Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.

In some form or another, Obama will spend a considerable amount of time dealing with members of the military, active-duty or veterans.  There are commanders in two combat zones to consult with, a veterans administration that's come a long way but still needs some work, and the rank-and-file soldiers whose lives at war and at home depend on the government to ensure proper care and attention.  As speculation begins on what a new Obama administration's policies may be, let me add one more aspect to watch: how will Obama and the military cultivate their relationship?

A recent poll conducted by the Military Times of more senior service members favored Sen. McCain 63 to 28 percent over president-elect Obama.  Other polls have also seen the military voting along those same lines.  From the Military Times:

Officers and enlisted troops, active-duty members and reservists, those who have served in combat and those who haven’t, all backed McCain by large margins, to about the same extent they supported President Bush four years ago.

About 69 percent of respondents said they voted for Bush in 2004, while about 16 percent voted for the Democratic nominee, Sen. John Kerry.

McCain’s majority wanes among women and disappears altogether among black respondents.

For many of the soldiers who've spent the last year deployed, the campaign has not nearly been as high-profile as it's been for those of us on the home front.  Soldiers I spoke to in Iraq this summer cited their long work hours and sometimes spotty Internet access as hampering their abilities to follow politics.  If those of us at home now have some idea of who the real Barack Obama is, they may not -- but their lives may depend his actions as president.

Consider this New York Times dispatch from a Baghdad Army base as election results came in:

For the young soldiers, there was a feeling of distance from both candidates. Senator John McCain is 72; one soldier described him as being “like your grandfather, set in his ways.” And Mr. Obama is a newcomer to the military world, a rare visitor to Iraq, an unknown in many respects.

“We’ll support and defend him and support his wishes,” said Second Lieutenant Hunter Wakeland, Brigade Staff 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry. “President Bush listened to the generals, the joint chiefs, they have a lot of experience; with President-elect Obama’s lack of military experience, hopefully he listens to them, too.”

While Americans were voting back home, Lightning Troop, 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry went to Badoush, a town on the northern outskirts of Mosul, to observe and help Iraqis recruit 200 new members of the National Police.

"Some soldiers are concerned about the election, but we really don't talk politics very much," said platoon leader 1st Lt. Conrad Brown, a West Point graduate from Bangor, Maine, speaking at the site where recruits were stripped, searched, given health checks and tested for literacy.

Troop commander Capt. Hunter Bowers of Hendersonville, Tenn., said he didn't get to vote because his absentee ballot was sent to the wrong address.

"Things won't change here between now and the time we go home. We'll be getting back about the time the new president is inaugurated," Bowers said.

Another officer, Capt. Jared Just, said he believed that no matter who wins, "it won't really change the course of things in Iraq that much."

The UK's Times reported from a U.S. base in Baghdad where some soldiers showed signs of enthusiasm, while others were dismayed -- including one who said Obama's victory was just another reason to get out of the army:

At an outdoor eating area on the sprawling base, Specialist Tavaris James, 21, was also relishing the historic Democratic victory. “I think it is a great thing,” he said, sitting at a wooden picnic table.

“He will be the first African American president,” said the soldier from North Carolina, adding, however, that he did not think the change at the top would affect the military.

Others had a different idea. “The army is going to go to Hell,” said Specialist Megan Sanderson, 25, also from North Carolina, perched at a nearby table with her husband, Specialist Adam Sanderson.

He was also feeling glum about the outcome. “I am not happy. McCain got my vote,” the 23-year-old from Pennsylvania said.

The pair had already been planning to get out of the army because they said it was a difficult way of life for a married couple. The Obama win “is just another” reason to move on, said Specialist Megan Sanderson.

Manion, 54, said he was inspired by his son's death to seek public office. His Web site, though, has drawn criticism for its focus on his son's life rather than on his qualifications.

"Just who is running for Congress: the father or the son?" asked an editorial in the Bucks County Courier Times.

At a recent forum in Langhorne, there were signs Manion might be having trouble connecting with voters on issues other than Iraq. Questions on topics including Iran, North Korea and funding for Medicare and Social Security yielded answers with few specifics.

Joe Linus, a Republican unhappy with both Murphy and the Bush administration, said he thought Manion's presentation was lacking but expressed optimism that the challenger would crystallize his platform.

He said the United States has essentially played "referee" for more than five years in a religious civil war while neglecting Afghanistan. He favors a 16-month phased withdrawal, with redeployment of some troops to Afghanistan to help train that country's army and secure the border with Pakistan.

In blog posts over the past few weeks I've made reference to various campaign ads featuring veterans who support either Sen. Obama or Sen. McCain.  They contain powerful imagery and messages: veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan, and past wars -- including some who are wounded -- talk about their frontline experiences and deride the opposing candidate for his platforms on Iraq and/or domestic veterans issues.  No matter which candidate is being supported in an ad there are common threads that appear as the veterans speak of their service, yet at some point messages divide and the criticism begins. 

According to Gallup polls, present and former members of the military historically vote along Republican lines.  At the same time various pro-Obama groups are vocal over what they see as McCain's substandard record on veterans issues.  Both candidates have count support among veterans. Remember that moment during the first debate when each candidate referenced a bracelet he wore to remember fallen soldiers.  The important thing to note here is that while veterans can be seen as a group with a unique shared experience, their views are as widespread and nuanced as that of any American. 

Below is a collection of eight video advertisements featuring veterans as they promote their chosen presidential candidate. Watching them all in succession gives an interesting look at how they draw in their combat service as they promote either McCain or Obama.

Pro-McCain/Anti-Obama


Pro-Obama/Anti-McCain


Pro-McCain/Anti-Obama


Pro-Obama/Anti-McCain


Pro-McCain/Anti-Obama


Pro-Obama/Anti-McCain


Pro-McCain/Anti-Obama


Pro-Obama/Anti-McCain

The Humvees were taken Aug. 19 during Russia’s assault on the Georgian port of Poti, said Lt. Cmdr. Corey Barker, a spokesman for U.S. European Command. The vehicles were in Georgia awaiting commercial transport back to the U.S. following Operation Immediate Response, a multinational training exercise in July involving Georgian and U.S. forces. [Marine Corps Times]

Chris Biener, 21, Bohemia, Long Island:

New York: So you leave for Army Reserves boot camp next Monday. What'll you do until then?
CB: Hang out with some friends.
New York: What have you been doing up to now?
CB: I went to Stonybrook University and played football there for the first semester, then I went to Suffolk Community College, then I started working and going to school, back and forth, then I decided to do this.

New York: Why didn't you stay in college?
CB: I kept switching my major, which kept putting me back. So I worked at a swimming-pool store.
New York: Why are you joining the military?
CB: I almost did it straight out of high school, but my parents wanted me to go to college. I always wanted to join growing up.
New York: Why?
CB: I've always played sports, but there's no team after high school. So this is a big team to join.
New York: What's your big dream?
CB: I'm going to be an LPN, a nurse. So when I get out [of the military], I know I'll get a good job. And if I stay in, there'll always be people who need help.
New York: We're in two wars right now. You may go and be seriously physically or mentally damaged or die. Does that affect your decision?
CB: I used to think about it, but then I realized I'll be trained enough to probably get away from that situation, so if it happens, it happens.
New York: How would you characterize the situation [in Iraq] right now?
CB: We should be there, but the people don't want us there. It's kind of up in the air.
New York: Should we reinstitute the draft?
CB: No, I think the turnout's positive enough with volunteer people. With a draft you have an Army with people who don't want to be there. If it's volunteer, you'll get 100 percent out of all of them.
New York: Would you pick Iraq or Afghanistan to be deployed to?
CB: Iraq. There seems to be more going on. It'd be more fun. As a nurse, there'd be more jobs for me to do.
[Daily Intel]

Handman began basic training Aug. 29 at Fort Benning in Columbus. He soon wrote a letter to his parents in which he said, “I have just never been so discriminated against/humiliated about my religion.” He told them he feared for his safety.

Handman’s parents contacted U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., who forwarded their concerns to the Army. Four days after commanders interviewed Handman about being harassed, he was beaten in a laundry room near his barracks and treated at the Army post’s hospital.

Manganaro said investigators don’t believe religious bigotry was the motive for Handman being attacked, though she could not explain why...The investigation of Handman’s allegations of harassment found that one drill sergeant had ordered Handman to remove his yarmulke, which he wore with his uniform, as he ate in a dining hall. Another had called him “Juden,” the German word for Jews. [AP]

A new campaign ad by the group VoteVets criticizes Sen. John McCain for skipping a crucial GI Bill vote.  In the ad the veteran remarks: "Vet to vet, Senator McCain.  When you put money from your rich friends ahead of vets like me how is that country first?"



A few weeks ago I posted a pro-McCain ad featuring a wounded Iraq veteran.  I'm reposting it here for you to compare how veterans from two different ways of thinking voice support for their respective candidates.




The widow of an Iraq veteran who committed suicide after returning from the war is suing the federal government for negligence.  The deceased veteran, Donald Woodward, 23, made three suicide attempts and was seeking treatment at a VA hospital.  His wife said VA doctors were slow to diagnose her husband's psychiatric condition and did not schedule follow-up visits.  Woodward, at the time, was in VA out-patient care for depression.

"I intend to make them make changes," said his mother, Lori Woodward. "I have too many friends whose kids are in Iraq. I have a nephew now in Iraq, in the same unit, and I can't have my family go through this again."

Alison Aikele, a VA spokeswoman in Washington, said the agency does not typically comment on pending litigation. [AP]

From their flag lapel pins to their yellow ribbon bumper stickers, every politician in America wants you to believe they “support the troops.”  But actions speak louder than words.  When veterans’ issues actually came to a vote in Washington, what did your representatives do?...How did Congress do this year?  Over all, they scored very well.  From the passage of the landmark Post-9/11 GI Bill to fully funding the Department of Veterans Affairs, we have tremendous progress to celebrate this year. More than 150 legislators earned a perfect score, a grade of A+.

The accusation against Obama regarding troop funding came up in the first presidential debate, where Obama defended his vote as a reflection on his position seeking a timetable for withdrawal. "Senator McCain opposed funding for troops in legislation that had a timetable, because he didn't believe in a timetable," Obama pointed out. "I opposed funding a mission that had no timetable, and was open-ended, giving a blank check to George Bush . We had a difference on the timetable. We didn't have a difference on whether or not we were going to be funding troops." Factcheck.org, meanwhile, reported in response to a McCain campaign ad released in July that while Obama did cast one "no" vote on legislation providing money for combat efforts, he voted at least 10 times in favor of increased funding.

As for the committee Obama chairs, it does not, in fact, have direct oversight of the war in Afghanistan. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Subcommittee on European Affairs does have jurisdiction over NATO affairs, and NATO has played a large role in the conflict. But hearings on Afghanistan have been held in front of the full Foreign Relations Committee, headed by Obama's running mate, Joe Biden . ABC News reported in July that Obama has attended one of the three full committee hearings on Afghanistan held within the last two years, while McCain has missed all three.

First it was John McCain who spoke of the bracelet he wore, bearing the name of Matthew Stanley, an Army soldier killed in late 2006 by a roadside bomb.  McCain said:

Soon it was Obama's turn to speak.  As he directed his answer to debate moderator Jim Lehrer, Obama stammered briefly as he looked to his bracelet before reading the name of Ryan Jopek, a soldier killed by a roadside bomb in August 2006.

Yesterday's New York Post took a further look at the issue and quoted an interview Ryan Jopek's father gave on Wisconsin Public Radio earlier this year.  Brian Jopek, who is divorced from Ryan's mother, had this to say:

In response to questioning from Fox News anchors about the appropriateness of Obama's mention of Ryan Jopek, senior Obama campaign adviser Robert Gibbs accused the interviewers of making up facts during a short and heated exchange.



The National Review's campaign blog saw Obama's actions as "revealing" if indeed he'd gotten the message about Tracy Jopek's wishes:

So, maybe Jopek's latest statements to the AP settles the whole thing as it applies to the context of the debate.  The question that people don't seem to be asking, however, is whether it was appropriate for both candidates to even mention the bracelets at all.  If indeed they were wearing the bracelets as a sign of personal remembrance, why feel the need to point it out on national television? The answer is pretty obvious, but is that enough to make it OK?

1) Will the candidates (and the moderator) note the difference between "tactical" success of the surge, versus the overall strategic goal of the surge, and whether that was a success?

2) Will the candidates be challenged on the deteriorating situation with Pakistan? Will Obama hold to his position that we must act to strike terrorists officially inside Pakistan's borders, and will McCain hold to his view that Obama is wrong to strike in the ungoverned parts of Pakistan without the expressed consent from Islamabad?

3) Will the candidates speak about our inability to take care of our current military commitments, let alone new ones?

4) Will the candidates lay out what steps short of military action they would take to prevent a nuclear Iran?

5) Given news that Prime Minister Maliki has hinted that he prefers a timeline that removes troops by 2010, but was pressured to accept a 2011 timeline due to U.S. political considerations, will the candidates consider moving a timeline to exit Iraq back to 2010, or do they consider that unrealistic?

"Tell me why there's any rational reason why you shouldn't have a seat at that table," Biden said, speaking one day after Republican presidential candidate John McCain addressed the group.

Maj. Gen. Frank Vavala, adjutant general of Biden's home state of Delaware and president of the Adjutants General Association of the United States, said such recognition, similar to that given the Marine Corps after initial representation by the Navy, is long overdue.

"It's something that we certainly are advocating as an association," said Vavala, who noted that more than a third of the Army and Air Force consists of National Guard units, and that the Guard numbers almost 500,000 men and women.

"Our people are fighting the war every day," he said, adding that the notion of Guardsmen as "weekend warriors" no longer applies.

Biden's eldest son, Delaware attorney general Beau Biden, is a captain in a National Guard unit that is to report for training next month before being deployed to Iraq.

As the presidential election draws near -- and partly in response to Obama's selection of Joe Biden as his running mate -- Askari apparently has softened his rhetoric on the U.S. presence.

He still favors withdrawal of U.S. forces by the end of 2011, as proposed in the security treaty. And he figures that the deadline will be honored by whoever wins, if only for the sake of the 2012 American elections.

But changing now from a Republican to a Democratic administration would be problematic, he says -- not least because Obama has said the U.S. Congress should be involved in any status-of-forces agreement with Iraq.

Askari also expressed concern about Biden's 2007 plan to divide Iraq into three semi-autonomous regions -- Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni -- with a central government in Baghdad. He called the Biden plan "the essence of a nightmare feared by Iraqis."

"Not that any of Biden's proposals will take effect, as the socio-political reality in Iraq is undividable," he continued. "But Iraqis will pay dearly until Biden and his camp are convinced that his 'theory' is inapplicable in Iraq."

As both an Iraq war veteran and a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, I am intimately familiar with John McCain's valiant and honorable military service. McCain, as far as I am concerned, is a true American hero. Unfortunately, his heroism in the Vietnam War has been allowed to morph into a patently false "record" - ceaselessly touted by his campaign - that McCain is a strong advocate for veterans. That could not be further from the truth...

...The nation's largest Iraq veterans organization, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a nonpartisan organization, grades members of Congress on how they vote on legislation that "affect[s] troops, veterans or military families." This includes votes on such issues as expanded health care services for veterans and reservists, military death benefits, traumatic brain injury research and adequate rest for service members between deployments, just to name a few.

Of the 155 votes tracked by IAVA since 9/11, John McCain received a grade of "D." While no senator earned a grade of "A," Barack Obama got a "B ."

Words on Iraq by the candidates themselves still continue to follow the same lines of reason and criticism.  Writing on a Wall Street Journal blog, Elizabeth Holmes described John McCain's appearance at the same National Guard convention at which Biden spoke.  During his speech McCain took the opportunity to combine the economy and Iraq in order to highlight his opponent's lack of leadership:

“Whether it’s a reversal in war, or an economic emergency, he reacts as a politician and not as a leader, seeking an advantage for himself instead of a solution for his country.”

“John McCain is so out of touch that he wants to keep spending $10 billion a month in Iraq indefinitely while the Iraqi government sits on a $79 billion surplus and our economy is in turmoil.”

Following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, many United States citizens were detained by Iraq, beaten, subjected to cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment, confined under deplorable conditions, and used as `human shields' for the avowed purpose of preventing the United States and its coalition allies from using military force to liberate Kuwait...At the time these acts occurred, the Department of State had classified Iraq as a state sponsor of terrorism.

“If what we do is to offer the tortured American POWs settlements that are the equivalent of the price of a used car, we're simply going to perpetuate this torture of POWs over and over. And say the price of torturing American POWs is virtually nothing."

On Christmas Eve last year, President Bush unexpectedly vetoed the massive $3.5 billion defense authorization bill. He specifically cited a provision intended to help the POWs receive their award. Congressional Quarterly reported the Iraqi government threatened to withdraw $25 billion in assets from U.S. banks if the provision were to become law.

"I was so angry when that happened. It effectively gave immunity from torture in violation of the third Geneva Convention," Braley said. "What message does this send to the world?"

“They wrapped a wire around one ear, one underneath my chin, wrapped it around another ear and hooked it up to some electrical device. Asked a question. I wasn't interested in answering,” recalls Tice.

“They would turn on the juice. And what that does is it, it creates a ball of lightning in your mind or in your head. Drives all your muscles simultaneously together and it drives your jaw and everything together. And, of course, I'm chained to a chair. I can't move freely. So everything is jerking into a little ball. And your teeth are being forced together with such force. I'm breaking pieces and parts off.”

Tice’s jaw was dislocated so many times that he says he was lucky to be able to put it back into place.

"This summer when I was preparing the release of my book we were putting together a DVD with some of my reports from Vietnam and then I thought, 'I wonder if we have McCain here?'" Eriksson said...

...Eriksson said he covered the Vietnam War for SVT as well as U.S. television networks CBS and NBC. He explained that in February 1973, he was in Hanoi filming the release of the first American pilot prisoners, but had to return home to edit the film "because it was the first release that was sensational."

"However, we knew that more prisoners would probably be released shortly, so we left a camera and lots of film with a North Vietnamese photographer and asked him to film all the releases of U.S. prisoners," Eriksson said.

After four months of intense criticism over a universal ban on non-partisan voter registration drives at federal veterans facilities, the Department of Veterans Affairs yesterday announced it will allow such drives provided they don't interfere with day-to-day operations.  In a brief press release the VA outlined conditions promoting voter registration within its facilities:

The policy requires that information about the right of VA patients to register and vote, and other patients’ rights, be posted in every VA hospital, and that all VA patients be provided a copy of these rights when they are admitted to a VA facility.

Every hospital is now also required to publish a written policy on voter assistance, allowing patients to leave the hospital to register and vote, subject to the opinions of their health care providers.  Patients unable to leave the facility must be assisted to register and to vote by absentee ballot.

"[The VA] wanted to ensure that our staff remains focused on caring for our veterans instead of having to determine the political agenda of each group that might try to enter our facilities.”

On April 25, 2008, the Department of Veterans Affairs responded to our request for a consistent voter registration policy by issuing Directive 2008-23. While we do not believe it went far enough, we commend the changes made by the Directive which provided that veterans would be required to receive voter information and assistance in registering and applying for an absentee ballot...However, in the few days following the issuance of the first directive, the Department apparently withdrew it. Without explaining the rationale for this change, the Department today released a new policy, Directive 2008-25...it appears that a new and broad prohibition was included against third-party organizations conducting voter registration drives.

On June 30, I visited the Veterans Affairs Hospital in West Haven, Conn., to distribute information on the state’s new voting machines and to register veterans to vote. I was not allowed inside the hospital.

Outside on the sidewalk, I met Martin O’Nieal, a 92-year-old man who lost a leg while fighting the Nazis in the mountains of Northern Italy during the harsh winter of 1944. Mr. O’Nieal has been a resident of the hospital since 2007. He wanted to vote last year, but he told me that there was no information about how to register to vote at the hospital and the nurses could not answer his questions about how or where to cast a ballot.

Now with yesterday's new VA directive, it remains to be seen whether the flurry of criticism will end as veterans like Mr. O'Nieal start to register with more ease -- or, if in reality, all of this is coming too late.  With less than two months until the presidential election, some critics wonder if there is enough time to register a significant number of veterans.  In an interview with the New York Times, Paul Sullivan, the executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, gave his view of the situation:

“The real question now is whether the V.A. will implement the new policy in time for the November election and whether local and state voting officials will take proactive steps to sign up the veterans at these facilities.”

 
Though it's unlikely that even a modest surge in the number of veterans registered to vote would influence the presidential election, it's still interesting to note where most veterans seem to stand politically.  In late August Gallup released information showing veterans favor McCain over Obama 56 to 34-percent.  The statistics came at a time when overall U.S. voters were favoring Obama over McCain 46 to 43-percent.  Gallup also looked to see whether veterans were favoring McCain because he is a veteran himself, or whether they favor him out of a greater affinity for the Republican platform.  According to the pollsters:

McCain clearly holds an advantage over Obama among veterans, but that is probably due more to the fact that veterans tend to be Republicans than to the fact that McCain himself served in the military and is regarded by some as a war hero. Veterans showed similarly strong support for Bush in the 2004 presidential election. The data suggest there still is an effect of military service on candidate preference, but it is rather small and is overwhelmed by the effects of party affiliation.

Former army sergeant Kristofer Goldsmith told the landmark hearing of "lawless murders, looting and the abuse of countless Iraqis."  He spoke of the psychologically fragile men and women who return from Iraq to find little help or treatment offered from official circles.  Goldsmith said he had "self-medicated" for several months to treat the wounds of the war...Another soldier told AFP he had to boost his medication to treat anxiety and social agoraphobia -- two of many lingering mental wounds he carries since his deployments in Iraq -- before testifying.  A group of veterans in the packed hearing room gazed blankly as their comrades' testimonies shattered the official version that the U.S. effort in Iraq is succeeding.  Almost to a man, the testifiers denounced serious flaws in the chain of command in Iraq.

"We are talking about people who are making over $1 million to pay a small sacrifice for this war where our military families are paying a huge sacrifice," said Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill.

The White House weighed in with an official veto promise Thursday that also attacked the Democratic plan for increasing taxes.

"The president has been clear that tax increases are unacceptable," the White House statement said.

In the simplest terms, the Webb bill would effectively pay for tuition and housing at a four-year public college for those serving at least three years of active duty. The McCain measure isn't as generous, as it increases existing education benefits by $400 a month for the same time served: from $1,100 to $1,500.

“My job is to get people to stay in the military, not only to join, but to stay as well,” McCain said, although he added that he will be sitting down with Webb to try to work out a compromise. He wants to make sure to include a component of his bill which is not in Webb bill that would allow for transferability of benefits to family members.

I have great respect for John McCain's service to this country and I know he loves it dearly and honors those who serve. But he is one of the few senators of either party who oppose this bill because he thinks it's too generous. I couldn't disagree more. At a time when the skyrocketing cost of tuition is pricing thousands of Americans out of a college education, we should be doing everything we can to give the men and women who have risked their lives for this country the chance to pursue the American Dream.

The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act is designed to offer the brave men and women who have served honorably since September 11, 2001 a level of educational benefits on par with those provided to veterans of the World War II era.

Many people enlist to earn money for college, and almost everyone signs up for the education benefits -- which, in the case of the main GI Bill, requires a service member to pay about $1,200 into the plan-- but not everyone takes advantage of it. And that buy-in is not returned even if the benefits are unused.

About 70 percent use at least some part of it, said Keith Wilson, director of the education service, but the VA does not track how many earn degrees.

An independent study found that just over half use some part of the benefits, said Ray Kelley of AMVETS, a veterans support group, and only 8 percent use all. "Congress is realizing we're not giving them the benefits we say we're giving them," Kelley said. "They only have 36 months from the time they start using it to the time they finish." That means going to school full time, year-round.

The suit claims that many disabled combat veterans are in dire need of counseling and other services they are not currently receiving from the U.S. government. Erspamer [the plaintiff's counsel] estimates that 120 veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan commit suicide each week. The veterans' groups are not seeking monetary damages but want reform of a health care system in which they allege a huge backlog of cases prevents veterans from receiving timely care.

A majority of the VA's counselors, doctors, social workers and psychologists "don't have the tools and the information that they need to intervene effectively with suicidal vets," said Maris, a former president of the American Association of Suicidology who has been a consultant to the Army on suicide prevention.

He was particularly critical of the VA's top health care administrator, William Feeley, who said in a pretrial deposition April 9 that the agency has no systematic national plan for suicide prevention. Feeley also said he was unaware of any methods of tracking veterans at risk of suicide and that suicide rates "are not a metric we are measuring."