LOUISIANA VETERANS' COALITION

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FEBRUARY 15 THE CULMINATION OF TWENTY YEAR EFFORTS BY SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST CENTRAL LOUISIANA VETERANS

THE DAY SHOULD BE DEDICATED TO COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR JAMES C MYRICK, RET, WHO FAITHFULLY CARRIED THROUGH FOR VETERANS. Louis T Dechert, National President, Korean War Veterans Association of the USA, 2004-2008; Chairman, Louisiana Veterans Coalition

ANNOUNCEMENT OF LVC CRITICAL ISSUES POLICY

Veterans and members of the Armed Forces historically sense, recognize and know national and international issues well before their fellow citizens. There is at least one very good reason for this: their individual mortal life is involved in the consequences.

Veterans Service Organizations (VSO), many of them members or affiliates of the Louisiana Veterans Coalition, steadily monitor veteran, defense, and related trends and issues in order to fulfill their charter responsibilities. The LVC will shortly begin including and featuring statements, analyses, and news releases from VSO, federal, and defense sources as well as from knowledgeable individuals, for information and appropriate consideration by our membership. Inclusion of such materials does not imply agreement or disagreement by the LVC unless specifically stated otherwise.

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

Louis T Dechert, Chairman, LVC

CONGRESS HAS HUNG "SWORD OF DAMOCLES" OVER THE ARMED FORCES AND FUTURE SECURITY. General Frederick J Kroesen, USA Ret.

With recent legislation increasing our debt ceiling and the creation of the debt “super committee” charged with finding further spending reductions, Congress has hung a Sword of Damocles over the future funding of the Department of Defense and military services. Beyond the $400 billion already reduced in current budgets, the committee’s failure to provide a solution acceptable to Congress will likely trigger an additional reduction of $700 billion to $800 billion. Impending disaster is not an overstatement. [Ctl+click TO continue]

STATEMENT OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, THE HONORABLE LEON E PANETTA, 11.21.2011

. . . . But as Secretary of Defense, my primary responsibility is to protect the security of the nation. The half-trillion in additional cuts demanded by sequester would lead to a hollow force incapable of sustaining the missions it is assigned. If implemented, sequester would also jeopardize our ability to provide our troops and their families with the benefits and the support they have been promised. Our troops deserve better, and our nation demands better. [Ctl+click TO continue]