veterans, it all goes out the window.
In Phoenix, according to CNN reporters Scott Bronstein and Drew Griffin, along with Anderson Cooper, the VA hospital had two lists: An official one that falsely reported to Washington DC headquarters that veterans were being treated, and a second secret list that was the truth.
The truth being they were making veterans wait weeks and months to get an appointments to see doctors. Sometimes for really scary medical problems. It's estimated 40 veterans died because the Phoenix VA hospital basically blew them off.
It's kind of murky why, but I suspect lack of resources and money going to the hospital from the federal government played a part.
They're doing this to veterans, people!
According to CNN, Sam Foote, a doctor who recently retired from the hospital described the scheme:
"The VA requires its hospitals to provide care to patients i a timely manner, typically with 14 to 30 days, Foote said According to Foote, the elaborate scheme in Phoenix involved shredding evidence to hide the long list of veterans waiting for appointments and care. Officials at the VA, Foote says, instructed their staff to not actually make doctor's appointments for veterans within the computer system. Instead, Foote says, when a veteran comes in seeking an appointment, 'they enter information into the computer and do a screen capture hard copy printout. They then do not save what was put into the computer so there's no record that you were ever here,' he said.
Now that this situation has been made public, there are the usual calls for investigations and hearings. The inspector general is involved, officials at the Phoenix VA hospital are frantically giving out non-information in Corporate Speak and lawmakers are calling for heads to roll.
Of all the people we owe top notch care, to, it's veterans. But since a lot of veterans don't have millions of dollars available to lobby politicians, I guess they're not that important.
If that's true, I'm sad. Get rich and you get what you want. Make big sacrifices for your country and get thrown away? That's not the country I want to see.
You've probably never heard of Harold Percival, who served in the RAF bomber command for Britain in World War II.
Harold Percival, and his obit seeking people to attend his funeral.
Percival died last month in Britain at the age of 99. He was pretty much alone, and there are really no surviving family members to see him off.
His obituary had a lot of hearts skipping a beat, with this line: "Any service personnel who can attend his funeral service will be appreciated."
There are few things worse than the passing of a veteran remaining unnoticed, unmarked and ignored.
So a man named Sgt. Rick Clement did what many people do in situations like this. He took to social media and asked for help.
According to theBlackpool Gazette in Britain, Clement, who lost both legs serving in Afghanistan wrote this on his Facebook wall:
"I need a big favour from ay military or ex-serving members. This fallen soldier at 99-years old is having a funeral on Monday and he has no family to attend. If you're in the area give him the send off he deserves. This guy needs and deserves your help."
A big crowd in Britain braves the rain to bid an Armistice Day farewell to RAF World War II veteran Harold Percival, who died recently at age 99. dd caption
Yes, he does.
Of course, adding to the poignancy of the situation is, it's Armistice (or Veterans) Day, when we give thanks to people who made the world safe for us.
Social media being what it is, or what it can be, would people respond?
I'm happy to report thatyes, they did turn out in droves. In a video that makes me and my eyes think it got awfully dusty in here all of a sudden, hundreds of people ignored a cold rain and turned up at Percival's memorial service.
I think what's really going on here is a lot of people want to thank all veterans for their service to us all. Percival is an honorable, cherished veteran who can help us do just that.
Thank you, veterans.
Here's what the scene looked like at Percival's funeral today:
Just in time for Veteran's Day, which is Monday, we get a time lapse video of a makeover done on a guy named Jim Wolf in Michigan.
Jim Wolf before....
Here's why we should care: Wolf is a U.S. Army veteran who for years has struggled with homelessness and alcoholism.
You've seen people like him: Scraggly hair, scraggly beard. Maybe you feel a little pity, but you don't linger, You want to get away.
In Wolf's case a Grand Rapids, Michigan charity called Degage Ministries took him in to help him out. There, a filmmaker namedRob Blissdecided to do a time lapse video as a local stylist and production team transformed Wolf.
Bliss said he wanted to show that a physical transformation doesn't necessarily cover up who they are, but instead can reveal who they can be.
As you can see in the surprisingly moving video at the bottom of this post, Wolf goes from looking like a guy in a downward spiral to an On-Top-Of-His Game GQ model.
As almost everyone who has commented on this stunt has observed, a makeover won't solve deep, long seated problems like homelessness, joblessness and alcoholism. But it does remind all of us that almost everyone is not a hopeless case, as we often dismissively think when we see a homeless guy on the street.
Jim Wolf after. Watch the moving video
below to see how this happened.
In the video, Wolf could not see how the transformation was progressing because there was no mirror near him. But when it was done, they put a full length mirror in front of him. The reaction is priceless.
Latest reports are that Wolf is now attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Things are looking up for him. We wish Wolf, and every veteran the best, and we thank them deeply for their service. We are totally indebted.
Readers of this blog know how much I hate trolls, those living-under-a-rock people who post super nasty comments, videos, etc. because they love the attention. Classic jerks, in other words.
Mostly, these trolls are ignored, because they aren't worth the time of day. But every once in awhile, one of them strikes a nerve.
Like our troll of the day, known as "johnnyb34435" He's got a YouTube channel with lots of videos of his ugly mug spouting stupid crap. Don't watch any of them, they are a waste of time.
Internet "troll" johnnyb34435
Except for this one, which struck the above mentioned nerve. He gets out there and says he dressed up as a veteran on Veteran's Day to get free stuff from people who wanted to honor people who served our country.
Here's the video, if you can stand it:
Well, johnnyb34435 got his wish. LOTS of people are watching this video, with his creepy sociopathic sounding voice, his weird grin and chins flapping beneath his worthless words. In fact, our buddy johnnyb34435 has made a new video, after this one, further trying to antagonize veterans and others.
Normally, I don't give quote, unquote people like johnnyb34435 any attention, but I want to hold this guy up as example. Trolls like him thrive on negative attention. They love the angry comments they get on their videos, blogs, commentary, etc. They get off on it. Maybe it's kind of like an orgasm, I don't know.
But what people like johnnyb34435 don't realize is, they're playing with fire. If they hit the wrong nerve, as he did, things blow up in their face. It now seems people are out looking for johnnyb34435 and want to teach him a lesson. It's really easy to track down people who post videos on YouTube. I know. I've tried.
Now that he is so much more widely known, there's a greater chance that some yahoo will find him, fight stupidity with stupidity and harm johnnyb34435.
As much as I hate the guy, I'd hate even more for him to get hurt. Violence is bad, and besides, why turn this jerk into a martyr? But I worry he is now in danger.
On the brighter side, it could well have been a crime that he impersonated a veteran for financial gain, so prosecutors might be taking a keen interest in johnnyb34435's video. Although, he could be such a wimp that he's just saying he did this, but thankfuly didn't have the balls to pull it off.
If he did commit a crime through his actions, I look forward to reading news of johnnyb34435's impending arrest.
