Sept. 11 galvanizes US troops in Afghanistan

When you talk to veterans, especially Vietnam veterans, there is always this sense of remorse. Great sadness over the lives lost, for the wounded, for their innocence lost and for the fact that their lives were committed to combat while being taken from granted by the rest of the country.

There used to be morality even in war. Decisions to send men into combat were never supposed to be taken lightly. When you read about the history of war, there was a time when the people deciding to go to war, went with their troops, also risking their own lives. When our Revolution was losing support and the troops were losing hope, there was General Washington, right there on the front lines and enduring everything he was asking others to endure.

You can't help but wonder how much faster it would have ended had they received everything they needed when they needed it.

Just as then, we complain about how much money it costs, how long it takes, lose interest in it. Just as then, there are still men and now more women, risking their lives while we complain.

Why do we keep making the same mistakes? Why do we take such timid interest in the decision to send them? Why don't we ever demand true reasons about the necessity? Our interests should never stop there. We should always have assurances that the plans are equal to the lives we are sending and the sacrifices they are willing to make for what we ask of them. We should always make sure they have the best equipment they need along with everything else they need up to proper troop levels. We should always make sure all the plans are in place to take care of the wounded, the widows and the orphans, especially when you have fathers and mothers deploying into combat. The truth though is much different.

We don't make sure any of this is done. They pay while the rest of us complain and want to move on. We can't stand a long battle. We want it quick and painless. We don't want to see coffins covered with flags. We don't want to see the wounded at Walter Reed or any of the other hospitals. We don't want to hear them suffering, waiting for care or wanting anything from us. We want it over.

The problem goes much deeper than our ambivalence. Taking care of them, never seems to translated into our own brains that it should have been part of the deal all along.

So while we debated having troops in Iraq. While protestors on both sides fought over it, no one was fighting over them. No one was forming groups to get permits to protest the lack of care they were receiving. No one was marching thru the streets or making speeches about the fact they needed so much more than what they were getting and no one was screaming that they were killing themselves when they came home. The shame was on all of us and still is.

We now hear calls for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Yet while they are there, this is how they spent their day. They remember why they are there and what was behind their reason to join the military. The rest of us, well, we not only forgot about it, we forgot about them.

At 5:16 p.m., the time in Afghanistan when the first of two planes hit the World Trade Center in New York City, a ceremony began at Bagram with an officer reading a minute-by-minute timeline of events on that day. The base's flag fluttered at half-staff as 200 soldiers and other military personnel sang "America the Beautiful" and the national anthem as the sun set.

Sept. 11 galvanizes US troops in Afghanistan
By HEIDI VOGT (AP) – 11 hours ago

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — The Sept. 11 attacks were both a tragedy and a call to arms for many of the soldiers at this sprawling military air base — although few would have guessed that eight years on, the war in Afghanistan would still be raging.

Many of the troops now fighting here were high school students at the time. Some saw the attacks on TV during class, and vowed to sign up when they were old enough.

Army Sgt. Joshua Applegate of Springfield, Mississippi, was in high school when the planes hit the towers, and enlisted two years later, though he said he had wanted to do it right away.

"I like my country too much not to," said Applegate, who arrived in Afghanistan in April and now facilitates transport and other logistics at Bagram Air Field, the main U.S. base in the country, located just north of the capital, Kabul.

It's nearly eight years since U.S. forces invaded to oust the Taliban and hunt for al-Qaida leaders, including Osama bin Laden, who remains at large. Now soldiers like Applegate are fighting a war that is shifting its focus amid waning public support.

Many troops called Friday's anniversary a galvanizing event, and said marking the day reminds them that the U.S. mission here is important.

read more here

Sept. 11 galvanizes US troops in Afghanistan

Waning war interest frustrates wounded troops

Waning war interest frustrates wounded troops

By Michelle Roberts - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Sep 10, 2009 7:11:47 EDT

SAN ANTONIO — A year after Capt. Sam Brown was set ablaze when a bomb blew up his Humvee in Afghanistan, the 25-year-old West Point graduate endures a steady schedule of painful surgery and stretching to break up knotty burn scars.

He also has another routine: checking a Web site that counts U.S. and coalition troop deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For Brown, it’s one more regular reminder that the wars have not ended — something he says many Americans seem to have forgotten.

With the timetable set for withdrawal from Iraq and the fighting in Afghanistan nearing its ninth year, U.S. war coverage has waned, often pushed off the front page by the economy, health care and celebrity deaths.

But for severely wounded soldiers — those with huge burn scars and amputated limbs — the wars are no distant memory. Their long and painful recovery battles are a constant reminder.

“Unless you see it all the time, it’s just kind of easy not to remember,” Brown said. “The war is definitely not over.”
read more here
Waning war interest frustrates wounded troops

Anderson Cooper:Marines don't know when last step will be their last

Marines look for IEDs 4:35
CNN's Anderson Cooper travels with U.S. Marines in Afghanistan as they look for IEDs.

Anderson Cooper talks to U.S. Marines in Helmand Province

A model for success? 3:10
CNN's Anderson Cooper talks to U.S. Marines in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, about the work they're doing to win peace.
At Patrol Base Jaker



Four U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan
Story Highlights
Four U.S. service members killed in fighting in eastern Afghanistan

Two people killed in explosion at Kabul International Airport, six wounded

Official: Suicide bomber struck near gate of military section of airport

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Four U.S. service members were killed in fighting Tuesday in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said.

The deaths took place in Kunar province in what a spokeswoman called an "ongoing event."

Troop deaths have mounted in Afghanistan this year as American and other international forces have stepped up their fight against the Taliban.

August was the deadliest month for the U.S. military in the nearly eight-year-old war, with 52 fatalities. The four deaths on Tuesday bring the number of U.S. troop deaths in Afghanistan to 13 in September.

Elsewhere, a suicide bomber killed two people and wounded six others Tuesday morning in the Kabul airport's military section, Afghan officials said.

U.S. and Belgian nationals were among the wounded, a Western diplomatic official told CNN. The victims were all civilians, the Interior Ministry official said.

for more of this go here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/09/08/afghanistan.blast/index.html

Wounded GIs in Afghanistan

Wounded GIs in Afghanistan: Casualties More Seriously Injured Than in Iraq
David Wood Columnist
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan -- They are the invisible casualties of this war, the 2,194 Americans who have been badly wounded in battle here. More are coming.
Stunned, torn and bleeding, they are extracted from dusty battlefields in wild, shouting chaos, and because they are so quickly rushed into the hands of trauma nurses and surgeons, more of them survive than in past wars.
But their wounds are often grievous, even more severe than those inflicted in the Iraq war. It is not uncommon for a casualty to arrive at a combat surgical hospital with two, three or even more immediately life-threatening injuries. Simultaneously drawn to the soldier's side will be specialists in setting broken bones, repairing deep abdominal wounds, attending to crushing chest injuries and cleaning the stumps of amputated limbs, while a neurologist works to assess brain damage.
The battle dead, deservedly, are venerated and honored by name. They are memorialized by their comrades in formal, intense, battlefield ceremony, honored as their remains are carried past rows of saluting troops onto waiting aircraft, and their sacrifices are sanctified again during and after their various journeys home. Their deaths are announced by the Pentagon and recorded on gravestones.
The wounded receive no such recognition. They are moved swiftly and anonymously; their names and sacrifices are not publicly recorded by the Department of Defense, which effectively bans interviews and photographs.
But as they are tenderly passed along -- from the combat medics who bandage them and the dust-off pilots who fly them away under fire, to the surgeons who perform emergency battle-zone surgery and the aero-medical evacuation pilots and crews who fly them toward home -- they are known and respected, honored, and treated with urgent compassion.
read more here
Wounded GIs in Afghanistan

August tied for deadliest month in Afghan war

August tied for deadliest month in Afghan war

By Amir Shah - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 27, 2009 17:59:42 EDT

KABUL — A U.S. service member died Thursday in a militant attack involving a roadside bomb and gunfire, a death that pushed August into a tie with July as the deadliest months of the eight-year war.

The death brings to 44 the number of U.S. troops who have died in Afghanistan this month. But with four days left in the month, August could set a record.

More than 60,000 U.S. troops are now in the country — a record number — to combat rising insurgent violence. The number of roadside bombs deployed by militants across the country has skyrocketed, and U.S. forces have moved into new and deadlier areas of the country this summer, in part to help secure the country’s Aug. 20 presidential election.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/08/ap_afghanistan_082709/

08/27/09 : DoD Identifies Army Casualties (4 of 4)
Pfc. Dennis M. Williams,
24, of Federal Way, Wash...died Aug. 25 in southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

08/27/09 : DoD Identifies Army Casualties (3 of 4)
Sgt. 1st Class Ronald W. Sawyer,
38, of Trenton, Mo...died Aug. 25 in southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

08/27/09 : DoD Identifies Army Casualties (2 of 4)
Capt. Cory J. Jenkins,
30, of Arizona...died Aug. 25 in southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

08/27/09 : DoD Identifies Army Casualties (1 of 4)
Capt. John L. Hallett III,
30, of California...died Aug. 25 in southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

08/27/09 : DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
Lance Cpl. Donald J. Hogan,
20, of San Clemente, Calif., died Aug. 26 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force...

http://icasualties.org/oef/

It seems as if AP has missed the biggest point of all. This is already the deadliest year in Afghanistan. Last year US deaths were 155, this year already it is 175. Coalition forces last year was 139 and so far this year 139.
click link back to ICasualties and find out what the troops are going through there. By the way, there are still troops in Iraq in case any of your friends forgot because I know you didn't.

Canadian Army Officer wants to hear from Afghanistan Veterans

Last week an email came in asking me to put a Canadian Officer in touch with veterans from Afghanistan. I responded that I couldn't do that because of privacy concerns but I offered to put up a post about it. You're on your own on this one. It could be a scam but I really doubt that. I think it's just one soldier reaching out to others.

Good afternoon Kathie from raining but still beautiful CFB Petawawa.


"Canadian Army officer seeking any candidates who recently arrived back from Afghanistan or who has done tours there. He is an Information Officer and is interested in finding out as much as he can from the men/women who had served in theatre. His name is 2Lt Phillip Vu-Tran. His email address is phillip.vu-tran@forces.gc.ca or his work number is 613-687-5511 ext. 4666"

7 die, 91 hurt in blast near NATO HQ in Kabul

7 die, 91 hurt in blast near NATO HQ in Kabul

By Rahim Faiez and Jason Straziuso - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Aug 15, 2009 10:29:12 EDT

KABUL — A suicide car bomb exploded Saturday outside the main gate of NATO’s headquarters five days before Afghanistan’s presidential election, killing seven and wounding 91 in the biggest attack in the Afghan capital in six months.

The bomber evaded several rings of Afghan police and detonated his explosives on the doorstep of the international military headquarters, an assault possibly aimed at sending the message that the Taliban can attack anywhere as Afghans gear up for their second-ever direct presidential election. Militants have warned Afghans not to vote and have threatened to attack voting sites.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/08/ap_afghanistan_bombing_nato_081509/

A day in the life of a Marine combat outpost from Tampa

A day in the life of a Marine combat outpost
By ALFRED de MONTESQUIOU (AP) – 7 hours ago

ANP HILL, Afghanistan — Cpl. Justin Thompson crawled out of his rat hole dug deep into a wind-beaten, barren hilltop. Stepping over mounds of protective sand bags, he watched the sun rise over the Now Zad valley, a Taliban stronghold.

Thompson is part of a small Marine force that keeps watch over the deserted town of Now Zad.

About 10 miles (16 kilometers) away, Marines from the same company are fighting to drive the Taliban out of the town of Dahaneh. But Marines stationed on ANP Hill are removed from the battle, relegated to keeping an eye on insurgent movements elsewhere in the Zad valley.

Three years of intense fighting between the Taliban and NATO forces have chased away Now Zad's 30,000 inhabitants, leaving what had been one of the largest towns in southern Helmand province deserted.

The Marine company lacks the firepower to force the Taliban out of their positions just a mile away. So the Marines of ANP Hill keep watch over the area from their lonely outpost.

"Things can drag pretty slowly up here," said Thompson, of Manchester, Tenn., who is on duty six hours out of every 18. His unit has been stationed on ANP Hill for over three months, with that many still to go. The position's name, ANP, stands for Afghan National Police — even though no Afghan government official or police official has been stationed in the valley for years.

"The biggest thing here is not shooting the people who don't need to be shot," says 1st Lt. Malachi Bennett, of Tampa, Fla., the outpost's commander and at 26 one of the oldest men on the hill. He says the platoon has been making some progress at befriending residents on the outskirts of town and luring them away from the Taliban.
read more here
A day in the life of a Marine combat outpost

Afghanistan now unpopular

Is it the fact it has gone on so long or is it the lack of media attention? I really wonder. Bloggers have a hard time finding stories sometimes, but they are out there.
The absence of TV coverage however removes the ability of the casual observer to learn much at all unless there is something catastrophic requiring an interruption of the celebrity coverage holding so much more importance. It really is a shame we manage to do so much to send them to fight these battles but our interest seems to fade too soon. War is not like a TV series that ends when summer begins. It's not a fill in show for the summer viewer. It doesn't take holidays. It lasts until it's over and in too many case for those we send, it lasts as long as their life does. So why are we comfortable treating it like something unworthy of our attention?

Vietnam in Afghanistan: Now an Unpopular War

By Spencer Ackerman 8/7/09 4:23 PM
A new CNN poll has found, for what I think is the first time, a majority of Americans opposed to the war in Afghanistan. Pentagon officials and Afghanistan-watchers have thought for months that this moment was inevitable: public support for Afghanistan, those people thought, was broad mostly because of media neglect. Now, with Marines dying in Helmand Province, soldiers dying in the east, and reporters covering the war more than ever since 2002, the numbers have met their inevitable date with gravity.

click link for more

Too few Medals of Honor for Iraq, Afghan valor

Too few Medals of Honor for Iraq, Afghan valor?
By KEVIN FREKING (AP) – 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON — Eight years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq. About 4,000 U.S. soldiers killed in action. More than 34,000 wounded. Just six considered worthy of America's highest military award for battlefield valor.

For some veterans and members of Congress, that last number doesn't add up.

They question how so few Medals of Honor — all awarded posthumously — could be bestowed for wars of such magnitude and duration.

Pentagon officials say the nature of war has changed. Laser-guided missiles destroy enemy positions without putting soldiers in harm's way. Insurgents deploy roadside bombs rather than engage in firefights they're certain to lose.

Those explanations don't tell the whole story, said Rep. Duncan Hunter, a first-term lawmaker who served combat tours as a Marine in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has sponsored legislation that directs the defense secretary to review current trends in awarding the Medal of Honor to determine what's behind the low count.

The bill passed the House. If Senate negotiators go along, Secretary Robert Gates would have to report back by March 31.

"It seems like our collective standard for who gets the Medal of Honor has been raised," said Hunter, R-Calif.

"The basis of warfare is you've got to take ground and then you've got to hold it. That takes people walking into houses, running up hills, killing bad guys and then staying there and rebuffing counterattacks," he said. "That's how warfare has always been no matter how many bombs you drop and how many predators you have flying around."

The Medal of Honor has been awarded 3,467 times since the Civil War. Almost half — 1,522 — were awarded in that conflict alone. The next highest tally came from World War II — 464. In the Vietnam War, 244 were awarded.

read more here
Too few Medals of Honor for Iraq, Afghan valor

Sgt. 1st Class Monti's family told of Medal of Honor for him

UPDATE

White House: Soldier to receive Medal of Honor posthumously
Story Highlights
White House: President will present medal to soldier's parents in September

Staff Sgt. Jared Monti showed "immeasurable courage" in Afghanistan

White House says Monti gave his life for comrade in combat, but no other details

Much-decorated soldier was posthumously promoted to sergeant first class.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An Army staff sergeant will posthumously receive the Medal of Honor after he sacrificed his own life in an effort to save another soldier in Afghanistan, the White House said Friday.


By acts of "immeasurable courage," Staff Sgt. Jared Monti earned the Medal of Honor, the White House said.

Staff Sgt. Jared Monti will receive the medal, the nation's highest military honor, on September 17 for his actions in combat, the White House said in a statement. His parents, Paul and Janet Monti, "will join the president at the White House to commemorate their son's example of selfless service and sacrifice."

Monti, of Raynham, Massachusetts, died June 21, 2006, while deployed with the 10th Mountain Division, according to a Web site set up by family and friends to announce a scholarship in his honor. He was 31 when he died.
read more of this here
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/24/medal.of.honor.monti/index.html

Fallen soldier to receive Medal of Honor

Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti, 30, of Raynham, Mass., died in Gowardesh, Afghanistan, on June 21, 2006 when he encountered enemy forces using small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades during combat operations. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 71st Calvary, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jul 23, 2009 16:28:01 EDT

Sgt. 1st Class Jared Monti, who was killed in Afghanistan June 21, 2006, will receive the Medal of Honor for his actions in combat, his father, Paul Monti, told Army Times in a telephone interview Thursday.

President Obama called Paul Monti, a retired school teacher, Tuesday evening at his home in Raynham, Mass., Monti said.

“The talk was very short and to the point. He said ‘hello, how are you?’ and I said ‘fine, Mr. President’ and then he told me the secretary of the Army and the secretary of defense have approved Jared for the Medal of Honor,” Monti said. “He said he was proud of Jared.”

Sgt. 1st Class Monti, 30, was assigned to 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, when he was killed in Afghanistan.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/07/army_monti_MOH_072309w/

Robotic warfare pilots had to watch troops die then go home

The next time you have a tough day at the office, think about what they go through doing their jobs.

'They circled above and watched U.S. soldiers die in front of them'
Story Highlights
Robotic warfare allows pilots to control armed vehicles without risk to themselves

Military experts are now looking at the psychological impact this may have on pilots

Pilots now transition from battlefield to home environment in less thna an hour

Some pilots wlecome (welcome) operating from the U.S. rather than being deployed overseas


From Nic Robertson
CNN Senior International Correspondent


(CNN) -- The Pentagon has revolutionized warfare during the past decade, making unmanned aerial vehicles, known as UAVs, a staple of modern combat in Afghanistan and Iraq.


A USAF technician at Creech, Nevada, checks Hellfire missile attachements on a Predator.

Remotely-controlled drones, such as the Predator and the Reaper, have allowed the U.S. military to spy on and attack enemy combatants without putting their own forces at risk, thereby making UAVs a must-have.

Some describe it as a version of post-traumatic stress disorder, often more associated with soldiers directly in harm's way. Peter Singer, an adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama's campaign team and author of 'Wired for War,' described one encounter with a frustrated non-commissioned officer.

"She actually banged the table, saying: 'No one is paying attention to this issue of PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] among my men and women, no one's paying attention to it," Singer says. "And she talked about a scene where they were flying a drone above a set of U.S. soldiers that were killed and the drone was unarmed at the time and they couldn't do anything about it. They just circled above and they watched U.S. soldiers die in front of them." Watch the debate about the impact of UAVs on pilots »

USAF fighter pilots like Major Morgan Andrews remotely control drones from Creech airbase in Nevada. Less than an hour after targeting he'll be back in suburban Las Vegas, his drive home more physically dangerous than the combat mission he has just undertaken.
read more here
They circled above and watched U.S. soldiers die in front of them

Marine Cpl. Lembke's body is returned to Oregon

Ross William Hamilton, The Oregonian
Marine Cpl. Matthew Lembke returned to Oregon on Thursday night, six days after he died at Bethesda Naval Hospital from wounds he sustained in a June bombing in Afghanistan. His parents, Claudia and Dale Lembke of Tualatin and their daughter Carolyn Lembke (right) of Sherwood met his casket at the Hillsboro Airport. About 120 family, friends, military and members of the Patriot Guard riders escorted the body to the Wilsonville funeral home.

Marine Cpl. Lembke's body is returned to Oregon
by Julie Sullivan, The Oregonian
Saturday July 18, 2009, 10:25 AM
Forty-eight flags snapped at the Hillsboro Airport as Claudia Lembke waited for the small military charter to arrive.

She waited, as she had since an IED exploded in southern Afghanistan June 22. Waited as her son Marine Cpl. Matthew Lembke was airlifted to Germany, days later flown on to Bethesda Naval Hospital, where she waited for weeks at his bedside.

Time enough for friends to launch a Web page, trust fund and Facebook group, to unfurl the prayer chains and imagine the success story: a Marine who lost both legs, whose heart and breathing stopped and was restarted, a man who hung on.

But he died of complications July 10 with both parents and sister Carolyn beside him.
read more here
Marine Cpl. Lembke body is returned to Oregon

New PTSD Approach Offers Reduced Stigma at Lackland Air Force Base

New PTSD Approach Offers Reduced Stigma
July 14, 2009
Air Force Print Newsby Lt. Col. Lesa Spivey

LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas - Servicemembers seeking help for deployment-related post-traumatic stress disorder now have the option of being treated through primary care channels at a new pilot program offered at Wilford Hall Medical Center here.

The primary goal of this new research program is to offer effective therapy for PTSD within the primary care environment, where servicemembers are likely to feel more comfortable seeking mental health assistance.

Servicemembers who wish to participate in this type of treatment program simply schedule an appointment with their primary care manager and go to their primary care facility, just as they would for any other treatment. The primary care manager then refers the servicemember to the behavioral health consultant who works in the primary care clinic. This process helps to mainstream the treatment alongside other, more routine care. It is hoped that, as a result, a servicemember will feel less isolated or ostracized and be more willing to ask for help.

PTSD is caused by exposure to a traumatic event that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury. An individual who is experiencing PTSD symptoms may have been personally threatened or injured, or he or she might have witnessed the death or serious injury of another. In either case, the severity of PTSD is directly related to the level of threat to the person's life or the lives of others while in the combat environment.

PTSD is one of the top health concerns for servicemembers returning from combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Recent studies of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans suggest that 5 to 17 percent of U.S. military personnel returning from deployments have PTSD symptoms and as many as 25 percent report some psychological problems.

Almost 2 million U.S. military personnel have deployed in support of OIF/OEF, and estimates in this population indicate that 100,000 to 300,000 OIF/OEF veterans are at significant risk for chronic PTSD.
read more here
New PTSD Approach Offers Reduced Stigma

Wounded still wait as more come

As the troops pull back out of the cities of Iraq and the Iraqis take over, it's easy to assume the worst is over for our troops, but in doing so, we not only forget the wounded we already have, we close our eyes to fact more will come.

7 U.S. troops killed as Afghan ops intensify

By Fisnik Abrashi - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jul 7, 2009 7:45:42 EDT

KABUL, Afghanistan — Bombs and bullets killed seven American troops on Monday, the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan in nearly a year — and a sign that the war being fought in the Taliban heartland of the south and east could now be expanding north.

Separately, Taliban militants claimed on a militant Web site that they were holding an American soldier whom the U.S. military says insurgents might have captured last week. The Taliban statement, however, did not include any proof, such as a picture or the soldier’s name.

Four of the deaths Monday came in an attack on a team of U.S. military trainers in the relatively peaceful north, bringing into focus the question of whether the U.S. is committing enough troops to secure a country larger than Iraq in both population and land mass.
read more here
7 U.S. troops killed as Afghan ops intensify

Just as Iraq draws to a close, Afghanistan operations increase and with it comes more wounded and more deaths. The stress will increase as more troops head into Afghanistan. With the DOD and the VA unable to keep up with the numbers already filing claims for their wounds, we're in for an increasing need to step up to stand by their sides and help them. The government has been unable to adjust fast enough. We can point to the fact no one in Congress or the Bush Administration prepared for any of this, but that does not change the fact what is being done now is still not enough to make up for it. Increasing the VA budget to an all time high is not enough for today.

We are still seeing the wounded we already have needing care for physical wounds as well as traumatic ones. Yet read about the type of people we're talking about. They are wounded and some of them still want to go back into the military no matter how much pain they are in.

Injured soldier longs for return
By BILL RODGERS Tribune Chronicle
Ever since a mine exploded next to him in Iraq and knocked him off a roof, U.S. Army Pfc. David Mickey's primary focus has been getting better fast enough so that he could go back.

David Mickey and his family were at the Trumbull County Veterans Memorial on Monday afternoon looking for a brick his mother dedicated to him. The family members were enjoying their two weeks together before the Cortland soldier leaves for the Warrior Transition Unit in Fort Richardson, Alaska.

It hasn't been an easy recovery for the would-be career soldier, and he might not make it back to his unit at all. The process has been a long one. It's been taxing on his parents, too, who spent one week after the March 2007 explosion not knowing whether their son was alive or whether he had died in surgery.

"Two-and-one-half years and he still can't go back. It shows you just how traumatic that is," David's father, Stan Mickey, said. "You don't often think about it (war injuries) like that."

There's been almost one dozen surgeries to heal David's injured back, his left arm, his right heel and the nerve damage throughout. Trudy said doctors have shaved off part of his left eardrum, which after the attack healed back so thick that there's a chance the 28-year old may need a hearing aid and tubes to hear normally. He walks with a knee brace now that he is able to get around without a cane, but he can only stand for so long before the pain starts again.

To this day, shrapnel from the attack still is working its way out of her son's body, she said. She recalled one day when she was talking to him and saw a trickle of blood near his ear as another piece of metal came free.

And on top of it all, David now has admitted to himself that he has post traumatic stress disorder. Crowds make him nervous. He has nightmares and bouts of depression. It's impossible for him to stomach some of the movies he loved before he left for the war.

"I've changed some. I have PTSD, but I don't want to let it run my life," he said.
read more here
Injured soldier longs for return
linked from
http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx

How can you read about Pfc. David Mickey's wounds and his desire to go back and not want to do whatever it takes to make his life easier? How can you read about any of them and not want to help them? Yes, it is the responsibility of the government, the DOD and the VA, to take care of them, but again, too little and too late. Why allow any of them to suffer at all until the government catches up?

What can you do? Do you belong to any of the veterans service organizations? You can make sure the Commander of the post knows what's going on and then hold his/her feet to fire to do something locally. Make them active in helping out veterans your own community. Ask them to provide information on PTSD and TBI, the two signature wounds of Iraq and Afghanistan. Ask them to start support groups for them and their families. Organize transportation for them to doctor's appointment. Contact local officials to step up and seek federal funds to address homelessness of our veterans. Donate clothing and small appliances so that when they do find a place to live, they have something to start out with. Donate your time and visit them at the shelters. None of this is new and is being done in many parts of the country but the problem is, it's not happening everywhere. This needs to happen today! We've already let too many down.

U.S. Marines in Afghan standoff, 4 die in roadside blast

U.S. Marines in Afghan standoff, 4 die in roadside blast
Story Highlights
4 U.S. soldiers killed by roadside bomb in northern Afghanistan

Taliban claim responsibility for attack on a U.S. military vehicle

U.S. Marines facing off against insurgents in southern town of Khan Neshin

Marines surround compound, holding fire due to civilians present



The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on a U.S. military vehicle. It said five soldiers were killed and two were injured.

Meanwhile, a U.S. military official told CNN that its forces are involved in a standoff with insurgents in the south of the country near the Helmand River.
read more here
U.S. Marines in Afghan standoff, 4 die in roadside blast

Hot, sexy soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan

http://blogpig.co.uk/2008/09/sexy-soldier-pictures/

They are young, strong, physically fit, stunningly sexy hunks. The things they can do with their bodies is simply amazing!

Do I have your attention yet?

Good.

Shame on you!

Shame on you for not paying attention to these people before this. What's wrong with you? We stand in line and cheer as if it is our patriotic duty to send them off to war. Heck, we even pay attention in the beginning as news crews send in reporters and cameras but that interest soon fades replaced by much more pressing news, like who is on American Idol, what is going on with Brad, Angelina and Jen, or the latest political scandal. War wanes but sex always seems to sell.

American Idol and America's Got Talent captures us because people, regular people are chasing a dream of making it big. We can all relate to that.

We can all relate to love stories like Brad and Angelina but it also helps that both of them are very attractive. Do you think we'd be interested if they were ugly? We can still relate to them because of the human emotions of love.

We can relate to the passing of super stars like Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. It's not that they were ever really out of the spotlight. Some felt they "knew" them and their lives because of all the media coverage they had during their lives.

What we cannot relate to is the men and women in the military and our veterans. We can't because we have to face it, they are not that interesting to the media. They long ago abandoned reporting on events in Iraq and Afghanistan. These are two reports from yesterday.

Rising toll at US military hospital in Afghanistan
By JASON STRAZIUSO and EVAN VUCCI - Associated Press Writers
Thu, Jun. 25, 2009 03:44PM

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan -- The urgent call came in: Roadside bombs had ripped through two Humvees and wounded eight or nine U.S. soldiers.

Medevac helicopters immediately hit the air to ferry the soldiers to the main U.S. military hospital. But when they arrived, they carried only five patients.

The other four were dead.


With 2009 expected to be the bloodiest year since the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, medical personnel at Bagram's SSG Heath N. Craig Joint Theater Hospital say they've already seen an increase in casualties and expect more. The flow of dead and wounded puts enormous strain on the soldiers and the medical staff who must face it head on.

"Everything I've experienced is boredom or terror," said Air Force Maj. Adrian Stull, a 36-year-old emergency physician from Beavercreek, Ohio. "And if I have to choose between the two, I'd have to choose boredom, because everyone goes home with all their fingers."

June 1 was a day of terror.

It started when two roadside bombs hit the same convoy of 10th Mountain Division soldiers only a couple of miles apart in Wardak, a province west of Kabul. The damage was so severe that one of the Humvees split in half.
go here for more

http://www.newsobserver.com/1635/story/1583483.html

9 soldiers hurt in Iraq roadside bombings

By Patrick Quinn - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jun 25, 2009 18:18:25 EDT

BAGHDAD — A bombing Thursday at a bus station in a Shiite neighborhood in southwest Baghdad killed at least seven people, police said, the latest in a series of recent attacks that have left nearly 200 people dead ahead of a U.S. military withdrawal from cities next week.

Another three bombs and a mortar killed two more people around the capital. The U.S. military said nine American soldiers were wounded in two roadside bomb attacks against a convoy in eastern Baghdad. A roadside bomb also killed a man in the northern city of Mosul. The attacks were latest is a series of deadly bombings mostly targeting Shiites in the past week.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/06/ap_iraq_bombing_062509/

These stories were linked from http://icasualties.org/oif/

Go there and find out what is going on with our troops if you really support them.

It's not that this is anything new but at least when Vietnam was going on, we had so much coverage it kept us aware that our troops were still risking their lives, getting wounded and dying. What we didn't know was that they would come home with the war deep inside of them just as other generations did. No one cared anymore when they were back home and the protests ended. The media only wanted to report on the bad things some of them did.

This blog, among many more, have been paying attention to Iraq and Afghanistan, along with what happens when they come home. It's not that hard to find the reports, but you have to have the will to look for them. You have to care in the first place. They have to be of a personal interest to you. Military families care. Veterans and their families care. The problem is, the rest of the country is not interested enough. You'd think they would be considering the wounded will be with us the rest of their lives and requiring support from the rest of us. We're going to be left with the shock of the need simply because we didn't pay attention all along and the media, well, they were just too busy reporting on celebrities.

Getting Mental Health Care in a Combat Zone

Guest Post by
Meredith Walker

Getting Mental Health Care in a Combat Zone
With the suicide rate of active duty soldiers at an all-time high, the issues of mental health care for those in the military has never been more pertinent or more pressing. One of the major issues in mental health care in the field, however, is the stigma associated with needing psychiatric care, in a work culture that values strength, both physical and mental. Many feel that this stigma makes soldiers shy away from getting the health care they desperately need.

New figures from the conflict in Iraq suggest that as much as twenty percent of active duty soldiers and those who have recently returned home from Iraq may be suffering from some form of depression, anxiety, PTSD or emotional disturbance. This translates to nearly 340,000 individuals who could be wrestling with mental problems on their own, unable or embarrassed to ask for help.

This issue has been brought dramatically to the forefront by the May 2009 shooting of five soldiers at a counseling center by another solider, Sgt. John M. Russell, an individual whom officials had mandated get treatment from the counseling center. For this man, treatment was too late. Encouraging soldiers to get mental health help and to talk to someone about their feelings of stress or grief over lost comrades is essential to preventing future tragedies of this nature.

Even more pressing is the current realities of serving in the military. Today, many soldiers go out on three or four tours of duty, as opposed to the one or two served by most fighting in Vietnam, a conflict notorious for the war-induced trauma many soldiers who fought in it returned home with. Studies suggest that those going out for their third or fourth rotation are twice as likely to suffer mental health problems as those just coming into active duty.

Changes are being made to help soldiers get help, however. More soldiers are actively speaking to about their combat stress and the military is offering more combat stress clinics where soldiers can rest and recover. The biggest obstacle to overcome in helping soldiers get mental health care help, however, is the soldiers themselves who often feel weak or incapable of doing their duty if they seek out help. Many do not want to be regarded negatively by peers or commanders, and simply deal with the pain silently.

Today, many in the armed forces as well as veterans at home are advocating new awareness of stress-counseling programs and are encouraging commanding officers to set an example by seeking out treatments and showing all soldiers that it’s ok to need a shoulder to lean on, hopefully preventing future tragedies and ensuring better lives for all enlisted.

This post was contributed by Meredith Walker, who writes about the masters in public health. She welcomes your feedback at MeredithWalker1983@gmail.com

Anyone that wants to write a guest post is welcome to do so at anytime as long as it is helpful. email me at namguardianangel@aol.com with the post you want to ad in the body of the email. Due to constant crashes of my PC, I no longer open attachments.

Drug Problems Among Iraq, Afghan Vets Could Dwarf Vietnam

If you go here there is an extensive post I did on the practice of medicating our troops.

PTSD On Trail:Sgt. Nicholas Horner and the wound he spread

The Hartford Courant sounded the alarm bell years ago, but no one heard it. I guess the broadcast media was just too busy reporting on events at the time, like movie stars in trouble or other salacious pieces of gossip. What was being done to our troops above and beyond the hazards of combat was deplorable and apparently it still is. Read this and then know full well, that there is one more lesson we never learned from Vietnam. We didn't take care of them when they were deployed and we certainly didn't take care of them willingly either. We made them fight for everything we ended up doing for them. How long do you think it will take the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to be treated right?

Drug Problems Among Iraq, Afghan Vets Could Dwarf Vietnam
Drug Addiction Rates in Afghan/Iraq Vets Could Surpass Vietnam’s Rates

Atlanta, GA 6/15/2009 10:07 PM GMT (TransWorldNews)
Rather than the heroin addictions many Vietnam veterans brought back with them from Southeast Asia, today's returning soldiers are more likely to be addicted to prescription medications -- the very opiates prescribed to them by the military to ease stress or pain -- or stimulants used by soldiers to remain alert in combat situations.

As a result, the U.S. could face a wave of drug addiction and mental-health problems among returning veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars greater than that resulting from the Vietnam War, according to experts at the recent Wounds of War conference sponsored by the National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA*) at Columbia University (Join Together is a project of CASA).

Historically, substance abuse has "not only been present but fostered by the military," said keynote speaker Jim McDonough, a retired U.S. Army officer and former strategy director at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "At Agincourt, the Somme and Waterloo, soldiers got liquored up before combat ... There's been almost no break in that [tradition] today."

"I think there's a lot more [soldiers addicted to] pharmacological opiates than the data show," said John A. Renner Jr., M.D., associate professor of psychiatry at the Boston University School of Medicine and associate chief of psychiatry at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System. "A lot of them were using opiates before they went, and a lot are reporting that opiates are freely available in combat areas."

Nora Volkow, M.D., director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), noted that while many soldiers receive prescription opiates for traumatic injuries and pain, the drugs also are effective in relieving stress. "So, even if you don't take it for that, it will work," she said.
go here for more
http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=94142&cat=10