Veterans For America

In today’s news, a soldier who had gone AWOL from Fort Drum, NY, because he wasn’t getting adequate treatment for his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was apprehended as his lawyer was negotiating his surrender to Army authorities.  According to the report, Sgt. Brad Gaskins’ mental health began to deteriorate during his second tour in Iraq after he saw an improvised explosive device (IED) slaughter a family of four, and it only got worse from there.  When he returned, he was diagnosed with PTSD in an outside facility, treated, and then returned to his unit.  When he got back, the trouble began again, and when Gaskin asked to receive more treatment at the same hospital, he was told more time off would jeopardize his chances of receiving a medical release, and later almost stabbed his wife, after which he went AWOL.  Fort Drum’s mental health facility currently has a staff of 31, with plans to add seventeen more, to serve 17,000 soldiers.

In other news, a family is seeking answers about whether their son, an Army Ranger, was killed by another soldier suffering from PTSD or if undiagnosed mental health injuries led him to kill himself.  Despite the fact that the FBI has determined that Blackwater security personnel criminally killed fourteen people in Baghdad in September, there is little legal recourse to punish the alleged killers.  Finally, the House of Representatives approved $50 billion to fund operations in Iraq with several conditions, including the commencement of troop withdrawal in 30 days, the limitation of US missions to training, security, and counter-terrorism, and the goal of having most troops out of Iraq by December 2008.  The White House has already said it would veto this legislation, although it probably won’t get that far.  Senate Republicans will almost definitely block the measure from passage.

For the rest of today’s news, please visit the Our Troops Newsladder.