Is the U.S. prepared for the oncoming wave of Iraq war vets?

[AbsoluteArmorer]

Myself and other war vets have discussed this very matter that is sadly approaching Americans in the very near future. The expected huge wave of new war vets that will burdened our already financially burdened society. Many Dems and Liberals are aware of this for they have a more 'honest clear thinking mind' than those ignorant self serving Republican bastards, but the Republicans simply throws us into turmoil to deal with it after the fact while they live off the monies they steal from us everyday. Well it worked out ok after the Vietnam War but that's because this society wasn't faced with this unGodly huge deficit and badly shrinking dollar not to mention the disappearing half way decent paying jobs. That wave of new veterans will cause us serious problems, and we better be prepared for it because it will not be pretty at all.




http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13319120/site/newsweek/

Supporting the Troops

The yearly cost of unemployment benefits for disabled military personnel has ballooned to $3 billion. Is the U.S. prepared for the oncoming wave of Iraq war vets?

By Martha Brant
Newsweek
Updated: 1:20 a.m. ET June 18, 2006


In a much-anticipated report issued last month, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) criticized the VA's unemployability benefits for having unclear guidelines and weak follow-up. They found the big jump in those receiving benefits particularly troubling at a time when "advances in medicine and technology, along with labor market changes, have provided greater opportunity for people with disabilities to seek and maintain employment." Even the VA concurred with the criticism. "The VA should look at the program as an opportunity to return people to work if they can," says Cristina Chaplain, a GAO director and author of the May 30 report

[90-percent]

1. Simple answer???

No. Our leaders lack the imagination to consider such a possibility.

-85%

[Benhurst]

2. Of course not. NT

[Buxtehude]

3. Nope. n/t

[DELUSIONAL]

4. They have NEVER been prepared to help Vets transition

BACK into civilian life.

After retiring from the military -- WWII, Korea, Cold War, Vietnam War -- my father went into a deep depression. He had spent nearly his entire life in the military being told what to do and when to do it-- and suddenly he was cut loose. RETIRE! Expected to be a civilian.

Now we have Vets -- some of whom have seen the worst of the very worst of what humans can do to each other. . . . .

And then there are the dependents . . . and then is even less help for the trauma that the families will endure.

The after effects of this invasion and occupation will go on for years for the Vets and family -- because each individual is part of a family. And when one individual is suffering -- everyone suffers to different degrees.

This is bush's war -- and there is no punishment perfect to fit ALL of his crimes. And I want him to live for a very long time -- I want him to somehow be aware that he is a complete and utter failure as a "leader".

[Monkeyman]

5. Waiting list are getting bigger and bigger

The Returning troops as we know will face the two week dance.600,000 last year alone denied or put on wauting list.All four VSO's are in a fight with Chairman Buyer Veterans Committee but still won't fight back.I am the Head of Veterans for Progress IL. Brothers the fight is real an on.We got to take the House back in 2006.We have lost a great one to illness Lane Evans Ranking Member of Veterans Committee he is going out with a fight.Lets join him tell Congress insure funding or get voted out.

[XForce]

6. America is not prepared!

I totally agree with this article for which we are about to endure with the oncoming huge burden from these new Iraq/Afghanistan vets who'll return someday soon as only more will follow in a constant buildup of vets in need of medical help and financial assistance, not to mention housing and jobs.

Thanks for posting the article.

[Major Hogwash]

7. Of course not.

The Bush administration has increased the costs to veterans to use the VA benefits that were promised to them to be free for life!

That's just to start with.

Then the Bush administration has shut down 3 VA hospitals in the last 2 years during the Iraq War.
There's no sense in shutting down VA hospitals during a war.

The Bush administration doesn't care about veterans.
Bush is AWOL on this issue, too.

[Monkeyman]

8. Brother they are all ready being put on waiting list

Don't even think about claiming PTSD they give you hell. Over 600,000 veterans just last year were denied or put on waiting list.

[Army_doc101]

9. Coming Home Soon

Hello all,

Before I begin I want to say that I am new to this board. Being a Noncommissioned Officer and a professional, I will admit my mistakes. My major mistake was voting for George W. Bush....twice. I have learned from my mistake, and will vote for the person not for the party this time around.

I am an active duty SSG here in Baghdad with the 101st. Airborne. I am coming to the end of my second deployment here. My job here has been to train Iraqi medics. I have spent this past year fighting along side the Iraqi Army, patching up their wounded, and bagging their dead. You can give a person all the training in the world. Like we say in the Army Technically and tactically proficient. I have made this medical platoon technically sound. They know their job. I can't give them the heart to fight. No matter how many times they see me risk my ass for their brothers it still doesn't make a difference. It all changed about two months ago. I was shot retrieving one of their wounded. He was badly wounded by enemy gunfire to his thighs. He had arterial bleeding and couldn't be moved without placing tourniquets on him. I was shot after placing the second one on. I caught it in the shoulder, and was able to move myself and him to cover. I still have no problem treating them if their medics won't do it. The difference is that I won't be running through a hail of gunfire to do it. I will do it for one of MY soldiers. They will have to retrieve him and bring him to a Casualty collection point that I have designated specifically for that.

My upper echelon has noticed the change in my attitude, and asked why the change. It wasn't getting shot; that had something to do with it. It made me think while I was on a treatment table getting a 7.62 round extracted from my shoulder. I had to make an analogy.... sometimes it takes that for a field grade officer to understand. I asked him how he learned to ride a bike. He did just like I did. My father put training wheels on the bike and I rode like that for a while. The wheel prevented me from falling over and skinning my knees. When the fateful day came that my dad took off the training wheels, he grabbed the back of my bike and ran behind me as I pedaled. I asked him how tired his father would have been if he had to run behind his bike every time he wanted to ride it. He would be pretty damn tired. If we don't let them do their own support by fire, they will always depend on American weapons to do it for them. They have no concept of a maneuver element. We always end up doing it so we don't get overwhelmed. We are tired from holding the back of that bike for a year. They have a 900 man battalion, we are 17 with 4 Humvees. They have Up armored Humvees now with weapon systems mounted. Yet we still hold the back of the bike and run with them. I let go of the bike the day I got shot, they manage. They police up their own now because they know that I am not going to do it.

It's time to let go of the bike. They have the skills....we taught them. Give them a chance to employ it tactically. If we don't we are going to be here for a long, long time.

[Ezlivin]

10. Welcome to DU!

I'm sure that a lot of the other veterans on this board will tell you the same thing: We've made mistakes.

The main thing to bear in mind is that we raised our right hands and swore to uphold the Constitution. Yeah, we may have criminals in office now but the Constitution is just as good as the day it was written. It's worth staying in the fight for (and don't read that to mean "worth staying in Iraq for").

When we served we watched out for our fellow soldier/sailor. That won't end when you get out. We'll keep right on watching each other's "six".

[AbsoluteArmorer]

11. tip of the helmet and a question

(Army_doc101 quote) Before I begin I want to say that I am new to this board. Being a Noncommissioned Officer and a professional, I will admit my mistakes. My major mistake was voting for George W. Bush....twice. I have learned from my mistake, and will vote for the person not for the party this time around.

It wasn't getting shot; that had something to do with it. It made me think while I was on a treatment table getting a 7.62 round extracted from my shoulder (end quote)

Hope you make it back safe troop.

I respect that you admit making mistakes voting for this very wrong administration... twice! Shows character. I did not vote for Bush. I would have considered McCain in 2000 if he wasn't Swiftboated and Bushwhacked like he was. Reason was, he was going after big corp money and lobbyist in DC. The corruption!!

I'm wondering how you took a 7.62mm round ..... was this accidental friendly fire? Just curious.

Ever wonder where you will end up when you return home after Bush has wrecked our society? I take it you'll remain in the service being a career NCO.

All the Way!

[Army_doc101]

12. Reply to AbsoluteArmorer

"I'm wondering how you took a 7.62mm round ..... was this accidental friendly fire? Just curious."


As I was treating the Wounded Iraqi soldier, I took hostile fire from a balcony above my position. It was definitely hostile fire. It entered at a downward angle. If it came from straight on it would have gone through and through. I have the round that was extracted from my shoulder. It was from an AK-47.

[AbsoluteArmorer]

13. appreciation

I appreciate your explanation. Thanks. I'm glad that the round wasn't about 4"-6" towards the center of your body or you may not be here posting on DU. I appreciate your service of course.

Do you feel that once you're back home, you'll be supported in your efforts to make the proper adjustments back into civilian life under the current circumstances of our govt today?

[Army_doc101]

14. I'll Support Myself

"Do you feel that once you're back home, you'll be supported in your efforts to make the proper adjustments back into civilian life under the current circumstances of our govt today?"


Quite Frankly Armorer I plan on using the Government just as they used me. I plan on staying in the military. I have been in for a little over ten years now. I am about to go indef on my next Re-up. My next assignment is a cushy job in an Army hospital on an east coast recruit training post. I won't see Iraq again for quite sometime. I now have the time to finish the two courses that are need for the Army Physician Assistant Program. Once accepted and the course is completed I will be a board certified Physician Assistant. Once retirement comes I will collect my retirement pay, and have a very marketable job to boot. Might as well use Uncle Sam for the free masters degree just like he used me for for this war.

As far as adjusting to civilian life, I joined the Army at a late age (34). I served in the Corps for 6 years back when I was 18, and that time counts. I had 7 years broken time. I joined after losing a brother in the WTC on 9-11. I know I won't have a problem adjusting. Leaving this armpit and adjusting to garrison life will be a challenge. The first time I was here it was easy due to the lack of "action" as you would call it. I was in 1 firefight that lasted minutes last time. This time though it will be different adjusting. I spent the last 9 months in one engagement after another, sometimes two in a day, one lasted over 8 hours straight. I have seen my friends wounded and give me that " Don't let me die Doc" look; none did thankfully, due to my care, and the care that the incredible medics at the 10th CSH administered. I have seen dozens of Iraqi soldiers die in the most violent of ways. I have responded at the scenes of Iraqi on Iraqi violence and have seen hundreds wounded, many of them kids with amputated limbs. That will bother me the most. The vision of those suffering kids is something that is burned into my mind. Three more months left in this armpit of a country.

Don't let the present administration fool you. The civil war has begun. By waiting so long to react to this Iraqi on Iraqi violence we fed the flames. As long as they weren't shooting at us it wasn't a problem to the brass. In fact for months they denied that there was even a problem in our AO, despite the reports that we sent to them. By waiting so long we have legitimized the Shia militias. The Jaysh Al-Mehdi to be precise. They have vast numbers, and are constantly entering this predominately Sunni area and kidnapping and executing civilians by the hundreds. The funny part is that we can't even call it murder in our reports. We have to call it some buzz word that a field grade officer made up while sitting in his air conditioned office. We now have to call it an EJK: Extra Judicial Killing. That has to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. A murder is a murder. We have failed these people. They are not ready for democracy, not how they interpret it. They want a theocracy not a democracy. Their Inshallah attitude is their downfall.

[AbsoluteArmorer]

15. a fine report

Again, that was an excellent report back from you ArmyDoc. I'm understand your stance about using the govt as they have used you and since you are in the medical field, you should have no problems successfully climbing any ladders back in the world with your military resume behind your back.

I also appreciate your honesty about the situation in Iraq. For the most part, many Progressive Liberals and Independents know exactly the real score going down in Iraq today. Yes it is a civil war and has been for some while. It's mostly command failure that has caused all things to go wrong, including most of all, this administrations failure in just about anything it touches. Do know that we are not seeing the US troops as failures, but the Pentagon and most commanders involved. The upper brass who has their heads stuck in Bush/Cheney's ass. Unlike Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan Vets will not be burdened with failure in the ME. We know who to correctly blame.

I found your report so good, that I wish to use excerpts from it in a few other Progressive message boards. I will withhold your user name unless you state here that you are fine with me using your user name whenever I post excerpts from your post.

Thanks for sharing the inside of Iraq with us here.

[Army_doc101]

16. Reply to AbsoluteArmorer

"I found your report so good, that I wish to use excerpts from it in a few other Progressive message boards. I will withhold your user name unless you state here that you are fine with me using your user name whenever I post excerpts from your post."

Armorer I would prefer that you didn't use my user name when you post excerpts. Our brigade commander has given a cease fire on all blogging and forum posting. As you can see I don't care, you can post all the excerpts you like, just leave the name out so I can keep my rank.

I will post more updates in a few days. Due to OPSEC reasons I want to wait a few days before I post reports from here. I will have some good stuff for you in few days.

Out here....

[AbsoluteArmorer]

17. request honored

I respect your request for it's a standard call of courtesy between veterans. I also request that other posters and veterans here in DU respect ArmyDoc's wishes about withholding his user name in any mentioning of his reports from Iraq.

I know of a contractor who has gone into the Green Zone of Baghdad since almost two years ago. It's been reported that the Green Zone has become less safer than when it first was created. In fact the Green Zone was said to be unsafe since the spring or summer of '05 and much worse now. Can you add to that ArmyDoc?

How is word of reported atrocities committed by our Coalition forces in Iraq being addressed by troops that you speak with over there? Do they acknowledge it and realize that it's going on or do they ignore most of those reports and consider them to be just rumors?

Upon your return from Iraq, do you expect the VA services to be the same as before you left for Iraq or have you found out that serious cutbacks have taken place which is predicted to short change Iraq/Afghan Veterans of services needed.

Thanks