>> coming up on washington journal, in honor of veterans day we discuss issues related to current, retired and former veterans with retired colonels and retirement -- u.s. marine corps veteran travis partington talks about his podcast, focusing on the real life stories of active-duty literary and veterans. "washington journal" starts now. ♪ host: it is saturday, november 11 2020 three. it is veterans day, a day to honor more than 16 million americans who served in the armed forces. we will answer the question,

what does veterans day mean to you? we have a special line set up if you are a veteran or family member of one. call us at (202) 748-8000. current members of military, (202) 748-8001. all others at (202) 748-8002. you can text us at (202) 748-8003. please make sure to include your name and where you are from. we are on facebook.com/c-span, on x, @cspanwj. today, president biden will be at the tomb of the unknown soldier at arlington national cemetery. we will have that live at 11:00 a.m. eastern on c-span, c-span now or c-span.org. earlier this week on the senate floor, senate minority leader mitch mcconnell marked veterans

and paid tribute to them. here is a portion. [video clip] >> this weekend, i am with parades and gatherings. solemn ceremonies and phone calls to loved ones. america will mark wednesday by expressing -- veterans day by expressing our gratitude to the men and women who have served our nation in the armed forces. veterans day is much more then a once a year observation. it is a reminder of our daily obligation to honor their service, uphold our promises to care for them when they come home and do everything we can to equip those defending our nation today and tomorrow for success. so, today i am reminded of some letters i have saved in my archives. there are letters my father sent

home to my mother from his own service in patton's army in 1945. with nazi germany on the ropes, with peace within reach, my dad was already seeing firsthand the sorts of threats that would define the next half-century of american history. the parts of his letters that made it past army sensors, he told us how the russians were going to be a big problem. today, america faces threats every bit as grave. like those of the 1940's, our adversaries today are not being shy about their efforts to win the next half-century of competition with america and the west. host: we are taking your calls

on what veterans day means to you. if you are a veteran, that number is (202) 748-8000. also for family members of veterans. current nilla terry members at (202) 748-8001 -- military members at (202) 748-8001. everyone else, (202) 748-8002. a thank you from the rookies with some veterans receiving a special thank you from students at hollywood elementary school in stevensville, michigan who demonstrated their appreciation for those who served in the armed forces during a ceremony on friday to celebrate veterans day. let's start with your calls. anthony is in the los angeles california and a veteran family member. go ahead. caller: good morning. ♪ [singing] host: let's go to maria in liberty, mississippi. caller: happy veterans day to my

brother, calvin spears. host: how lovely. what service is your brother in? caller: he was retired from the marine corps. host: what has it been like for you to be a veteran family member? caller: it has been great. it is great to know my brother served in the marines. it is a great feeling. host: thank you so much, maria. a recent national press club event, the v.a. secretary dennis mcdonough discussed the ways the v.a. has been changing its practices with the hopes of providing better care for veterans. here's a portion from august. [video clip] >> we are fitting our care for service into veterans lives, not expecting veterans to build their lives around us. if we are going to keep our promise to vets, we need to meet them where they are when they need us without exception.

we have reached out to vets and listen to what they wanted using a veteran centered design approach, we developed tools to ensure vets and their caregivers have positive, productive experiences when engaging the v.a. we overhauled v.a..gov to make it the digital front door for all services the v.a. offers vets. medical appointments, applying for education benefits, all go through that same front door. the new v.a. health and benefits mobile app gives vets access to the digital front door, meaning that's with a smartphone can have all their -- vets with a smartphone can have services in the palm of their hand wherever they are. while a that is waiting to pick up a kid from school, on a lunch break, watching a football game, they can refill a prescription,

send a secure message to their doctor, take a quick appointment, access their travel reimbursement and more. it is working. not perfectly, but it is working. we have seen a staggering 3000% jump in that -- vet virtual home visits since 2020. nearly 28 million home visits at that time. by offering care into that pot -- vet's lives and alongside focused processes and technological advances, we decreased average wait times in nearly 60% of our facilities. host: that was v.a. secretary dennis mcdonough earlier this week at the national press club. let's go ahead to maria in liberty, mississippi on our veterans and family numbers line. are you a veteran or family member of one?

caller: i am a family member. host: go ahead, what is your comment? caller: i would like to say thank you for everybody that served in the military services. i also have a nephew that served in the navy. host: on princi in norfolk, virginia on our family members. go ahead, percy. caller: america, i am a proud veteran of the united states military -- navy. i was -- i will salute the v.a. for their vast improvement in providing care for me and other veterans. host: percy, can you tell us about where you went with the navy? caller: i did several throughout the mediterranean. i had a good experience. learning skills that provided me

with great distinctions in my efforts to improve people's lives. my life was improved by joining the navy. my efforts paid off. host: what has the experience been like as a veteran? caller: it has been up and down. i have had setbacks as far as ptsd and things the v.a. was very helpful in helping me get through that. and provided additional training and so forth, allowed me in open school and teach logistics. i credit the navy for a great deal of my success in life. host: ok. let's hear from duke in stonington, maine. caller: good morning. i'm calling in memory of my father, elliott sheppard, from

stonington, maine. he served in the navy during the korean conflict. he was very proud to have been a veteran. he was the commander of the post. he was proud to be in the parades and stuff. he was adamant about getting those flags out on the veterans lots. the memorial, that was his top priority. he and a bunch of his buddies did that. i was very proud of him that day. he really took his navy time there and being a veteran very seriously. i think all the veterans out there. thank god we have got them, i do not know where we would be without them today. host: what was it like growing up in a military family? caller: well, we had quite a sense of pride for the military and the fact my father was in it

and stuff. he tried to instill that in us, it was something to be proud of. and, we were. it was great, it really was. host: ok. i want to point here now to -- excuse me, gallup research showing confidence in the u.s. military is at its lowest in over two decades. you will find that here it says public confidence in the u.s. military continues to decline, drops have been seen across party groups but republicans remain the most confident with independents least likely to express confidence each year -- to express confidence this year. here is a chart showing u.s. confidence in the military from 1975 to 2023. you can see that decline here --

these are people for -- who have a great half's and military dropping to 60% here. i want to go to another piece of tape at an event on helping vets who have been impacted by toxic contamination while in service. president biden highlighted what other actions his administration has taken for veterans. here is a portion from august. [video clip] >> we are helping connect veterans to registered apprenticeship programs so they can transfer skills they learned in the military to good paying jobs at home now that we are having the largest building boom in 40 years. the v.a. is lodging transition assistance program for organizations that help veterans find jobs when they leave the military. the unemployment rate for veterans has -- is now at 2.8%.

2.8%. [applause] pres. biden: we have made that a priority since we got in office. i signed an executive order directing the v.a. to cut red tape and give veterans who need assistance at home more flexibility and picking who will be there caregiver. earlier this summer, i went to north carolina and signed an active -- signed an executive order, the most comprehensive set of administrative efforts to secure -- by making it easy for military spouse to find a job in the federal government, expanding access to childcare for military families. when i first took office, i signed the american rescue plan which invested $17 billion for veterans health care including

mental health care and suicide prevention to deal with the fact that more veterans, more veterans have been and continue to die of suicide then in battle over the past two decades. more veterans die of suicide. all of the stories i heard in my home state, people would call up looking for help. my husband, he needs help. get back to you. 17 a day dying of suicide nationwide. 17 a day. even one veteran dying of suicide because he could not get the help immediately is one too many. host: once again, we would love to hear your stories about yourself if you are a veteran or veterans iyour life. for veterans and famy members, our numbers are (202) 748-8000. current military at (202) 748-8001.

everyone else (202) 748-8002. if you want to text us, that is (202) 748-8003. if you make sure to include your name and where you are from. let's hear from kevin in north myrtle beach, south carolina. are you a veteran or family member of one? caller: i'm a veteran. host: can you tell us about your service? caller: yes. every day that i am here, the end of the day -- i watched the hearing on veterans affairs and jobs. and i really think that it makes no sense that we sugarcoat what is going on with us as far as veterans. the v.a. -- i am a single parent right now. i have two minor kids. the v.a. has put me out my home.

i am homeless. i have gotten 23 numbers from a social worker, and none of them could help me or my family. i spent my almost 23 years in the service and i am getting after absolutely nothing from the v.a. that i'm supposed to. the v.a. has totally destroyed my life, because somebody pushed a button and took my incapacitated child out of the system. i have four kids. one in walter reed, the v.a. is sending out my kids. you tell me where the irony of me being satisfied with the v.a. -- where my supposed to be? my incapacitated child could have died because they took her id card and her neurologist, she

has a machine in her chest that regulates her medicine. they would not let her on post to get that updated. you tell me where the v.a. is helping me at right now. i am in a hotel right now with my kids. i do not condone incompetence in grown people, and the v.a. -- everybody is patting their self on the back how they are supposed to be helping us, but they are really not because they are not being attentive to people out here that has been waiting 5, 6, 7 years just to get a bba here. the bba judge i went to for my hearing lied to me and my 15-year-old son. they lied to me and my 15-year-old son blatantly. everything that i say, i have got in writing that they wrote that the v.a. wrote. like it was right. host: kevin, i want to highlight

what you are saying with a piece from nbc news that shows many veterans are struggling right now. the headline, showing the veterans crisis line is fielding a record number of cries for help. that is the suicide hotline, which has received more than 88,000 calls, texts and chats in the month of march, the highest amount of monthly contact it has ever had. let's now hear from john in illinois. are you a veteran or family member of one? caller: hi, this is john from head which. i marine core veteran -- i am a marine corps veteran. my oldest brother was stationed in japan. my middle brother was stationed in germany. i taught -- i got four of my former buddies to join the military. we came back with all of her

fingers and toes, we are blessed. the guy on the phone is living in a hotel, so he is not homeless. i want to talk about emilio -- i grew up with kara mel. i went in boot camp with emilio. i would like to tell you a story about meeting his daughter. i was not a veterans function in illinois when november. i looked across the grinder and saw an old man and a beautiful young adult daughter. i knew it was emilio's daughter. mine stinks told me that. after the pomp and circumstance, i walked across the grinder and introduced myself. i said, are you emily?

she said, i am renée. i said, i was in the marine corps with your daddy and i hugged her. i was trapped in the hug. i did not know what to say. finally, i looked in her eyes and said, every marine that was ever in the marines with your daddy thinks about him every day. she looked back at me in the eyes and she told me, i think about him every day, too. she hugged me back. i would like to tell you a story about carmel harvey. the family moved for the industrial jobs. when we were young bucks and punks before our teenage years, we played war. we played war in the swamps around wolf lake. carmel coming from west virginia had a particular bird call that he used as a signal.

he had a hillbilly warcry from west virginia that he brought with us, that we practiced as kids. his citation signed by richard nixon says that they got in a fight for protecting a downed helicopter. in this firefight, a round hit carmel harvey's gear and lit up one of his hand grenades. this fella was going to explode and die. he jumped up and the citation says he gave that warcry, that hillbilly warcry he practiced thus as children -- he practiced with us as children. the hand grenade exploded and he passed. this is what the citation says signed by richard nixon, a low came over that battlefield long enough for us to pull back our wounded and long enough for the

enemy to retreat. i want to give to brent, he is a air force see and rescue man right now. i would like to give a shout out to michael camp, a captain in the marine corps right now. our united states marine corps. every veteran listening to this broadcast should be proud as hell, even that fella that is homeless in south carolina. stand up today and be as proud as hell as you can be today because today and memorial day are our days. the 363 days a year, we blend in. you do not even know we are veterans because we all look alike. veterans come from all sizes and colors and shapes. that is the wonderful thing about the military. we all fit together.

we have one mission, that is kind of what is lacking in society today in america. host: thank you so much for sharing those stories. let's hear more from sabrina in asheville, north carolina on our line for all others. go ahead, sabrina. caller: i am fourth-generation military family. i have got members of my family that are in every branch of the military. this is what i can say. for the last 50 years, military and their families have suffered in ways that are unacceptable. i do not know what has happened to our military. i do not know why they are more difficult on military and military families than they are -- i do not know why they have been practicing their policies, but as a society, we need to be

paying attention to how we are treating people. that is all i have to say on it. the need to start acting better when it comes to these positions. host: we have a comment on x from mlb that says what veterans day means. it means that we should do something besides thank a veteran, even if it is just for a day. send a get well card to a local veterans hospital, volunteer for an hour a wk,o not run past the veterans with the red poppies outside the grocery store for tending you do not see them. now, let's hear from gloria in tennessee on our veterans and family members line. are you a veteran or family member of one? caller: i am a family member. host: tell us about your family. caller: a proud family member. my family has honorably served this military.

i am in my 70's and we have served every generation. my father, everyone of his brothers, we have served. my dad was a tailgunner in world war ii in england, france, germany. my uncle, i am not sure where he was. his letters to home always started somewhere in the south pacific. he was a navy man. on my mom's side, my uncle obie was a marine. he served. my nephew, john -- host: can you turn down your television volume? i want to hear clearly the rest of your story. caller: my family has proudly, proudly served and honored our country and has been ready all the way through to my nephews. i went to say in response to the

woman before me, i would like to write -- i wrote a poem years ago. i call it, one race, human. it goes, hindu, muslim, christian, jew, nonbelievers, including you. in the eyes of our creator, we are sister and brother. get on with your life and accept one another, for in our own family we very seldom all agree. but, one thing we all agree on, to love and accept our full life song. i think more people today should look at that, just like the wildflowers was put on this earth. all the flowers, all the trees, they are different colors, different sizes, but they are all beautiful. why can't we accept humanity that way? that is the way my dad and my uncles after serving in the military, they come home and we are all the same.

we all bleed red. it does not matter what package you are wrapped in. i think that really helped me to be able to raise my son and my daughter to honorably respect people for who they are. if you do not like them, do not like them for what they do, not for what they are wrapped in. host: let's hear from cj in minneapolis, minnesota who is a veteran. which branch did you serve? caller: u.s. navy. host: ok, go ahead. caller: yes, i am a veteran, from a family of eight generations of military service. host: wow. caller: my grandmother, my uncles served -- i had five uncles who served in world war ii. i only got one uncle that talked about it and he made it into a joke.

they don't even talk about it at all. the bottom line was, my two sons -- one son served and got messed up pretty bad. he is ok now and going through the v.a. and doing all of his stuff. i am pretty sure he is listening to this. he listens to your show religiously for years. i am pretty sure, he probably listening now. my other son, he has been in the army. he is still active. he told me, my older son who was in iraq, he told me something i did not know about how many veterans committing suicide. when he was in there, he saw it. i was shocked, because it did not make the news. all of i went, wow. i was never in combat. i joint -- today is my anniversary date, to be honest with you. i joined in 1976 under jimmy carter.

that was the best time to be in the military, because he kept us out of war. when i came home, the people was mad at jimmy because he kept us out of war. they handle things diplomatically all the time. he knew the power that he had, but he was a 20 year naval admiral. because he served in the navy for 20 years, he understands the devastation of war and he never wanted to take us down that path unless he had to. so, i got more respect for him than i do obama because obama was a pure politician. he was a good politician, but he was a politician. jimmy was not. he was an honest man. people claim they want honesty. when they get it, they do not like it because it is not sugarcoated and it is plain and straightforward, to the point. with that being said, on my

anniversary day when i first got out, i did not realize i had joined on a special veterans day celebration. four years, it never dawned on me about this day. it wasn't until the last five years in minnesota that they started doing things for veterans, like giving us -- this day, we could go to a restaurant and free food, no matter what. applebee's was the one that started it when nobody else was doing it. applebee's did this for five years and when they caught on to what applebee's was doing on apple -- when applebee's, the grocery stores, the gas stations started getting in on giving us something on this day for free. host: you mentioned you had several members of your family who were world war ii veterans. i wanted to point out e v.a. announced yesterday that all remaining living world war ii veterans are now eligible for no

cost v.a. health care and nursing home services. that means that all world war ii veterans who served between december 7, 1941 and december 31, 1946 are eligible under this expansion regardless of their length of service or financial status. these veterans will not have to pay co-pays, enrollment fees or monthly premiums and the v.a. is reaching out by phone and mail to encourage world war ii veterans who are not currently enrolled in the v.a. care to apply today and those who do enroll they also keep their private providers, medicare and most other insurance meet their health care needs. let's hear from david in lynn, massachusetts who is also a veteran. david, can you tell us about your service? caller: hi, in listed in the marines in 2003 out of high school. i spent most of my time in first battalion marines.

i was in the battle of the lucia, the fall of 2004. being aboard the uss nashville when israelis invaded lebanon, there was the first time i had been in combat i met a lot of people displaced by war. our ship did not get involved other than taking up refugees and taking them to cyprus. i have been thinking about the battle because of everything going on in the middle east and this veterans day, i am concerned for the palestinian people. how did that experience affect you? host: how did that experience affect you? caller: it was rationalizing. they are no different than anybody moved by any conflict in human history. when i got out into thousand seven, i became active in the antiwar movement. i ended up speaking at the winter soldier conference in 2008.

i was not politically active for a chunk of time after that. lately, i have been. host: ok. beverly is in sarasota, florida and is a family member of a veteran. go ahead. caller: yes. i would like to remember my husband, seymour, who served in world war ii as an attorney at nuremberg at the trials. he was involved in the inquisition of robert e. lee -- robert lie, who was responsible for the map of the nazi party and the personnel in the nazi party at the trials. i just wanted to remember him. he passed away at 91 years old.

he never really talked about the honors he was given. i wanted to remember him today. host: beverly, i am so sorry for your loss. it sounds like you two had a great life together. let's hear from donnie in as is hippie who is a veteran. caller: yes, thank you for having me. host: go ahead. caller: i would like to thank you for allowing us vets to call in today, i appreciate that. host: thank you for your service. caller: thank you for your power. the young lady showed on the screen a wild ago about the world war ii vets, i would like to add to that. if she could look it up, we have a caregiver program for us elder vets. host: it is from the v.a.?

caller: it is from the v.a., called the caregiving program. they will not put it out. i am going to use your show right now to maybe help some veterans and families. it is called the caregiver program. it is your world war i, world war ii, iraqi vet, any of them. you need assistance at home, you can apply for the caregiver program through your primary care doctor. it will help you get a ramp in your home, help you in your showers, give assistance with a family member who is a vet. for the gentleman that was in the hotel with his kids, they also can get help because if he do not have an attorney or anything and cannot afford it, all he has to do is reach out to the governor of his state.

the governor of his estate can viral -- can file the paperwork. i have been through this approximately since 2003. i know a lot about it. i am not an attorney or anything like that. i have a group on telegram i help vets out. if i could, i would like to tell you and maybe i can help more vets, and i would. on telegram it is rpnchat. real people, real news. you can look it up on google. host: speaking of -- i didn't look up what you mention, the v.a. caregiver support options. you are able to find information about that on the bas website with support for -- v.a.'s website, as well as legal advice

and services are listed on here. the department of veterans affairs caregivers support program offers clinical services to caregivers of eligible and covered veterans enrolled in the v.a. health care system. the program's mission is to promote health and well-being of family caregivers care for our nation's veterans through education, resources, support and services. thank you for pointing out those resources, donnie. robert is in south carolina and also a veteran. which branch did you serve in? caller: i served in the army for 20 years. host: go ahead with your story. caller: i would like to request --i had a -- that served in the army in vietnam, 1968. he was killed over there. two bronze stars, purple heart.

i would like to reach out to some of the guys that he was with at the time. if you do not mind me reading this award. host: what was your brother's name, robert? caller: that is what i am asking for. host: go ahead. caller: his name was james noah. he was assigned to charlie company, fourth battalion, 23rd infantry, 25th division. he was killed in vietnam as a real man covered the platoon to get away. he earned two bronze stars and a purple heart. i just want to know if there was someone in that unit that is still around today.

give me a call so i can discuss more about him. host: all right, let's hear from diane in st. paul, minnesota who is a family member of a veteran. caller: yeah. my family started out with my five uncles and my father serving in world war ii. i had an uncle that served as a marine. they were in the navy, all of them were in the navy. we are a navy family, still is. my uncle was marines. he served in the korean war. he was the one who was on the engines. now, i got nine other people who have served in the united states marines and the air force and the navy.

one of them was my daughter. i have five nephews. i now still have two of my nephews over there in the middle east on a ship now. like i say, we are a veteran family. that was the way my family started out, getting off the farm because all of us were farmers in arkansas. now, they still are military people. one thing i am concerned about, i have one nephew who is out of the service now, but he is not able to get the service he needs. he needs mental health service because the folks that come back home will not talk about the wars. they will not talk about those things. only thing he talked to me about being in the war was my father, he was the captain's mate on the

ship. in my opinion, he had it better than anyone else. he was his cook, he did everything for the captain. when the shift moved, he moved and he enjoyed it. nobody else talked about it. i thank you for the opportunity to talk about it and i am still praying for my two nephews on that ship over there in the middle east. we do not need another war. thank you very much. host: our question today is, what does veterans day mean to you? on x, death clockaya commitment to supporting veterans. i rememb wn jon stewart was finally able to get republicans touprt burn pit legislation. in a senate hearing on the pentagon 2024 budget request, secretary lloyd austin -- here is a portion of his testimony

from this year. [video clip] >> our joint force stands ready to meet any challenge. you can see the forces redness after russia's unprovoked invasion of ukraine. we simply deployed to poland to nace does -- to nato's eastern flank. we closely monitored and remained --while the rest of the force by design is preparing for future contingencies. this budget will help us maintain with $146 billion in funding for operations, training and maintenance. this budget invests in improving our resilience in the face of climate change and other 21st century threats. we are going to remain the strongest ella terry in the world. as we mark the 50th anniversary of our force, i am proud of the brave men and women who choose to wear the cloth of our nation. we owe it to them and their families to take the best

possible care of our people. over the past two years, we have made moves easier, cut commissary prices, made childcare more affordable. this budget funds other key steps to increase quality of life of our teammates, including the largest military and civilian pay raises in decades. we are pushing hard to eliminate suicide in our ranks, including immediate steps to hire more until health professionals and improve access to mental health care. we are working toward a military free of sexual assault. we worked with congress to improve the response to sexual assault and related crimes under the uniform code of military justice and those reforms will be implemented by the end of this year. host: back to your calls. let's hear from lester in sandy, oregon on our line for family members of veterans. caller: i am a grandson of a world war i soldier. army.

my dad and his brother served in the united states army world war ii. the brother, they were rangers in the army. one was a parachuter. my dad w t guy that dropped the front end of tt off to let the soldrsff in normandy in d-day. my dad came back with one of the highest metals in the united states of ame eyre gone now.s in the navy. anyhow, i am a supporter in my hometown that i grew up in. i am on the board for the veterans wall to get your name put on the wall. i amlsin charge of the parade today.

i am one of the people in charge. all i can say is, i do not re who you are, what you are. you served our country, you died for our country, darn it if i am not going to back you up. i am from a world war ii hero. what i would say is, waving the american flag means a heck of a lot to me. host: your line is breaking up a bit. comment from steven anderson who my veteran brothers. day to all it is days like ts we do nott. have to be republican or democrat, just brothers in arms once again. happy veterans day. jim is in tucker, georgia on our family line. caller: yes. it is a solemn day for veterans, for sure.

some gave all, and all gave some. all salutes to the veterans who are real americans. my dad was in the navy. he picked up a very lucrative career in the navy in photography. so, he used that skill set in life to provide very well for his family, for my brothers and sisters and mother. also, what i want to say is, kudos to your producers for having moscow mitch on earlier. [laughter] that guy, for all the military stands for, i do not have the word for him. i can't believe that he would cry all these crocodile tears and not support somebody like merrick garland for the justice.

it is ridiculous to hear him. my point is, i got a big laugh whenever moscow mitch went on. kudos to your producers for having him on in the beginning. i got a good laugh out of that. seriously, to our veterans who do so much, who put everything on the line, it is amazing. you think about it, prior to world war ii, our military was probably not even in the top 20 militaries in the world. after world war ii, we are number one and have been that way ever since. it is amazing that we have to put so much into our military that we are basically the worlds policemen, that is a difficult job. i never served, i never had a war to go to. the gulf war was a little bit out of sync on that.

i never had a war to go to. i would have joined in a heartbeat if we had a war. my generation was fortunate. i was after vietnam and before the gulf war. i did not have a war to go to. i know the guys that are in there now, they are working really hard. it is a difficult job. kudos to them. host: the army as well as other branches of the u.s. military have struggled to recruit. here is an article from pbs newshour that the u.s. army is launching a sweeping overhaul of its recruiting to reverse enlistment shortfalls, focusing more on young people who spent time in college or are job hunting in their careers. a major part of this is the formation of a professional force of recruiters instead of relying on soldiers randomly assigned to a task. the army secretary saying, we

have not been recruiting well for many more years than one would think by looking at the headlines in the last 18 months, adding the army has not met its annual goal for new enlistment contracts since 2014. last year, the army fell 15,000 short of its enlistment goal of 60,000 while competing with higher-paying companies in a tight job market. let's go to peter in melbourne, florida who is a veteran. caller: good morning. host: good morning. caller: hey, my name is peter from melbourne, florida. i was a vet. in the vietnam war. my dad and his brothers served in world war ii. long story short, when i got out of service, i was not wearing a vietnam hat and all this kind of stuff. anyways, long story short, i was wearing a hat when i was visiting my grandson in texas

and going shopping. it was during christmas. people work, hey, thank you for your service, blah, blah, blah. i was visiting. now, i can see that he looked at me in a different light because he did not associate veterans and this and that. a lot of times, you do not know what it is all about. anyways, i go out of my way when i go shopping if i see a guy with a hat on that has served. i go over there and speak with them and tell them, thanks a lot. that is about all i got to say. host: it is interesting you should mention that, peter. there is an article from the hill.com that younger veterans feel uncomfortable when told thank you for service. this is a survey that found a majority of younger veterans say

they feel uncomfortable when they are told thank you for your service, the survey found sperry gets between military members and their older counterparts and how they prefer to be reckoned as for their service. hodo you prefer to be cognized for your service? caller: people look at me and go , hey, he did his part in keeping the country afloat. to appreciate the guy himself for running the motor on the boat. that is important. host: ok, thanks peter. tom is in south carolina and is currently in the military. which branch are you serving in, tom? caller: good morning, ma'am. i wanted to make two quick comments. first of all, i was coming home last night and i noticed that my next-door neighbor already has out there christmas decorations.

what in the world with that have to do with veterans day? i would like for the people to count today the homes that they drive by with any sort of decorations thanking our veterans for being what they adorn. the second comment i want to make -- please understand what i'm saying now -- i hear this so much. thank you for your service, thank you for your service. how about, thank you for your sacrifice? i encountered a veteran one day at a shopping center. i stopped him and he was with his wife and children. i stopped and told him, you know what? i want to thank you for your sacrifice, not your service, because you can bet that your wife and your children have sacrificed greatly, not to

mention you. that is my second point. why don't we have some kind of decorations at our houses to acknowledge the service and sacrifice? why don't we say to our veterans, thank you for your service, because if they have never served, guess what? oh, well. that is me. i am done. you have a great day. host: craig says on facebook, recognition of the great sacrife and service of generations face guarding our nation is something that is sorely needed today. ricky is in until adelphia and a veteran -- is in philadelphia and a veteran. caller: good morning, ma'am and thank you for receiving my call. i served in the u.s. navy. veterans day means a lot to me.

for me being an african-american, i joined because you did not like buffalo soldiers, tuskegee airmen, you know what they did to serve and sacrifice for our country. you know, gave me the return to join the military, serve my time. like most of my friends are veterans, you know. i feel good about that, you know. i pretty much can relate with veterans, doesn't matter which branch, which color. we went through the same thing during the military. one thing i want, our government trying to do to help out the

homeless. it do not make no sense to me. a veteran should be homeless, you know, the sacrifice that they did for this country to be homeless. i know me in philadelphia, there is a big homeless community for veterans, like veteran homelessness in philadelphia. at times i see a veteran, i try to tell them to go to the v.a., maybe the outreach floor in philadelphia, try to help them get help. you got some veterans -- host: the v.a. actually keeps detailed statistics on veterans homelessness.

i want to give a couple numbers. their goal for the veterans administration was in 2023, the v.a. was placed 38,000 veterans experience and homelessness into permanent housing and ensure at least 95% of those veterans did not return to homelessness during the year and of those that did, the v.a. will ensure 90% are we housed or on a path to rehousing and engaged with 28,000 unsheltered veterans to help them obtain housing, other wraparound services. their last update was on september 30, 2020 three and progress to date of those 38,000 , 35,148 veterans have been permanently housed, representing 92.5% of the goal and the v.a. is on track to meet and exceed its goal by the end of the year at 96.6 percent of those veterans housed so far have remained in housing, just under 1200 veterans have returned to

homelessness, 3.4% of the veterans housed. thanks for highlighting that issue. cindy is in st. petersburg, florida and is a family member of a veteran. caller: good morning, thank you for taking my call. i was a caregiver for my father for eight and a half years. i helped him live to 101 years old. he was a veteran -- he served in world war ii, in the korean war. he was in special ops. he hung out at helicopters and airplanes to take aerial pictures and mapped out for the bombers to keep them out of the harm's way. i wanted to talk about the aid and attendance program, if you could look that up. host: sure. caller: my dad received an extra

$1500 for that program. dad helped me get him a handicapped van -- that helped me get him a handicapped van, toiletries, his personal items. it helped pay to put a roof over his head. it also helps spouses who are married to veterans and are struggling. you have to qualify for it. he did qualify. if you could look that up. host: i just did, cindy. i am looking at the v.a.'s website, the aid and attendant benefits household. these benefits provide monthly payments added to the amount of a monthly v.a. pension for qualified veterans and survivors. it says if you need help with daily activities or you are housebound, find out if qualify

and here are these qualifications. there are several eligibility requirements. thank you for flagging that. go ahead, i cut you off. caller: you can go ahead. that is what i wanted to know. i wanted to help the veterans out there. it is so hard for me to keep the tears back. so, if you could please go one further with the eligibility and let everyone know about that. host: what was your father's name, cindy? caller: jack. jack stiles. host: ok, thank you, cindy. as cindy was mentioning, some of those eligibility requirements is that you need another person to help you perform daily activities like bathing, feeding and dressing or you have to stay in bed or spend a large portion of your day in bed because of illness or if you are a patient in a nursing home, there is lots of mental or physical abilities

related to a disability. your eyesight is limited even with glasses or contact lenses. the housebound benefits eligibility, you may be eligible for this benefit if you get a v.a. pension and you spend most of your time in your home because of a permanent disability, a disability that does not go away. those eligibility lists are on the v.a.'s website, that is va.gov. robert is in tuscaloosa, alabama. gocaller: you seem to be patient so be patient with me. my grandfather was in world war i. my brother who my brother gave to help raise. most of all, captain jones. [indiscernible]

dr. lisa nelson, mohammed this taking care of her now. she was a captain in the army. uniontown, alabama. my older sister [indiscernible] had four children that served. and barbara. so many people, family were military people. i was not. captain susie jones was president eisenhower's dietitian. mohammed is taking care of her. host: sounds like you are very proud, robert. marsha in bedford, massachusetts

on the line for all others. caller: hello? good morning. i need to mention i think that posttraumatic stress syndrome is so important, which veterans do experience in great numbers. mental health is so important and needs to be recognized. i think we need more attention paid to focusing on mental health as a result of being in the service. sacrificing, as was mentioned before. sometimes our post-traumatic stress is not recognized. in our country we don't recognize it at enough and that affects veterans. i wanted to make that point. host: the final, hear from x -- final comment om x. "veterans day is a solemn day to me.

it is a sad and happy day. a said they remember and those o d not come home d happy day removing those who did. i really feel uncomfortable when someone says thank you for your service." we are talking about military service and our veterans today. coming up, three retired veterans joining us not only to give their own perspective of military life but to discuss issues regarding the military and veterans. we will be joined by commander kirk lippold, colonel pete metzger, and lieutenant colonel john stark. then we will look at the state of veterans and unites states with u.s. record veteran travis partington as he discusses his podcast “oscar mike radio," which focuses on real-life stories of active-duty military and veterans. we will be right back. ♪

>> this weekend book tv returns to the texas book festival from austin today beginning at 12:15.m eastern, coverage includes greg nelson, author of "v is for victory." the panel discussion on free spn america. on sunday at 11:00 a.m. easte, we focus on women in science with the author of "the six." and the author of "starstruck." then a discussion on gun violence in america. watch the texas book festival today and sunday on book tv on c-span2. to see the full texas book festival schedule visit our website at booktv.org.

♪ >> when you read about the political history of illinois you often see the word corruption. from january9 621 until january 2009, illinois citizens elected eight different men to be the governors. four of them eventually went to prison. all convicted after they were out of office. robert hartley has written 11 books about the politicians of illinois, including one titled "power, purpose and prison." he writethese men met their downfall under different circumstances. he asks, where did they go wrong? were they able to recover self-respect in spite of their punishment? >> robe hartley with his book on this episode of book notes plus. book notes plus is available on the c-span now out or wherever you get your podcasts.

♪ >> monday, c-span's partnership with the library of congress, books that shape america. "free to choose." the book was written shortly for developing the television series by the same name and argues for free-trade, lower taxes, limited government regulation and school choice. a bestseller, "free to choose continues to spark discussion today. milton friedman was an advisor to margaret thatcher and president reagan, who presented him with a presidential medal of freedom. lecture of economics at the university of california santa barbara and author of "milton friedman: a biography" join us to discuss the book. we, are featuring "free to choose" monday on c-span, c-span now, or online at c-span.org.

be sure to scan the qr code to listen to our companion podcast where you can learn about the authors of the books featured. >> a healthy democracy does not just look like this. it looks like this. where americans can see democracy at work, where citizens are truly informed our public thrives. get informed straight from the source on c-span. unfiltered, unbiased, word for word. from the nation's capital to wherever you are. get the opinion that matters -- the opinion that matters most is your own. this is what democracy looks like. c-span, powered by cable. >> washington journal continues. host: welcome back. we are now joined by several guests who are veterans themselves. first we have commander kirk lippold, former marine -- exceeds me, -- excuse me, the

former commanding officer of the uss cole. we also have colonel pete metzger, former military aide to president reagan. thank you for joining us. joining us on the line from philadelphia is lt. col. john stark, who served in iraq and afghanistan from 2011 to 2012. welcome to stop caller: thank you. host: you are all affiliated with charities for vets. . would you like to talk about that a little bit? guest: charitiesforvets.org was part of the ram foundation. billions of dollars have been given by americans to veterans organizations. we took a step back and said we would like to find out of these organizations are truly most effectively using those dollars to get to the veterans and help

them. we set up a four step criteria people have to meet so we can have a highly recommended, which would mean 85% of the money is used and goes to actively -- goes actively towards the veterans. 75% would be recommended. many organizations don't meet that threshold or other criteria we have so we could find out that no, you should not donate to them. the reason why is because they have a lot of overhead. salaries, golf course fees, other things that really don't go towards helping vets. we felt it is good for these young men and women who served our nation that if they need a helping hand at some point in their lives that these organizations get them the help they need. host: i want to hear more about the organization. can you tell us about your own military service? guest: i graduated from the naval academy in 1981. i was a surface warfare officer. i served on a tank lining ship,

guided missile cruisers and destroyers. my career was defined by that single moment where i was the committing officer of the uss cole when it was attacked by a terrorist on a cover 12, 2000. -- october 12, 2000. it was a privilege to lead a crew of heroes that morning. i continued to serve until i retired in june of 2007 and have gone on to a career in the inspirational leadership speaking business. host: lt. col. john stark, would you like to share about your service? guest: i graduated from the u.s. military academy at west point in 1991. i was commissioned an armor officer. i served as an armor officer until 2017. 29 years of service. i was in iraq in 2006 and 2007. i was in afghanistan, 2011-2012. i served at nato headquarters.

i'm very blessed to be asked to serve on the board of advisors for this ram foundation's charity for vets. host: carl metzger? -- colonel metzger? guest: i started my career in the vietnam war. served in san diego. exchanged over to marine corps. rifle company commander. i served in washington, d.c. at the marine corps ceremonial unit. i spent time overseas with the amateur battalion of various capacities -- infantry battalion of various capacities. the inter-american defense college. i served as the head of the special operations ranch at headquarters u.s. marine corps. military secretary of the commandant of the ring core. ultimately as a command and landing force of the six fleet. host: a distinguished litany of a compliment. , would ask about one of them. as an advisor to president reagan.

how did you end up in that position? guest: i was a student at the commander staff college. i had to be interviewed for a job in washington. was i interested? well, i suppose so. i went through a series of interviews for about six or eight months and was selected. i did not know i had been selected until the day i was selected. we were at the white house. i had just met with mr. baker, chief of staff of the white house to the president. he said, major, do you have a few minutes? mr. baker, i'm in the white house. i have all the time you need. he opened the door and there was president reagan. he said i would like you to meet your new marine aid. i was so excited i forgot where i parked. host: what was it like working with the president? guest: a special honor and privilege. long before i was privileged to serve the president, i admired his leadership style and the way he did things.

for the nearly three years i was there i was never disappointed by his leadership, his support of the military and love of veterans. host: commander lippold, for the viewers who may never member the incident, can you talk a little bit about what that day was like for you? guest: we were at ages guided missile destroyer. we have pulled into a port in yemen halfway between them ready 10 -- the mediterranean and the 6th fleet area of operations. we pulled into take on about a quarter million gallons of fuel that morning expecting to be there six to eight hours. we had been pumping fuel for about 45 minutes and routine operations. we contracted for three garbage barges to take out trash. two had come out. want to the middle and two to the back. one came out to look like the other garbage barges. we did not know that our -- they

had been -- al qaeda had been observing the port for a year. as i went by a young sailor thought to himself when interviewed in the hospital following the explosion was that sure was awful clean for garbage barge. they came alongside and detonated, blowing a 40 by 40 foot hole in the side. the crew responded magnificently. the announcing system for the ship and the backup system were knocked off-line and did not work. the crew fell back on their training and divided into groups. he was either damage control to say the ship, triage to save shipmates or security to stop another attack. we have the ship stable in a little over an hour. as a testament to the crew the first day we evacuated 32 wounded off the ship. 99 minutes. 32 survived. 17 were killed, 37 woundedwe wet that crew stayed on board the entire time, got the ship underway, towed 23 mouse

down the coast -- miles down the coast. the coal has been repaired. she has undergone a midlife servicing and she is out there still defending freedom today and i could not be more proud of what my crew accomplished that morning. host: thank you for sharing that exceeds. lt. col. stark, your experience in iraq and afghanistan, what was it like to serve at that time? especially after 9/11? guest: i would first like to thank kurt for his story and like-minded is -- link mind to his. i was teaching at west point when the uss cole was struck. one of the sailors wounded, his brother was in my class. we organized a bunch of care packages for them. i was still teaching at west point on 9/11. after that i was assigned to the first armored division. in 2006, as an operations

officer for a tank battalion, first and 37th armor, went to iraq. we ended up in ramadi where 90% of the significant combat was happening at the time. only 5% of the population, a battalion of 800 men, we had 125 of them earn purple hearts. about half of our combat vehicles were destroyed by ied's. it was brutal fighting. kind of a slow burn. it was not everyday. some days two vehicles destroyed. some we had two or three days in a row with none. we surrounded the city and searched door-to-door. we did a census of the military aged males. you may have seen the movie "american sniper." that was my battalion's operations area. those navy seals were in our combat outpost. you could get a taste of the way it was. a lot of those young men who are

veterans and combat veterans, they were 18 or 19 years old. i was 35 result when i went there. i had prepared for that for 15 years. a lot of those young men were in a tank battalion and did not expect to dismount and go door-to-door knocking and doing a census on getting shot at. it has been difficult for a lot of the men that came back. coming back, our country's military is different than a lot of other countries. i would use the british military for example. they come from the same town and they go by home and they are all together. in our military people are scattered all across the united states. that is by design. some of that makes it difficult for veterans to connect. events like this help them. i thank you for that. host: lt. col. stark, heard about charities for vets. you are talking about that sense of connection, i imagine that is

important for this group. can you tell us about how you get your funding and some of the other activities you do? guest: charities for vets --charitiesforvets.org is the website and funded by people who donate money. there is no -- they are individuals who want this to happen who funded this. people donate their time. the three of us are not paid. we are here because we believe veterans need the money that is spent in charities to be spent efficiently. we can't say if one charity is effective or not because we are not really evaluating that. we can look at their tax returns. we can look at their finances and we can see if they are using most of their money to help veterans. the website, it is like a consumer reports for charities just for veterans. there are 104 charities that are vetted.

they will have a rating of recommended or not recommended or highly recommended. if you're thinking about giving money to a charity, go look at the thing. look at the website, charitiesforvets.org. just type in the name of the charity. if it is one of the 104 we vet, it will give you the rating and tell you what. they can be removed. there are currently 47 that are not recommended. not to say they have done no good, but their money is being spent in a way we regard as an efficient. the website explain exactly how we rate them. host: we want to hear your questions for our guests. we will keep the same phone lines we had before. if you are a veteran or a family member of a veteran, call us at (202) 748-8000. current military members at (202) 748-8001.

everyone else at (202) 748-8002. i wanted to go back to you and talk about the current state for veterans here in the united states, which i'm guessing informs your work with this group. what are you hearing from your fellow veterans in terms of their needs and what they are experiencing in their day-to-day lives? guest: great question. i would like to add to what my colleagues said about charitiesforvets.org. we simply want to redirect generous american donors to charities that ashley say -- do what they say. it is not a mean proposition. it is redirecting money to where we know -- we don't think -- we know they take care of veterans. there are about the veterans in this country today. there are men and women who served in very difficult, dangerous and lonely situations apart from their families.

as john said, some have an easier time than others adjusting. those that don't need help. they need help with shelter. they need help with mental health services, physical examinations, medicines, food. i think the country would find it shocking those who raised the right hand and served often in difficult and dangerous situations are better taken care of. the v.a. does a very good job. it is never perfect but i think there are lots of organizations trying to help. generally speaking, as we look around the streets i suggest those that are on housed -- unh oused, many are veterans who are embarrassed or chagrined. all of us who have a certain military background can pick out those who served. host: i want to talk to something several of our callers have mentioned. the idea that perhaps the united states with its military

investments in israel and ukraine right now might be stretched too thin when it comes to military readiness. what you think of that argument? guest: i think is a bit of a shortsighted argument. we need to look at what our military is being employed to do and take a strategic picture. when you look at our engagement in ukraine today, we are there for a simple reason. that is because vladimir putin invaded the country in violation of international law with the brutality that had not been seen since world war ii. to stop him there is to serve as a bulwark and send a message that if you are are an authoritarian regime and you want to violate international law, they will be a penalty enterprise to do that. we are literally crossing the russian military machine for pennies on the dollar. it is a wise investment for the united states. by the same token when you look at the brutality of what happened on october 7 in israel

and our engagement there supporting israel to date, they absolutely have to stop it. i will make the argument that going after hamas or hezbollah or the palestinian islamic jihad, those are all organizations that need to be destroyed. it is almost a shortsighted target. iran has been killing thousands of americans for 40 years. going back to the embassy in beirut barracks bombing in the early 1980's up until today, you would need to start taking -- we have a nation need to start taking a look at state sponsors of terrorism itself and hold them accountable for what they are doing. we have not been doing that. the military today looks at the department of defense as the 800 pound gorilla that has all the money in the world. look at the billions of dollars we are spending there. while it is the largest budget in the government, you will have to address the larger picture domestically where entitlements need to be taken on. the military is facing the

strategic threats we are today around the world, from china, from russia, from iran. the military today maybe spread a little thin. we shall have the greatest fighting force in the world. those young men and women that are out there serving that chose to serve our nation, we must as americans learn to give back more to allow them to have the tools they need. that does not come cheaply. when they come home it is going to be organizations like charitiesforvets.org that ensure that in addition to what they get for benefits, the organization by being able to write all those veterans charities out there, we want to make sure the money that is given to veterans in fact gets there. that is why we provide that service and that gives people an opportunity -- there are some well-known organizations out there that are in are not recommended category, because the percentages are too high. there is too much and overhead in either salaries and other inefficiencies. they could bring it down.

they have chosen not to. i think americans want to know their dollars, when they give to a charity, when they literally part with their hard-earned money for the sake of veterans and others, it should be spent in a manner that helps them and as direct a manner as possible. host: that can be challenging. you get to the pop up says the want to give one dollar, five dollars, $10 to help veterans, you don't always know what group that is going to. guest: exactly. charitiesforvets.org gives people the opportunity to look at those organizations and say who have i given to in the past and let's see where they fall out and this rack and stack. you have a highly recommended and not a committee category, look at the percentage that is actually being spent in going -- donated and going to veterans programs.

there are some great organizations you see on tv even today that come into that highly recommend a category because they are spending literally over 95% of what they pull in going to support veterans programs that they advertise for. they are doing what they say they are going to do. guest: the grocery store as a practical matter. somewhat difficult when you're trying to look at our system. i would recommend you differ from that donation at that moment. perhaps the next time you are at the store understand for it is going. the where deception is too strong. many organizations use emotion at other kinds of things to lure you into contributing for something you may not know. this is just redirecting and telling you where the money is going. it does not cost a dime. host: lieutenant colonel stark, i want to follow up on the topic of military funding.

secretary of state lloyd austin is asking for 840 $2 billion for the defense department in 2024. -- 842 ilya dollars for the -- $842 billion dollars for the defense department. guest: i know general austin. i interviewed him for a book i would for general milley about the u.s. army in afghanistan. he is a very solid, conscionable man who believes our soldiers need the support of the government and he would not propose a budget that would leave them short. there are a lot of players in the field. we are in an election cycle now. you have a lot of different political factions that want to do different things at home. the number for the dod has become so big that the state

department and other department have lost authority within the government. dod is driving the train on a lot of things, such as the ukraine work and probably -- i'm not in the decision cycle for israel but i did go to ukraine in 2007 and assess them for membership in nato. i was one of the few officers that went there. there military was just as good as any of the other nato militaries. someone decided not to let the men. it turns out we did not need nato to defeat the russians. we just needed some strong ukrainian units. i would second what kirk was saying. spending pennies on the dollar to defend freedom in ukraine is well worth the cost. the total overall budget of dod, that is something that probably no two people would agree on and

there are probably fewer people who even know enough to talk about it coherently. host: we have lots of callers wanting to weigh in. you two wanted to have a thought. guest: if i can give you an intelligent answer, i would probably be sitting either in the united states capitol for the white house. it takes a lot of money. guest: the only thing i would say is if you go to the admirals and generals and asked them what it takes for the military, they will give you this huge come along list of things they want. in reality we get a budget-driven military not so much by strategy and they are given this much by the american people. this is called risk. i think we owe it both to her senior military leaders and those over and capitol hill to have an honest discussion with the macon people and tell them what is the risk we are incurring by not giving us everything we may need to in fact defend our national security interests around the world. host: lots of calls coming in.

jerry in midway, utah, a veteran. go ahead, jerry. we may have lost jerry. jerry, go ahead. nope. john and mechanicsburg, pennsylvania on the veteran line. make sure to turn down the volume on your tv. john? van in memphis, tennessee. caller: ok. i was a vietnam era veteran. i was in the last group that was drafted. i came back from the military and started a job. host: did you have a question for any of our guests? caller: yeah. i bought a v.a. home back in the

1990's. paid that loan off. went through some hard times. layoffs. now trying to buy a new home. my credit, they say it is not high enough. i want to know why they put a stipulation of the v.a. loan when it was so easy to get the first time. another issue i have is i was drafted -- i volunteered for the draft. when it came out of the military i had a job. when i came back they refused to give me back my job. host: let me see if i can get a response of the first point about your struggles with the v.a. loans. lt. col. stark, you do so much work with charities for vets. are there any can recommend to van that might be able to give some assistance when it comes to housing or working with the v.a.? guest: i would recommend you reach directly to the v.a. they have counselors who can

help with that. thanks for your service. it was vietnam vets and my little hometown that inspired me to join the military. i did not have anybody in my family that served in vietnam. i'm sorry for your stressful situation. i hope the vh will help you. i hope -- the v.a. will help you. i have used a v.a. loan seven times. you should be able to get one if you are even able to get a hold of them. please reach out. host: let's hear from richard in fort myers, florida, also on the veterans line. caller: good morning gentlemen. can you help me with the truth of the story of the centuries of the uss cole not having ammunition for their m-16s? if it is true, how high up on the chain of command can be point the finger?

thank you very much. guest: i would be happy to answer that question. my top site centuries were armed. they had ammunition. we were operating that morning. under peacetime rules of engagement, what they call hostile intent or hostile act needed to be done. aim a gun or shoot a gun at us. my sentries were armed and had someone taken hostile action towards us, they would have been able to respond. host: roy from sun city, california. caller: good morning. i served for 22 years. my concern is this. the military has gotten away from -- we had so many privatization issues where when i came in we were the cooks, the civil engineers, we built bases, maintain bases. a lot of those functions have been privatized and turned over to civilian companies.

that is my major concern. my second thing i want to impart has to do with the previous segment. i also worked for the national cemetery administration. a lot of veterans are unaware that if they have an honorable discharge, them or their spouse or their dependent children or handicapped children are eligible to be buried in any of the 135 national cemeteries. that is a benefit for all veterans who served and received an honorable discharge. host: let's have colonel metzger responded that first point you made. guest:guest: thank you very much for asking that question. the answer is that apartment of the fence has made a conscious decision -- department of

defense has made a conscious decision to leave running the mess halls and other normal daily routines to private companies. i personally think it is a great decision. the more trigger pull is have, the better we are. -- pullers we have, the better we are. caller: good morning. i would like to ask of you guys think military readiness is at its peak or on the downside. i will hang up and listen to your response. host: let's get quick responses melody. lt. col. stark? guest: i would hesitate to say. i have been out of the army for seven years. i would say that is fairly evident that readiness is less than it was 10 years ago. that is by design that we are no longer on a footing to send

division after division into combat right now. i know -- i have friends that are generals. my west point class holds five of the division commanders right now in the u.s. army out of 10. they are all test to provide -- tasked to provide forces to be ready to fight i ntwo major combat operations in different theaters at the same time. that is the stress that generates the big budgets. is anybody really ready for that? we never know until they have to go. they are ready for certain kinds of things and less ready for others. they are focusing more on major combat operations and less on counterinsurgency. we have to be ready for china. we have to be ready for some disturbances in other places in the world. you cannot be ready for everything all at the same time. the social stresses that are hitting our military right now are unprecedented. that is probably what the caller is thinking about.

i would not like to be one of the commanders that has to deal with some of the changes in society that have dealt us a different pool of people to recruit from. god bless the ones that are still volunteering. i wish them the best. guest: what i would say is when you look at military readiness today it is not where we have used to be seeing it in the past. part of it is how the military made the decision to do the readiness reporting. to me there is one metric. can that unit, can that ship, can that squadron forward deployed on a moments notice with all the people they need with all the equip and they need to conduct the mission they are tasked to do? we are having to rob peter to pay paul by pulling from other units in order to fill out the ones that are forward deploying. that is true whether it is the gerald r. ford operating in the eastern mediterranean or the eisenhower battle group. it is true of the air force units going forward. when you look at the readiness

rate of the units back here stateside that may need to be flexed, they can't do it. i think part of that is by manipulating how the readiness is reported to the commander-in-chief. it is fundamentally undermining the military's ability to conduct the missions it needs worldwide. we are not as ready as we needed to be. we need to get back there and it will take honest reporting by the senior military leaders along with the civilian political appointees who oversee it, who bear responsibility to the american people to ensure the military has the equipment, people that he needs to go forward and defend our security interests. guest: there is a saying in combat operations. those they get their firstest with the mostest win. it affects retention. it affects recruitment. it is something -- we talked about budget a minute ago.

it's under recruiting and retention and deployment cycles. we can see at this moment the world is very unsteady and unsafe place. we need more of everything. host: john and mechanicsburg, pennsylvania on the veterans line. we got you back. caller: thanks. glad for getting back on. in a couple of years we will be 250 years old as a country. what was disappointing -- disturbing to me was listening to the prior segment. every single caller calling on veterans day was talking about benefits they were receiving or not receiving. why veterans day is really about should be about the security of our nation, our heritage, our constitution. it is not about benefits, hospitals, clinics. it has turned into that and another government program and not what it is for, to protect our nation. i want to say it is kinda disturbing to hear these calls about i need this, i need that. what about our nation's

safety? i don't hear the top brass in the military talking about that. almost never. i was in korea on the dmz. my brother was in grenada. my older brother was in north dakota with bombers that did not have enough parts to fly them. on veterans day i support veterans day as a day for our constitution, our people, our rights. i don't celebrate it to get a benefit. host: let's get some response to that. guest: john, thank you very much. i could not agree with you more. you like many of us, we chose to raise our right hand and swear that oath to support and defend our nation against all enemies foreign and domestic. we believe in the constitution and we are willing to give our lives to defend it. not only when we serve it even today each of us have the obligation for the rest of our

lives. veterans day truly is that day when we honor those who choose to serve our nation. we should celebrate that commitment. i want to thank you for pointing that out. you are right. today is not about benefits and things we can get. it's about what we give back to our nation at this point in our lives because we chose to serve. thank you for your service. host: mike in alexandria, virginia, a family member of a veteran. caller: i have two questions. what is the salary of the board members and your ceo? second question. how in the world can we have a $700 billion budget and we have a lot of our military on food stamps? thank you. guest: i would like to take that first part of your question. our salary is absolutely nothing. 0.0.

our ceo's salary is 0.0. we do this as a service to the american people. host: there's not much else to say there. guest: i would say one more thing. host: go ahead. guest: this foundation was founded by someone who walked in, heard the good idea and said i will give you half $1 million to do it -- $500,000 to do it. that was for the website, people looking at tax returns. not one cent has gone to any person on the board of advisors or the people involved with the website, except for the people who analyze and do that. it was someone's personal money they donated to make it happen. host: i'm guessing you are a nonprofit. guest: we are a 501(c)(3) audited by the irs to make sure we are nonprofit. to answer the second half of that question, when you talk

about that much money spent on the department of defense and we have young soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines on food stamps or need help, i would suggest they give their elected representatives a call and ask them why that is happening and how efficiently and effectively that money that as taxpayers we give is being spent. in many ways some of these organizations that are listed on the charities -- charitiesforvets.org, many of them to help those soldiers with those kind of issues. that is why we recommend people go there and look at it. guest: when i was a company commander between 1996 and 1998, i had soldiers in those programs. i took them to food closets. we had donations. we passed the hat. we told our chain of command who we had there. we fought through that exact same thing. this is not something new. soldiers do not get paid a lot.

you could make the augment they don't get paid enough. god bless them for raising their hands to go far away from home and do dangerous things. a lot of them do that knowing it will cost them money to do so. they do it anyway. that is the greatness of america. that is how we got where we are at. i think you for your question. host: randy in fayetteville, north carolina, the veteran. caller: yes. host: please turn down the volume on your tv. caller: thank you. thanks for having me. thanks to c-span. thanks to the members that are on the panel this morning. i would like to give thanks to the commander of the uss cole. i remember that. i was working for the department of defense on that day. i worked in counterterrorism doing that -- during that time. i am also a veteran. i served in the u.s. army. i served in korea.

1979. i listened to the younger soldiers. 1979 to 1980. i served in germany. from 1981 to 1985. i was part of a humanitarian convoy that came through germany. immigrants come in from turkey. host: that is quite a service you had. did you have questions for our guests this morning? caller: it is leading up to this. i'm giving honor to all of her veterans. i commend the ones that also served in world war ii. a living veteran is still alive today. my question is -- i worked in the department of defense i know where a lot of supplies come

from. there is a lot in our depots that can be utilized. we have a program called for military sales. when it comes to debate about supporting ukraine, that is what this was set up for. nato alliance. ukraine is part of that. do you want the russians to take over ukraine and make their way to germany? host: i will ask colonel metzger to comment on the idea. the united states has been drawing down on its stockpiles of ammunition for the wars in ukraine and for israel. what do you think of this strategy and how sustainable it is? guest: the dome and calling in, i was -- the gentleman in korea, i was there. perhaps we knew each other. we are putting each other in a dangerous situation. when shipyards close and we have

too few ships, you cannot say next week i want a new aircraft carrier. these artillery shells you're sending to ukraine are .155 shells that are responsive and difficult to manufacture. all americans are concerned that if we put too much overseas, what do we have readiness for deployment in our stocks? guest: i would say also a lot of people like to talk about the various weapons we have. on ships, they are the most capable once in the world today. you also have to have the quantity as well in the reserves and forward deployed to be able to use. when you begin to draw down those war stocks, you need to make sure it is for strategic reasons the american people understand and look at the longer-range picture to make sure if something else were to happen in the world, for example we are dealing with ukraine when october 7 happened in israel.

what happens if china decides they want to move on taiwan? we need to have the stocks available so we can for spohn to all of those so at some point you will reach a point and say no more. our allies will have to step up and contribute more themselves to keep the nation safe. host: a.j. and memphis, tennessee on the veteran line. caller: good morning. i was curious. i am a veteran and i served in the seventh infantry division. i was watching as i viewed the television of the advisory members, i noticed they are all white males and not an african-american or woman or latino representing our diversity of veterans. does charities for events organization have a diversity

advisory members? host: lt. col. start? -- stark? guest: i was invited to join this board of advisors by the founders because i was recommended by wounded soldiers. i don't know that there was any kind of diversity decision at the beginning of this. there may need to be. i think colonel metzger may know more. guest: the three of us are only representative of the advisory board. there are female members. there are members of color. i think he would be satisfied that we have the diversity we need. host: i'm guessing you have the board numbers listed on your website? guest: we do on charitiesforvets.org. host: ronald in haines city, florida, a family member of a vet. caller: i was calling in response to this.

this charitable organization is wonderful. the situation i have is, biden is letting these people come across the border. really inviting them to come across the border. host: we will keep this topic to veterans charities today. let's go to jack in kentucky, a veteran. caller: i am from harlan county, tuckey. i served in vietnam from 1969 to 1971. i did not commit a vietnam, i didn't take no r&r. i stayed there for 19 months and three weeks. a run convoys, what they call the war wagon. my mos was a cook. i never cooked a meal. i was a mechanic, welder when i got drafted. i did all the work in the motor pool. i did all that. i run convoys for 14 months and

three weeks all over the north. some of it in the dmz. i had a rough time. i saved three young men, young boys. they was on drugs. they were in an ambush. five got killed up front. i brought up the rear with the convoy. i took -- i had an old war wagon. i seen them. the north took them. i don't know if they were p.o.w. or they killed them. i went on to the px. when i came back it was pitiful to look at. host: take you so much for sharing that story. lt. col. stark, mental health care for veterans is such a big issue.

i wonder in your experience working with different charities and with this group would you have seen in terms of the resources that are available. guest: there are a lot of resources from the v.a. you can walk in there and call. i suggest if you call, if you have any runaround just to go there. there are other organizations that provide lots of different types of counseling. all of it is for free, up to a point. i would encourage the man who called in here, god's respect to you for your service in vietnam. like i said before, that is what inspired my service. people like you coming back and telling the stories. i said i want to serve my country because of raisman like you. -- because of brave men like you. reach out directly to the v.a. drive to your nearest clinic during business hours. tell them you need help, if that is what you need, and they will do their best. host: let's go to --

caller: i have two questions. i know you gentlemen know people who are in the military. how do you feel -- you are opinion about what senator tuberville is doing about holding a promotions? one more thing. oh man. host: while you think about that let's get some responses to the hold senator tommy tuberville of alabama is keeping on hundreds of military promotions? guest: it is a twofold problem when i look at what he's doing. at the end of the day i think he is aiming at the wrong people. he is trying to hold the military accountable for what is inherently a political issue. there was a decision made by the biden administration, secretary of defense austin to put in

place and never before in permitted policy that could just as easily be revoked and allow these promotions to go forward. holding of the military promotions is having an adverse effect on the military's ability. those in an acting position cannot exercise the same policy flexibility and emblem at the kind of policies we need at this point in time in our nations history. i think both sides need to take a look at what they are doing, drop the policy. senator tuberville, let the promotions go forward and hold the political appointees accountable instead. host: colonel metzger, do you have a thought on this? guest: from the gentleman who called about the convoy situation, i was in vietnam in 1969 in 1970. i was the beneficiary of your convoys so think you very much. it was a difficult time. you told a wonderful story. i agree with my colleague. the problem is not senator tuberville, as some would say. the problem is a wider situation

where politicians are trying to do things that they think are right but don't understand the consequences for the men and women who were affected by it. host: lt. col. stark, anything you wanted to add on that? guest: i have some friends that are generals. they are not able to talk publicly about it. it is a political stunt. i don't know that my friends would agree. i think it is a political stunt. the ramifications are that lots of people cannot move. there are decisions that cannot be made. it hurts the soldiers down to the lowest level. it should be a political decision that comes together, just like the budget. we are kicking the can down the road. there is nothing like making some kind of compromise where nobody is happy.

we don't seem to be able to be in a political situation right now where we can do that on all most any issue. host: did you recall your other question for our guest? caller: they have a week to decide. if they shut down for a period of time, how will that affect the military? guest: very good question. it will affect the military. some of the stories you hear in the media are overblown to put pressure on politicians. it is not that they will not get paid. the construction equipment, forward deployment, he will have a deleterious effect. i believe it will be more minimized then you hear. host: you what to add to something? mary in florida, a family member of a veteran. caller: my son is a marine who served in iraq three times. infantry.

when 9/11 happened, he and his friends were in 10th grade. they all swore after becoming 18 they were going to join the service. that's exactly what five of them did. as i said, he's a marine. his friends are in the army, air force. i just cannot say. i'm very proud of all of them. thankfully to god they all came home with ptsd but they have been working through it. i'm very proud of these boys and all of them, all of them. that is what i have to say. host: let's see if we can squeeze in another question from keith in palm bay, florida the veterans line. caller: thank you for being here and thank you for your service. my dad was born in 1910.

he joined right after pearl harbor at 31 years old and spent 23 years in the service as a front line cook in world war ii, germany, and what he called the chinese korean war. he did not call it the korean war. he called the chinese korean war. retired in 1965. my brother did the end of vietnam. i did mine in 1988. 12 mobile lance unit. cooked for the 82nd airborne. tactical new capability. white sands comedy mexico. it was great -- white sands, new mexico. it was great. i see the veterans waiting at veterans on veterans day. what do you gentlemen think the psychological effect is on younger people hearing that even though all these promises we

made to our veterans, we need all these charities? veterans are living on the streets and we have new entitlements coming into pay for people in college and stuff. what you think it is for younger people to hear all this stuff? you turn on c-span anytime it's about veterans, we complained about the services promised but never rendered. host: let's give everyone a chance to respond to that. guest: one of the things you have to remember is when these young men and women raise the right hand and choose to serve our nation they go forward and do dangerous things. they are involved in combat. they see things no normal civilian would see. they will be affected by post-traumatic stress. the issue is, everything they process through his her mind working throughout your medic event. if he comes part of the fabric of their life. what we owe is a support those organizations

and help people to help them work through it. the v8 is a great job as well -- the v.a. does a great job as well. don't let it conquer your life. learn how to turn it outward in a positive way to give back to your community and others or support other veterans that may need your help. that is probably one of the most effective things you can do, give back to others by using that experience in a positive manner instead of saying i feel sorry for myself. you have been through some tough times but you are stronger and a better american because of it. learn to give back. all of us have and will continue to do so. host: we are out of time so thank you, commander, advisory member on the board of charities for vets, and colonel pete metzger, also on the board there, and on the zoom line, the lieutenant colonel. thank you for your time today. i appreciate it. guest: thank you for having us on. host: later, we will be joined

by marine corps veteran travis partington as he discusses his podcast that focuses on real-life stories of active-duty military and veterans, but first , our question, what does veterans day mean for you? you can start calling in. it's (202) 748-8000 for veterans and their families, (202) 748-8001 for current military members. everyone else at (202) 748-8002. and we will be right back. ♪ >> this weekend, book tv returns to the texas book festival from austin. today at 12:15 p.m. eastern, coverage includes crg nelson, author of b is for victory on how franklin roosevelt prepared the country for a seorld war.

and a discussion on free speech in america. sunday at 11 a.m. eastern, we focus on women in science with lauren rush and sarah nan, author of starstruck. later, a discussion of gun violence and social division in america. watch the texas book festival today and sunday on book tv on c-span two. to state -- to see the full schedule, visit booktv.org. >> next week on c-span, the house and senate are both in session. both chambers will be working on funding legislation to avoid a federal shutdown midnight friday. how campaign 2024 -- our campaign 2024 continues with two events from georgetown university. monday, the dnc chair will talk about his party's approach to getting the youth vote.

wednesday, ronna mcdaniel will speak about the gop's plan. tuesday, the senate banking oversight committee holds it that holds a hearing with financial regulators -- holds a arg with financial regulators. wednesday, the homeland security secretary and i director and the natiol unterterrorism center director will testify before the homeland security subcommittee in the house examining global threats to the u.s. homeland and security interests abroad. watch next week live on the c-span networks or c-span now. head over to c-span.org for scheduling information or to stream video live or on-demand anytime. c-span, your unfiltered view of government. >> when you read about the political history of illinois, you often see the word corruption. foinance, from january 1961 until january 2009, the illinois

citizens elected eight different men to be their goveor's. four of those eventually went to prison, all convicted after they were out of office. robert hartley has written 11 books about the politicians of illinois, including one titled power, purpose and prison. mr. hartley writes these men met their downfall under circumstances that were different. he asks where did they go wrong and were they able to recover self-respect in spite of their punishment? >> robert hartley with his bk on this episodofook notes plus. book notes plus is available on the c-span now mobile app or wherever you get your podcasts. since 1979, in partnership with the cable industry, c-span has provided complete coverage of the halls of congress, from the house and senate floors to congressional hearings, party

briefings and committee meetings. c-span gives you a front row seat to how issues are debated and decided with no commentary, no interruption, and completely unfiltered. c-span, your unfiltered view of government. >> washington journal continues. host: welcome back. we are taking your calls on our question of the day, which is what does veterans day mean to you? our line for veterans and their families is (202) 748-8000. for current military members, that's (202) 748-8001. all others can call in at (202) 748-8002. you can also reach us by text. that number is (202) 748-8003. please make sure to send us your name as well as where you are calling -- texting in from and

you can find us on social media as well. facebook.com/c-span, on x and instagram at @cspanwj. later today, president biden will be marking veterans day with remarks and a wreath-laying ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier at arlington national cemetery. you can see a shot of that now. you will be able to see that at 11 a.m. eastern on c-span, c-span now, our free mobile video app, or online at c-span.org. before we get to your calls, i want to point out at a recent event in washington, d.c., they marine corps commandant discussed military preparedness in light of u.s. obligations in other parts of the world. here's a portion from that interview in october. @cspanwj -- [video clip] >> how have these wars going on affected your preparation for modernization of the force and

your preparations for a potential conflict with someone like russia or china? >> sure. secretary austen has said we are capable of that but there's a fine balance between force modernization, which is forced 2030, the destination we have to go to modernize the force for the next possible conflict and making sure we have readiness to respond to crises. that's why we are able to push the expeditionary unit out. that's why we have task force 61, which is operating in the mediterranean. we have task force 515. so we are capable of doing both. it is a constant balance for me for how much effort and funding do i put into modernization versus flight hours, schoolhouses, ammunition to train with, stockpiles of ordnance.

it's a fine balance and its constant. you cannot stand still on your feet. you are always shifting your weight. that is what i'm doing with the service team. i'm constantly moving back and forth between readiness and modernization. it is not you that is not either/or. the marine is the most important thing. preparing, recruiting that marine, all that has to be balanced. and the marine's first. if you don't take care of your marine, you won't have a marine to take care of. host: we will go to your calls now on what does veterans day mean to you. mark is a veteran from ocala, florida. go ahead. caller: i'm calling from ocala, florida but i grew up in springfield, illinois, where abraham lincoln is buried. just affected the commandant, aaron -- derrick smith, a

lot of americans are concerned about readiness, and a lot of the reason is they are being told is the armed forces is not what it used to be and it's done intentionally for political purposes. i don't ever worry about our armed forces. when you look at the rest of the world, there are things happening, but the americans are usually highly prepared for way more significance than the average citizen and even many military members would understand. not that i have all the answers, but i have been around the world in various capacities. i have been in okinawa, taiwan. my father was in the korean war and i served in the 1970's and 80's. i have not seen it all. host: what branch did you serve in, mark? caller: i was a marine. thank you for asking. the marines are a smaller group of people.

they do an excellent job of taking care of marines. that commandant nailed the essence of the marine corps because the marine is everything. i just wanted to say that there's a million things i wanted to say but -- host: you were mentioning your friends in beirut. caller: yeah. we had a person recently that was an american president who made a public comment. it's one thing that upsets me because i don't take it as a joke. i think is actually dangerous language. he made a comment to the fact that hezbollah is considered smart in his mind. has below, the people financed not only by the iranians -- hezbollah, the people are not only financed by the iranians but by russia. the glorious ronald reagan that everyone thinks is a warmonger, he took six months and attacked

an insignificant caribbean island building a small runway and killed a bunch of civilians, and it made americans feel proud again. it's unnecessary that they have to do that. this is one veteran's take on it. i don't think that is smart. i don't think i want to love the leader of north korea. i don't think that language is funny, entertaining, and i find it very disrespectful to veterans and dangerous. so to my fellow veterans, please be cautious in your interpretation of your own language and be cautious of each other's lives, your sons and daughters lives. host: miriam is in texas it is a family member of a veteran -- texas and is a family member of a veteran. caller: i'm a family member of a veteran but i wanted to say that when i think about the veteran, i think about fighting for our freedom.

now that ukraine -- i reflect and i think we are blessed that we have a system where our veterans are -- our military is there to protect us. they are the ones that make things happen. i believe that we -- there is something going on in the congress. he is not thinking about the veterans. he is thinking about his political agenda. he needs to either get out or somebody needs to tell him something. at the same time, too, we need to think about our lady veterans . they have rights just like them men have their own rights in the military so we need to watch for both female and male military personnel and as far as my

brethren, when he goes to the doctor -- my brother, when he goes to the doctor, he was declared dishonorable. he fought for his rights and became -- he was labeled honorably so he was able to get his benefits. he is a smart guy. he was able to maneuver those things they did to reverse it on his own and there's a lot of veterans who tell me that when they go to the doctor, there's a lot of veterans that are not well-versed on education, so they are waiting and waiting, so there's different types of veterans out there and i believe that there should be a system that helps all veterans with all the problems that they are having after they are discharged from the military. host: miriam mentioned the

statement made by tommy tuberville on those promotions. virginia senator tim kaine attempted to advance 360 three of those military nominations one by one and all were objected to by senator tuberville. here's a portion. [video clip] >> with respect to calendar item 113. >> is there an objection? the senator from alabama. >> i object. >> the objection is heard. >> i ask it be an order to make the same request with respect to calendar item 130, major general john brennan to be lieutenant general. >> is there an objection? >> mr. president. >> the senator from alabama? >> i object. >> the objection is heard. >> i make the request with respect to calendar item 131. >> objection? the senator from alabama. >> i object. >> the objection is heard.

>> i am make the same request with respect to calendar item 132, the lieutenant general. >> is there objection? >> mr. president. >> the senator from alabama? >> i object. >> the objection is heard. host: and the, here on x, veterans day -- and the comment here on x, veterans day is about freedom, freedom that many take for granted, pa f those by -- paid by those serving. their families also served. on our line for all others in manchester, connecticut, go ahead. caller: good morning. thank you to cnn and all the veterans. i am 75 years old. i have never served in the military but i am sure that my parents and my father's generation must be looking down

on america today and saying is this the america i lay down my life for? according to the wall street journal, 53% of democrats would not fight for america in a war. democrats no longer believe in america as a sovereign nation. they open the borders to everyone to come in because they think that we don't have the moral upperhand to tell everybody else how to live. you can see this in what's happened to america in the universities, which are entirely run by democrats. it's not just that. it is america phobia. they are against all the liberal western judeo-christian values that this nation stands for and

awaits and christians -- and whites and christians are talked about as if they are pariahs. it's just an unbelievable -- for anybody to look at america today and say do i really want to fight for it? host: i want to follow-up up on this point that you are making. there's an article in newsweek with the headline "americans don't want to fight for their country anymore" pointing to a poll that said a majority of american adults would not be willing to serve in the military where the u.s. to enter a major war. public confidence in the armed forces appears to be waning. the figure comes as all branches of the armed forces have in recent years struggled to meet the recruitment targets, suggesting a growing apathy towards a career of military service. in 2023, the army and air force fell short of their respective

goals by around 10,000 recruits while the navy was under by 6000. the number of active duty personnel has fallen by 39%. let's now hear from keith in fargo, north dakota on our line for all others. could you turn down the volume on your tv, keith? caller: yes. host: go ahead. thanks. caller: i said to the lady that answers the phones, i said i don't know why we don't have a telethon for the veterans for raising money for those that are not getting the help that they should have. i think it would be a really good thing to put a telethon on tv for the veterans and people calling in and sending the money. poll ok-- host: ok. james in aiken, south carolina on our line for veterans. caller: good morning and thank

you for taking my call. i want to apologize for my voice. i have lost some of my larynx. i am retired. i was in vietnam. spent my time in vietnam. i volunteered. i will tell you the reason why i volunteered. i want to thank him. our deputy commander at the time. i was in strategic air command, which is no longer there. i could not get promoted. it was a southern base at the time. he came to me at a squadron picnic and he knew i was a4 at the time. he knew my record. he had checked everything out. back then, we did not test for promotions.

you do not know if your name was sent to the board. i would come out number one. he was a pilot on a b-52. he said do you know why you cannot get promoted? you have the cleanest section here, your maintenance. he said you are always busy when i come in. this is the reason why don't get promoted. he said i have volunteered everyplace in the world except vietnam. he said i will tell you this because i know your wife just had a baby and everything. he said if you volunteer for vietnam, you will get your choice. i didn't think about it for more than three or four days. i said i'm going to volunteer. that is why i volunteered in vietnam. host: thank you for that story,

james. we have some numbers here about the different wars that u.s. military veterans have served in. world war ii, only 0.8% of those veterans are remaining of the overall number of veterans according to the census bureau. most of the vets come from the arachnid afghanistan wars. 26%. they represent -- the first gulf war represents about 24 percent of veterans, vietnam 26%, and the korean war, 4%, so looks like vietnam still has the highest number of veterans. now let's hear from robert in vernon on our veterans line. go ahead. caller: good morning. this is a very emotional day for me. i was a marine in vietnam and there's a couple stories i want to tell.

i am white and my buddy was white and we were blowing up on the battlefield and this is to all the racists out there. two black marines carried us to the helicopter while we were bleeding. so we are very lucky in our nation and the sacrifices and i also want to state that another marine -- i was only in vietnam a month. it was at night. he said you stay back. you just got here. i don't want to get graphic but he got blown up. he took his life and saved my life and the last one was i was with 14 marines in vietnam and only one of them did not get killed, blown up, or wounded,

and it was not me. so what is the moral of the story? the sacrifices these young men that i met from all over the country, i have the highest regard for them. thank you. host: thank you, robert, for those stories and for your service and sacrifice. we are looking at video now from the tomb of the unknown soldier, where president biden will be speaking later today, but up next, we will continue to look at the state of veterans in the united states with veteran travis partington, who is going to discuss his podcast, oscar mike radio, which focuses on the real-life stories of active duty military and veterans. we will be right back. ♪ >> c-span's studentcam documentary competition is back

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informed, our republic thrives. get informed straight from the source on c-span. unfiltered, unbiased, word for word. from the nation's capital to wherever you are. you see the opinion that matters most is your own. c-span, powered by cable. >> washington journal continues. host: welcome back. we are joined now by travis partington, the host of oscar mike radio podcast, a u.s. marine corps veteran. welcome, oscar. welcome -- excuse me -- welcome, travis. guest: thank you. host: this is a great opportunity. why is it called oscar mike radio? guest: when i started oscar mike radio seven years ago, oscar mike was military speak for on mission or on the move, and i wanted to be on the move for my purpose and also to underscore

that we veterans, we who serve in the military, are on the move always. host: so what do you focus on on this podcast and how are you funded? guest: am funded independently and sometimes people will donate items or help me out but there's no real funding except for what i put into this and the focus of this, the purpose of oscar mike radio is twofold. it's about my purpose in rebuilding myself, still, seven years later, and it's about the amazing people and their stories who served our nation. and the civilians who support them, support us and making sure those stories are not forgotten. host: recent episodes have covered things like helping veterans with homeownership, hospice care, connecting veterans to outdoor adventures,

motorcycle clubs, business owners, what they are doing in the military community, the veteran community and their communities overall. how do you decide what topics and guests to bring on? caller: i'm looking -- guest: i'm looking for someone to do what they can to make change in their own life or for others. there are civilians who want to share their business resources or make their business a place that veterans can come and work. there are other veterans who want to open their business, their creativity, their advocacy in the nonprofit world for veterans. and i find these stories really highlight the experience. we serve our country, we get out one way or the other, and then we have to rebuild our lives start -- lives or restart. every story is unique and different. host: can you tell us a bit about your own military experience?

guest: absolutely. i joined the marine corps in 1995. i was in air defense. i went in the marine corps to learn how to shoot down airplanes, which was a very cool job, and then got out. i got hurt and got out and started my life in boston, but, you know, 20 years later, 30 years later sometimes, i still have friends i talked to. it was great catching up with people you know for such a long time and it just underscores the esprit des corps we have is alive and well. host: what are some of the common themes you hear most from your colleagues? guest: i think it starts with maslow's hierarchy for the veteran, whether they are an officer or enlisted. when we get out we have to have

a stable base to operate from, a home, apartment, house or room. if you don't have that, that is where the problems start, so some veterans are fortunate. they can go back home and live with their mom and dad or have an apartment set up, some of them, and myself included, i wasn't that sure. it was not a sure thing. so it starts there. and once you have your home life set and you have a place to live and a place that is stable and solid, you can work on civilian life. host: i want to have a look at your website for oscar mike radio and i see this photo of you in military service there and i wonder how you feel you can have these conversations with veterans coming from where you are as opposed to the conversations that veterans often find themselves having with people from the civilian world. guest: it's certainly different.

you know, veterans will talk to each other differently than civilians. i approach my show like i am driving my five ton, my huge truck with missiles in the back out to the field, and we are sitting there driving out 40 miles into the desert talking about life, struggles and challenges and victories, so what i try to do is create a space where that veteran feels like there is no judgment. there is no way i'm going to look down on them. i will give them a chance to tell their story and their words. host: we want to hear from veterans as well as others today with your stories and words. we have some phone lines set up. veterans can call in as well as their families at (202) 748-8000 . people who are current military members can call in at (202) 748-8001. everyone else at (202) 748-8002.

and i want to look at some statistics hear about the number of u.s. military veterans overall. we have 16.2 million total military veterans that represent just 6.2% of the total civilian population that is over the age of 18 with 1.7 million being female veterans, representing 10.3% of the total veteran population. travis, that's a pretty small portion of the u.s. population to be serving -- who have served and who are currently veterans, and i wonder how that declining share of the u.s. population changes the experience for veterans. guest: it certainly makes for challenges when you get out and try to explain to somebody what you did. you know, goes without saying there was a large market for surface-to-air missile operators when i got out. so what i am finding out is

there's an interest from the civilian population. there are networks and companies, businesses that want to understand the value of veterans. there are many fortune 500 companies run by veterans so the interest is there. i think it is about the veteran being able to self identify, put themselves out there, and share those stories with people who are interested. it's one of the reasons why i started this podcast, this show, to bridge that gap, if you will, because the more we can talk about what we have done and how, the more people will realize the value we bring and the value of service to our country. host: let's take a call from the family member of a veteran. ray is in aurora, colorado. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. hope you are having a good morning. my father served in the navy for 20 years. just for full disclosure, he identified with the returning party.

i want to know for those who leave military service, do you find that veterans are oriented towards one view or another? something that i think about is, for example, a former marine sergeant, he had served in fallujah in 2004, and after leaving service he became a fervent antiwar activist and even further became a staunch libertarian. guest: veterans, people who served in the military, are from all walks of life. that is a fact. so even in the marine corps -- we are the smallest service branch -- you would be hard-pressed to find two marines that agree on exactly everything. that is true for veterans when we get out. i live in massachusetts and our

views on certain things are very different from other veterans i run into and that is fine. i think we should welcome that. i have no problem with that as long as we are committed to serving each other and helping each other with our challenges. host: i want to see if we can bring up a chart of some of the demographics that we have about u.s. military veterans. we have some numbers here that 9% of u.s. military veterans are hispanic or latino. 72% white. 12% african-american. 2% asian american and just .8 percent are american indian and alaska natives, which speaks to what you said about veterans coming from all walks of life. let's hear from andrew in texas on our veteran line. caller: good morning, c-span.

i'm a veteran of world war ii, korea, the vietnam war, the cuban crisis and the cold war, and i served in world war ii and, when the korean war broke out, my younger brother joined the navy and i transferred out of the cb's into the regular navy and we went to the korean war together on the battleship new jersey. that was quite an ordeal. he was a gunner and i was a damage control men -- controlman. that was quite a deal. i got a bit of a shake there. at any rate, after that, i went to deep-sea diving school and

went through diving school in washington, d.c. in 19 and 56 and 57 and i became a master diver. during the vietnam war, i was training recon marines to scuba dive in the philippines. one of my students later on, a young marine captain at the time, became the commandant of the marine barracks in 1982, i believe, when there was a bomb in beirut. he was a colonel at the time and told me later on that is why he did not make general, because they blamed him for those -- for bombing the beirut barracks. host: andrew, i know that travis is often speaking with military leaders from various wars and conflicts. do you have a question from?

caller: not really. i don't know about podcasts. i just want to get my two bits worth in. i will hang up now. guest: thank you for your call and i appreciate your service, sir. thank you. host: andrew was just sharing those stories and, travis, that feels like that's a big part of your podcast as well, listening to people's stories. guest: absolutely. i level my guests. i get something from each story i tell. one of my favorite things is talking to world war ii veterans. i talk to several of them and it is just amazing to go to the living room, put up my gear, sit on the floor around a couple of these gentlemen and hear stories about things i have read about, watched in the movies, played in videogames, to be told about, you know, general patton -- you

know, their experience in the flesh, with him standing 50 feet away from them, is something i will never forget. and it never gets old. it is the best part about doing this. host: entry was saying he is not much into podcasts but i wonder who you do see as the audience for your podcast. guest: it's surprising. some people are not and that is fine but a lot of people are because my podcast is on youtube and facebook for example. it's very accessible to people who are not really in that podcast demographic, but it is for every body. it is kind of structured that way and that is the best thing about doing it. you may not want to learn about tanks one week but i'm going to have an army wife talking about her books and being a wife to husband who flew apaches next weekend that might interest you so i would like to think there is something for everybody. host: juanita is in conway,

south carolina and is the family member of a veteran. good morning. caller: good morning. actually, a family member of many veterans. my father and six of my uncles served in world war ii. my father also served during the korean war. my husband's father died in world war ii. but i wanted to make a comment now about the problem of people not enlisting or wanting to serve. one color identified them as democrats, which i don't -- one caller identified them as democrats, which i don't think is true. my father was a democrat though i myself am an independent but most of my uncles were democrats and they served honorably. i think that some of the problem is that -- people not wanting to volunteer, i look at senator

tuberville, who himself is not a veteran. i look at the late president trump, who makes fun of the military, was very demeaning to one of my personal heroes, john mccain, and he himself was a draft dodger and his sons did not serve in the military. why should young people go out and risk their lives for many people in this country who do not treat them fairly, who do not treat others fairly, and who are not honorable citizens? and i would put president trump among those. thank you very much for taking my call. host: i think that is -- guest: i think that is an aspect from what i have heard talking to people, but i think people that are serving now and are thinking about service are thinking about their loved ones, the ones they care about, the family that is in their hometown, where they work. they want those people to be

safe. they want those people to have the american dream. so, yes, we have people that do not appreciate the sacrifice of servicemembers or veterans, but i would argue that for every one of those, i have 20 they will do whatever they can to support those in the military and who served their country. host: travis, i want to talk a little bit more about the recruiting shortfall that the various branches of the military are having. the u.s. army is 15,000 short of its 65,000 recruitment goal according to the wall street journal, the navy 10,000 short of its 38,000 recruitment goal, the air force short 3000, the marines being the only ones to meet their target of 33,000. then the is a story here on miliry.com about big bonuses, relaxed policies, new slogans and that none of those things

seem to be helping recruiting into the u.s. military, and i wonder what you think needs to change, if anything, to improve those numbers. guest: well, it comes down to making the military a place where you want to be and understand that it has to be elite. it has to be a place where you are going to be bigger than yourself, to push yourself to the limit, and understand that you are serving a bigger cause, and i think we have a younger generation now that are used to things -- you stood pressing buttons and talking to people half a world away. it can be difficult to make those concepts understandable to them, so there has to be a different bone of communication and reaching them where they are and also it is difficult for them to understand the aspect of joining when they see so many

challenges for veterans when they get out and that has to be addressed. host: joe is in brooksville, florida on our line for all others. go ahead, joe. caller: yes. i want to honor all veterans. i was in 1957 to 1963, which they called the cold war era, and i would like to know, because we missed out on a lot of things that were honorably given to the wartime veterans, but i would like to call and say all veterans be recognized, and not because we were just in the cold war era. we were ready to do what we had to do. but we have missed out on a lot of services at the v.a. because with him what they call the cold war era -- because it was not during wartime. again, i want to recognize all

veterans, and not because of my furthest -- my service between 1957 and 1963. host: has this come up in your conversations, the differing benefits for different types of veterans? guest: yes and no. i say yes because it comes up all the time but no because it's this aspect that, hey, i did not serve and combat so i'm not worthy or eligible for any kind of v.a. support, and if i may, i will take a minute. if you served our country and you have your discharge paperwork, you can go down to the vfw, the v.a., and understand what is available to you. this is what we are talking about. we need to make sure all veterans understand that they served. they served honorably. they served with no hesitation. there are services and things available to you if you know where to go to get them and that

is the challenge. host: we have a comment her x, my nephew was a marine sharpshooter and was one of the first troops into iraq. he spent 15 years in the marines and is now an army reserve training officer. he transitioned to everyday life beautifully. he attributes this to the fact that he is supported by his employer. travis, can you talk about the role of employers in all of this? guest: absolutely. my employer is a perfect example of this, where -- and a lot of employers are doing this -- where they want to make their business, their company, welcoming to veterans. so they have networks for veterans who have served, and so if you, you know, say, were a scout sniper or drove tanks, that may not translate directly to the job requirement, but this affinity network and people at that business will look at your resume, understand the things that will apply to that job, and

there are programs like the soldier for life program to get used to civilian life, so the role of the employer is key, right up there was shelter and domicile to the veteran's success, and employers recognize the value veterans bring to their business, so i am pleased to see this push for businesses to welcome veterans. host: bob is in waitsfield, rhode island on our line for all others. caller: how are you? host: fine, thank you. caller: i decided to call. i listen to this program just about every day. one of the most treasured time periods in the news media. anyway, i thought i would call because, i mean, personally i have no two veterans. i was in the navy myself for four years. i got out during vietnam but my story is not important. the other two gentlemen, one i

will speak about quickly -- i know you have a lot of calls -- one of them became a state trooper in rhode island and was a decorated vietnam veteran and him and i were both in business next to each other for years and we talked a lot. and the other one -- both of them were very healthy, very unbelievable guys. they were unbelievable people. well, both of them are dead right now. in both of them were exposed -- and both of them were exposed to agent orange. i am 83, soon to be 84, and i'm still moving around and doing things, and i think of them often. i realize this program is not dedicated to that particular

aspect, but there's the aftereffects, and i know there are the mental problems and all the other things people have brought up, but there's also the other one. a lot of them don't live a full life. and these people were hardy guys. they would be out in 17 degrees working on docs down in rhode island with shorts on. these were healthy guys but both came down with cancer and both died -- one of them just a couple years ago and the other quite a few years ago and they were both productive people but yet agent orange did them in way before they should have been gone. host: travis, go ahead. guest: absolutely. thank you for your service. agent orange was a big misstep by our country toward vietnam veterans and i think it is why

you see such an emphasis now on that and our government and the american people demand that we do not repeat the mistakes of what happened with those vietnam veterans with agent orange and get in front of what happened with the burn kits. it was terrible. i have met some vietnam veterans affected by agent orange and it ruined lives. they languished for years with no help. it was unforgivable so i certainly feel and understand what you're saying. thank you. host: i am looking at the v.a. website with more information about the pact act, which is a new law that expands v.a. health care and benefits to veterans exposed to toxic burn kits, agent orange and other toxic substances. it adds to the list of health conditions the v.a. assumes or presumes are caused exposure to these substances and helps the

v.a. provide generations a veterans and their survivors with care and benefits they have earned and deserve. let's hear from wanita now in elkhart, indiana, a veteran. caller: hello? host: go ahead. caller: i have a couple of questions i have been trying to find answers to. i was in vietnam and my father was in world war i and world war ii and my brother was also in vietnam. the thing i'm having trouble with is i don't have any information on my father. i have tried calling the v.a. but they don't seem to have any information either. is there anyway that i can get that? guest: i would go to -- he served in world war i? caller: and world war ii. guest: and world war ii.

so i would go to the vfw for assistance. do you have any paperwork or pictures or anything from his service in your possession? caller: no, i don't. guest: ok. so if you have no paperwork, than the place to start would be at the vfw or the v.a. to understand what is out there. there's the national archive registry in st. louis so if his name is recorded, they should have a record of it, and it can be difficult if there's no paperwork or anything. they can be a long haul but there are resources out there to help people in your situation. host: ok. caller: i have a problem here with our v.a. i have been sick and i tried to go to the v.a. to get taken care of but i ended up going to the

hospital. the v.a. here doesn't seem to really have a strong feeling about the people here. is there somebody i can send a message to? guest: i don't know exactly who but i do know from my time at the v.a., if you have a problem with a certain v.a., you can go to v.a..gov and contact somebody and escalate that issue. i have been told and i have heard people tell me the v.a. is keen to make sure people are not having the experience you are having and help people in need. so it is va.gov. there is a contact form and you can call. they prefer you to call and you can start to have that resolved. you should be getting the help you need without difficulty. host: current military. caller: hello. i am not current. host: sorry. are you a veteran? caller: yes.

i am a veteran. i served in vietnam from 1968 to 1974 in the marine corps. guest: oorah. guest: and caller: -- caller: and semper fi. why have we designated non-war -- and they called vietnam a police action and that hurts every veteran that was there because they don't want to give us full coverage. so everything that we do come our medicine and stuff, we only get partial coverage. we have to pay for the rest of it. i mean, some guys, they are getting full coverage, but not all of us, so i am asking why are we being discriminated against because, wow, it's a police action, not a war.

that a lot of bull. host: travis, i wonder if you have a response to that, but also, what is the best way for regular people, civilians, to honor veterans on days like this regardless of when they served? guest: absolutely. i will start with the gentleman's question. it is my understanding it is classified as the vietnam war. i have never heard a situation where a vietnam era veteran was rated differently than somebody who did serve during the vietnam war, especially if you were drafted, which i don't know. so it would require you to go to the v.a. and understand what you are eligible for and, without seeing your form, i don't open -- i don't know. for the civilians, and i'm blessed in my personal life to have a lot of civilians who, you know, honor my service and

support me in what i do, and i think it is as simple as that. a lot of civilians want to say thank you for your service. that can be kinda problematic for a lot of us because it just sounds strange but i think what we most want is to be treated like anybody else. and then, if you have a question about what we did or how we did something, just walk up to us, ask us, don't make a big deal out of it, and understand that, you know, yeah, we are different and you are, we do some things differently, we assess things differently, and that is ok. that's ok. if you have a business, if you have something that you do, like music or pottery or yoga, and you want to help veterans out, there are plenty of avenues to use what you have to support us, but at the end of the day, we are americans just like you. we served our country and we want to have a place to raise our families, work in our

communities and give back to those. host: what is something better to say than thank you for your service? guest: that is the thing. it's a great thing. because going back to the vietnam war, that never used to be said, so i wrestle with this one. i mean, it's not a bad thing to say and i don't get upset about it, all of the first couple times i heard it it was difficult. what i told veterans to say back is, you know, if you were to tell me thank you for my service , i would say thank you for being the kind of american worth fighting for. and that kind of just evens the playing field but also underscores that we appreciate those who come up to us and articulate that because it did not used to happen. host: we are going to end it there. thank you so much, travis partington, host of the oscar mike radio podcast and a u.s. marine corps veteran.

i'm going to go ahead and say it and thank you for your service today and your sacrifice. guest: thank you for being the kind of american worth fighting for. i appreciate my time on your show and happy veterans day. host: happy veterans day to you as well. later today, president biden will be honoring veterans with remarks at a wreath-laying ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier that will be at arlington national cemetery. you can watch that live here beginning and at 11 a.m. eastern on c-span, c-span now, our free mobile video app, or online at c-span.org. that is it for us today. you can join us tomorrow at 7 a.m. eastern for another edition of washington journal. happy veterans day to all veterans. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2023] ♪

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what does veterans day mean to you? we have a special line set up if you are a veteran or family member of one. call us at (202) 748-8000. current members of military, (202) 748-8001. all others at (202) 748-8002. you can text us at (202) 748-8003. please make sure to include your name and where you are from. we are on facebook.com/c-span, on x, @cspanwj. today, president biden will be at the tomb of the unknown soldier at arlington national cemetery. we will have that live at 11:00 a.m. eastern on c-span, c-span now or c-span.org. earlier this week on the senate floor, senate minority leader mitch mcconnell marked veterans