Prince Harry Says Get Help Quickly for PTSD

Prince Harry, former President Bush stress importance of healing invisible wounds
US Army
By Shannon Collins
May 10, 2016

Former President George W. Bush and Britain's Prince Harry discuss the topic of post-traumatic stress during the 2016 Invictus Games Symposium on Invisible Wounds in Orlando, Fla., May 8, 2016.

(DoD photo by EJ Hersom)

ORLANDO, Fla. (May 10, 2016) -- Great Britain's Prince Harry, former President George W. Bush, and service members from each of their nations led a discussion at the 2016 Invictus Games Symposium on Invisible Wounds presented, May 8, by the George W. Bush Institute.

Former First Lady Laura Bush said she and the Bush Institute leadership were grateful the symposium was addressing an issue that affects so many veterans, as well as their family members, many of whom become their caregivers.

"George and I are committed to caring for our veterans and their families through the Bush Institute," she said. "We celebrate the service and sacrifice of our veterans at the 100-kilometer bike ride we host at our ranch and at the Warrior Open, a competitive golf tournament held in Dallas. We listen to the warriors tell their stories -- their triumphs and their struggles. Through these testimonies, we've recognized that the invisible wounds are not treated in the same way as the visible wounds, and that's why we're here today, to educate more people about those invisible wounds."

GETTING HELP QUICKLY

Prince Harry said the Invictus Games in 2014 in London smashed the stigma around physical injuries, and that he hopes this year's Invictus Games can do the same for invisible injuries.

The prince, who served in Afghanistan as a combat helicopter pilot, recently acknowledged that he has post-traumatic stress to bring light to the importance of recognizing invisible injuries. He said the key to fixing the problem is speaking out and using the resources available.

"I've spoken to everybody who has severe PTSD, through to minor depression, anxiety, whatever it may be, and everybody says the same thing: if you can deal with it soon enough, if you deal with it quick enough and actually have the ability and platform to be able to speak about it openly, then you can fix these problems," he said. "If you can't fix them, you can at least find coping mechanisms. There's no reason why people should be hiding in shame after they've served their country."
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Bush Veterans Speaking Fee Only Part of the Story

The hype on President Bush's speaking fee is misplaced. Frankly, the speech was given in 2012, not this year or even last year. So why is this news now?

"The former president was also given use of a private jet at a cost of $20,000 and former First Lady Laura Bush was paid $50,000 to speak to the group last year."

So why did a charity set up to help veterans think it was a good idea to pay any speaking fee? How many other charities pay speakers? And again, why is this news now?

To Help US Veterans Charity, George W. Bush Charged $100,000
ABC News
By MEGAN CHUCHMACH and BRIAN ROSS
Jul 8, 2015

Former President George W. Bush charged $100,000 to speak at a charity fundraiser for U.S. military veterans severely wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, and former First Lady Laura Bush collected $50,000 to appear a year earlier, officials of the Texas-based Helping a Hero charity confirmed to ABC News.

The former President was also provided with a private jet to travel to Houston at a cost of $20,000, the officials said.

The charity, which helps to provide specially-adapted homes for veterans who lost limbs and suffered other severe injuries in “the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said the total $170,000 expenditure was justified because the former President and First Lady offered discounted fees and helped raise record amounts in contributions at galas held in 2011 and 2012.

“It was great because he reduced his normal fee of $250,000 down to $100,000,” said Meredith Iler, the former chairman of the charity.

However, a recent report by Politico said the former President’s fees typically ranged between $100,000 and $175,000 during those years.
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ABC US News | World News

Helping A Hero Org from Charity Navigator

On April 8, 2014, the Houston Chronicle reported that Helping A Hero "has been under fire by several veterans who were given homes and former directors of the organization critical of its financial records, treatment of soldiers and broken promises." The article specifically reports on "the family of one blind veteran" that "sued the organization late last year for trying to take back his home [...] after he died. The lawsuit states that a buy-out option the organization tried to execute was invalid." Specifically, the veteran's father, Beau LeVine said "he had the power of attorney and was not present when that contract was signed by his blind son who could not read it. He also said the house was not worth the $250,000 that Meredith Iler [the charity's chair] reported was raised for it. The contract lists its value as $170,000." The article notes that in response IIer, "...contends Beau LeVine was present when the contract was signed, and she did nothing wrong. She said the contract stipulation is being enacted to buy back the home and give it to another disabled soldier. She said her organization has provided homes for nearly 100 veterans in 22 states." For more information, see the Houston Chronicle article.

On June 3, 2014, the charity provided the following statement: Helping a Hero requires the veteran to take out a $50,000 mortgage and live in the home for 10 years before the equity is fully vested in the veteran.

Insiders allege misuse of funds at home-building charity
WFAA
Brett Shipp
November 7, 2014

Seems that the wrong hype is being blasted across the globe. Would have been nice if all the above was mentioned.

President Obama Gets Credit For What President Bush Actually Did?

Reading an article on Breitbart about Rep. Ryan Zinke was stunning since it appears Edwin Mora decided to just follow along the rest of the crowd and give President Obama credit for something President Bush actually did.

The panel’s moderator asked Rep. Zinke, a former Navy SEAL Team Six commander, “You fought that war, would you have gone in knowing what we now know?”

“No,” candidly responded Zinke who led a force of over 3,500 Special Operations personnel in Iraq.

“I probably would not have gone, nor would I have left as soon as we did,” also said Zinke, later adding,“We left too soon and now we have to reengage.”

See, not only did President Bush start the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, he actually ended US operations in Iraq before being replaced by the newly elected President Obama.

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary
December 14, 2008

President Bush and Iraq Prime Minister Maliki Sign the Strategic Framework Agreement and Security Agreement Prime Minister's Palace Baghdad, Iraq

PRIME MINISTER MALIKI: (As translated.) I'd like to welcome the President of the United States, President George W. Bush. I would like to welcome you here as a guest. You have stood by Iraq and the Iraqi people for a very long time, starting with the -- getting rid of the dictatorship, helping the Iraqis to fight terrorism.

President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki shake hands following the signing of the Strategic Framework Agreement and Security Agreement at a joint news conference Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008, at the Prime Minister's Palace in Baghdad. President Bush said, " The agreements represent a shared vision on the way forward in Iraq."

Your visit today to Iraq, Mr. President, comes after the signing of the agreement between the two countries, which represents -- (audio drop) -- foundation and draws a road map that will govern and guide the relationship between the two states.

I believe that Iraq, we have performed and have done great work in a cooperative and integrated way in fighting terror. We have succeeded in Iraq, and we hope that efforts also around the world will succeed in defeating terrorism. Today Iraq is moving forward in every field. Through the new Iraqi political system we are working very hard through this, as well as developing the Iraqi economy, and reconstruction of Iraq. We are doing all of this in order for Iraq to restore its rightful place among nations and among the world, and away from the previous reckless policies that focused on wars with the previous regime.

The various political institutions have taken a very strong leadership position and the agreement was ratified, was approved by our political system, our parliament, and various institutions of the Iraqi government. They have approved and ratified the SOFA agreement and the withdrawal of American forces. We believe that these efforts culminated the height of real understanding and cooperation and friendship between Iraq and the United States. Now remains the part of implementing such an agreement. Now we are in the process of forming the proper committees that will carry out all elements of the various two agreements that were signed -- and I'm referring to the various fields, military, scientific, educational, commerce, as well as economic fields.

President Bush, you have played a very supportive role in achieving and concluding this agreement and prior to the actual date of starting to implement this agreement, in January 1, '09 we already start working through the United Nations Security Council we are in the process of drafting a resolution that will make it very clear that Iraq no longer represents a threat to world peace and security. And also a resolution that will set the basis for the protection of Iraqi financial capabilities and bring Iraq back to its rightful place among world communities.

Once again I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you, Mr. President. Once again I wish you a very joyful stay here in Baghdad and a safe trip back home.

We're also signing a Security Agreement, sometimes called a Status of Forces Agreement. The agreement provides American troops and Defense Department officials with authorizations and protections to continue supporting Iraq's democracy once the U.N. mandate expires at the end of this year. This agreement respects the sovereignty and the authority of Iraq's democracy. The agreement lays out a framework for the withdrawal of American forces in Iraq -- a withdrawal that is possible because of the success of the surge.
the link is still live and you can read the rest here

Whenever you read something be careful of what the article really says as much as what it doesn't say. A lot of smart people look really stupid when they believe something just because they want to.

Jim Nicholson won't take responsibility still?

This is a shocker. "Former VA secretary: Obama's 'not taking responsibility' for agency's misconduct." Nicholson was in the hot seat a lot. Why is he lying on top of it now?

In an interview on Friday with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Nicholson also hit back at Obama's sharp criticism of his tenure leading the VA, calling into question the former senator's commitment to the cause when he severed on the Veterans Affairs Committee. "He was on the committee but he never showed up," Nicholson said, appearing on "The Situation Room." Allegations of crippling delays in care and mismanagement have sparked calls for current Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign. When Nicholson took over as chief of the VA in 2005 during President George W. Bush's administration, he, too, received criticism of his leadership of the agency, notably from then Illinois Sen. Obama.

To explain the processing slowdown from 2005 to 2006, the VA in its recent report to Congress gave three reasons: a concentration on older claims, the training of new staff, and the fact that it had "received a greater-than- expected number of claims in 2006." In fact, the opposite was true. As early as February 2005, the VA anticipated receiving 818,076 claims in fiscal 2006, and Nicholson in February 2006 upped that to 910,000 claims - both above the actual tally of 806,382. (The VA this week told McClatchy Newspapers the report to Congress was in error and shouldn't have used the word "expected.")

Nicholson must have forgotten this from 2006

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) – a key member of the Senate Veterans Affairs (VA) Committee – today sent a letter to Senate VA Committee Chairman Larry Craig (R-ID) and Ranking Member Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI), requesting a hearing of the Committee on the status of mental health services provided by the VA."We need real answers from the VA and the Bush Administration. No gimmicks. No games," Murray said. "I am requesting a hearing on the mental health services provided by the VA so we can learn more about the need for mental health care, how to meet that demand, and what changes need to be made to provide our veterans with the care they need and deserve."Murray's call for a hearing follows an article in the May edition of Psychiatric News in which Frances Murphy, M.D., Undersecretary for Health Policy Coordination at the VA, indicates that the agency is ill-prepared to serve the mental health needs of our nation's veterans. In the article, Dr. Murphy notes that some VA clinics don't provide mental health or substance abuse care, or if they do, "waiting lists render that care virtually inaccessible."

The number of vets seeking counseling or treatment for mental health issues more than doubled from 4,467 in October of 2005 to 9,103 in June. And the number needing other forms of help transitioning from military to civilian life more than tripled, jumping from 43,682 to 144,227. Yet, the number of staff positions added to deal with such problems since 2002 is only eight.

The number of initial disability claims rose from 578,773 in 2000 to 788,298 in 2005, a 36 percent increase. The Department of Veterans Affairs takes an average of 129 days to make an initial decision. It hopes to reduce that to 115 days, said Michael Dusenbery, the Veterans Benefits Administration's southern area director. The backlog begins at the regional office, argue many veterans groups. "If they got the decision right in the first place, there would be fewer appeals to the board and less of a backlog," said Roy Spicer, DAV national appeals officer. Last year, 47,136 claims were appealed to the Board of Veterans' Appeals. More than half of regional offices' decisions that are appealed to the board are reversed or sent back to local offices for further action.

This was after Nicholson advised President Bush that claims would go down. Or the cases brought by one attorney where 40 died before their claims were approved.

"We should take care of our veterans, but I don't think they're taking care of me," Bolin said. He filed his original claim seven years ago. It reached the appeals court in March 2005. Bolin has been hospitalized twice this year and fears he may die before his case is settled. That fear is too often realized by veterans. His attorney, Dan Krasnegor, who works for a Richmond law firm that specializes in veterans' appeals, has had about 40 clients die before their cases were decided by the court.

Nicholson must have forgotten about the lawsuit filed by Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth in 2007.

“We won this round against VA. Veterans will have our day in court. The VA must now release documents under discovery about their deliberate attempts to deny and delay medical care and disability benefits for all veterans, especially our Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans,” said Paul Sullivan, the executive director of Veterans for Common Sense (VCS), the lead plaintiff organization that filed suit against VA. On July 23, 2007, VCS and Veterans United for Truth (VUFT) filed a class action lawsuit against VA in order to force VA to provide prompt and high-quality medical care and disability benefits to veterans, especially those with mental health conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). “Our Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are committing suicide while waiting for VA to answer their pleas for medical care. VA must make sure all our veterans receive prompt and high-quality medical care and disability benefits. The long waits at VA must end,” added Sullivan.

The same lawsuit that discovered veterans committing suicide information had been hidden.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Dr. Ira Katz, the VA's mental health director, deliberately withheld crucial information on the true suicide risk among veterans. "Doctor Katz's irresponsible actions have been a disservice to our veterans, and it is time for him to go," said Murray, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. "The number one priority of the VA should be caring for our veterans, not covering up the truth." Murray and other Democratic senators said they were appalled at e-mails showing Katz and other VA officials apparently trying to conceal the number of suicides by veterans. An e-mail message from Katz disclosed this week as part of a lawsuit that went to trial in San Francisco this week starts with "Shh!" and refers to the 12,000 veterans per year who attempt suicide while under department treatment. "Is this something we should (carefully) address ourselves in some sort of release before someone stumbles on it?" the e-mail asks.

And Nicholson must have forgotten this as well

“Recent incidents indicate a possible trend of system-wide or systemic indifference to the invisible wounds of war. It is shameful, because veterans deserve better, and because it tarnishes the good work of the many VA mental health professionals who help veterans battle PTSD, depression, and other psychological wounds,” said Akaka. “Whatever the reasoning behind the mistakes that were made, VA must work to regain the confidence of veterans who now question whether VA is a friend or enemy.” In their testimony, witnesses denied any systemic or deliberate efforts within VA to deny veterans care or compensation for psychological wounds. While Dr. Norma Perez, the psychologist from Texas, argued that there is little difference between adjustment disorder and PTSD, VA’s chief mental health official Dr. Ira Katz respectfully disagreed.

But it seems as if everyone has forgotten how long they had to do the right thing on PTSD as well.

Congress required the establishment of VA's Special Committee on PTSD in 1984, with the original purpose primarily to aid Vietnam-era veterans diagnosed with PTSD. One of the Special Committee's main charges is to carry out an ongoing assessment of VA's capacity to diagnose and treat PTSD and to make recommendations for improving VA's PTSD services.

As you've seen over and over again nothing is new here and nothing was fixed. For Nicholson to forget everything that went on including the fact with two wars on, he advised President Bush that there would be less need for VA staff.

Who broke the VA? Veterans didn't but everyone else did!

Who Really Broke Veterans Affairs?
It stains the legacies of presidents as far back as John F. Kennedy.
National Journal
By Jordain Carney and Stacy Kaper
May 20, 2014

Congress
Miller's own branch of government, however, cannot claim clean hands.

The VA could be overhauled to better address the needs of modern veterans, including reforms to the way it processes claims, assesses the performance of its employees, and measures its overall performance. But putting many of those reforms in place would require an act of Congress—and thus far those haven't happened.

Instead, Congress has taken a more reactive approach. When incidents—such as the recent hospital deaths—capture public attention, lawmakers hold hearings where they berate agency officials with juicy sound bites they can later play back for their constituents. It's good political theater, but it's unclear that the payoff is anything other than political.

"Congress has been totally exasperated by the VA's inability to get on top of the problem for a long time," said Linda Bilmes, a senior lecturer in public policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School. "But they haven't been willing to really contemplate anything other than throwing more money at the problem."

President George W. Bush

The Bush administration sent troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, but when those troops came home injured, the Defense Department failed to adequately communicate it to the agency tasked with helping them.

Early on, the department was publicly counting only about a third of the casualties stemming from the War on Terror. That was because the Department was only counting servicemen and women immediately targeted in the department's wounded-in-action statistics. That accounting method left out those who were not targeted but were wounded nonetheless, such as troops injured when they were riding two trucks back from one that was hit by a roadside bomb, or those hurt in training or transportation.(Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

The underreporting made it more difficult for the VA to prepare for the coming influx of requests for help. The poor sharing of information—including medical records—between the two agencies has long been a bone of contention, and it remains a challenge (albeit one that is improving) to this day.

"It's not surprising, really, that the VA ended up being poorly prepared for what happened, given the way that they were planning," said Harvard Kennedy School's Bilmes. "There was absolutely a lack of planning, a lack of capacity for planning. ... They didn't know what hit them. They were completely overwhelmed."

Additionally, the VA's claims-processing time skyrocketed early in the Bush years. In 2002, it took the VA an average of 224 days to complete claims, as compared with 166 days in 1999.
read more here

The answer is, everyone did. Presidents, a long list of them going back generations. Congress did and again, a long list of who was who when what was going on. But overall truth is all of us did because we wave flags when we send them off and if the war goes on too long, we don't want to pay for anything we don't have to pay attention to. So here are a few reminders.
Stolen Data Includes Details on 2.2 Million Troops Initial VA Report Asserted Only Veterans Affected by Burglary

SEN. PATTY MURRAY CALLS FOR HEARING ON VA MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES -- Murray cites VA's Dr. Frances Murphy who says waiting lists make VA mental health care "virtually inaccessible."

You'll love this one from 2005

The Budget Resolution passed by both houses of Congress will result in staff reductions in every VA Medical Center at a most inauspicious time—as veterans return from the war in Iraq and as increasing numbers of veterans need care from the system, said Thomas H. Corey, National President of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA). The impact will be significant among those returning troops who suffer from mental health issues such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), those who have sustained loss of limbs, and other serious injuries.

This one puts it in a nutshell.....

VA Secretary Is Ending a Trying Tenure
By Christopher Lee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 18, 2007

R. James Nicholson, the secretary of veterans affairs, resigned yesterday and said he would leave his post by Oct. 1, ending a tenure marked by the largest data breach in the federal government's history and sharp criticism of the care given to injured veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

In an interview, Nicholson said he first considered leaving his position at the government's second-largest department in February and recently made the decision final, in part because he will turn 70 next year and wants to get back into the private sector. He does not have a job lined up, he said.

"My yearn to get back into the business world is strong," said Nicholson, adding that he was not asked to step down. "It is a good time -- if there ever is a good time -- to leave the VA. There were no frustrations causing me to think about resigning. . . . This job is so big and our mission is so multifaceted that there are always frustrations, so that was not a factor."

Senior managers at the Department of Veterans Affairs and officials of veterans groups said the resignation came as a complete surprise. A few employees who saw the video conference in which Nicholson made his announcement said he became emotional.

The agency has faced considerable criticism for its treatment of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans as they move from the military health-care system to VA's, and for its chronically slow processing of disability claims by injured or sick veterans from all eras. Critics complain about lost paperwork, a shortage of VA caseworkers, a caseload of 400,000 pending disability claims and long waits for initial appointments in the VA health-care system.

The criticism grew louder this year when The Washington Post revealed decrepit conditions and poor outpatient treatment of wounded troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, though that facility is run by the Pentagon, not VA.

"I was surprised at the number of people, even the number of members of Congress, that thought Walter Reed was a VA hospital," Nicholson said. "So it did have an impact on us." President Bush chose Nicholson to lead a Cabinet-level task force that studied how to improve the care of returning veterans.

VA leaders came under fire again two months ago for awarding $3.8 million in bonuses to top executives in fiscal 2006 -- a time when the department was struggling to clear its backlog of disability claims and expand care as the number of newly injured veterans returning from overseas spiked.

Other trials included the theft last summer of a VA laptop computer and external hard drive containing personal information of 26.5 million veterans, and a $1 billion budget shortfall in 2005 that prompted Nicholson to go to Capitol Hill to ask for more money.

George W. Bush is too late on PTSD

George W. Bush is too late on PTSD
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 27, 2014

When I read about President Bush wanting to get involved in veterans coming home from Afghanistan and Iraq, I wanted to just ignore "Bush wants change in how PTSD is handled"

There were a lot of reasons. He had a history of ignoring them when he had the power to really make a difference in their lives.

There are always going to be news reports pulling readers in one direction over another. Unless the reader has paid close attention to everything else behind the story, they never really know what is believable so they just assume it is the truth. All of us want to believe we take care of our veterans in this country.

What the veterans talk about is never the same as what the press tells average folks.

There was a letter to the editor of the Dallas Morning News summing up what most of the veterans think about all of this.

George W. Bush caused vets' PTSD in the first place
Re: “Easing stigma for vets — Former president calls for shift in approach to PTSD, dropping ‘disorder’ from name,” Thursday news story.

Sickened. Repulsed. Utterly disgusted. Close but not nearly strong enough descriptions of how I felt when I saw George W. Bush weighing in on the problems faced by veterans suffering with PTSD. He wants “disorder” dropped from the term to make these veterans more appealing to employers. He intones that veterans with post-traumatic stress are “people who got hurt defending our country and are now overcoming wounds.”

In 2005 a report came out that the troops were getting contaminated water in Iraq. The VA was warned about troops with PTSD.

The Associated Press reported Feb. 17 that the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO) has raised concerns in a new report about the ability of the Veterans Administration (VA) to cope with an expected flood of PTSD cases among returning vets.The VA says it has already treated 6,400 veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars for PTSD, but GAO noted that less than half of those using VA health services are screened for PTSD. Without access to PTSD services, "many mental-health experts believe that the chance may be missed ... to lessen the severity of symptoms and improve the overall quality of life" for vets with PTSD, the report said.

If George W. Bush had actually cared about PTSD and the suffering of our troops would he have his Secretary of Veterans Affairs do this?

November 27, 2005
SECRETIVE VA LAUNCHES NEW PTSD REVIEW
By Larry Scott

Just six days after canceling one PTSD review, the VA "sneaks in" another
- Culture of secrecy makes agency designed to help veterans their biggest foe

Over the past year, the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA), led by Secretary Jim Nicholson, has turned a deaf ear to veterans and quietly made numerous decisions designed to strip veterans of benefits and compensation.

Secretary Nicholson came to the VA with no understanding of veterans' advocacy and no experience in the healthcare sector. He had been Chairman of the Republican National Committee and Ambassador to the Vatican. As one pundit put it, "Jim Nicholson can write a good political bumper sticker and knows how to kiss the Pope's ring. That's about it."

But, with Secretary Nicholson at the VA helm, veterans have come to feel isolated from the agency's decision-making processes. And, recent developments have done nothing quell that uneasy feeling.

The latest "unannounced" move by the VA is a new review of PTSD diagnosis, treatment and compensation. The VA's plans came to light on November 16, just six days after they had canceled a review of 72,000 PTSD claims awarded at 100 percent disability. Pressure from veterans' groups and Democrat members of Congress forced the cancellation.

The VA's new PTSD review was not announced by the VA. There was no VA press release. There was no VA press conference. The information was not posted on the VA web site.

Information about the new PTSD review was made public in a press release by Senator Larry Craig (R-ID), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. The release, in part, said, "The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today that it has contracted with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) on a two-pronged approach to the examination of PTSD."

The VA Budget request was not just too low, but actually cut $13 million from research. Over a million Priority 7 and 8 veterans were cut off while the VA was collecting money for treating veterans. Oh, but we couldn't blog about the real news going on because President Bush had too many defenders while the troops had too few.

Demand for veterans' health care has surged in recent years. During the seven years after the Veterans Healthcare Reform Act was enacted in 1996, enrollment grew 141 percent to 7 million, while funding increased 60 percent, a 2004 report by the Harvard/Cambridge Hospital Study Group said.

Congress in July approved an extra $1.5 billion for veterans' health after the Department of Veterans Affairs revealed a funding shortfall.

About 103,000 veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are currently receiving care from the system, far more than the 23,500 the VA predicted. The surge contributed to about one- quarter of the funding shortfall, Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson told Congress in June.

Then there was the fact that over 2 million had their records exposed when a VA employee decided to take the records home.

WASHINGTON (June 7) - Personal data on about 2.2 million active-duty military, Guard and Reserve personnel - not just 50,000 as initially believed - were among those stolen from a Veterans Affairs employee last month, the government said Tuesday.

This report would not end if all that happened while President Bush had the chance to really make a difference. In 2008 suicides started a dramatic increase after the DOD was pushing Battlemind. The next program,

Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness (CSF2) was established in August 2008 by then-Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., under the name Comprehensive Soldier & Family Fitness (CSF2), in an effort to address the challenges being faced due to multiple deployments required by persistent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead of focusing only on treatment after the issues arose, Casey wanted to also provide preventative measures to the Soldiers, their Families and Army Civilians to make them stronger on the front end.[1] CSF2 Resilience Training was created to give these individuals the life skills needed to better cope with adversity and bounce back stronger from these challenges. CSF2 (renamed in October 2012), was designed to build resilience and enhance performance of the Army Family—Soldiers, their Families, and Army Civilians. Comprehensive Soldier Fitness is not a treatment program in response to adverse psychological conditions. CSF2 has three main components: online self-development, training, and metrics and evaluation.

This program, started and the suicides went up even higher. So if you really want to praise President Bush for pushing to take the "D" out of PTSD then you just didn't know in his case the "D" stands for denial of what he failed to do when he had the chance.

George W. Bush Aims to Help Vets

Former President George W. Bush Aims to Help Vets
Stars and Stripes
by Jon Harper
Feb 20, 2014

WASHINGTON — Former President George W. Bush hosted a Military Service Initiative Summit on Wednesday, and spoke about the many problems facing post-9/11 veterans and how his institute hopes to address them.

“A lot of people ask me, you know, do I miss much about being president. The answer really [is] no, [but] I do miss saluting men and women who volunteer to defend our nation during war. Many are coming home and are preparing for new missions as civilians. And I intend to salute these men and women for the rest of my life … And through the Military Service Initiative, the [George W.] Bush Institute is going to help [them],” Bush said at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas.

“Since 9/11, more than 2.5 million Americans have worn the uniform … They are the 1 percent of America who kept the 99 percent safe. And we owe them and their families a deep debt of gratitude. Our country can never really fully repay our vets, but we ought to try.”

Bush said his institute’s plans have been shaped by a joint study that the organization conducted with the Syracuse University Institute for Veterans and Military Families, which he described as “one of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted of post-9/11 veterans.” The full results won’t be released until the spring, but Bush gave the audience a preview of the study’s findings. He said the study yielded the following insights:

Of the 2.5 million post-9/11 veterans, more than 2 million served in Afghanistan or Iraq

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Endangering Veterans and Victimizing Its Workforce

When you read this, notice the dates. Some happened during the Bush Administration and some happened in the Obama Administration. These cases are one more reason why I am an Independent. The GOP and the Dems failed our veterans. Time to wake up and notice that when it comes to our veterans, the only side we should take is on the side of veterans, not politicians.

Veterans Affairs: Endangering Veterans and Victimizing Its Workforce
OpEdNews
By Ward Jordan
2/1/2014

With a workforce of more than 300,000 civilian employees, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the second largest department in the U.S. Government. The VA operates the nation's largest integrated health care system and purports to maintain a "customer service" organization. But, some employees and veteran groups unwaveringly challenge that notion.

VA's mantra "I CARE," an acronym meant to reflect its core values of Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy , Respect, and Excellence draws fire from America's veterans in need of timely care and benefits. "The VA uses the disingenuous "I Care" catchphrase to veil the truth," says Chauncey L. Robinson, a disabled veteran who served in the Persian Gulf War. "If you ask me, the term best explains how the VA callously treats wounded veterans by -- Ignoring, Concealing, Altering, Rejecting and Expelling their medical and benefit claims," says Robinson.

According to Robinson, VA officials destroyed his original benefits claim in 1995 and altered his medical records in 2012. He says, the VA has been processing his claim for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and a heart condition for twenty-one (21) years. In June 2012, Robinson joined the Kendall, et. al. v Shinseki, class action lawsuit. The lawsuit accuses VA officials of intentionally depriving veterans of their rights (Case No.: 12-330-CV LMB, filed June 26, 2012, U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho).

Veterans are not alone in their frustration with the VA. Present and former VA employees tell of an intolerable workplace of reprisal where civil servants suffer when exposing wrong-doing by management officials. From fiscal year 2008 thru fiscal year 2013, VA employees filed over twelve thousand EEO employment claims against VA based on its "No FEAR" report data, as required by the Notification and Federal Employee Anti-discrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002. Employees commonly and markedly alleged "retaliation" as a basis for filing employment discrimination complaints against the VA.

In 2008, Jamie Fox and Oliver Mitchell learned quickly of VA's "culture of reprisal." Both veterans blew the "whistle" while employed by the VA. They did so at a time when VA was feverishly struggling to meet President-Elect Barack Obama's "aggressive goal to transform VA into a modern 21st century organization that would effectively and efficiently care for Veterans" (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs FY 2014-2020 Draft Strategic Plan (p8).
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George W. Bush Bikes With Injured Vets

George W. Bush Bikes With Injured Vets
Reflects On White House Decisions, Life After The Presidency
Huffington Post
Jon Ward
Posted: 05/30/2013

CRAWFORD, Texas -- George W. Bush had been riding his mountain bike for almost four hours, and he was out of gas.

I was 12 riders behind the former president as we cycled, single file, along a winding trail cut through Bush's 1,500-acre ranch. We had been riding almost nonstop, in 90-degree heat, for 30 miles, over terrain that was at times technical, challenging and potentially hazardous. Rocky sections delivered a pounding to both bike and rider. Roots threatened to upend us. At one point, a narrow path along a ridge line dropped off steeply to the right, 50 to 75 feet to the gorge below. Bush had called the section "hairy."

It was the second day of Bush's third annual Warrior 100K, a three-day mountain bike ride that he has hosted at different locations since leaving the White House, to which he invites military veterans, many of whom had been seriously wounded in the wars he initiated. It's a ritual of thanks and bonding that might seem fraught from the outside, but that everyone who takes part seems to enjoy.

This year, 75 riders participated in the event over Memorial Day weekend, 13 of them veterans wounded physically or psychologically, or both. The rest of the peloton was made up of a few guests of the veterans, Secret Service agents, mechanics, medics, an assortment of people who have ridden with Bush over the past several years, and a few odds and ends, like me, the only reporter along for the entire ride.

Bush is aiming to push veterans aid efforts away from a focus solely on sending money to those in pain, toward a goal of helping as many as possible stand on their own two feet, be they flesh or metal.

An undercurrent flowing through remarks by Bush and others during the three days was a concern that returning veterans not be turned into charity cases, whether injured in the body or the spirit. During a press conference, the former president said the Bush Institute's "first focus is on helping vets find jobs."

"I mean, after all, these men and women have shown incredible courage, they've understood what it means to accomplish a task, and they'll be great employees," Bush said, the 13 wounded warriors standing on either side of him. "And so that's what we're doing at the Bush Center. It's all aiming to make sure that the outpouring of support that is pretty predominant in our country is channeled in a way that is effective."

I asked him about that comment the next day when we spoke.

"Yeah, see here, one of my concerns at the Bush Institute is that the outpouring of support for our vets, while impressive, could be misguided," he said.

He talked for a moment about making sure that financial donations go to organizations that are spending money on veterans, not overhead, and that are having a real impact. Then he talked about post-traumatic stress disorder.

"If you talk to some of these vets, if they level with ya, they'll say one of our biggest concerns is that PTSD is viewed as a disability and employers don't want to hire a disabled person. So one of the things we're going to try to do is help destigmatize the injury," Bush told me.

Of the 13 veterans invited to the ride, only four of them had visible wounds (Gade, who also rode last year, was not one of the designated veteran riders for 2013). A number of others listed PTSD as an official diagnosis.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Manuel Colon, 39, was out on patrol with an Afghan Army unit in Lwara, Afghanistan, in 2004 when improvised explosive devices injured several of the Afghan soldiers.

"When you're talking about coming back and trying to figure out body parts to specific people that are still alive, they're yelling and all this stuff, and putting them all down and trying to figure out what was going on. The burning of the skin, the smell, the blood," Colon said. "That one specific thing just kind of sticks to my mind over and over again."

"Can PTSD be treated? I believe possibly," Colon said. "I'm not a doctor. But it all depends on the individual themselves … How much did they endure? How much was implanted in their mind that just can't be erased? And some of us are dealing with it better, and some of us are not dealing with it that well."
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Who is really to blame for sequestration?

Who is really to blame for sequestration?

Army offers more budget crunch guidance
Army Times
By Paul McLeary
Staff writer
Posted : Friday Feb 8, 2013

Today is the deadline for the services to submit their sequestration and continuing resolution (CR) implementation plans to the secretary of Defense, and according to an internal Army document obtained by Defense News, the service has identified more potential operational impacts if Congress and the White House don’t get the nation’s fiscal house in order by March 1 (sequestration deadline) and March 27 (the end of the current CR).

In the Wednesday memo titled “Operating Under Uncertain Budgets,” the Army estimates that it will take as long as 150 days to restart any contract that has been shut down due to budget pressure, and that “this considerable time lag creates a FY14 problem. Workload to renegotiate contracts will over burden an already taxed acquisition workforce and likely increase costs in the short term.”

Some of those contracts are significant. Other documents have already reported that 21 of the service’s 26 major acquisition priorities would be at risk to incur significant Nunn-McCurdy breaches, which would in turn impact 300 contractors and 1,000 suppliers in 40 states.
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That would be John Boehner


But what does he say now?


The other truth is that President Bush did not have Afghanistan and Iraq in the Budget but President Obama put them in it.
Total outlays in recent budget submissions
Annual U.S. spending 1930-2014 alongside U.S. GDP for comparison.
2013 United States federal budget - $3.8 trillion (submitted 2012 by President Obama)[122]
2012 United States federal budget - $3.7 trillion (submitted 2011 by President Obama)
2011 United States federal budget - $3.8 trillion (submitted 2010 by President Obama)
2010 United States federal budget - $3.6 trillion (submitted 2009 by President Obama)

Washington, DC — President Obama today submitted to the Congress a Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 supplemental appropriations request totaling $83.4 billion to fund ongoing military, diplomatic, and intelligence operations.

Oct 22, 2009
"For 500,000 priority 8 veterans" benefits were restored.
"Biggest increase in more than 30 years."
"Post 9-11 GI Bill"
The President speaks at the signing of a bill that will increase the VA budget, help fund the post 9/11 GI Bill, and dramatically increase funding for veterans health care. October 22, 2009.

2009 United States federal budget - $3.1 trillion (submitted 2008 by President Bush)
2008 United States federal budget - $2.9 trillion (submitted 2007 by President Bush)
2007 United States federal budget - $2.8 trillion (submitted 2006 by President Bush)
2006 United States federal budget - $2.7 trillion (submitted 2005 by President Bush)
2005 United States federal budget - $2.4 trillion (submitted 2004 by President Bush)
2004 United States federal budget - $2.3 trillion (submitted 2003 by President Bush)
2003 United States federal budget - $2.2 trillion (submitted 2002 by President Bush)
2002 United States federal budget - $2.0 trillion (submitted 2001 by President Bush)
2001 United States federal budget - $1.9 trillion (submitted 2000 by President Clinton)

Iraq vet battling PTSD pedals his way to recovery

Iraq vet battling PTSD pedals his way to recovery
By Matthew Hansen
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
April 26, 2012

Marine Sgt. David Wright of Omaha will climb on his mountain bike today in northern Texas, take a couple of deep breaths to calm his nerves, and begin to pedal through the second-largest canyon in the United States.

He'll be pedaling away from a past of daily roadside bombs in Fallujah and then the daily drinking binges to numb the panic attacks and the flashbacks.

He'll be pedaling alongside former President George W. Bush, who was Wright's commander in chief during two tours of duty in Iraq. Wright is one of 20 Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans picked to participate in the second-ever Warrior 100K, Bush's three-day, 100-kilometer ride through the picturesque Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo.

The ride is meant to honor those injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. It serves as one of the former president's most public events — Bush has remained generally out of the public eye since ending his second term in office.

For the 32-year-old Wright, the ride through the largest U.S. canyon not named the Grand Canyon serves as another milestone in his recovery from a traumatic brain injury and PTSD.

That recovery had been slowed by misdiagnoses and his long-held belief that Marines don't ask for assistance, Wright said before leaving for Texas.

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Will Military Bloggers Support President Obama As Much As Bush?

Was supporting Bush no matter what he did about supporting the President as Commander-in-Chief or was it about Bush being a Republican?

I remember all the rants coming from supposedly "Patriotic Americans" when the Commander-in-Chief was Bill Clinton and it was bash after bash claiming he couldn't do anything right. It wasn't just the bloggers doing it but it was the Republican party in general.

When it came to Bush becoming president, the bashing was done on the other side, but no one on that side seemed to have the right to claim they were on the side of the troops against the president the way the anti-Clinton folks were able to get away with.

So now the tide has turned yet again. Since the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, anyone speaking out on the facts or asking for accountability was viewed as being the enemy, refusing to support the president as Commander-in-Chief, called anti-American and anti-military. Will the Military Bloggers regard President Obama in the same way they viewed President Bush or President Clinton?

Sorry but I just don't trust most of them and here are the reasons.

Naturally I'm on the outside of the military bloggers. I'm not welcomed among them. I tried for a couple of years because of the videos I do and though that they would be happy to pass them on for the sake of the troops and our veterans. That didn't work. Either I received an email telling me that I would not be included in their groups or received no email response at all. You'd think that since the videos I do on PTSD are non-political and provide support for the troops and veterans, they would be pushing these videos so that more would be able to find them, but then you'd also have to expect that when it came to the troops and veterans, politics was taken out.

While some called me a hero when they discovered some of my videos, sooner or later they dropped promoting the videos then either totally disregarded me or slammed me. Thankfully it was more ignoring me than slamming me. That's the first reason.

The next is my blog. Again, either it was ignored or slammed because while I fully support the troops and veterans, the Military Bloggers didn't like what I had to say about Bush. That's the second reason.

The other reason is that while they claim that it had nothing to do with being a Republican or Democrat, the defense of Bush, no matter what he did or didn't do, didn't end. All they had to do was look at the facts. Right up until this year, Iraq was a mess and it was not until the end of the Bush presidency things began to turn around in Iraq. None of them wondered why this had not happened before? Iraq was invaded in March of 2003 and this is 2008! Over five years into an occupation with 4,191 dead in Iraq and 626 dead in Afghanistan, why weren't they asking for changes in what was being done before? When others did demand changes to secure Iraq and bring the troops home, change the focus back to Afghanistan, they were called anti-war. It didn't seem to bother any of them the changes did not come until this year considering last year was not only the highest death rate in Iraq but in Afghanistan as well.

When the reports came out about the way the wounded were being treated, or should I say ignored, none of them came out forcefully demanding the administration take action.

The list goes on. The response of the Military Bloggers will show if this was all about supporting the President as Commander-in-Chief or just supporting him as a Republican. So far most of the post I've read are against Obama. Let's see if the trend continues and then we'll know if this is about party or patriotism.

As for President Elect Obama, my side will hold him accountable the same way we did President Bush and Clinton. We will support him when he's right and "bash" him when he is wrong. We will, for the most part anyway. As for the troops and veterans, get ready to see what real support means because when it comes to them, they have a someone who is really on their side stepping in as Commander-in-Chief. He's proven that by what he's done since he entered the Senate. As for John McCain, well, his voting record has been against veterans but that didn't seem to bother most of the Military bloggers either. There are some who have been fair and balanced, but there are only a few I can think of.







Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos

Namguardianangel@aol.com

www.Namguardianangel.org

www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington