Our Generation’s Vietnam
“The nation’s hard-pressed health care system for veterans is facing a potential deluge of tens of thousands of soldiers returning from Iraq with serious mental health problems brought on by the stress and carnage of war, veterans’ advocates and military doctors say.
As of Wednesday 5,229 Americans have been seriously wounded in Iraq. Through July, nearly 31,000 veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom had applied for disability benefits for injuries or psychological ailments, according to the Department Veterans Affairs.”
All this while Bush declares “Mission Accomplished” and proclaims he would never commit troops without first making sure America was prepared to go to war. So America, were you prepared?
A Flood of Troubled Soldiers Is in the Offing, Experts Predict
oh my god, did you see “nightline” last night? it was truly disturbing & so sad. it’s a series about the psychological damage of this war, & started last night, but i think will continue.
What is troubling to me, besides this new breeding of the mentally ill that will not be cared for, is that there are already homeless vets from Iraq. I had assumed that when homeless vets from the Iraq war were being spoken about that the Gulf War(I) vets were the ones being focused on. This is not the case. We have troops coming home with mental problems from their tours of duty and they’re being sent out to the streets on their asses. Why? Why is this happening when we have so many people that support not only the troops, but the unjust war? Why are these people, firstly, not sending their children into the military to fight for their cause and, secondly, why are these people not voluntarily taking care of these ill vets? I guess a yellow ribbon magnet is all you really need to show your support for the kids and adults being killed or injured in the Middle East.
I’m sure there’s no study or statistic to prove this but my guess is most of the individuals selfless enough to assist these homeless and mentally ill vets opposed the war and probably continue to do so.