What's New
| Congressman Mitchell: Pausing to Consider People Who REALLY Matter |
Chairman Harry Mitchell is a Hero to Veterans Nationwide August 20, 2010 (Arizona Republic) - It's been a month since I spoke to Rep. Harry Mitchell about suicides among military veterans and I'm just getting around to writing something. |
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| What Obama Won't Say Tonight About US Withdrawal from Iraq |
| August 31, 2010 (ConsortiumNews) - President Barack Obama’s aides say his speech this evening marking the end of "combat operations" in Iraq will avoid the vainglorious aspects of President George W. Bush’s infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech in 2003. We’ll see. |
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| Lawsuit Update: Prudential's Half-Billion in Dirty Secret Profits |
Families of Dead Soldiers Sue Insurer Over Its Handling of Survivors’ Benefits August 29, 2010 (New York Times) - Vickie Castro’s only child was killed six years ago just before Christmas, when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside an Army mess tent in Mosul, Iraq, killing more than 20 people. |
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| Op-Ed: Cost of War Must Also Include Caring for Our Veterans |
Overlooked Cost of Iraq / Afghanistan Wars: Our Veterans' Healthcare and Benefits August 15, 2010 (San Francisco Chronicle) - Two years after an Army specialist saw half his platoon torn apart in Iraq, he hanged himself in a California backyard. |
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| VA Secretary Shinseki's Open Message to Gulf War Veterans |
| August 11, 2010, Washington, DC (VA Press Release) - August 2010 marks the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Gulf War, launched with Operation Desert Shield and followed by Operation Desert Storm. VA honors this milestone with a renewed commitment to improving our responsiveness to the challenges facing Gulf War Veterans. |
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Willow Springs War Vet Drives to D.C. on Tractor for VA...
Written by Jessica Nahmias
Friday, 07 August 2009 09:20
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August 5, 2009 - Matt Letterman says he has been trying to get his VA benefits for years. At 45, he's suffered two heart attacks in the past month, can't sleep lying down because of pain, and sometimes has to use a wheelchair, among other health problems. The cause of his multiple symptoms, he says, is Gulf War Illness. A clinical term determined by doctors and Congress to diagnose Gulf War Veterans who have presented with a range of symptoms that are unexplainable.
"I want to secure my family's future in case something happens to me," said Letterman, on Capitol Hill on Thursday. But the way he got to the Capital, with the will and persistence of a soldier, surprised many Washingtonians. "I came on a tractor," he said, "it was my only means of transportation...it was not a publicity stunt," Letterman added. He pulled into Virginia at 3:30 A.M. Wednesday night, to be greeted by fellow Gulf War Veteran Steve Robinson. The two had never met before, but Robinson, so touched by Letterman's story, took him in for the night and to Capitol Hill on Thursday to help get his story out. Letterman attended a Gulf War Illness research hearing on Capitol Hill on Thursday, and met with a top staffer at Senator Kit Bond's office. By the end of the day he secured most of what he had come for. He now has a Compensation and Pension Exam scheduled for next week, and has been promised his case and medical records will be transferred to Washington. But Robinson says Letterman is not in good health after making the trip, more than 1000 miles, in a tractor. Letterman says he slept in his tractor and drove 16 hours most days. While Robinson says both he and Letterman are happy with the progress made Thursday, it does not undo what has happened to him. Letterman, who might be staying at a residential in-patient Gulf War program known as WRIISC, is waiting for his Service Connection, which he says will cover his medical bills and help to take care of his family. Ozarks Fox tried to contact the Department on Veterans' Affairs for comment, but they were unavailable. They did, however, respond to Letterman through a letter, which is posted on his blog. Part of the letter, signed by Keith D. Stabler of the Department of Veterans Affairs, reads: "[I want] to assure you that Mr. Letterman's case was reviewed thoroughly, and with a great deal of compassion. There was simply no more favorable resolution possible at that time." Last fall, Letterman testified at a hearing in the Capitol, and said he felt hopeful when he left, but he says nothing materialized from his trip. "Last fall I left Washington on a promise... but this time I won't leave on a promise. I will leave Washington, D.C. with my service connection," he said.
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