Response to Rebuked Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki's Selection as Next VA Secretary

"You must love those you lead before you can be an effective leader. You can certainly command without that sense of commitment, but you cannot lead without it. And without leadership, command is a hollow experience, a vacuum often filled with mistrust and arrogance." -- Retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, June 2003 farewell speech

On Pearl Harbor Day, Obama makes a stellar choice.



From the BBC:

United States President-elect Barack Obama has chosen the former army chief of staff, Eric Shinseki, as his secretary of veterans' affairs.

Mr Obama told NBC television that General Shinseki was "exactly the right person" to honour returning soldiers. Gen Shinseki left his top army job after disagreeing with the defence secretary over troop levels needed in Iraq after the invasion. He was the first four-star general of Japanese-American ancestry.

Iraq disagreement
Mr Obama made his comments ahead of a press conference on Sunday in Chicago to announce the appointment. Gen Shinseki's time as chief of staff from 1999 to 2003 was marked by constant tensions with then-Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, particularly over the issue of Iraq.

In 2003 he testified to Congress that it might take several hundred thousand US troops to control Iraq after the invasion. His estimate was dismissed by Mr Rumsfeld, and he was ousted from his job within months.

But Mr Obama said he was suitable for the post of veteran affairs because he "was right" in predicting that the US would need more troops in Iraq than Mr Rumsfeld believed at the time.

Talking Post Trauma Blues: Will Obama Make PTSD a Household Name?

One of my favorite female OIF vets, Abbie Pickett, shared the following video on her facebook page. (If you're a frequent reader of PTSD Combat and wish to connect with me via my facebook account, you're invited to do so; I frequently post PTSD-related content via that channel when I'm pressed for time -- which is often when my semesters are in full-swing).

The video is for a song called "Talking Post Trauma Blues."

Combat PTSD Positions: Edwards, Obama, and Clinton

Last week, Sen. John Edwards unveiled a $400 million five-point plan to help returning troops and their families cope with post traumatic stress. While not the only presidential candidate to set his sights on this issue, the Edwards plan is the first to be prominently unveiled as the presidential race heats up. From AP:

Under Edwards' plan, veterans could seek counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder outside the Veterans Health Administration system; the number of counselors would increase; and family members would be employed to identify cases of PTSD. ...

"I strongly believe we must restore the sacred contract we have with our veterans and their families, and that we must begin by reforming our system for treating PTSD. We also must act to remove the stigma from this disorder," Edwards said in prepared remarks his campaign provided to The Associated Press. "Warriors should never be ashamed to deal with the personal consequences of war."

Let's take a deeper look at these points, as well as what fellow presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are doing -- or planning to do -- on this issue.

Obama, Bond Demand DoD Provide PTSD Data

Press release from Senator Barack Obama's office:

U.S. Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and Christopher Bond (R-MO) sent the following letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, requesting a full accounting of service members’ psychological injuries, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), since October 2001. The senators also requested a detailed report on how the military monitors other psychological injuries.

Recent media accounts indicate that the number of service members seeking care for PTSD from the Veterans Administration (VA) increased 70% over a 12-month period, or an increase of some 20,000 cases. In addition, reports of the total number of cases of PTSD treatment at the VA since 2001 – 50,000 cases – far exceed the number of wounded documented by the Pentagon.

In the letter, Obama and Bond request information including the total number of PTSD among active duty service members; the total number of other reported psychological injuries; the procedures and referral mechanisms for service members to seek counseling while in combat; the number of mental health staff deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan; the number of mental health staff for each major mobilization and demobilization site; the incentives in place to attract additional behavioral health specialists; and the total annual expenditure on mental health care for active duty service members.

Op-Ed on Military's PTSD Dilemma, Ranch Reintegration for OEF/OIF Vets, Carrots and Sticks for Obama's 2010 VA Budget Proposal

• The Boston Globe | The military's post-traumatic stress dilemma - Iraq vet Tyler Boudreau begins: "WITH ARMY and Marine Corps suicide rates climbing dramatically, surpassing even those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan last month, the nation is increasingly disturbed and demanding treatment for veterans. But these suicide reports highlight an important distinction: A significant portion of those returning from war are not yet veterans; they are still active or reserve service members, which means, above all, that they probably will be going back to one of our theaters of operations. And that means that any treatment for post-traumatic stress will be positioned in direct conflict with the mission itself. As a former Marine captain and rifle company commander, I witnessed this conflict firsthand."
  
  

• Chicago Tribune | Restoring spirits of men haunted by war - 15 OEF/OIF vets recently took part in a novel reintegration program: "The veterans came from throughout the United States to spend four days at the stylish Wildcatter Ranch, invited by the Wounded Warrior Project and the owners of the ranch to help restore their spirits. Some of the men have physical injuries, but each of them is struggling to deal with combat stress and their return to civilian society. The men went canoeing and rode horses. They got massages and shot skeet. They stayed in luxurious rooms and they visited an elementary school, where the children gave them Graham Steers ball caps. 'I have never seen anything like this before,' said Harvey Stubbs Jr., 32, a Chicago-area native who was medically retired from the Army because of his injuries. 'The outpouring of love ... has been amazing. A lot of people give lip service to supporting the troops, but these people have opened their hearts to us in ways I can't believe.'"
  
  
• CNN | Obama pledges more help for veterans - President Obama, appearing alongside VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, spoke of the $25 billion funding infusion the Department of Veterans Affairs can look forward to receiving over the next five years under his new budget. "'With this budget, we don't just fully fund our Veterans Affairs health care program, we expand it to serve an additional 500,000 veterans by 2013,' [Obama] said. He promised that the VA would "dramatically improve services" related to mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, and he said homeless veterans would be targeted for support."
  
  
• Kansas City Star | Veterans assail proposal to have private insurance plans pay for their service ailments - President Obama's 2010 VA budget provision to bill private insurance for service-connected health care is under fire with veterans and their supporters. While no one will see the full budget proposal until April, this idea being floated about is "dead on arrival" according to Sen. Patty Murray [D-WA], who has an influential seat on the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

IAVA's Paul Reickhoff on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show:



More PTSD Combat Diigo links.

Stop-Loss to be Stopped, Military Families to Get Pentagon Dover Travel Assist, Obama Nixes Private Insurance Provision of 2010 VA Budget

• CNN | Pentagon to phase out unpopular 'stop-loss' program - "The military will phase out its "stop-loss" program, the contentious practice of holding troops beyond the end of their enlistments, for all but extraordinary situations, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Wednesday. Instead, the military will use incentives programs to encourage personnel to extend their service. Starting this month, the department will provide 'special compensation of $500 per month' to troops whose tour has been extended, Gates said. 'This special compensation will be applied retroactively to October 1, 2008, the date when Congress first made it available.'"
  
  
• NTM Lede Blog | Pentagon Will Help Families Travel to Dover - "Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today that the Pentagon would pay for families to travel to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware if they want to be present when the body or remains of a loved one is returned from war. Mr. Gates announced last month that the Pentagon was reversing its longstanding policy of barring media coverage during the repatriation of fallen soldiers at Dover. He said then, and reiterated today at a news conference, which the Pentagon's Web site streamed live, that the decision about media coverage would be up to each family."


• Washington Post | Obama's Turnabout On Vets Highlights Budgeting Nuances - "The relatively small proposal -- third-party billing would have saved about $540 million, less than 1 percent of the overall VA budget -- was not even part of Obama's official [2010 VA] budget but quickly threatened to undermine Obama's credibility with veterans. Ultimately, however, Obama listened to the veterans ... 'When you do public policy behind closed doors, you throw a lot of things on a wall, and some things stick and some things don't stick,' said Bob Wallace, executive director of Veterans of Foreign Wars. 'I think the administration and the president handled this with class, bringing the veterans in to talk with them, listening to their positions and two days later the chief of staff saying, 'It's over.''"

Gates announcement on stop-losses and Dover travel assistance:



More PTSD Combat Diigo links.

Important GAO Request Made By Senators Seeking Answers on PTSD-Deployed Troops

The issue of returning troops dealing with PTSD and other psychological burdens back into the combat zone has been a story that I've been following (and been angered by) for a long time. This latest move by Senators Obama, Boxer, McCaskill, Harkin, Lieberman, and Bond is a long-needed next step after a lot of energy and eyes have been directed at the problem (Sen. Boxer especially has been a key person on this one).

Follow the timeline of this issue by clicking on any of the links under 'Related Posts', and click on senator names above to send them your thanks for moving this oversight forward.

From the The Swamp, Chicago Tribune's Washington bureau blog:

A batch of senators led by Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is asking congressional investigators to probe the Defense Department's treatment of soldiers who suffer mental-health ailments after returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

In a letter set to be sent today, the senators -- Obama and fellow Democrats Barbara Boxer (Calif.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Tom Harkin (Iowa), independent Joe Lieberman (Conn.) and Republican Kit Bond (Mo.) -- tell the General Accounting office they're concerned by reports alleging soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems have been denied care by superior officers and instead deployed for new tours oversees.

The letter says some of the senators voiced those concerns to the Defense Department earlier but have yet to hear a response. The senators ask the GAO to brief them first on "upsetting" allegations of mental health treatment -- or lack therof -- for soldiers at Fort Carson, Colo., and then expand to include "system-wide mental health deficiencies within the DOD."

Click on 'Article Link' below tags for full letter...

The letter:

April 18, 2007

The Honorable David M. Walker
Comptroller General
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
441 G Street, NW, Room 7125
Washington, DC 20548

Dear Mr. Walker:

We are writing to request that the General Accounting Office (GAO) undertake a review of Department of Defense (DOD) screenings, diagnoses, referrals and treatment of service members who may have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental health conditions related to their service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Several of us previously wrote the DOD requesting an examination of command practices and reports of biases and misdiagnoses in the treatment of mental health-related injuries such as PTSD and other deployment-related health problems, including Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), but have not yet received a response.

The stigmas associated with PTSD and other mental health needs are no less potent within the military than in the civilian world. Indeed, reports from soldiers suffering from PTSD suggest that the stigma is worse, with some military commanders appearing to minimize the significance of PTSD and other mental health needs; or suggesting that a service member is malingering to avoid redeployment. There are allegations of commanders at Fort Carson, Colorado denying soldiers access to mental health care and instead ordering them redeployed for additional tours in Iraq. We have also heard of cases in which service members with PTSD are diagnosed as having "personality disorders" that the Army considers "pre-existing," thus depriving otherwise eligible combat veterans of disability benefits and much-needed mental healthcare. Because the stakes for our service members' and their health are so high, we must move quickly to investigate and correct any deficiencies.

We have come to learn about a number of upsetting allegations at Fort Carson. Therefore, for the purposes of an expedited review, we request to be briefed initially by GAO on these immediate cases. We ask that you subsequently focus your inquiry not only on Fort Carson but on system-wide mental health deficiencies within the DOD.

With the significant burdens already being placed on our service members and their families with multiple extended deployments, we must ensure that they are not further burdened with any humiliation, stigmatization or other minimization of genuine mental health needs. Our service members are risking their lives for our nation's security; it is our moral obligation to care for them. We therefore ask the GAO to assess:

1) Known cases of improper discharges or misdiagnoses and patterns of systematic stigmatization employed by military commanders regarding the mental health needs of service members throughout the chain-of-command at Fort Carson and across DOD departments;

2) The growing number of discharges for personality disorders, and whether or not such discharges are being improperly used when service members should in fact be given a mental health diagnosis that DOD does not consider preexisting.

3) The overall number of misdiagnosed cases of PTSD, other mental health conditions, and TBIs (at Fort Carson and force-wide);

4) DOD progress in implementing previous mandates to develop force-wide criteria and procedures for screening, diagnosing and referring mental health cases for follow-up treatment;

5) The efficacy of the DOD's current mental health safety net and treatment capabilities: for example, what current mechanisms are available to service members in the event of misdiagnosis?;

6) The steps and resources required to implement one-on-one, face-to-face mental health screenings for all returning service members;

7) The number of service members, men and women, reporting mental health concerns related to sexual assault during deployment; and whether current DOD personnel training and diagnostic guidance is sufficiently responsive to the needs of both men and women.

We seek to ensure that the DOD has the resources necessary to diagnose and treat service-connected injuries that impact the mental health of U.S. service personnel. It is vital that the U.S. military ensures it is treating the mental health needs of our forces with the same priority and resource investments it is devoting to physical injuries. If you would like to discuss this request, please contact [redacted].

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Sincerely,

_____________________

Barack Obama

_______________________

Barbara Boxer

_______________________

Tom Harkin


______________________

Christopher Bond

_____________________

Joe Lieberman

_______________________

Claire McCaskill


Cc: Gordon England
Deputy Secretary of Defense


Pete Geren
Acting Secretary of the Army

Related Posts

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• More than 50% of Army's 948 Suicide Attempts in 2006 Sought Help First
  
• OEF/OIF Vets Seeking PTSD Care from VA Jumps 70%, Mental Health Counseling Tops 100,000
  
• Is the Army 'Spinning' its Increase in Suicides?
  
• Last Year's 99 Army Suicides Highest in Recorded History
  
• Veterans Issues in Sharp Focus Today in Hearings, Reports and Lawsuits
  
• Personality Disorder Discharges Under the Gun
  
• Army to Expand Efforts to Educate Officers on PTSD
  
• Fort Carson Visited by Congressional Staffers Today, Tomorrow
  
• Resolution: No More Troops Sent Back w/PTSD
  
• Senators Call for Army Mental Health Services Investigation
  
• Sens. to DOD: Stop Sending Troops with PTSD Back to Combat
  
• Hartford Courant: DOD Ignoring Troop Mental Health
  
• Back in the News: Troops Returned to Combat Zone with PTSD
  
• Troops Medicated, Returned to Combat
  
• Drug War: More Details on Medicated Troops in Combat
  
• Personality Disorder -- Or Combat PTSD?
  
• 22,000 Returning Vets Discharged With Personality Disorder

Michelle Obama Visits Fort Bragg, Marines 'Cover' Each Other, Yellow Ribbon Program Implemented

• US Army | First Lady visits Fort Bragg, vows support for military families - "First Lady Michelle Obama paid a visit to Soldiers and family members at Fort Bragg in what was her first tour outside the White House. During her visit, Obama said she was inspired by the spirit of the Fort Bragg community and said she was fully committed to improving support to all military families."


• MSNBC | Army program helps ease stress of deployment - "Army Reserve's Chattanooga-based 591st Transportation Detachment prepares to implement the new Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program. All branches of the service have some form of the program, according to Lt. Col. Robin Smith Sr., chief well-being officer for the Army Reserve. The...program was launched "to prepare soldiers and their families for mobilization, sustain the families during mobilization and to help with reintegration with their families, communities and employers upon redeployment," he said. The program began as part of a requirement outlined in the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2008 and became even more important as the steep suicide rates were recorded in recent months."


• Marine Corps News | 'Cover Me' Leaves No Marine Behind - "The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund, hosted by Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, screened the film, “Cover Me,” at the South Mesa Club...March 5, to help raise awareness and educate Marine leadership about combat operational stress. The film’s conception was centered on the Corps’ need to let Marines know it is all right to seek medical help for combat operational stress and in doing so, their careers will not be adversely affected."
  
  
• Richmond Times-Dispatch | For these airmen, it’s about surviving, not flying - "The realistic training exercise, staged in a mock village at the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center at Fort Dix in New Jersey, is part of new combat preparedness received by airmen who perform the ground duties that keep planes flying. The convoy's 25 members passed...They learned to "shoot and scoot." They were among 187 airmen at the center to receive advanced training before deployment overseas. The role of the Air Force in Afghanistan is crucial, especially as Taliban forces try to close a supply route through Pakistan's Khyber Pass and Kyrgyzstan seeks to shut a U.S. air base in that country. Nearly 600 airmen have been killed or wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks - and 96 percent of them have been on the ground, according to Air Force officials. Their mounting losses - partly due to expanded duties off base - prompted intensive training, begun three years ago, to help the ground airmen survive combat."

More PTSD Combat Diigo links.

UA to Study Veterans Reintegration, Obama Aims to Nationalize Montana National Guard PTSD Screening Program, Vets and Intimacy

• As the new GI Bill rolls out, the University of Arizona (with ~400 veterans already on its campus) is gearing up to welcome even more onto its rolls. Their Teaching Center is "developing a transition curriculum for veterans and is training faculty on how to teach them ... [and] has begun to offer veterans classes on resilience and stress management...designed to improve memory, strengthen problem-solving skills and build a social support network." Vets attending the University of Arizona will also be able to take part in their Disability Resource Center's federal Participatory Action Research Project , which will "study veterans reintegration and transition from the military into college." UA is hosting a celebration for veterans and their sponsors on Thursday, Oct. 9, from 4-6 p.m. in the Student Union Memorial Center.
  
  
• This past Wednesday, presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama met with Matt Kuntz, the stepbrother of Montana National Guard and Iraq vet Chris Dana. Dana "took his life in March 2007, less than two years after returning from a tour in Iraq. His family believes he was a victim of post traumatic stress disorder, brought on by his combat experience." Since then, his stepbrother has been among those pushing Montana to implement "more than a dozen changes in its policies in an effort to address PTSD and traumatic brain injuries in returning soldiers. A key initiative in the new plan is to screen all returning soldiers every six months for two years after their tour of duty." Obama has promised that he would "expand Montana's pilot program to assess the mental health of combat vets nationwide."
  
  
• Last week, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune's Gail Rosenblum delivered an important piece on "the private scars of war," intimately introducing us to one family dealing with the most personal after-effects of war. With ~56 percent of today's troops being married, "the U.S. Defense and Veteran's Affairs departments are acknowledging that the physical and emotional scars that troops carry home present a sensitive challenge: sexual intimacy and body-image issues that most couples' therapists are ill-prepared to treat. ...The number of people returning with disabilities, is an 'enormous problem ... an astonishing problem.' ...Combined with the fact that returning vets are usually older and partnered, this is having a devastating effect on relationships."

Thanksgiving, From the Frontline to the Homefront and Back Again

Happy Thanksgiving.

How is your holiday shaping up? I hope that you and yours are on your way to building a memorable one. Before moving into the heart of this post, I'd like to take a moment to personally thank the family that I'm blessed to have, who offer me the support and encouragement to continue plugging away.

This work means a lot to me, as do my studies; but, both of these endeavors take enormous amounts of time away from those that love me and that I love in return. So, I thank them for being there for me, nonetheless, through it all.

While certainly on a larger scale and scope magnitude, deployed troops also give up a lot to accomplish their goals and achieve their mission. Their families also give up one of the most valuable and perishable commodities we have in life: time with those we love the most.

This Thanksgiving, I wish you all the best -- ample hours with family and the very best of friends; a good meal; moments to relax or to kick things up if you prefer; and the grace to reflect, no matter the present appearance, on the many things we all have to be thankful for.

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. -- Cicero (106-43BCE), Rome

In extended, I've collected a few reflective stops on the media landscape, as well as a few video 'shoutouts' from troops serving overseas to loved ones back home. Let's keep them all in our thoughts, as always, and recommit to extending ourselves to the families who await their return. Happy Thanksgiving, dear readers and friends.

US Military Responds to Haiti Disaster

"When the freedom they wished for most was the freedom from responsibility, then Athens ceased to be free and was never free again." -- Edith Hamilton (1867-1963), USA

President Obama and our military have begun humanitarian ops in Haiti, and roughly 10,000 troops will be stationed in the area by Monday. While the strain on forces and milfamilies needs to be relieved (and this isn't going to help), we must respond.

David Martin, CBS News:



In extended, preserving a few press reports related to the military's humanitarian work in Haiti right now. The first entry is especially stat and data rich.

Female Vets 4 X, Male Vets 2 X as Likely to Become Homeless Vs. Non-Vets

From Military.com:

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have contributed to a sharp rise in the number of homeless military veterans, a recently completed Congressional Research Service report on homeless veterans says, and lawmakers are beginning to take notice. The report shows female veterans were as much as four times more likely to become homeless than non-veteran women, with male veterans nearly twice as likely to become homeless than non-veterans.

Though many believe homelessness plagues Vietnam draftees disproportionately, the largest group of homeless vets comes from those who enlisted after Vietnam, the May 31 CRS report showed. And although experiences in combat and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder are contributing factors to homelessness, studies have "found no unique association between combat-related PTSD and homelessness," the report said.

"Research has determined that homeless combat veterans were no more likely to be diagnosed with PTSD than combat veterans who were not homeless," CRS said.

Click on 'Article Link' below tags for more...

In the interest of education, article quoted from extensively.

Continuing:

Since Vietnam, most veterans do not normally become homeless within the first 10 years of separation, the CRS report said. But a December 2006 "Iraq Veteran Project" study [pdf] prepared by the Swords to Plowshares veterans' advocacy group, troops who've served in Iraq and Afghanistan are becoming homeless sooner than their predecessors - seeking housing services within months after returning from Iraq.

"New veterans are falling through the cracks, and they are shocked and angry at the lack of care afforded them," said Iraq Veteran Project report author, Amy Fairweather. "They stand at the precipice of chronic homelessness unless there is a concerted effort to address their needs."

In reaction to this alarming news, the article goes on to highlight work being done by Sen. Barack Obama [D-IL]:

In April, Obama introduced legislation dubbed the "Homes for Heroes Act," which would establish grant and voucher programs to encourage development of affordable housing targeted for veterans. In addition, Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) has introduced a bill that would institute a program in which the VA and DoD would work together to identify returning members of the armed services who are at risk of homelessness.

On the other side of the aisle, Sen. Larry Craig (R. Idaho), is lending his clout to the problem. "The number of homeless on any given night is too high and we are working hard on Capitol Hill to turn those numbers around," said Craig, who recently received the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans 2007 Congressional Award.

A few stats as well as what the DoD is doing:

In response to congressional pressure, the Pentagon recently partnered with several federal agencies to create an online portal called "Turbo TAP" designed to help veterans get the information, counseling, and access to the services they need to ensure a successful transition from military to civilian life.

The CRS report adds there are currently five federal programs specifically designed to assist homeless veterans, these programs will require about $270 million in 2007, and future costs are on the rise. Other research indicates that VA homeless programs have already served as many as 600 returning OIF/OEF veterans and over 1,000 more have been identified as being at risk of becoming homeless, CRS added.

Related Posts

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• New York Times Magazine Reveals the Double Dose of Danger in The Women's War
  
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• A Look at the VA's Women Veterans Health Program
  
• Study: 'Prolonged Exposure' Therapy Superior Treatment for Female PTSD
  
• Women in Combat: Females and PTSD
  
• Psychological Bulletin from APA: Females Have Higher Rates of PTSD
  
• Combat, Women, and PTSD: Details and News on Upcoming VA Retreat
  
• One Female Soldier's Struggle with PTSD

Afghanistan, Iraq Veteran Army Suicide Rate Continues to Climb

The problem is clearly complex.

The reasons are many-fold, as varied and numerous and hard to pin down as are people themselves. But this much we know: Our veterans are turning to suicide at an alarming rate; and, at least for now, all of the programs and outreach and educational campaigns the military and the VA have been throwing at the problem have failed to staunch the tide.

The latest numbers do not provide relief.

Yochi Dreazen, Wall Street Journal:

Sixteen American soldiers killed themselves in October in the U.S. and on duty overseas, an unusually high monthly toll that is fueling concerns about the mental health of the nation's military personnel after more than eight years of continuous warfare. ...

The October suicide figures mean that at least 134 active-duty soldiers have taken their own lives so far this year, putting the Army on pace to break last year's record of 140 active-duty suicides. The number of Army suicides has risen 37% since 2006, and last year, the suicide rate surpassed that of the U.S. population for the first time.

It's important to note that the above figure reflects only Army suicides; it does not include data from any of the remaining military branches or from the VA. And so, if this year's active-duty Marine suicide rate is the same as it has been in previous years (41/2008; 33/2007; 25/2006), expect to add another 30-40 incidents to the above total.

And yet, that figure isn't the full measure, either.

More WaPo Fallout: Senators, WH, Veterans and Pundits Chime In

The fallout to the Washington Post investigation into conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center has gone nuclear today, with reactions from all quarters coming in hot and quick. The latest developments include a call for an Inspector General's investigation, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow stating that “the president certainly has been aware of the conditions in the wards where he has visited, and visited regularly,” new legislation coming next week, and reaction from veterans and pundit reaction galore.

Click on 'Article Link' below tags for the significant developments...

Calls for an investigation are underway:

(Washington, D.C.) - Today, U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Patty Murray (D-WA) wrote to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, urging him to launch an Inspector General's investigation of the deplorable living conditions facing returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans at the Army's flagship military hospital, Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. ...

The Senators also asked for an investigation into conditions at the Navy's top hospital, Bethesda Naval Hospital. The letter follows an investigation by The Washington Post that revealed substandard living conditions, bureaucratic delays and inadequate benefits for seriously injured service members. Mikulski and Murray are both members of the Senate's Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees funding for the two facilities.

Specifically, the Senators asked for:

• an inspection of each outpatient facility to assess their quality and safety,


• a report on the number of caseworkers and an assessment of their training and workload,


• a review of the paperwork requirements for recovering soldiers,


• a report on the accessibility and quality of psychological counseling for Soldiers and their families,


• and a remediation plan, including a timeline and description of the steps the Department of Defense will take to improve outpatient care, and improve and simplify benefits for wounded military personnel.

Meanwhile, ThinkProgress has video of the White House reaction, following a reporter's question to Press Secretary Tony Snow today:

QUESTION: You responded to me a moment ago that the administration was aware of this before the articles appeared in the paper.

SNOW: That is my understanding. But, again, this is something that’s an action item over at the Department of Defense and in particular the Department of the Army. I am not fully briefed on the activities of who knew what, when. And I suggest…

QUESTION: Was the president aware of it? Was the White House aware of it?

SNOW: I am not certain when this — when we first became aware of it. Now, the president certainly has been aware of the conditions in the wards where he has visited, and visited regularly. And we also have people from Walter Reed regularly over to the White House as the guests, sometimes in fairly large numbers.

[UPDATE: Feb 21 2007]
Tony Snow backtracked today, saying the president did not know of the conditions at Walter Reed.

Legislation will be introduced next week:

Democrats Tuesday reacted swiftly to reports that some soldiers recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center face desolate conditions.

Following two votes last week in which Democrats rejected President Bush's surge plan and faced questioning from Republicans regarding their commitment to the troops, Democrats quickly seized on a story published by the Washington Post describing the conditions some soldiers encounter at Walter Reed. "Caring for our returning heroes is one of the things we can still get right about this war, and that's why the deterioration of the conditions at Walter Reed is both appalling and unacceptable," presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said.

Obama and Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said they would introduce legislation to improve the ratio of caseworkers to recovering soldiers, ensure caseworkers are better trained, cut back on the red tape recovering soldiers confront and set a timeline for repairs to "substandard facilities."

McCaskill also appeared on Chris Matthews' Hardball program on MSNBC tonight; I'll include a link to the video if and when its made available. Dan Priest, the reporter for the WaPo who uncovered this story, appeared on Hardball yesterday:



Here's last night's Walter Reed report on Keith Olbermann's program, which included a report filed by WaPo reporter Dana Priest and an interview with Joe Soltz of VoteVets:




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• Walter Reed Hearings Get Underway Today
  
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• YouTube Speaks Out: Let's Help Our Vets!
  
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• WaPo Reporter Dana Priest on Don Imus Show
• WaPo Investigation Fallout: Walter Reed Jumps Into Action
  
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• WaPo: Walter Reed Patients 'Neglected, Frustrated'
  
• Malingering as Vet Brain Injury Cases Soar

Fort Carson Visited by Congressional Staffers Today, Tomorrow

Last week, NPR reported on on the fall-out of a 6 month Fort Carson, Colo., investigation: the Army plans to court-martial one of the troops who spoke out on soldier intimidation and harrassment directed at those complaining of symptoms associated with PTSD. Sheesh.

Today comes more fall-out as congressional staffers are scheduled to arrive on base to do a bit of investigating of their own:

Three U.S. senators who raised questions last month over Fort Carson's treatment of soldiers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, will send staff members to the post Thursday and Friday to review its program for diagnosing and treating PTSD among Iraq combat veterans.

Staffers from the offices of Sens. Barack Obama (D-IL), Barbara Boxer, (D-CA), and Kit Bond, (R-MO) will arrive Thursday morning for the fact-finding tour. Four of Colorado's congressional delegation will also send staffers on the tour. They include representatives from Sens. Wayne Allard and Ken Salazar and Reps. Mark Udall and Doug Lamborn.

Obama, Boxer and Bond voiced concern over the Fort Carson program following a National Public Radio program Dec. 4, that interviewed several Fort Carson soldiers who said they were not provided with proper medical treatment for PTSD after returning from Iraq with symptoms of mental and emotional disorders.

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Additional details from the Rocky Mountain News:

Fort Carson's top medical officials have insisted that their staff is not mistreating soldiers. "We are seeing the soldiers, treating them well and providing the care they need," said Col. John Cho, a surgeon and commanding officer of Fort Carson's Evans Army Medical Center.

The visit will include briefings and interviews with Fort Carson medical officials and rank-and-file soldiers. ... Several Fort Carson soldiers complained that they were harassed by junior officers and noncommissioned officers after seeking doctor's appointments for mental and emotional problems after coming home from Iraq. Some said they were denied permission to obtain appointments to see Army doctors for PTSD symptoms. Others said they were threatened with disciplinary action, and some said they were given discharges for personality disorders or patterns of misconduct.

Certain discharges can leave soldiers ineligible for veterans medical care and other benefits. Fort Carson had diagnosed 577 cases of PTSD in 2006 through early December and expected the number to surpass 600 for the year. That compares with only 32 cases in 2002, before the Iraq war began.

Cause for concern:

A recent General Accountability Office report criticized the Army and other branches of the military for inconsistent diagnosis and treatment of PTSD. The Department of Defense "cannot provide reasonable assurance that service members who need referrals for further mental health or combat operational stress reaction evaluations receive them," the report stated.

 Related Posts

• NPR Offers Perplexing Update on Fort Carson's PTSD Handling Today
  
• Army to Expand Efforts to Educate Officers on PTSD
  
• Update on Fort Carson's Treatment of Soldiers Seeking Help for PTSD
  
• Army Surgeon General 'Learning Lessons' From Fort Carson Investigations
  
• DoD Mental Health Task Force Update
  
• IAVA's Paul Rieckhoff on NPR's Fort Carson Investigation
  
• Senators Call for Army Mental Health Services Investigation
  
• Reminder: Fort Carson Investigation on NPR Today
  
• NPR: Major Military PTSD Troop Abuse Investigative Report Coming Monday

Senators Call for Army Mental Health Services Investigation

Aftershocks from the NPR Fort Carson investigation, from UPI:

Three U.S. senators Thursday called for in investigation into mental health services for Army soldiers suffering from PTSD. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., Sen. Christopher Bond, R-Mo., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., asked for an investigation into 'troubling allegations' that soldiers at Fort Carson, Colo., are being denied treatment for post-traumatic stress disorders, according to a report by National Public Radio.

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Continuing:

NPR reported that two sergeants admitted they 'often refuse to allow soldiers under their command to attend mental health treatment sessions for PTSD. They said people claim PTSD from combat deployments as a means of avoiding being sent back to Iraq, or of getting out of the military.

'It is tremendously problematic that Ft. Carson officials take it upon themselves to make medical determinations without input from mental health professionals,' the senators said in a Dec. 7 letter to the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, Dr. William Winkenwerder.

Specifically, they want to know the average time in days soldiers at Fort Carson have to wait after requesting their first appointment with a mental health care professional, and then for follow up appointments; how many soldiers have sought treatment; how many have been diagnosed with PTSD or traumatic injury, and how many of those have been discharged.

Have been following Boxer's vet's advocacy; a real champion. Thank you to Bond and Obama, too.


 Related Posts

• Update on Fort Carson's Treatment of Soldiers Seeking Help for PTSD
  
• Army Surgeon General 'Learning Lessons' From Fort Carson Investigations
  
• DoD Mental Health Task Force Update
  
• Fort Carson Visited by Congressional Staffers Today, Tomorrow
  
• IAVA's Paul Rieckhoff on NPR's Fort Carson Investigation
  
• Reminder: Fort Carson Investigation on NPR Today
  
• NPR: Major Military PTSD Troop Abuse Investigative Report Coming Monday
  
• Contact Senators to Urge Support for Veteran Mental Health and Readjustment Assistance Amendment
  
• Support Needed for the Lane Evans Act

Action Item: Contact House and Senate Reps Today

Important action to take this week. Veterans for America has made it easy for us to get armed with info and ready for action in support of 3 vital amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2007.

Click on Steve Robinson's picture to listen to this week's legislative update. Then head over to their online action form to really show you support the troops.

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Before the NDAA comes up for a vote, it's hammered out in a joint House-Senate conference. To be sure the following three amendments make it through this process, we need to contact the House and Senate leaders involved -- Representatives Duncan Hunter (R-CA) and Ike Skelton (D-MO), plus Senators John Warner (R-VA) and Carl Levin (D-MI). You can use this online action form to make contact quickly and easily.

Here are the 3 amendments that need our support (via Veterans for America):

• Amendment S. 4224 sponsored by Senators Barak Obama (D-IL) and Bill Frist (R-TN) requiring that traumatic brain injury (TBI) assessments be included as part of post-deployment health care assessments for service members deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan involved in improvised explosive device incidents (road side bombs). Serious brain injuries can have long-term effects if not diagnosed and treated quickly.

• Amendment S. 4466 sponsored by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Joe Lieberman (D-CT), Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) improving mental health care screening before deployment of our troops, establishing a minimum standard requirement and further evaluation by a qualified health care professional if a mental health condition is detected during pre- or post- deployment screening. Soldiers are committing suicide while deployed and after returning home. This screening may help save lives now.

• Amendment S. 4409 sponsored by Senators Barak Obama (D-IL) and Kit Bond (R-MO) requiring a report from DoD on the feasibility of providing secure electronic medical and military records to service members when discharged to assist with expediting veterans’ medical care at Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers and private physicians. By providing full sets of records, this amendment allows veterans to choose when and where they go for medical care, and it provides an historical account of their military duty.

And don't forget to thank Veterans for America for providing this service to us, either by dropping them a nice line or two or tossing a few nickels into their bucket.

Thank you for taking action today!

Important Action: Contact Your Senators Today

The Senate is currently debating the National Defense Authorization Act of 2007, S. 2766, and we need to make our voices heard on two issues especially. Hat tip to Veterans for America for the following information and for setting up an easy online feedback form that allows you to quickly send your Senators a fax today. Learn more, and read the sample letter you can use to easily let your Senators know how you feel about these important issues.

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From a Veterans for America email alert:

Your messages to your Senators are making a big difference, but there may be only a few days left before the debate in the Senate is over. If we want these amendments to pass, we must act right away.

If you have not yet written your Senator, please do so today!

Our military and our veterans need your help today to fix some very serious problems.

Veterans for America (VFA) recently posted several disturbing news articles about veterans committing suicide and other serious mental health problems among soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Clearly, VA and the military are failing to respond to this growing crisis.

A phone call or faxed letter from you today sent to your U.S. Senator can help soldiers and veterans now, before the situation gets worse.

Here's how you can help right now. The U.S. Senate is debating next year's military budget. The bill is called the National Defense Authorization Act of 2007, S. 2766. During the debate, several pro-service member and pro-veteran amendments are expected to come up for separate votes. Read the statement by Bobby Muller, VFA director.

Veterans for America has learned while there are several pro-veteran amendments being considered during debate on the issue, there are two in particular that deserve our immediate attention and support:

• First, there are growing concerns about service members redeployed from the U.S. back to Iraq for a second tour after being diagnosed with a serious mental health problem, and some have committed suicide. That is why we ask you to urge the Senate to adopt an amendment sponsored by Senators Barbara Boxer and Joe Lieberman requiring a credentialed mental health professional to sign off before a service member diagnosed as having a duty-limiting (or serious) mental health condition can be ordered into a war zone.
  
  
• Second, we are troubled by reports of veterans who are not aware of government benefits and services. That is why we urge you to ask the Senate to adopt an amendment sponsored by Senators Russ Feingold, Patty Murray, Barack Obama, Ted Kennedy and Jack Reed requiring the military to provide comprehensive Transition Assistance Program briefings about healthcare, employment, and other benefits so veterans don't miss out on benefits with time limits, such as healthcare and educational assistance.

Please contact your Senator today, by phone or by fax, and ask them to vote YES on all veteran-friendly amendments and in particular these two amendments. Using our fax system is simple and easy, and we've prepared a sample letter for you.

Thank you,

Charles Sheehan-Miles
Associate Director
Veterans for America

Here's a sample letter they've prepared to make it easy for you to communicate your wishes to the Senate. The form letter is only a guide, and you may customize it in any way you wish at the Veterans for America action page:

I stand with our Nation's service members veterans to make sure they receive the benefits they earned while in our military. During this week's debate over the National Defense Authorization Act of 2007, S. 2766, several pro-veteran amendments are expected to come up for a vote. These amendments are very important to all veterans, especially those fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan today.

Please vote YES on all pro-veteran amendments, and in particular these two:

1. You may have read the Hartford Courant series reporting how soldiers and Marines diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or other serious mental health conditions were ordered back into combat even though they were found unfit to fight. Tragically, some committed suicide. Senators Barbara Boxer and Joe Lieberman will introduce an amendment that requires a credentialed mental health professional to sign off before a service member diagnosed as having a duty-limiting (or serious) mental health condition can be ordered into a war zone.

2. An amendment sponsored by Senators Russ Feingold, Patty Murray, Barack Obama, Ted Kennedy, and Jack Reed requires the military to provide briefings about healthcare, employment, and other benefits to all service members when they leave the military. This amendment is important so that new veterans don't miss out on benefits with time limits, such as healthcare and educational assistance.

Once again, I urge you to support our troops and our military by voting for the pro-military and pro-veteran amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2007.

As Second Legal Attempt Fails to Force VA Hand on Claims Processing, Army Sued Over Discharged Vet PTSD Disability Ratings

From CNN:

The U.S. Army intentionally denied benefits to soldiers suffering from a widespread stress disorder after they returned from service in Iraq and Afghanistan, a veterans advocacy group charges in a suit filed Wednesday.

The lawsuit [pdf], filed by the National Veterans Legal Services Program, accuses the Army of illegally cutting off benefits to thousands of veterans and their families by refusing to assign a proper disability rating to those veterans after they had been discharged with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As a result, the veterans have been denied benefits, including, among other things, lifetime monthly disability payments and free medical care for themselves and their families. ...

All disabled veterans are assigned a disability rating from zero to 100 percent. According to the Legal Services Program, a rating of at least 30 percent is required to qualify for benefits such as monthly disability payments and free health care. Soldiers receiving less than a 30 percent rating are entitled only to a one-time lump sum severance payment after being discharged.

On October 14, the Defense Department ordered the Army to assign at least a 50 percent rating to all soldiers discharged with PTSD in the future. The lawsuit seeks to provide full benefits to all veterans discharged with PTSD in the past six years.

Stop-Loss in Theaters Today

Stop-Loss, the latest film revolving around the subject of our wars in the Middle East, arrived in theaters today. Peter Rainer gives a good introduction in the Christian Science Monitor:

Stop-loss, colloquially referred to as the "Back Door Draft," refers to the controversial policy, authorized by Congress when the draft ended but not utilized by the military until the Gulf War, of retaining soldiers beyond their expected terms and sending them back to war zones for second and even third tours of duty. According to this film, an estimated 81,000 soldiers have thus far been stop-lossed in Iraq.

In "Stop-Loss," Sgt. Brandon King (a stronger-than-usual Ryan Phillippe) is one such soldier. Returning to Brazos, Texas, where he and his fellow hometown combatants receive heroes' welcomes, he discovers he has been stop-lossed. Raging against the system, he goes AWOL – accompanied by Michelle (Abbie Cornish), the girlfriend of his war buddy Steve – in hopes of winning over the senator (Josef Sommer) who awarded him the Purple Heart and Silver Star in Washington, D.C. We already know, even if Brandon does not, that his quest is futile.

This is director Kimberly Peirce's first feature since her debut "Boys Don't Cry" nine years ago. She deserved a less clichéd script (which she wrote with Mark Richard). To an even greater extent than was true of such films as "In the Valley of Elah" and "Grace Is Gone," "Stop-Loss" dramatizes the Iraq war and its home-front losses in ways that summon up Vietnam-era movies as disparate as "Coming Home" and "The Deer Hunter."