Fort Drum: A Great Burden, Inadequate Assistance. And Now, An Overwhelming Response.

Please click here and read the full report (PDF): Fort Drum: A Great Burden, Inadequate Assistance.

Since the release of our report, the response has been overwhelming and gratifying. To read more about the report and press coverage to date, please click here.

We were especially gratified when Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton recognized our efforts and issued a statement:

“I am deeply concerned by the findings in this report. It is simply unacceptable that 10th Mountain Division soldiers who have recently returned from Iraq have to wait for up to two months for mental health care appointments. Not only has the Department of Defense failed to provide Fort Drum and other military installations with adequate mental health care resources, but there is also a persistent stigma within the military that discourages our servicemembers from seeking and receiving the mental health care that many of them need. With so many units serving multiple combat tours, this problem is only becoming more acute, and it must be addressed urgently.”

The rest of her statement can be read here.

As discussed in the previous Veterans for America report – Trends in Treatment of America’s Wounded Warriors – VFA has visited military facilities in and out of the United States. Our work has revealed a military mental health system that is under severe stress. VFA’s work at Fort Drum, unfortunately, confirms this.

Read The New York Times Article featuring our report and efforts: Report Faults Mental Care For Iraq Veterans.

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