{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 - April 2010

Iraq, Rapidly becoming the Forgotten War!!
There have been 4,719 coalition deaths -- 4,402 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 May 5 2010, according to a CNN count. { Graphical breakdown of casualties }. The list also includes 14 U.S. Defense Department civilian employees. At least 31,790 {31,762 last month} U.S. troops have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. View casualties in the war in Afghanistan


Sgt. Keith A. Coe 30 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Auburndale, Florida Died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an explosive device in Khalis, Iraq, on April 27, 2010


Sgt. Anthony O. Magee 29 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Hattiesburg, Mississippi Died April 27, 2010, at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with indirect fire at Contingency Operating Base Kalsu in Iskandariya, Babil province, Iraq, on April 24, 2010


Staff Sgt. Christopher D. Worrell 35 702nd Combat Support Battalion, 4th Stryker Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Virginia Beach, Virginia Died of injuries sustained during a non-combat related incident in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 22, 2010


Pfc. Charlie C. Antonio 28 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Kahului, Hawaii Died of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident in Annassar, Iraq, on April 18, 2010


Staff Sgt. James R. Patton 23 Company B, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment Fort Benning, Georgia Died of injuries sustained when the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in which he was riding crashed during a joint Iraqi-U.S. raid in Tikrit, Iraq, that killed the two most senior leaders of al Qaeda in Iraq on April 18, 2010


Pfc. William A. Blount 21 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Petal, Mississippi One of two soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with a roadside bomb in Mosul, Iraq, on April 7, 2010


1st Lt. Robert W. Collins 24 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Tyrone, Georgia One of two soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with a roadside bomb in Mosul, Iraq, on April 7, 2010



Sgt. Kurt E. Kruize 35 367th Engineer Battalion, Army Reserve Hancock, Minnesota Died of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 4, 2010


POW/MIA


Two U.S. soldiers are currently listed as captured or Duty Status -- Whereabouts Unknown as of December 1, 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.


Afghanistan - Pakistan!!
There have been 1,734 coalition deaths -- 1,045 Americans, 11 Australians, 284 Britons, 1 Belgian, 143 Canadians, 3 Czech, 29 Danes, 23 Dutch, 7 Estonians, 1 Finn, 41 French, 43 Germans, 2 Hungarian, 22 Italians, 4 Latvian, 1 Lithuanian, 5 Norwegians, 16 Poles, 2 Portuguese, 12 Romanians, 1 South Korean, 28 Spaniards, 4 Swedes, 2 Turks and three NATO/ISAF -- in the war on terror as of May 5 2010, 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 list also includes two U.S. Defense Department civilian employees. 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 5,677 {5,393 last month} U.S. personnel have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. In addition to the military deaths, one Jordanian and 11 U.S. intelligence operatives have died in Afghanistan.

1st Lt. Salvatore S. Corma 24 Company A, 2nd Battalion, 508th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Wenonah, New Jersey Died of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using roadside bombs at Forward Operating Base Bullard in Zabul province, Afghanistan, on April 29, 2010


Lance Cpl. Thomas E. Rivers Jr. 22 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Birmingham, Alabama Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on April 28, 2010


Sgt. Nathan P. Kennedy 24 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Claysville, Pennsylvania Died of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms fire near Quarando Village, Afghanistan, on April 27, 2010


Sgt. Grant A. Wichmann 27 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Golden, Colorado Died April 24, 2010, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms fire at Out Post Bari Alai, Afghanistan, on March 12, 2010


Sgt. Ronald Alan Kubik 22 Company D, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment Brielle, New Jersey One of two soldiers that died of wounds sustained during a firefight with enemy forces in Logar province, Afghanistan, on April 23, 2010


Sgt. Jason Anthony Santora 25 Company D, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment Massapequa Park, New York One of two soldiers that died of wounds sustained during a firefight with enemy forces in Logar province, Afghanistan, on April 23, 2010


Sgt. Robert J. Barrett 21 1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery Regiment, Massachusetts Army National Guard Fall River, Massachusetts Died from injuries sustained when a suicide bomber attacked his unit during a dismounted patrol south of the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on April 19, 2010


Command Sgt. Maj. John K. Laborde 53 649th Regional Support Group, Army Reserve Waterloo, Iowa Died of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, on April 22, 2010


Sgt. Randolph A. Sigley 28 2123rd Transportation Company, Kentucky Army National Guard Richmond, Kentucky Sigley was found dead in his quarters at Bagram Air Base in Bagram, Afghanistan, on April 18, 2010. The circumstances of his death are under investigation.


Marine Marc Harders 23 1e Bataljon, Nederland Korps Mariniers (1st Battalion, Netherlands Marine Corps) Netherlands One of two Dutch Marines killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their Viking tracked vehicle during an operation in Deh Reshan, northwest of Tarin Kowt, in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan, on April 17, 2010


Cpl. Jeroen Houweling 29 1e Bataljon, Nederland Korps Mariniers (1st Battalion, Netherlands Marine Corps) Netherlands One of two Dutch Marines killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their Viking tracked vehicle during an operation in Deh Reshan, northwest of Tarin Kowt, in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan, on April 17, 2010


Sgt. Michael K. Ingram Jr. 23 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Monroe, Michigan Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his dismounted patrol in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on April 17, 2010


Maj. Thomas Broer 33 Bundeswehrkrankenhaus Ulm (Ulm Military Hospital) Wiesbaden, Germany Killed when a German convoy was attacked in Baghlan province, Afghanistan, on April 15, 2010


Sgt. 1st Class Marius Dubnicki 32 Gebirgspionierbataillon 8 (Mountain Engineer Battalion 8) Gorny Slask, Germany One of three German soldiers killed when a joint German-Belgian patrol was attacked in Baghlan province, Afghanistan, on April 15, 2010


Sgt. Josef Kronawitter 24 Gebirgspionierbataillon 8 (Mountain Engineer Battalion 8) Hutthurm, Germany One of three German soldiers killed when a joint German-Belgian patrol was attacked in Baghlan province, Afghanistan, on April 15, 2010


Maj. Jörn Radloff 38 Unteroffizierschule des Heeres (NCO School of the Army) Stendal, Germany One of three German soldiers killed when a joint German-Belgian patrol was attacked in Baghlan province, Afghanistan, on April 15, 2010


Spc. Joseph T. Caron 21 Company B, 2nd Battalion, 508th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Tacoma, Washington Died of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using a roadside bomb in Char Bagh, Afghanistan, on April 11, 2010


Pvt. Tyler William Todd 26 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Kitchener, Ontario, Canada Killed when a roadside bomb detonated during a dismounted security patrol near Belanday in the Dand district of Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on April 11, 2010


Sgt. Sean M. Durkin 24 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Divsion Aurora, Colorado Died April 9, 2010, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with a roadside bomb near Forward Operating Base Wilson in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on March 27, 2010


Cpl. Michael D. Jankiewicz 23 Company A, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment Ramsey, New Jersey Killed along with two U.S. airmen and a U.S. government contractor when their CV-22 Osprey crashed seven miles (11 km) west of Qalat during a combat operation targeting a terrorist network in Zabul province, Afghanistan, on April 9, 2010


Senior Master Sgt. James B. Lackey 45 8th Special Operations Squadron, 1st Special Operations Wing, 1st Special Operations Group Green Clove Springs, Florida One of two airmen killed along with a U.S. soldier and a U.S. government contractor when their CV-22 Osprey crashed seven miles (11 km) west of Qalat during a combat operation targeting a terrorist network in Zabul province, Afghanistan, on April 9, 2010


Maj. Randell D. Voas 43 8th Special Operations Squadron, 1st Special Operations Wing, 1st Special Operations Group Lakeville, Minnesota One of two airmen killed along with a U.S. soldier and a U.S. government contractor when their CV-22 Osprey crashed seven miles (11 km) west of Qalat during a combat operation targeting a terrorist network in Zabul province, Afghanistan, on April 9, 2010


Sgt. Roberto E. Diaz Borio 47 1st Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Puerto Rico Army National Guard San Juan, Puerto Rico Died in Mombassa, Kenya, on April 8, 2010. The circumstances of his death are under investigation.


Pfc. Jonathon D. Hall 23 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Chattanooga, Tennessee Died April 8, 2010, at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds suffered a day earlier when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with a roadside bomb at Contingency Outpost Khayr-Kot-Castle, Afghanistan


Pvt. Robert Hutnik 23 2e Régiment Étranger de Parachutistes, Légion Étrangère (2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment, Foreign Legion) Slovakia Died of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked a French unit in Tagab Valley, Kapisa province, Afghanistan, on April 8, 2010


Fusilier Jonathan Antony Burgess 20 Company A, 1st Battalion, The Royal Welsh Townhill, Wales Died of gunshot wounds following a small arms engagement in the Nad-e Ali area of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on April 7, 2010


Rifleman Mark Turner 21 Company C, 3rd Battalion, The Rifles Gateshead, England Killed when a roadside bomb detonated during a foot patrol against insurgents near Forward Operating Base Zeebrugge in the Kajaki area of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on April 4, 2010


Cpl. Martin Augustyniak 28 3. Kompanie, Fallschirmjägerbataillon 373 (3rd Company, 373rd Parachute Battalion) Bielefeld, Germany One of three German soldiers killed in a firefight after insurgents attacked a patrol southwest of Kunduz, Afghanistan, on April 2, 2010


Master Sgt. Nils Bruns 35 3. Kompanie, Fallschirmjägerbataillon 373 (3rd Company, 373rd Parachute Battalion) Oldendorf, Germany One of three German soldiers killed in a firefight after insurgents attacked a patrol southwest of Kunduz, Afghanistan, on April 2, 2010


Cpl. Robert Hartert 25 3. Kompanie, Fallschirmjägerbataillon 373 (3rd Company, 373rd Parachute Battalion) Freital, Germany One of three German soldiers killed in a firefight after insurgents attacked a patrol southwest of Kunduz, Afghanistan, on April 2, 2010


Lance Cpl. Curtis M. Swenson 20 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force Rochester, Minnesota Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on April 2, 2010


Lance Cpl. Tyler O. Griffin 19 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Voluntown, Connecticut One of two Marines killed while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on April 1, 2010


Guardsman Michael Sweeney 19 No. 1 Company, 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards Blyth, Northumberland, England Killed when he stepped on a roadside bomb during a patrol to resupply fellow soldiers at a checkpoint in the Babaji district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on April 1, 2010


Sgt. Frank J. World 25 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Buffalo, New York One of two Marines killed while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on April 1, 2010


PTSD - TBI and more


GE, U.S. Army Join Forces to Assist Returning Soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan

4/13/2010 GE scientists conducting a research study at Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia to assess soldiers diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Project to use GE Home Health technologies to help identify symptoms, improve understanding and medical treatments

As part of GE's continuing efforts to support U.S. troops, GE Global Research, the technology development arm of the General Electric Company, is engaged in a two-year research study with the U.S. Army to evaluate soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan for traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD). The study, which will take place at Fort Gordon, Georgia, was established through a $2.7 million Congressional initiative awarded and managed by the Department of Defenses' Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) to support wounded soldiers. Researchers from the Dwight D Eisenhower Army Medical Center, led by Dr. Joseph Wood, Chief of Clinical Research, and the Center For Telehealth at the Medical College of Georgia, led by Dr Max Stachura, also are part of the project team. -->-->-->


VA Mulls Lowering PTSD Threshold To Expedite Claims

Seeking to expedite disability claims processing for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, the Department of Veterans Affairs has proposed lowering the burden of proof for the condition. However, some experts have said that doing so could increase the likelihood of fraud within the system. Meanwhile, House Veterans Affairs Committee Chair Bob Filner (D-Calif.) has requested that the next funding bill for the war in Afghanistan dedicate 15% of its total cost to mental health care for veterans.


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.


Remarks by the President at Signing of Caregives and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act

5 May 2010 1:29 P.M. EDT

President Obama greets Chairman Akaka following the signing ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House, as Secretary Shinseki and Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden look on from the left.

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everyone. Danny Akaka, aloha. (Laughter.) Since the 9/11 attacks more than eight years ago, the United States has been a nation at war. In this time, millions of Americans have worn the uniform. More than a million have served in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many have risked their lives. Many have given their lives. All are the very embodiment of service and patriotism. And as a grateful nation, humbled by their service, we can never honor these American heroes or their families enough.

Along with their loved ones, we give thanks every time our men and women in uniform return home. But we’re forever mindful that our obligations to our troops don’t end on the battlefield. Just as we have a responsibility to train and equip them when we send them into harm’s way, we have a responsibility to take care of them when they come home.

As Michelle and Dr. Biden have reminded us in all their visits to military bases and communities, our obligations must include a national commitment to inspiring military families —- the spouses and children who sacrifice as well. Continued Here


Landmark Bill Bolsters Care for Female Veterans

President Barack Obama signs the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act in the State Dining Room of the White House
Olivier Douliery / Getty Images


America's daughters have been serving in the U.S. military for centuries, and they're being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in unprecedented numbers. But back home, they're still not guaranteed that the bathrooms at veterans' health care centers will be stocked with tampons. The Government Accountability Office published an audit this spring that found some of 19 health care facilities it surveyed did not always have private bathing areas, even in mixed-gender units. Such lapses in women's health care are growing more painfully apparent as the number of females using the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system is projected to double in the next five years. But in a landmark step toward addressing their needs, President Obama Wednesday afternoon signed a bill bolstering care for female veterans, which was part of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010. Article Continues


VA Updates Online Application for Health Benefits

May 5, 2010 Veterans will find it easier and faster to apply for their health care benefits now that the Department of Veterans Affairs has updated its online Form 10-10EZ, “Application for Health Benefits.”

“VA is committed to tapping into the best that technology has to offer to ensure Veterans receive the benefits they have earned,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We continue to look for new ways to improve access to care and benefits.”

This revised online application provides enhanced navigation features that make it easier and faster for Veterans to apply for their health care benefits. This new version also allows Veterans to save a copy of the completed form for their personal records.

The most significant enhancement allows Veterans to save their application to their local desktop and return to the application at any time without having to start over. Previously, Veterans had to complete the form in a single session.

This updated online form, along with the revised VA Form 10-10EZ, reduces the collection of information from Veterans by eliminating some questions.

In addition, there are minor changes to simplify the wording of questions and provide clarity in the instructions. Further enhancements to the online application are expected to be delivered in increments throughout 2010.

Veterans may complete or download the 10-10EZ form at the VA health eligibility website. Veterans may also contact VA at 1 (877) 222-8387 (VETS) or visit the VA health eligibility website.


Civilian Casulties - Iraq


Just Foreign Policy Issues
Over a million {*1,366,350 plus} 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 that Guilt!


Honoring The Fallen of Iraq and Afghanistan/Pakistan


The War in Iraq Costs, the rolling tabulation, over $721,254,972,632++++ and continually counting!


CNN-Iraq and Afghanistan War Casulties


In Remembrance - Moving Tributes



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


GOP Congressmen Say That ‘Everyone’ In Congress ‘Would Agree That Iraq Was A Mistake’


"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


"What is the difference between an al Qaida terrorist and a misguided American terrorist?" "The planes they fly!"

"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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