T. Boone Pickens donating money from his book to help wounded troops

I was watching the Daily Show last night and T. Boone Pickens was talking about his new book. The great thing was he also announced that the money from the book, is going to Brooke Army Medical Center and Fisher House! This is a great thing.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=210176&title=t.-boone-pickens

The First Billion Is the Hardest: Reflections on a Life of Comebacks and America's Energy Future (Hardcover)
by T. Boone Pickens (Author)

The First Billion Is the Hardest

Military to follow up with wounded vets

Military to follow up with wounded vets

By Gregg Zoroya - USA TODAY
Posted : Thursday Nov 13, 2008 6:20:28 EST

WASHINGTON — The military has launched a detective effort to find at least 2,300 veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan to see how they are faring, and whether they are missing out on health and other benefits.

Army and Marine commanders says the outreach effort is due to several factors, including greater concern in these wars for long-term consequences of combat and more funding to get it done.

About 33,000 troops have been wounded in the two wars, but not all have been located or reached.

“We are trying to catch up to six years worth of war,” says Col. Gregory Boyle, commander of the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment.

Callers who reach these new veterans help eliminate red tape to resolve compensation and health care needs, educate veterans about new benefits and link them to resources or potential employers.

Congress last year authorized expanded efforts to manage cases and advocate for wounded service members leaving the military, at a cost of about $65 million, records show.

The outreach is so unexpected that some veterans ask if the service is trying to call them back to duty, says John Chavis, who directs a call center for the Wounded Warrior Regiment. ”We reassure them that’s not our intent,” he says.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/gns_injured_vets_111308/

Wounded Warriors teach Air Force people about healing

Wounded warriors teach Air Force people about healing
Wounded warriors teach Air Force people about healing
As part of Warrior Care Month, we're including stories from Airmen who want to share their experiences with the wounded. Below is a story from Airman 1st Class Jonathan Charles about what it means to him to be an Aerospace Medical Technician at Andrews AFB.

By: A1C Jonathan Charles
779th Aeromedical Staging Facility

From across the Atlantic, wounded warriors fly to the 779th Aeromedical Staging Facility at Andrews Air Force Base, just minutes outside of D.C. Finally, after the $4.9 million renovation, on 9 October 2008, their welcome home is a little more worthy of their sacrifice.

There is little difference from others when we get up, put on the uniform, kiss our spouses, and go to work. Yet, few can say they feel more energized when they leave work than when they came in.

My unit, the 779th Aeromedical Staging Facility, is the first welcome-home point for wounded warriors. Some cry, some laugh, some just want to talk, but they all seem to think of others at the time when the focus is on them. Everyday, the fulfillment of the job comes not from the pride in the uniform, strength of the leadership, or thrill of the mission, but the humbleness of the wounded warrior.
click link for more

Ex-servicemen hope president-elect focuses on military issues

This young boy, turned into the man I married. He came home in 1971 from Vietnam. I've been doing outreach work with veterans who have PTSD ever since the day we met 26 years ago.

While all veterans have my heart, the Vietnam Veterans have tugged at my soul. Understand that this is coming from someone who has dedicated her life to our veterans. I take all of this very seriously, spend countless hours researching history as well as what the politicians do and fail to do. The following defense of President Elect Obama does not come without facts that can be found by anyone willing to look for them. Most of the links are on this blog.

There is a comment in this article claiming that Obama has not done anything for veterans since he entered into the senate. This is a false claim and spun by the GOP. I've heard it all too often. The fact is when Obama had many options of choosing which committees to serve on, he wanted to serve on the Veterans Affairs Committee. Aside from his grandfather and uncle being veterans, his heart was with our veterans. Obama was advised that the Veteran's Affairs Committee was not a high profile committee but it was where he felt he was called to.

Up until the Democrats took control, albeit limited in the Senate, mountains have been moved for the sake of our veterans. From the largest budget increase in history for the VA, to programs gearing up to help veterans with PTSD and TBI, to all the advances in research, Veteran's Centers opening up and the GI Bill, Obama has been a big part of all of that. He did not do anything with the glare of the media focused on him but did so quietly believing it is the obligation of this nation to take care of our veterans. I have watched this man since the day he was elected to the senate and have read his speeches as well as interviews he's given. He is the real deal when it comes to our veterans and our nation as a whole. He has not paid lip service to our veterans in the past and will not in the future.

Most of the claims against him have come from people who also believed that McCain, as a veteran, had the interests of veterans in his own heart, yet he has only provided lip service to them. From the POW's returning from Iraq after the Gulf War, going to court to sue the Iraqi government, McCain was not fighting for them when Bush killed the law suit. McCain's voting record against veterans and what they need has been deplorable no matter what he or anyone in the GOP claim. The facts speak for themselves. There is a grand delusion that has been harming our veterans for too many years. Don't believe me. Instead look up their voting records for yourself and find out who has been providing lip service and nothing more from those who have done the work on behalf of veterans. If you have not been keeping informed of what the reality is, you will be astonished at how wrong you've been.

Vets hope Obama fulfills promises
Ex-servicemen hope president-elect focuses on military issues
By CAITLIN CROWLEY
Staff writer

Like many in the region, local veterans are hoping last week's election of Barack Obama as president will bring change for the country -- specifically, for the country's veterans and military men and women.

In the days between the presidential election and the Veterans Day holiday, area vets expressed their hopes for the new administration.

Bernard Williamson, of the Veterans of Foreign Wars McEvoy-Dempsey Post 10585 in Derby, said he hopes Obama will work on a few issues that Bush's administration hurt instead of helped.

"Bush's administration closed Veterans' Affairs hospitals, decreased veterans' benefits, and didn't help veterans wage-wise," said Williamson.

Williamson is also concerned about troops overseas, saying he hopes Obama will "do something for men and women in service right now."

Tim Kelly, 61, of the Connecticut branch of Disabled American Veterans, also is interested in seeing how the Obama administration handles decisions about veterans and the military. Like Williamson, Kelly hopes Obama doesn't cut funding for veterans.

And, as a Vietnam veteran, he is worried about how Obama will handle the war in Iraq. "I hope they don't just go in there and withdraw troops and waste 4,000 lives," said Kelly, referring to the men and women who have already died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

World War II combat veteran Joseph Minto, 87, has one simple hope for the Obama administration. "I hope he fulfills his promises,"


Minto said. "He promised everyone something, so I don't know if he will come through."

Some, like Kelly, said they can't predict what Obama will actually do for veterans. He said he doesn't know what to expect from Obama because he hasn't done anything to be judged on.

"We really don't know because he didn't do anything for us while in the Senate," Kelly said, adding, "there's a lot of lip service with the Democrats but they never do anything."

go here for more

http://www.connpost.com/ci_10942428

Capt. Alex Houston Shows Warrior Ethos

Commander Shows Warrior Ethos

Army.com - Huntsville,Al,USA

“He walks the walk, and talks the talk,” she said. “He and his family are committed to the unit and soldiers. His injury has not been an impediment at all. He’s a true testament to the Warrior Ethos — a testament to what the folks at Walter Reed and he have done.”

Oct. 30, 2008
By Sarah Maxwell

FORT DETRICK, Md. ( American Forces Press Service) – In most ways, Army Capt. Alex Houston is like any other Army commander.

He comes to work here every day ready to lead and set the standard for the soldiers who work for him. He diligently performs all of his administrative duties as the 21st Signal Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Company commander, and he gets down and dirty with the unit during company physical training. He jokes with his staff, and even has been known to sing off-key for them.

And he does this all as a wounded warrior. As a platoon leader in Iraq, Houston lost his left hand when his convoy was attacked during a night mission.

click link for more

What you did not hear in the VP debate

We heard a lot in the debate between Senator Biden and Gov. Palin. Biden is well versed and experienced. He was reluctant to admit that when it came between what he said about Senator Obama's views and what Biden thought was wrong has lead him to change his mind. This happens all the time when you have people speaking out with their own ideas and not being willing to listen to others. Palin came off as charming but was reluctant to answer all the questions, often saying she did not want to talk about the issue presented to her. In the 90 minutes of debate, what we did not hear was that while both candidates have sons in the military, how we take care of them when they come home was never brought up.

The issues;
National Guards and Reservists families dealing with the economy, loss of income and jobs while deployed, food stamps and foreclosures
Redeployments with the lack of dwell time
Suicides and attempted suicides
Backlog of claims to be processed along with misdiagnosis of TBI and PTSD
VA unable to keep up with patient flow in far too many states

The list is endless involving both candidates along with Senator McCain, who also has a son in the military. What we also did not hear is how McCain has voted against veterans funding with a deplorable record of actually supporting the troops demanding plans for conclusion of both occupations, demanding accountability for the waste of funds on contractors with cost plus billing, demanding accountability for the billions of dollars missing, as well as any of the factors contributing to the suffering of wounded troops within the DOD and veterans in the VA system.

We can talk all we want about Afghanistan and Iraq, the economy and the reputation of this nation, but what we cannot do is ignore the fact these things are all tied together. While we cannot end either military action today, we can and must take care of the wounded today. If we do not then when all the troops come home, we will be unable to take care of any of them. Right now, today, we have veterans from Iraq, Afghanistan, Gulf War, Vietnam, Korea and WWII, waiting for care and compensation. We have them suffering from TBI, PTSD, depleted uranium, Agent Orange, sexual assaults along with other illnesses directly related to their service to this nation. We heard nothing about any of this.

The only one to approach what the troops are lacking is the MRAPS that Biden brought up that McCain voted against. These men and women are not only serving the nation, they are Americans who are suffering because they served and it's time they became at least important enough to be included in every debate and speech given. They can argue all they want about who voted for what, which is important and brought us to where we are, we can argue about who has the best plan to fix what we are into, but if the men and women serving, risking their lives, continue to be ignored by the people seeking to control it all, then we have not honored any of them.

There needs to be a debate about the best person to take care of the men and women serving in the military and those who came before them. They need to be included in the speeches given by those seeking to head this nation. Every senator and representative running for election or re-election needs to address them with all speeches they give and hold their record accountable.




Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://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

VA Hospitals Already Treated 347,750 Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran Patients

Sep 10, VCS Releases New VA Fact Sheet: VA Hospitals Already Treated 347,750 Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran Patients

Paul Sullivan, Executive Director, VCS


Sep 10, 2008

Veterans for Common Sense releases our newest "VA Fact Sheet" showing that VA hospitals and patients treated nearly 350,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran patients, including nearly 150,000 diagnosed with mental health conditions.
go here for more
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/11066

And they have this from the DOD
Sep 10, VCS Issues New DoD Fact Sheet: 1,001 More Battlefield Casualties for August Raises Total to 79,049 for Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/11133

PTSD on Trial: Treat the wounded and stop sending them to jail

Man wants to start alternative court program for war veterans
BY KATE WARD Northwest Arkansas Times

Posted on Sunday, August 31, 2008


As a multiple combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, John Bennett has seen the need for post-war treatment first-hand.

"We spend thousands of dollars each year to train these guys to go overseas and fight a war," he said. "Then we bring them back and do very little to integrate them back into society. Some begin self-medicating because of what they've experienced. Their drinking often turns to drug use, which leads to crime."

Bennett hopes to divert troubled vets from the traditional justice system by establishing a court program tailored to their needs. In addition to rehabilitation and treatment, the program would provide vets with the tools needed to lead productive and law-abiding lives through rehabilitative programming, reinforcement and judicial monitoring.

"They stood up for us in war and we need to stand up for them when they return," he said. "Throwing them in jail doesn't help anyone."

A 2007 report conducted by the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors reveals a sizable fraction of service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD ). About 12 to 20 percent of those returning from Iraq, and about 6 to 11 percent of those returning from Afghanistan, suffer from some degree of PTSD. To date, 52, 375 returnees have been seen in Veteran's Affairs hospitals for PTSD symptoms.

"It's very traumatic, mentally," said Steve Gray, veteran affairs coordinator for Rep. John Boozman's office. "The battle mind that keeps them alive and safe over there is what gets them in trouble here."
go here for more
http://nwanews.com/nwat/News/68643/

Military veterans take horse farm tour

Military veterans take horse farm tour
By Jillian Ogawa
jogawa@herald-leader.com
PARIS — Willie T. Hunter had just returned home from Vietnam, where he had lost his hearing, permanently, in his left ear, and had narrowly escaped death after being hit by a rocket.


Wearing his U.S. Army uniform, he was pelted by a tomato and a lemon, Hunter recalled, while getting off a plane shortly after his arrival in the states.


"When we came back, we were called baby killers," Hunter said.


It's that experience that motivates Hunter, 64, of Louisville to help veterans who served in recent conflicts in the Middle East.


"I had a bad taste in my mouth for a long time," said Hunter, who served in the Army for 20 years. "I didn't want them to go through what I went through."


On Thursday, Hunter was among the veterans from past conflicts who gathered at Runnymede Farm, a Thoroughbred farm, with veterans currently in the Warrior Transition Battalion in Fort Knox, which helps injured soldiers make the return home or to their unit.


The Military Order of the Purple Heart, a charitable organization, and the Clay family, which owns the farm, invited the veterans on a private tour of the farm as a way to show appreciation for the sacrifices the soldiers made.
go here for more
http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/506509.html

SeaWorld gives wounded warriors water ski thrill ride

Wounded veterans hit lake for ski clinic
By Michelle Roberts - The Associated PressPosted : Friday Aug 29, 2008 6:16:38 EDT

SAN ANTONIO — Wheelchairs parked and crutches tossed aside, dozens of soldiers wounded in war hit the lake at a theme park in what’s believed to be the nation’s largest water-skiing clinic for people with physical disabilities.
The All Can Ski program has been teaching people with physical disabilities to water-ski since 1992, but in the past four years, dozens of veterans who suffered severe burns or amputations have joined the annual two-day clinic.

ALL CAN SKI ONLINE (go here to see some great pictures like the two above)
http://www.sanantoniosports.org/allcanski.html

Of the 81 people who attended the program at SeaWorld San Antonio on Wednesday and Thursday, 26 were military veterans; most participated in a special session Thursday for wounded veterans.
The manmade lake is typically used by the park’s professional water-skiers to put on trick shows for tourists, but during the clinic Thursday, amputees rode the wake with water skis on their prosthetic legs or fitted with chairs.
“It was real fun,” said Sgt. Michael Gallardo, a 23-year-old from Los Angeles who lost part of a leg in a blast in Iraq last year.
Water-skiing for the first time, Gallardo rode around the lake on two skis, one leg in a prosthetic. After his first spin around the lake, he tried to hop the wake and wiped out, but he was still grinning.

go here for more

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/08/waterskiing_woundedvets_ap_082908w/

Tammy Duckworth, Wounded Iraq veteran rips Bush, McCain

Wounded Iraq veteran rips Bush, McCain
By CHRISTOPHER WILLS | Associated Press Writer
9:23 PM CDT, August 27, 2008
DENVER - Tammy Duckworth, an Army helicopter pilot who lost both legs in Iraq, told the Democratic convention Wednesday that Republican John McCain has unfailingly backed a Bush administration that "let our warriors down."

"Our troops are courageous, strong, fierce. This administration has redeployed them until they are overstretched, stressed and strained," said Duckworth, now director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs.

She berated McCain for backing President Bush's decision to invade Iraq, calling it a diversion from the true battle -- fighting in Afghanistan to destroy al Qaeda. And Bush has failed to give adequate care to the soldiers injured in that war, she charged.

"Too often they get bureaucracy, not benefits. They find inadequate access, inferior facilities and infuriating paperwork," Duckworth said.
click post title for more

PTSD Videos from the BBC

US troops struggle with post-war trauma

One in five American soldiers returning from Iraq suffers trauma or depression according to new surveys.
18 May 2005

Legal challenge over Iraq trauma

Soldiers who suffered stress after returning from Iraq are preparing to sue the government for failing to treat them.
28 Jan 2006

Police payout for Lawrence friend

The surviving victim of the racist attack which killed Stephen Lawrence has been paid £100,000 damages.
10 Mar 2006

7 July survivor recalls day's events

Passenger Michael Henning was on a Circle Line train near Liverpool Street when a bomb tore apart the carriage in front.
5 Jun 2006

Former officer homeless

Former Met police officer Aphra Howard-Garde is homeless, living in a car, battling post traumatic stress and depression.
14 Dec 2006

Care for traumatised soldiers

A Midlands' home has been helping former armed service personnel suffering from post traumatic stress disorder to overcome the condition.
12 Apr 2007

'Stress risk' for army troops

Long periods of deployment are putting forces at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder, research suggests.
3 Aug 2007

Gulf War syndrome story told

The wife of a soldier who developed post-war traumatic stress disorder has written a book.
26 Nov 2007

Bridges Day Centre - Simon's story

For Simon Cracknell, the Rethink Bridges Day Centre is a vital part of life. Simon copes with his post traumatic stress disorder through the centre's open door. but what about...
17 Jan 2008

Rise in traumatised veterans

The number of ex-service personnel suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is increasing and is expected to rise further.
12 Mar 2008

Veteran recalls nightmares

A former soldier has described how he developed post traumatic stress disorder years after he left the service.
12 Mar 2008

Soldiers' fight persists post-war

Nearly half the US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan will suffer from post-traumatic stress, the US military says.
28 May 2008

Combat Veterans:Can they go all the way home?

Understanding the Journey of War Veterans: Screening Documentary 'All The Way Home'

Chairman Bob Filner


House Committee on Veterans Affairs

Jul 16, 2008


July 15, 2008, Washington, DC - Bob Filner, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, will hold a screening of the documentary "All the Way Home" on Wednesday, July 23 at 10 a.m. in Cannon 334. The documentary follows a Montana fishing outfitter and his team of volunteers while they take severely injured Iraq and Afghanistan veterans from Walter Reed down an isolated river.

"There hasn’t been a movie or documentary or a creative piece like this that has moved me so much," say Shad Meshad, President and Founder of the National Veterans Foundation (NVF). The National Veterans Foundation runs "Lifeline for Vets," a crisis hotline that has fielded over a quarter of a million calls from veterans in need of emergency medical treatment, suicide intervention, post-traumatic stress disorder counseling, benefit advocacy, food, shelter, employment training or legal aid.

The screening will be followed by an opportunity to discuss the documentary and related veterans' issues with Filmmaker Edward Nachtrieb, Chairman Filner and Shad Meshad of NFV.

Who: Chairman Bob Filner, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Shad Meshad, Founder of National Veterans Foundation
Edward Nachtrieb, Filmmaker/Documentarian

What: Screening of the documentary "All the Way Home" followed by a media availability with Chairman Bob Filner and others

When: Wednesday, July 23, 2008

10:00 – 11:00 a.m. (Movie Screening)
11:00 – 11:30 a.m. (Media availability)

Where: House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, 334 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515

"This is a powerful documentary that really shows the realities faced by our wounded warriors – up close and personal," said Chairman Filner (D-CA). "It also shows what we can do – individuals, communities, neighborhoods – to help our veterans as they return home from war. What may seem insignificant can lead to powerful changes for our heroes and ourselves."

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ArticleID/10672

“A powerful film I hope all Americans can learn from...
These Veterans’ stories make you laugh and cry...but you feel stronger at the broken places, even if it’s your heart...”
--Shad Meshad
President & Founder
National Veterans Foundation


Three years ago, Montana fishing outfitter Mike Geary was inspired by news reports to organize fly fishing trips for disabled veterans down one of the American West’s most isolated rivers. In this film, we meet a group of veterans that reflects the diversity of challenges facing our returning soldiers. Some, on leave from Walter Reed Hospital, bear the obvious physical wounds of war while others cope with hidden traumas that are invisible, yet dangerous. With a backdrop of the breathtaking landscape of the American West, they share personal stories of war and the resulting challenges for them and their families after their return home. At the same time, a team of volunteers works tirelessly to make the trip an unforgettably positive experience.

The strength of character on display by both the veterans and the volunteers who serve them is a triumph of the human spirit.

http://www.allthewayback.com/Synopsis.html

Wounded Marines in Hawaii keep giving back

Troops build trail to heal, give thanks
Wounded Warriors project geared toward blind, deaf children

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer

WAIMANALO — As wounded combatants, Marines and sailors from the Kane'ohe Bay base have been on the receiving end with people showing their appreciation for all they've done. Yesterday it was their turn to give.


The Wounded Warrior Company from Marine Corps Base Hawaii is building a sensory trail at Manawale'a Riding Center based at Da Ranch in Waimanalo. The trail will benefit the children and adults who go there for therapy.

It's all part of the wounded's recuperation that includes physical therapy, counseling and outings such as hiking, deep sea fishing and barbecues at the sandbar in Kane'ohe Bay. During recuperation, the members of the Wounded Warriors also have received movie tickets, a 50-inch plasma television, Xbox 360 and a PlayStation 3, said Marine Sgt. Aaron Quiroz, who injured his wrist in an accident.

For the first time since the company was formed about a year ago, the troops decided it was time to show their appreciation for the community that's supporting them, Quiroz said while building the trail yesterday.

And although the troops were a little reluctant about doing the manual labor — cutting down haole koa trees with machetes — the reward was better than any Xbox 360, he said.

"Seeing the children when we left here, our hearts were filled with pride and joy," Quiroz said. "That's what it's really about."

Yesterday was the second time the Marines and sailors volunteered at the riding stable to build the 6-foot wide, quarter-mile trail. The sensory path will be used primarily by children who are blind or deaf, but others who are more advanced also will get a chance to enjoy it.

The stable is on two acres of land off Waikupanaha Street. It is surrounded by farms and another stable. A new covered arena was built there recently with funding from Lions Club International and the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation.

The stable belongs to Ben Char Jr., 57, who is president of the center's board and founder of the therapeutic center. He operates a repair shop to support his family and contributes to the operation of the center, a dream of his since he was a young man.

The company decided as a group to take on the project, said Lance Cpl. Matthew Carhart, 21. The men liked the idea of being outdoors and active, said Carhart, who was shot by a sniper in Iraq. But the concept was new, forcing the Marines and sailors to think differently about their recovery, he said.
click post title for more

Harley Davidson and DAV team up to help out

DAV help available Saturday at dealership
The Hawk Eye

Military veterans can receive free counseling and assistance with their government benefits Saturday at Heartland Harley-Davidson.

A fully equipped Disabled American Veterans service office will be at the dealership, 155 S. Roosevelt Ave., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to answer questions as part of a $1 million grant from Harley-Davidson.

Harley's Heroes allows trained DAV personnel to provide benefits counseling to veterans who suffer from service-related injuries but may never have filed a claim for benefits or have found it difficult to work with the Veterans Administration.

Veterans seeking help should bring their claim number, Social Security number and any other pertinent documentation so the DAV representative can offer help.
http://www.thehawkeye.com/Story/VA-advice-042408

Canadian Soldiers told to "suck it up" with PTSD

Soldiers Fighting Secret War
April 9, 2008

Psychologically wounded troops told to 'suck it up'

By KATHLEEN HARRIS, NATIONAL BUREAU CHIEF

OTTAWA -- A prevailing "suck-it-up, soldier" attitude in the military prevents many Canadian troops from getting the help they need for psychological war wounds, a victim's mother told MPs yesterday.

Ann LeClair said when her 24-year-old son Cpl. Travis Schouten returned from Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress disorder, he was told to "suck it up" and get back to work. The Sarnia woman shared her family's living nightmare of fear, bizarre behaviour and a suicide attempt with the Commons defence committee studying the PTSD issue.

"I'm appalled that this attitude continues and is rampant in the military," she said after the closed-door hearing. "It isn't at the top levels. The top levels of administration seem to have very well thought-out plans, but the difficulty lies in that there is no measurement to show that this will go down through the chain of command."

LeClair said her son and many other soldiers like him received inadequate psychiatric care for battle scars. Services and attitudes vary from base to base, and soldiers are often met with disbelief.

Schouten said it never crossed his mind that he would return home from Kandahar so psychologically scarred.
go here for more
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Canada/2008/04/09/5234471-sun.html

Looks like there are ignorant Neanderthals in Canada too. Is any country developed enough to understand science to the point where these people would be too embarrassed to say something so stupid as this? Evidently not.

Pro-war, Anti-war, what happened to pro warriors?

Pro-war

Ralliers in D.C. Work To Build Counterweight To Antiwar Movement
By V. Dion Haynes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 16, 2008; Page A13

Chanting such slogans as "surrender is not an option" and waving American flags, a few hundred people from across the country rallied and paraded in downtown Washington yesterday to support the war.


The demonstration was sponsored by Eagles UP!, an organization founded by veterans in the wake of a war protest about a year ago that drew thousands to Washington. Although small in number, the demonstrators said yesterday that they represent many others from their home towns who believe there needs to be a more vocal counterweight to the antiwar movement.

"We cannot be the silent majority again," Lawrence B. Hoffa of Mequon, Wis., a retired Marine who serves as Southeast coordinator of Eagles UP!, said at the rally on the grounds of the Washington Monument. "We've got to get more people here. We've got to get people motivated."

Debbie Lee, whose Navy SEAL son Marc Alan Lee was killed in Iraq in August 2006, urged the demonstrators to stand up against antiwar organizations such as Code Pink, which she asserted are "trying to destroy our military."

"I've used my voice to speak out for the troops," she said. "I understand the sacrifice they've made and how they've blessed this nation."
go here for the rest of this

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/
article/2008/03/15/AR2008031502115.html?tid=informbox

Anti-war

Antiwar Protests Mark Iraq War Anniversary in D.C.
By Petula Dvorak
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 18, 2008; 2:29 PM

A flurry of tricorn hats in various shades of pink marched up and down Constitution Avenue today, kicking off two days of protests marking the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq.

About 60 Code Pink antiwar demonstrators held aloft a living room-size copy of the preamble to the Constitution, beat drums and held up peace signs as they marched from the National Archives to the Justice Department and to the Internal Revenue Service, occasionally disrupting traffic.

About 30 police officers on bicycles and motorcycles and in cars followed them.

"You're blocking traffic," a police officer yelled at the protesters as they veered off the sidewalk and into the street.

"We're well aware of that," one protester yelled back.

No arrests were made.

Families, school groups and other tourists snapped pictures and posed with the more flamboyantly dressed demonstrators as Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin rallied the group over a bullhorn.
go here for the rest of this

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/
article/2008/03/18/AR2008031801701.html?hpid%3Dtopnews&sub=AR

This is what aggravates the hell out of me! They can come from all over the country to support their political side but they can't do it to support the wounded who need their help today! Both sides have made me ashamed of them. I can see the point of the "pro-war" people because they listened to and believed Bush all this time. I can see the point of the "anti-war" side because they paid attention to facts. What I cannot see is that neither side will show this much passion for the sake of the wounded needing help today, right this second.

States Step Up with War Vet Aid

States Step Up with War Vet Aid
Mclatchy -Tribune News Service March 17, 2008
FORT KNOX, Ky. - In the complicated world of military and veterans' benefits, in which returning warriors face a bewildering array of complicated and sometimes conflicting directions, Wally Kotarski is a middleman.

One morning last week, with a fresh coating of snow covering the U.S. Army base in Fort Knox, Kotarski met with a soldier recently back from Iraq. The soldier had such a debilitating case of post-traumatic stress disorder that his squad leader was ushering him around.

Kotarski explained the range of services and benefits that the soldier could - and should - receive once he's discharged from the Army. He tracked down the address of a Vet Center, operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, in the soldier's neighborhood in Brooklyn. When the soldier goes home, one of Kotarski's colleagues will make sure that somebody in New York gets the veteran to the center.

Kotarski, who served in the Army for 20 years, works for the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs, participating in a new program that's designed to ensure that soldiers don't fall through the cracks.

As troops stream home from Iraq and Afghanistan, and as the VA and military systems restructure their benefits and services, states increasingly are stepping in to help service members navigate the process and get on with their lives five years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Citizen soldiers from various states' National Guard and Army Reserve units make up a substantial portion of Iraq forces, and soldiers are doing repeat deployments. Many come back with deep psychological problems on top of their physical wounds.

States, as well as nonprofit organizations such as the American Legion, have long played a role in helping veterans. Since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan started, however, some states have boosted their efforts, worried that the federal government is overwhelmed or otherwise unable to tend to returning soldiers quickly enough.

"We don't think that the VA is going to come through for our veterans in a timely fashion, and these are problems we see now," said Linda Schwartz, who heads the state veterans department in Connecticut. "If the VA catches up with us, good. If not, we have to take care of our people."

Around the country, state veterans departments spend more than $4 billion a year on benefits and services, according to Leslie Beavers, the head of Kentucky's program and a former president of a national association of state VA directors.

Each state has its own programs. Some run nursing homes for older vets and provide cemetery space in case there are no nearby federal VA cemeteries. Many provide assistance to veterans in applying for federal VA disability benefits.

In recent years, state programs have increased those efforts, both in money spent and in hands-on services. In Kentucky, Beavers said his state program had grown to $44 million a year, up from $17 million in 1998.

In Washington state, director John Lee said his two-year budget had jumped to $111 million, from $70 million at the start of the Iraq war. In Massachusetts, the budget has nearly doubled in the past five years, to a proposed $50 million for the next fiscal year.

The combined spending by state programs is dwarfed by the federal VA budget, which also is expanding rapidly and is proposed to top $90 billion next fiscal year for health-care and disability benefits, among other functions.

The state efforts, however, are driven by the belief that some veterans still slip through the cracks, and the fact that navigating the federal VA is daunting for the average person.

"We have a great VA system, but it's also time-consuming and incredibly complicated," Lee said. "We need somebody to be an advocate for the veteran."
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GAO: Wounded care better, but more needed

GAO: Wounded care better, but more needed

By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Feb 28, 2008 16:17:42 EST

Government Accountability Office representatives praised the Army for some of the advances it has made over the past year but said there is still a long way to go in hiring legal representatives to help soldiers going through the disability retirement process.

Also, some treatment facilities lack as much as 40 percent of the staff they need to maintain a ratio of one legal counselor per 30 soldiers, said John Pendleton, GAO acting director of health care, on Wednesday at a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform national security subcommittee.

“The Army has made progress in the five months since our September hearing,” he said, referring to a previous GAO report showing that the Army’s Transition Units were only half-staffed. But one-third of the units still have staffing shortages, he said.

And, 2,500 wounded, sick or injured soldiers waiting to go through the evaluation process remain in their units — and not in the Warrior Transition Units designed to ensure they receive the administrative help they need, as well as allowing trained professionals to keep a close eye on them for medical or mental health needs, Pendleton said.
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150 Fort Bliss Warrior Transition Wounded to join 4,000 in parade

Parade marks return of Fort Bliss units from Iraq
By Chris Roberts / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 02/25/2008 12:00:00 AM MST

When Mayor John Cook returned from the Vietnam War in early 1970, one of the protesters who greeted his bus pelted him with an egg.

"I just wanted to do a better job," Cook said, explaining why he decided to welcome Fort Bliss soldiers home from overseas with a parade. "The entire El Paso community has really stepped up to the plate and people have said that the (4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division) is symbolic of all the soldiers that have served."

On Wednesday, when thousands of 4-1 Cavalry soldiers march through El Paso's streets during the Welcome Home Heroes Parade, they will be accompanied by 31 riderless horses -- empty boots backward in the stirrups -- representing cavalry soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq. The horses are being provided by the El Paso County Sheriff's Posse, Cook said.

Also being honored are the air defenders of the 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery, 11th ADA Brigade, who also returned recently from the Middle East.

Most of the cavalry brigade was operating in Iraq's northwestern Nineveh Province. However, some of the soldiers also served in Baghdad. They left in late 2006 and, after 14 months, the last soldiers returned the day before Christmas. Some 150 wounded soldiers in the Fort Bliss Warrior Transition Unit also will participate in the parade.

The 3-43 ADA soldiers recently completed the longest tour of duty for a Patriot missile unit in the Army's history. Some of the air defenders spent 17 months in the Middle


East, including the countries of Kuwait and Qatar. The 3-43 ADA soldiers suffered no loss of life or serious injuries.

Details of the 3-43 ADA's mission have not been available due to the sensitivity of that information, but Patriot batteries generally protect ground assets that include troop concentrations, headquarters, motor pools and ammunition depots. Their deployment was moved up to coincide with President Bush's surge of troops into Baghdad.

About 4,000 soldiers will participate in the parade.

Col. Stephen M. Twitty, 4-1 Cavalry commander and Command Sgt. Maj. Stephan Frennier will lead the cavalry soldiers.
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