Military Families to VA:

Stop Denying That Military Suicides Are Casualties of War

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- November 12, 2008

CONTACT: Sean Donahue, Communications Director -- 617-983-0710 (w), 978-809-8054 (c), press@mfso.org

MILITARY FAMILIES TO VA:

STOP DENYING THAT MILITARY SUICIDES

ARE CASUALTIES OF WAR!

Nationwide -- Members of Military Families Speak Out are condemning comments by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs suggesting that the dramatic increase in the suicide rate among young veterans is not connected to the war in Iraq. The suicide rate among male veterans under the age of 29 is now twice that of the general population.

In an interview aired Monday November 10th on PBS's NewsHour, Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Peake said that Veterans' suicides are the result of:

"the same kinds of issues that have to do with suicide in the general population. It is issues of failed relationships, senses of hopelessness, transitions in life, that are at the root cause . . . we're not making a direct correlation with combat."

Specialist Scott Eiswert committed suicide in May after being told by a friend that his unit of the Tennessee National Guard would be returning to Iraq. His widow, Tracy Eiswert, a member of Military Families Speak Out, expressed outrage at Secretary Peake's comments:

"I am not a statistic. We are a military family. We are real people with real experiences as a result of my husband's PTSD and his suicide. He wasn't that way before he went to Iraq, he came back changed."

After returning from a tour of duty in Iraq, Spc. Eiswert had been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by civilian doctors, but the Veterans Administration denied that his condition was the result of his experiences in Iraq. The Veterans Administration reversed that ruling in August. Tracy Eiswert said:

"It took him having to put a gun in his mouth for the military to admit that the changes in my husband were a result of the war. If they had admitted that earlier he might still be alive."

Kevin and Joyce Lucey are members of Military Families Speak Out and the parents of Corporal Jeffrey Lucey, a Marine Corps Reservist who suffered severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of his service in Iraq in 2003. Shortly after being turned away from a Veterans Administration hospital, Corporal Lucey killed himself on June 22, 2004. Kevin Lucey said:

"Secretary Peake's words are the kind of self serving comments that this nation does not need to hear from the Veterans Administration and its leadership. This is why many regard this VA administration to be steeped in disgrace and dishonor when it comes to our loved ones. They feel that they need to explain away, rationalize, justify or minimize - instead of committing their resources, time and efforts to create the best healthcare system on God's earth."

Joyce Lucey also had strong words for Secretary Peake:

"This is dishonorable, disgraceful and shameful behavior from someone who is charged with giving the best of care to our warriors. With this type of message and thinking, Is it any wonder that many of our troops and veterans don't seek help from those who are so callous and uncaring?"

Specialist Joe Hafley, a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War and Military Families Speak Out who has had to fight to get treatment for his own Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, agreed. Hafley served in Iraq with the U.S. Army Reserves from 2004-2005, and his brother, a Major with the U.S. Army Reserves is scheduled to deploy to Iraq early next year.

When Hafley returned from Iraq, the Veterans Administration diagnosed him with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, and severe depression -- but ruled that none of those conditions were the result of his service in Iraq. He said:

"My treatment at the VA was belittling and frustrating. To have them diagnose me with PTSD and not attribute it to my service in Iraq is a slap in the face. To have them tell me the problems could be the result of failed relationships rather than the result of my experiences in combat makes me feel that as a veteran I have no place at the VA.

"The thing that is most baffling to me is this 800 pound gorilla in the room not being addressed. Why are we feeling hopeless? Why do we have failed relationships? The common denominator is we all served in Iraq. Maybe my feeling of hopelessness is that I served my country with honor and I am still trying to figure out for what reason? For what just cause?

"Secretary Peake, it doesn't matter how many additional mental health workers you hire if you as the person at the top still feel we are just losers that failed to adjust or that we entered our military service unfit. No amount of false support will help us."

"Veterans - all their benefits are mere gratuities,"

WTF are this Gang Of Criminals, Thieves, War Mongers, War Profitteers, Twisted Ideologies, that this Country REFUSES doing anything about, Thinking?

Veterans not entitled to mental health care, U.S. lawyers argue

They took Complete Advantage over an Extremely Tragic Event, that they should have Stopped in it's Tracks, Unless, if they paid one little iota to the Intelligence given to them, and Invaded a Country, Destroyed and Killed, that had Absolutely Nothing To Do With the Extremely Tragic Event, 9/11!

So many Lies in justification, when one would fall another would quickly rise, from their spin meisters, So Many Lies!

They sent tens of thousands of our Sons, Daughters, Fathers, Mothers, Neighbors......................................., to another small Country, this time to take out another one of Our Installed Dictators and once Good Friend to the powerful!

And in return those sent get this:

Veterans have no legal right to specific types of medical care, the Bush administration argues in a lawsuit accusing the government of illegally denying mental health treatment to some troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Huge taxcuts for the wealthy, transfer of funds from the treasury to private hands under the guise of taxcuts for the rest of us, and Our Military Personal, fighting foes on Two Now Long Running Fronts are told this:

The argument drew a sharp retort from a lawyer for advocacy groups that sued the government in July.
"Veterans need to know in this country that the government thinks all their benefits are mere gratuities," attorney Gordon Erspamer said. "They're saying it's completely discretionary, that even if Congress appropriates money for veterans' health care, we can do anything we want with it."

Everything one has learned from childhood changes once one is sent into a War Theater, especially one built on the lies of their civilian leadership and likeminded military officers!

Some, because of the nature of their duty and their inner morality, snap under those changes and are haunted by what they may have done and all they've seen!

Some feel they can no longer live any type of normal life in 'The Real World', I have known many of my 'Nam Brothers who felt exactly that and a few, back than, who volunteered to return to that hell saying that was their reason, coming back in Flag Drapped Coffins!

In these times little Volunteering is needed for that, they are Returned, Over and Over, in many cases to Both Theaters on Extended Tours and Stop Lossed!

Think on this:

The plaintiffs say that the department has a backlog of more than 600,000 disability claims and that 120 veterans a week commit suicide.

And from Your Governments lawyer:

"This court should not interfere with the political branches' design, oversight and modification of VA programs," the government lawyers argued.

Veterans for Common Sense brought the Lawsuit against the Veterans Administration.

From Paul Sullivan, Executive Director of Veterans for Common Sense:

Clearly, VA’s troubling court filings are an admission by the Administration that VA lacks the funds to provide care for our newest war veterans, including those who are suicidal.
This Thursday, Feb. 7, VCS will be testifying before the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and expressing our outrage that VA would rather fight against veterans than ask for more money to treat our veterans.

You may want to read this PDF, supplied by Paul, of an Interview-PDF by the Prestigious Magazine Proceedings, published by the U.S. Naval Institute, about the broken 'transition' process from DoD to VA.

More information on this Class Action Lawsuit

You will find this link, at above link, for The Pivotal Court-filed Documents as well as one for Relevant News Articles

I leave you with this reality:

Conservative Idea of 'Strong on National Defense':

Enhance more Hatreds anywhere possible, through propaganda, destruction, mass death, in order to Continue threats against from similar Failed Policies of Past!

Those Hatreds lead to 'Blowback' by recipients of the many Failed Policies called 'Criminal Terrorism'!

Take the word 'Terrorism', while practising same, and paste it on any group needed to Enhance the Fear in Populations causing Perpetual Conflicts and Huge Profits for any Military Industrial Complex and Control by same for Further Policies set up to Fail!

And when 'Johnny and Jane' come Marching Home, Dump Them {that one cuts across all Political Ideology and This Society }

It's Not 'Strong on National Defense', it Destroys 'National Defense' and brings about more and more 'Conflicts of Choice' for Greed and Power!

If we don't hold those Responsible for the Wrath of Failed Policies instituted than in the eyes of the World 'We Have Excepted All That Has Been Done In Our Names' and are thus Just As Guilty!!

.

And This:

Blood Wealth - War Profitteering

Deficient Kevlar in Military Helmets

Twelve days before the settlement {note:2mil} with the Justice Department was announced, the company, Sioux Manufacturing of Fort Totten, was given a new contract of up to $74 million to make more armor for helmets to replace the old ones, which were made from the late 1980s to last year.

Get This Televised!

I'm gonna use ilona's graphic as a point, and well she's a part of this, a big part.


Shout It Out

On December 12, 2007, there's a hearing on Stopping Suicide and Ending Homelessness: Mental Health Challenges Within the Department of Veterans Affairs by the House Veterans' Affairs Committee,

Ilona Meagher, of PTSD Combat: Winning the War Within is scheduled to be one of the ones to testify at this Congressional hearing, as many already know.

cho, at ePluribus Journal has a brief informational post on the Hearing, the when, the about, the press release, and more.

I've visited some of the information links and don't see anything about wether C-Span will be televising this House Hearing.

It Should Be, so as many as possible, will have the ability to hear the opening remarks, the questions asked, and how serious are this Representatives as to the after effects of Combat Tours in our Wars of Choice!

Discussions About and Debates On these issues are long overdue, way to long overdue!

I sent an E to Carissa, of Military Spouses for Change suggesting that their group contact C-Span and request that this Hearing be Televised. I've also sent out some E's to my fellow Veterans on same. Than thought why not request others to join in to Call For This Hearing To Be Seen as well as heard!

Contact information for C-Span Can Be Found Here

Please see what you can do about getting this On The Air on the 12th of this month.

Veterans Issues can No Longer be pushed into the Dark Corners of this Societies Ideology, this Isn't Politics, this Is about how You Serve Those Who Serve For You!!

As well as for their Families!!

On a related Forum:

Public Forum On Mental Health Care At Ft Drum

Open Mike For Ft Drum Soldiers And Their Family Members:

Different Drummer Internet Café

Where: Watertown, New York
When: Thursday, December 6, 2007, 6:30 PM
At: 1 Public Square, 12 Paddock Arcade

From: in issue Volume: 5L Issue: 2Citizen Soldier Passed on in G.I.Special
Titled: Some Truth From Tikrit, found at site in Word or PDF form

Subject: Town Forum on PTSD at Different Drummer

Join Us for a Public Speak Out! Hear these speakers!
Dean Anthony, MSW and Trauma Therapist
Joe Gregory, Mexico, N Y, father of an Iraq combat vet who was killed after returning home because the VA failed to treat his PTSD.
Marty Webster, VVAW Natl. Coordinator, and a Vietnam vet who still suffers from PTSD.
Tod Ensign, attorney for Sgt Brad Gaskins, arrested by Ft Drum police as he sought to return to Ft Drum for mental health care. A two tour Iraq combat vet, Gaskins went AWOL when he was refused treatment for his PTSD.

The VA’s Vet Center at Ft Drum has been invited to send a speaker

The VA disclosed in October that mental illness has now become the second largest health problem for veterans in its hospitals and clinics. Currently, 100,000 Iraq and Afghan are receiving VA treatment and/or disability for mental illness with 50,000 of these vets having been diagnosed with PTSD.
After a detailed analysis of death records from 45 states, CBS TV News concluded in November that at least 120 veterans commit suicide each week in this country.

I have found out that Video's will be taken of this Forum and hopefully I'll be able to pass them on. I've also requested some Transcripts, in PDF, or links to posted, so as to be able to pass them on to Ilona to add to what she might be requesting be placed in the Congressional Record. There's a very short time span from the 6th to the 12th to possibly get this done, but fingers are crossed, because I believe what will come out at the Drum Forum will be as important as the Congressional Hearing and should be Placed in the Congressional Record!

I also, once again, pass on that anyone in the Watertown or Syracuse area, if possible, attend this Forum and Report on what was learned.