Hello! I'm Joe Priestley, Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy (Retired), and veteran of WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Recently , I was forced to sell my home in Panama City, Florida, because the Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA), without any advance notice, raised my annual flood insurance premium from $221.00/yr. to over $800.00/yr., (a plain case of extortion),even though my house was not in the high-risk flood zone as determined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Because The Congress stole America's military retirees' contracted retirement no cost medical care benefits, beginning in June, 1956, I simply could not afford this additional outrageous expense in addition to my past and ongoing self-financed medical care expenses. I have moved back to my home state of West Virginia, and am now located on a hilltop (which I call "Rocky Top," because of the many large rock outcroppings in this area). Now, let's see these lousy, thieving U.S. Government bureaucrats get some flood insurance money out of me!
The Federal Emergency Management Authority "scam," "rip-off," or whatever! Last summer, NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw aired one of its "Fleecing of America" segments which featured the robbery of American taxpayers by F.E.M.A. to subsidize those idiots who insist on living in the Mississippi River Flood Plain, but who can't afford flood insurance! Mr. Brokaw went on to say that there are real estate agents in that area who actively urge people to move into the flood plain and build something they can claim as their domicile so they can collect big money for flood damage when the area is flooded, which has become almost an annual occurrence. The fact is that in recent years, the spate of flood, hurricane, and windstorm damage across the country has dangerously depleted FEMA's emergency funds, so you, Mr. and Ms. America, no matter how slight your personal risk factor of loss due to natural disasters, must shell out hundreds of dollars to "bail-out" other scam artists who purposely use the Mississippi River Flood Plain to line their own pockets!...Just another example of our corrupt, out-of-control, Federal Government, especially The U.S. Congress, which is too busy with its pork barrel machinations to put a stop to this national disgrace! Stuff Group Panama City did: MAJOR ISSUES ADVERSELY AFFECTING VETERANS: Standing are Billy Sewell, CMSGT, USAF (Ret.), Joe Faulk, SMSGT, USAF (Ret.), Raleigh Doss, SMSGT, USAF (Ret.), Tom Dougherty, CDR, USN (Ret.), Boyd Bare, CAPT., USMC (Ret.) (now deceased), Art Bazzell, MSGT, USA (Ret.) and his wife, "Willie," Bob Thompson, MSGT, USAF (Ret.), who arranged the lunch and presentation, Ralph Magarian, CHMSGT, USAF (Ret.), Helen Thomas, Tommy's wife, ************, and Herman Worrell, TSGT, USAF (Ret.) Sadly, Col. Thomas passed away this past Fall. Another victim of our government's "Delay and Deny Until All Of Them Die" agenda. Military retirees and other veterans of our past wars are dying at the rate of over 1,200 each day, nationwide!(Photo courtesy The Panama City News Herald). So, what am I talking about, with this "Military Retirees Of Florida" stuff? It is simply that there needs to be many thousands more of us actively involved in our efforts to regain the aboulutely free retirement medical care which we earned. Of the approximately 1.8 million military retirees still living in America, and elsewhere, only a paltry 19,000+ have signed up in our class action lawsuit! Therefor, I'm challenging every military retiree who reads this, and who has not been active in this crusade, to "get a fire in your belly" and commence helping those of us who have been working very hard for many years to obtain what we earned through our long, hazardous service to America! "So," you ask, "how do I go about doing this?" First, if you haven't signed up in our Class Action Lawsuit, do so by contacting Col. Bud Day's HQ 1-800-972-6275 (voice mail), or if you have a PC and are on the Internet, click here then, click on How To Join Class Act. You can then download and print the application form. Once you've joined the Class Action Lawsuit, here's how to begin recruiting help:
I'm also still in here, fighting the other thieves in The Congress and elsewhere for stealing our military retirees' retirement medical care, and ruining what should have been our "golden years of retirement." I still say, "Now is NOT the time to quit!"
Hey, Troops! Let's load and lock and roll and rock!
2002 was a disaster year for us military retirees! Our battle has not yet been won, but we can make a difference if we will make the effort. This means getting "a fire in our bellies," and working hard at increasing our numbers; then getting the "newbies" organized into "Hard Charging" political action groups across America and getting our old butts to Washington, D.C., for the big Rally on February 12th. to join Col. George "Bub" Day in a massive veterans' display!
The Congress and the Bush Administration keep saying there is no money to correct the many discriminations and inequities which our corrupt, out-of-control federal government inflicts upon all military personnel, including active duty, military retirees, and all other surviving veterans of our past wars! However,we old veterans know differently. (We didn't get off of a turnip truck just yesterday). 
Consider this: According to Citizens Against Government Waste, a taxpayer watchdog group, there are some 8,341 pork projects this fiscal year (2002), and they will cost taxpayers (that's us, too), $200 billion! The report goes on to say that if members of Congress all had their way, the price tag would have been vastly higher. When the various appropriations bills were drafted last year, it was widely reported that House members alone submitted requests for more than 18,000 individual projects, at a cost of an additional $279 billion! IS THIS A NATIONAL DISGRACE, OR WHAT? You can read the whole sordid story in the June, 2002 Reader's Digest. (Is there any wonder that Mark Twain said, "There is no distinct American criminal class except Congress!")
Hello, and welcome aboard my updated web page! I'm Joe Priestley, formerly "The Old Geezer of Gainer Bayou" in the Panama City, Florida area. I now reside in Martinsburg, West Virginia which is in Berkeley County, in the Eastern Panhandle. (West Virginia is a mighty good state for the shape it is in). I'm a retired "Mustang" U.S. Naval Aviator with 24 years of enlisted and commissioned naval service. I'm a veteran of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. I'm also disabled by spinal stenosis, but can't prove it is service-connected. (and I wouldn't have anything to do with The Department of Veterans Affairs right now anyway, considering the mess it's in! I know too many veterans who have been "royally skizzled" by that outfit!). Also, at present, with the concurrent receipt issue as it now stands, being rated 100% disabled by the DVA would cause me to lose 100% of my retired retainer pay!---BUMMER! Further on are some bits and pieces of my "nefarious naval career" in "The Geezer's Photo Gallery." I'm one of the very few Naval Aviators left, who was triple-type qualified. I flew fixed-wing aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft, and lighter-than-air aircraft. I was a Naval primary flight instructor for three years at NAAS Saufley Field, Pensacola, Florida (The Annapolis of the Air), in the early 60s. There will be a slight pause while you say, "Who cares?"
Public demonstrations (we called 'em sidewalk marches because that's where we did 'em)
Public rallies
Two military retirees musters on the U.S. Capitol Building grounds, years 2000 and 2001
Hosted The All veterans Summit and Rally 2002 in Panama City Participation in local patriotic parades 
1). The "Broken Promise." (Military Retirees' Number one issue!)
2). Concurrent Receipt
3). Survivors Benefit Plan (SBP).
4). Former Military Spouse Protection Act
5). Department of Veterans Affairs---
A. Insufficient congressional funding and lack of effective oversight
B. Maltreatment of Veterans
C. Employment of Unqualified Medical Personnel
The provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act of October, 2000, pertaining to benefits for military personnel, including military retirees, specifically the so-called "TriCare-for-life" for military retirees who entered service prior to June 7, 1956, and served honorably for twenty or more years," is as full of holes as swiss cheese! IT IS NOT the NO COST for life retirement medical care package we were promised at the time of our entry into federal service in America's Armed Forces! While it supposedly offers "free" medical care for our class of military retirees, with TriCare-for-life being co-payer to Medicare health care expenses, it has NO provisions for FREE dental and vision care, and we now have to pay $58.70/Mo. for Medicare Part B coverage! It is woefully inadequate to restore full, first class citizenship to America's military retirees. Several Bills were introduced in The 107th. Congress which, if enacted into law, would be a further step toward correcting the other inequities such as "Concurrent Receipt," "Survivors Benefit Plan," "Former Military Spouse Protection Act," etc. NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO QUIT!We MUST NOT relax our efforts in this struggle! We have tried letters, phone calls, faxes, and e-mails to members of The Congress, as well as to The President, Vice President, the Attorney General and Secretary of Defense but have not had much success through these actions. WE MUST TAKE OUR MESSAGE TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC THROUGH THE PRINT AND ELECTRONIC NEWS MEDIA, HOLDING PUBLIC RALLYS, DOING SIDEWALK DEMONSTRATIONS, AND ANY OTHER LEGAL MEANS TO LET "THE PEOPLE" KNOW OF HOW OUR GOVERNMENT IS ULTIMATELY JEAPORDIZING OUR NATIONAL SECURITY THROUGH ITS TREATMENT AS SECOND CLASS CITIZENS, AND WORSE, OF ALL OF AMERICA'S MILITARY PERSONNEL: ACTIVE DUTY, MILITARY RETIREES, AND ALL OTHER SURVIVING VETERANS OF OUR PAST WARS!
First , find a place to have meetings (a local veterans organization post, such as VFW, American Legion, etc., or even a local restaurant.)
Second , commence advertising your intentions to have an initial meeting of military retirees to organize a local group to work to regain the free-for-life retirement medical care which our government guaranteed, and which we military retirees earned. You can do this by posting notices on bulletin boards at such places as supermarkets, churches, etc., by word-of-mouth to your friends, and by placing small ads in your local newspaper.
Third , once you have a minimum of five other military retirees who are willing to work with you, do the first meeting. Here, your group will need to elect a Chairman/Coordinator for the group, a Treasurer (the group is going to need a "war chest), and a Secretary (to record minutes of your meetings).
Fourth , Immediately commence determining what actions your group can take to get the message to the public, such as sidewalk demonstrations, rallys, appearing on local TV and radio shows, letters to your local newspaper, etc.
Fifth , Money can be raised by raffles, yard sales, etc.
Here are some photos of Musters we have held in Washington, D.C. on the U.S. Capitol grounds, and other stuff. 
The last 7 photos are courtesy of Art Ainsworth, my Detachemnt 4 Crew Chief during my tenure as O-IN-C.
Here are four photos of Carl Davis and his wife, Margaret, two of our veterans groups hardest "Hard Chargers," at a meeting with our Hero, Congressman Ronnie Shows, in Mississippi last summer. The others are shots of our Second Annual Muster 2001, in the Upper Senate Park in Washington, D.C. Just click on these thumbnails to see the photos.
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