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:
July 29, 2011 - Military children face unique challenges: the absence of a deployed parent, multiple moves to new cities and schools, and concerns about a parent’s safety—just to name a few.
We asked seven military children how they coped with these transitions and emotions. read more>>>
Memorial at the New JPED facility at Dover Air Force Base, Del..
Iraq, from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn Sept 1, 2010
There have been 4,792 coalition deaths -- 4,474 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 August 4 2011, according to a CNN and iCasulties count. { Graphical breakdown of casualties }. At least 32,153 {32,130 up to last month} U.S. troops have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. View casualties in the war in Afghanistan
Spc.Nathan Ryan Beyers 24 Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA Company B, 145th Brigade Support Battalion, 116th Cavalry Heavy Brigade Combat Team, Idaho Army National Guard One of two soldiers killed when insurgents attacked their convoy with a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on July 7, 2011
Spc.Nicholas Wayne Newby 20 Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA Company B, 145th Brigade Support Battalion, 116th Cavalry Heavy Brigade Combat Team, Idaho Army National Guard One of two soldiers killed when insurgents attacked their convoy with a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on July 7, 2011
Sgt.Steven Luna Talamantez 34 Laredo, Texas, USA Company C, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Died of injuries suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with indirect fire in Amara, Iraq, on July 10, 2011
Spc.Daniel Luca Elliott 21 Youngsville, North Carolina, USA 805th Military Police Company, 535th Military Police Battalion, 290th Military Police Brigade, Army Reserve Died when enemy forces attacked his unit with a roadside bomb in Basra, Iraq, on July 15, 2011
Sgt.Mark Adams Cofield 25 Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA Company B, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, XVIII Airborne Corps Died of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq, on July 17, 2011
POW/MIA: Afghanistan & Iraq
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.
Sgt 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 2,616 coalition deaths -- 1,688 Americans, 28 Australians, 377 Britons, 1 Belgian, 157 Canadians, 4 Czech, 41 Denmark, 25 Netherlands, 5 NATO, 8 Estonians, 2 Finn, 70 French, 53 Germans, 6 Hungarian, 39 Italians, 2 Jordan, 3 Latvian, 1 Lithuanian, 10 Norwegians, 28 Poles, 2 Portuguese, 19 Romanians, 1 South Korean, 33 Spaniards, 5 Swedes, 2 Turks, 2 New Zealand, 9 Georgian and three NATO/ISAF -- in the war on terror as of August 4 2011, according to a CNN and iCasulties 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 12,593 {12,306 up to last month} U.S. personnel have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. In addition to the military deaths, 11 U.S. intelligence operatives have died in Afghanistan.
Pfc.James Allen Waters 21 Cloverdale, Indiana, USA Company D, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using a roadside bomb in Sartak in the Zhari district of Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on July 1, 2011
Cpl.Gaetano Tuccillo 29 Pomigliano d'Arco, Italy Battaglione Logistico Ariete, 123 Brigata Corazzata (Logistic Battalion Aries, 123rd Armored Brigade) Killed when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb near the village of Caghaz, 10 miles (16 km) west of Bakwa, in Farah province, Afghanistan, on July 2, 2011
Pvt.Scott McLaren 28 Edinburgh, Scotland Company D, The Highlanders, The 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland McLaren was on a mission with his unit to hold and secure a vital bridgehead in the northern area of Nahr-e-Saraj district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on July 4, 2011. He was reported missing that morning and his body was found later that day after an extensive search.
Staff Sgt.Michael Jonathan Garcia 27 Bossier City, Louisiana, USA 705th Ordnance Company, 63rd Ordnance Battalion, 52nd Ordnance Group, 20th Support Command Died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using a roadside bomb in Logar province, Afghanistan, on July 4, 2011
Sgt.Todd Matthew Langley 35 Margaret River, Australia 2nd Commando Regiment Killed when he was struck by insurgent small-arms fire during an extended firefight in southern Afghanistan on July 4, 2011
Sgt.Nicanor Amper IV 36 San Jose, California, USA A Troop, 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Killed when enemy forces attacked his unit with a rocket-propelled grenade in the Shemal district of Khost province, Afghanistan, on July 5, 2011
Spc.Jordan Christopher Schumann 24 Port Saint Lucie, Florida, USA 527th Military Police Company, 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade One of three soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with a roadside bomb in Paktia province, Afghanistan, on July 5, 2011
Staff Sgt.Joshua Adam Throckmorton 28 Battle Creek, Michigan, USA 527th Military Police Company, 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade One of three soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with a roadside bomb in Paktia province, Afghanistan, on July 5, 2011
Spc.Preston J. Suter 22 Sandy, Utah, USA 527th Military Police Company, 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade One of three soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with a roadside bomb in Paktia province, Afghanistan, on July 5, 2011
Staff Sgt.Thomas Joseph Dodds Dudley 29 Tega Cay, South Carolina, USA Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 264, Marine Air Group 26, 2nd Marine Air Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force Died when he accidentally fell from a MV-22 Osprey aircraft in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on July 7, 2011
Sgt.Christopher Paul Soderlund 23 Pineville, Louisiana, USA Company B, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with rocket-propelled grenade fire in Charkh, Logar province, Afghanistan, on July 9, 2011
Sgt. 1st ClassTerryl Lynn Pasker 39 Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA Company B, 334th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Iowa Army National Guard Pasker was conducting a mounted patrol in Tabanna, Panjshir province, Afghanistan, when an Afghan National Directorate Security officer stopped his vehicle and opened fire, killing Pasker and a civilian in the vehicle, on July 9, 2011. Another U.S. soldier immediately opened fire on the security officer and killed him.
Lance Cpl.Norberto Mendez Hernandez 22 Logan, Utah, USA Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Died while conducting combat operations in the Sangin district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on July 10, 2011
Pvt.Alexander Biune 23 Copenhagen, Denmark 3. Eskadron, 2. Uddannelsesbataljon, Jydske Dragonregiment (3rd Squadron, 2nd Training Battalion, Jutland Dragoon Regiment) Killed when a roadside bomb detonated while on patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on July 10, 2011
Spc.Rafael Angel Nieves Jr. 22 Albany, New York, USA Company B, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires in Paktika province, Afghanistan, on July 10, 2011
Pfc.Clement Kovac 22 Peronee, France 1er Escadron, 1er-2e Regiment de Chasseurs (1st Squadron, 1st-2nd Regiment of Hunters) Kovac was exiting a vehicle after a mission in Kapisa province when he was accidentally shot by another French soldier on July 11, 2011. He was immediately evacuated to a military hospital in Kabul where he died of his injuries.
Seaman Aaron David Ullom 20 Midland, Michigan, USA Navy corpsman assigned to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 8, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Died while conducting a dismounted patrol in the Now Zad district, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on July 12, 2011
Cpl. Maj.Roberto Marchini 28 Viterbo, Italy 8° Reggimento Paracadutisti (8th Paratrooper Regiment) Killed when a roadside bomb detonated 1.8 miles (3 km) west of a forward operating base in the Bakwa district of Farah province, Afghanistan, on July 12, 2011
Lance Cpl.Robert Stephen Greniger 21 Greenfield, Minnesota, USA Company A, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Died while conducting combat operations in Sangin district, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on July 12, 2011
Master Sgt.Laurent Marsol 35 Toulouse, France 1er Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes (1st Paratrooper Regiment) One of five French soldiers killed when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device while his unit was providing security for an assembly of Afghan elders in Joybar village, a few miles west of Tagab, in Kapisa province, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2011
Lt.Thomas Gauvin 27 Caen, France 1er Regiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes (1st Paratrooper Regiment) One of five French soldiers killed when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device while his unit was providing security for an assembly of Afghan elders in Joybar village, a few miles west of Tagab, in Kapisa province, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2011
Master Sgt.Jean-Marc Gueniat 37 Fontenay, France 17e Regiment du Genie Parachutiste (17th Paratrooper Engineer Regiment) One of five French soldiers killed when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device while his unit was providing security for an assembly of Afghan elders in Joybar village, a few miles west of Tagab, in Kapisa province, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2011
Master Sgt.Emmanuel Techer 38 France 17e Regiment du Genie Parachutiste (17th Paratrooper Engineer Regiment) One of five French soldiers killed when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device while his unit was providing security for an assembly of Afghan elders in Joybar village, a few miles west of Tagab, in Kapisa province, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2011
Master Cpl.Sebastien Vermeille 30 Montfavet, France 1er Regiment d’Infanterie de Marine (1st Marine Infantry Regiment) One of five French soldiers killed when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device while his unit was providing security for an assembly of Afghan elders in Joybar village, a few miles west of Tagab, in Kapisa province, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2011
Sgt.Jeremy Russell Summers 27 Mount Olivet, Kentucky, USA Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Died on July 14, 2011, after enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire in Paktika province, Afghanistan, on July 13
Sgt.Benjamin Bourdet 30 Cherbourg, France Commando Jaubert, Commandos Marine (Naval Commandos) Bourdet was part of a joint patrol with French Navy Special Forces and Afghan police that engaged insurgents in Alasay valley of Kapisa province, Afghanistan, on July 14, 2011. Bourdet was shot and killed in the ensuing firefight.
Lance Cpl.Christopher Labiano Camero 19 Kailua Kona, Hawaii, USA 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Died on July 15, 2011, of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on July 6, 2011
Staff Sgt.Lex Lee Lewis 40 Rapid City, South Dakota, USA B Troop, 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Killed when insurgents attacked his unit with small-arms fire during a dismounted patrol in the village of Shewan Garrison, Farah province, Afghanistan, on July 15, 2011
Staff Sgt.Wyatt Andrew Goldsmith 28 Colville, Washington, USA Company A, 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group Died at Camp Bastion Hospital, Afghanistan of injuries suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with rocket-propelled grenade fire in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on July 15, 2011
Lance Cpl.Paul Watkins 24 Port Elizabeth, South Africa C Squadron, 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) Killed when an individual wearing an Afghan National Army uniform open fire while he providing overwatch security for a foot patrol west of Gereshk in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on July 16, 2011
Cpl.Raphael R. Arruda 21 Ogden, Utah, USA 416th Theater Engineer Command, Army Reserve Died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with a roadside bomb in Kunar province, Afghanistan, on July 16, 2011
Spc.Frank Robert Gross 25 Oldsmar, Florida, USA C Troop, 2nd Battalion, 38th Cavalry Regiment, 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade Died July 16, 2011 at Kandahar province, Afghanistan of wounds sustained at Kasay Kalay in Khost province, Afghanistan when a roadside bomb explosion caused a military vehicle roll-over
Master Sgt.Kenneth Brian Elwell 33 Holland, Pennsylvania, USA Company A, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division One of two soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with a roadside bomb in Talukan, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on July 17, 2011
Pfc.Tyler Michael Springmann 19 Hartland, Maine, USA Company A, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division One of two soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with a roadside bomb in Talukan, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on July 17, 2011
Lance Cpl.Jabari Nkosi Thompson 22 Brooklyn, New York, USA 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force Died on July 17, 2011, at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds sustained when a roadside bomb detonated during combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on July 13, 2011
Staff Sgt.Kenneth Rowland VanGiesen 30 Kane, Pennsylvania, USA 131st Transportation Company, 213th Area Support Group, Pennsylvania Army National Guard One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their convoy in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, on July 18, 2011
Sgt.Brian Keith Mowery 49 Halifax, Pennsylvania, USA 131st Transportation Company, 213th Area Support Group, Pennsylvania Army National Guard One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their convoy in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, on July 18, 2011
Sgt.Edward William Koehler III 47 Lebanon, Pennsylvania, USA 131st Transportation Company, 213th Area Support Group, Pennsylvania Army National Guard One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their convoy in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, on July 18, 2011
Cpl.Mark Anthony Palin 32 Plymouth, England Company B, 1st Battalion, The Rifles Killed when a roadside bomb detonated while he was guiding a patrol to clear a cache of nearly complete improvised explosive device components that had been discovered earlier in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on July 18, 2011
Sgt.Omar Alejandro Jones 28 Crook, Colorado, USA 623rd Engineer Company, 126th Chemical Battalion, 92nd Troop Command, Nebraska Army National Guard Died as a result of a non-battle related injury in Balkh province, Afghanistan, on July 18, 2011
Staff Sgt.James Michael Christen 29 Loomis, California, USA Company B, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division One of two soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with a roadside bomb in the Asmar district of Kunar province, Afghanistan, on July 19, 2011
Sgt.Jacob Molina 27 Houston, Texas, USA Company B, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division One of two soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with a roadside bomb in the Asmar district of Kunar province, Afghanistan, on July 19, 2011
Master Sgt.Benjamin Allen Stevenson 36 Canyon Lake, Texas, USA Special operations team member assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Special Operations Command Died of wounds suffered during a two-day firefight against an al Qaeda-related group that erupted when U.S. and Afghan troops attacked an insurgent encampment in Paktika province, Afghanistan, on July 21, 2011.
Cpl. Maj.David Tobini 28 Rome, Italy 183° Reggimento Paracadutisti (183rd Parachute Regiment) Killed when his unit was attacked by enemy forces with small-arms fire during an operation near Bala Murghab in Badghis province, Afghanistan, on July 25, 2011
Pvt.Pawel Poswiat 29 Poland 1. Batalionu Piechoty Zmotoryzowanej, 17 Wielkopolskiej Brygadzie Zmechanizowanej (1st Motorized Infantry Battalion, 17th Wielkopolska Mechanized Brigade) Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his armored personnel carrier during a patrol in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, on July 28, 2011
Spc.Augustus James Vicari 22 Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, USA Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated during a dismounted patrol in Janak Kheyl, Paktia province, Afghanistan, on July 29, 2011
2nd Lt.Jered Wayne Ewy 33 Edmond, Oklahoma, USA Company B, 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated during a dismounted patrol in Janak Kheyl, Paktia province, Afghanistan, on July 29, 2011
Pfc.Brice M. Scott 22 Columbus, Georgia, USA 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Died of injuries suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on July 31, 2011
Sgt.William Benjamin Gross Paniagua 28 Daly City, California, None Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Died of injuries suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with a roadside bomb in the Watahpur district of Kunar province, Afghanistan, on July 31, 2011
Already known through decades of our brothers and sisters living those false patriotic? meme's!
AUGUST 3, 2011 - In America, a veteran is considered a real hero and patriot. Newspapers and TV always talk of his or her amazing courage. Ask any American and he’ll tell you that vets went off to war to protect our precious “freedoms.” America is sure proud of its vets.
Until one of them ends up homeless and lying on some sidewalk. Then the average American is more likely to call the police to have him arrested or cited under some anti-panhandling or sit/lie law.
It’s not an unlikely scenario: one in four homeless persons in this nation is a veteran of one of our country’s many wars.
Just ask the folks at Veterans Village of San Diego, a group formed in the 80s by veterans fed up with inadequate services from the Veterans Administration. It offers an annual “Stand Down” (the latest occurred last month) to provide homeless vets an opportunity to hook up with services they need, such as showers, barbers, counseling, shelters, 12-step meetings, etc. About 200 of these Stand Downs take place every year throughout the country.
The event derives its name from the military term for down time that exhausted troops take to recuperate in a safe place. read more>>>
Fully Fund the Veterans Administration, no questions asked, as we fund the Department of Defense, no questions asked.
July 26, 2011 – The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced nearly $60 million in grants aimed at preventing homelessness among veterans and their families, with particular focus on veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki announced the awards, the first to be presented through VA’s new Supportive Services for Veteran Families program. The grants will go to 85 nonprofit organizations in 40 states and the District of Colombia to serve an estimated 22,000 homeless and at-risk veterans and their families. read more>>>
August 3, 2011 - Military pay raises, funding for veterans health care and the Post-9/11 GI Bill could be sacrificed to new fiscal realities as the result of the deal signed by President Obama on Tuesday to raise the federal debt ceiling, according to the Military Officers Association and veterans groups. The law requires the federal budget be cut $2.1 trillion over 10 years.
The White House said it plans to cut $350 billion from the Defense Department budget (excluding war funding) over the next decade. Retired Air Force Col. Michael Hayden, the association's deputy director for government relations, said this means "everything is on the table," including military pay. read more>>>
August 3, 2011 - Dr. Robert Petzel, Department of Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Health, gave the keynote address Aug. 2 kicking off the 2011 National Caregiver Support Conference, “Caring for Those Who Care for Our Veterans.”
The training conference, Aug. 2-4 in Washington highlights VA’s support of caregivers of all eras, with plenary sessions featuring national experts in care giving.
The conference follows the implementation of landmark legislation by VA that provides a direct benefit for the first time to designated, approved family caregivers of eligible Post 9/11 Veterans, which includes monthly stipends and health insurance. read more>>>
July 20, 2011 – The Women’s Bureau of the Department of Labor has released an online publication that will help community service providers aid homeless women veterans, Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis said today.
Solis addressed an audience of several hundred at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Theater on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.
“Where we’re falling short in meeting the challenge of service women is when they come home,” Solis said.
“Too many women who once wore our uniform now go to sleep in our streets,” she added. “It breaks my heart to see that because many of them are sick [and] in need of help, and many are hungry. And it isn’t just them -- some of them have children.” read more>>>
Army Health Promotion, Risk Reduction, Suicide Prevention Report 2010
July 15, 2011 - Army Releases June Suicide Information
The Defense Center for Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) Outreach Center can be contacted at 1-866-966-1020.
REACH Program Improves Quality of Life for Caregivers and Veterans
Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors: VA Benefits 2011 Edition
"And so what I've been trying to do and what Mrs. Biden and Mrs. Obama and the chairman and his wife - all these folks, are trying to do is to - is to try and get that other 99 percent to - they all say they support the troops, but it's not just enough to say it." - Defense Secretary Robert Gates - 23 June 2011 - PBS News Hour
August 2, 2011 - In The Psychological Costs of War: Military Combat and Mental Health (NBER Working Paper No. 16927), authors Resul Cesur, Joseph Sabia, and Erdal Tekin report that the mere length of deployment or breaks between deployments are far less significant for veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than the frequency of actual exposure to firefights.
snip
The authors estimate that just the combat-induced PTSD imposes two-year costs of $1.5 to $2.7 billion on the U.S. health care system. They determine that the psychological costs of combat are largest for soldiers who kill someone (or believe they have killed someone), are injured in combat, or witness the death or wounding of a civilian or a coalition member. read more>>>
Total Costs of Wars since 2001, the rolling tabulation, over $1,230,387,136,935+++++ and continually counting!
CNN-Iraq and Afghanistan War Casulties
In Remembrance - Moving Tributes
Civilian Casulties
7 July 2011 - Strasbourg judge: “Those who export war ought to see to the parallel export of guarantees against the atrocities of war”
European Court Issues Historic Judgment on British Army in Iraq
Press Release: Historic Judgment on British Army in Iraq, to read in online document reader.
Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights , visit for more on their rulings.
Recording Casualties: Victims of Armed Conflict Worldwide
This programme draws on the principles of human security to develop and enhance the technical and institutional capacity, identify and consolidate the legal requirements, and build the political will to record details of every single victim of armed conflict worldwide. The programme incorporates research into emerging good practice and existing legal frameworks, the development and promotion of clearer legal and more effective regulatory instruments, and the creation and support of advocacy networks. visit site for updated reports
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 country, the U.S., were ever invaded, who suffer the most, during and long after!
Every Casualty.org: New Org Website Launched On Casualty Recording
Afghan. & Iraq: Nearly Half of All Refugees Worldwide: Collateral damage
Refugee's: 27.5 million From Violence 2010
CIVIC: Working for Civilian Victims, Annual Report 2010
All the Deaths, Maimings and Destruction are the Blood on All Our Hands, No One can Escape that Guilt!
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
"What is the difference between an al Qaida terrorist and a misguided American terrorist?" "The planes they fly!"
"In fairness, we’ve been putting ground zeros next to mosques in Iraq since 2003" - Unknown Author Comment
"How anyone can say that torture keeps Americans safe is beyond me -- unless you don't count American soldiers as Americans."
How to Break a Terrorist: The U.S. Interrogators Who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man in Iraq
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"!
Soldier Missing from Vietnam War Identified
August 02, 2011 - The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Chief Warrant Officer George A. Howes, of Knox, Ind., will be buried Aug. 5 in Arlington National Cemetery. On Jan. 10, 1970, Howes and three aircrew members were returning to their base at Chu Lai, South Vietnam aboard a UH-1C Huey helicopter. Due to bad weather, their helicopter went down over Quang Nam Province, Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.). A search was initiated for the crew, but no sign of the helicopter or crew was spotted. read more>>>
July 28, 2011 - The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced Monday that the remains 12 U.S. servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
They are Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Jack E. Volz, 21, of Indianapolis; 2nd Lt. Regis E. Dietz, 28, of Pittsburgh, Pa.; 2nd Lt. Edward J. Lake, 25, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; 2nd Lt. Martin P. Murray, 21, of Lowell, Mass.; 2nd Lt. William J. Shryock, 23, of Gary, Ind.; Tech. Sgt. Robert S. Wren, 25, of Seattle, Wash.; Tech. Sgt. Hollis R. Smith, 22, of Cove, Ark.; Staff Sgt. Berthold A. Chastain, 27, Dalton, Ga.; Staff Sgt. Clyde L. Green, 24, Erie, Pa.; Staff Sgt. Frederick E. Harris, 23, Medford, Mass.; Staff Sgt. Claude A. Ray, 24, Coffeyville, Kan.; and Staff Sgt. Claude G. Tyler, 24, Landover, Md. The remains representing the entire crew will be buried as a group, in a single casket, Aug. 4 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. Eight of the airmen were identified and buried as individuals during previous ceremonies. Shryock, Green and Harris were also individually identified and will be interred individually at Arlington on the same day as the group interment. read more>>>
July 18, 2011 - The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of three servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
Army Pfc. Lawrence N. Harris, of Elkins, W.V., Cpl. Judge C. Hellums, of Paris, Miss., and Pvt. Donald D. Owens, of Cleveland, will be buried as a group, in a single casket, on July 20 in Arlington National Cemetery. In late September 1944, their unit, the 773rd Tank Battalion, was fighting its way east to France’s eastern border, clearing German forces out of the Parroy Forest near Lunéville. On Oct. 9, 1944, in the final battle for control of the region, Hellums, Harris, Owens and two other soldiers were attacked by enemy fire in their M-10 Tank Destroyer. Two men survived with serious injuries but Harris, Hellums and Owens were reported to have been killed. Evidence at the time indicated the remains of the men had been destroyed in the attack and were neither recovered nor buried near the location. read more>>>
July 07, 2011 - The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Air Force Maj. Richard G. Elzinga of Shedd, Ore., will be buried on July 8 in Arlington National Cemetery. On March 26, 1970, Elzinga and his co-pilot went missing when their O-1G Birddog aircraft failed to return to base from a familiarization flight over Laos. Fifteen minutes after the last radio contact, a communication and visual search showed no sign of the men or their aircraft. Search and rescue missions continued for two days with no results. read more>>>
National World War II Memorial
National Vietnam Veterans Memorial - "The Wall"
Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemeteries
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