by Gary Kennedy

To many of you I begin my articles in a superfluous manner. Much of the old methods of doing things have become redundant. I have been doing this with you for more than 40 years. I have watched a couple of groups come and retire. Things are forever changing so I endeavor; in part to start my explanations in an archaic manner as for me simplicity helps avoid words like, “what”? When you are trying to be helpful you certainly don’t want to demean them or put people on the defensive as they try to protect their dignity and self respect. In many cases words can dig-in as deeply as a bullet. If the veteran you are trying to aid doesn’t really understand but because of dignity leaves without receiving the information they sought then we end up with two losers, instead of an informed veteran with a new friend.

Trust is an important aspect in all we do. If you serve with an open heart then the wisdom you impart will be received, and absorbed to the betterment of the giver and receiver. I have been disabled for many years and during that time I have learned to serve with honesty, integrity and joy. All the vets that I have worked with really have taught me the meaning of Camaraderie. I hope I have instilled the same feeling with them. I have always been able to count on them and they know my phone number.

I have a list of situations that I promised to get to for you and I will do my best to do just that. Our newspaper only allows so much space so I do my best to cover at least one medical issue per week. You can always contact me if you feel I have left something out that is important to you. I will always do my best to find the answer for you.

This week we will try and cover Tinnitus. Tinnitus is considered one of the easiest claims to win. I am certainly not sure that I agree with that. However, most of us have earned sharp shooter medals. In order to do that, one must place his weapon near his ear when sighting. This is done repetitiously, perhaps hundreds of times. I, to this very day, can hear noise in my ears and have been issued hearing aids. Any military person, even those trained to be clerks, etc. had to train with a lot of noise. Some, of course, were subjected to copious amounts of various loud sounds with many different frequencies of sound. Frequency of sound is the number of times an event occurs in a unit of time. (A repeating rifle, blast of a tank, big guns on ships, etc.) These things will stay with you always; it just depends on exposure and time. Some soldiers/veterans suffer with extreme headaches, some hearing loss and some get it all. Typical disability ratings for hearing loss range from 0-10 percent. Ratings are based on the degree of disability. Hearing loss with tinnitus is based on the severity and can reach as much as a 100 percent disabling. Hearing loss and tinnitus can be rated separately if the veteran is totally deaf in both ears due to service connected situation.

The veteran may be eligible for (S.MC.), Special Monthly Compensation consideration as well. This aspect of V.A. Compensation is a tax free amount paid by D.V.A. (V.A.) to the veteran and their family to help with special needs. This benefit is paid in addition to the vet’s standard compensation. It is based on the severity of need. So as you can see although the norm for hearing issues such as Tinnitus is only 0-10 percent, a greater amount is attainable depending on your hearing issue. I am a very strong believer on investigating your issues with your family doctor for indepth evaluation and opinion. If you have a V.A. Primary Care Provider by all means share your outside doctor’s opinions/reports. Growing your medical issues with the complication of recorded opinions from other sources will just strengthen your claim for the many possible benefits available for the different levels of medical opinion.

The V.A. considers Tinnitus a viable source of some types of headaches. Those that suffer with this disorder hear sounds when no sound is present. This is especially problematic when trying to sleep. Day time noises usually drown out most unwanted sound but in the quiet of night such is not the case. Some solutions can be found by using a white sound machine to mask the unwanted sound. If you don’t have access to such an item then try soft music or a gentle moving fan. Avoiding tobacco, caffeine and alcohol is also a great help. According to Mayo Clinic these substances can affect blood flow and be a contributor to tinnitus. It has also been discovered that zinc supplements can reduce symptoms up to 80 percent in some patients.

I mentioned earlier that it is possible to receive 100 percent for Tinnitus if proven service connected (explosions and other loud noises). A medical professional would be helpful here as well as lay evidence. A diagnosis would be needed (reports) specific events during military service, cause and effect nexus. Secondary conditions such as hearing loss, anxiety, and sleep apnea or migraine headaches can become addendums to your tinnitus. So you can see the possible ways your tinnitus rating issue can grow. Those things are very real and the reason you should follow any and all problems that might affect this area. Time has a way of changing all possible scenarios. Remember what you read/learn and add time as the wild card. It is a proven pathway.

We will answer other areas next time. Good luck my brothers and sisters. Together we are strong. Find a vet rep who is knowledgeable and is willing to give you the time and understanding you need and you will be successful with honest claims. Have a great and safe weekend. God bless and thank you for all that you have given too and for our country.

Samhain

by Gary Kennedy

Halloween is rooted in a Celtic pagan festival called Samhain (SAH-WANE). This was earlier appropriated by the early Catholic Church approximately 1,500 years ago. After the Celtics were conquered by the Romans, pagan traditions were adopted into the holiday honoring Catholic saints, the ancient Celts consisted of tribes and small kingdoms that were strewn across western and central Europe. Even though the Romans conquered the Celts, they continued to survive and even thrive in places such as Brittany, Cornwall, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Samhain, is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or darker half of the year. This point in time is also referred to as “All Saints Day” or “All Souls Day”. Old Irish literature traces this holiday back to approximately the 9th century. Most of us have believed that this was a celebration of the harvest but for the Celts it was more for the rearing of cattle. The Celts were mostly involved in the cattle business. In the spring they would drive their cattle north for pasturing and at the beginning of winter they were driven south because of climatic change.

Irish mythology states Samhain (Halloween) was a time when the doorways to the other world were opened allowing for supernatural beings and souls of the dead to come into our world. Offerings and sacrifices were made during this holiday. Supposedly two-thirds of the people’s children were taken as well as a substantial amount of the corn crop. You can see why this holiday took on a ghoulish, scary atmosphere. Through time, the scarier the better. A foundation was thus laid for all things of the dark side, lanterns with teeth made from pumpkins, headless horsemen, black cats, witches, curses and magic brews, were imagined. The centuries have blown this holiday up big. This made it more exciting and laid a great evil canvas of which to invent more.

Even though we look at this as some kind of fairy tale, not all was imagined. As we know, through recorded time a lot of cruel and barbaric things did come from this or did this come from barbaric time? We know human beings were drawn and quartered; burnt at the stake, tortured in the most grotesque of ways, to name just a few.

As we all know this has led to one of the most profitable holidays of all time; for all things scary, cruel and evil. If you add 3-D to the mix you come up with some great special effects. Some of the movies derived from this holiday and time have netted great profits for those with the imagination for the culmination of all things scary and evil. Profits derived from these things range in the billions. (Our own Steven King comes to mind). Some of the old ways still survive today in a few countries. Cruelty has survived the test of time and Halloween is a remnant of this.

All this being said, the holiday can still be a lot of fun. Those that don’t have knowledge of the previously mentioned events look at Halloween through different eyes and with the lack of history’s depiction of how this holiday came about. We dress our children in costumes, some ghoulish but many are straight out of Disney. “Trick or Treat” has lost its meaning and we for the most part don’t trick people who don’t give us candy. Over time our families have taught us a more moral sense to the holiday. Some of the little ones don’t even knock on doors any more but instead join others at a private party of known friends. This has proven to be a much safer way to celebrate the holidays. There are still evil people out there that might want to harm you. Because we love our little ones we tend to find great ways to protect them without spoiling the fun. I have only shared a very small part of what this holiday’s history entails. There is much more if you would like to research the library.

I would like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. Stay safe and look after each other. It’s because we love you that we set rules of protection. Have a happy Halloween and God Bless.

by Gary Kennedy

Well we all know it’s been a very difficult past two years. People have been sick and dying; the world has conflict everywhere. The political theatre has been very trying. Travel has been a very difficult situation with Covid and world strife. Through it all you have service to mankind organizations continuing to carry on and trying to serve the less fortunate of the world by supplying hope through education and medical well being.

As most of you know my group of humanitarians service Southeast Asia, by supplying basic medical and educational support. This past year we were not able to do much because of all the obvious reasons. This year we have all our shots and a booster to help keep us and those we support safe.

Missions take a little longer as most places we go require a quarantine period of up to two weeks in some remote hotel; at our expense, of course. Volunteers don’t get paid and need to pay their own expenses. So as you can see you need to love helping humanity to give this much of yourself.

Groups such as Partner’s for World Health out of Portland operate the same way. If you volunteer for Alliance for Smiles you also do it as an act of love. However, you can see the deep friendships and ties that grow around this kind of selfless giving. Our group limits ourselves to mostly medical and literacy projects but often times we will be approached by another project that we become sensitive too. We will take it on if we feel we can handle it.

A couple of years ago we became involved with a couple of orphanages. It required some children’s clothing and food as well as school supplies. It’s always great to see the children. They know us now and throw their love our way whenever we arrive. It’s very heartwarming to have this in our lives. I told you a couple of years ago about my relationship with the organization known as the “Knights of Rizal”. Jose Rizal was/is a Philippine Islands Martyr, well loved by the people. I actually joined in 2003; so I have been with them for some time now. This organization has spread all over the world and is still growing. They are humanitarians at heart and operate similar as to Rotary, Kawanis, Masons and others. Equality, freedom, equal opportunity and love, respect of country and each other sets the foundation.

My group is located in the hamlet of Silang Cavite. We do many projects for children and indigent populations. When I am home I gather all that I can and ship it to the Islands where I will fly to meet and distribute what we have. We have been able to generate a very caring presence which has given those people a wonderful sense of American values. That’s what the world needs at this time, some God driven values with foundations in love, faith and charity. We are always looking for partners to share with these families. Not everyone will go with us but projects to aid the less fortunate can certainly be done. We always need such things as children’s clothing; school books, grades “Kinder through 12”. Also, this year we are looking for “50 Bibles” to supply a beautiful small church that was donated by South Korean missionaries located in the Cagayan Mountains of Luzon. What a wonderful gift for Christmas; you could even sign it. The pain that has been bestowed upon us as of late could be lessoned by continuing doing that which continues healing the wounds of the world. Americans are a blessed people with giving hearts. Let’s all keep our eyes on the prize, the gift of everlasting life by sharing our love with those less fortunate in the world.

Last but certainly not least I would like to thank “Charles Kennedy” who represents the Rotary Club, of Windham, because of their charitable giving to these great humanitarian projects in Southeast Asia. Their fund raising which has amounted to thousands of dollars over the years has seen children with no hope of education to achieve great things through the years. There are several orphanages involved which feel blessed that their children are guided by the loving hands of volunteers and organizations who realize that real world peace has no boundaries. Also, I would like to thank the “Sebago Lake Golf Course and Country Club” for their supporting the golf tournaments which finance a lot of what we do. They have partnered for a number of years now, not only with Rotary but with our veteran organizations. This is how we show the world who we really are and what we are about.

God bless all of good heart. We can be reached at 207-458-2832.

Veterans Administration facility at Togus. (Internet photo)

by Gary Kennedy

Here we are closing in on the Fall season. Some are receiving this with great enthusiasm but others are not. Fall, for many is a thing of beauty and some are sighting in their bows and guns. The older veterans are starting to lean toward the beauty as they reach the fall of their lives. The younger vets still lean toward the action of the hunt. Time is so elusive. One day nothing can harm us, then father time plays his eternal game leading to closure. We become weak with time as the frailty sets in. We begin to worry where we go, what we do and how and where we do it. A couple of days ago a young driver almost ran me off the road. I said, “Oh, I would like to get my hands on him.” The truth retrospect of the matter is I was thinking through a previous time zone. (retrospect). That young man would have made mince meat out of me. We live in that never ending bubble which like hamsters take us round and round. I think it’s referred to as, “the second childhood.” We sometimes think through the eyes of time gone by.

We veterans have a mixed bag to carry. We were trained to be good God-fearing adults by our parents and with that came a code of ethics and morals. Of course, I am referring to the average everyday family. Then some of us answered the call of the duty to the country we so dearly love, (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard). With this call, we all underwent a new training with a slightly different code. We had to undergo a different training by a different relative, Uncle Sam. This training taught us a code that was necessary but not so nice and had different rules from those mom and dad.

So, of course, ultimately this left in its wake a group of confused men and women. Resulting from this we have many dismembered mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers, who still have some of their parent’s teachings and some of what their country imparted in them. Sounds confusing doesn’t it. Well, for many of these veterans, it is. Most will never figure it out.

So, the fact of the matter is you have to adjust and live with it. Some live with it in real time and are fairly successful with the instilled conflict yet others live with an internal contentious summation of what life has dealt out; and who and what they should have been some call this nervous disorder, or PTSD. In any case it is a very heavy burden for the human psyche. For some the burdens are too great and they choose to leave this world by their own hand. Others, the fortunate ones, have close support groups, family, friends, clergy and other support venues such as the Veterans Administration.

Now we have a roadblock that has been placed in front of us called Covid-19. So, where am I going with this? A few of the veteran support groups are still in place but one of the most important is not, the V.A. Since the pandemic arrived the VA has for the most part shutdown. Emergent situations can be seen through emergency. Also in all fairness there are some doctors that have elected to do face to face. So don’t get lost in despair. If you need to talk to your Primary Care Physician call 207-623-8411 and push “0” when you get the recording. You will get a live person and just ask to be connected with your doctor. Another person will answer but your doctor will eventually get back to you. You can have a phone conference. If more is required then you will be allowed to go to Community Health Care. (Doctor of your Choice) this is a recent option set up by the federal government. Also, my website is maineveteranstalk@wixsite.com/vets. I am always there to help my fellow vets. It’s also a free service.

I really don’t want to hear the despair in your voices. Stop watching the news and go to happy programming. Trust me it is much better for you. The Covid-19 and violence in our streets are causing very bad things to happen in the minds of our children and our vets. It breaks my heart to hear, “I didn’t get this way for a country like this.” That’s a heart breaker as the wheelchair roles by.

I have recently written a letter to the president about ways to help, COLA is one of them. I have also contacted Senator Collins’ office. When the election is over let’s pray things will improve. This will be the time your voice will be heard. Make sure your feelings are shown and your concerns are heard.

If you need a better understanding about what is going on in our country, there are several great new books out there. The one I am finishing now is by Pete Hegseth, a retired Army Major, young, and has a wife and family. You’d never know it but he graduated from Harvard and Princeton as well. This book is for the advanced reader but it’s well worth the research. Barnes and Noble has this and can direct you to other books. I have read several already. The cost of the book is $28. Books are expensive these days.

In my next article I will explain some problems we are having with outside health care. In the meantime, take care of yourself and use the tools available to you; myself and this media source are just a couple as I have explained.

Stay faithful and strong. God be with you and yours.

Chelsea’s Gary Kennedy at the Knight of Rizal Biennial Assembly in Manila, Philippines, in 2018.

by Gary Kennedy

For most of our readers this article will have very little meaning, but for me and the many Filipinos that live here in Maine it will have a lot of meaning. The Filipino population here in Maine and maybe the entire country has been the largest minority population. If you check out our military as well as our VA system you will find many Asian appearing people holding positions there. They are a wonderful people with good educations, especially in the medical field. They have blessed us with their presence, especially with their eagerness to work and show appreciation for the opportunity given them. Also it would be good to mention that they applied for entry into the USA and tested and paid all expected fees for the privilege to live and work here.

I have been writing for this paper for many years now and have tried very hard to supply diversity and keep our readers up to date in regards to current events and general items of interest regarding my travels as well as many other subjects.

As most of you know I try to champion educational conditions both domestic and foreign. For years now I have traveled S.E. Asia trying to help the disadvantaged, especially the young who are struggling to receive an education with most everything stacked against them.

This past year I was unable to visit other countries as I have been struggling with spinal stenosis and other medical issues, which have left me without my legs. I am struggling with physical therapy and would like to thank the Veterans Adminis­tration, as well as the doctors, who have stood by me through my heart breaking times. What would a disabled veteran do without the medical support given by this great and wonderful organization? Most of the veterans know me as an advocate and I try my best to stand by them in their hour of need.

Recently, I received information from Northern Luzon, Philippines that one of the areas that I, with all your help, service regarding health and education. You will see that I occasionally ask for help with different projects in this area of the world. An area in particular is known as “Peñablanca” which is located in the far Northern Regions of Luzon Philippines. This place is mostly known by the near city of Tuguegarao. The area I have been working with is the mountainous area of Peñablanca. To go there you need to cross the Tawi Bridge which transcends the waters of the Tawi River. During flood season this bridge is either destroyed or under water. This area is the typhoon capital of the Philippine Islands. It gets extremely hot and wet in this area and many people have died trying to cross this bridge.

Dr. Jose Rizal

Because of my military connected back condition I was unable to deliver the supplies that I have always been able to do in the past. This year, howeve,r I will attempt the journey once again. I started writing articles for The Town Line many years ago because of my Rotary affiliation. Now I am also writing for veterans and have a veteran’s blog. In 2003 I was asked to join an organization which I have grown to love and to be very proud of, “The Knights of Rizal.” This organization, through the Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal, physician, patriot and a man of letters inspired the Philippines Nationalist Movement.

Dr. Jose Rizal was born in 1861 in Calamba Laguna Philippines and died December 30, 1896 by a Spanish firing squad. He could have avoided his death but chose to be remembered by the people for what he believed. He was an Optometrist, a brilliant young surgeon who spoke many languages and loved his country and its people. He just sought God given rights and freedom for the people with a right to grow, and become equals with the people of the world; especially the Spanish. You can research his life on your own computer and it will give you some very interesting reading. I mention Dr. Jose Rizal as I find him, as well as Paul Harris, common denominators in the quest for freedom, education and a chance to grow within the purview of one’s abilities. Like Rotary, the Knights of Rizal have now spread throughout the world. However, the Knights of Rizal are the only government legislated group of its kind. So now when I do projects in Asia the assistance of both, Rotary and The Knights of Rizal are mentioned.

This all came to mind because of information that I recently received. The afore mentioned Tawi Bridge has recently gone under construction through the efforts of Governor Manuel Mamba, 3rd District of Cagayan. The money originated for this long overdue project from the caring oversight of President Rodrigo R. Duterte (KGCR) for those of you who don’t know, President Rodrigo is a high ranking member of the Knights. Both organizations are believers in “Service to Mankind”.

Remember it’s not what you take with you but what you leave behind. Remember also the foot print we leave in this world is how others will view us. Always be willing to give a hand if you can.