Healing Combat Trauma

Senators Ask for Investigation into Veterans' Care

Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) ask for an investigation into the substandard care veterans are receiving.  See this press release from Sen. Patty Murray's office for further info.  Their concerns target the National Naval Medical Center, aka "Bethesda Naval Hospital," not just Walter Reed, which has been in the national spotlight recently, thanks to the recent investigative series in the Washington Post.

Says Senator Mikulski, "“We have a sacred trust with the veterans who risked their lives so that we may live in freedom. Part of that sacred trust is making sure we provide our veterans with the services and support they need, on the battlefield and at home,” said Senator Mikulski. “Our veterans need to know that America is with them, and that we owe them a debt of gratitude. I will continue to fight for our true American heroes.”

Is it wrong to feel that it's slightly disingenuous/politically expedient for recently-announced presidential candidate Barack Obama (D-IL) to be introducing legislation on behalf of veterans' care?  The issue has been around for a while, though it's suddenly higher profile this week, thanks to the investigative work of the Post's newsteam.

Army Secretary Vows to Fix Walter Reed

As surprising, aka unbelievable as it might seem, the Army Secretary, Francis Harvey, says in CNN's top story tonight that he "just learned" about the deplorable conditions at Walter Reed's building 18, for outpatient veterans, when the Washington Post broke the news in their series over the weekend.  A big round of "hmmmmnn..." greets that particular news.  Still, it's good that he means to take care of the sitaution.  Except that it's also a tad Katrina-esque (Michael Brown-esque?) not to know what the conditions on the ground in an area you're responsible for actually are.  When you're in the same town and all.  Etc.

Outpatient Hell at Walter Reed

The Washington Post has an excellent article today about the hell that is outpatient care for wounded military at Walter Reed.  Required reading.  An equally good article by the same authors is on the experience at the related Mologne House Hotel.

Recently the IAVA also recommended an entire slate of items to the current Congress -- a legislative agenda geared to taking care of veterans.  Read more about that here.

Children of War -- Traumatized

Great article in the Guardian today -- British paper -- about the generation of Iraqi children growing up traumatized by the current war.  Click here to read.  One quote from the article suffices: ""Sherif Karachatani, a psychology professor at the University of Sulaymaniya, said: "Every day another innocent child is orphaned or sees terrible things children should never see. Who is taking care of the potentially enormous damage being done to a generation of children?"