Unemployed Family Man Joins the Army to Cover His Wife's Ovarian Cancer
I get tired of asking this question, but I'll ask it anyway: Should this happen in America? Should you have to tear yourself away from your family when they need you most - just to get necessary health care?
When so many other countries manage to take care of their citizens, why can't we?
56 days . . . 55 days . . . 54 days . . .
Chelsea Caudle began signing her text messages this summer with a countdown. At 14 years old, she knew no better way to express what was coming. Day Zero was to be Oct. 7, the day Dad left for Army basic training in Fort Jackson, S.C. He was moving 950 miles from their home in Watertown, 950 miles from Mom.
He was leaving, even though Mom was sick with ovarian cancer. Even though he had been at her side through two long, miserable rounds of chemotherapy. Even though she now faced the likelihood of a third.
In fact, Dad was leaving because Mom was sick.
In March, he was laid off from his job as a raw materials coordinator for a plastics company called PolyOne, where he'd worked for 20 years. His severance package had provided several months' salary, but by August the paychecks were winding down. Soon the cost of his family health coverage was going to triple, then a few months after that, nearly triple again. They needed coverage so Mom could fight her cancer.
Dad's solution: a four-year hitch in the Army.
So Chelsea counted down the days to his departure. When the countdown reached 49, the text message signature began to annoy and depress her, so she stopped. High school was beginning, her freshman year.
In the first week of class, one of the teachers asked: What do your parents do?
The question jolted Chelsea back to the shifting ground of her family. Mom was working part time at a Culver's restaurant, preparing for more chemo, worrying about how to pay the bills. In less than six weeks, Dad would enter the Army and her care would be covered.
The tradeoff was that he would be far away when Mom needed him home, when Chelsea needed him, too. He would miss all of her high school years. The band performances. Prom.
Chelsea thought of all his absence would mean.
When she sent her next text message, she resumed the countdown.
36 days.
***
Mom and Dad are Michelle and Bill Caudle, high school sweethearts now 40 and 39, respectively. They have three children: Chelsea, the youngest; Alysha, a 21-year-old working at a nearby Holiday Inn; and Little Bill, an 18-year-old ex-high school wrestler.
The Caudles are not fond of politics. Michelle and Bill have paid little attention to the shouting this summer over health care reform. They have not gone to any of the town hall meetings. They are well aware that politicians and interest groups would like to trumpet their story or dismiss it to score points in the debate - and they would just as soon avoid all of that.
"We're not activists," Michelle said.
But this year the national story of lost jobs became their story. And the saga of families losing health insurance was about to become theirs, too.
Except that Bill wouldn't let it.
True, he had been interested in the Army for years. And he could always request an emergency leave to come home if Michelle's condition grew dire (Army regulations allow this if a family member's death is imminent).
But for weeks before enlisting, Bill had sought other options. He revised his résumé. He answered "help wanted" ads, then watched the companies cut workers instead of hiring them. He interviewed for one job that would have paid $13 an hour - less than half of what he was making at PolyOne. He didn't get the job.
Finally, on May 13, his 39th birthday, he signed the Army papers.
He remembers thinking: What did I do?
Chelsea learned about her dad's decision when Michelle picked her up from school. It had been a bad day already: a problem with one of her teachers, then she had to do the mile run.
"I have something to tell you," her mom said after Chelsea slid into her seat. "Your dad enlisted in the Army. There's more: He'll be gone for four years."
Chelsea started to cry.
dude's doing what he's got to do. it quite often sucks, but he knows a country boy can survive. better than waiting for the man to reach out a hand. when that break comes, good, but best do what you gotta do.
nothing's worse than being away from loved ones, but there's a lot of sweetness in the pain of separation, when it ends.
just sayin'
What if the end is permanent?
Then she'll have ovarian cancer, presumably kids, and she's dying.
This ain't some World War II era World War II movie.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
her illness, and him possibly through wherever he may be deployed.
I don't want to even imagine what would happen to those poor kids if they lost one or both of their parents.
And I think that chrome agnomen might be related to that Missouri State Representative who hated on school lunch programs and said that hunger was a positive motivator for children, and that they should get jobs at McDonalds because they'd at least get one meal a day. *shaking head*
I've never seen change without a fire
and he dies in Afghanistan...I mean fuck what a load of shite this country has become. Long before this admin, I might add.
me-oww!
.
we're here in this hatefest because he ran for office under that premise of unspoken hate. he did not care about the long term. and dick left us another dick(chainey) to fan the flames.
Some stuff you can't make up!
Harry is the one who gave us this hell, or at least started us down this road. He put us on a permanent war footing. By the time Ike was leaving office, it had already gotten so bad that the old general warned us of the growing power of the military-industrial complex. Some Presidents accelerate the process and some slow it, but Harry started it.
Now, we all exist to feed that damned beast.
Truman was a hat salesman, you sure you're not referring to Eisenhower?
And the latter warned of us of the military industrial complex.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
this is about a society so hateful that people would be willing to suffer and die just to see that benefits do not go to others. THAT is what the teaparty is about. That is why people can be divided against themselves so easily. simple unadulterated hate for the other.
Some stuff you can't make up!
I call bullshit on this. Harry Truman honored a treaty we signed, he didn't go looking for a war. The U.N. sanctioned the Korean War, get your freaking history right, goddam it.
that someday you get to personally experience that level of "sweetness".
not trying to be smug.
you have to go into these situations with the belief that you will come out of them. otherwise how many would take the chance. fsm forbid anything bad happen to him. and there's a good chance that will be the case.
nothing about it doesn't suck, but if i'm in his shoes, i end up doing the same thing. sucking it up, and hoping you don't get screwed again.
I was in the Air Force, peacetime, though we came close, and you demean the service of those in the military by taking it so lightly, with gossamer lit bathos.
Even worse is that vapid, "Thank you for your service," shit. It means absolutely nothing, but more often than not prefaces a pro-war stance.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
May I ask a question please? I thank people for their service all the time. I am genuinely grateful. Should I not? Can you suggest anything better?
A personal warm fuzzy. It should work.
I can do that. I just wish there was something more.
Well, I did 919 days 1 hour and 15 minutes in service. Yeah, I pulled a 11.5 months in the Nam for the plutocrats.
The first time someone used it to me was at the Nogales, AZ border crossing, when some dickhead asked why I was coming to the states and I said one of your fellow shitheads that works for the VA screwed up my goddamn pension. He said thank you for your service, it took three of his buddies to get me off of his throat, because I grabbed him and pulled him over the counter by his throat.
Like your throat, don't ever think of telling me "Thank you for your fucking service" you war supporting piece of shit.
..just say, "Your welcome." and then move on. Whatever works.
Mickey: "It was an epiphany. Do you know what an epipany is?"
Keoni: "NOT NOW MICKEY!"
There are a lot of us out here who are protesting the wars we are currently involved in, yet are still grateful to the soldiers who are fighting for us. It would be very sad if there wasn't a way for us to acknowledge their efforts. I can understand the resentment, but what would you have us do?
See to it they get the quality healthcare they deserve, the VA hospitals fixed up that needs fixing up, provide for their education and housing with a new GI Bill, streamline regulations so they get the mental help they need, stop the system from being so anal rententive about what constitutes service related injuries or not, help them come home to good paying jobs and a sound economy, don't be so quick to back the war option, that's the last step, not the first...
And vote for the people who can make that possible.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
I'm doing everything I can on those issues. Suffice to say, my Republican Representative is tired of hearing from me. But I would also like to interact with our soldiers on an everyday basis. I don't think they get enough personal thanks. I guess I'll stick to a smile and "Good day, Sir."
My hope for your future is completely sincere.
I say this as someone who is not speaking out of their ass, like you are, imagineering yourself the hero in this tragic scenario, which is merely another disconnected cartoon for you, but rather as someone who has been through this himself.
So good luck, I know how bullshit tough talkers do when they have to do the walk.
but that's a stereotype - and ignores the reality of everything else that's going on here. This isn't just about him. His wife may be dying and will have to raise their child alone while she may be dying. That'll be a real character builder for both mom and daughter, although, if mom isn't here, it'll be hard to know just how much character building she'll have gotten out of it. The daughter will have a real two-fer in character building - she can both watch her mother without the support and company of her dad and not know if her dad is safe and ok and coming home.
But, you know what? We don't need to artificially and unnecessarily manufacture dire situations to build character - life does that just fine on it's own - this girl may lose her mother while she is still a child. That man may be losing his wife and have to raise a greiving child. And that may be after burying his wife after a long, grueling, horrible death.
Your callousness in defense of the institutionalized cruelty of our failing health care system is simply appalling.
“Cashing in the War Dividend”: As Healthcare Reform Limited by Deficit Concerns, Military Spending Continues to Grow"
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/10/21/cashin...
"And when you compare that to our nation’s military budget for 2010—it’s $704 billion"
Nationalpriorities dot org Dtr
I could have been as eloquent and elegant as you in response.
Well said.
and neoconbuster - you're right on the money.
I think it was Mother Theresa who said, (and I'm paraphrasing here), "The problem isn't that there isn't enough food to feed the starving. The problem is the collective will to see that it's done."
Likewise - the problem isn't that we don't have enough medical care for those in need. The problem is we don't have the collective will to even acknowledge the moral imperative to see that it's done.
.....
"The US has an army of 90,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and is spending $100bn a year, but has still been unable to defeat 20,000-25,000 Taliban who receive no pay at all." - Patrick Cockburn
Some stuff you can't make up!
you've got quite a list and I don't think I met any of the criteria.
Some stuff you can't make up!
What kind of 40's Hollywood war movie do you think you're watching here? This is REAL LIFE. This guy could easily DIE in combat, just because his wife needs medical care. There's nothing romantic about this shit. It's SHAMEFUL.
Get your head out of your ass already.
There's always free cheddar in the mousetrap, baby. - Tom Waits
NO! A man dosent have to be "doing what he has to do".
Healthcare must not be about money.
As a Swede i can only stare at disbelief at your sick healthcare system. Here she would get world-class treatment wheter she had a job or not as she is "covered" by the state. Her husband would not in a million years have to enlist to get her treatment.
And you not only defend the sick system, you positively revel in it.
(When the presidents go to war, why do they only send the poor? )
How'd you like to have your mortgage or rent triple now and then triple again in a few months???? Do the math asshole!
And here I thought it was to get some primo heroin.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
This seems to be a plausible explanation for why we are REALLY in Afghanistan:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/arti...
"The US has an army of 90,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and is spending $100bn a year, but has still been unable to defeat 20,000-25,000 Taliban who receive no pay at all." - Patrick Cockburn
As someone whose wife has been through cancer, that this has to happen really burns me the hell up.
.
Yes, she's been in remission for a little while now and we are hoping for it to never come back. Luckily, no one had to join the army.
ugh. I hate what this country has become.
me-oww!
and I hope he improves things.
NOBODY 2012
also, no, it shouldn't happen. anywhere. but it always will. that's why you reach out your hand.
Charity? Riiiiight.
See how much you get when everyone else is beggin'....
"Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati" - Red Green
Freedom Ain't Free - Pay Your Share
to allow ourselves to sink so low.
Why are we the only losers that can't seem to get this right? How many other countries do it and do it well? Almost 60, but we can't? Or the rich won't because they might have to share?
The big difference is that when the selfish in those other countries whine about paying their share, they don't get their way.
And enter the world of "civilized" nations.
The Pentagon budget needs to be slashed in order to fund a public works program to provide necessary jobs for the American People.
And with the jobs the Universal Health Care we all NEED and DESERVE needs to be created.
Michael Moore was right when he yellow taped Wall Street as a crime scene in "Capitalism: A Love Story".
There are some very sick SOB's in this country who would prefer to spend us into oblivion in order to achieve global hegemony.
Enough is enough.
WTF is Attorney General Eric Holder doing with his days at The Justice Department??
Obviously not enough.
"The US has an army of 90,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and is spending $100bn a year, but has still been unable to defeat 20,000-25,000 Taliban who receive no pay at all." - Patrick Cockburn
missing it.
He's not enforcing Americas long standing laws against torture and war of aggression. Which means he's committing a serious felony crime by not doing that. NO prosecuting attorney has the option to decline to prosecute felony and capital crimes simply because some former elected official and his daughter are offended by the idea. Nor even because a portion of the citizenry are offended by the idea. We have laws to protect civilization. And I too would like to see America enter the world of civilized nations!
..right?" - GREED
One of those 7 deadly sins that those right wing conservatards rail against every Sunday at church and then engage in on Monday. Maybe if we stopped being so religious and more humanist, we'd be better off. I don't think religion is the problem; hypocrisy is the problem, greed is the problem, desire for material wealth is the problem, crappy, fatty foods are the problem, not enough moderation is the problem.
Mickey: "It was an epiphany. Do you know what an epipany is?"
Keoni: "NOT NOW MICKEY!"
Only clip of song I could find, not sure what the pictures are about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgdR0tdCX0U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWdHOm256N4
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPFjToKuZQM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNV6st2GF-I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgXvEX9Ebcc&fe...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3rrZ07Pig0
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
We are the only industrialized country in the world where this kind of thing happens, because all the rest have some form of universal health care. And your response to this is to shrug your shoulders and lie that it will "always" happen?
Only an utter sociopath could be that heartless. And only a libertarian could actually believe that the greater society has no responsibility to reach out its hand and help its people.
and depraved indifference to the humanity around it. It may be even worse than run of the mill conservatism, imo.
I've never seen change without a fire
I watched "The Warning" the other night and he was an Ayn Rand devotee up until a year ago.
Then they put him under the lights at a Congressional Hearing and the jerk said, "I was wrong."
In the meantime.....
"The US has an army of 90,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and is spending $100bn a year, but has still been unable to defeat 20,000-25,000 Taliban who receive no pay at all." - Patrick Cockburn
And a lot of good it does us for himn to admit it now! / snark
I've never seen change without a fire
Trolls will be trolls. Best not to pay any more attention.
There's always free cheddar in the mousetrap, baby. - Tom Waits
my niece was out free and clear then reupped because there aren't any jobs.
me-oww!
to two of my friends. This has got to stop.
NOBODY 2012
there are no people suffering from a lack of healthcare.
all repugs should be slapped until they have a medical emergency.
Some stuff you can't make up!
But then we always knew this was what it was all about right?
Ship off the good jobs and beef up the Army with the unemployed and desperate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiGHGSsczjg&fe...
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
thank you. I am grateful for the words of the song.
Some stuff you can't make up!
These are not American values, not Christian values, not civil or humane. It is no different than conscription.
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
Waddi miss...waddi miss...?
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
If you feel like you missed out on spam, just post your email here, you'll get plenty I'm sure.
;)
:D
I've never seen change without a fire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiGHGSsczjg&fe...
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
my grave is still potentially years away!
but if I do die tomorrow, commence with the stretching.
I bet no one wants her shitty mixtape covers anyway. ;)
I've never seen change without a fire
The family is not going to be separated for 4 years. That's not how the Army works. He may get stationed stateside (the Mrs. wouldn't pass the overseas screening) and the Army will pay to move them to their new duty station. The man is not getting shipped off for 4 straight years with no chance to see his family. I think there is some hyperbole to this story.
I'm not saying it isn't sad (and personally, I would have joined the Navy, but I'm a Navy vet), but it's not all bad. Plenty of people and their families love life in the Army. I work on an Army base and I work with a lot of Soldiers. Morale is high where I work. Perhaps this family will enjoy Army life. I know they will appreciate the health care.
I guess I just see this with the glass half-full. The Navy did right by me for about a decade of my 14 years of service. The Army treats the folk I work with pretty well and most importantly, this family is going to get the health care they need. In the end, I see this as a win for this family because of that.
Sorry if that offends.
"Better." It's what we should ask of ourselves and of our leaders.
Doesn't that all depend on whether the short-term stop loss program continues?
But with the attention the story is getting, I can imagine the Army trying to find a way out.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Chances are he wouldn't see combat. Unless he wanted to. But even then, at his age. He would have to qualify. Then there's the physical training part. He would have to pass that part first.
The deck is stacked against him. But he might get in supply or the Quarter Masters Corp. Maybe Signal. Definitely not grunt material.
Transportation is a possibility.
What is your conceptual, continuity?
combat...
I've never seen change without a fire
He's back out on the street.
What is your conceptual, continuity?
And still unemployed and uninsured.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
:(
I've never seen change without a fire
I would agree, but wouldn't that depend on available manpower?
Due to the lousy hangover from the boosh's drunken binge we have a lot of people enlisting, but we also have more people dying in Afghanistan.
We have that gen mcchrystal demanding a huge new deployment in Afghanistan.
And there's always the chance he could be sent to a more cushy assignment in Iraq and Afghanistan, not as a grunt, but roadside IED are not discriminative.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
With all the private companies doing alot of the work like Food Service, alot of the transportation duties are subbed out.
I hope he's good with computers..
What is your conceptual, continuity?
they desprately need, but point is they shouldn't have been forced into this just to get that health care.
And though I respect your perspective on this, I also seem to remember hearing about a mother who was called back to the Army but couldn't leave her kids because she had no one to look after them, but the Army kept rejecting her appeals until she was nearly forced to bring the children with her to the base until the Army was finally shamed into doing the right thing. So it wouldn't surprise me if this man is sent to Afghanistan or Iraq, despite his family situation.
I've never seen change without a fire
So many things about your comment are offensive, Tim. One on my list is that a 39 year old man is going to go through army basic training. Are they fucking kidding?
The people of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage." J.K. Galbraith
Which is just my way of saying that I don't expect this story to motivate our transnational corporations to go out and buy Tiny Tim a goose.
As far as the people who still call themselves Republicans and Libertarians go, this is a good deal for the guy.
it's a good deal, too.
I would think she thinks rarely.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
And pollute that beautiful mind of hers? NEVER!
that no one is talking much about how his health care was going to triple.
and then a few months later, was going to triple again.
$1.00 becomes $3.00 becomes $9.00
in a few months time.
and that was what spurred him to go the army option.
If the insurance criminals weren't trying to kill his wife by financially raping the family he might well have been able to find a different solution. An 800% increase in health insurance costs at a time when more Americans are hurting financially then since the '30s? And the rethugs and their teabagging minions justify this how again?
that show the kind of spirit the American people have when their own country leaves them high and dry and then kicks them in the balls for good measure.
Quite the ingenious recruitment tool too! GO USA GO!
wrong thread
I went to the VA. Primary care referred me to radiology. Then called me back to tell me they were going to do a biopsy. All of this took six to nine months because I wasn't service connected then.
Hindsight is twenty twenty. If I had put in for a purple heart for the two pieces of shrapnel, I got, I would have been service connected, but it seemed so much less than the guys that freaking died, that I didn't even put in paperwork, in fact, I pulled the pieces out with a pair of tweezers that I bought at the px.
I was talking to a member of a band from France. She had heard of me from another band that had come to the states. She was fascinated that an old man (55 to 60) would not only listen to their music but enjoy it. Hell, I was thrilled to talk to one of the members of the band. I leaned up against the building and winced. She asked what was wrong. I told her and told her that I had to rely on the VA for medical care. She didn't even pause. She asked me if I could raise enough money for a one way flight to France. Told me they were booked into Las Vegas the night after next at the such and such club, that we could get married in las vegas and I could fly from there to France and get medical care in France the next day as a foreigner married to a French citizen. This was not an American this was a damn good French woman who played an excellent bass.
Now I want to hear from any one of you anti single payers that can match that.
PS. Yes my disability pays good. My problem is that I left all of my soul and your stinking god and all of that shit in the Nam.
I'm paying for an american woman, hardworking and old, no insurance, not enough money to go to a GP, to go to a latin american country and have her cancer diagnosed and cut out because your warmongers and top thieves can't care about her. It will probably take all of my carefully hoarded emergency money to get the chemo therapy. I'm soulless, but I'm still a human being. You aren't.
"They are well aware that politicians and interest groups would like to trumpet their story or dismiss it to score points in the debate - and they would just as soon avoid all of that. "
In other words, they, like many Americans, didn't give a flying fuck until it happened to them. When other people were losing their jobs and health benefits, no problem for these people. I'm not an insensitive cretin, I feel for these people and what they're going through; it shouldn't be happening. On the other hand, this is life in the world they helped create.
If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you're gonna get selfish, ignorant leaders.
George Carlin
I disagree.
It sounds like they're under a lot of stress, and don't need any elevation of it.
We'd have grimalkin goon squad pawing through their garbage like racoons, and o'really ambush propagandists camping out on their front yard.
Even sympathy is hollow, unless it's followed up by some positive action, preferably not just for this family, but all who could find themselves in similar circumstances. This family can be cited as the inspiration, but not the cause for these actions to avoid politicizing their personal tragedy.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Hey perfectly placed banner at the bottom of this story - "Gain the Strength To Heal" - in the U.S army. Way to go C&L!
If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you're gonna get selfish, ignorant leaders.
George Carlin
Maybe at his motivational speech in San Antonio coming up. George W. Bush could use this story as an example, you know, on how uniquely American this father is.
We're #1! We're #1
We have the best health care in the world!
Go USA! Go USA!
See how creative US citizens are when the chips are down?
I personally have never been more proud of my country than now. Ok, maybe, I had a little more pride during other periods in history - the Vietnam War and Watergate come to mind. Now those were times to really be proud!
...I find it even sadder that they still don't understand how important being involved in politics is, or that they aren't activists for reform. These folks and millions more like them are precisely why our country is so fucked up.
You reap what you sow...
I find it so ironic that so many Americans, primarily Republicans, can be so critical of societies that base their ethos on compassion rather than greed. And in order to insulate those beliefs from doubt, they refuse to consider whether anyone else could have found a better way or even whether one exists.
http://guerillawomentn.blogspot.com/2009/10/h...
Sad.
Republicans are liars and simply cannot be trusted.
1--The shameful truth is that the system has ensured that the poor woman will be better off if her man is killed overseas, than if he returns. Once he returns, no more insurance, and he is once again unemployed. If some violation-of-terms-of-service kills him, she will have a pension and CHAMPUS insurance for her lifetime and the children will be insured until their majority.
The death panels are killing off a good guy. That sucks Osama's scrawny derriere.
2--I once picked up a 1927 atlas and almanac. Even then, the primary source of Afghani income was heroin. Before oil was discovered, it also was Iraq's.
My good information--from an addicted family in-law--stated that the Bush family made its primary income from opioids, not oil. Second family cited was the Cody family: check the ranks of brass hats and you will find that name toward the top. I was told that GOP pols' and bureaucrats' National Guard offspring were bringing the stuff in in waist belts. Third family mentioned was Porter. Gwinnett Co., GA is the single largest distro point for drugs in America currently; they have had a Porter DA for 30 years. Cody and Porter progenitor family is Raymonds, and suddenly they are everywhere in military brass, and in police brass in big cities like NY.
The idea that our planes fly in numerous flag-draped caskets with dead young men and women blown to smithereens, so that this gang of thugs can get rich by keeping the underclass tranked and committing burglaries and hustling stolen goods when untranked, is an incitement to revolt.
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