Mikayla Bragg and 31 Soldiers "Fell Through the Cracks"

How Mikayla Bragg and 31 Soldiers "Fell Through the Cracks"
Huffington Post
Paul Rieckhoff
Founder, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Posted: 10/24/2012

Alone in a guard tower 6,800 miles from her home in Longview, Wash., Specialist Mikayla Bragg took her own life last December. Bragg's commanding officers at Forward Operating Base Salerno, Afghanistan, had no idea that in the months prior to her deployment the 20-year-old Army specialist had multiple encounters with the military mental health system.

Had her mental health care history been shared by those treating her at Fort Knox, Bragg's COs in Afghanistan would have known that the young soldier had previously made an attempt on her life, that she had spend 45 days in an Army hospital for mental health treatment prior to deploying, and that six months before she committed suicide she had ceased using prescription anti-anxiety medication so that she could deploy.

In the 135-page report following the Army's investigation into Bragg's death, a behavioral health officer at FOB Salerno said that it was his/her opinion that Bragg "fell through the cracks" thanks to a lack of communication between officials at her duty station stateside and her commanding officers in Afghanistan. For Bragg's CO to be left in the dark about her mental health care needs is unconscionable; our leaders (and our systems) cannot allow our troops to fall through so-called cracks.

Last Friday, the Army released suicide numbers for the month of September. There were 31 potential suicides for the month: 15 among active-duty soldiers and 16 among the reserve and Guard components, bringing the total number of Army suicides so far in 2012 to 247. After just nine months of 2012, the number of suicides has almost surpassed the total number of suicides in 2011.
read more here

Attempted suicide was not enough to keep her from being deployed?

Army suicides 15 and Citizen Soldiers 16 for September

Old, new vets clash over IAVA chief comment

UPDATE
I was just talking to a Vietnam veteran about this and it brought up a very good point. What does "professional soldier" really mean to Rieckhoff?

Draftees vs. volunteers:

25% (648,500) of total forces in country were draftees.
(66% of U.S. armed forces members were drafted during WWII)

http://vietnamresearch.com/history/stats.html

Also from this site is this

Personnel

9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the Vietnam Era (5 August 1965-7 May 1975)



8,744,000 personnel were on active duty during the war (5 August 1964-28

March 1973)



3,403,100 (including 514,300 offshore) personnel served in the SE Asia

Theater (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, flight crews based in Thailand and sailors

in adjacent South China Sea waters).



2,594,000 personnel served within the borders of South Vietnam

( I January 1965 - 28 March 1973)



Another 50,000 men served in Vietnam between 1960 and 1964



Of the 2.6 million, between 1 and 1.6 million (40-60%) either fought in

combat, provided close combat support or were at least fairly regularly

exposed to enemy attack.



7,484 women served in Vietnam, of whom 6,250 or 83.5% were nurses.



Peak troop strength in Vietnam was 543,482, on 30 April 1969.

Now I suppose that Rieckhoff forgot that with 25% drafted, that would mean that 75% enlisted, much like the troops heading into Iraq and Afghanistan enlisted because of 9-11 and because their country needed them as well as the economy leading them to it. What about the nurses that served? Does he consider them "professional" or does he think they were drafted and forced to serve? See that's the problem here again. When it comes to the men and women serving this country now and the men and women we call veterans because they served then, most people do not try to separate them from each other. They have a bond and are rare to the rest of the people of this nation. If Rieckhoff needs any further explanation of the damage done by what he said he need look no further than the death of a man in his 60's. Maj. Steven Hutchison, was a Vietnam veteran and he went on to become a professor. After 9-11 he wanted to enlist again but his wife wouldn't let him. After she passed away he enlisted and just gave up his life in Iraq when a roadside bomb blew up. "Professional" well, I guess it all depends on who is doing the judging and what they want to prove. Rieckhoff managed to prove he is no veterans advocate but an advocate for his kind of veteran and not all of them! He also showed that while he may be bright, he has not been very smart or informed. This kind of work comes with a price that he was just not willing to pay. The price of learning what makes a veteran and what unites them.

Original Post

It's not just what Rieckhoff said this time that has everyone angry. It's been his attitude before this that this comment only added to the perception he doesn't have a clue about the older veterans, what they did, what they saw, what kind of people they are and what they managed to accomplish before he was even born.

This is from the Huffington Post where Rieckhoff posts often.

Paul Rieckhoff, 33, is the Executive Director and Founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). A non-partisan non-profit group with over 100,000 members around the world, IAVA was founded in 2004 and is America’s first and largest Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans organization. Rieckhoff was a First Lieutenant and infantry rifle platoon leader in the Iraq war from 2003-2004. He is now a nationally recognized authority on the war in Iraq and issues affecting troops, military families and veterans.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-rieckhoff

One year in Iraq gave this now 33 year old the impression he knows more and is better than all the other generations of veterans? The same veterans that fought for and made sure everything the newer veterans are receiving especially when it comes to PTSD being recognized? When I started to help veterans, he was in grade school! For Heaven's sake, when I grew up I was surrounded by 3 generations of veterans. My uncles were WWII veterans and my father was a Korean veteran and one of my cousins was a Vietnam veteran. It was the way Vietnam veterans were treated by the older ones when they came home that made them determined to take care of their generation plus all other generations of veterans since they all served the same nation. Why didn't he understand that?

No, it's not just this one comment but hundreds of times he's been on cable news talking about the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans as if they were the only ones that should matter even though they are responsible for everything his kind of veterans have topped off with the fact they have had to move to the back of the line to make sure his kind of veterans are taken care of. Ask a Gulf War veteran, Vietnam veteran, Korean veteran or WWII veteran how their appointments have been since they were pushed out of the way to make room for the newer veterans. If you think the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have problems, wait until you hear what's been happening to them but they don't have the spotlight so it'll be a very long wait. It's for sure Rieckhoff won't mention it.

One more thing he is clueless about is that PTSD has already been at crisis point about three years ago for the newer veterans and over 30 years ago for the older ones!

Old, new vets clash over IAVA chief comment

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday May 15, 2009 14:49:16 EDT

With five words, the executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America opened a rift among veterans groups that could derail efforts to improve mental health care and other benefits.

The dispute — with older veterans complaining that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are getting too much attention and too much money while they wait in long lines for medical appointments — was sparked by a statement issued May 13 by Paul Rieckhoff, founder and chief of IAVA, about the fatal shooting of five service members at a counseling center in Iraq, allegedly by another U.S. service member.

Trying to put the reported case of friendly fire in perspective, Rieckhoff said: “Unlike during the Vietnam War, today’s military is an professional, all-volunteer force.”

He went on: “There have been only five cases of intentional fratricide by U.S. service members in Iraq. But these incidents, however rare, draw public attention to an important issue: the enormous stress on our armed forces. Much more must be done to address troops’ psychological injuries before they reach a crisis point.”

The phrase “Unlike during the Vietnam War” is being taken as a jab at the professionalism of Vietnam veterans. Joe Morgan, a Vietnam veteran and president of Veterans of Modern Warfare, said Rieckhoff’s statement has “stirred a fierce and justifiable outrage by all veterans, not just the Vietnam veterans he maligned.”

The head of the nation’s largest organization for combat veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, also criticized the statement, saying Rieckhoff “doesn’t need to be reminded that every entitlement, every service and every program Iraq and Afghanistan warriors enjoy — many of whom are VFW members — is because previous generations of, as he regrettably put it, ‘nonprofessionals’ demanded and fought to be properly recognized and respected for their service to our country,” said Glen Gardner Jr., VFW commander. “He owes a sincere apology to our brethren.”
go here for more
Old, new vets clash over IAVA chief comment

RIECKHOFF'S NON-APOLOGY TO VIETNAM VETERANS

This is from Larry Scott and pretty much sums up how I feel as well.

Mr. Rieckhoff, your non-apology is not accepted.

And, to the staff at IAVA: Keep Paul Rieckhoff away from all computers. He's the only person I know who can dig a hole with a keyboard.

Rieckhoff can claim what he wants in order to defend what he said, but the truth is, all you have to do is listen to him talk when he pops up on cable stations and know, he really isn't interested in Vietnam veterans or other veterans at all. It really is a shame because he can't understand he ended up insulting every other generation of veterans in the process. I wonder how many of those "other" veterans supported the IAVA and ended up shocked by what he said?

This is really beyond just slamming Vietnam veterans. The media has not been interested in them at all but they have been suffering from lack of care longer than the newer veterans. Not only are they still trapped in the monstrous backlog of claims, they are being treated to appointments cut back to make room for the newer veterans. Does Rieckhoff ever think of this? Does he use the media spotlight to bring this appalling treatment into the public's mind? No. Does he bring it to the public's mind that had it not been for the Vietnam veteran he just slammed, none of the understanding, as pathetic as it is, would have been available for "his kind of veterans" had they not fought for it and demanded it over 30 years ago and never gave up fighting for it for their generation as well as all other veterans? Does he acknowledge at all that because of the way Vietnam veterans were treated when they came home "his kind of veterans" have been treated with respect and appreciation by the public and people around the country are fighting like hell to make sure they are taken care of including the Vietnam veterans and their families?

Rieckhoff has had no use for me or this blog. After all, I can't gain him any attention. If he had been interested at all he'd see how hard this Vietnam veteran's wife is fighting for "his kind" of veteran as well as all veterans. We have one Department of Defense and we have one Veterans Administration supposedly taking care of all generations and if there is a problem with "his kind" of veterans then he needs to fully acknowledge there is a problem with ALL generations of veterans. I am so tied of the spotlight focused on just the newer veterans because people like Rieckhoff get their attention but people like Larry Scott don't. He's focused on what the VA does and does not do for ALL veterans! You'd think the media would get the message that as they focus on the newer veterans suffering we still have Vietnam veterans suffering after all these years and yes, they watch TV too! Plus they don't consider how many more Vietnam veterans there are than the newer veterans. Wonder what their ratings would be if they ever paid attention to them?

RIECKHOFF'S NON-APOLOGY TO VIETNAM VETERANS
IAVA chief claims remark was about who fragged the most and not meant as disrespect.

by Larry Scott, VA Watchdog dot Org



Sometimes I wish people would just do the simple and correct thing when they open their mouth to change feet: Apologize for an un-smart comment and move on.

But, no ...

Sometimes I wish people would just do the simple and correct thing when they open their mouth to change feet: Apologize for an un-smart comment and move on.

But, no ...

Most people have to explain and explain ... and explain some more in an attempt to make it appear that what they said really was correct and really wasn't meant to be offensive ... thus trying to put the onus back on the person(s) they offended.

Such is the case of Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).

Yesterday we reported that Rieckhoff, in response to a soldier killing five fellow troops in Iraq, said, in part:

"Unlike during the Vietnam War, today's military is a professional, all-volunteer force."

This remark greatly offended me ... as it did Veterans' Advocate Jim Strickland ... and, we let our feelings be known. It also offended many other veterans as noted by the angry comments at the bottom of the article.

Instead of just saying, "I'm sorry. It was an insensitive remark and doesn't reflect my true feelings. I apologize," Rieckhoff tried to explain his way out of it.
go here for more
http://www.vawatchdog.org/09/nf09/nfmay09/nf051309-1.htm

Paul Rieckhoff you should thank Vietnam Veterans and not slam them

Mr. Rieckhoff,
After you served your country and then turned around to start the IAVA to take care of the veterans of those two wars, it is shocking you have failed all other veterans.

All wars were fought with draftees, in case you didn't notice and this includes WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam. After Vietnam then it was up to the young to enlist. Unlike WWI, WWII and Korea, the Vietnam veterans came back in force to address PTSD. All other generations of mankind have been wounded by this but it took them to fight for it and it was their courage to take a stand that has placed this nation as far as we are today in taking care of the generation of veterans you care for. Did that ever dawn on you?

Do you think that Vietnam veterans had any less dedication to their brothers or to the mission just because some were drafted? How dare you? Did it dawn on you that with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans you also have people the standards were lowered for so they could boost manpower? How about gangs suddenly allowed in? How about criminals allowed in? Does any of this dawn on you? Do these facts end up reflecting badly on the rest of the men and women serving in the military today? Absolutely not. How can you even begin to use any kind of language that slams Vietnam veterans when they came home to make sure ALL generations of veterans were taken care of? How can anyone claiming to be serving veterans forget there are more veterans in this country needing this country as much as the newer generation but waiting far longer for it?

This is the part I can never understand about you and what you do. How many Vietnam veterans turned to you for help considering how much media attention you get only to be turned away? This part the media doesn't discuss but the veterans do. The other service organizations including Vietnam Veterans of America will help all veterans because they made it their next mission to live up to "Never again will one generation abandon another" but you don't seem to let that bother you one bit.

I've supported you and your organization in the past and posted a lot about what you had to say. From now on, if you say it, it will not be posted but if others from your organization do, I will post it. That is unless you apologize to the Vietnam veterans because had it not been for them, your generation would be screwed even more than they are now. By the way, do you know how many veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have parents that were Vietnam veterans? Want to bet some of them had been drafted too?

Learn something and maybe begin with watching Ken Burns The War and learn some facts about WWII to know about the drafted heroes of that war. Larry Scott is right and you are clearly wrong!

IAVA CHIEF, RIECKHOFF, DISSES VIETNAM VETERANS
Calls Vietnam veterans unprofessional and takes a swipe at all draftees.

by Larry Scott, VA Watchdog dot Org



In 2004, Iraq War veteran Paul Rieckhoff founded Operation Truth.

Operation Truth was an almost-anti-war, definitely anti-Bush organization funded by vast amounts of left-wing money ... which is not necessarily bad, but it always helps to know where the money comes from. (The editor at a well-known military web site names George Soros as the source of much of the funding.)

The goal was to co-opt veterans' issues by using the media contacts of the left-wing money ... to make the country think of "veterans" as those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rieckhoff became a star on such programs as the Rachel Maddow Show on Air American Radio and MSNBC-TV.

Realizing that he needed a broader base, Rieckhoff changed the name of the organization to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).

IAVA became a lobbying powerhouse on Capitol Hill. Even though Iraq and Afghanistan vets make up just 3% of the veteran population, and IAVA membership is just a few thousand of that 3%, IAVA became a loud voice.

Rieckhoff's agenda has always been a divisive force in the veteran community.

Because of Rieckhoff's work, we now have a two-tiered VA system, with vets from Iraq and Afghanistan getting priority treatment for health care and first-in-line status for disability claims ... while the other 97% of veterans just have to wait.

In fairness, Rieckhoff has worked hard for his constituency, and it has paid off ... to the detriment of other veterans.

Now, we see Rieckhoff's feelings about other veterans, especially those who served in the Vietnam War.

Today, it is reported that a GI in Iraq killed five fellow soldiers. Rieckhoff issued a press release about this, and said, in part:

"Unlike during the Vietnam War, today's military is a professional, all-volunteer force."
go here for more
IAVA CHIEF, RIECKHOFF, DISSES VIETNAM VETERANS

President Obama listened to veterans voices

Dear Chaplain Kathie,

I'm on the road in Washington, DC, but I wanted to send you a quick update on two big breaking news stories.

First, just a few minutes ago, the Pentagon officially announced they will be phasing out involuntary enlistment extensions, otherwise known as "stop-loss."

The Pentagon also agreed to pay $500 per month to servicemembers forced to stay beyond their original enlistment term, which is a policy that IAVA has been supporting for a long time.

Stop-loss has had an enormous impact on the lives of many of our nation's troops, veterans, and military families. As I mentioned last week, tonight's episode of MTV's The Real World, which features IAVA prominently, focuses on cast-member Ryan, an Iraq veteran who was stop-lossed. The information about that episode, which airs tonight at 10pm on MTV, is in the forwarded email below.

Second, on what has proven to be a huge day for veterans, there has been another major development in Washington, DC. President Obama listened to IAVA and the other major veterans organizations, and made a critical decision to not move forward with a proposal to bill a veteran's private insurance for the cost of caring for a service-connected injury.

Today, President Obama showed that he understands and respects our nation's veterans.


Later this week, I'll have much more to report about this whirlwind week in Washington, DC, which included meetings with the President, Speaker Pelosi and VA Secretary Shinseki.

In the meantime, be sure to tune in tonight at 10pm on MTV, and keep an eye on your inbox for more breaking news from the nation's capitol.

Thank you for standing with us.

Sincerely,

Paul

Paul Rieckhoff
Iraq Veteran
Executive Director & Founder
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)

Iraq Vets Storm the Hill, Congress Rapidly Responds

Paul Rieckhoff
Exec. Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)
Posted February 12, 2009 01:56 AM (EST)

Iraq Vets Storm the Hill, Congress Rapidly Responds
Earlier this week, I told you about an amazing group of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans that were coming to Capitol Hill for a historic trip to Congress, to advocate on behalf of their fellow vets. Today, I want to tell you just one of their extraordinary stories.

Rey Leal served as a Marine in Fallujah during some of the heaviest fighting, earning a Bronze Star with valor as a Private First Class, an almost unheard of accomplishment for a soldier of his rank. But when he returned to southern Texas, he needed help coming home from war. Instead of having resources at his fingertips, his closest VA hospital was over five hours away. Rey’s a tough Marine, and a boxer, but he shouldn’t have to fight to get care at a veterans’ hospital. And at his nearest outpatient clinic, there was just one psychologist, taking appointments only two days a week.

The psychologist only works two days because that Texas clinic, like many VA clinics and hospitals, has to stretch its’ funding to make sure the money lasts the whole year. They don’t know how much funding they’ll have next year because the VA budget is routinely passed late. In fact, 19 of the past 22 years, the budget has not been passed on time. As a result, the VA is forced to ration care for the almost 6 million veterans that depend on its services.

For the millions of veterans like Rey, we must fix this broken VA funding system.

Imagine trying to balance your family’s budget without knowing what your next paycheck will be. That’s what we’re asking of the largest health care provider in the nation to do. And it doesn’t work.

click link for more

Were Troops Poisoned? Vets Demand KBR Come Clean on Toxins in Iraq

The answer is, yes, but no one seemed to care.

These are just some of the stories posted on this blog. This is not a new story but it is yet another horrible one.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

KBR blamed for exposing troops to cancer causing chemical
June 21, 2008, 3:20PMArk. man, others blame KBR for contaminants in IraqAssociated PressWASHINGTON — An Arkansas man who worked as a contractor in Iraq says he lost his job after warning workers they were being exposed to a cancer-causing chemical there.Ed Blacke, a former safety inspector for Houston-based contracting giant KBR, says his exposure to sodium dichromate in 2003 gave him chronic thyroid problems and early signs of cancer. He said supervisors initially ignored his warnings about contamination at the Qarmat Ali water injection plant near Basra, Iraq."In my mind, it was criminally negligent of (the company) to make a decision to continue to expose personnel to sodium dichromate poisoning," the Bella Vista, Ark., man told a congressional panel Friday.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Indiana National Guard possible exposure and KBR
Army investigating possible chemical exposureBy Maureen Groppe - Gannett News ServicePosted : Tuesday Sep 23, 2008 18:09:28 EDTWASHINGTON — The Army will complete an investigation within 60 days into whether Indiana National Guardsmen and other soldiers providing protection at a water pumping plant in Iraq in 2003 were exposed to a deadly chemical.Army Secretary Pete Geren said in a letter to Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh that the “senior level” review will look at the Army’s procedures for handling hazardous exposure, the actions taken to follow up with those who may have been exposed and whether the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers properly oversaw contract work by Kellogg, Brown and Root Services.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Sixteen Indiana National Guard soldiers sue over chemical exposure in Iraq
Ind. soldiers sue over chemical exposure in Iraq
The Associated Press
By CHARLES WILSON – 20 hours agoINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Sixteen Indiana National Guard soldiers sued the big defense contractor KBR Inc. on Wednesday, saying its employees knowingly allowed them to be exposed to a toxic chemical in Iraq five years ago.The federal suit filed in U.S. District Court alleges the soldiers from a Tell City-based unit were exposed to a carcinogen while protecting an Iraqi water pumping plant shortly after the U.S. invasion in 2003.The 23-page complaint claims that Houston-based KBR knew at least as early as May 2003 that the plant was contaminated with sodium dichromate, a known carcinogen, but concealed the danger from civilian workers and 139 soldiers from the Indiana Guard's 1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry.

But this is not just some sad story about accidental chemical exposure. This is a question of responsibility. CBS News has uncovered evidence that KBR may have known about the contamination at the power plant months before it took any action to inform the troops stationed there.
click link above for more

This story was covered even longer. The following are from my older blog.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Be honest. Who are you really supporting? The Troops or Bush?

In 2003 who were you really supporting? Bush? Halliburton? The Troops?Then why did you support this going on?

WHAT DID WE PAY HALLIBURTON FOR? Troops' health woes run gamut from 'Saddam's revenge' to severe stressBy Marni McEntee, Stars and StripesEuropean edition, Wednesday, October 29, 2003BAGHDAD, Iraq — In Iraq’s harsh environment, even soldiers safe inside their base camp face dangers.
Between combat casualties and accident victims in Iraq, medical personnel are also busy fighting microscopic enemies that can lay a troop near as low as a gunshot wound.With ailments ranging from “Saddam’s revenge” stomach bugs to infections caused by bad hygiene, hundreds of soldiers are lining up at sick call instead of patrolling front lines.
Some maladies are caused by a witch’s brew of dust, heat, exotic bacteria and vermin. Others stem from poor sanitation and close living quarters, said Capt. Jolene Lea, a community health nurse at the 28th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad.Still others are related to the stress of seeing a friend killed in battle or hearing bad news from home, Lea said. Those can manifest themselves into mental health problems and, sometimes, suicide.
The most serious illness and injury cases are evacuated from Iraq to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. As of last week, Landstuhl doctors have treated 7,381 from Operation Iraqi Freedom, hospital spokeswoman Marie Shaw said. Only 10 percent of those casualties were from battle injuries, she said.
The problems have some troops at bases from Basra in the south to Mosul in the north afraid that living and working in Iraq may be bad for their health.“I am very worried about the long-term health effects of this environment,” Sgt. Brian Rau of the 372nd Military Police Co., in Hillah, wrote on a Stars and Stripes survey form. Stripes reporters surveyed nearly 2,000 troops throughout the country in August.“The food is bad and not reliable, so we eat on the local market every day,” Rau wrote. “There is standing sewage outside our building. And the cans we use for toilets are prefilled with diesel fuel so we sit on top of those fumes daily.”go here to see where your tax dollars went

Iraq Where Your Money Wenthttp://www.usaid.gov/iraq/updates/may06/iraq_fs28_052606.pdf

Or when it was reported in 2006?
April 7, 2006, 11:59PM
Doctor alleges water linked to infections
Halliburton contends it met Army standardsBy DAVID IVANOVICHCopyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Washington BureauWASHINGTON - A U.S. Army doctor serving in Iraq has linked a small outbreak of bacterial infections among U.S. troops to allegedly contaminated water supplied by Houston-based Halliburton Co.
In the latest broadside against Halliburton and its performance in Iraq, Senate Democrats produced an e-mail Friday from Capt. A. Michelle Callahan, a family physician serving at Qayyarah Airfield West, recounting how she treated six infections over a two-week period in January, at the same time she was noticing the water in base showers was cloudy and foul-smelling.
Follow-up testing of the water soldiers were using to bathe, shave and even brush their teeth revealed evidence of coliform and E. coli bacteria, Callahan wrote in an e-mail to a staffer for the Democratic Policy Committee, led by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.

Memo: Halliburton failed to purify GIs’ waterInternal report says contamination could've caused 'mass sickness or death'Updated: 6:28 a.m. ET March 16, 2006WASHINGTON - Halliburton Co. failed to protect the water supply it is paid to purify for U.S. soldiers throughout Iraq, in one instance missing contamination that could have caused “mass sickness or death,” an internal company report concluded.The report, obtained by The Associated Press, said the company failed to assemble and use its own water purification equipment, allowing contaminated water directly from the Euphrates River to be used for washing and laundry at Camp Ar Ramadi in Ramadi, Iraq.The problems discovered last year at that site — poor training, miscommunication and lax record keeping — occurred at Halliburton’s other operations throughout Iraq, the report said.“Countrywide, all camps suffer to some extent from all or some of the deficiencies noted,” Wil Granger, Theatre Water Quality Manager in the war zone for Halliburton’s KBR subsidiary, wrote in his May 2005 report.AP reported earlier this year allegations from whistleblowers about the Camp Ar Ramadi incident, but Halliburton never made public Granger’s internal report alleging wider problems.The water quality expert warned Halliburton the problems “will have to be dealt with at a very elevated level of management” to protect health and safety of U.S. personnel.

Friday, October 12, 2007


But the Democrats in Congress were trying to find out what was going on. This came out but not very many people paid attention to it.

While the Democratic Policy Committee was trying to focus on all of thishttp://democrats.senate.gov/dpc/dpc-new2.cfm?doc_name=inv2Top Twenty Iraq Oversight Outrages Uncovered by the DPCRepublicans in Congress Refuse to Demand Accountability in Iraq;Billions of Dollars Wasted, Our Mission UnderminedOver the last three years, Senate Democratic Policy Committee (DPC) hearings have uncovered massive waste, fraud, and abuse relating to government contractors operating in Iraq. This report presents twenty of the worst oversight outrages, as documented in testimony and evidence presented at DPC hearings:
1) Halliburton billed taxpayers $1.4 billion in questionable and undocumented charges under its contract to supply troops in Iraq, as documented by the Pentagon’s own auditors. More…
2) Parsons billed taxpayers over $200 million under a contract to build 142 health clinics, yet completed fewer than 20. According to Iraqi officials, the rest were “imaginary clinics.” More…
3) Custer Battles stole forklifts from Iraq’s national airline, repainted them, then leased the forklifts back to the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) through a Cayman Islands shell company — charging an extra fee along the way. More…
4) Halliburton allowed our troops in Iraq to shower, bathe, and sometimes brush their teeth with water that tested positive for e. coli and coliform bacteria. One expert has said that the troops would have been better off using the highly polluted Euphrates River. Halliburton has admitted that it lacked “an organizational structure to ensure that water was being treated in accordance with Army standards and its contractual requirements.” More…
5) Halliburton served the troops food that had spoiled or passed its expiration date. Halliburton managers ordered employees to remove bullets from food in trucks that had come under attack, then saved the bullets as souvenirs while giving the food to unwitting soldiers and Marines. More…
6) Halliburton charged taxpayers for services that it never provided and tens of thousands of meals that it never served. More…
7) Halliburton double-charged taxpayers for $617,000 worth of soda. More…
8) Halliburton tripled the cost of hand towels, at taxpayer expense, by insisting on having its own embroidered logo on each towel. More…
9) Halliburton employees burned new trucks on the side of the road because they didn’t have the right wrench to change a tire — and knew that the trucks could be replaced on a profitable “cost-plus” basis, at taxpayer expense. More…10) Halliburton employees dumped 50,000 pounds of nails in the desert because they ordered the wrong size, all at taxpayer expense. More…
11) Halliburton employees threw themselves a lavish Super Bowl Party, but passed the cost on to taxpayers by claiming they had purchased supplies for the troops. More…12) Halliburton chose a subcontractor to build an ice factory in the desert even though its bid was 800 percent higher than an equally qualified bidder. More…
13) Halliburton actively discouraged cooperation with U.S. government auditors, sent one whistleblower into a combat zone to keep him away from auditors, and put another whistleblower under armed guard before kicking her out of the country. More…
14) Halliburton sent unarmed truck drivers into a known combat zone without warning them of the danger, resulting in the deaths of six truck drivers and two soldiers. Halliburton then offered to nominate the surviving truck drivers for a Defense Department medal — provided they sign a medical records release that doubled as a waiver of any right to seek legal recourse against the company. More…15) Halliburton’s no-bid contract to rebuild Iraq’s oil infrastructure was the worst case of contract abuse that the top civilian at the Army Corps of Engineers had ever seen. She was demoted after speaking out. More…
16) Under its no-bid contract to rebuild Iraq’s oil infrastructure contract, Halliburton overcharged by over 600 percent for the delivery of fuel from Kuwait. More…
17) Halliburton failed to complete required work under its oil infrastructure work, leaving distribution points unusable. More…
18) Iraq under the CPA was like the “Wild West,” with few limits and controls over how inexperienced officials spent — and wasted — millions of taxpayer dollars. More…19) Cronies at the CPA’s health office lacked experience, ignored the advice of international health professionals, failed to restore Iraq’s health systems, and wasted millions of taxpayer dollars. The political appointee who ran the office had never worked overseas and had no international public health experience. More…20) Administration officials promoted construction of a “boondoggle” children’s hospital in Basra, which ended up more than a year behind schedule and at least 100 percent over budget. More…Maybe Bush could have a truthful moment and instead of saying support the troops in Iraq he will instead say, America needs to support the contractors in Iraq, because that is what it all boils down to.

Did Your Soldier Come Home Sick From Iraq?
Halliburton provided contaminated water to Soldiers
On September 3rd 2007 (Labor Day), President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and a Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace visited Al Asad and spent Labor Day with the Servicemembers deployed to the base.
Al Asad Airbase is the focus of the video I just added to this blog. It wasn't such a big secret considering it has been played across the country to the "liberals" who cared enough to see it. Ben Carter, worked for KBR/Halliburton as a water purification specialist.In the video, he talks about the fact the water at Al-Asad was contaminated. Chlorine was not found in the water supply that was supposed to be added to it. We've heard horrible stories about cholera outbreaks in Iraq, along with super bugs, as water is not fit to drink or bathe in. Yet our government contracted with companies and then provided no oversight to make sure the troops were provided with everything they were paying for.If your soldier came home ill, or passed away because of an illness, you need to know what caused it. Too many do not know about this.Then again, this isn't the only time something like this has happened and by all signs, it won't be the last.N.C. Marine Camp's Water Under ScrutinyPast Contaminated Water at Marine's Camp Lejeune Suspected in Death and IllnessThousands of Marines and their families went to serve their country at North Carolina's Camp Lejeune.The Associated Press By RITA BEAMISH Associated Press WriterATLANTA Jun 11, 2007 (AP)
Instead, many wound up fighting it, blaming the government for failing to protect them from an enemy that invaded their lives in a most intimate way: through the water that quenched their thirst, cooked their food and filled their bathtubs every day.
The gruff ex-drill instructor is angry leukemia claimed his daughter, Janey. Parents were guilt-ridden that perhaps their own actions had ruined their daughters' health. An aging major still mourns the wife who shared his torment over their baby's fatal birth defects. A former Navy doctor's career was demolished by his rare cancer.Each used the water that poured from kitchen faucets and bathroom showers at Camp Lejeune, an environmental tragedy realized a generation ago that is drawing new scrutiny from members of Congress outraged over the government's treatment of sick veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and elsewhere.U.S. health officials here in Atlanta hope to finish a long-awaited study by year's end to examine whether the water tainted with solvents affected the health of children. It will influence the Pentagon's response to at least 850 pending legal claims by people who lived at the Marine base, officials said.
The former residents, who together seek nearly $4 billion, believe their families were afflicted by water containing industrial solvents before the Marines shut off the bad wells in the mid-1980s.

At least 120,000 people lived in family housing that may have been affected over three decades, plus uncounted civilian workers and Marines in barracks, Marine Corps figures indicate. Defense officials recently told U.S. health investigators that between 1975 and 1985 alone, nearly 200,000 Marines were stationed at Camp Lejeune.About 56,000 Marines, family members and civilians now live or work at Camp Lejeune, the sprawling training and deployment base on the Atlantic seaboard. Its water meets current federal standards.go here for the rest of thishttp://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/wireStory?id=3266355
Watch the video and then think about health problems that don't seem right. Then wonder what else they are not telling you.
I'll leave the link to the video up for about a week. After that you can view it at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeIxHQ-lkuM

But it's not just a problem in Iraq.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Camp Lejeune and contaminated water
Camp Lejeune Water StudyJun 19, 2008
June 18, 2008 - The Marine Corps is concerned about your health. We ENCOURAGE all former Marines, family members and civilian employees who resided or worked aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune between 1957 and 1987 to REGISTER with the Marine Corps for information regarding past water quality.https://clnr.hqi.usmc.mil/clsurvey/
This is a huge number of people involved here!

Saturday, May 31, 2008

500,000 at Camp LeJeune may have been exposed to tainted water

MONEY DISPUTE THREATENS TOXIC TAP WATER STUDY
May 28, Associated Press – ( North Carolina )Money dispute threatens toxic tap water study. Continuation of a long-running government study on whether contaminated water harmed babies at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, hinges on a half-million-dollar payment that is due Sunday. The Marines estimate that 500,000 Camp LeJeune residents may have been exposed to the tainted water, including thousands of Vietnam-bound Marines. Federal health investigators estimate the number is higher.The U.S. health agency conducting the study, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, said its research would be jeopardized if the Navy does not pay $522,000 to keep the study going beyond Sunday.Health problems blamed on Camp LeJeune ’s contaminated water were the focus of reporting by the Associated Press in June 2007 and congressional oversight hearings.

This is from Paul Rieckhoff. Maybe he should read this blog from time to time and then he'd know how bad it's been and for how long they knew it was.

Were Troops Poisoned? Vets Demand KBR Come Clean on Toxins in Iraq
James Gentry served his country honorably as a battalion commander in Iraq. Now, he is dying of a rare form of lung cancer. And he's not the only one. A troubling number of troops in Gentry's Indiana National Guard unit have bloody noses, tumors and rashes. And tragically, one soldier has already died.

New reports suggest these injuries may be the result of exposure to toxins at a KBR-run power plant in Southern Iraq. In 2003, James and his men were responsible for guarding that plant, and protecting KBR's employees. The soldiers were stationed there for months before being informed that the site was contaminated with a chemical known as hexavalent chromium.

Hexavalent chromium is a deadly carcinogen. It's the same toxin that Erin Brockovich became famous for campaigning against. James believes that it was the inhalation of this chemical that caused his cancer, and the other rare illnesses among the Guardsmen who served at the plant.

So Paul, the answer is yes, they knew and didn't care.

7,000 to 8,000 homeless veterans are female

New Housing Serves Homeless Female Vets
October 20, 2008
Associated Press

DAYTON, Ohio - Carisa Dogen is an Army veteran. She's also homeless, and has slept in parks and scavenged for food in trash cans.

"It's real tough, especially on nights when it's cold and rainy," Dogen, 38, said as she sat inside The Other Place, a homeless shelter. "I got accosted a couple of times by males. Walking the streets and stuff, it's hard and it's scary."

Dogen is among the 7,000 to 8,000 homeless female U.S. military veterans as estimated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. She is among the few who are hoping to benefit from new housing specifically for female veterans, an initiative homeless advocates say falls far short of what is needed.

A 27-unit renovated apartment building for female veterans on the Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center campus was completed in August. It is expected to be filled by mid-November.

The facility is one of the largest of about a dozen around the nation, said Peter Dougherty, director of homeless-veterans programs for Veterans Affairs. Run by a private housing agency, it will give veterans access to medical services, day care, job training, and drug and alcohol counseling.

The homeless female veteran is a relatively new phenomenon because only recently have so many women been in the military, said Todd DePastino, a historian at Waynesburg University in Pennsylvania who wrote a book on the history of homelessness.

Nearly 11 percent of U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are women. Women make up about 5 percent of homeless veterans, up from 3 percent 10 years ago, according to the VA.

"It's a national embarrassment," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

More women are showing up at the door of Swords to Plowshares, a San Francisco group that provides housing and other services to homeless veterans.
click post title for more

Joe the Plumber? What About Jim and Jane the Veteran?

Really think about this.

Joe the Plumber? What About Jim and Jane the Veteran?
Paul Rieckhoff
Posted October 16, 2008


First it was Main Street. Then it was Joe Six-Pack. And last night, Joe the Plumber took center stage. After three presidential debates between Senators McCain and Obama, our nation's veterans can't help but be left wondering: What about us?

Beyond the fact that there was no real talk (straight or otherwise) at all about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, foreign policy or military affairs, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are facing unbelievable challenges when they come home. More than 300,000 new veterans are suffering from a serious psychological injury, and less than half are receiving the care they need. Tens of thousands of troops have suffered disabling physical injuries, new veterans are also facing high rates of unemployment, and almost two thousand brave men and women who served in Iraq or Afghanistan have already wound up homeless. And all the economic issues hitting the average American are hitting our military folks even harder. Millions are wrestling with the mortgage crisis, rising food costs, and the high price of gas. Now imagine dealing with all that while being deployed to a war zone for 12 months for the third time in five years. This is what our servicemembers are facing.

But not once during the presidential debates did we hear any substance from the candidates about how they plan to support our veterans.

We've been bombarded with talking point after talking point on the economy, healthcare, and energy. Joe the Plumber even had his name repeated more than a dozen times last night. But Jim and Jane the Veteran have been left behind.

click above for more

We can talk all we want about getting government out of our lives when it comes to our money, but when we do, we limit our view to "self" and cannot see beyond. Our taxes go to the roads we drive on and bridges we cross over expecting them to be safe and well maintained. Taxes pay for checking the food we eat, air we breathe, what we drink, medications we take and products we use so that we can trust they are safe. Taxes pay for the education of our children. Taxes pay for the police and fire departments. We can complain about the fact we are supporting people who have fallen on hard times, the ill who cannot pay for medical care or the elderly.

We can simply forget about all of this because it is just so easy to say government needs to get out of our lives so that our tax burden can be cut but when we are honest we know that sooner or later, it all has to be paid for. With all the talk about tax cuts and how McCain doesn't want anyone to pay more, no one is talking about common sense. McCain and the GOP seem to have no problem just borrowing money this nation cannot afford so they can take care of the rich, just expecting them to do the right thing and take care of those with less. They expect the money to just flow down but after all these years, it hasn't.

We have food that has been contaminated by chemicals imported from China. We have medications that were supposed to be safe, sent into the homes of millions only to discover they are harmful. Roads fall apart and bridges collapse. Schools across then nation leave our children unable to compete with the rest of the world and if you go into any establishment, young cashiers cannot do simple math unless the cash registers tell them exactly how much change to give back. Yet some will simply shut their eyes to what our taxes do.

Another part of what our tax dollars do is to supply the nation with defense. From the citizen soldiers of the National Guard and Reservists to the Coast Guard, Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, CIA, FBI and all the other branches, our money pays for them. It is also supposed to be paying for those who have served when they need to be taken care of with medical expenses and compensation if they are wounded in the process.

The man who becomes our next president has to have his mind in the right place. He cannot be one who ignores all that is required of him. Far too little has been said about all of this. It's been about cutting taxes, either for the rich or those who have less. It has not been about doing the right thing or wiser use of the tax dollars collected. What is the most telling of all is that the men and women who served in the military have been forgotten. We have two active military campaigns producing wounded everyday, being added into the system and in need of being taken care of.

Families are living on food stamps, being foreclosed on because their husband or wife has been sent to Afghanistan or Iraq multiple times. We have wounded coming back, faced with having to fight to have their wounds taken care of and compensated for the incomes they are no longer able to obtain. Why is it no one is talking about the fact we owe them?

I listen to people like Ron Paul talking about the evil of taxes but never hear him say what good our tax dollars do. I hear McCain say that he wants people making the most money in this country to not have to suffer for making more, but never hear him mention how he has voted against the veterans needing to be taken care of, especially if it is tied to any kind of corporations having to pay their share. I hear Obama talk about the middle class but not about the poor or the needy or the fact we have to be smarter with the money we do have. None of them have talked about the debt we owe those who serve or the suffering they are going through.

When you hear them talk, notice what they are not talking about and then demand they address the things you are concerned about. If you are not concerned about anything listed here, then please look in the mirror when you read about it all falling apart or another veteran who has committed suicide or see another veteran you pass by on the street because that has become his home. You'll have only yourself to blame because you didn't want to pay taxes and refused to hold them accountable for the taxes you did pay.

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 Care for Women found lacking…

VA Care for Women found lacking…
June 15, 2008 ·

Study sees discrepancies in VA care for men, women
By KIMBERLY HEFLING – 1 day ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Health care for female military veterans lags behind the care offered to male vets at many VA facilities, an internal agency report says, even as women are serving on front lines at historic levels.

There are clear needs for more physicians trained in women’s care and more equipment to meet women’s health needs, said Friday’s review by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

It did add that strides are being made, such as creating onsite mammography services and establishing women’s clinics at most VA medical centers. The department also is attempting to recruit more clinicians with training in women’s care.

For now, female veterans aren’t getting the same quality of outpatient care as men in about one-third of the VA’s 139 facilities that offer it, the report said. That appeared to validate the complaints of advocates and some members of Congress who have said more emphasis needs to be placed on women’s health.

Women make up about 5 percent of the VA’s population, but that is expected to nearly double in the next two years.

Paul Rieckhoff, founder of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said women veterans have complained about the lack of women’s restrooms and private changing areas in some VA centers. Others have complained about the scarcity of women-only group counseling options.

“There’s a definite feeling of isolation,” Rieckhoff said. “There’s a definite feeling that they’re a minority and that big Army and big VA are still trying to understand their issues.”
go here for more
http://www.corpsman.com/2008/06/va-care-for-women-found-lacking/

GI Bill costs are worth it, vets groups say

GI Bill costs are worth it, vets groups say

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 13, 2008 13:03:28 EDT

Two veterans groups — the nation’s largest and one of the newest — are urging lawmakers to weigh the cost of improved veterans’ benefits against the cost of America’s current wars.

“The GI Bill is a cost of war as much as any other expenditure,” said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans, founded in 2004. “Any member of Congress who votes for a $170 billion war bill and then votes against the GI Bill is nickel-and-diming our troops. Veterans of all generations will be outraged by that decision.”

Marty Conatser, national commander of the American Legion, said that when the Legion fought in 1944 for the original World War II GI Bill, “even some veterans’ groups complained that it would break the treasury.”

“Instead, the GI Bill transformed the economy and has been widely hailed as the greatest domestic legislation Congress has ever passed,” said Conatser, whose organization has 2.7 million members.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/military_veterans_gibill_051308w/

Fire Bill O'Reilly for being stupid and evil

From the Ed Schultz Show on Air America Radio

Paul Rieckhoff founder and Executive Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America joined the 1st hour of Wednesday's show to discuss Bill O'Reilly comments that there are no veterans are sleeping under bridges.
http://www.bigeddieradio.com/

IAVA Events" href="http://www.iava.org/content/blogcategory/21/105/">
IAVA Events :: 01/16/08
Homeless Veterans
He may have been wrong about the details, but Bill O'Reilly brought up an important subject on his show last night. Click here to watch the video and get involved.

An interesting caller phone into the show today. He is a Marine. He was a Marine in the 80's. He lost his wife and son in a car accident and then lost everything else. He lives in his car in Colorado.

What he did not lose was his want to work and get back on his feet. He can't. He was robbed and they stole his wallet, along with all of his identification. He needed his ID to get help and is trapped in a maze. He told Schultz he didn't want a hand out. He just wants to work to support himself.

O'Reilly still denies we have homeless veterans. Doesn't matter how many times he gets slammed with facts he would rather shut his eyes and deny it. It doesn't matter the figures on homeless veterans come from the government itself and workers in the field say there are many more than reported.

This Marine called Schultz's show to make sure O'Reilly got the message that they are real and suffering no matter how much O'Reilly wants to deny them any kind of compassion, mercy, help or attention.

Later on in the show a woman called in identifying herself as a Marine Mom from Florida. Schultz was a bit surprised this Mom was offering to help a Marine in Colorado. She explained to Schultz that it is more a matter of every Marine being their son. She called a couple of friends and found some in this veteran's area ready, willing and able to help him. Unlike Bill O'Reilly who would rather shoot off his huge mouth instead of offering to help any of them. I bet he kicks drunks too.


US Vets celebrates five years of helping homeless veterans
Prescott Daily Courier - Prescott,AZ,USABy Derek Meurer, The Daily Courier When people pass a homeless veteran, some may feel sad at seeing an American hero living in such a depressed state. ...See all stories on this topic
O'Reilly Downplays Number of Homeless Veterans
Huffington Post - New York,NY,USAO'Reilly raised an important topic: the plight of homeless veterans. Too bad he got the facts wrong. There are almost 200000 homeless veterans in America. ...See all stories on this topic

Bill O'Reilly Mocks Homeless Veterans Who John Edwards Fights For ...
Huffington Post - New York,NY,USA... cracked research staff take a look at the Veteran's Affairs numbers where they estimate approximately 200000 veterans are homeless on any given night. ...See all stories on this topic

Edwards: I'm underdog for Democrats
abc7news.com - San Francisco,CA,USAThe Fox News Channel commentator reportedly said Edwards "had no clue" when he asserted in Tuesday's debate that there were 200000 homeless veterans in the ...See all stories on this topic

Richland County plans to count homeless on Jan. 29
Mansfield News Journal - Mansfield,OH,USAWhy would a veteran be found Friday sleeping under a bridge in Shelby?” Moore said.

O’Reilly Downplays Number of Homeless Veterans
By Paul Rieckhoff As a homeless Iraq veteran suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and living out of his car in Brooklyn, Herold was not greeted by a support system for veterans. Instead, he met resistance from the Housing Authority, the VA,
O’Reilly Repeatedly Denies the Existence of Homeless Veterans
By info@bravenewfilms.org So instead of admit that he’s wrong and that the disproportionate, unacceptably high number of homeless veterans is a big problem that must be addressed, is a shameful commentary on our nation’s priorities, and an example of republican
Nearly 200000 Homeless Veterans
By Grandmère Mimi(Grandmère Mimi) O'Reilly: "They (homeless veterans) may be out there, but there's not many of them out there. Okay?...If you know where there is a veteran, sleeping under a bridge, you call me immediately, and we will make sure that man does not do it.
A New Generation of Homeless Veterans
By ernesto While the issue of homeless veterans is nothing new many Americans would be shocked to find out that 336000 former service member are homeless every year. Moreover, the VA has already identified 1500 homeless Iraq and Afghanistan

Veterans For Common Sense Wins For Veterans In Court

I'm sure most of you remember Paul Rieckhoff of IAVA showing up on various cable stations talking about the troops and our veterans. Paul Sullivan of Veterans For Common Sense was on some of these shows but not nearly as often as he should have been. What most of you have not noticed is that neither of them have been appearing much at all in the last few months. Why is that? Why has the media suddenly found their appearances not worth the time? Does the media think there is no longer an issue with our veterans or the troops?

While Rieckhoff is primarily concerned Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans who need a strong advocate fighting for them and brining their issues front and center, Paul Sullivan is focused on all veterans. Neither one of them should be forgotten about.

If you need to understand why you need look no further than this court case the VCS organization won. You would think the work these two organizations do would be of interest to the American people, but the media apparently disagree. They've been too busy providing the public with who they think should replace Bush instead of what has been happening to our troops and our veterans.

Jan. 11: Victory for Veterans - Judge Rules in Favor of VCS in Case Against VA
Veterans for Common Sense
Jan 11, 2008
January 10, 2008, Washington, DC – The U.S. District Court in San Francisco today handed an enormous victory to veterans who sued the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) over lengthy delays for medical care and disability benefits. The Judge’s ruling means our class action lawsuit against VA will move forward, with the first court hearing scheduled for next month.

“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.
go here for the rest

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/9109

Call the cable station you watch and ask them why they have been avoiding the troops and the veterans of this nation. I bet they don't have a good answer.

This is what Veterans For Truth is all about.

VUFT’s Five -Point Philosophy
War only if our nation or its true allies are in grave danger
Strict adherence to Article I, Section 8 - “The Congress shall have power … To declare war ...”
A decision for war is a decision for immediate and meaningful national sacrifice which must include relief, wherever possible, of the grave burden on the troops and their families
Affirm the Powell Doctrine - troops must be totally prepared, must be sent in overwhelming numbers, and must know the truth of what they are fighting for, what constitutes success, and how they will exit
Perpetual, timely, quality care for those who have borne the direct burden - the troops and their families - inclusion of these costs in the initial cost of war as part of the continuing national sacrifice

http://www.vuft.org/

MTV interviews Paul Rieckhoff of IAVA

2nd Lieutenant Jenna Grassbaugh, whose husband was killed in Iraq, honors veterans at Arlington National Cemetery

Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Nov 12 2007 4:34 PM EST

On Veterans Day, A Sobering Look At The Iraq War's Toll


Although average U.S. soldier in Iraq is older than average Vietnam soldier, those being killed and injured are disproportionately young.
By Gil Kaufman

Monday (November 12) marks the observed Veterans Day — and also the 25th anniversary of the dedication of "The Wall," the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. And on the holiday, the enduring toll the battle in Iraq has taken on American troops can be summed up by one phrase: the Invisible War.

That's how Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and author of the Iraq memoir "Chasing Ghosts," refers to the war that has been raging since 2003 and has had a startlingly different effect on veterans returning than the war it's most often compared to, Vietnam.

"This is not a drafted army, it's a professional force, so folks are staying in longer, they're older and they're more likely to have families," he said of the average age of Iraq warriors, which is around 27. "But those who are being killed and injured are disproportionately young — the people you played soccer with and went to high school with."

Another reason Rieckhoff calls the Iraq war "invisible" is that while 12 percent of the U.S. population served in World War II, less than 1 percent have suited up for Iraq. "The numbers are less in terms of casualties [than Vietnam or World War II], because the numbers overall are smaller. That means less people are being impacted, so our generation is uniquely disconnected from the war and how it's affecting veterans."
click post title for the rest