Tonight, HBO will air a new documentary, Wartorn: 1861-2010, on the history of war's after-effects on American veterans since the Civil War--"post-traumatic stress disored", as it is now known. Yesterday, Democracy Now featured an interview with filmmakers:
A new documentary, Wartorn 1861-2010, airing on HBO on Veterans Day, chronicles the lingering effects of war on military veterans throughout American history, from the Civil War through today's conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. We speak with the filmmakers, Jon Alpert and Matt O'Neill, and with the parents of two soldiers who committed suicide after coming home from Iraq.
Guests:
Jon Alpert, 15-time Emmy winner and co-director of Wartorn 1861-2010. He is also the co-founder of Downtown Community Television.
Matt O'Neill, producer of Wartorn 1861-2010.
Cheryl Softich, her son, Noah Pierce, killed himself in July of 2007 after serving in Iraq.
Chris Scheuerman, his son, Jason Scheuerman, shot himself in 2005 after serving in Iraq.
Today, an issue of Random Lengths comes out dealing with WikiLeaks and its lack of impact on the midterm elections. I mention it because one of the main things WikiLeaks has done, IMHO, is substantiate the Winter Soldier testimony of Iraq and Afghanistan vets, which has also been almost totally ignored by corporate media and the political system. Much of what those vets testified about was related to war crimes, just like the original Winter Soldier hearings. The bottom line truth about war crimes is that--with few exceptions--they are driven from the top down. And the bottom line with PTSD is that its primary cause is that soldiers are human, and have a natural revulsion towards killing another human being. It's shooting people, not being shot at, that's the primary cause of PTSD, because those on the front lines are not war criminals at heart. They are being forced or tricked into carrying out the war crimes of their political and military "leaders." And they are, many of them, the last victims of the crimes they have been manipulated into committing.
Author/Journalist Aaron Glanz has covered the war in Iraq, as well its consequences at home, as reflected in the title of his most recent book, The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle against America's Veterans. Most folks here probably know that suicides are a major cause of death among veterans. But Glanz has gone well beyond that to look at a much broader range of life-threatening behavior and its consequences, as shown in the chart:
In the six years after Reuben Paul Santos returned to Daly City from a combat tour in Iraq, he battled depression with poetry, violent video games and, finally, psychiatric treatment. His struggle ended last October, when he hung himself from a stairwell. He was 27.
The high suicide rate among veterans has already emerged as a major issue for the military and the families and loved ones of military personnel. But Mr. Santos's death is part of a larger trend that has remained hidden: a surge in the number of Afghanistan and Iraq veterans who have died not just as a result of suicide, but also because of vehicle accidents, motorcycle crashes, drug overdoses or other causes after being discharged from the military.
An analysis of official death certificates on file at the State Department of Public Health reveals that more than 1,000 California veterans under 35 died between 2005 and 2008. That figure is three times higher than the number of California service members who were killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts over the same period. The Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs said they do not count the number of veterans who have died after leaving the military.
Clearly, this is a problem that exploded during the Bush Administration. But the continued lack of record keeping, as well as the death of Reuben Paul Santos clearly show that the Obama Administration has failed to recognize this situation for what it is: a massive ongoing tragedy. If service members were bring killed in Iraq or Afghanistan at this rate, does anyone imagine that it would be ignored like this? Yet, what is the difference where a soldier or marine dies? What does this tell us about all the public patriotic show of "supporting our troops"???
Here is the beginning of the Democracy Now! interview:
In comments yesterday, someone (I can't find it now) mentioned the case of Alyssa Peterson, one of the first female soldiers to die in Iraq, who committed suicide shortly after witnessing an interrogation session that was more a beating than anything else.
Peterson is emblematic of countless other Americans--in uniform and out--who were confronted with the imperative to torture and otherwise violate the moral and legal principles we are supposed to stand for, and who reacted by fighting back against that imperative.
It's known that PTSD is primarily a response to experiencing and participating in the infliction of violence on others. It is primarily a conscience-based affliction, not a fear-based one. And those who suffer from it all too often do take their lives, as Alyssa Peterson did, or else spend many dark days contemplating doing so.
Every single torturer who is given a pass by Obama's embrace of the Nuremberg Defense represents another insult another attack on those who did not willingly go along, whether or not they found a way to effectively remove themselves from becoming part of the machinery of evil. Every single torturer who is given a pass by Obama's embrace of the Nuremberg Defense represents another bullet in Alyssa Peterson's body, another insult to her honor, her integrity, and her good name.
We need to know about her story, to understand what Obama is doing to her memory, her humanity, her integrity, with every pass he gives to those who tortured when we she refused to.
By Lindsay Beyerstein, The Media Consortium MediaWire blogger.
The $825 billion economic stimulus package is finally taking shape as House committees finalize their contributions to the bill. The good news is that healthcare spending will be a major part of the stimulus: $87 billion has been set aside to help states pay for Medicaid alone.
We come together today to discuss one of the more disturbing things that the Administration has done recently...and for a President who claims he "supports the troops", this story is even more disturbing than usual.
It has his fingerprints all over it, however: laws ignored, rules rendered irrelevant, secrets kept from those who need to know-and ultimately, the cost of his bad decisions are being borne by those who have already paid about a high a price as could be possible in the service of this Nation.
Follow along, my friends, and I will treat you to a magic trick: one in which "Support The Wounded Troops" magically becomes "Screw The Wounded Troops" right before your very eyes...and while you probably won't feel like applauding at the end, it's nonetheless a trick you don't want to miss.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about our launch of the Purple Dog Tag and how the money raised will go to help returning wounded veterans get the care and help they so very much deserve. In fact, the first two beneficiaries are two great groups I encourage you to learn more about, Veterans For America and Fisher House.
Since we launched, we have seen more and more articles and stories about the crisis that is here, tens of thousands, in some estimates hundreds of thousands of returning veterans are in need of care and help and sometimes the need seems overwhelming and we all ask ourselves, what can I do? That's why we created Purple Dog Tag, anyone can buy one for just $5 or $10 and when you wear it, you're telling our wounded warriors - you are not alone and we, as a people and a country, are standing with you and will do so in the future.
We have been very grateful for all the help and support we have received, so many people have pitched in and while we appreciate all of the help, we wanted to especially thank our friends at The Gloucester Street Cigar Company on Gloucester Street near Newbury Street in Back Bay. They took 150 of the dog tags and they sold every one. While in the future we will be using some of the proceeds to cover our hard costs, we thought that this first check should reflect the spirit of help and generosity our friends at The Gloucester Street Cigar Company showed so here is the check I just sent down to Bobby Muller and everyone at Veterans For America. It's not much considering the need but it's a start. If you would like to help, please visit our site - we would love and need your assistance.
Here are the top stories this week related to our soldiers here and abroad, taken from the Our Troops Newsladder.
The VA became embroiled in scandal this week based on an email directing doctors not to diagnose PTSD and instead diagnose an adjustment disorder, a cost-cutting move which was meant to allow the VA to provide fewer benefits. (marinecorpstimes.com)
Here are the top stories this week related to our soldiers here and abroad, taken from the Our Troops Newsladder.
USA Today found that the Pentagon knowingly sent 43,000 troops to Iraq and Afghanistan that were determined to be medically unfit for combat in the weeks prior to their deployment, another sign of the unprecedented stress on our military. (usatoday.com)
The Iraq Winter Soldier hearings took place this week. Independent media were crucial to its occurrence and its viewership. (www.veteransforcommonsense.org)
The Billings Gazette discusses the very successful overhaul of the Montana National Guard's PTSD program. (www.billingsgazette.com)
Sen. Barack Obama spoke in West Virginia on Thursday about the toll the war in Iraq has taken on the economy. With the economy having replaced the war as the voters' chief concern, Obama made a case that a continuation of the war amounts to a continuation of our economic problems. (nytimes.com)
Last, a The New York Times explored the problems widows and parents of fallen servicemen face balancing grief and windfall when they receive $500,000 in survivor benefits.
Veterans of America is proud to sponsor the Our Troops Newsladder, a new tool to find the top news and articles in the progressive community by, about and for our troops.
Here are the top stories this week related to our soldiers here and abroad, taken from the Our Troops Newsladder.
Gen. David H. Petraeus spoke in his sternest terms to date that that "no one" in the U.S. and Iraqi governments "feels that there has been sufficient progress by any means in the area of national reconciliation," or in the provision of basic public services since the surge, despite a reduction in violence. (washingtonpost.com)
On the subject of the war in Afghanistan, President Bush said that he was envious of the troops serving there, trivially describing their mission as something "romantic". (www.outsidethebeltway.com)
A report on sexual assault in the military said that the number of reported assaults had dropped by 9% this year, after several years of increase. In 2006 there were 2,947 reported cases - in 2007 the number dropped to 2688. (www.armytimes.com)
Veterans of America is proud to sponsor the Our Troops Newsladder, a new tool to find the top news and articles in the progressive community by, about and for our troops.
A new report on the mental health of Hurricane Katrina victims shows patterns in the Gulf Coast that are contrary to post traumatic stress disorder usually seen after major disasters. The mental health of Hurricane Katrina victims is worsening with the drawn out recovery time.
You can listen to a discussion of the report at subject link above.
Back on Oct 14th I posted this here, and a few other sites as well as mine, about a Dream and Need by a Gold Star Mom Nadia McCaffrey in Honor to her son Sgt.Patrick McCaffrey, who was killed in Iraq by Iraqi soldiers.
Well now we can view a little of the grounds, and a brand new four story building, donated by an anonymous WWII Veteran. In this report New Veterans Program Helps Heal War Wounds from abc7news.com - San Francisco,CA..
Video below and can also be viewed at station site of report.
(A feature film posted in a diary? I have to give that a shot on the front page. Promotional copy moved to the extended entry. - promoted by Chris Bowers)
STATE BLOGS
Author/Journalist Aaron Glanz has covered the war in Iraq, as well its consequences at home, as reflected in the title of his most recent book, 