National Military Appreciation Month

Made For TV

Various big companies will remind us that they support veterans and The Troops. Always wonder if any of those companies advocate for less in the way of undeclared/unwon wars. Maybe these big companies are more about expanding their marketing footprint.

Do traditional veterans organizations advocate for less in the way of undeclared/unwon wars? Would a move in this direction attract more new members?

Have any newspeople ever asked about this?

Don’t miss out:

Get on down to the dealership to pay your respects to those we have lost:

Get Ready To Celebrate

Those who never made it back from the war won’t be headed out with family and friends to be making any purchases. Because of this reality, here’s how it was set up in 2024:

“It’s a time to honor our fallen service members. Why? Because Memorial Day Weekend is almost here and that’s when we can really show appreciation to those still in uniform, as well as to veterans, on Memorial Day…”

Discounts, Deals and Free Meals for Veterans and Military Members on Memorial Day 2024

“Treat your veteran and military family members (or yourself if you’ve served) to some special deals and freebies this Memorial Day.”

More Is Better

Folks, bigger sales and more customers is better. This is why we are not limiting the good deals to those lost on foreign soil.

“Many offers also apply to active duty and reserve military as well as spouses and families (and some for civilians as well), so be sure to take advantage of these deals while kicking off summer and honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Here are the best Memorial Day meals, deals and freebies for veterans, military, military dependents and more for 2023.”

TRICARE

Pick a decade anytime after the war in Vietnam. No matter what political party or personality is in the White House, Uncle Sam struggles to get veterans health care to work properly. Moms, Dads, Grandparents, and young people have access to this info.

TRICARE was allowed to crash and burn in 2025. How are things going in 2026?

In The News

‘Got to Get Fixed:’ Billing Delays, Coverage Issues Still Plague Tricare Patients and Providers

By Annie Sciacca – The War Horse

April 23, 2026

“Patient frustrations with Tricare claims continue to mount in Reddit threads and TikTok posts, with military family members and veterans swapping outrage over stalled claims, scheduling troubles, unpaid bills, and little explanation.”

More TRICARE News

“You’re going to have medical and dental for the rest of your life.”

Maybe while on active duty this is true. After leaving active service, free of charge medical and dental care provided by DOD would be extremely rare. When is the last time DOD provided free of charge medical and dental care to retired military members? Zero questions from newspeople.

This guy is now 64. He would have known the promise was not true when he was a recruiter. Maybe a recruiter working in the 1950s or 60s honestly believed this was true. Over inflating the image of military benefits destroys the respect for those benefits that may come from the general public. Not a good image for modern day recruiting.

More here:

“In 2002, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., ruled 9-to-4 that whatever recruiters had promised was not binding unless supported by statute, and that Congress never passed a law authorizing free lifetime health care. The court acknowledged the “moral claims” of plaintiffs but rejected every legal argument on their behalf. These were arguments a three-judge panel of the same court had embraced a year earlier.’

Source:

Was Free Health Care for Life Promised?

Military.com Network

Published May 22, 2012

Back to TRICARE:

“…one of a flood of complaints tied to TRICARE’s transition to TriWest, which is now responsible for administering military health benefits in more than half the country under a nine-year contract worth about $65 billion.”

“Within months of the transition to TriWest, problems were already apparent: Pregnant women and new mothers saw their care disrupted; veterans received massive bills for previously approved and paid claims; and providers went months without reimbursement. In February 2025, the Defense Health Agency, which oversees TRICARE, acknowledged that challenges had cropped up nationwide since the transition. At the time, a spokesperson said the agency was working with contractors to resolve the issues.”

“A year later, problems persist. NBC News spoke to 13 other TriWest beneficiaries who say their care suffered following the transition. Since then, more beneficiaries continue to contact NBC News with their stories. Services have been denied. Approvals have been overturned. And finding answers and explanations has led to repeated dead ends.”

“The Defense Health Agency declined an interview request.”

Source:

By Berkeley Lovelace Jr., Sara G. Miller, Jason Kane and Erin McLaughlin – NBC News

May 6, 2026

The Fantasy Newsperson Asks

What penalties are written into the TriWest contract for failing to provide service, meet deadlines, etc?

“If he were still an Army recruiter, he said, he’d have to change his pitch. It would no longer be guaranteed healthcare for life.”

Free of charge healthcare provided by DOD?

Watch for support the troops nonsense rolled out at federal holidays.

Post-Vietnam guilt

The guilt doesn’t seem to work towards staying out of undeclared/unwon wars or managing federal contracts related to TRICARE.

A giant flag ritual at the next ball game will make it all good.