Category Archives: Veterans for Common Sense News

April 22, 2008 – San Francisco, CA — The Department of Veterans Affairs is struggling to meet the skyrocketing demand for medical services as an unanticipated flood of former soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan seek help along with a parallel … Continue reading →

April 22, 2008 – Congress held a hearing last week on ways to modernize the benefits claims system at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has a backlog of 600,000 claims and counting. Nothing unusual about that — and that’s … Continue reading →

April 21, 2008 – Staff Sgt. Chad A. Barrett was determined to muddle through a third tour of duty in Iraq. Though his medical records show he suffered from acute post- traumatic stress disorder, had difficulty sleeping and was struggling … Continue reading →

April 19, 2008 – America’s most senior general was “hoodwinked” by top Bush administration officials determined to push through aggressive interrogation techniques of terror suspects held at Guantánamo Bay, leading to the US military abandoning its age-old ban on the … Continue reading →

April 20, 2008 – Spc. Justin Rollins On January 3, 2008, military blogger Major Andrew Olmsted was killed in Iraq. Andrew wrote a blog to be published in the event of his death. While Americans were losing interest in Iraq, Andrew … Continue reading →

San Francisco, CA — A lawsuit charging that the Veterans Administration has fallen down in providing mental health care to returning vets is about to go to trial in San Francisco, and two organizations are asking a federal judge for … Continue reading →

April 16, 2008 – A state Senate bill that provides additional protections for the re-employment of military veterans is headed to Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm for her signature. Senate Bill 192, sponsored by Sen. Jim Barcia, D-Bay City, unanimously passed … Continue reading →

March 30, 2008 – Randy Mills, a Vietnam veteran who lives in Mount Pleasant, occasionally gets newsletters reporting that another veteran committed suicide. “It brings back memories of what we went through there,” Mills said. He was part of an … Continue reading →

April 9, 2008 – US Air Force Reserve Maj. Thomas “Buzz” Rempfer, a 43-year-old Connecticut native, is hoping he is nearing the end of nearly a decade’s perpetual and unprecedented battle with the Pentagon over the legality, safety and effectiveness … Continue reading →

April 17, 2008 – Washington, DC — A study by RAND Corporation said 300,000 American soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering from mental problems such as depression or post traumatic stress. Another 320,000 sustained brain injuries. But … Continue reading →