Depleted Uranium Education Project

The Montana Depleted Uranium Education Project put this billboard up.

military families speak out
bake sales for body armor
http://www.thehomefrontwardiaries.com/

QuestionItNow

Is Walter Reed the tip of an iceberg?

"While it's absolutely crucial that the problems at Walter Reed get fixed, they are unfortunately only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to problems with veterans' care. Today the walls will be repainted at Walter Reed, but our troops will still be left with a Veterans Administration that is under-funded, understaffed, and ill-equipped to handle the coming wave of new veterans.

The young men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan will show the scars of war for decades to come, and our country will be judged by how we treat these veterans and their families.

Join us in our efforts to ensure that the mistakes we have seen at Walter Reed will not be repeated. Sign the petition to Secretary Nicholson, head of the VA, calling for increased staffing at Vet Centers.

Established after the Vietnam War, Vet Centers are the primary source of readjustment services for troops returning to civilian life. According to a report prepared for the U.S. House of Representatives, 100% of surveyed vet centers had seen an increase in demand for outreach and services for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. One in five (VA Centers) will have to take actions soon to manage the flood, including 'limiting services and establishing wait lists.'

The same report concluded that 'the Administration's failure to adequately increase staffing and other resources for Vet Centers has put their capacity to meet the needs of veterans and their families at risk.'

As veterans, we're proud of our service. We're thankful to the staff at VA hospitals who work hard every day to do so much with so little. But it's disgraceful for any veteran to receive substandard care. We must act now to prevent that from happening to the other 1.6 million veterans of these wars.

Sign the petition, and pass it on to your friends. Stand with us today and make your voice heard. Together, we can ensure that the travesty at Walter Reed is remembered as the exception to the rule.

Thank you for your support."

Rob Timmins
Iraq Veteran
Field Director
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America


QuestionItNow Blogs

re: Support Our Troops - Get Them Counseling!

You know REB, not only do military men and women need mental health counseling, they need to be screened for depleted uranium exposure, and they need to be tracked for years on that, even if they show negative now.

The difference between a veteran and a combat veteran must be acknowledged by the people of this country and the administration in many terms. Any veteran can tell you; these two vets are not at all the same.

Veterans who do not see combat are little different from anyone else in the general population in terms of their health care needs, physically and mentally combat veterans are very different.

It is time for "We the People" to wake up, and give our combat veterans the care they need. It is time to demand the administration of this country and the VA truly support our troops.

This administration planned for less than 3000 wounded veterans from this war. There are now well over 20,000 of them. There are poly trauma centers trying to deal with injuries that are astronomical in medical scope.

I have seen the results of combat in my husband, in the very little time I have been able to spend with him since he returned from Iraq in November. He doesn't internalize things as some folk do, and I think, over time, he might be ok.... but.... this is not a skill that we can teach people. This is a basic part of personality formation, things either slide off, or don't... and for those who don't have this skill, the results of combat are life long and devastating.

It is imperative that the people of this nation stand up and demand that the yellow ribbon, flag waving patriots of this country learn what people of any other mental health professional can tell them.... combat veterans are expensive in every possible permutation of that word. We need to learn to bear the real cost of them – our brothers and our sisters - because we allowed them to be sent where no one should ever have to go, unless we are in true danger....

QuestionItNow

Support Our Troops - Get Them Counseling!

No matter what is going on in Washington, and in our homes, we need to remember that men and women suffer and will continue to suffer the trauma the War in Iraq has wraught.

I just received the following email from the Iraq Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).

"Dear IAVA Supporter,

A few days ago, we told you about the 2007 IAVA Legislative Agenda, which gives Congress 31 actions they can take to really support troops and veterans. Now, we need your help to make it work.

Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Barack Obama (D-IL) have introduced S117, the Lane Evans Act, which would address one of IAVA's Legislative Priorities: establishing mandatory mental health screenings for all returning combat veterans.

This bill would ensure ALL our troops get the counseling they need when they return home from war. The Lane Evans Act has bipartisan support -- but to get it moving, you need to let your legislators in Washington know that you stand behind it." (more)


QuestionItNow - Still In Iraq

"They are the husbands and wives, the sons and daughters of your neighbors..."

All too often media talking heads, bloggers, and politicians discuss the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan like sports commentators. Face it, we all get caught up in the game of "Monday morning quarterback," the games of second guessing strategic decisions, the game of defending or demeaning the Bush administration.

Too often, we forget that real American men and women fight and sacrifice for the decisions made by people well insulated from the pain, the suffering, and the consequences. Too often, we have not felt the pain and suffering of our fellow Americans. Too often, we forget.

One of our neighbors passionately reminds us all that "there but by the grace of God, go I." Let us never forget to honor and respect those who are really no different from the rest of us, those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

"On Monday, we will be burying another member of our National Guard. He was a man with a family, friends, and a life ahead of him. He was a good man, loved by many, respected by all. He didn't deserve to die there. He didn't deserve to die without his wife holding his hand, without his children’s farewell kiss.

Please remember that when you are talking about the troop buildups and extensions of the National Guard, they are men and women with families, who miss them so much they find it hard to function, to breathe, to put one foot in front of the other without them. They are the husbands and wives, the sons and daughters of your neighbors. They are no different than you, other than they are in uniform. They do a job they either love or hate, may have a totally shitty boss or a really great one who understands them, either do something dangerous and terrifying, or as boring as hell and sometimes both in the same day. They are not saints or sinners. They are human beings with all the good and bad points of every other human. They are Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, or couldn't give a damn about politics. They have either a college degree or a GED, trying to get their degree on line, interrupting their lives to do what they promised when they signed that dotted line and raised their right hand. They were told, one weekend a month, two weeks a year, but knew they could be called on for more. And when they were, they went. They may have bitched and complained but they went.

These are the citizen soldiers of the National Guard, and dammit, you WILL be proud of them, you will treat them with respect and caring."

QuestionItNow