http://thedailylight.com/articles/2007/10/23/dailylight/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/letter1.txtTo the Editor,
The number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seeking treatment for PTSD from the Veterans Administration has risen 70 percent. That is 20,000 in the 12 months ending June 30. More than 100,000 veterans — about one out of seven of those who have served and left active duty — have sought help for psychological disorders since late 2001 — which was the start of the war in Afghanistan. This does not count active duty troops, or those who have sought treatment from other sources.
The overall number of mental health cases among war veterans grew by nearly 60 percent from 63,767 on June 30, 2006, to 100,580 on June 30, 2007, VA records show. The mental health issues include PTSD, drug and alcohol dependency and depression.
This is indicative of a larger problem — one caused by fatigue, long, repeated periods of separation from families, and lies told to justify this war. Our servicemen feel betrayed by the government that they swore to protect and defend. Our representatives have not done a good job of “Supporting Our Troops” by allowing infinite deployments and stop-loss to exist and by failing to fund the Veterans Administration adequately in anticipation of 1.5 million new veterans.
And we, America, have failed them.
We have failed to hold our elected officials responsible for this fiasco. We have turned our heads to the ugliness that is death and war. We wave a flag and consider our job done. There are two organizations I belong to and would invite you to explore: the Veterans for America (www.veteransforamerica.org) and National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (www.nchv.org). Both address the wounds of war, both visible and invisible.
Remember, “Support Our Troops” doesn’t stop when the troops come home.
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