THE MOUNTING COSTS OF WAR

[surfermaw]

Source: Charlotte Observer, Associated Press

THE MOUNTING COSTS OF WAR
WOUNDED
Veterans hurt in mind, body suffering economic injuries, too
JEFF DONN AND KIMBERLY HEFLING
Associated Press

TEMECULA, Calif. --He was among America's first defenders on Sept. 11, 2001, a Marine who pulled bodies from the ruins of the Pentagon. He saw more horrors in Kuwait and Iraq.

Today, he can't keep a job, pay his bills or chase thoughts of suicide from his tortured brain. In a few weeks, he might lose his house.

Gamal Awad -- the American son of a Sudanese immigrant -- exemplifies an emerging group of war veterans: the economic casualties.

More than in past wars, many wounded troops are coming home alive from the Middle East, a triumph for military medicine. But they often return hobbled by prolonged physical and mental injuries from homemade bombs and the anxiety of fighting a hidden enemy along blurred battle lines.

These troops are just starting to seek help in large numbers, more than 185,000 so far.

The cost of their benefits, which eventually could be as much as fighting the Iraq war, is testing resources set aside by government and threatening the future of these wounded veterans for decades to come, say economists and veterans groups.

"The wounded and their families no longer trust that the government will take care of them the way they thought they'd be taken care of," says veterans advocate Mary Ellen Salzano.

How does a war veteran expect to be treated? "As a hero," she says.

In Awad's case, he needs to think of a reason each morning not to kill himself.

He stews alternately over suicide and finances -- his $43,000 in credit card debt, his $4,330 in federal checks each month.
http://www.charlotte.com/288/story/299532.html


Read more: http://www.charlotte.com/288/story/299532.html

[Toots]

1. How does a war veteran expect to be treated? "As a hero," she says

Why? Just because a person joins the military they are supposed to be some sort of hero? A hero is someone that has done a heroic deed IMO and you take from an actual hero by declaring everyone is a hero..While I believe service to your country is noteworthy and honorable it is not heroic..IMO

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Surely you can agree we need to take better care of our veterans.

I believe that is the focus of the article.

[Toots]

3. Of that I have no qualms.

My only qualm is the incessant over glorification of our military. While many are indeed great heroes that have risked their lives to save other lives not all soldiers do that. Some just stay in the motor pool or in the supply warehouse. While it may take courage to drive a supply truck on a road known to have enemy activity it is not heroic IMO..Courage and heroism are not interchangable words.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Well I know for a fact that recruiters lie to these kids

So I assume that many of our soldiers are in the military to pay for college or get massive amounts of money or any of the other false bribes offered to them. I also am repulsed by the glorification of our military but I know our soldiers are just people and most are there just doing a job. It's a job I would never choose but a job nonetheless.

[superconnected]

8. True. But, it's like smokers dying of lung cancer.

I have to feel sorry for them, but they were the person who smoked for 40 years.

Well, a soldier going off to war to become a hero who was fine to begin with and all F-ed up now sort of looks like it came from a choice they made and not wholly on the broken system they made their choice in.

[scarface2004]

4. that s what you get for following illegal orders...

screw the fascist military...taking orders from the criminal in the whitehouse

[surfermaw]

6. The idea if the story is how our wounded men are treated

If we take them off and get them wounded, so badly they can't care for themselves, then this country should take care of these men. they should be given the best of the best limbs to restore them as best we can. It is a disgrace to take 85,000 young men and destroy their health and them throw them out to fend for themselves, read the whole story and you will get the meaning of what I posted.

[Javaman]

7. We are so screwed.

If this war ever ends, the fallout will be epic, both socially and financially. House of cards? Pffft! House of multi ton boulders held up with toothpicks.

[superconnected]

9. When I was a kid in the 1970's and even in the 1980's there were

shootings going on in fast food joints that were often vietnam vets who had not been taken care of mentally/financially/physically. It was a latent thing that came out in them to be angry and kill random people - ie anyone in a mcdonalds.

There were also a high number of homeless people that were vets. They were too mentally f-ed up to manage themselves.

[bemildred]

10. Cannon fodder is fungible. nt