Iraq Vets Come Home Physically, Mentally Butchered- Disability Claims Skyrocket

[Jcrowley]

Iraq Vets Come Home Physically, Mentally Butchered
by Aaron Glantz

<snip>

But the number of injured has far outstripped the dead, with the Veterans Administration reporting that more than 150,000 veterans of the Iraq war are receiving disability benefits.

<snip>

Dr. Imbascini just returned from a four-month deployment to Germany, where he treated the worst of the U.S. war wounded. He said that an extremely high number of wounded soldiers are coming home with their arms or legs amputated. Imbascini said he amputated the genitals of one or two men every day.

"I walk into the operating room and the general surgeons are doing their work and there is the body of this Navy SEAL, which is a physical specimen to behold," he told IPS. "And his abdomen is open, they're exploring both intestines. He's missing both legs below the knee, one arm is blown off, he's got incisions on his thighs to relieve the pressure on the parts of the legs that are hopefully gonna survive and there's genital injuries, and you just want to cry."

According to documents obtained by the National Security Archive at George Washington University, 25 percent of veterans of the "global war on terror" have filed disability compensation and pension benefit claims with the Veterans Benefits Administration.

One is a Jul. 20, 2006, document titled "Compensation and Pension Benefit Activity Among Veterans of the Global War on Terrorism," which shows that 152,669 veterans filed disability claims after fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan. Of the more than 100,000 claims granted, Veterans Administration records show at least 1,502 veterans have been compensated as 100 percent disabled.

<snip>

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36056

Report Indicates that 1 in 4 Veterans of the
Global War on Terrorism Claim Disabilities


Washington DC, October 10, 2006 - One in four veterans
of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars are filing disability
claims, according to records released by the U.S.
Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) under the Freedom
of Information Act after nine months of denying their
existence and posted today on the National Security
Archive Web site.

The VA responded to the Archive's original January
2006 FOIA request for documents about the number of
disability benefits claims filed by veterans from the
current war in Iraq by claiming that no documents
existed, apparently because the reports concern the
Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) rather than being
limited to the Iraq War. Notably, one of the reports
indicates that GWOT is the "military name for the
current wars in and around Afghanistan and Iraq." A
similar report was released in December 2005 detailing
Gulf War veterans' benefit activity. An updated copy
of this report was released in March 2006.

Only after the Archive administratively appealed the
VA's "no documents" claims and advised the VA that it
was prepared to file a lawsuit did the agency manage
to locate the records. One is a January 30, 2006,
document: "Compensation and Pension Benefit Activity
Among 464,144 Veterans Deployed to the Global War on
Terror." It reports that more than 150,000 deployed
Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation
Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) veterans, out of more than
560,000 veterans of the Global War on Terrorism
(GWOT), filed disability compensation and pension
benefits claims with the Veterans Benefits
Administration (VBA). The other is a July 20, 2006,
document: "Compensation and Pension Benefit Activity
Among Veterans of the Global War on Terrorism."

http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/pipermail/lbo-talk/Week-of-Mon-20061009/019957.html

[Reterr]

1. kr.eom

[nam78_two]

2. K&R.nt

[Jcrowley]

3. And still we get this from Rahm Emmanuel

"I am glad the President has realized the need for increasing the size of the armed forces... but this is where the Democrats have been for two years," commented Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the new House Democratic Caucus chairman.) The Democratic leadership promptly pledged to make such an expansion one of its top reform priorities in the New Year.

What Cindy and the other activists did is what we all need to do. Left to itself, the government is going to continue to rubber-stamp the war machine. They will do their job of representing We The People only when We The People make it clear we will let them do nothing else.

:hi: nam78_two

[mmonk]

5. Great post.

[nam78_two]

7. Yup

Specially considering how paltry some of the recent protests I have been to have been :-|!

Hey Crowley! Happy New year to ya :)!

[leftchick]

11. emmanuel gets a pass from too many Democrats

He is harmful to the party and America. He is so very compromised it wafts off of him. I can not believe more people do not see it. Cindy speaks for every person that wants an end to this horror.

Excellent post J.

[madokie]

4. This is all so wrong, only fools could be the cause of something like this

Most Soldiers come home in a box, some of us luckily are still breathing. Not a one of the perpretrators knows what it's like to look over to the guy or gal next to you that you may have only known a few days, weeks or so and you look in each others eyes scared but not wanting to show your weakness as much for them as for yourselves, I must stay strong. No these guys don't know that, never been there.

[Fridays Child]

6. A note to those who are afraid a "surge" will break our military: It's already broken.

And, when one in four soldiers file disability claims, our civilian workforce and our families are also severely injured. This crime against humanity called the war in Iraq will wreak untold, unquantifiable damage upon the United States, for a long time to come.

[democrank]

8. This is gut wrenching.

How in hell can anyone continue to support this war?

[Lars39]

9. Shhh ! The mic is on...we wouldn't want to interrupt a press conference.

[Karenina]

10. Indeed.

'Specially when they may go on record about everything EXCEPT BRINGING THE KIDS HOME. NOW.

[Lars39]

12. .

:kick:

[porphyrian]

13. Good thing they cut veterans' benefits to give the rich consecutive wartime tax cuts.

:eyes:

[Lars39]

14. kick

[Jcrowley]

15. Thanks Lars

Even the US Military has turned on Bush somewhat.

Down on the war
Poll: More troops unhappy with Bush’s course in Iraq

By Robert Hodierne
Senior managing editor

The American military — once a staunch supporter of President Bush and the Iraq war — has grown in creasingly pessimistic about chances for victory.

For the first time, more troops disapprove of the president’s han dling of the war than approve of it. Barely one-third of service members approve of the way the president is handling the war, ac cording to the 2006 Military Times Poll.

When the military was feeling most optimistic about the war — in 2004 — 83 percent of poll re spondents thought success in Iraq was likely. This year, that number has shrunk to 50 percent.

Only 35 percent of the military members polled this year said they approve of the way President Bush is handling the war, while 42 percent said they disapproved. The president’s approval rating among the military is only slight ly higher than for the population as a whole. In 2004, when his popularity peaked, 63 percent of the military approved of Bush’s handling of the war. While ap proval of the president’s war lead ership has slumped, his overall approval remains high among the military.

http://www.militarycity.com/polls/2006_main.php

[Jcrowley]

16. kick

[PA Democrat]

17. Thanks for posting this.

I heard this article being discussed
a few days ago on the radio and wanted to read the entire article.

This is just heartbreaking.