US House passes military sexual-assault reporting compensation bill

US House passes military sexual-assault reporting compensation bill
By Kevin Miller
Morning Sentinel
Washington Bureau Chief
June 4, 2013

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill named for a Maine woman that aims to make it easier for veterans who were sexually assaulted to receive compensation.

The Ruth Moore Act of 2013 aims to help victims of military sexual trauma qualify for disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Bill supporters argue that disability claims for mental health conditions linked to a sexual assault should be treated the same as claims for post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, from combat. The VA receives thousands of claims linked to sexual assaults every year. However, advocacy groups contend the approval rate is too low, in large part because many veterans never report the assaults out of fear of retaliation, or the documentation has been lost or destroyed.

House passage of the bill — which was sponsored by Maine Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District — represents the first policy victory this year in either chamber of Congress for veterans' groups and lawmakers pushing for a more aggressive military response to sexual assault within the ranks.

"I'm beyond pleased," Ruth Moore, a sexual assault survivor and the bill's namesake, said Tuesday after the House approved the bill on a voice vote. "It is bittersweet, of course. But this is going to make a difference for so many veterans. Now we just need to get it through the Senate."
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Deported U.S. Veterans Create Art on Border Wall

Deported U.S. Veterans Create Art on Border Wall
El Tecolote
News Report
Laura Waxmann
Posted: Jun 05, 2013

Laura Waxmann/Deported Veterans in Mexico

Editor's Note: One of the amendments to the Senate's immigration reform bill (Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.) would allow DREAMers who enroll in the military to become U.S. citizens. But for veterans who already have been charged with a crime and deported, it may be too late. Now a group of deported vets is building a community, finding support, and creating their own mural on the U.S.-Mexico border.

When Alex Murillo was released at the U.S.-Mexico border right outside of Tijuana in 2011, he was given a little money, a cup of soup and was allowed to make a single phone call.

“They released me like a baboon into the wild,” said Murillo, 35.

His deportation was scheduled for noon, yet it was nearly midnight when he crossed into his country of birth and realized that he had nowhere to go.

The U.S. Navy veteran felt abandoned by the government for which he had risked his life for nearly four years, and that was now forcing him to leave behind his five children.

Murillo is one of thousands of veterans who have been charged with a crime and deported. There are no solid figures on how many veterans currently share Murillo’s predicament, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) does not provide numbers.

It is estimated that about 70,000 U.S. residents served in the U.S. military between 1999 and 2008. Deported veterans are not eligible for VA Benefits.

“The faces that are being deported aren’t just brown or Latino—they are deporting them all over the world,” said Amos Gregory, a San Francisco-based artist, activist and U.S. Navy veteran. “They are broke, in a foreign land, traumatized—and of course they have criminal records.”
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PTSD Women at War, Sisters After War

Part of a series of videos on women at war. This one is a tribute to my friend Capt. Agnes "Irish" Breneahan, a Vietnam era veteran from Fort McClellan. She suffered from PTSD and Agent Orange, but never stopped fighting for all veterans. A true unsung hero. She passed away after a hearing on her claim in Washington on March 11, 2009 without ever seeing justice for herself. This is a tribute to her and all the female veterans she fought so hard for.

PTSD Women at War Part One

First part in series of women at war. They have been going to where they have been needed since this nation began. They are heroes most forget and they suffer from PTSD at higher rates.

PTSD and Women at War

The Hardest Times You Could Imagine, Women at War
Part of a series of videos on wmen at war. Hardest Times You Could Imagine, are forgotten by most when we think about women in combat and what they go through. This video uses Wildflower by Skylark with the help and support of Skylark and EMI records. I couldn't have done this video without them and their help.
The Voice, Women at War, Brief History