Author, near death experiencer, and hospice volunteer, Dannion Brinkley, is chairman of the Twilight Brigade, his nonprofit service for veterans consists of several thousand volunteers nationwide. The Brigade are dedicated to being at the bedside of our nation's dying, especially veterans. Brinkley discussed the state of America's veterans and what needs to be done to better honor those who have served the country.
Approximately 45 percent of 1.6 million veterans who served in Middle Eastern conflicts have applied for disability claims, he reported, noting much of the damage is psychological. Brinkley, who has spent 32,000 hours at veterans' bedsides over the past 18 years, suggested the veterans Health Administration is a microcosm of the current state of healthcare in America and where it is heading. "The greatness of nation is how you take care of your helpless and how you take care of your veterans, and I don't think we're doing near as well as we can," he said.
Even though billions of dollars have been poured into the VA, there are still 1.2 million veterans in the backlog who are suffering, Brinkley continued. Twilight Brigader Sean Murphy briefly joined to talk about serving terminally ill patients and the state of Veterans' hospitals. Murphy echoed Brinkley's sentiments on how little the government has been able to effect positive change in the VA despite creating a much larger bureaucracy. Brinkley called for unity and applying pressure to help accomplish goals for the VA which President-elect Trump has promised in his first 100 days.
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Open Lines followed in the latter half of the program. Todd in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, told George his story of surviving child abuse, dealing with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and being committed in a mental institution. Todd believes there is hope for veterans and those who may find themselves in such difficult circumstances. "You can overcome anything and you are not your life experiences. You are a good person and you've got to start believing in yourself," he said.
Andrew from West Covina, California, shared a miraculous event he witnessed during the Vietnam War. Andrew said he was out for an afternoon patrol with his platoon when they came under sniper fire and one of his fellow soldiers was shot in helmet. The bullet entered one side and passed through the other side without hitting the soldier's head, he revealed. The soldier wrote the phrase, "only God knows when," on his helmet after the miraculous incident, Andrew added.
Dennis in Connecticut reported on a recent UFO experience. The large silent craft was spotted hovering over the water about a stone's throw away from Dennis. It stayed there for 5-10 minutes before zooming off in less than a second, he recounted, adding he had never seen anything like it. The craft did not appear to be based on human technology, Dennis noted. "I believe you have to be a skeptic first to be a believer," he said. Dennis is now a believer.
News segment guests: John M. Curtis / Peter Davenport