Stop the Stop Loss policy

Vets sound off about VA at forum with Murray
By LEAH BETH WARD
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

Brett Wachsmith of Ellensburg was nearing the end of the semester at Central Washington University in 2004 when his Army National Guard unit was activated to Iraq. His professors did not make it easy for him to finish his credits before he left, he said, and he didn't complete the courses and lost his tuition.


"Nobody was watching out for you," U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash, observed Friday after hearing the tall young soldier's story at a hearing in Yakima.

Wachsmith, 24, is back in college now, after laying ambushes and conducting raids in Iraq. But his Army unit was just alerted that it will be redeployed. Though he didn't plan to re-enlist when his contract expires in January, he may be forced to return to combat in Iraq due to the Army's "stop-loss" program to address the shortage of forces.
A number of his Army buddies are suffering symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, he said. He called the military's screening for the problem inadequate. It's limited, he said, to a perfunctory question about "needing to talk to someone" in Iraq and a questionnaire when the soldiers return home.

PTSD is a common, debilitating anxiety disorder that can afflict anyone exposed to grave physical danger and prolonged fear.
go here for the rest
http://www.yakima-herald.com/page/dis/290419668468094


They lived up to their promise and it is high time we did the same. We need to take care of the wounded and stop abusing them. We need to stop the stop loss policy that makes them stay in longer than they agreed to. Give them back the lives they were promised when they have done their duty.

PTSD Getting help, getting well

PTSD from sexual trauma in UK

Saturday, December 1, 2007 3:06 PM US/Western


Getting help, getting well
By MIKE JOHNSTON


If the same thing had happened two years ago, Monie, a 49-year-old woman living in rural Kittitas County, doesn't know what she would have done. It possibly could have sent her into a self-destructive spiral of depression.

A flood of hurting emotions and memories of a childhood lost rushed in earlier this week when she heard the tinkling of Christmas bells on a television movie.

The sound of the bells was something connected to Monie's experience of 14 years of physical and sexual abuse from her late father, an alcoholic.

In the past, such a strong tug of emotions drawing her into her former life would put her into her "own private hell," as she puts it. She would revisit the loss of self-esteem and personal value as a victim of abuse and remember past, poor choices in failed personal relationships.



But this time Monie used techniques and "wise mind" responses learned from two years of counseling and classes at Central Washington Comprehensive Mental Health, or CWCMH. They kept her from sliding into a deep depression and overwhelming anxiety from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

Monie "graduated" from her program with CWCMH in October.
go here for the rest

http://www.kvnews.com/articles/2007/
12/01/news/doc47510ec2e7bfc612072316.txt

Here is a look at PTSD from a fireman

Compo man's ordeal by fire Australia
December 02, 2007 12:15am
A FORMER fireman has won a major court victory by successfully suing for workers compensation based on post traumatic stress disorders from the 1960s.

Tom Schwerdt, 61, of Christies Beach, won the victory in the Workers Compensation Tribunal after a seven-year legal battle, but the payout was limited to the period before 1986, when a new Act with a tougher test came into force.
Mr Schwerdt is now appealing that part of the verdict with a view to obtaining backpay to 1991, when he left the Metropolitan Fire Service.

"There are 28 other firemen with similar circumstances lined up behind me to see what happens with this case so I'm sure the powers-that-be are watching it very closely," he said.

Mr Schwerdt served from 1963, when he signed up as a 17-year-old, until 1991 when he was forced to leave after a lengthy period on sick leave.

In later years he found himself bursting into tears when watching news bulletins showing accident scenes, and in 1999 was diagnosed with PTSD.

He lodged a claim in April 2000 under the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1986, and a second claim in April last year under the Workers Compensation Act 1971.

Mr Schwerdt said he received no counselling during his career despite repeatedly being involved in situations where he saw terrible deaths or injuries, and being in events where he feared for his life.
go here for the rest

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/
story/0,22606,22854878-2682,00.html

It doesn't matter what country you live in. It doesn't matter what kind of trauma caused it. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is after trauma. It is a human illness.

Paul Sullivan on 20/20 last night

It's very hard to not see Paul Rieckhoff of IAVA, Jon Solz of VoteVets on TV whenever the veterans or the troops are being talked about. I think it's wonderful. I really wish people like them were getting so much attention when men and women were coming home from Vietnam. I doubt we would have half the problems we have today if that generation of veterans were taken care of.

Another advocate finally getting more attention is Paul Sullivan of Veterans for Common Sense. He did a fantastic job in the 20/20 report on drug use in the military, especially with those deployed into the combat zones of Iraq and Afghanistan. He's been out there a long time and doing a great job fighting for our veterans.

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/index.cfm/Page/Article/ID/8863
Paul Sullivan, Executive Director, VCS


Nov 28, 2007

Nov. 29 Update: VCS on ABC's '20/20' This Friday

Dear VCS Friends:

Veterans for Common Sense has two items for you in this week's update.

First, VCS will be featured on the news program '20/20' this Friday, Nov. 30. ABC News investigative reporter Brian Ross interviewed VCS's Paul Sullivan about the growing drug abuse problem in our military and among our veterans, especially our returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.

Second, we are launching our End of Year fundraising drive. Your generous tax deductible donations to VCS make a big difference in the lives of the 1.7 million U.S. service members deployed into combat for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

With your financial support, this year VCS scored several major policy and public relations victories. Here is a partial list of our VCS accomplishments:

On the policy side:

* In May, our VCS expertise helped add $1.8 billion in new funds so VA could hire thousands of more doctors and claims processors that our veterans desperately need.

* VCS helped craft and push for S 1606, the Wounded Warrior bill that will streamline healthcare and benefits for veterans, approved by both the House and Senate. Final passage of a revised bill is expected soon.

* VCS fought hard to remove VA Secretary Jim Nicholson, who eventually quit in July as VA’s funding, planning, and capacity crises became public and America became outraged at the Walter Reed and VA scandals.

* All year, VCS used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain VA documents that were used by Harvard University to estimate the human and financial costs of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars: 700,000 patients with a price tag of $700 billion.

* In July VCS filed a major class action law suit against VA to force VA to provide prompt medical care and benefits, especially for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

* VCS testified twice before Congress. We called for an end to the illegal military practice of discharging wounded soldiers suffering from traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder on trumped-up claims of a personality disorder. VCS called for the automatic approval of PSTD claims by VA, and for a national anti-stigma campaign so veterans want to seek VA treatment.

On the public relations side, VCS put a human face on the difficulties facing our veterans by working with both local and national reporters:

* In February, in a major cover story, Newsweek magazine and VCS highlighted VA’s failure to plan for the 264,000 new Afghanistan and Iraq War veterans already treated at VA.

* In February, ABC Evening News anchor Bob Woodruff interviewed VCS Executive Director Paul Sullivan about the hundreds of thousands of veterans already being treated at VA - the first time the public knew about the enormous scope of battlefield casualties.

* In March, the Boston Globe profiled our VCS efforts to publicize the growing casualties from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

* In October, the Charlotte Observer, working with VCS, highlighted the endless wait for many veterans to see doctors at some VA hospitals - 93 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans with traumatic brain injury waited longer than 30 days to see a VA doctor.

* Two weeks ago, CBS News interviewed VCS and publicized the growing epidemic of veteran suicides. Working with the University of Georgia, CBS News reported that veterans aged 20 to 24 are four times more likely to commit suicide than non-veterans of the same age group.

* This Friday, ABC News interviews VCS and highlights the growing drug abuse crisis among our veterans. Left without screening and treatment, combat veterans turn to self-medication for the physical and mental pain from war.

Because of your support, the world knows that the alarms are sounding and the lights are flashing red for our veterans. The impact of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars is devastating. Record divorces and broken homes. Unemployment and job discrimination. Rising alcoholism and drug abuse. Homelessness. Suicides.

We are a Nation at war. That means we have a collective duty to care for our service members, our veterans, and our freedoms. VCS asks you to please make a donation so that we can continue our publicity efforts to highlight veterans’ needs and concerns and our policy efforts that bring real change at the national level.

Next year Congress and the press will be focused on elections, and VCS will work hard to make sure that national security, civil liberties, and veterans needs remain front and center in the discussion. Will you help VCS today?

Thank you,

Paul Sullivan
Executive Director
Veterans for Common Sense

If you missed the report last night I'm sure you can catch it somewhere on YouTube. This is not a new problem and this country needs to face what they do and why they do it. This is not about doing drugs just because you want to. In these cases, it is about having to because the government does not take the wounded out of combat and does not treat the wound.

High at the Mountain Post
Fort Carson soldiers were prepared for war, but not their own war with drugs.

I talked to Paul yesterday. I'm sure you saw the silly post I put up. I told him how much I loved him and his group. Up until the last few years, there were very few fighting for our veterans. Oh sure, you can think of the American Legion, VFW and DAV, but these groups are more involved in political bending than they are with fighting for the veterans. Today's groups are not interested in playing political sucking up. They are interested in getting what is needed done.

Veterans For Common Sense is having a fund raiser. They are doing great work and we need to support them. Think of giving a gift this Christmas that will make a difference in our wounded veterans' lives. If you have a family member who was a veteran, like most of our father's were, and they are no longer here, donate in their memory. Let them know you have not forgotten them or the sacrifices they made for this nation.

For those of you who are wondering what to do for the homeless veterans, think of the fact Christ had no place to call home when he was born in a manger in Bethlehem. Then look over to the right side of this blog. Read what Christ had to say about how he wanted us all to care for the needy. Donate to a shelter. You'd be surprised how far even a small donation can go.

If you have a couple of dollars and appreciate the videos I do, I could use a donation myself. I'm already in the hole for the DVDs. I don't mind working as hard as I do for free. That was my decision long ago. What I cannot do is go broke doing sending out the DVD. I don't turn anyone away but it's getting expensive and frankly I don't know how many more I can send out without donations coming in. Use the PayPal button and kick in a few dollars if you can.

I know how hard it is this time of the year to find extra money, but if you have a family member who has everything they could want, think of making donations in their name and then taking the tax write off. You can't write it off on your taxes for donating to me, but the shelters and Veterans for Common Sense are tax deductible.

Kathie Costos

Namguardianangel@aol.com

www.Namguardianangel.org

www.Namguardianangel.blogspot.com

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

To Paul Sullivan, play day report as promised

Paul Sullivan of Veterans for Common Sense was worried about me today. He thinks I don't take time to relax. I assured him that every Friday, my husband and I go to one of the parks or attractions around the Orlando area. It's the one time during the week Jack knows he can get me away from the PC. It's something we don't give up. Once in a while we have to go later on in the day but we go.

It's very important for anyone doing this kind of work to go out and have some fun. It keeps you grounded and able to take on some very hard work the rest of the week.

For me, there are several good things that keep me going. One of them is Jack. The man does not stop amazing me. The other day, he took our dog for a walk. About a half mile from home, he had to call me. He wanted to make sure I didn't miss the sunset. He had to share it with me. The sunsets in Florida are magnificent. This is the same man who was just existing. Because of the help he is getting from the VA, he is alive, living a life again. Sure there are a lot of problems in all of this we still have to face, but we face them together.

Working for the church as the administrator of Christian Education is a joy too. Twice a week we have chapel with the pre-school kids. I get to get up in front of them along with the youth pastor, act like a nut, singing and making the kids laugh. They are a joy. So are the Sunday school kids of all ages. I keep telling everyone my kids are from 3-93.

If we fail to enjoy blessings, enjoy being alive, how can we communicate that there is hope, joy, love and life beyond PTSD? If we fail to take care of ourselves, how can we take care of the people who turn to us for help?

So Paul, this is where we went today. Gee I really love these yearly passes. Saves a ton of money.

The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad®
A Stunt Show of Heroic Proportions! Cheer on the heroes and boo the villains in this spectacular live adventure. See death-defying stunts and heart-stopping feats as the mighty Sindbad and his faithful sidekick Kabob attempt to rescue the beautiful Princess Amoura from the evil witch Miseria.

It's at Universal Studios and was a great show. We also did some Christmas shopping there.

Sorry that I didn't take my camera but the weather wasn't the greatest and I don't take it in this kind of weather. I thought you'd enjoy this though. It was taken on one of our play days.

It is my face but I'm sure you can tell that isn't my body,,,and no that isn't Arnold next to me.

Military OneSource offers telephonic consultation

Military OneSource is available anytime worldwide to all active duty, Reserve, National Guard members, their families, as well as deployed civilians and their families.
To find out more, call Military OneSource at 1-800-342-9647. A consultant can provide more details on STSF-T and discuss your options with you.

Military OneSource offers telephonic consultation
Friday, November 30, 2007
Military OneSource is pleased to announce a new extension of specialty consultation services available by phone: Short-Term Solution-Focused Telephonic Consultation.

Whether it’s help with child care, money matters, emotional support during deployments, relocation information, or referrals to helpful resources both on and off an installation, Military OneSource is there for military personnel and their families 24/7. In an effort to further increase access to support, Military OneSource now offers Short-term Solution-Focused Telephonic (STSF-T) Consultation.
click post title for the rest

Family tragedy living with PTSD

This report is not about combat, but living with PTSD. It shows what it is like for the family. Maybe after reading it, you can get out of your own mind what you envision the type of person who suffers with PTSD is. This woman is married to a successful doctor. They live in a mansion. Educated people among the elite. Yet this woman, living with the horrors of sexual abuse, is responsible for the death of someone else. While drunk driving, she killed a mailman.

Some will read this and think she needs to be locked away for the rest of her life. After all, an innocent man is dead because of her. I read it and thought about all the other families out there dealing with PTSD in someone they love.

In Jack's dark days, he would take off for hours at a time. We never knew where he was but we knew how he would come home, drunk. Jack didn't drive if he had too much to drink. For that, I am grateful. He did drink and drive, but when he knew he had too much, he would walk home or get a ride. A few times, he couldn't remember exactly where he left the car. One time he remembered where the car was, but lost his set of keys, including the keys he needed for work.

What we need to remember is that you cannot force someone to seek help. You can support them in seeking it,but in the end it is up to them. We can make sure the help is there when they finally reach out for it. In the case of this doctor's wife, I'm sure they can get her all the help she wants but they key word is "want" which she does not accept.

You need to understand that while most do in fact want help, some don't. Some are in such denial they will never overcome it. Others will feel they don't deserve it.

This report from the Hartford Courant offers a window on a family not falling into the notion of what a person with PTSD is. If we are ever going to defeat the ravages of PTSD, we need to see it as what it is. It is a human illness caused by trauma. Maybe after reading this you can better understand what our combat veterans are going through and what their families go through as well.

Some families can survive it, like our's did. We've been married 23 years. Some will fall apart. We need to end the stigma of PTSD, educate everyone on what PTSD is, make sure help is there when they seek it and we also need to remember to support the families. They need all the help and compassion they can get. kc

He said her alcoholism stems from post-traumatic stress disorder, a byproduct of sexual abuse she suffered as a child. When Watson "consumed a crazy amount of alcohol, this was to try, in a very desperate way, to silence the demons in her head," he said.

Woman Gets Four Years
Caused Fatal Accident And Fled In 2003; Violated Probation In April Car Crash
By CHRISTINE DEMPSEY Courant Staff Writer
November 30, 2007

MANCHESTER — - Aubrey Watson seemed incredulous Thursday when Judge Raymond Norko abruptly ordered her mother, Tracy Watson, to prison for four years for violating her probation, part of her sentence for a 2003 hit-and-run accident that killed a mailman.

But when his words sank in, the 16-year-old wailed in Superior Court in Manchester. Her father, Dr. H. Kirk Watson, tried to console her, but he, too, was shaken.

"No, no!" he said. "Oh my God."
http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-ctwatson1130.artnov30,0,2903305.story

8th grade class moved by Soldier's Story to do something

Students surrender sweets for soldiers
Book set during Civil War spurs students to donate part of Halloween spoils

By LEIGH HORNBECK, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Friday, November 30, 2007

SCHUYLERVILLE -- Somewhere in Iraq or Afghanistan, a soldier is snacking on Crystal Briere's Halloween candy.

Briere, 13, an eighth-grader at Schuylerville Central School, dressed up as a Gothic sorceress and went trick-or-treating this year, but she didn't keep all the candy. Briere's classmates donated a portion of their goodies and sent them to the Middle East as part of "Trick or Treat for Our Troops."

The initiative took shape after students read "Soldier's Heart" by Gary Paulsen. The book chronicles the experiences of a 15-year-old boy after he enlists in the First Minnesota Volunteers during the Civil War. He leaves the service at age 19, suffering from "soldier's heart," a term used in the book to describe what would now be called post-traumatic stress disorder.

"Our eighth-graders were so moved by this book and the information on post-traumatic stress disorder that they wanted to do something to help today's soldiers," said Mary Lou Liptak-Masten, a remedial reading teacher who oversaw Trick or Treat for Our Troops.
click post title for the rest

Imagine that! A Civil War story so moving it caused this 8th grade class to think of the soldiers serving today. Now this is history come to life!

Ilona Meagher to testify at House hearing on Veterans

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Upcoming House Veterans' Affairs Committee Hearing on Veteran Suicide and Homelessness
Passing along word of an important hearing to be held by the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs at 10 a.m. on December 12, 2007.

I have been asked to testify before Congress to discuss Stopping Suicide and Ending Homelessness: Mental Health Challenges Within the Department of Veterans Affairs, and have accepted the generous invitation.Will pass along further details as I have them on related Washington, D.C. events we are planning.

From the Committee's press release:

From a female veteran and what they go through

My rules for emails are very simple. They are private. Nothing sent to me is posted on my blogs. There are times when the sender wants it posted. I am more than happy to do this. This is one of those cases. It's about a female veteran being denied a VA claim for PTSD and for an injury. I took out some personal information but these are her words.

September 24, 2006

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
St. Petersburg Regional Office
P.O. Box 1437
Bay Pines, Fl 33731



Dear Department of Veterans Affairs:

I am writing an appeal on my denial of knee injury and PTSD.

As I previously stated, I suffered a knee injury due to jumping out of my cot during basic. I have not been able to use the right leg for support in going from a kneeling position to standing erect for years. I have always favored my right leg and tend to rely on my left leg for changing positions. After years and years of doing this, my left knee is suffering from the effects causing me pain. I had my bilateral knees checked out by a physician which she stated..there is definitely a difference in both knees.

I take either percocet or soma or both for the pain. I feel that I wouldn't have this pain and difficulty in movement if it wasn't from an injury from basic training. I, to this day remember the doctor explaining I either needed physical therapy or surgery to help with the injury. I know that I would not have this problem if it wasn't for basic training. I am also thinking about my future with knee problems. I fear that someday, I will need a total knee replacement.

I am appealing my denial on sexual harassment. As I stated, I was a PFC that went to sick bay in May, 1966, to find out why I was having pelvic pain. The doctor knew that I did not want the exam, yet he had two nurses hold me down for the examination. My statement was denied as you stated no evidence of records found for verification of the occurrence. I was either eighteen or nineteen at the time of the occurrence.

The Army was my first job and I came from a very sheltered background. How could I, a PFC bring a complaint against a Captain? Who would had believed my word against a word of an officer and a doctor? Sexual harassment was not even heard of at that time. The first time I heard the word sexual harassment were many years later during the supreme court justice nominee.

How many women at that time would come forward even when they were raped? Very few as women, we were treated differently. Women had to prove their case along with their whole background being exposed. Yet, for the man it was so much easier...they didn't have to expose their background or their buddies would support them. Women did not have the luxury of having a support system except from family and close friends. For instance, my sister was a victim of physical abuse by her husband. Every time she would call the police, they would laugh at her. No report filed.

I have carried around the hurt and humiliation all my life from this so called occurrence. I may not had reported this while in the service, but I have told several friends and my daughter what I went through. Even to this day, I remembered what I went through and yes it has affected me in many different ways. I hated going to a ob-gyn doctor all my life. This occurrence affected my sexual relationship with my husband. Do you know how it feels after being intimate and feeling so sick to your stomach afterwards. This went on for years and years. I was in essence raped or assaulted by an instrument. This doctor had the choice of listening to me or assaulting me. He decided on the latter.

I would like you all to sit back for a few minutes. Imagine this happening to your children, wife, grandchildren, niece, sister or neighbor. Years later they told you what happened. Would you say show me the records or show me the proof? I doubt it very much, instead you would want to do the moral standards of conduct. Can any of you take away that one minute in my life? Of course not, I have lived with it all my life. The day, I told my counselor about my attack, I broke down crying.

That moment in time has never left me. I then had an appointment with the VA psychiatrist. He believed my story, he saw how I was that day in his office and he wrote to the VA saying I was suffering from PTSD due to the attack. Are you saying that you have doubts about one of your chosen psychiatrist? The doctor saw my reaction and told me he believed every word I said. One further note, I took a friend to the VA hospital in California. That is the first time I saw that women veterans had rights for any offense they suffered while in the service. I carried this with me all my life and will continue to do so.

I also went to talk to the chaplain in August, 1966, when I was attacked by my husband. Yet, I was told Special Forces knew they would probably be killed and this is how they react to their wives. The chaplain further told me to leave the service as this was the only way I could be protected. Once again, the men were protected over the women. If your daughter had a cigarette to her face, would you just say that is how men will treat her?

I am just one voice of what many women went through in the military. Yet, this voice feels she deserves to have disability due to her harassment. One voice is crying out for help, understanding and compassion. One voice can make the difference in right and wrong. One voice can tell the horrors of what many service women have gone through.

Even with suffering from PTSD, I have a startle reflex as well as recurring nightmares. If anyone comes behind me, I scream and jump. I have thrown my keys across the floor from fear. I am always making sure no one is walking directly behind me. If an automobile is even with my car, I will take my foot off the gas and slow down. Will this startle reflex ever go away, I doubt it. I have warn friends never to come up behind my back due to my reaction. Having this reflex isn't fun for me..it is a hardship instead. As for the nightmares, I had to live with them for more years then I want to remember.

I wake up scared to go back to sleep again. How would you feel if you had recurring nightmares for years and years. This is not a part of my life that I would wish on anyone.

I want you all to close your eyes and put yourself in my place. As I said, this was my first job..the Army away from home. I was extremely naive and quiet. My childhood was surrounded by being obedient and never making any waves in life. I was taught to be honest and truthful. I will end this letter with the statement that everything I have told you about my injury and sexual harassment is the God honest truth.

Keep our troops safe,

Nancie L. Smith

Another way troops end up homeless

If you cannot understand why there are so many more veterans ending up homeless, here is another reason, aside from wounds, aside from PTSD. This is just one more reason. National Guardsmen being taken away from their jobs and businesses over and over again. Who is paying their bills? Look at the difference in the income this National Guardsman has to deal with in order to serve this nation.

Beard recounted several nightmares: a veteran whose mortgages on three properties have doubled to $8,800 a month; a National Guardsman and father of three facing foreclosure on his home after his $60,000 income dropped to $20,000 while he deployed for a third tour; a military wife who hadn’t yet broken the news to her husband in Iraq that their $1,200 monthly mortgage just doubled to $2,500.

Mortgage crisis hits home for troops, vets

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Nov 29, 2007 20:12:40 EST

CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Air Force veteran Nellie Cooper thought she was following good advice when she refinanced her home’s mortgage with an adjustable-rate loan. For the self-employed real estate agent, it seemed smart.

But her mortgage payments ballooned while local property values dropped, sinking her prospects of refinancing into a more secure, fixed-rate loan. With lenders nationwide tightening eligibility rules, Cooper is finding few that are willing to refinance or rework the loan into something financially manageable for her.

“Nobody will finance 92 percent value of a house, and I am getting more in arrears,” Cooper, who is juggling three part-time jobs to keep her home, told a Nov. 27 public forum led by Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif. “I’m still … trying to see if I can do something with the lender.”

Cooper, who lives in Oceanside, Calif., found no help from the Department of Veterans Affairs: Except in very rare cases, VA does not refinance mortgages it didn’t sell. She didn’t buy the house through VA because she was told repeatedly she didn’t qualify and the paperwork was “too cumbersome.”

“I was dissuaded by many to take the conventional way” with bank-backed loans, she said.

Filner, who chairs the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, planned the field hearing on the sub-prime market and its effects on veterans.

“Home ownership is one of the great aims of the American dream,” Filner told a crowd of about 75 in Chula Vista, a suburb south of San Diego.

“We also know this dream can become a nightmare, especially for our veterans who are on deployments,” Filner added.
go here for the rest

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/11/military_subprime_071129w/