May 17th, 2007
Colonel Robert Ireland, Department of Defense, Health Affairs, speaks with Dr. Ellen Frank about mental health programs for returning veterans and their families. And, Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) returns to discuss pending legislation that would benefit veterans with PTSD.
Standard Podcast [16:15m]: Download
Enhanced Podcast [16:19m]: Download
VA Mental Health Summit in July
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is convening a four-day meeting in Washington, D.C. in July, 2007 of mental health clinicians and researchers from across the country. VA will also hire 100 new employees to provide readjustment counseling at the Department's 209 community-based Vet Centers. VA also recently hired 100 new Vet Center employees, who are combat veterans, to conduct outreach to veterans of the Global War on Terror. VA operates one of the largest mental health programs in the country, with an annual budget of nearly $3 billion solely for mental health services. About 1 million of VA's patients have a mental health diagnosis.
To find more information and resources for PTSD, visit Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Overview
Committee Holds VA Disability Claims Roundtable
The House Veterans' Affairs Committee recently led a roundtable discussion to address new ways of reducing the claims backlog at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Ideas for reducing the claims backlog included increased training for veterans service organizations, standardized training for the VA's veterans service representatives, giving the veteran the benefit of the doubt during the claims process, guaranteed stipends after a specified wait time, increased outreach among returning veterans and streamlining the disability systems to a four-step rating system. The Chairman noted some current {H.R. 612 and H.R. 67} tackles some of the problems raised during the roundtable.
How do you feel about this action? Let your public officials know how you feel!
Overdue but very Welcome!
Maybe now this Country can Finally Learn the Lessons of, as it Now will have to come to terms with Another Debacle of Death and Destruction that We Are All Responsible For, Again!
Plans Unveiled for Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center will be an underground facility at the National Mall near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The goals of the center will be to enhance the memorial experience, honor those who died, and encourage young visitors to learn more. The center has been authorized by Congress, and memorial fund officials are working in partnership with those in the National Park Service, who ultimately will operate it. Groundbreaking is expected in 2010, with the center being completed within 18 months after that.
For photographs of exhibits planned for the Center, visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund website.
The Wall of Faces will feature photos of service members whose names
are inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Other displays will highlight some of the more than 100,000 items left at The Wall.
The exhibits will include images of U.S. service members from all wars,
including present military conflicts.
And this that just came in
Displaced Films proudly announces the addition of two new books to our storefront, Jane Fonda's War by Mary Hershberger, and Camilo Mejia's stunning memoir, Road from AR Ramadi: The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia.
****
Jane Fonda's War tells the startling story of the U.S. government's campaign against Ms. Fonda. In the late 1970's, she was able to obtain her unexpurgated FBI files through a law suit, which reveal an effort by the government to not only undercut her political influence, but to literally destroy her career and life. Mary Hershberger describes in riveting detail how the FBI and other government agencies worked closely with right wing forces in the media and military to create the myth of "Hanoi Jane" as a weapon against the antiwar movement. This book is fascinating, urgent and timely.
Road from AR Ramadi is Camilo Mejia's account of his journey from good soldier to conscientious objector to prisoner of the U.S. military. Mejia was the first Iraq War objector prosecuted by the military, but far from the last. He describes his experiences as part of the American occupation forces in Iraq, including his unit's stint guarding prisoners-where he saw that the abuses exposed at Abu Ghraib prison were standard procedure. This isn't a political tract, but an intimate tale of one man's road to his conscience.
Each book is only $17.95 at our official Sir! No Sir! Website
"Hands down the most relevant, necessary films of our time."
Ronn Cantu US Army Fort TX
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