13 February 2008
I wonder how much coordination there is in Iraq between Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Gen. David H. Petraeus and Gen. George W. Casey Jr. who want to stop further troop withdrawal to protect the gains that the “surge” made, and Army chief of staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. who says that the Army is “stretched and stressedâ€. The rise of military suicides it tied to multiple redeployments. When are we going to draw the line with the Iraqi government and force them to do their part in this war. If we leave Iraq they will then be forced to settle the infighting among the religious groups and it’s army will have to step up and enforce security. While Gates had hoped for greater reductions to ease strain on the military, last month President Bush said that he was prepared to give his Iraq commander(Petraeus) whatever forces he needed. Come on guys, please have a meeting of the minds and think what is best for the military on the ground.
While Bush is promising to continue to keep the military “stretched”, he is not putting funds for care of returning vets. These are young men and women who were willing to fight and die for ideals on which our nation was founded. None of us will ever be able to repay their sacrifices but it is up to us to make sure that Congress steps up and passes legislation to care for each and every one of them when they return home.
It has been a year since America was made aware of the horrible conditions at Walter Reed Medical Center. The Bush administration is not giving our vets what they deserve. They are arguing in federal court that veterans have no right to mental health care. Members of the National Guard or Reserves comprise over half of the veterans who committed suicide after returning from Iraq or Afghanistan. The Bush administration is arguing they shouldn’t have mental health care because the National Guard allows states to handle crises like wildfires, floods and other disasters. A pox on you George Bush. No heart, no brain. Shame on you employers who are refusing to hire returning vets. Drop your misplaced stereotypes about veterans’ fitness for employment, such as risk for post-traumatic stress disorder. My grandson, home from Iraq over a year now, is attending college full time working 20 hours a week and dealing with PTSD. His employers love him and the quality of work that he does. The federal government should, increase funding for mental health services to veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, implement proper screening and treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury for returning veterans and fully fund the VA health care system.
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