Govt. Failing to Help Wounded Iraq Vets

President Bush routinely accuses people of failing to "support our troops" -- while, himself, failing to ensure adequate treatment for soldiers returning from Iraq.

We already know of massive problems at military hospitals like Walter Reed (MSNBC), and today's Washington Post exposes the failure to treat Iraq veterans struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  PTSD is real: in 1980, the U.S. government recognized PTSD as a medical condition after thousands of Vietnam vets returned home with it.

The Post discusses soldier Jeans Cruz, who helped capture Saddam Hussein....

After Cruz hit a self-destructive point back on the homeland, a counselor diagnosed him with "severe and chronic" PTSD and supported his disability claim.

VA evaluators "turned him down flat," claiming that Cruz's problems existed before he joined the Army and that he had not proved he was in combat--despite Cruz's combat awards. (WaPo)  The VA referred him to group therapy (scheduled during his work hours).

Are such questionable claims-denials prompted by lack of money or lack of money-management?  See Contractor Fraud Driving up Healthcare Costs and Contractors Driving up War's Costs.

For info on PTSD, see Patience Mason's PTSD blog and website. Author of Recovering from the War..., Patience is married to Bob Mason, Vietnam veteran and bestselling author of Chickenhawk.

Comments

[anonymous]

Concerning the article on PTSD, I just wanted to write that it may benefit active duty & veteran family’s / friends of veterans to read a recently released book titled, “Still the Monkey: What Happens to Warriors After War?” "Author Alivia C. Tagliaferri became inspired to write Still the Monkey: What Happens to Warriors After War after she visited the Walter Reed Medical Center in the summer of 2003, and saw first hand the casualties of the War on Terror. Her later interview with a former Marine and Vietnam Veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder helped cement her determination to express the devastating toll of war. Still the Monkey is a historical fiction novel about a Vietnam veteran plagued with pain and sickness, and his fateful meeting with an Iraq veteran who lost both his legs. For ten days inside the walls of Walter Reed's Monologue House, the two of them begin a painful yet ultimately cathartic progression toward healing and learning to live again, one day at a time. A poignant and powerful novel, written out of the deepest respect and admiration for the men and women who put their lives on the line for the sake of their nation.” - Midwest Book Review.

At http://www.ironcuttermedia.com/ you can learn more about this book, which is reality-based work of historical fiction that depicts the problems caused by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among returning veterans. I hope this post helps educate people out there that need assistance. Take care and God bless.

[The Crux]

Thanks so much for sharing the info.