Soldier's Home : The VA

15 Percent of Veterans Report Sexual Trauma to the VA

David Botti — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:21:32 GMT

A study released today by the VA's National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder found that 15 percent of the Iraq/Afghanistan vets seeking treatment at VA facilities report experiencing some kind of sexual trauma while serving in the military. Additionally, these veterans are 1.5 times more likely require mental health care. These numbers are derived from the nearly 40 percent of recent war veterans who've sought general medical care since being discharged from the military. Screening all vets coming through VA medical facilities for sexual trauma is a standard practice.

Here are more statistics referenced in the report [via Reuters and USA Today]:|

76 percent of women who've had previous sexual trauma reported mental health problems, 51 percent of which include some form of PTSD.
47 percent of women without a history of sexual trauma reported mental health problems, 22 percent of which include some form of PTSD.
Women with military-related sexual trauma experiences have a 59 percent higher risk of mental health problems.
Men with military-related sexual trauma experiences have a 40 percent higher risk of mental health problems.
One in seven female vets reported an instance of military sexual trauma.
Just under one percent of male vets reported an instance of military sexual trauma.

The study covered 125,000 veterans seeking treatment from the VA between October 2001 and October 2007. Active duty soldiers were not included because the VA is not involved with their care. Additionally, the specific types of sexual trauma were not included, only the number of occurrences.

Reuters spoke to the new report's co-author Rachel Kimerling:

Kimerling said in a telephone interview the term "military sexual trauma" covers a range of events from coerced sex to outright rape or threatening and unwelcome sexual advances...

..."If you think about military service where you are living and working so closely with the same people, that even if it is not sexual assault ... it is possible that severe sexual harassment is just as traumatic," she said...
...Kimerling said that may mean many veterans are unaware they can be helped and she said she hoped more would come forward to seek treatment.
"There are dedicated health care services for military sexual trauma at every VA facility across the nation," she said.

Sexual trauma can lead to depression, anxiety, substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder, Kimerling said.

"We know there are effective, evidence-based treatments for them that are used in VA," she added.

Additionally, USA Today wrote of the likelihood female service members will report sexual trauma at all:

Many women are afraid to report the assaults, says Anita Sanchez of the Miles Foundation, a non-profit that provides services to victims of military-related trauma. Fewer than a third of women who come to Miles for help after sexual assaults say they've told the military, she says.

"A typical scenario is it's either a supervisor or someone at her level, in the same military unit. If you come forward, you're tattle-telling on a comrade. Women have told me about the sneers, the sarcastic comments. They can find themselves ostracized," says Sanchez, and when other women see this, the lesson isn't lost on them.

For a detailed introduction to military sexual trauma read this post from last year where I interviewed an expert on the subject.

In the News: Russia Still Has Marine Humvees, Recruits Q&A, and More Vet Political Ads

David Botti — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:25:43 GMT

A roundup of military and veterans stories worth taking a look at:

Five U.S. Marine Corps humvees seized by Russian forces when they entered Georgia earlier this summer still haven't been returned:

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]

Last week New York Magazine went down to the iconic Times Square recruiting station in New York City for some Q & A with new Army recruits on their way to boot camp. The interviews were spurred by news the Army has passed its recruiting goals for the past three years. The magazine described its subjects as: "four local boys and one Goth girl from Alabama in New York for the first time, all ages 17 to 23." Excerpt:

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]

A Jewish Army recruit has been transferred to a new training battalion after his involvement in incidents of verbal and physical harassment by other recruits and drill sergeants over his religion. The military is not providing a specific reason for why the recruit was transferred, though his father told the Associated Press it was because his son didn't feel safe.

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]

Helping Veterans Register to Vote

David Botti — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:02:14 GMT

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.

It was in early May when the VA issued its controversial directive banning groups from conducting voter registration drives on VA property. The department referenced its adherence to the Hatch Act, which regulates a federal employee's political activity--even though, as the New York Times then pointed out, veterans are not federal employees. Furthermore, a VA spokesman told the Times:

"[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.”

Among politicians who came out against this May directive were U.S. Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who were already exchanging letters with VA Secretary James B. Peake over the issue. In a letter from the senators dated May 6, they expressed frustration with an apparent reversal of VA voting policies issued just days before:

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.

Last month Susan Bysiewicz, Connecticut's secretary of state, penned an op-ed in the New York Times recalling her own experiences trying to register veterans to vote:

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.

Trying to Modernize the GI Bill

David Botti — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:41:55 GMT

More than half a century after the GI Bill was first enacted to help send vets to college, politicians and advocates are touting a new proposed bill to expand these benefits. The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act was introduced by a number of Republicans and Democrats in both the House and Senate. Among them is Virginia Senator (and Vietnam vet) Jim Webb whose posted this statement on his Website:

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.

In a profile of numerous veterans struggling to capitalize on education opportunities after returning home from war, the Washington Post helps to break down where the current GI Bill stands now. The problem is that these benefits can no longer fully fund higher education, as they once did for earlier generations of veterans.

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.

Earlier this month NPR's Morning Edition broke down more of the specifics of the proposed bill.

Webb's bill wouldn't cover the entire cost of study at a private school like George Washington, but it would pay for tuition, fees and books at the most expensive state university. It would also provide an allowance for essentials based on the federal cost-of-living estimate. As an incentive to private schools, the federal government would also match any scholarship funds awarded to a veteran.
The bill would also decrease the disparity between benefits offered to active duty soldiers and those offered to members of the National Guard.

The report also noted the Pentagon's reluctance to the new bill. Officials there are worried that increased education benefits would encourage soldiers to leave the military for college, thus hurting retention numbers.

Paul Rieckhoff, founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, likened today's planned bi-partisan press conference supporting Webb's bill to the coming together of old rivals:

With the political situation so polarized this election year, it's like seeing players from the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox sit down for Sunday afternoon tea.

On the presidential campaign front, Senator John McCain recently unveiled his own GI Bill improvements after receiving criticism for not supporting Webb's bill. According to The Hill:

McCain’s bill is designed to enhance the existing Montgomery GI Bill, but will compete for Senate votes with Webb’s measure, which already has 57 co-sponsors, including Democratic presidential hopefuls Sens. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.)...

...At the same time, McCain and other supporters of the new bill touted it as an improvement over Webb’s measure. Some military officials have worried the Webb bill’s would provide such an incentive for active-duty military to attend school that it would make it hard for the military to retain soldiers.

Below are some of the main bulleted points from both McCain's and Webb's proposals. First up, here's Webb's taken from this brief fact sheet:

Increased educational benefits would be available to all members of the military who have served on active duty since September 11, 2001, including activated reservists and National Guard. To qualify, veterans must have served at least three to thirty-six months of qualified active duty, beginning on or after September 11, 2001.

The bill provides for educational benefits to be paid in amounts linked to the amount of active duty served in the military after 9/11. Generally, veterans would receive some amount of assistance proportional to their service for 36 months, which equals four academic years. Veterans would still be eligible to receive any incentive-based supplemental educational assistance from their military branch for which they qualify.

Benefits provided under the bill would allow veterans pursuing an approved program of education to receive payments covering the established charges of their program, up to the cost of the most expensive in-state public school, plus a monthly stipend equivalent to housing costs in their area. The bill would allow additional payments for tutorial assistance, as well as licensure and certification tests.

The bill would create a new program in which the government will agree to match, dollar for dollar, any voluntary additional contributions to veterans from institutions whose tuition is more expensive than the maximum educational assistance provided under S.22.

Veterans would have up to fifteen years, compared to ten years under the Montgomery G.I. Bill, after they leave active duty to use their educational assistance entitlement. Veterans would be barred from receiving concurrent assistance from this program and another similar program.

And, here's McCain's taken from his Website:

An immediate increase in education benefits for active duty personnel to $1500 a month, and to improve retention, those benefits increase to $2000 a month after 12 or more years of service.

Significantly increased benefit for members of the National Guard and Reserves.

Transferability, the ability of service members to transfer their education benefits to dependents. After 6 years, half of the benefit may be transferred and after 12 years 100% may be transferred to a spouse or dependent children.

Student loan repayment. Allows servicemembers to use up to $6,000 per year of Montgomery G.I. Bill education benefits to repay Federal student loans.

Creation of a matching program to help more veterans graduate debt-free. Up to an additional $3,000 per year could be paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs in return for the school retiring some or all of the servicemember’s debt.

Access to Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits for service academy graduates and Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps officers who continue serving.

Builds on existing educational benefits program to ensure rapid implementation with minimal additional administrative costs.

Veterans Suing the VA, Senators Call for Resignation

David Botti — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:57:35 GMT

A trial in U.S. District Court is now underway as a group of veterans challenge the Department of Veterans Affairs over the lack of care afforded to returning troops. The case, Veterans for Common Sense v. Peake, is said by the plaintiffs' attorney to be the first of its kind. Yesterday a suicide expert testified on behalf of the plaintiffs that veterans are killing themselves at three to seven times the rate of the general population. The American Lawyer has a good summary of what the case is all about:

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.

The San Francisco Chronicle outlined what suicide expert Ronald Maris sees as a complete lack of readiness within the VA to deal with the great number of veterans suicides:

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."

The impact of the trial is being felt in Washington, D.C. where two U.S. senators are now calling for the resignation of the VA's chief mental health official, Dr. Ira Katz. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) is citing evidence learned in the trial showing that the VA withheld information on the rising number of veterans suicides. As her statement reads:

"Doctor Katz's irresponsible actions have been a disservice to our veterans and it is time for him to go. The number one priority of the VA should be caring for our veterans, not covering up the truth...I have spoken with Secretary Peake and I have asked him to take immediate action to restore the faith of our veterans in the mental health care provided by the VA."

The Associated Press details the contents VA emails disclosed at the trial:

An e-mail message from Katz disclosed this week as part of a lawsuit that went to trial in San Francisco starts with "Shh!" and claims 12,000 veterans a year attempt suicide while under department treatment.
"Is this something we should (carefully) address ourselves in some sort of release before someone stumbles on it?" the e-mail asks.
A VA spokesman declined to comment Tuesday.
Another e-mail said an average of 18 war veterans kill themselves each day — and five of them are under VA care when they commit suicide.

For more on why the plaintiffs brought this case against the Department of Veterans Affairs, you can visit their website here.

19 Percent of Iraq/Afghanistan Vets Suffer from Depression

David Botti — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:22:13 GMT

A new comprehensive report by the RAND Corporation has concluded that 300,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from depression or PTSD--and only about half have sought out treatment, according to the Associated Press. The report surveyed 1,965 vets in what the AP calls the first large scale private study of its kind. The numbers show that 18.5 percent of all Iraq and Afghanistan vets suffer from these these symptoms. According to RAND, possible solutions to temper these problems may be available:

Among our recommendations is that effective treatments documented in the scientific literature — evidence-based care — are available for PTSD and major depression. Delivery of such care to all veterans with PTSD or major depression would pay for itself within two years, or even save money, by improving productivity and reducing medical and mortality costs. Such care may also be a cost-effective way to retain a ready and healthy military force for the future. However, to ensure that this care is delivered requires system-level changes across the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the U.S. health care system.

The AP offered up more conclusions drawn from the study, including why vets are not seeking care:

They gave various reasons for not getting help, including that they worried about the side effects of medication; believe family and friends could help them with the problem, or that they feared seeking care might damage their careers.

The report also noted who is most susceptible to depression and PTSD, although, in the end, it is a vet's exposure to combat trauma that is the greatest predictor:

Rates of PTSD and major depression were highest among Army soldiers and Marines, and among service members who were no longer on active duty (people in the reserves and those who had been discharged or retired from the military). Women, Hispanics and enlisted personnel all were more likely to report symptoms of PTSD and major depressions.

Last November the Pentagon opened the Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury in an effort to bring together education, treatment, and research. From the Department of Defense:

The center also will set standards and assess, survey and validate DoD programs, and decide, in part, how resources are directed... Center officials are reviewing hundreds of research project proposals that hope to claim a piece of the $300 million set aside by Congress last year for brain injury research. The office also will work with the military services to see which of the many programs funded with another $600 million from Congress are working and how to direct those funds to programs most beneficial to servicemembers and families.

In the News: Iraqi Recruits, Grassroots, and a New Memoir

David Botti — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:49:17 GMT

A selection of military news stories over the recent days:

The Associated Press reports on troubles with training the Iraqi Navy and Marine Corps, and cites recent issues with Iraqi Army troops fighting in Basra as indicative of the overall training situation. As the rebuilt Iraqi navy is tasked with defending the country's two vital oil platforms, the AP tells of a disconnect between the reality of the situation and how it is perceived by the navy recruits:

The day when Iraq alone can defend its shores — and protect its critical offshore oil installations — seems remote.

Iraq’s navy now has five Chinese-made patrol boats and 26 fast-attack aluminum vessels — fewer than half of which are operational. Its personnel number about 1,350, including 350 Marines.

“They think they are an elite unit, but they are not,” said Capt. Jock Alexander of the British Royal Marines, who is in charge of training Iraqi Marines to guard the 1.8-mile exclusion zone around each of the country’s two oil platforms.

The struggle to build a credible Iraqi navy is mirrored — on larger scales — by the mounting delays and costs to form a new Iraqi army and air force after Washington disbanded Saddam Hussein’s military.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports on a series of grass-roots efforts aimed at joining Iraq veterans in need with U.S. citizens ready to help. Among the programs are an upcoming online forum of therapists around the country who've offered their services to treating Iraq veterans. Many of these therapists have committed one hour of free counseling to Iraq vets per week, for as long as they wish. Then there's a series of Websites dedicated to linking vets with people willing to donate money for basic necessities. Still, the VA is hesitant to get on board with these groups:

While Veterans Affairs officials appreciate the support of community groups like Bobrow's, they're careful about embracing them. Because of privacy regulations, the VA can't disclose who has used their services. Often, VA employees are reluctant to even hand out flyers from fledgling groups until thoroughly checking them out.

"The veterans and their families have suffered enough. So when they put up a public profile or say they need help, we want to make sure they don't get injured again," said Patricia Matthews, a spokeswoman for the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Center.

In a profile of Elise Forbes Tripp, author of "Surviving Iraq: Soldiers' Stories," the Portsmouth Herald News details some of her most interesting findings through interviews with Iraq vets, including this one:

She was surprised at the men being upset at having women in their units. "I would get long responses about how useless women are in war ...; not sexist but how they don't belong there."

Men said they created sexual tension and diverted attention. They require involvement from male colleagues for their safety, for example, having to guard their showers or to calm them during a difficult time. "And I think they felt it was unfair that woman could get pregnant and go home," she says. "I was just listening, thinking this is amazing."

The New York Times reports that Donald Rumsfeld is set to pen his own memoir:

Donald H. Rumsfeld, who resigned as secretary of defense in late 2006, will write his memoirs for the Sentinel imprint of Penguin Group USA. Mr. Rumsfeld, 75, will cover not only his years in the Bush administration but also his experiences with Presidents Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford and Ronald Reagan; his work in the private sector; and his early life. In contrast to other recent political figures who have produced memoirs, Mr. Rumsfeld is forgoing an advance and will donate profits to a nonprofit foundation he recently established to make educational grants to young people interested in public service and establishing links between the United States and Central Asia.

The Marine Corps Times reports that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is proposing new measures that would provide homes for severely injured veterans on VA property. The proposal came during a Senate defense appropriations subcommittee hearing where issues of long-term veterans care were raised. Sen. Feinstein cited VA property in West Los Angeles that includes 300 acres of undeveloped land:

Feinstein said she offered VA’s West LA campus as an example because she often visits the site, but she believes such housing also could be built at other VA facilities around the country.

Feinstein and other California lawmakers have been trying to block VA from leasing out the unused land for commercial purposes, but they have not agreed on what to do with the property. Some want the land to be public park land, some have proposed building housing for homeless veterans and others have talked about leaving it completely undeveloped so it can be used by future generations.

New Legislation For Female Veterans Care

David Botti — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:12:01 GMT

A group of seven U.S. senators introduced legislation yesterday that would expand Veterans Administration care with programs focusing specifically on female veterans. According to the McClatchy-Tribune News Service, the bill would also mandate available counseling for female victims of sexual abuse and trauma. The news service reported:

Two of the bill's sponsors, Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said they'd attended town hall forums for veterans where men were outspoken about their health problems, but women waited until after the meetings to whisper some of their concerns, including sexual assault.

"Women don't have to whisper to me anymore," Murray said.

The bill, titled the Womens Health Improvement Act of 2008, comes as the number of women using VA healthcare facilities is ever increasing. According to a press release by Sen. Murray's office, the VA estimates female patients will double in the next five years. The press release further quotes Sen. Murray:

“As the Department of Veterans Affairs works to ensure that those who serve our Nation are not left behind, it is essential for them to recognize the physical, mental and reproductive health challenges that face women veterans may require a different menu of services, delivered in a different way than the VA has grown accustomed to."

Writing on TheHill.com earlier this month, Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.) offered up a helpful set of statistics on just how many women veterans are out there serving, or having recently served:

Approximately 70,000 women have served and separated from military service in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF). Among this group, in 2006 nearly 37.2 percent, or 25,960 sought and received healthcare from VA since separation from military service — up from 32.9 percent (15,903) in 2005. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the prevalence of potential Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among new OEF/OIF woman veterans treated at the VA from fiscal year 2002 to 2006 has grown dramatically from approximately one percent in 2002 to nearly 19 percent in 2006.

Late last year in New Jersey, the VA opened its first sexual abuse treatment center focused exclusively on women. The VA's 15 other sexual abuse treatment centers also provide for male patients. As the Associated Press reported last October:

“There’s a lot of women who have residential needs who I think are less likely to come to the VA because it’s literally spending 24-7 with guys,” Miklos Losonczy, one of two VA psychiatrists behind the creation of the treatment center, told The Sunday Star-Ledger of Newark.

Losonczy worried that women veterans who need treatment might not be seeking it because “they think the VA is all men and wonder, ‘Why would I get my military sexual trauma treatment surrounded by men?”’

For a detailed description on Military Sexual Trauma (MST), check out this info from the VA.

A Roundup of Iraq Anniversary Coverage

David Botti — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:13:34 GMT

The fifth anniversary of the Iraq war is about to come upon us, and so too will an endless amount of media coverage on the issue. Later in the week I'll be writing up some personal reflections on the anniversary, but today I've compiled some of the better anniversary stories that have already popped up. First, take a look at NEWSWEEK's in-depth look at where the Army stands (plus these great video interviews with soldiers now in Iraq), and then see below for how other stories address the past five years.

On Sunday The New York Times gave former Baghdad bureau chief John F. Burns a few column inches to give his take on where the war has taken us. Burns penned this article at the war's outset which I've always considered to be an amazing piece of journalism. For Sunday's article, Burns, who spent five years in Iraq, reflects on his position as a journalist covering the war; and on the larger meaning for both the U.S. and Iraq. As his opening line puts it ("Five years on, it seems positively surreal"), Burns seems in awe of the course the war has taken; and frustrated over miscalculations that occurred. He writes of watching the first U.S. air strikes from a Baghdad roof:

...from that first impact, among many on the roof, the mood was scarcely one of cool detachment, or at least not as cautioned as it might have been by the longer-term implications of what we were seeing. Part of it, no doubt, was the air show — the sheer, astonishing, overwhelming demonstration of power, more like an act of God than man, unleashing in those watching from the roof something approaching awe. But the larger part, the one that seems surreal now in the light of all that has followed, was the sense that, with the beginning of the end of Saddam Hussein’s evil, the suffering of millions of ordinary Iraqis that we had chronicled, and pitied, was ending.

For an international view of the fifth anniversary, take a listen to four top BBC journalists who discuss what arose from the rubble of Saddam's regime, and the wider impact on other Arab states. The introductory text to the radio documentary has this telling observation:

It's been said that, if 11th September 2001 was the day the world changed for America, then 20th March 2003 was the day America changed for the world.

IAVA blogger Ray Kimball, an Army major and Iraq vet, reflects on leading his men through the opening days of the war and how he still thinks about the choices he made:

Five years later, looking back on it, different fears come to the fore. Did the choices that I made during those weeks shape what happened later? What could I have done differently? I remember distinctly driving by groups of looters who were busy dragging all they could grab out of government buildings. At the time, I decided that it was probably appropriate that ordinary Iraqis, who had been under Saddam’s thumb for so long, were finally getting some of theirs back. We now know that some of that looting destroyed critical infrastructure that would be vital in the coming months in trying to get a new Iraqi government on its feet. Hindsight is always 20-20, and yet, there is still the nagging feeling that I could have made different choices that might have helped lead to different outcomes.

The LA Daily News provided this look at a group using the anniversary to protest the war as part of a larger, worldwide series of such events. While the protest was attended by celebrities, as well as Vietnam vet Ron Kovic (of Born On the Fourth of July), the article offered a particularly telling moment: when two Iraq vets were noticed watching the protest, the reporter notes:

-"We have a surplus of hippies and a shortage of hand grenades," [the vet] said. He said the war cost him his marriage, and that he saw some of his friends die.

-The back of his sign read, "My sacrifice was not in vain."

-Several protesters walked up and greeted him, said he looked angry and offered him a hug - he declined - and asked how they could make him happy

-His response: "Go home."

New Jersey's Gloucester County Times took a look at how the war has affected a wide spectrum of people: from veterans, to family, to a VA worker. Marine Richard J. Maxie Jr. told the paper:

Despite the calls to bring the troops home, the constant media attention surrounding the war and the coming election, Maxie is steadfast in believing that the troops have accomplished something good in Iraq.

"They only see the bad things," said Maxie said of the media's portrayal of the war. "They don't really know kids are going to school and the Iraqis can go into the streets and not have to watch over their shoulders all the time.

Angelo Romeo, a local VA director, told the paper his impressions of what the newest vets coming home face:

Romeo says of the ones he has talked to that most of them are holding their experiences inside. He recalled hearing an instance about the friend of a new veteran who was complaining about a stressful day at work.

The soldier had served as an explosives detonation expert.

"I've seen them in social situations with their friends from high school and college. There's a bit of a disconnect."

The Iraq war's fifth anniversary isn't the only Iraq anniversary occurring this week. It was 20 years ago when Saddam Hussein killed at last 5,000 Kurds in chemical bombing attacks.

There's sure to be much more Iraq war anniversary coverage through the week. Stay tuned.

In Advance of the War's 5th Anniversary

David Botti — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 19:02:41 GMT

The fifth anniversary of the start of our war in Iraq is a little more than a month away. There will be retrospectives looking back to those early days of shock and awe, in addition to news analysis and the nation's self-reflection. Even a month out from the anniversary, conversations about the upcoming day seem to revolve around the same theme: "can you believe it's already been five years?" It is a sobering thought. And even if you believe in the war, or are staunchly at odds with its premise, five years is a unit of time to view not so much in length, but in the various phases that occurred.

The summer of 2003, as I saw it, was a honeymoon period. The optimism for Iraq's future still ran high (at least in some circles), and at the same time I could see questionable expressions on the faces of Iraq's citizens as we patrolled past them. No one knew how it would all play out. Personally the fragile tensions that held together a shaky peace ended on November 12, when a suicide bomber destroyed the building in An Nasiriyah that at one time was my platoon's headquarters.

Homecoming was also different. There were no VA scandals, or talk of PTSD, or advocacy groups comprised of Iraq veterans. We simply came home and quickly immersed ourselves back into civilian life. To watch how that has changed is to examine the evolution of the war in Iraq and on the home front. To ask a veteran about his or her experiences in Iraq yields not an overall glimpse into the war, but an occasion to see just one phase of it. This is what needs to be remembered as the anniversary coverage begins. I remember seeing soldiers entering Iraq July 2003 and feeling bad for them. They'd missed the defining war of our generation. They would spend a few months in post-invasion mopping up, and go home on the tail end of the operation. Of course, the irony in this cannot be overstated.

We have enough perspective over five years to eschew generic "looks back" for a more nuanced analysis of how our country has fared over this time. It must be broken into phases: the invasion, the time surrounding 2004's battle for Fallujah, the grinding years of 2005 and 2006, the Abu Ghraib and Haditha investigations, and the controversial surge plan that's brought us to this point. At home the fascination with the invasion's pyrotechnics has given way to simply reading of the daily casualty figures ticking away over the news wires. There's also the trends in media coverage to consider, the heightened focus of home front veterans issues, and how artistic mediums have sought to portray the war and inform us.

Looking back on the fifth anniversary means not so much seeing what happened, but understanding how we got to where we are today, and how driven we are to look at Iraq not simply as a war, but as a series of distinct eras.

America's WWI Ties Down to One Vet

David Botti — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 15:54:05 GMT

The timing of deaths among WWI's final survivors continues to be remarkable as today the Associated Press reports only one WWI veteran is now alive in the United States. This comes after the death of Harry Richard Landis, 108, who passed away Monday in a Florida nursing home. Over the past few weeks this blog has covered the deaths of French and German WWI veterans, as well as the last American commander who fought with volunteers in the Spanish Civil War. Our ties to that era are disappearing at an alarming rate. Frank Buckles, 107, is now the final remaining American vet of the WWI era.

As the AP reports, Landis never served overseas but enlisted during wartime in 1918, training as a recruit for 60 days before the armistice came. Here he recalls his unit's final march as the war ended:

“We went down through the girls college, marching down the street. We got down to the courthouse square and there was a wall around this courthouse. We got to the wall and [the drill instructor] didn’t know what to do and we were hup, two, three, four, hup, two, three, four,” Landis said, laughing at the memory. “Finally, we jumped up on the wall and kept going until we got to the courthouse — hup, two, three, four — and he said dismissed.”

Landis tried to sign-up for service in WWII at the age of 42, but was denied for being too old to fight.

Of the roughly 4.7-million Americans who served during WWI, the Veterans Administration told the St. Petersburg Times that spotty record keeping makes it difficult to keep track of how many of these vets are still out there.

The VA tried to reach out and find other survivors last year, said Jim Benson, VA spokesman. There were a few leads, but nothing panned out.
"I think it's amazing for us to realize that you have this population of individuals who served during the first great war, and at that time, it was the war to end all wars," Benson said. "Soon, we will no longer have a living contact. It will all be from the histories left behind."

Vets and Defense Spending Through Proposed Budget

David Botti — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:57:55 GMT

President Bush's release of his $3 trillion budget yesterday included a number of veterans' and military-related provisions. Here's a few of particular interest:

Pay Increase:
For 2009 the new budget seeks a 3.4 percent pay raise for current active duty service members. As the Military Times reports this is the minimum raise allowed under federal law--and some advocates are displeased with the projected numbers. Here's the paper's rundown of sample salaries for the troops in 2009:

An E-4 with more than three years of service now earns $1,949.10 per month; that would rise to $2,015.40 per month on Jan. 1 under the Pentagon plan.
An E-7 with more than 10 years of service now earns $3,263.10 per month; a 3.4 percent raise would turn that into $3,374.10 per month.
An O-3 with more than six years of service now earns $4,763.10 per month; that officer would earn $4,925.10 per month with a 3.4 percent pay increase.

A Hospital
Veterans in the Orlando, FL area are speaking out against what they perceive as the proposed budget's lack of funds for a local VA hospital. As the Orlando Sentinel reports:

President Bush put $120 million in his proposed budget Monday for the long-awaited Orlando VA hospital, but area veterans said they were disappointed that more of the nearly $600 million needed will not come right away. Michael Kussman, undersecretary of health at the Department of Veterans Affairs, said $120 million is all the agency needs this year to begin work on the facility...But area veterans are not so trusting after waiting years for a hospital. Orlando is the largest metropolitan area in the country without a VA hospital, forcing veterans to drive to Tampa or Gainesville for care.

"What a disappointment," said retired Air Force Col. Joseph Kittinger, a decorated veteran. "All of the politicians give lip service to the veterans, but that is all it is, lip service." He added, though, that the $120 million "is a start and better than nothing."

Long-term
The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America took a long-term look at where it sees facets of the budget allocated for veterans ultimately ending up.

For veterans, the 2009 budget provides $47 billion in funding for veterans’ health care, benefits, and other services. This reflects a modest increase over 2008 levels. However, starting in 2010, the budget predicts sudden (and unrealistic) drops in costs for veterans’ care. The administration’s argument is that the deaths of earlier generations of veterans will reduce expenses, but this line of reasoning fails to account for the dramatic increase in the cost of caring for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. This will push future budget expenditures up, not down. Like the budget as a whole, the long-term accounting in the VA budget is improbable.

Defense Budget
For the defense budget itself, USA Today provides a good summary of highlights covering where the money is intended to go:

•Increasing the size of the Army and Marine Corps: $20.5 billion, an increase of $8.7 billion or 73%, compared with 2008. This year, the Army would grow to 532,000 soldiers, and the Marine Corps would increase its ranks to 194,000. By 2012, the plan would be complete, with the Army topping out at 547,000 soldiers, while there would be 202,000 members of the Marine Corps.

•Aircraft and weapons: $45.6 billion, a $4.9 billion increase, that would include purchases of fighter planes such as the F-22A Raptor and F/A-18 Hornet and unmanned aircraft like the Predator and Reaper.

•Cyberspace security: The budget shows at least $65 million for research and development projects tied to computer security. Some elements of the effort are secret, and funding levels are not disclosed.

•Pay and health care: $149 billion to increase salaries and fund health care. Military salaries would increase by 3.4%.

For an overall political view of how things are shaking out, the Associated Press provides this quick piece on reactions to the budget.

The Latest Reports on Army Suicides

David Botti — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:18:40 GMT

Yesterday we learned from the Washington Post of the record-breaking number of Army suicides during 2007. This is the latest edition of veteran suicide news that's made national headlines--further evidence that this is one aspect of the homecoming experience that isn't getting any better despite all the attention.The latest figures as reported by the Post:

In 2007, suicides among active-duty soldiers reached their highest point since the Army began keeping records in 1980.
121 soldiers committed suicide in 2007, a 20 percent increase over 2006.
Attempted suicides or self-inflicted injuries rose sixfold since the Iraq war began: there were 350 cases in 2002 compared to 2,100 in 2007.
Historically, suicide rates within the military decreases during wartime; the current trend is the opposite of that.
In 2001 the suicide rate was 9.8 per 100,000 active-duty soldiers--in 2006 the rate jumped to 17.5 per 100,000.
In 2007 twice as many soldiers committed suicide in the U.S. as they did in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The Post provides this sober passage about a young Army reservist currently hospitalized after her suicide attempt:

On Monday night, as President Bush delivered his State of the Union address and asked Congress to "improve the system of care for our wounded warriors and help them build lives of hope and promise and dignity," Whiteside was dozing off from the effects of her drug overdose.

Taking a look at the issue of veterans suicides it's somewhat alarming to read this USA Today article from 2003. The language, the sense of urgency, the utter surprise in statistical findings can make one wonder if five years from now we'll still be reading the same type of articles--waiting for things to get better. The lead paragraph from the article could easily be substituted for a story about the current findings:

Alarmed by the number of suicides among soldiers in Iraq, the Army has asked a team of doctors to determine whether the stress of combat and long deployments is contributing to the deaths.

Everyone knows it's an issue. But, what can actually be done? Jon Soltz of VoteVets.org has this to say via the Huffington Post:

One very simple idea that would have helped relieve the mental burden of our troops (short of finding a way out of Iraq), and help them get the care that they need, is to give them substantial time off between deployments. Spend two years in Iraq, spend two years at home. And, on the homefront, aggressively test, treat, and monitor troops for mental injuries...

...Even without dwell time, and a much deserved rest for our forces, we have got to be more diligent about mandatory and exhaustive screening of returning troops, and providing adequate care and monitoring.

The Washington Post itself provides a summary of online reader comments for the article, and highlights particular entries. Here's an excerpt:

Our Readers Who Comment for the most part commend The Post and reporter Dana Priest for continuing to report on what happens to mentally and physically wounded soldiers returning from Iraq. They express sympathy for the individual around whom this story is built, call for a change in political leadership, improved patient car...Some contend that such reporting aids the enemy and question the patriotism of the journalist and her news organization. And, as sometimes happens, commenters take the opportunity to issue boilerplate condemnations of the Iraq War, some of which are anti-Semitic.

With almost regular headline-making reports of the suicide issues it can sometimes get confusing where things stand. Here are some key stories to revisit from 2007:

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

NOVEMBER 13 -- CBS News concludes a five-month investigation into the "hidden epidemic" of military suicides.

DECEMBER 12 -- The House Veterans Affairs Committee holds a hearing on how to stop veterans suicides.

A 2007 Timeline of Veterans News

David Botti — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 15:42:48 GMT

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.

In the News: Senate Committee Sends Peake for Full Vote

David Botti — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 16:52:37 GMT

A quick post here to let you know retired Lt. Gen. James Peake was unanimously approved by the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee for becoming VA Secretary. His nomination will now go on to a full vote in the Senate, and he is expected to be confirmed.