Vets fro Peace member gets letter in Friday's Strib pleading for wounded vets

[annm4peace]

Support Our Troops by not Sending Wounded Back to War

U.S. military suicides have claimed more lives than have combat-related deaths in Afghanistan. Why are we sending troubled soldiers back into combat? The American Journal of Public Health this year published a study estimating that 20 to 50 percent of those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). With our military overstretched, many of those same troops are being sent back to war. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said recently that his top priority is addressing soldier suicides, not Afghanistan strategy. In response, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are coming together this week to announce Operation Recovery, a campaign to stop the deployment of traumatized troops. They are calling on the military and our government to stop redeploying troops who already suffer from PTSD, brain injuries or military sexual trauma (from rape by other military members). They are asking members of the public to defend their right to heal from war. I, for one, will be standing with them.

GREGG HARCUS, EDEN PRAIRIE
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call your Rep and Senators,

Here is more on the campaign.

As the United States enters into the 10th year of the War in Afghanistan, the longest war in U.S. history, there are many horrors and injustices to remember: the widespread killing and terrorizing of Afghan civilians, the arrest and torture of thousands of Afghans, U.S. support for the corrupt Afghan government, the death of American soldiers, the redeployment of injured soldiers, the incredible waste of resources and on and on the list continues.

We are joining with our allies at Iraq Veterans Against the War to support Operation Recovery an effort to stop the deployment of traumatized troops. The U.S. military is spread thin on illegal wars - Iraq, Afghanistan and now, Pakistan - the deployment of injured soldiers is essential to continuing these wars. It is time to put an end to this practice.

Please review the message below from our colleagues at IVAW and join their campaign to stop the deployment of traumatized troops. Forward this message to others you think might be interested

Voters for Peace opposes the current wars of aggression, wants to see the wars ended immediately and all U.S. troops brought home.

Sincerely,

Kevin Zeese
Executive Director


On October 7, the 9th anniversary of the Afghanistan invasion, Iraq Veterans Against the War will announce our first-ever strategic campaign, Operation Recovery: Stop the Deployment of Traumatized Troops. We recognize that we must stop the deployment of all soldiers in order to end the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, we see the deployment of soldiers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injuries, and Military Sexual Trauma as particularly cruel, inhumane, and dangerous. Furthermore, we know that without the repeated use of traumatized soldiers on the battlefield, the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan could not continue. This is how we will end these wars, by winning our Right to Heal.

Operation Recovery Announcement

October 7th in Washington DC, IVAW members will assemble at Walter Reed Army Medical Center where we will conduct outreach to soldiers affirming their Right to Heal. After which we will begin a six mile symbolic march from Walter Reed to Capital Hill. With each step of this march we will bring the traumas of war from the failing military health institutions into plain view of generals and lawmakers.

When we arrive at the Capital we will hold a press conference to announce our new National Campaign, Operation Recovery. Ethan McCord and others will give testimony to their experiences of being denied health services and being retained in a traumatic environment or redeployed with ongoing health issues. We will then walk to the offices of each member of the Senate Armed Services Committee to deliver a Notice that the sector responsible for the deployment of traumatized Troops is now on watch and that we are going to find out who is responsible for this inhumane practice and stop them.

We are asking that you prepare to take action with us on October 7th. In the coming weeks we will be asking you to;

o Help us tell the story of the announcement by spreading the word about this campaign to your friends, co-workers, and family;

o Write letters-to-the-editor of your local paper about the issues affecting troops who suffer from military trauma;

o Help identify those responsible for deploying traumatized troops in your local area;

[Echotrail]

1. Wow. I thought they ended "stop loss."

Guess not.