The Department of Veterans Affairs to change its motto
Since 1959, the Department of Veterans Affairs used the following motto: To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan. This statement is attributed to Abraham Lincoln. Based on interviews they conducted with over 30,000 veterans, the VA learned that the motto needed to incorporate a wider scope of veterans.
From the Army Times:
The new motto will still be based on Lincoln’s words but instead reads: “To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise to care for those who have served in our nation’s military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors.”
The use of male-specific language in the original mission statement has long drawn criticism from veterans advocates who note that women veterans are the fastest growing cohort of the community, expected to make up one in every five living veterans in America by 2040.
VA leaders said the decision was made after interviews with more than 30,000 veterans over the last two years. According to those surveys, the change was supported by the majority of every age group, racial group and gender group.
They noted that the motto change not only includes a wider scope of veterans, but also better emphasizes the role of veterans’ family in their care and benefits.
“Whenever any veteran, family member, caregiver, or survivor walks by a VA facility, we want them to see themselves in the mission statement on the outside of the building,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough said in a statement. “We are here to serve all veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors — and now, our mission statement reflects exactly that.”
The new motto also downplays the role of combat operations in veterans benefits, to reinforce that anyone who serves honorably in the military is granted a wide range of education support and financial assistance.
The Army Times has the article here.
Category: Veterans' Affairs Department
Nothing was wrong with the original motto.
Shorely is good that VA has handled this important impediment to Veteran care and can move on to the important work of, well, you know…CARING FOR VETERANS.
You want to improve Veteran’s Care? Make ALL of the grubermint employees, ‘specially Kongress Klowne Kritters get their health care thru the VA.
Now…let’s all go sign up for our Lopadicoffamy…or, as needed, our Addadictomy.
They could de-“sexist” it without turning it into corporate drivel that just footnotes Lincoln and inspires nobody.
How about…
“Deny, deny, until vets die.”
or
“F*ck you, I’m on my coffee break!”?
Would be more honest.
“Deliberate Neglect and Indifference is Still Service”
Love it!
“One less under care makes for lighter a workload”
“If our incompetence is offensive you should see our neglect!”
Now Lincoln’s words are Weit jenseits des Verbotenen.
Gut.
I’m old enough to remember masculine being the default in all things, especially in the Army Writing Style.
Now, things must be gender-neutral:
![comment image](https://y.yarn.co/422b4424-6963-483f-8602-54225998b8a7_text.gif)
“Unless otherwise stated, the use of the masculine gender refers to both male and female.”
Contrary to popular opinion, there exists neither two nor 57 genders – there are four: masculine, feminine, common, and neuter.
For many species, the common is the same as the feminine (i.e. cows) while in others it’s entirely distinct (bears as opposed to bruins or sows, pigs rather than boars or sows, deer instead of does or bucks, etc.). For some, like human beings, the masculine term is also the common – “man,” “men,” or “mankind” can refer to both all masculine populations and mixed masculine/feminine ones.
The neuter is “it” or “they/them.” To refer to a single individual as “they” is just poor grammar.
There is nothing wrong with Lincoln’s original language unless one is looking for reason to be offended.
How about….“Remember when you went to MEPS and the Doctor told you to bend over? Yeah, that was a CLUE!
From that day forward….now and forever…Amen”
When I first pursued an education in digital media, i named my production company BOHICA.
Yes, because having a politically correct “inclusive” motto is the most important thing the VA has to deal with right now.
I wonder how many millions of dollars it cost to come to this decision and how many additional millions it will cost to implement it. Because I can’t imagine anywhere they could have better employed that money in the care of Veterans, can you?
Gee, I’m stumped. /sarc
“To care for him/he/her/she/they/them who shall have borne the battle/crisis/police action/illegal war and for his/her/their/them widow/widower/partner/ collaborator/lover/person who can be pregnant, and his/her/their/them/they orphan/singular human.”
Just goes shows that Lincoln was woke all this time. Who knew?
Reported to the Central Crimethink Agency for exclusion of; zim, zer, and lack of respect for otherkin like; furries, deerfolk, dogpeople, catkin, zebra bros/dudes/dudettes/zenomorphs.
We regret your behavior and disrespect, comrade.
(I defeated forced spell check 10 times for that. You’re welcome)
As a Cat Whisperer, catkin is cosmetically a plant or very crazy or both!
Cats can sense good and bad people but they also can be corrupted.
Cats cannot be corrupted, they are too far beyond our simple human concept of dignity.
Anyone claiming to be catkin is a false prophet with delusions of grandeur. They are far more unstable than any man who thinks lopping off his genitalia makes him anything other than a eunuch.
I used 19th century accepted pro-nouns.
“Zir”, wasn’t made up until after the Spanish/Hispanic/LatinX, American/colonialist/white supremacist War/conflict/illegal aggression toward native peoples of other national origin.
The VA’s symbol should be a blue falcon.
I vote for “Deny, deny, until you die.”
How about; “Take this chit to your local civilian clinic…we’re over booked”.
Another goatfuck paid for with our tax dollars.
I thought the VA motto was: Giving veterans a second chance to die for their country since 1936.
How about using ” to fuck over everybody who comes through the door”?