Category Archives: Veterans for Common Sense News

AFGE Urges Congress to Pass Veterans Health Care Budget Reform Act

September 18, 2008, Washington, DC – The American Federation of Government Employees, (AFGE), which represents 180,000 employees throughout the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), today criticized the current discretionary VA funding process and urged Congress to move on the Veterans … Continue reading

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VA Secretary Establishes ALS as a Presumptive Compensable Illness

September 23, 2008 – Veterans with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may receive badly-needed support for themselves and their families after the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that ALS will become a presumptively compensable illness for all veterans with … Continue reading

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Group of Veterans Call for Bush Impeachment

September 23, 2008 –  Five war veterans have begun a 24-hour hunger strike at the National Archives to protest what they call President George W. Bush’s violations of the Constitution. Members of Veterans For Peace climbed a nine-foot fence early … Continue reading

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Study: VA Doctors Offer Veteran Patients Scant Empathy During Exams

September 22, 2008 – During an appointment with his doctor, a man diagnosed with lung cancer sounded dispirited when talking about what cigarettes had done to him. “I was always told I had a good strong heart and lungs. But … Continue reading

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VA to Increase Disability Payments Benefits for Mild Brain Trauma

September 22, 2008, Washington, DC – The government plans to substantially increase disability benefits for veterans with mild traumatic brain injuries, acknowledging for the first time that veterans suffering from this less severe version of the Iraq war’s signature wound … Continue reading

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Veterans for Peace Convention Explores Military Suicide Epidemic

September 22, 2008 – The United States must be better prepared to provide not only care for physical wounds but also better mental health support for soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, according to VFP, citing 6,256 military suicides documented … Continue reading

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University of California at Berkeley Offers Class to Help War Veterans Feel at Home

September 21, 2008 – UC Berkeley is 7,450 miles from Baghdad – a long way by any measure. For veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, that distance pales compared with the chasm between military and student life. A … Continue reading

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Sep 22, Editorial Column: Casualties and Costs Rise as Iraq and Afghanistan Remain Mired in Brutal Wars

On September 17, 2008, an editorial in the Austin American-Statesman newspaper declared, “Amid Election Noise, a Quiet Victory.”  The editorial concluded that, “After more than five years of bloodshed and the expenditure of billions of dollars, the U.S. involvement in … Continue reading

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Afghanistan War Chaos: Pakistan Troops Fire on U.S. Military Helicopters Flying into Pakistan

Monday, September 22, 2008, Islamabad, Pakistan (Reuters) – Pakistani troops fired on two U.S. helicopters that intruded into Pakistani airspace on Sunday night, forcing them to turn back to Afghanistan, a senior Pakistani security official said on Monday. It was … Continue reading

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Marine’s Death, After Five Combat Tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Shows Tragic Results of PTSD

September 22, 2008 – Travis Twiggs, a Marine veteran of five tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, drove his car over the roadside curb and stopped at the rim of the Grand Canyon. His older brother, Will, was in the passenger … Continue reading

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