Another call for better mental health care for returning veterans and their families: A task force report released Sunday by the American Psychological Association concludes that “many service personnel and their family members are going without mental health care because of the limited availability of such care and the barriers to accessing care,” according to USA Today.
The group says that military spouses and children are being overlooked, noting that 700,000 kids have had a parent sent to Iraq or Afghanistan, and an estimated 2,733 children have had a parent killed abroad — and yet the military has done no systematic research on the war’s impact on families.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Registered?
Commenting on WE Blog now requires you to be a Kansas.com member. Use the links above to register, if you haven't already, or to log in.Contact us
Follow us
Daily Archives
-
Recent Comments
- Phantom on Health care reform would save state money
- Phantom on Health care reform would save state money
- writerdog on Health care reform would save state money
- Phantom on Health care reform would save state money
- Monkeyhawk on Open thread 11/22
- Phantom on Minority status in Senate; majority approval at home
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/22
- CapnAmerica on Health care reform would save state money
- Monkeyhawk on Open thread 11/22
- CapnAmerica on Open thread 11/22
14 Comments
This failing is truly a shame. Bush, et al. support the troops, don’t they?
My business partner’s father has “Gulf War 1” syndrome. The VA told him that it wasn’t that and it was some other disease that has similar symptoms and they wont help him. If it wasn’t for the fact he was able to get a good job after getting back he would be dead today. The VA and government has failed this country in every since when it comes ot our military. Go down to the Lords Dinner or any shelter and I will bet you that you will find a few vets who were “thrown out” of the system.
HEY! I got my magnet on my SUV! I support the war! What more do you want from me?
Oh yea, CUT TAXES!
I understand the tragedy of the young man returning from a war and understand he took a unwise financial move with an Adjustable Rate Mortgage. At least, that’s how it appeared to be displayed on Channel 12.
With that said, I’ve talked to the local military leaders and understand there are tremendous amounts of services, counselors and programs for a young serviceman like this. There are even checkbook writing classes for people who have never used one. There are financial aids society for each service, free legal services help and of course those Congressional Bills passed to protect Military members from being taken advantage of when they deploy.
Since the young man didn’t mention that his branch of service refused to help him, I’m assuming he didn’t seek any help from the service. If he was afraid to do so for fear of his military career , then that is something that needs to change. But I seriously doubt that his Military service providers would turn him down if he asked for help.
I wish the young man and his family the best and hope his wife beats the cancer that is attacking her body.
Uncle W, it was my understanding that the choice was precipitated by the individual in question being activated (I think he was a reservist), which caused a short term issue with income.
AS a marine wife i must say after my husband returned home after his 2nd tour of duty in iraq, we we both found him with PTSD and being depressed and to the point where he didn’t care about himself,and not thinking about financial responsibilities or a parent to a newborn or husband, he became a different man with disturbing thoughts and actions not only to himself but to his son and i. After not turning in his unemployment info. he was turned down for a second chance to do right for his family and he got worse with axiety and pressuere and couldn’t mentally think correct to try to get a job. PTSD is a real big concern for our troops and families who are affected with this disorder and should get additional help beside the counciling and medication. PTSD can make a person have careless behavior and after missing out on an opprotunity they should recieve help from our government on a second opprtunity after recieveing medication to do right for their families.
Our nation / government has provided nothing more than lip service in providing for the needs of our soldiers, sailors and airmen since the Korean War. Last year alone Congress removed 2 billion dollars from the Military Personnel budget, (that funds things like housing, medical facilities etc..), they went on to cap the pay raise to 2.2 %, when a meager 2.7% raise was recommended to Congress.
This year DoD has a working group that will recommend to Congress that the cost of the medical benefit should as much as triple over the next 2 years, affecting the Guard, Reserves and retirees. The intention is to save 3.9 billion over 3 years — yet the administration has the gall to ask for another 100 Billion for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan
Its a no-brainer, you’r in a war zone where it’s a kill or be killed state of mind for 24/7. Then sent home and told to go back to your normal life. Of course, they have mental issues. But w/ the government if they don’t acknowelge it they don’t have to pay for treatment. Families and veterns have always been last on the military/government’s list when it comes to money.
The lack of bloggers on this thread is another indicator of the apathy the American public has for the military and this ill conceived war.
I used to think that Bush / Cheney shouldn’t be impeached — Changed my mind. Filing articles of impeachment would hopefully end any more discussion of a “surge”.
There are 2 companies of Army troops that, as part of the surge, are being deployed to Iraq with out the dessert / insurgency combat training they need. They are going without it because their ship date has been moved up. Shameful that our military leaders would allow this to happen. But it’s just another example of this corrupt administration continuing lip service of supporting the troops.
More on how much we (don’t) care about our veterans:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2915219&page=1
Congress Promises Veterans Health Care Improvements
March 1, 2007 — The ABC News special chronicling Bob Woodruff’s inspiring recovery from brain injuries sustained while reporting from Iraq has focused the attention of the nation’s most powerful lawmakers.
Pledges of increased support for both traumatic brain injury, or TBI, and wounded veterans returning from war have abounded after Woodruff’s report, along with accusations of substandard conditions at Walter Reed, one of the country’s leading military hospitals.
Walter Reed Shows Wounds of War
In a related matter, controversy continues to swirl around Washington’s Walter Reed Medical Center, the facility at which Woodruff and thousands of returning veterans are treated for war-related injuries.
Last week, the Washington Post examined conditions at the former hotel turned medical facility and reported substandard conditions, including black mold, cockroaches, mouse droppings and stained carpets in the medical hold unit known simply as building 18.
Reaction to the expose was at first contradictory. At a press conference, Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley described the newspaper’s account as a “one-sided representation,” but Kiley’s comments seemed to directly contradict those made earlier at the Pentagon by Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard Cody.
************************************
Interesting that it took the commie terrorist-loving Washington Post to bring this to light. The Washington Times, NewsMax, Weekly Standard, National Review all thought conditions were fine. After all, since the veterans are “used up” who cares?
I see from cnn.com that the Army has “fired” the commanding general of Walter Reed. Wonder if the additional information reported today about long-standing knowledge had anything to do with it?
I’m sure it did VT. Had it not been for the “liberal press” this would have continued uncorrected.
Another head rolls in Walter Reed scandal:
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/breaking_news/16813366.htm
Just remember, had it not been for the “liberal media” caring about our troops when nobody else did this never would have come to light. You can be certain the BushBot media like FAUX, Weekly Standard, Wall Street Journal etc would never stand up for the troops this way.
Approximately 26,000 dead and disabled soldiers to date.
How does killing thousands upon thousands of INNOCENT Iraq and Afghan family members stop terrorism?
Iraq Vets Come Home Physically, Mentally Butcheredby Aaron Glantz
On New Year’s Eve, the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq passed 3,000. By Tuesday, the death toll had reached 3,004 – 31 more than died in the Sep. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
But the number of injured has far outstripped the dead, with the Veterans Administration reporting that more than 150,000 veterans of the Iraq war are receiving disability benefits.
Advances in military technology are keeping the death rate much lower than during the Vietnam War and World War Two, Dr. Col. Vito Imbascini, an urologist and state surgeon with the California Army National Guard, told IPS, but soldiers who survive attacks are often severely disabled for life.
“If you lost an arm or a leg in Vietnam, you were also tremendously injured in your chest and abdomen, which were not protected by the armor plates back then,” he said. “Now, your heart and chest and lungs and heart are protected by armor, leaving only your extremities exposed.”
Dr. Imbascini just returned from a four-month deployment to Germany, where he treated the worst of the U.S. war wounded. He said that an extremely high number of wounded soldiers are coming home with their arms or legs amputated. Imbascini said he amputated the genitals of one or two men every day.
http://www.antiwar.com/glantz/?articleid=10262
===================================
How do you win a war on terrorism when no one knows who the terrorists are or who will be a terrorists? Does killing thousands upon thousands of INNOCENT Iraq and Afghan family members curtail terrorists or terrorism?