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News Analysis
VFA News Analysis: June 26, 2008
Any cuts in Iraq force strength are likely to lead to increases in places like Afghanistan, rather than more time for troops to rest and train at home, according to an LA Times report citing an unnamed Defense official.
A federal judge finds that the VA did not systematically deny mental health care to veterans, but found that individuals still have standing to sue the Department for failure to give proper care.
High-tech testing for war vets with post-traumatic stress disorder – this time with a “magnetic stethoscope.”
Ground broken on “new” Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Meanwhile, “shoestring” staffs have had to cope with ongoing deployments from overseas U.S. naval hospitals that have left emergency rooms staffs halved. Camp Lester in Okinawa is looking to a computer to help fill the gap.
Eyewitness to war’s horrors — talking about what it takes to trigger post-traumatic stress disorder.
Separation from home is a formidable enemy facing our troops.
Honor the fallen and the wounded.
VFA News Analysis: June 25, 2008
The enemy in Afghanistan is ratcheting up the battle, leading to more deaths and injuries for U.S. forces. Perhaps Iraq was simply a bloody, costly distraction from the real fight?
In Iraq, more deadly attacks…
The U.S. military will begin giving cognitive tests to troops this summer before they head off to war in an effort to get a baseline measure of their health — a step VFA has long urged to help treat post-combat psychological injuries, among others.
After years of work, the PTSD center in White River Junction claims to lead the world on PTSD information.
The U.S. has an obligation to meet the needs of service members. Absolutely.
VFA News Analysis: June 24, 2008
Benchmarks cited for Iraqi progress by the Bush administration have often been either simply wrong or far more mixed than officials let on, according to a report released by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress. The report issued Monday found that the American plan for Iraq lacks a strategic framework, is out of touch with realities on the ground and contains serious flaws throughout. The report can be found here. Another report issued Monday, highlighting the need for better oversight and emergency response in Iraq, can be found here.
With the surge in Iraq ending, the country is still not ready to stand on its own.
Guardsmen and reservists who face financial crisis while serving in war zones will now find it easier to file for bankruptcy protection, under legislation approved by the House of Representatives. The legislation must be considered by Senate.
One battalion. One week. Seven deaths.
The war continues, as do the deployments – this time, about 1,200 members of Hawaii’s National Guard.
Stop-loss redeploys a disabled soldier to Iraq.
Not seeing much about Iraq on the evening news? That’s because so far this year, the three network newscasts have devoted a total of 181 minutes to the topic — compared with 1,157 for last year.
Dealing with the trauma – hire more mental health professionals.
The G.I. Bill passes the House — nears closer to final passage. The amazing legacy of the G.I. Bill is well known.
VFA News Analysis: June 23, 2008
The latest wave in female suicide bombers killed 15 and wounded more than 40 on Sunday in Baquba, Iraq. Meanwhile, the decisive front in the battle over the U.S. role in Iraq is shaping up in Washington.
The continued demands on the military in the Middle East has lead to degraded language proficiency elsewhere in the world for the U.S. military.
More on video game technology in the fight against post-traumatic stress disorder.
Free summer camp for the children of those deployed – to help ease the strains. ”Kids are serving also.” The stresses of deployment on the entire family are heavy — prompting the military to take a survey to find our “what the needs are for service members and their families.”
The head of the Department of Veterans Affairs vowed that care for women vets will improve — after a number of findings showing that the department lags in caring properly for women who have served, compared with men.
A bill in the New York State legislature would expand coverage for those who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder — but it is still languishing in a committee rather than being advanced toward a full vote. Meanwhile, in Kansas, a new law will soon go into effect preventing one divorced parent from using the other parent’s military deployment to gain child custody advantages.
The Army “tests” a new deployment plan.
VFA News Analysis: June 17, 2008
While there is debate about whether Iraq is at a crucial turning point, poised to emerge from the violence and form a stable republic or whether this is a mere lull in the ongoing cycle of bloodshed, there is little such discussion about Afghanistan. The fight against the Taliban, the original fight of the post-9/11 world, is far from simmering down. Taliban fighters are massing around Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-largest city, just days after a brazen assault on a prison freed 400 insurgent fighters.
A bill now in Congress calls for more pre-deployment counseling to help prevent post-traumatic stress disorder. The measure would make Fort Carson, Colorado, and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, test beds under the bill, introduced by Colorado Democrats Rep. Mark Udall and Rep. John Salazar.
Traumatic brain injury is a “silent epidemic” haunting our military, our military families and our nation. “We are looking at a very frightening situation,” according to one doctor who works with vets and their families.
Less than a year after his first deployment to Iraq ended, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kelly E.C. Watters was back fighting in Iraq. Today, we mourn the 19-year-old patriot who had already earned two Purple Hearts.
The war in Iraq continues, as do the deployments. Deployments. Deployments.
