http://www.veteransforamerica.org Tue, 13 May 2008 14:24:54 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Momentum is building for the awarding of Purple Hearts to veterans with psychological wounds as well as physical, despite Pentagon insistence that there is no formal policy review currently underway.  Defense Secretary Robert Gates has helped fuel that momentum with his recent comment that such a move "is clearly something that needs ... http://www.veteransforamerica.org/2008/05/13/vfa-news-analysis-may-13-2008/ The Seattle Post-Intelligencer Here's a surefire sign that our government doesn't really care about what sort of war we're fighting, just as long as we're fighting: According to USA Today: "More than 43,000 U.S. troops listed as medically unfit for combat in the weeks before their scheduled deployment to Iraq or ... http://www.veteransforamerica.org/2008/05/12/us-military-combat-unready/ The growing suicide rate among combat veterans is prompting concern, as it should, among a wider circle of officials, civilians and others worried about the fallout of the ongoing wars. Recent data indicates an average of 18 veterans commit suicide everyday. In California in 2006, 666 committed suicide, more than a fifth ... http://www.veteransforamerica.org/2008/05/12/vfa-news-analysis-may-12-2008/ Julian E. Barnes, Los Angeles Times The jump coincides with the extension of combat tours from 12 to 15 months. http://www.veteransforamerica.org/2008/05/09/us-armys-stop-loss-orders-up-dramatically-over-last-year/ The future of a proposed boost to veterans' benefits was dealt a setback when some members of Congress complained the expensive new measure lacked a source of funding. The measure which is still the focus of debate on Capitol Hill, would provide education benefits along the lines of the G.I. Bill, which helped ... http://www.veteransforamerica.org/2008/05/09/vfa-news-analysis-may-9-2008/ Gregg Zoroya, USA Today WASHINGTON -- More than 43,000 U.S. troops listed as medically unfit for combat in the weeks before their scheduled deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003 were sent anyway, Pentagon records show. This reliance on troops found medically "non-deployable" is another sign of stress placed on a military ... http://www.veteransforamerica.org/2008/05/08/us-deploys-more-than-43000-unfit-for-combat/ The U.S. deployed more than 43,000 troops to combat who were listed as medically unfit to do so in the years since 2003, Pentagon records show. The reliance on troops determined to be "non-deployable" is another symptom of the strain on the military. "It is a consequence of the consistent churning ... http://www.veteransforamerica.org/2008/05/08/vfa-news-analysis-may-8-2008/ Our troops and their families are now in the middle of the Pentagon vs. Congress showdown over an emergency war funding bill with Defense Department officials threatening that soldier payrolls will be empty after June 15 without Congressional action. Rep. John Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat who chairs the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, ... http://www.veteransforamerica.org/2008/05/07/vfa-news-analysis-may-7-2008/ In today's USA TODAY, the news was clear: More than 43,000 U.S. troops listed as medically unfit for combat in the weeks before their scheduled deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003 were sent anyway, Pentagon records show. Bobby Muller was quoted in the article - here is the full text of ... http://www.veteransforamerica.org/2008/05/06/new-policy-urges-soldiers-to-seek-mental-health-care-2/ Suicides and "psychological mortality" among U.S. soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are poised to surpass battlefield deaths, according to the U.S. Institute of Mental Health.  Of the 1.6 million American soldiers deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan, about one-fifth, or 300,000, show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or both. ... http://www.veteransforamerica.org/2008/05/06/vfa-news-analysis-may-6-2008/