{This blog is not affiliated with the VA. Though a Veteran, four yrs. all shore in Navy last year In-Country Vietnam, I don't work for the VA}
**USN All Shore '67-'71 GMG3 Vietnam In Country '70-'71 - Independent**


In 2003 some 72% of Americans fully supported the Abandoning of the Missions and those Sent to Accomplish so extremely Quickly after 9/11!!
At least some 95%, if not more as less then 1% serve them, not only still support the, just below, total lack of Sacrifice, they ran from any and all Accountability and left everything still on the table to be continually used if the political/military want was still in play in future executive/legislative wants!!
DeJa-Vu: “With no shared sacrifices being asked of civilians after Sept. 11", Decades and War From, All Over Again!!
Especially for the Corporate and Wealthy Community, investors in Defense Industries, and for these, Afghanistan and Iraq, came Two Huge Tax Cuts, with more sweetheart deals to same from states and the fed!!


Thousands of people across America don’t just talk about honoring Veterans; they walk the walk. Dedicated Volunteers Serve Veterans for Decades

On this Executive Administration, it's Cabinet and those directly around same, "Best - Ever": "We haven't had this kind of visibility from the White House—ever." Joyce Raezer National Military Family Association - Dec. 30, 2011, and plenty more of similar since Joyce, others, spoke and continues!

Ask yourself: If the Veterans Administration is so corrupt and mismanaged, as the conservative ideology, under which the seeds of are planted when they control, wants everyone to buy into as they obstruct the budgets and do extremely little after they charge same, then why does the Private sector, many problems within rarely heard about, adopt so many practices and advanced technologies developed within the VA, for free?! The VA, DoD, and in partnership with Universities and Colleges, not just Health Care are constantly in R&D and that developed that works is quickly moved into the private, for profit, sector, even as the VA is long under funded, decades, and especially during and after our wars that the few are sent into!

* * * * *
President Obama 26 August 2014

Fact: "This is not just a job of government. It’s not just a job of the veterans’ organizations. Every American needs to join us in taking care of those who've taken care of us. Because only 1 percent of Americans may be fighting our wars, but 100 percent of Americans benefit from that 1 percent. A hundred percent need to be supporting our troops. A hundred percent need to be supporting our veterans. A hundred percent need to be supporting our military families."

Fact:
"We’ve been able to accomplish historic increases to veterans funding. We’ve protected veterans health care from Washington politics with advanced appropriations. We’ve been able to make VA benefits available to more than 2 million veterans who didn't have them before, including more Vietnam vets who were exposed to Agent Orange. We’ve dedicated major new resources for mental health care. We’ve helped more than 1 million veterans and their families pursue their education under the Post-9/11 GI Bill."

August 26, 2014 - Secretary Robert A. McDonald's Remarks for the American Legion's 96th Annual Convention, Charlotte, NC
Fact: "Unlike, P&G, VA may not be concerned about quarterly profit and loss statements or shareholder value, but it does have a bottom line—Veterans. "
{which is why No Government agency should be turned into a private corporate entity feeding for profit off the Countries duty and responsibility, especially the VA}
* * * * *

Fact: “We are dealing with veterans, not procedures—with their problems, not ours.” —General Omar Bradley, First Administrator of the Veterans Administration

Facts: Matthew Hoh {former Marine and foreign service officer in Afghanistan}: "We spend a trillion dollars a year on national security in this country."
"And when you add up to the Department of Defense, Department of State, CIA, Veterans Affairs, interest on debt, the number that strikes me the most about how much we're committed financially to these wars and to our current policies is we have spent $250 billion already just on interest payments on the debt we've incurred for the Iraq and Afghan wars."
26 September 2014

Fact: "If military action is worth our troops’ blood, it should be worth our treasure, too — not just in the abstract, but in the form of a specific ante by every American." -Andrew Rosenthal 10 Feb. 2013

Fact: "12 years also is a long time. We now have a lifetime responsibility to a generation of service members, veterans and their families." Dr. Jonathan Woodson 11 Sep. 2013: With 9/11 Came Lifetime Responsibility
{two tax cuts, especially for the wealthy, came with these two recent unpaid for wars, nor the results of, DeJa-Vu all over again from the previous decades and wars from! Ignore the many issues, by those served, no need to fund!}

Fact: Sen. Bernie Sanders told Republicans: “If you can’t afford to take care of your veterans, than don’t go war. These people are bearing the brunt of what war is about, We have a moral obligation to support them.” February, 26th, 2014

Fact: 25 June 2014 U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller: Veterans' Affairs issue an 'all too similar' scene

Fact: How We Could Do More For Our Vets: "We need to go into debt to pay our debt to U.S. veterans to make sure they get the care and services we owe them."

Fact: “Why in 2009 were we still using paper?” VA Assistant Secretary Tommy Sowers “When we came in, there was no plan to change that; we’ve been operating on a six month wait for over a decade.” 27 March 2013

WHY? GOOD QUESTION THOSE SERVED SHOULD ANSWER!


Bob Herbert Losing Our Way : "And then the staggering costs of these wars, which are borne by the taxpayers. I mean, one of the things that was insane was that, as we're at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush administration cut taxes. This has never been done in American history. The idea of cutting taxes while you're going to war is just crazy. I mean, it's madness." Bill 'Moyers and Company': Restoring an America That Has Lost its Way 10 Oct. 2014

Presidential Proclamation -- Veterans Day, 2013: "As we pay tribute to our veterans, we are mindful that no ceremony or parade can fully repay that debt." read more>>>


Under two previous Executive administrations and wars from, father and son. With son and conservative congresses leading the extremely quick abandoning of the missions and those sent to accomplish after 9/11:

ProPublica and The Seattle Times Nov. 9, 2012 - Lost to History: Missing War Records Complicate Benefit Claims by Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans
"DeLara's case is part of a much larger problem that has plagued the U.S. military since the 1990 Gulf War: a failure to create and maintain the types of field records that have documented American conflicts since the Revolutionary War."

Part Two: A Son Lost in Iraq, but Where Is the Casualty Report?

Army Says War Records Gap Is Real, Launches Recovery Effort

3/27/15 - U.S. Nerve Gas Hit Our Own Troops in Iraq
"During and immediately after the first Gulf War, more than 200,000 of 700,000 U.S. troops sent to Iraq and Kuwait in January 1991 were exposed to nerve gas and other chemical agents. Though aware of this, the Department of Defense and CIA launched a campaign of lies and concocted a cover-up that continues today."
"When Brown and others tried to obtain their medical records to prove their illnesses were service-related, they learned that the records had disappeared."


Add in the issues of finally recognizing in War Theater and more Veterans, by the Shinseki Veterans Administration and the Executive Administrations Cabinet, what the Country choose to ignore from our previous decades and wars of: The devastating effects on Test Vets and from PTS, Agent Orange, Homelessness, more recent the Desert Storm troops Gulf War Illnesses, Gulf War Exposures with the very recent affects from In-Theater Burn Pits and oh so so much more! Tens of Thousands of Veterans' that have been long ignored and maligned by previous VA's and the whole Country and through their representatives!

How does a Country HONOR It's Fallen, by Their Own 'Sacrifice' in Taking Care of the Brothers and Sisters They Served With!!


"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." - Abraham Lincoln

"To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan" - President Lincoln

She wrote that she's proud of her service but added this: "That doesn't change the fact that I contributed - however indirectly - to human beings vanishing from the earth in a moment of sheer agony."







For our sisters: National Women Veterans Hotline, call 1-855-VA-WOMEN1-855-VA-WOMEN (1-855-829-66361-855-829-6636) New Hotline now up and running







They are a coalition of leading Veterans, mostly of OEF and OIF, and national security organizations who recognize that climate change is a major threat, and support fast, bold action. It is time for Americans to rise to the challenge, and we’re taking on the fight.





Their Mission: Team Rubicon unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. Learn More




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Monday, October 11, 2010

HONORING THE FALLEN: US Military KIA, Iraq & Afghanistan/Pakistan – November 2009

April 5, 2009 Dover 'Old Guard'

Dover 'Old Guard' team shoulders heavy burden



Iraq, Rapidly becoming the Forgotten War!!
There have been 4,687 coalition deaths -- 4,370 Americans, 2 Australians, 1 Azerbaijani, 179 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, 1 Czech, 7 Danes, 2 Dutch, 2 Estonians, 1 Fijian, 5 Georgians, 1 Hungarian, 33 Italians, 1 Kazakh, 1 South Korean, 3 Latvian, 22 Poles, 3 Romanians, 5 Salvadoran, 4 Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, 2 Thai and 18 Ukrainians -- in the war in Iraq as of December 3 2009, according to a CNN count. { Graphical breakdown of casualties }. The list below is the names of the soldiers, Marines, airmen, sailors and Coast Guardsmen whose deaths have been reported by the DoD of the United States. At least 31,575 U.S. troops have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. View casualties in the war in Afghanistan



Pfc. Derrick D. Gwaltney 21 1st Battalion, 377th Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Fires Brigade Cape Coral, Florida Died of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident south of Basra, Iraq, on November 29, 2009



Pfc. Michael A. Rogers 23 210th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division White Sulphur Springs, Montana Died of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident at Forward Operating Base Hammer, east of Baghdad, Iraq, on November 27, 2009



Sgt. Briand T. Williams 25 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Sparks, Georgia Died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire in Numaniya, Iraq, on November 22, 2009



Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian M. Patton 37 Navy reservist assigned to the Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom Law and Order Detachment Freeport, Illinois Died of injuries suffered in a motor vehicle collision near Camp Virginia in Kuwait on November 19, 2009



Staff Sgt. Ryan L. Zorn 35 1st Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division Upton, Wyoming Died of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over in Tal Afar, Iraq, on November 16, 2009



Staff Sgt. Stephen L. Murphy 36 2nd Intelligence Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group Jaffery, New Hampshire Died as a result of a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq, on November 9, 2009



Chief Warrant Officer Mathew C. Heffelfinger 29 A Troop, 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 25th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Kimberly, Idaho One of two soldiers killed when their OH-58D Kiowa Warrior scout helicopter experienced a hard landing in Tikrit, Iraq, on November 8, 2009



Chief Warrant Officer Earl R. Scott III 24 A Troop, 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 25th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Jacksonville, Florida One of two soldiers killed when their OH-58D Kiowa Warrior scout helicopter experienced a hard landing in Tikrit, Iraq, on November 8, 2009



Spc. Tony Carrasco Jr. 25 Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Berino, New Mexico Died of a gunshot wound suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit in Ad Dawr, Iraq, on November 4, 2009



Staff Sgt. Amy C. Tirador 29 209th Military Intelligence Company, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Albany, New York Died of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident in Kirkush, Iraq, on November 4, 2009



Spc. Jonathon M. Sylvestre 21 Battery B, 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Colorado Springs, Colorado Died of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident in Kut, Iraq, on November 2, 2009



British Iraq War Inquiry, ongoing, began the last week of November 2009.

The inquiry will consider the period from the summer of 2001 to the end of July 2009, embracing the run-up to the conflict in Iraq, the military action and the aftermath. The inquiry committee members are Sir John Chilcot (chairman), Sir Lawrence Freedman, Sir Martin Gilbert, Sir Roderic Lyne and Baroness Usha Prashar



POW/MIA



Two U.S. soldiers are currently listed as captured or Duty Status -- Whereabouts Unknown as of July 20, 2009. The information below reflects the name, an unknown, officially listed as Prisoners of War or Duty Status -- Whereabouts Unknown by the Pentagon.



Spc. Ahmed K. Altaie 41 Army reservist assigned Provincial Reconstruction Team Baghdad Ann Arbor, Michigan On October 23, 2006, Altaie was categorized as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown when he allegedly was kidnapped while on his way to visit family in Baghdad, Iraq. The Pentagon changed his status to missing-captured on December 11.



Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl 23 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Ketchum, Idaho Captured in Paktika province in Afghanistan, on June 30, 2009. The Pentagon declared him Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown on July 1 and his status was changed to Missing-Captured on July 3.



October 29 2009

Honoring the Fallen of the worse day of the worse month of casulties from Afghanistan.



Afghanistan - and The Third Front Pakistan!!
There have been 1,525 coalition deaths -- 927 Americans, 11 Australians, 236 Britons, 1 Belgian, 133 Canadians, 3 Czech, 28 Danes, 21 Dutch, 6 Estonians, 1 Finn, 36 French, 31 Germans, 2 Hungarian, 22 Italians, 3 Latvian, 1 Lithuanian, 4 Norwegians, 15 Poles, 2 Portuguese, 11 Romanians, 1 South Korean, 26 Spaniards, 2 Swedes, 2 Turks -- in the war on terror as of December 3 2009, according to a CNN count. Below are the names of the soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors whose deaths have been reported by their country's governments. The troops died in support of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom or were part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. At least 4,606 U.S. personnel have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon.



Acting Sgt. John Paxton Amer 30 No. 1 Company, 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards Sunderland, England Died of wounds sustained in an explosion in the Babaji area of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 30, 2009



Sgt. Brandon T. Islip 23 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Richmond, Virginia Islip went missing along with another soldier during a mission to recover airdropped supplies from a river in Bala Murghab, Afghanistan, on November 4, 2009. His body was recovered from the Morghab River near Afghanistan's border with Turkmenistan on November 29, 2009.



Petty Officer 3rd Class David M. Mudge 22 Assigned to the guided missile frigate USS Rentz Sutherlin, Oregon Died in a non-hostile accident aboard USS Rentz while in Port Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, on November 28, 2009



Pvt. Kenneth Patrick Nielsen 23 2. Lette Opklaringseskadron, Opklaringsbataljon, Gardehusarhusarregimentet (2nd Facilitate Solution Squadron, Solution Battalion, Guard Hussar Regiment) Rønne, Bornholm, Denmark Killed when a roadside bomb detonated near his dismounted patrol outside Patrol Base Barakzai in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 25, 2009



Sgt. Jason A. McLeod 22 704th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Crystal Lake, Illinois Died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with mortar fire west of Pashmul, Afghanistan, on November 23, 2009



Staff Sgt. Matthew A. Pucino 34 Company B, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, Maryland Army National Guard Cockeysville, Maryland Killed when a roadside bomb detonated near his all-terrain vehicle during a combat patrol in the vicinity of Pashay Kala, Afghanistan, on November 23, 2009



Lance Cpl. Nicholas J. Hand 20 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Kansas City, Missouri Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 22, 2009



Sgt. James M. Nolen 25 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Alvin, Texas One of two soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with a roadside bomb in Zabul province, Afghanistan, on November 22, 2009



Pfc. Marcus A. Tynes 19 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Moreno Valley, California One of two soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with a roadside bomb in Zabul province, Afghanistan, on November 22, 2009



Staff Sgt. John J. Cleaver 36 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Marysville, Washington One of two soldiers killed when a suicide car-bomber attacked their unit outside Forward Operating Base Shajoy in Zabul province, Afghanistan, on November 19, 2009



Sgt. Daniel A. Frazier 25 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division St. Joseph, Michigan One of two soldiers killed when a suicide car-bomber attacked their unit outside Forward Operating Base Shajoy in Zabul province, Afghanistan, on November 19, 2009



Sgt. Robert David Loughran-Dickson 33 160 Provost Company, 4th Regiment, Royal Military Police Deal, Kent, England Died of gunshot wounds sustained during a routine patrol near Patrol Base Wahid in the Nad e-Ali district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 18, 2009



Spc. Joseph M. Lewis 26 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Terrell, Texas Died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with a roadside bomb in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on November 17, 2009



Pvt. Rune Westye Zacharias Nielsen 22 2. Spejderdeling, 2. Lette Opklaringseskadron, Opklaringsbataljon, Gardehusarhusarregimentet (2nd Scouts, 2nd Facilitate Solution Squadron, Solution Battalion, Guard Hussar Regiment) Kalundborg, Denmark Died on November 17, 2009, at National Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark, of injuries he sustained when a roadside bomb detonated near his dismounted patrol outside Patrol Base Barakzai in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on October 31, 2009



Rifleman Andrew Ian Fentiman 23 7th Battalion, The Rifles Cambridge, England Killed by enemy small arms fire during a foot patrol near Sangin in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 15, 2009



Cpl. Loren O. C. Marlton-Thomas 28 4 Troop, 49 Field Squadron, 33 Engineer Regiment Braintree, England Killed when a roadside bomb detonated while he was conducting a route search to clear roadside bombs near Patrol Base Sandford in the Gereshk area of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 15, 2009



Spc. Christopher J. Coffland 43 323rd Military Intelligence Battalion, 66th Military Intelligence Brigade, Army Reserve Baltimore, Maryland Died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with a roadside bomb in Wardak province, Afghanistan, on November 13, 2009



Lance Cpl. Shawn P. Hefner 22 Company D, 2nd Amphibious Assault Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Hico, Texas Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 13, 2009



Sgt. Benjamin W. Sherman 21 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Plymouth, Massachusetts Sherman was one of two soldiers that went missing during a mission to recover airdropped supplies from a river in Bala Murghab, Afghanistan, on November 4, 2009. On November 10, divers recovered his body from the Morghab River near Afghanistan's border with Turkmenistan. Family members said he jumped into the river to help a fellow soldier who was struggling in the water.



Lance Cpl. Justin J. Swanson 21 Headquarters & Service Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Anaheim, California Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 10, 2009



Rifleman Samuel John Bassett 20 Company A, 4th Battalion, The Rifles Plymouth, England Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb exploded during a patrol near Sangin in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 8, 2009



Rifleman Philip Allen 20 Company B, 2nd Battalion, The Rifles Dorset, England Killed when a roadside bomb exploded during a patrol near Sangin in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 7, 2009



Sgt. Charles I. Cartwright 26 Company A, 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion Union Bridge, Maryland Died during combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan on November 7, 2009



Spc. Aaron S. Aamot 22 Company C, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Custer, Washington One of two soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with a roadside bomb in Jelewar, Afghanistan, on November 5, 2009



Spc. Gary L. Gooch Jr. 22 Company C, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Ocala, Florida One of two soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with a roadside bomb in Jelewar, Afghanistan, on November 5, 2009



Sgt. Phillip Scott 30 Company C, 3rd Battalion, The Rifles Malton, England Died when a roadside bomb detonated in northern Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 5, 2009



Spc. Julian L. Berisford 25 Company C, 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Benwood, West Virginia Died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades in Paktika province, Afghanistan, on November 4, 2009



Cpl. Steven Boote 22 116 Provost Company, Royal Military Police, Territorial Army Birkenhead, Liverpool, England One of five British soldiers killed when an Afghan national policeman opened fire at a police checkpoint in the Nad e-Ali district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 3, 2009



Warrant Officer Class 1 Darren Chant 40 1st Battalion, The Grenadier Guards Walthamstow, England One of five British soldiers killed when an Afghan national policeman opened fire at a police checkpoint in the Nad e-Ali district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 3, 2009



Guardsman James Major 18 1st Battalion, The Grenadier Guards Grimsby, England One of five British soldiers killed when an Afghan national policeman opened fire at a police checkpoint in the Nad e-Ali district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 3, 2009



Sgt. Matthew Telford 37 1st Battalion, The Grenadier Guards Grimsby, England One of five British soldiers killed when an Afghan national policeman opened fire at a police checkpoint in the Nad e-Ali district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 3, 2009



Cpl. Nicholas Webster-Smith 24 160 Provost Company, Royal Military Police Saundersfoot, Wales One of five British soldiers killed when an Afghan national policeman opened fire at a police checkpoint in the Nad e-Ali district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on November 3, 2009



Blood cannot wash away blood. Hate cannot wash away hate. War cannot wash away war. { an Afghan Proverb }



PTSD - TBI and more



PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OF U.S. WARFIGHTER IS FOCUS OF MILITARY HEALTH RESEARCH FORUM

Promising Research on Traumatic Brain Injury, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Gulf War Illness, Substance Abuse and More is Presented at Key Scientific Meeting

Snip

Research to address these needs is underway, and the work of hundreds of investigators engaged in the effort is being showcased September 1-3 at the Military Health Research Forum in Kansas City....................

Please visit US Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs for updates on the Military Health Research Forum.



PTSD: New War on An Old Foe. Big changes underway at the VA could mean better treatment for thousands of vets. A bureaucracy in transition.



PTSD as a mitigating factor, This is one of the many issues, as to Combat PTSD, we've been trying to get across these last four plus decades, insufficient care, lack of understanding, denial of what War and Lifes extreme traume experiances does to many!

Supreme Court throws out Korean war veteran's death sentence, PTSD must be considered by a jury

"Our nation has a long tradition of according leniency to veterans in recognition of their service, especially for those who fought on the front lines as [George] Porter did," the justices said in a unanimous, unsigned opinion. "Moreover, the relevance of Porter's extensive combat experience is not only that he served honorably . . . but also that the jury might find mitigating the intense stress and mental and emotional toll that combat took on Porter." George Porter Jr. was convicted in the 1986 shooting deaths of his ex-girlfriend and her then-boyfriend in Florida during a drunken rage. But the jury that sentenced him was never told -- and his appointed lawyer did not know -- of his military service more than three decades earlier...>>>>>



The Hidden Casualties Of War: Suicide



Investigation Shows Military Suicides Up; Leaders Push Response

The suicide rate among military personnel has increased in recent years, and at least 334 members of the military services have killed themselves this year, according to a CQ Today investigation.

The figures have caused concern among some lawmakers, who say that more needs to be done to address the military's growing suicide problem.

Snip

The problem is most acute in the Army, which has had 211 of the suicides. The Navy had 47 suicides, the Air Force had 34 suicides, and there were 42 suicides among active-duty Marines.

The actual number of suicides likely is higher because the 2009 statistics exclude Marine Corps reservists and veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who have left the service.>>>>>



Military Suicides: A Billion to Sell a War



If you fit into any of the marketing data published weekly by pollsters, it is more likely you will have watched American Idol than wondered why so many of our military personnel are committing suicide.

If that offends any readers, the option is to stop here...>>>>>



A series many should visit and follow.

Women at Arms
The Psychological Scars

Articles in this series explore how the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have profoundly redefined the role of women in the military.
Previous Articles in the Series



July 8, 2009



Civilian Casulties - Iraq



Just Foreign Policy Issues
Over a million {*1,339,771plus} Iraqis are estimated to have been killed as a result of the U.S.-led invasion and occupation. Learn More and Take Action»
*Estimate, click for explaination

.

To



John Hopkins School of Public Health { October 11, 2006 report } puts the count at 650,000, with a range from 400,000 to 900,000.



Civilian Casulties - Afghanistan

Civilian casualties of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

The War in Afghanistan (2001–present) has caused the deaths of thousands of Afghan civilians directly from insurgent and foreign military action, as well as the deaths of possibly tens of thousands of Afghan civilians indirectly as a consequence of displacement, starvation, disease, exposure, lack of medical treatment, crime and lawlessness resulting from the war. The war, launched by the United States as "Operation Enduring Freedom" in 2001, began with an initial air campaign that almost immediately prompted concerns over the number of Afghan civilians being killed[1] as well as international protests. With civilian deaths from airstrikes rising again in recent years[2], the number of Afghan civilians being killed by foreign military operations has led to mounting tension between the foreign countries and the government of Afghanistan. In May 2007, President Hamid Karzai summoned military commanders to warn them of the consequences of further deaths.[3].........>>>>



Exact Count of Civilian Casulties may never be known, as is the case in every conflict, especially an Invasion by another Country. For it is the Innocent Civilians and those Defending their Countries {of which All would be counted if this land were ever invaded} who suffer the most, during and long after!



UNHCR - Refugees and more, Afghanistan and Iraq

Iraq Refugees UNHCR - Iraq: UNHCR Global Appeal 2008-2009 - Iraq Situation



Afghanistan Refugees UNHCR - Afghanistan UNHCR Global Appeal 2008-2009 - Afghanistan Situation



All the Deaths, Maimings and Destruction are the Blood on All Our Hands, No One can Escape the Guilt!



Honoring The Fallen of Iraq and Afghanistan/Pakistan


The War in Iraq Costs, the rolling tabulation, over $705,596,725,531++++ and continually counting!



As Of December 3, 2009, There Are 97 Pages w/5 'Silent Honor Rolls' Each, Number Of KIA's Varies With Each 'Silent Honor Roll';
Many have numbers in the teens and twenties
In Honor - In Memory - Click on Graphic to Visit the Honor Rolls



Counting the War Dead, Daily

Michael White says he didn't anticipate casualities continuing at this pace, or the toll his Web site would take on him.

As a hobby, he counts the war dead

Every day, White, 51, updates a Web site he launched in 2003, icasualties.org, to keep count of the dead: American troops, coalition troops, contractors and Iraqi civilians. He eventually began documenting deaths in Afghanistan as well....>>>>>



97 percent {now more} of U.S. deaths in Iraq have occurred after George W. Bush declared an end to "major combat."
”Mission Accomplished!”



"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the president to explain to us what the exit strategy is," - George W. Bush, Texas Gov., 1999



The Rand Corporation Terrorism Report the press release here, you can get the full document here or a summary of the research brief here



"How anyone can say that torture keeps Americans safe is beyond me -- unless you don't count American soldiers as Americans."
Matthew Alexander who is writing under a pseudonym for security reasons



"Torture is the tool of the lazy, the stupid, and the pseudo-tough. It’s also perhaps the greatest recruiting tool that the terrorists have."
Major General Paul Eaton



Done "In Our Names"!



The Failed Policies will Haunt Us and the World for Decades, This Time!!

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