Yearly Archives: 2007

Soldier Says He Was Deployed With Head Injury

After an hour of bench-pressing a log weighing several hundred pounds during Army Special Forces selection training in February 2006, five soldiers lying on their backs at Fort Bragg, N.C., reacted quickly to the next order: “Drop back!” So quickly, … Continue reading

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Senator Reid Offers Bleak Assessment of Iraq War

WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday the war in Iraq is “lost,” triggering an angry backlash by Republicans, who said the top Democrat had turned his back on the troops. The bleak assessment – the most … Continue reading

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Congress to Hold Hearings on Salisbury VA Hospital Deaths

Today’s congressional hearing on patient care problems at the Salisbury VA hospital could be the first of many sessions intended to bring tougher oversight to the nation’s largest healthcare system. The hearings follow Observer stories about accounts of poor treatment … Continue reading

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Injured Troops Struggle to Get Health Care

All Things Considered, April 20, 2007 · When service members are forced to leave the military by war injuries or illness, they face a complex system for getting health and disability benefits. Sometimes, health care gets cut off when new … Continue reading

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Policy Shift in 1985 Cut Disability Retirements

Today’s Disability Retirement Squeeze Began Years Ago        Wary of rising disability retirement costs, the Department of Defense under then-secretary Caspar Weinberger quietly sought and received an internal legal opinion that, to this day, tamps down the number of wounded or … Continue reading

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Editorial – Levin Gives Cheney Reason to Smirk

Never before have I felt such irk from a Cheney smirk — the one with which he confidently assured CBS’s Bob Schieffer on Sunday’s “Face the Nation” that the Democrats will continue to vote to fund the war without including … Continue reading

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Casualty Surge: VA Treats 229,000 Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans

VA lists top reasons troops seek care  Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans no longer in the military are most likely to seek care for musculoskeletal diseases, mental health disorders, and symptoms without an immediate known cause, such as rashes or … Continue reading

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Rural Veterans Lack VA Care, Groups Say

Privatized medicine, by law, may replace Department of Veterans Affairs care only if the VA is not physically available for former service members who live in rural areas. But if veterans are waiting in line for months for initial exams, … Continue reading

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Why Were Soldiers With PTSD Discharged?

Six senators have requested an investigation into what they call “upsetting allegations” that the Army gave personality-disorder discharges to 18 Fort Carson, Colo., soldiers diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries. “There are allegations of commanders at Fort … Continue reading

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Colorado Senate Backs Mental Healthcare for Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans’ Families

(AP)  DENVER  The Senate gave initial backing Tuesday to a proposal that would pay for mental health counseling for the families of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. The proposal (Senate Bill 146) would set up a three-year pilot program in … Continue reading

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