As the last days of 2007 come upon us, I've compiled a timeline of veterans news throughout the year. What struck me is the vast number of veterans stories pouring out from all media outlets. Will this continue to be the case in 2008? Most likely it will be for the simple fact that the number of Iraq/Afghanistan vets is getting bigger. 

Here are selected stories from throughout 2007:

FEBRUARY 18 -- The Washington Post exposes decrepit living conditions for wounded soldiers recovering in Building 18 at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center:

Behind the door of Army Spec. Jeremy Duncan's room, part of the wall is torn and hangs in the air, weighted down with black mold. When the wounded combat engineer stands in his shower and looks up, he can see the bathtub on the floor above through a rotted hole. The entire building, constructed between the world wars, often smells like greasy carry-out. Signs of neglect are everywhere: mouse droppings, belly-up cockroaches, stained carpets, cheap mattresses.

MARCH 8 -- A New York Times study finds vast inequities in how veterans receive disability checks based on location and type of service.


MARCH 9 -- President Bush forms the Dole-Shalala commission with a mandate to review the military health care system. The group, formed in response to the Walter Reed scandal, includes veterans, advocates, and health administrators.


MAY 22 -- The Associated Press reports a federal court that hears veterans' disability appeals has the highest ever caseload. This is due to the number of disability rejections handed out to vets by the government.


JULY 18 -- VA Secretary Jim Nicholson announces his resignation effective October 1. Nicholson's tenure was plagued by the theft of VA computers and a billion-dollar budget shortfall.


JULY 25 -- The Dole-Shalala commission issues its final report, saying the VA system is insufficient to deal with vets from Afghanistan and Iraq.


SEPTEMBER 19 -- Outgoing VA Secretary Jim Nicholson reports his department is struggling to process disability claims, saying payments can take up to 177 days to make.  His hope was for the VA to reduce this time to 145-150 days.


OCTOBER 16 -- Sen. Bob Dole and Donna Shalala write an editorial in the Washington Post outlining their commission's findings:

According to research our commission conducted among wounded and evacuated service members from the current conflicts, the disability rating system at both Defense and Veterans Affairs is poorly understood and is a source of major dissatisfaction. Almost 60 percent of the service members had difficulty understanding the disability evaluation process. Our recommendations would update and simplify the disability determination and compensation system; eliminate parallel activities between the two departments; reduce inequities; and provide injured veterans with the tools to return to productive life.

OCTOBER 18 -- A report by the National Academies says many common PTSD treatments lack scientific evidence that they are effective at treating the problem.


OCTOBER 30 -- A new study by the American Journal of Public Health reports 1.8 million U.S. veterans are uninsured. The number increased by 290,000 from 2000 to 2004.


OCTOBER 30 -- Another study by the American Journal of Public Health reports findings that say younger veterans are more prone to suicide. This is the opposite of suicide trends among the general public.


OCTOBER 30 -- Retired Army Lt. Gen. James Peake is nominated by President Bush for the position of VA Secretary. Peake is a former Army doctor and Vietnam War veteran.


NOVEMBER 8 -- The National Alliance to End Homelessness issues a study finding that one in four veterans are homeless in the United States. Included in this number are 1,500 veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

NOVEMBER 11 -- The Associated Press reports the deaths of six U.S. troops in Afghanistan making 2007 the deadliest year for Americans serving in that country since 2001. The deaths brought the number of killed to 101:

...insurgent attacks, advanced ambushes, and suicide and roadside bombs have risen sharply the last two years, and analysts say the counterinsurgency battle U.S. and NATO forces now face will take a decade or more to win.

NOVEMBER 11 -- Veterans Day is marked by a number of protests by vets around the country.


NOVEMBER 14 -- The Journal of the American Medical Association finds veterans are more likely to develop mental health problems three to six months after returning from war, rather than in the months immediately following their return.


NOVEMBER 15 -- The Supreme Court of Canada refuses to hear the cases of U.S. military deserters seeking refuge in the country. The Army desertion rate has risen 80 percent since the Iraq War began in 2003.

DECEMBER 14 -- The Senate confirms retired Lt. Gen. James Peake as the next VA Secretary.


DECEMBER 20 -- J. Russell Coffey, one of only three known living WWI vets in the U.S., dies at the age of 109.