"Coming Home" 2008: Iraq and Afghan Vets Return

WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE ARE THEY, NOW?

HOW HAS THE WAR AFFECTED OUR PEOPLE?

YouTube: IAVA "Community of Veterans"

More Importantly, How Are Our Vets Being Treated?

TV has recognized our vets. Well, a soap opera hired one, anyway. Obama may hire one, too: Hawaii's own Major Tammy Duckworth, the Army's female helicopter pilot who lost both legs fighting for her country, might be our next Secretary of Veterans' Affairs. As for the rest of those coming home, it's not a happy time.

Unemployment in parts of the States has hit double digits. State, County, City and private colleges are cutting back their financial aid and their enrollments. The credit crunch is hitting kids who grew up on plastic especially hard: Can't even afford a Slurpee at the 7-11 now that the VISA-card is canceled. And that dream home the military bonus was supposed to buy? It's a bit beyond the means of most enlisted personnel and lower-ranking officers, even if they could get a mortgage these days. Just getting a loan for a new car might be a problem for many. And let's not talk about the price of gas, "down" to $2.50/gal! Welcome home, soldier!

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The nation's financial crunch is taking its' toll. Already majorly stressed-out after repeated deployments to urban, mountain & desert guerrilla wars in hostile nations whose very culture rejects us, our troops are suffering psychological problems in record numbers. Whole combat units have suffered suicides, family killings, and other acts of violence on the home-front. The Department of Defense and Veterans' Affairs have been slow to address the problems, starting out with the usual bureaucratic defense of denial. Hell, they only just recognized the effects of Gulf War Syndrome, after seventeen years. But that's faster than they recognized Agent Orange problems, I guess.

VA Hospitals are not what they once were, or what they were meant to be, after WWII. They means-test and narrowly define "service-connected" medical problems, discouraging vets from seeking treatment. The whole system has been hanging by a thread for decades, eyed for possible conversion to Medicare or Medicaid facilities, or privatization. Some entire States only have one VA Hospital. And there is little or no outreach to the new generation of veterans.

The problem is compounded, ironically, by the advances in battlefield medicine: Wounded soldiers who might never have made it to an aid station are now whisked off to state-of-the-art hospitals in time to save their lives. But many of them are so grievously wounded or mutilated that they will require major rehab and/ or medical attention for the rest of their lives. The system is just not set up for that. Even wounded vets with much less serious problems are finding that the DOD and VA are not able, or not willing to help them out, Stateside. We've all seen the pictures of those run-down military hospitals and barracks for the casualties of war who made it home. Did we care?

Public sentiment is another problem. Sure, every SUV had a "9/11" sign, a yellow ribbon that said "Support Our Troops," and a "BUSH-CHENEY" bumper-sticker. But what is the attitude toward the men and women going off to war, and then bringing it all back home with them? We haven't heard those apocryphal stories of "hippies" spitting on returning soldiers at the airport this time. But we haven't seen a lot of ticker-tape parades on national TV, either, except for sports teams.

Given the fact that this was an all-volunteer effort, drawing largely upon our National Guard and Reserves, with their older personnel, constantly rotated in and out of two war zones, the effect of the war on the larger population has been minimized. At the same time, while none of the rest of us was at risk, we all knew somebody who was at risk. The shipping clerk or his wife. The corner druggist or her husband. The mailman, fireman, policeman or woman we used to see almost every day. The boy next door. The girl you sat next to in school. Women. Lots of women in this one, in combat for the first time, despite the regulations against it. Well, they're back, mostly intact. They look the same, sort of. A little older. A little haggard, maybe. Probably lost a few pounds. Kinda tired around the eyes. Sometimes they just stare off into space. We all do that, sometimes, right? But we did not choose to go to war. And they did.

So what's the difference? Are they angry at us? Are they hurt that we didn't join them, and haven't much recognized them for what they did? Do they find it hard to understand that we don't understand what they did, or what they think they did? To many of them, their actions "in-theater" mattered, to themselves and their comrades, and to many locals over there. They could see the chaos, which we created, coming under control, thanks to their own efforts. They saw the remains of the old Saddam and Taliban regimes, and they knew that there had been major improvements.

After many months inside the military propaganda machine, they might have come to accept the official line on the war's effectiveness and on the Iraqi and Afghan people's gratitude, and on how we succeeded in bringing democracy to the Middle East. All that stuff which the rest of us don't even consider real, for the most part; don't even think about, ever: All of us among whom the returning warriors-triumphant now have to live as shipping clerks and insurance salesmen. How's that working out for them, I wonder?

CBS NEWS
"Vets' Suicide Rate "Stunning""

' Some of America's 25 million veterans face their biggest fight when they return home from the battlefield -- when they take on mental illness. And, a CBS News analysis reveals they lose that battle, and take their own lives, at a clip described by various experts as "stunning" and "alarming," according to Chief Investigative Correspondent Armen Keteyian. One called it a "hidden epidemic." He says no one had ever counted just how many suicides there are nationwide among those who had served in the military -- until now. The five-month CBS News probe, based upon a detailed analysis of data obtained from death records from 2004 and 2005, found that veterans were more than twice as likely to commit suicide in 2005 as non-vets. A recent Veteran Affairs Department estimate says some 5,000 ex-servicemen and women will commit suicide this year, largely as a result of mental health issues, and Keteyian says, "Our numbers are much higher than that, overall." '

THINK PROGRESS.ORG
"VA Conceals Vet Suicide Figures From CBS To Downplay ‘Epidemic In Suicide’»"

' Yesterday marked the opening day of a class action lawsuit brought by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans against the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), arguing “that failure to provide care is manifesting itself in an epidemic of suicides” among veterans. The VA denies the charges, pointing to increased resources devoted to mental health. Today, CBS News reports that the VA apparently concealed veteran suicide statistics, and fed the news organization faulty data for a story on the issue. The VA told CBS that there were 790 attempted suicides in all of 2007. Yet shortly after, the VA’s head of Mental Health, Dr. Ira Katz, wrote in an e-mail to the VA’s top media adviser that there were “about 1,000 suicide attempts per month among veterans we see in our medical facilities.” Suicide among veterans — even those who seek help from the VA — continues to be a huge problem. Just last week, the VA Medical Center in Dallas, TX, officially closed its psychiatric ward after a fourth veteran this year took his own life. Often veterans cannot get help right away: According to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, “The average wait-time for a disability claim” — including mental health problems — “is 183 days, or about six months.” '

NEWSWEEK
"New Ad Tells Vets They're Not Alone, Offers Social Networking "

' Sometimes one needs to restate the obvious to point out what's right in front of us. Herbert was discussing the launch of a major new ad campaign by the advocacy group, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, that aims to send a message to returning vets: you are not alone. The ad touts an online social networking Website called communityofveterans.org which not only provides useful information (such as how to navigate the VA), but also gives vets a chance to correspond with each other. Because the site was designed by veterans, attention is paid to aspects of veteran life the general public may not be aware of, such as an excellent portion that deals with homecoming. Put simply, the site got it absolutely right: It’s good to be home. Or is it? '

NY TIMES
"Help Is on the Way"

' Returning to civilian life from combat is almost always a hard road to run. Studies have shown that a third or more of G.I.’s returning from the combat zones of Iraq and Afghanistan — more than 300,000 men and women — have endured mental health difficulties. Many have experienced the agony of deep depression, and alarming numbers have tried or succeeded in committing suicide. A CBS News study found that veterans aged 20 to 24 were two to four times as likely to commit suicide as non-veterans the same age. The advertising campaign, initiated by the advocacy group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, was designed to increase the number of veterans seeking treatment for their mental health difficulties. Many are embarrassed to speak about their problems or are unaware that help is available, or even that they need help. As Bryan Adams told me, “I didn’t know anything about these symptoms. I didn’t know what post-traumatic stress disorder was.” '

IAVA
"Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America"

' Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is the nation's first and largest group dedicated to the Troops and Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the civilian supporters of those Troops and Veterans. IAVA is an independent organization and is not affiliated with any groups other than our sister (c)4, IAVA Action Fund. '

IAVA: COMMUNITY OF VETERANS.ORG
"Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans Social Networking Site"

' Join our veterans-only online community to connect with people who know where you're coming from. Share your experiences and help others make the transition to civilian life. Stronger Together. '

[Cross-posted at blog me no blogs by cosanostradamus.]

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CHANTIX POISONING OF VETERANS TO CONTINUE

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BUSH VA SEES NO PROBLEMS WITH INDUCED SUICIDE OF TERROR-WAR VETS

OBAMA CRITICIZES VETERANS AFFAIRS CHIEF;
MCCAIN SAYS NOTHING

Medical Ethicists & Vets Advocates Horrified: "No Informed Consent"


"'Disposable Heroes': Veterans Used To Test Suicide-Linked Drugs"

" Dr. McFall says the VA decided to continue the Chantix study because 'it would be depriving our veterans of an effective method of treatment to help them stop smoking.' "

In all fairness, suicide would help our veterans stop smoking. It would also trim the rolls of those requesting financial benefits, or health care. That would save the Republican government money it needs for Halliburton in Iraq (only a few months left to cash in). It might also lead to closing, or privatizing the VA medical system. Pretty much of a four-bagger, this Chantix.
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No matter who reported this, or why, the facts remain:

1. No informed consent. Even in the 3-months-too-late notice sent to Vets in the study, there was no mention of suicide.
2. VA doctors continued to use a drug on suicidally-inclined patients after they knew it could lead to suicide.
3. The drug is STILL being given to veterans with PTSD.
4. Veterans groups, Democratic & Republican Congressmen and Barack Obama have expressed outrage and demanded answers, and an end to this experiment.

ABC NEWS
"32,000 Vets To Be Warned About Suicide-Linked Drug Chantix"

" Chantix has been linked to at least 40 suicides and 400 attempted suicides in the population at large, according to the FDA which published its first alert Nov. 20, 2007.

The FDA issued a second warning, and there was an alert from the drug's maker, Pfizer, before the VA finally began to warn veterans in the study on Feb. 29, 2008.

But even then, the VA omitted the word 'suicide' from the cover letter sent to veterans.

Secretary Peake said the new VA warning letter he is sending will specify that suicide is one of the possible side-effects of Chantix.

'I have no problem putting suicide in there, myself,' said Peake.

He said the VA would not hesitate to stop the study if needed, as some in Congress have demanded.

'We're not enrolling new people in this study,' he said, but there are no plans to stop the current project.

'Chantix is an FDA-approved drug,' Peake said, 'and we're trying to find the best way to support smoking cessation.'

But Peake said there was no evidence to suggest the study should be stopped. "

NO EVIDENCE???!!! Exactly how many suicides would be considered "evidence," Doc? One Vet down, and how many to go? I'll keep count for ya.

PFIZER STATEMENT ON CHANTIX & PTSD:

" Based upon post-marketing reports first reflected in a November 2007 labeling update, Pfizer today updated the CHANTIX label in the U.S. to include a warning that patients who are attempting to quit smoking with CHANTIX should be observed for serious neuropsychiatric symptoms, including changes in behavior, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior.

... Patients with serious psychiatric illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder did not participate in the controlled clinical trial program. "

Pfizer came out with this in NOVEMBER 2007. The VA took out the words "suicide" & "suicidal," and passed it along in MARCH 2008.

UPI
"VA using PTSD sufferers in drug testing"

" A medical ethicist said the VA's behavior in the Chantix study violated protections in medical experiments.

'When you're taking advantage of a very vulnerable population, people who have served the country, and the agency that's responsible for their welfare isn't putting their welfare first, that's a pretty serious breach of ethics,' said Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at University of Pennsylvania. "

Dubya: "Ethics?" McCain: "What?"

ABC NEWS
"32,000 Vets To Be Warned About Suicide-Linked Drug Chantix"

" 'Our first responsibility is to our veterans,' said Peake, who said he has asked VA doctors to review 'the communications process' involving all VA studies using veterans who are suffering from PTSD. Some 400,000 veterans are being treated for PTSD.

The Bush White House had initially defended the VA's handling of the Chantix experiment. "

But, hey, it's only 32,000 disabled Afghan & Iraq war heroes, right? Oh, wait: There's actually 400,000 of these McBushwar survivors with PTSD. So far.

THINK PROGRESS
"White House Derides Investigation That Exposed Drug Testing On Vets As ‘Irresponsible Reporting,’ ‘Awful’"

Now, think it's time for a change?

MEDPAGE TODAY
"VA Denies Ethical Lapse in Smoking-Cessation Trial"

" The media report prompted presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama (D-Ill.) to write to the VA's chief, expressing outrage 'that our government would irresponsibly endanger veterans who have already sacrificed so much for our country. ... It is distressing that our government could once again let down our veterans and their families.' "

Don't forget this in November, when it comes time to vote. Support the troops AFTER they get home, too!

PUBLIC CITIZEN
"New Study Highlights Dangers of Anti-Smoking Drug Chantix"

VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS
"VFW Demands Accountability Over Chantix"

VETERANS FOR COMMON SENSE
"June 18 VCS in the News: Congress and VCS Demand a Stop to Experimental Drug Testing on Veterans with PTSD"

INSTITUTE FOR SAFE MEDICATION PRACTISES
"Strong Safety Signal Seen for New Varenicline Risks"

Previous post on this subject:

"REPUBLICANS USING DISABLED VETS AS GUINEA PIGS"


[Cross-posted at blog me no blogs.]
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There's more: "CHANTIX POISONING OF VETERANS TO CONTINUE" >>

REPUBLICANS USING DISABLED VETS AS GUINEA PIGS

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PTSD PLUS ANTI-SMOKING DRUG EQUALS 41 SUICIDES

McBUSH VA KNEW DRUG WAS LINKED TO SUICIDE

Veterans Administration Never Told Test Subjects Drug Might Cause Suicide

ABC NEWS
"Congressman: Stop Drug Testing on Vets Now and Investigate"

" 'Nearly 40 suicides and more than 400 incidents of suicidal behavior have been linked to Chantix, yet the VA has chosen to continue the study and administer Chantix to veterans with PTSD,' said Congressman Bob Filner (D-CA).

Yesterday, a report on Good Morning America revealed that mentally distressed veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are being recruited for government tests on pharmaceutical drugs linked to suicide and other violent side effects. The report was the result of a joint investigation by ABC News and The Washington Times.

In one of the human experiments, involving the anti-smoking drug Chantix, Veterans Administration doctors waited more than three months before warning veterans about the possible serious side effects of Chantix, including suicide and neuropsychiatric behavior.

'Lab rat, guinea pig, disposable hero,' said former US Army sniper James Elliott in describing how he felt he was betrayed by the Veterans Administration. "

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continued

Just when you think George "Dubya" Bush couldn't possibly sink any lower, you read this. Your tax dollars are being used by your government to experiment on soldiers who came home from Iraq and Afghanistan with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, formerly known as Combat Fatigue, previously called Shell-Shock.

PTSD, or Delayed Stress Syndrome, causes night sweats, insomnia, bad dreams, flashbacks, paranoia, anxiety, constant fear, panic attacks, hallucinations, agoraphobia, depression, hostility, nervousness, inability to relate to friends, family and coworkers, inability to sustain careers, marriages, family relationships, homelessness, violent behavior and suicide. Like Agent Orange and Gulf War Syndrome before it, the VA under-recognizes and tries to avoid paying for PTSD, denying the validity of many cases. But you can see it on many street corners where homeless vets end up, abandoned by the government, the VA and the military that sent them into Hell again and again and again. You can hear them screaming.

World War I lasted four years, but the US was only involved for the last year or so. WWII lasted almost four years for the United States. Vietnam dragged on for nine years, but most soldiers and Marines were only "in-country" for one tour, usually twelve months, unless they re-enlisted or volunteered for more. We had a universal draft for all three of those wars. There is no draft now. Every man and woman over there now is a volunteer. But they didn't volunteer for this.

Thanks to new military enlistment contracts and the so-called "Stop-Loss" program today, troops are now contractually obligated for seven or more years of active duty. Most Marines and soldiers in the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have been back there in combat at least twice, some as many as seven times, usually for ten months or more each time. There is no real R&R (rest and recuperation time) in the Middle East: Alcohol and friendly local "company" are not readily available in town in the Mid-East, but terror attacks are plentiful. Imagine escaping alive from Hell, and knowing you would have to go back to Hell several times, perhaps. And there is no end in sight, no "light at the end of the tunnel" if John McCain is elected: Not for a hundred years.

Every deployment means new danger, and more exposure to horror-movie conditions which continue to haunt even those who survive physically intact, for the rest of their lives. Stimulants like amphetamines, and depressants like barbiturates are given to many troops, to keep them awake for days at a time, and then knock them out afterwards. The effects can be devastating. Many of these men and women (yes, women are driving trucks and flying helicopters in combat zones) are teenagers, or in their early twenties. Just kids, really, fresh from some safe suburb or small town, with no experience of anything. Many of the Guard and Reserve troops are in their thirties, forties and fifties, with kids of their own back home to worry about. They go from their quiet lives in cities and towns all over America to the worst Hell-holes on Earth. They serve their country bravely there year in and year out. But when they come home, George W. Bush and John S. McCain are there at the airport to spit in their faces, figuratively. They don't care enough to spit literally, at least not in person. They do their spitting behind our veterans' backs.

If this bothers you, please write your representatives in the House and Senate, and let them know how you feel about this being done in your name. Tell them you want our boys and girls, our men and women brought home right now. Warn them that if our veterans are not honored and cared for, respected and treated with the best possible medical and psychological care, you will vote your representatives out of office this November. That's all we can do. Please do it. Congressional email information is listed here:

US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BY ZIP CODE

US SENATE BY ZIP CODE



Follow-up post on this subject:
"CHANTIX POISONING OF VETERANS TO CONTINUE"


[Cross-posted at blog me no blogs]
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There's more: "REPUBLICANS USING DISABLED VETS AS GUINEA PIGS" >>

Lawsuit Reveals Massive Suicide Rate Among U.S. Soldiers

Mistah Kurtz -- he dead.

A class action lawsuit filed against the Veterans Administration by Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth has reaped an unusual harvest, in the form of an email from Ira Katz, head of mental health at the VA, to Brigadier General Michael J. Kussman, undersecretary for health at the VA. The email, dated last December, threatens to blow the lid off the scandal of insufficient veterans health treatment, and the lies that have kept this scandal from heretofore getting the traction it deserves.

Here's Jason Leopold at Online Journal reporting:

Kussman had inquired about the accuracy of a news report published that month claiming the suicide rate among veterans was 18 per day.

“McClatchy [Newspapers] alleges that 18 veterans kill themselves everyday and this is confirmed by the VA’s own statistics,” Kussman wrote. “Is that true? Sounds awful but if one is considering 24 million veterans.”

In an email response to Kussman, Ira Katz, the head of mental health at the VA, confirmed the statistics and added “VA’s own data demonstrate 4-5 suicides per day among those who receive care from us.”

These statistics are much larger than official Army statistics quoted only a few months ago at CNN, where it was reported that 5 U.S. soldiers attempt suicide every day, not just those receiving VA treatment. Even at that, the figures represented a significant leap in suicide rates among soldiers.

According to Army statistics, the incidence of U.S. Army soldiers attempting suicide or inflicting injuries on themselves has skyrocketed in the nearly five years since the start of the Iraq war.

Last year's 2,100 attempted suicides -- an average of more than 5 per day -- compares with about 350 suicide attempts in 2002, the year before the war in Iraq began, according to the Army....

The Army lists 89 soldier deaths in 2007 as suicides and is investigating 32 more as possible suicides. Suicide rates already were up in 2006 with 102 deaths, compared with 87 in 2005.

But according to internal VA emails, over 6500 veterans per year are killing themselves. And this news follows the revelations in a RAND Corporation report released last week reporting that over 300,000 of soldiers are returning from the so-called war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and brain injuries. That's over 20% of those deployed with a serious mental illness or nervous system disorder.

Inter Press Service had more to report on the Katz email:

"Shh!" the e-mail begins.

"Our suicide prevention coordinators are identifying about 1,000 suicide attempts per month among the veterans we see in our medical facilities. Is this something we should (carefully) address ourselves in some sort of release before someone stumbles on it?" the e-mail concludes.

According to CBS News, Katz's email was written shortly after the VA provided the network with data showing there were only 790 attempted suicides in all of 2007 -- a fraction of Katz's estimate.

Earlier this month, the city of Dallas, Texas closed its psychiatric unit after the hospital experienced its fourth suicide of the year.

"On Apr. 4, a man fastened a bed sheet to the bottom corner of a door frame, draped a noose over the top, and hanged himself," the Dallas Morning News reported last week. "Before that, a veteran hanged himself on a frame attached to his wheelchair. And in January, two men who met in the psychiatric ward committed suicide in Collin County days after being released."

Clearly, something is very wrong. But this didn't stop the government attorneys in San Francisco for calling for the dismissal of the veterans' lawsuit, claiming, according to a story at the San Jose Mercury News, that the VA has a "world class" health care system, and blaming the crisis on old Vietnam War veterans.

The veterans lawsuit also alleges that many returning soldiers are denied treatment by the VA, and then wait forever on appeal for benefits. From the SJ Mercury News story:

It also takes an average of more than five years for the VA to decide a veteran's appeal of denied coverage, [veterans lawyer Gordon] Erspamer said. In the last six months, 526 vets have died while awaiting word of their appeal within the VA, he noted.

The situation for veterans is tragic, and increasingly, despairing vets, denied treatment, suffering the hell of intrusive memories, depression, and agonizing confusion and surging irritability that is PTSD, or other disorders or injuries, especially brain injuries, increasingly such victims of the insane war drive of Bush and Cheney are killing themselves. And it's getting worse.

This is not a war for democracy. It's a war on democracy, and on the elementary canons of decency and civilized behavior. The U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq has resulted in 100,000s of dead Iraqis, millions of refugees, a world economy spinning out of control, and now, at home in the U.S., an obscene harvest of horribly wounded soldiers, many of whom are committing suicide in record numbers.

When will it stop? Not until the population of this country, and all countries in the world, demand it stop. The U.S. citizenry, in this case, has a larger responsibility than most, as its government is the largest, richest, and most bellicose in the world. Yet the population is mesmerized by an electoral process that promises very little. It is not surprising that those with any hope and desire for change are flocking in large numbers to Barack Obama, who presents himself as an agent of change. Whether he is or not will be tested soon enough.

The fear in the society is palpable, a large creaking and groaning sound that appears to be the harbinger of a bloated and bankrupt empire lurching towards catastrophe. The leaders have decided upon war. They want to enlarge that war to include Iran, with Hillary Clinton the latest to jump on that bus. Obama, too, says "all options are on the table" when it comes to keeping Iran from having nuclear weapons, mimicking the language of torture president Bush.

According to T.S. Eliot, the world will end not with a bang, but with a whimper. That whimper may be the sound of a hopeless veteran staring at eternity, full of pain and loss, a loaded pistol in one hand, or maybe a bottle of pills. A society that cannot serve the needs of those it sends to fight its dirty and predatory wars is a society that ----------.

I'll let my readers fill in that blank.

(Also posted at Invictus.)

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