Portland, OR: Vets Are Dying Daily While VA Employees Telecommute From Home ... Isn't That Convenient!

Portland VA Medical Center

3710 SW US Veterans Hospital Rd 

Portland, OR 97239

Phone: (503) 220-8262

Website: portland.va.gov

I am a disabled combat veteran and the VA has become a bad joke in just four years, and veterans are dying because of it. I was nearly one of them.

Nearly impossible to get an in-person appointment, the VA is treating vets via telehealth/video appointments - UNACCEPTABLE - I traveled from Portugal to Portland, OR between August and October (61 days) for medical care and SAW JUST ONE DOCTOR IN PERSON.

Appointments are routinely 30+ days out and community referrals don't seem to be offered any longer, a requirement when Trump was president, making VA medical care a nightmare.

I called the Veterans Crisis Line, mentioned suicidal ideation, and talked me into calling an ambulance for me, then SENT ME A BILL FOR $1,500. IF YOU MENTION SUICIDE WHEN DEALING WITH A GOVERNMENT AGENCY, THEY WILL IGNORE YOU. 

The people working in the ER are animals and almost everyone else is burnt-out even though they are all still working from home for some reason. YOU CANNOT HELP VETS BY SITTING ON YOUR BUTTS AT HOME - VETS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR COMFORT ... GET BACK TO WORK YOU LAZY DIRTBAGS!

CombatCritic Gives The Department Of Veteran Affairs 0 Bombs Out Of 10 And A Spot On My ¨WALL OF SHAME¨ ... More Bombs Are Better!

Translation for Civilians: "Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "BLACK" ELITE '14 / '15 / '16 / '17 / '18 / '19 / '20 / '21 / '22/ '23 / '24 ... 11 Years Running ... HOOAH!

• Over 1.4 Million Views A Year

Read Chris S.'s review of Portland VA Medical Center on Yelp

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Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And       

   Counting - #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!

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Title: Portland, OR: Vets Are Dying Daily While VA Employees Telecommute From Home ... Isn't That Convenient!

Key Words: Portland, OR, Portland VA Medical Center, hospital, vets, veterans, suicide, PTSD, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2024 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved

Vancouver, WA: Winston's British Fish N Chips - Great Food, Small Portions

Winston's British Fish n Chips

2711 NE Andresen Road

Vancouver, WA 98661

(866) 260-9563

Winston's British Fish n Chips

Open Daily: 11 am - 7 pm

$$$$

There was a 90-minute wait when we stopped by Saturday evening, but the lady gave us a card for a free meal, having now returned to collect our complimentary fish & chips.

The fish was light and crispy, not greasy, and the tartar sauce was a nice compliment. Unfortunately, they were already out of mushy peas by mid-day, so I got the curry sauce, whether I wanted it or not.

The chips were also very good, but like the fish, there were not enough of them and I was still hungry after my meal.

I can honestly say that it was some of the best fish & chips I have had, but the serving sizes were a tad on the light side in my opinion. There could have been more chips, only a smattering received, and the fish could be just a little bit bigger. Raise the price to $16 if you have to, but sell the public the very best fish n chips while, simultaneously, satiating our hunger for the real deal.

CombatCritic Gives Winston's British Fish N Chips 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To

Translation for Civilians: "Shits & Grins"

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "BLACK" ELITE '14 / '15 / '16 / '17 / '18 / '19 / '20 / '21 / '22/ '23 ... 10 Years Running ... HOOAH!

• Over 1.4 Million Views A Year

Read Chris S.'s review of Winston's British Fish N Chips on Yelp

Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting - #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 3 Million Views!

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicles, with Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!

Title: Vancouver, WA: Winston's British Fish N Chips - Great Food, Small Portions

Key Words: Vancouver, WA, Portland, OR, Winston's British Fish N Chips, fish, chips, british, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2023 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved

Vancouver, WA: Paws Down the Best Dog Training Outfit This Side of the Columbia ... HOOAH!

Paws Down Pets Dog Training

2804 NE 155th Avenue

Vancouver, WA 98682

(360) 936-6129

pawsdownpets.com

Prices: $$$$

Paws Down and Julie stepped in when another local training facility refused to tailor a program to get my dog, Kemper, and I where we needed to go before a last minute move overseas.

I am a disabled combat veteran, but do not qualify for a 'service animal' from non-profits because I do not have the 'correct' diagnosis, even though I suffer from the same exact symptoms as those with PTSD.

My wife's mother, who lives in Europe, recently had a stroke and my wife has been by her side since early August. If I hope to see my wife at all over the next several years, because of her and my commitment to ensure that her mother gets the care and attention she deserves, we needed to be much closer than the Pacific NW, hence our uprooting.

In order to have Kemper fly with me in the cabin on a grueling 10-hour trans-Atlantic flight, he needed some several skills which he was lacking when we adopted him from the West Columbia Gorge Humane Society after six years of being abandoned and abused, for no reason, by one owner after another. Even with his unjust and unconscionable treatment early in life, he is one of the sweetest and dogs I have ever known.

Julie and Kemper quickly developed a strong bond and she was willing to work with me one-on-one, tailoring a training plan for both of us to get us where we need to be with just two months before boarding the plane. 

Having a Master's in Psychology, I am an expert in operant and classical conditioning, but lacked the understanding of how dogs think, so Julie was training both of us along the way. 

Kemper picked-up on things quickly and me, not so much, but we were compelled to get the job done and succeed in our mission, no room for error. Paws Down is not exactly cheap when it comes to private training, but Julie did not charge for travel time to our home and routinely stayed after the allotted one-hour appointment times.

Yesterday, less than two months after starting with Julie, Kemper passed his AKC Canine Good Citizen test and his certificate is on the way, arriving well before we need it for travel to our new home.

Thank you Paws Down and Julie for helping me ensure that my support animal and I make it safely to Europe, reuniting our family after moths apart.

CombatCritic Gives Paws Down Dog Training 10 Bombs Out Of 10 And A Spot On My 'WALL OF FAME' ... More Bombs Are Better ... HOOAH!

Ten Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: 

HOOAH!: "Phonetic spelling of the acronym HUA, which stands for 'Heard Understood Acknowledged.' Originally used by the British in the late 1800's in Afghanistan. More recently adopted by the United States Army to indicate an affirmative or a pleased response." - Urban Dictionary

"The Department of Military Science and Leadership, University of Tennessee claim HOOAH 'refers to or means anything except no' ... Regardless of its meaning ... the term is an expression of high morale, confidence, motivation and spirit." - WarChronicle.com

"The U.S. Air Force stole 'HOOAH' from the Army because we were part of the Army until 1947 and rather than waste a bunch of time coming up with something new and unique like "ROO-YAH" or "HAL-A-LOO-YAH", we said 'screw it, let's go with HOOAH' ... thanks Army ... HOOAH!" - CombatCritic

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19/'20  

• Over 1.4 Million Views A Year

Read Chris S.'s review of Paws Down Pets Dog Training on Yelp

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting - #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!

Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 3 Million Views!

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicles, with Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!

Title: Vancouver, WA: Paws Down the Best Dog Training Outfit This Side of the Columbia ... HOOAH!

Key Words: Vancouver, WA, Portland, OR, Paws Down, dog training, pet, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, product, service, business, review, Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2020 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved

Camas, WA: Very Good, Albeit A Bit Pricey, Brunch In The Heart Of Historic Camas

Natalia's Cafe

437 NE 4th Avenue

Camas, WA 98607

Phone: (360) 844-5968

(360) 844-5968

Hours: Closes 2PM

Prices: $$$$

Maybe it was the COVID-19 pick-up and eat out of styrofoam box thing that affected my overall impression. Granted, my food was pretty good, but after paying $17, including a 20% tip, for a single biscuit and gravy, four slices of bacon, and two eggs over-medium seems a tad high. An included side of crispy hash browns and a tad more gravy might have lessened the feeling of being overcharged, but, alas, it was not to be. 

Natalia's Cafe is a cute little place on the corner of 4th and NE Dallas in the heart of historic downtown Camas. In an old, brick building, Natalia's has the feel of an old-time diner with a huge griddle behind the counter and a few tables scattered about, although the tables and chairs were roped-off and stacked in the back of the small dining room. When there are tables, they are, in my experience, routinely full at this place and I am not sure if they take reservations.

They have their menu on their Facebook page, so I was able to select a meal and call-in my order on the way back from a colonoscopy, having not eaten a bite in 40 hours even though I could live off of my fat for weeks if not months. I assume it was Natalia behind the counter cooking my breakfast, the Biscuit Special ($13), coming with a homemade biscuit topped with sausage gravy, four slices of bacon, and two eggs (any style).

The biscuit was decent in size, not massive and not small, but their could have been a bit more gravy on top. As I said before, some crispy hash browns would have completed the meal and made it a better value. The gravy was good, but it had an odd taste, not a bad taste, but an unknown ingredient or two had been added that probably could have been omitted altogether. 

The bacon had been precooked, but the slices were large, warm, thick, dark and chewy, just the way I like it ... HOOAH! The eggs over-medium were just that, eggs over-medium because it does not take a rocket scientist to cook breakfast.

The only thing I will add is the fact that thay have no website. A Facebook page just does not cut it these days because there are many folks out there who refuse to use Facebook for a number of reasons. A business without a webpage will likely fail unless they get as lucky as Natalia's has with people waiting out the door to get in and overpay, a little, for brunch.

As I said, hash browns would have made this breakfast worth $13, but, then again, I am sure that rent on 'Main Street' in Camas is not cheap and I appreciate the fact that she decided to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic, having added an extra BOMB/star to my review just for that purpose ... thank you Natalia!

CombatCritic Gives Natalia's Cafe 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To

Translation for Civilians: "Shits & Grins"

MENU

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp "GOLD" ELITE '14/'15/'16/'17/'18/'19/'20

Read Chris S.'s review of Natalia's Cafe on Yelp

Over 1.4 Million Views A Year ... HOOAH!

• 

Tabelog - Official Judge - "Silver"

Zomato - #1 Ranked "VERIFIED" CONNOISSEUR (13) - Over  4 Million Review And Photo Views ... And Counting - #1 Reviewer in Portland, Oregon!

Booking.com - Frequent Traveler "Genius"

Google Maps - "Top Photographer" With Over 3 Million Views!

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube and our sister channel, CombatCounselor Chronicles, with Over 1,250 Subscribers and 1,000,000 Video Views ... HOOAH!

Title: Camas, WA: Very Good, Albeit A Bit Pricey, Brunch In The Heart Of Historic Camas

Key Words: Natalia's Cafe, Natalia's, Natalia, Cafe, Camas, WA, brunch, Camas, WA, Portland, OR, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Google, Facebook

Copyright 2020 - 3rd Wave Media Group And CombatCritic ™ - All Rights Reserved