News Analysis

News Analysis: May 18, 2009

Even today, years into two wars that have produced devastating levels of stress and sky-high numbers of PTSD cases, the stigma of treatment still keeps countless sufferers from seeking help. Lack of treatment creates even deeper problems for our stressed-out troops:…

News Analysis: May 15, 2009

Will the silver lining to this week’s horrible shooting incident at a mental health clinic at Camp Victory, Iraq be passage of a mental health bill for the military? The bill calls for a $300 million increase in mental health funding…

News Analysis: May 14, 2009

The families of the five military men gunned down by a fellow soldier in Iraq begin the long march of mourning. They were killed at what was supposed to be a sanctuary amid a war zone, a mental health clinic at a…

News Analysis: May 13, 2009

The deadly shooting incident at a mental health clinic on a US base outside of Baghdad prompted the military to announce a major probe into shortcomings in the mental health treatment system. For years, VFA has warned that sending our…

News Analysis: May 12, 2009

Five US service members were gunned down by a fellow soldier at a counseling center on an American military base near the Baghdad airport. This is the sort of worst-case scenario that VFA has long feared: untreated stress and psychological…

News Analysis: May 11, 2009

Our veterans need more comprehensive care. Our military must better treat our injured troops, and not dismiss real health concerns with a “pattern of misconduct.” We have a “sacred trust” with our troops and their families.

It’s high time to help…

News Analysis: May 8, 2009

The stress of continuous deployments, too little rest and not enough care has created the Army’s most pressing battle: combating suicide in the ranks. Not helping to ease our troops’ painful stress: a possible “pattern of misconduct” in the disability…

News Analysis: May 7, 2009

Our military must do more for our vets returning home with post-traumatic stress — and so too must our communities. Will blogging help some of our troops relieve some stress? Part of the problem is PTSD can hide for two years…

News Analysis: May 6, 2009

Did deployments to war spawn the dangerous self-destruction that plagues a number of our troops at Fort Carson, Colorado? A Pentagon review may hold the answer. “As the deployments grow, the challenges increase, and not just arithmetically [but] exponentially,” said…

News Analysis: May 5, 2009

War funding that includes retroactive pay for stop-loss? It’s in a bill being considered by the House of Representatives. Remember the people of our military when compiling the military budget, members of Congress. Meanwhile, the supplemental assignments to war zones will continue…