• Orange Victims Fund
• Leukemia, Agent Orange link found , defoliant CLL, Hodgkin's disease,
• 
• Admiral Zumwalt: ".....government's exoneration of Agent Orange was “politically motivated to cover up the true effects of dioxin, and manipulate public perception.”  and see Mindfully.org

• National Acadamy Press
• 
• VeteransResources search biological and chemical testing under Projects Shad and 112
• Wikipedia, Agent Orange "Studies of populations highly exposed to dioxin, though not necessarily Agent Orange, indicate increased risk of various types of cancer and genetic defects; the effect of long term low level exposure has not been established. Since the 1980s, several lawsuits have been filed against the companies who produced Agent Orange, among them being Dow Chemical, Monsanto and Ultramar Diamond Shamrock (produced only 5% [1]). U. S. veterans obtained $180 million in compensation in 1984, while Australian, Canadian and New Zealand veterans also obtained compensation in an out-of-court settlement the same year"

• Army Public Affairs ARNews,   
• Dept of Defense official website, global war on terrorism top priority
• JunkScience "The Committee has determined that there is "limited/suggestive evidence of an association between" exposure to Agent Orange and the birth defect, spina bifida"
• Military Report
• National Academies of Science being sued to release info on guinea pig soldier testing
• National Academies of Science, PNAS procedures of NAS
• National Center for Biotechnology Information National Library of Medicine, NIH
• Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, commander of U.S. Navy in Vietnam and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, charged that the government's exoneration of Agent Orange was “politically motivated to cover up the true effects of dioxin, and manipulate public perception.”
• Monsanto
• Whitehouse, Kennedy, Nixon, Johnson

• AP The Australian defence department on Monday denied testing the powerful defoliant Agent Orange in rainforest near a town in the country's far northeast during the Vietnam War.  ...  Defence officials were asked to investigate whether the toxic chemical had been tested near the Queensland town of Innisfail following media reports that it had been trialled there in 1966.  ... The media reports said that foliage in the area, which is about 100 metres (yards) from the town's water supply, had never properly regrown after the testing.  But the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) said Agent Orange had never been used in or near Innisfail.  "DSTO's search of archived reports shows that no trials have been carried out by defence scientists in the Innisfail area using Agent Orange," a defence spokesman said in a statement.  ....  The military conducted "one small-scale defoliation trial" in an area near Innisfail in 1966 to test the performance of herbicides in regular use in the farming and forestry industries, he said.  "Small quantities of commercially available chemicals, Diquat, Tordon and Dimethyl sulfoxide were used," the spokesman said.  ....  "Small quantities of commercially available chemicals, Diquat, Tordon and Dimethyl sulfoxide were used," the spokesman said. "Contrary to media reports, the herbicide 2,4-D -- a component of Agent Orange -- was not used in this trial."  Agent Orange, widely used by US forces in Vietnam to clear jungle cover, contains the extremely toxic chemical dioxin. 

• Sen. Paul Wellstone (1944-2002) introduced the Veterans Bill or Rights.  See Wellstone.org

• You Tube  
• Brian Moran  House Democratic Leader Ward Armstrong and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Brian Moran announced they would support a Virginia Military Veterans’ Bill of Rights
• GI Bill website  The National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 contains many important changes to GI Bill benefits for reservists, for more information click HERE.
• Wikipedia Veterans Bill of Rights, Canada

• Military.com  Veterans Bill of Rights, sign petition

• From: Jim Baldridge <JAMBAL@jhmi.edu> Baltimore United For Peace and Justice is presenting the screening and discussion of "Winter Soldier" to support Iraq Veterans Against the War's 2008 "Winter Soldier" hearings on the completion of the fifth year of occupation following the invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003.  The historical significance of IVAW's Winter Soldier hearings cannot be overemphasized. Just as VVAW's hearings in 1971 were done to present the hidden truth of what Americans were doing and being told to do in Vietnam, and being told to cover up, IVAW will be conducting hearings on the hidden truths of what American service members are going through in Iraq and Afghanistan, what they are doing, what is being covered up by the government, military leadership and the mainstream media. Please join us to help support IVAW and their important work. There is no admission cost, but we will be taking a collection and encouraging people to volunteer some support.  Jim Baldridge Veterans For Peace Vietnam Veterans Against the War Baltimore United For Peace and Justice 

• J. Clifton Spendlove, Cold War chemical and biological weapons tests planner, also Norman LaChapelle.
• Project 112, Shipboard Hazard and Defense Project, 1962-1973
• Deseret Test Center, Dugway, Utah
• WhistleStopper    Project 112 and the Shipboard Hazard and Defense Project consisted of 50 tests conducted between 1962 and 1973. The tests were conducted in Alaska, Maryland, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Utah, Panama, Canada, Britain and aboard ships in the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans."          file

• National Acadamies Press
• Wikipedia, Veterans
• Institute of Medicine
• National Acadamies agent orange research
• CDC search on 'Gulf War Syndrome' yields over 8,000 items
• Society of Environmental Journalists

• Army Public Affairs ARNews
• Dept of Defense official website, global war on terrorism top priority
• National Academies of Science being sued to release info on guinea pig soldier testing
• National Academies of Science, PNAS procedures of NAS
• National Center for Biotechnology Information National Library of Medicine, NIH

• WhistleStopper  AP  "The Pentagon is continuing to withhold documents on Cold War chemical and biological weapons tests -- including some in Alaska -- that used unsuspecting sailors as "human samplers" after telling Congress it had released all medically relevant information.  ...  The secretive tests involved 5,842 soldiers and sailors -- many of whom were unwitting guinea pigs. The experiments were designed to determine the effectiveness of biological and chemical agents in combat and methods to protect troops from attacks. An untold number of civilians also may have been exposed during some of the tests on the troops....  In most cases, supposedly harmless simulants were used to mimic anthrax, E. coli or other agents, although in a number of cases potentially deadly nerve agents were used, including sarin and VX. ... The tests described in Pentagon documents included tests at a Gerstle River site near Fort Greeley of how sarin gas and VX dispersed. ... Numerous veterans say they are now suffering from illnesses because of exposure, but the Department of Veterans Affairs has denied requests for health care coverage.  ... After a three-year investigation that Pentagon officials characterized as "exhaustive," the Defense Department released an overview of the tests and a series of fact sheets last June and then disbanded the probe. ... But the overview and fact sheets didn't acknowledge the documents and films that were obtained by the plaintiffs and authenticated by Spendlove, including results of tests to determine how much of the chemical simulants the "human samplers" were exposed to."

• Iraq Veterans Against the War
• Veterans For Peace (VFP)
  A national organization of US military veterans working together for peace and justice through non-violence. Founded in 1985, Veterans For Peace includes men and women veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, other conflicts along with peacetime veterans using personal experiences and perspectives gained as soldiers and veterans to raise public awareness of the true costs and consequences of militarism and war - and to seek peaceful, effective alternatives. 
•  

• Dept of Labor  Veterans
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Veterans  ... Employment Situation of Veterans Summary.
• Hire a Hero  Network and Connect to find employment and local support. We help the Military Community and those who care about the Military Community with our online network, job board, and local speed networking events. All services are free. You can post a profile, post a job, search for a job, or apply for a job.
• Landmark Destiny Group Where employers seek those who have served.
• Hire Veterans.com
• National Veterans Foundation President & Founder Floyd “Shad” Meshad, LCSW, CTS, TFTdx   Hotline: Call us toll free 1-888-777-4443
  9:00am – 9:00pm Pacific Time
• USDA Veterans Recruitment Act
• VA Watchdog
• Veteran Employment  In partnership with Monster.com, veterans, active duty, guard and reserve can search for thousands of jobs for veterans from employeers who value military experience.
• Veterans for America
  Veterans for America , a program of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation and The Justice Project,
• Vocational Rehab VA  and Vet Success
• Wounded Warrior Project

• Heritage.org  Putting America Back to Work: Reforming the Employment Security System First  ...  Second, transferring the ES system back to the states would improve the employment services provided to unemployed job seekers. ... Eliminating the federal multi-grant process also would remove barriers to the integration of state services, encourage states to cross-train ES agency employees, and improve significantly the delivery of employment services. For example, state ES staff hired to help veterans are prohibited by law from helping non-veterans.  If a local office is crowded with non-veterans, these staff members may not help, even if there are no veterans to serve.
• Iraq War Veterans
• Military.com  Veteran careers 
• Pennsylvania Fellowship of Christian Veterans God is on our side.
• Today's Military careers
• Yahoo / AP  Strained by war, recently discharged veterans are having a harder time finding civilian jobs and are more likely to earn lower wages for years due partly to employer concerns about their mental health and overall skills, a government study says.  and vet job woes  AP 

• End Homelessness Recent studies suggest that veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan may face high risks of homelessness because of mental health problems: 19 percent of Iraq veterans reported a mental health problem, compared to 11.3 percent of those returning from Afghanistan
• Operation Dignity  We also utilize professional staff from the VA, Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program, the VA Compensated Work Therapy Program, Health Care for the Homeless, Travelers Aid Society, the Jobs Consortium, and BOSS.

• Wikipedia 
• National Coalition of Homeless Veterans partially funded by the VA
• New Directions Los Angeles has the largest population of homeless military veterans in the nation. An estimated 20,000 veterans live on the streets of L.A. -- eleven percent (11%) of all homeless veterans nationwide
• Operation Welcome Homes

• Army Public Affairs ARNews,   
• Dept of Defense official website, global war on terrorism top priority
• Military.com Data from the Department of Veterans Affairs shows that as of last July, nearly 28,000 veterans from Iraq sought health care from the VA. One out of every five was diagnosed with a mental disorder, according to the VA. An Army study in the New England Journal of Medicine in July showed that 17 percent of service members returning from Iraq met screening criteria for major depression, generalized anxiety disorder or PTSD.
• White House, Bush, troops to stay in Iraq through 09.

• From the Left Craig gone
• SourceWatch Larry Craig
• Veterans for America Iraqinam
• Vets For Justice forums  He has not one iota of any connection to Veterans or their issues, other than he was apparently "dumped" into the Senate Veterans Committee as a newbee and not much else for a reason why. ... So it's no wonder that he emerged as one of the most disconnected, most dysfunctional, most out of touch Veterans Committee person known to Vet-Kind everywhere in the 2006 session last year.
•  

• The Hill Vets Lash Out at House Over Budget Rules
• National Acadamies Press
• US Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs
• VAWatchdog
• Wikipedia, Veterans
• Wikipedia, Veterans Against the War ... The group was founded in July 2004 at a the annual Veterans for Peace convention in Boston by Iraq war veterans. The founders are Kelly Dougherty (current Executive Director) US Army, Tim Goodrich US Air Force , Mike Hoffman USMC, Alex Ryabov USMC, Jimmy Massey USMC, Isaiah Pallos USMC, and Diana Morrison US Army. [1] In August 2007 the group elected Camilo Mejia as the co-chair of its board of directors.[2]
•  

• Goldstar Wives
• House Committee on Veterans Affairs, Republicans
• Craig: "I am not gay" hypocrisy is the issue, not sexual preference...
• Senate, Craig website
•   ....help protect our children from Bush

• SourceWatch  On August 27, 2007, a report by Roll Call revealed that Senator Craig had been arrested in June of that year for lewd behavior in an airport bathroom. On August 8, Craig pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct. He paid over $500 in fines and was given one year of probation beginning August 8.[1] ... A spokesman for Craig commented that the incident was a simple “he said/he said misunderstanding.”[2] ... In June, according to a plainclothes police officer, Craig sought to engage in lewd conduct with him in a men's public restroom. In his report, the officer wrote, "At 1216 hours, Craig tapped his right foot. I recognized this as a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct. Craig tapped his toes several times and moves his foot closer to my foot. I moved my foot up and down slowly. While this was occurring, the male in the stall to my right was still present. I could hear several unknown persons in the restroom that appeared to use the restroom for its intended use. The presence of others did not seem to deter Craig as he moved his right foot so that it touched the side of my left foot which was within my stall area."[3] Craig attributed the incident to a misunderstanding stating in the report that he had "a wide stance when going to the bathroom 

• Carbamate and Organophosphate  pesticides and Gulf War syndrome, Rand Review Online
• Depleted Uranium Education Project
• George Day benefits denied
• Gulfwarvets
• Iraqi cancers, birth defects blamed on U.S. depleted uranium
• National Gulf War Resource Center, Inc Troops were exposed to oil well fire pollution. Soldiers inhaled and ingested radiotoxic depleted uranium. Clouds of low-level chemical and biological warfare agents poisoned veterans. Others were sprayed with pesticides. Some were used as human guinea pigs to test vaccines and anti-nerve agent pills
• UMRC Uranium Medical Research Centre

• National Gulf War Resource Center (NGWRC)
  An international coalition of advocates and organizations providing a resource for information, support, and referrals for all those concerned with the complexities of Persian Gulf War issues, especially Gulf War illnesses and those held prisoner or missing in action.
• Seattle PI
• Society of Environmental Journalists
• Soldiers for the Truth "My first order of business would be to fire the present occupant of that important office, Dr. Dov S. Zakheim."
• Wikipedia Depleted Uranium, "Its high density has made it a valued component in some technical applications, specifically in military projectiles. Such uses remain controversial, as U-238, besides its residual radioactivity, is known from several laboratory studies to be toxic to mammals, especially to the reproductive system and fetus development, causing reduced fertility, miscarriages and fetus malformations"
• 
•  

• AEPI
• acunu.org
• Dept of Defense official website, global war on terrorism top priority
• JunkScience "The BBC reports, "A British scientist says the Americans' use of depleted uranium weapons in the war with Serbia is likely to cause 10,000 extra deaths from cancer." There have only been about 400 extra cancer cases from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings. Somehow I doubt that far lower levels of radiation exposure are going to cause 25 times more cancers.
• nas.edu
• faa.gov
• eiap
• safety.army.mil
• dtic.mil/dtiwl
• aec.army.mil
• cbi-web.org
• I apologize for these pics... but believe they are real....and need to be shown...Steve Francis .. author NFU....help protect our children from Bush

• PoisonDust: "... a senior UN scientist said research showing how depleted uranium could cause cancer and other health problems was suppressed in a recent World Health Organization report: But Dr Keith Baverstock, who worked on the project, ...described a process known as genotoxicity, which begins when depleted uranium dust is inhaled. "The particles that dissolve pose a risk - part radioactive - and part from the chemical toxicity in the lung," he said. Later, he said, the material enters the body and the blood stream, potentially affecting bone marrow, the lymphatic system and the kidneys. The research was not included in the WHO report, and Dr Baverstock believes it was blocked.  During the current Iraq War the U.S. use of radioactive DU weapons increased from 375 tons used in 1991 to 2200 tons. Geiger counter readings at sites in downtown Baghdad record radiation levels 1,000 and 2,000 times higher than background radiation. The Pentagon has bombed, occupied, tortured and contaminated Iraq. Millions of Iraqis are affected. Over one million U.S. soldiers have rotated into Iraq. Today, half of the 697,000 U.S. Gulf War troops from the 1991 war have reported serious medical problems and a significant increase in birth defects among their newborn children.  The effects on the Iraqi population are far greater. Many other countries and U.S. communities near DU weapons plants, testing facilities, bases and arsenals have also been exposed to this radioactive material which has a half-life of 4.4 billions years.
• New York Daily News "A MANHATTAN federal judge has ruled that a group of New York Army veterans who fell ill after inhaling depleted uranium dust from exploded U.S. shells can sue the federal government - but only for medical malpractice after their discharge. A 1950 Supreme Court decision - commonly known as the Feres Doctrine - has long prohibited suits against the federal government by soldiers, U.S. District Judge John Koeltl ruled last week. "To the extent that the injuries asserted in the plaintiffs' complaint arise out of their military service."

• CINDA Chronic Immune and Neurological Diseases Asc. 'invisible diseases'
• Cover up-Gulf War Syndrome, & National Integrity automated self-serve news poster
• Gulfwar Vets  Lou Gehrig's Disease
• Heartless-Bitches WomanRant, Heather Wokusch.
• National Gulf War Resource Center, Inc  Lou 
•  

• Society of Environmental Journalists
• Yahoo, gulf war syndrome
• Islam Online Depleted Uranium, from Palestine to Afghanistan

• Army Public Affairs ARNews,    
• Dept of Defense official website, global war on terrorism top priority
• Military Report
• National Center for Biotechnology Information National Library of Medicine, NIH

• Orange Victims Fund
• Project SHAD, J.B. Stone,  From 1962 to 1973, the CIA, DOD, and Smithsonian Institution participated in Project 112/SHAD, during which more than 10,000 U.S. Servicemen became human test rats 

• Dept of Veterans Affairs 
• Mathaba  Conrad Burns "Conrad Black, the former chairman of the Telegraph, goes on trial in Chicago this Wednesday for criminal fraud and racketeering, search SHAD
• VeteransResources search biological and chemical testing under Projects Shad and 112

• Dept of Veterans Affairs 
• Gulf War Medical Research Library 
• National Center for Biotechnology Information National Library of Medicine, NIH
• Veterans Administration / Project Shad   
• DeploymentLink / Shad  
• Citeseer/ Shad  VA Shad official version

• Project SHAD, J.B. Stone,   From 1962 to 1973, the CIA, DOD, and Smithsonian Institution participated in Project 112/SHAD, during which more than 10,000 U.S. Servicemen became human test rats for the above-mentioned substances and more. At: Veterans Administration / Project Shad
  DeploymentLink / Shadand Citeseer/ Shad You will confirm that the Americans who suffered these injuries and losses are treated exactly as described, documented by the Veterans Administration, Department of Defense, and Journal of the History of Biology. [Well, at least you’ll get the current “official version”.] VA Shad   MORE BELOW

• ePluribus Media PTSD  Timeline Welcome to the PTSD Timeline, a first-of-its kind database of reported OEF/OIF combat posttraumatic stress-related incidents.  Created, collected, fact-checked, updated, and maintained by members of the ePluribus Media community including ilona, JeninRI, standingup, leftylimblog, kfred, Cho, the PTSD Timeline is our attempt to record what some of our troops are experiencing after their return from war. If you have an incident you wish to add please contact us at: timelines@epluribusmedia.org. If you can support this work, please consider donating to our effort.
• IraqWarVeterans PTSD page, resources, support pages, 
• Orange Victims Fund
• VietNow  "For the past 29 years, Darlene* has lived with Bob,* a Vietnam veteran diagnosed with PTSD. She describes this time as “walking on eggshells, never knowing when he’ll blow"
• PsycoanalystsOpposeWar Blog of Stephen Soldz, US diplomats return for Iraq with PTSD, search terms: life in the green zone also leads to PTSD, debilitating, stress-related symptoms, survey of 1400, Larry Brown, State Dept director of Medical Services,
• more search terms, a 26-year old who served two tours in Iraq, Army Special Forces, now stateside and a missing person.  Aggravated assault, battery, criminal mischief, improper exhibition of a firearm, brandished a gun at some hotel guests, girlfriend tried to calm him down.  Army MP, honorably discharged, returned to the French Quarter, self mutilation, killed and dismembered his fiance, scared by lack of remorse, Iraq incident involving a child that haunted him, self-reported coping with PTSD, can no longer watch violent movies or play video games, steering away from objects that appear suspicious near the road, you hear loud noises that shake you up a lot, came home a different person, you face the guilt of what you did over there, you start to think about what happened and why. source: ePluribus Media

• Dept of Veterans Affairs
• IraqWarVeterans PTSD page, resources, support pages, 
• MSN Groups, PTSD IraqWarVeterans@groups.msn.com PTSD
• PTSD Manual Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, 
• SoldiersHeart "35% of the 1.2 million US servicemembers who have cycled through the region are already exhibiting strong signs of PTSD, an illness known for its tendency to lay dormant for years or decades."
• search terms: post traumatic stress disorder, suicide, Army Reserve, intoxicated, served in Iraq, received a Purple Heart, among the first wave in 2003, machine-gun duty during Ramadi's 2004 violence, 26th on waiting list for one of the state's 12 beds, attended group counseling, depressed, manslaughter,  three-car wreck, drove directly into oncoming traffic, struggled to adjust to civilian life, preparing to kill himself, found him hanging from an electrical chord, couldn't eat, felt paranoid, struggled with relationships, admitted to drinking alcohol excessively, blood-alcohol nearly double the legal limit, reliving combat in his sleep, used alcohol to cope, overdose, took his own life six months after having received a medical discharge stemming from a Baghdad incident, suffered severe head injuries, acute migraine headaches, metal plates in his head, blinded in one eye, gifted in physics and struggling to pay for college signed up with the Army in 2001, safety net frayed at Walter Reed, spoke of the peace he had felt when he technically died in Iraq, demoted to private, given a general discharge, 2 counts of vehicular manslaughter, claimed the lives of two teenage girls, was returned to military service, received orders to return for a second tour in Iraq, witnessed a group of women and children blown up by a suicide bomber, children's body parts fell from the sky, conducted house-to-house raids, become very violent since returning from Iraq, hanging and beating a kitten, placing a bomb at the high school, and shooting the students, charged with possessing components of explosives, source:  ePluribus Media

• Dept of Veterans Affairs 
• Gulf War Medical Research Library 
• Heritage.org  Proceed with Caution: The Unintended Consequences of Expanding VA Access ...  In 2001, the VA spent $21 billion on medical care for veterans.[6] In 2004, this spending reached $27 billion, and it is expected to reach $30 billon by 2007.[7] Between 2001 and 2004, the number of patients treated in the VA system increased 22 percent from 4 million in 2001 to 5 million.[8] Of the veterans currently enrolled in the VA, only 27 percent are in the lower-priority categories.
• National Center for Biotechnology Information National Library of Medicine, NIH
• US Army Human Resources Command
• US Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.
• VFW Magazine
• search terms: female Iraq

• PTSD Manual "According to a study (the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study, NVVRS) performed in the mid 80’s 15.2% of the male Vietnam veterans, surveyed at that time, suffered from PTSD and 30% of heavy combat male Vietnam veterans suffered from PTSD. Even though no survey was done, 16,354,000 veterans served during WW-II and 5,700,000 served in Korea. Lets split the difference and say that 20% of all the veterans then and now suffer from PTSD of some intensity.  The Veterans Administration confirms that approximately 19,196,000 veterans are still living. That would mean that some 3,838,200 veterans suffer from PTSD and as of July 1997 only approximately 500,000 were being treated and only 102,000 are receiving disability compensation. This means that only approximately 1.3% of those veterans are being treated and only .3% of those being treated are receiving disability compensation.
• PTSD search terms: exhaustion, mental shutdown due to individual or group trauma, hide fear in heat of battle, fatigue due to natural reaction to shock.  England: 'Railway spine resemblance to PTSD and Civil War 'Soldiers heart' symptoms: startle responses, hyper-vigilance, and heart arrhythmia.  WWII: overwhelming mental fatigue, 'the effort syndrome' and 'Chronic Fatigue Syndrome'.  and ...'shell shock', 'combat fatigue, stress and anxiety  as a result of combat trauma, and in 1980 PTSD term set in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) published by APA American Psychiatric Association, provides 'official' definitions of mental illnesses.  other terms: situational disorders.  High suicide rate of Vietnam Veterans.  PTSD changed in the manuals from a syndrome to a disorder.  The disorder occurs: confrontation with actual or threatened death or serious injury, war, recurring recollections of war events, hallucinations, flashbacks, dreams, thoughts, images, perceptions, intense psychological distress, internal or external cues, symbols.  Avoid, Avoidance, inability to recall traumatic events, detach detachment estrangement, restricted range of affect (can't 'love), sense of foreshortened future, drunk, alcohol, sleep disorders, irritability, outbursts of anger, 
• Iraq Veterans Against the War  Winter Soldier  Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan will feature testimony from U.S. veterans who served in those occupations, giving an accurate account of what is really happening day in and day out, on the ground.  The four-day event will bring together veterans from across the country to testify about their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan - and present video and photographic evidence. In addition, there will be panels of scholars, veterans, journalists, and other specialists to give context to the testimony. These panels will cover everything from the history of the GI resistance movement to the fight for veterans' health benefits and support.  When: Thursday March 13 to Sunday March 16

• Alternet suicide
• Bellaciao suicide
• BuzzFlash As many as 121 U.S. soldiers may have committed suicide in 2007, a record number if confirmed, according to Army statistics
• Dissident Voice, suicide watch ... "The higher suicide rate in Iraq can be attributed to the higher percentage of married and reserve troops, and the lower amount of stress training and screening in basic training for non-combat troops,"
• Environmentalists Against War
• Information Clearing House   The Pentagon has been concealing the true number of American casualties in the Iraq War. The real number exceeds 15,000 and CBS News can prove it. 
• Iraq Veterans Against War Last Monday, November 26, Sammantha Owen-Ewing, one of IVAW’s newest members, the wife of my friend Scott, and a former Army medic like me, committed suicide in her Rhode Island home.   search terms: Kyle Snyder, war resister, "I could not train or be trained under a false pretense of fighting for freedom".  turned himself in, AWOL, charged with desertion, 
• SourceWatch Iraq Coalition Casualty Statistics, Soldier Suicides
• Truthout
•  

• CDC Center for Disease Control, US
• National Acadamies Press  
• Healthline, suicide, depression
• Hooah4health Suicide prevention
• ScienceDaily For Iraq Veterans, Migraines May Be Sign Of Other Problems  Soldiers returning from combat in Iraq who have migraine headaches are more than twice as likely to also have symptoms of post-traumatic stress, depression or anxiety than soldiers who do not have migraines, The study involved 3,621 United States Army soldiers who were given a health screening questionnaire within 90 days after returning from one year of combat duty in Iraq. A total of 2,167 of the soldiers, or 60 percent, completed the questionnaire. Of those, 19 percent screened positive for migraine headaches, 32 percent screened positive for depression, 22 percent screened positive for post-traumatic stress disorder, and 13 percent screened positive for anxiety.
• Suicide.org The suicide rate for U.S. army personnel deployed in Iraq has increased to 19.9 out of 100,000, indicated army surgeon general, Lt.-Gen. Kevin Kiley. The data is from the Mental Health Advisory Team Report, which was released on Tuesday, December 19, 2006
• Veterans for Common Sense When Walter Padilla returned from the war in Iraq, his marriage ended, he was haunted by nightmares, he went bankrupt and felt most secure carrying a handgun. Last week, sitting on his bed, he placed his Glock to his head and pulled the trigger.
• Wing of Madness

• CBS News "The cause of death is Ibuprofin and amphetamine.  Self-inflicted overdose. ... The Pentagon says "
• BBC The rate of 17.3 suicides per 100,000 soldiers compares with 12.8 in 2005, officials said.
• AP Camp Kill Yourself
• Army Public Affairs ARNews, search terms: Cucolo, Prater, Eder, Hoehne, Future Combat Systems, Army Campaign Plan, 
• CBS News Suicide Epidemic Among Veterans A CBS News Investigation Uncovers A Suicide Rate For Veterans Twice That Of Other Americans
• DefenseLink 'No Epidemic' Number Of Soldier Suicides In Iraq
• Dept of Defense official website, global war on terrorism top priority
• Global Security  Jan. 29, 2004 - Soldiers serving in Iraq are not committing suicide in record numbers, a senior DoD military medical officer asserted at the 2004 Tricare conference here Jan. 28.
• Dept of Veterans Affairs
•  Information National Library of Medicine, NIH
• Seattle Times  self-inflicted
• USA Today Army Probes Soldier Suicides, 2003
• Israeli Military Industries

• VA's Suicide Prevention Hot Line - Toll-free 1-800-273-TALK (8255) To ensure veterans with emotional crises have round-the-clock access to trained professionals, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has begun operation of a national suicide prevention hot line for veterans. Click Here for more information >>
• CBS News "Suicide is the third leading cause of death for Americans age 15 to 24 (behind car crashes and firearm homicides) and the second leading cause of death for college students. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has detailed a few "signs of crisis" that might indicate someone is contemplating suicide: A recent precipitating event that has been particularly distressing, such as the loss of a loved one or a career failure; Depression and intense anguish with an urgent need for relief that expresses itself as rage, anxiety, guilt, hopelessness and/or an acute sense of abandonment; Changes in behavior; Direct or indirect talk suggesting that the person is contemplating suicide. Sometimes it sounds as if the person is saying goodbye or going away. Or the person might say something like "My family would be better off without me"; Actions ranging from buying a gun to putting one's affairs in order; Deteriorating function at work, school or in social settings; increasing use of alcohol or other self-destructive behavior."
•   Iraq Veterans Against War Sammantha was only 20 years old, and in that short time had been an Army medic training to become a nurse while stationed at Walter Reed, then became a patient herself in Walter Reed’s mental health ward. In June, she married Scott Ewing, also an IVAW member, and was discharged from the Army. Despite an uphill battle to receive care from the VA, things seemed to be looking up; she was getting settled into life in Rhode Island, planned to continue her medical career, and was becoming active in Iraq Veterans Against the War. Although most of us were never fortunate enough to know Sammantha, she was one of us and we mourn her passing.
• AFP WASHINGTON- Suicides and "psychological mortality" among US soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan could exceed battlefield deaths if their mental scars are left untreated, the head of the US Institute of Mental Health warned Monday.  Of the 1.6 million US soldiers who have been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, 18-20 percent -- or around 300,000 -- show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression or both, said Thomas Insel, head of the National Institute of Mental Health.  An estimated 70 percent of those at-risk soldiers do not seek help from the Department of Defense or the Veterans Administration, he told a news conference launching the American Psychiatric Association's 161st annual meeting here.  If "one just does the math", then allowing PTSD or depression to go untreated in such numbers could result in "suicides and psychological mortality trumping combat deaths" in Iraq and Afghanistan, Insel warned. 

• National Acadamies Press articles on Agent Orange, dioxins, TCDD
• National CFIDS Foundation Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction,  ME, Myalgic Encephalopathy

• Bioport
• Gulf War Medical Research Library 
• National Center for Biotechnology Information National Library of Medicine, NIH

• Guardian, Congress looking into hefty bonuses for VA leaders in face of $1 billion short in healthcare.  search terms: Rep. Henry Mitchell, chairman 
• Huffington Post The Army was pressured by the White House to hire a Halliburton subsidiary to take over patient care at Walter Reed. search Al Neffgen.
• Indian Country
• The Onion Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey has resigned after an investigation found systemic outpatient care deficiencies
• Tom Paine Outsourcing ...Last September, Walter Reed Garrison Commander Peter Garibaldi sent an internal memorandum to his superiors warning that substantial numbers of skilled workers were leaving because of the impending takeover by IAP.

• YouTube video   Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  "Patients Told to Keep Quiet"
• Boston Globe
•  

• Dept of Defense official website, global war on terrorism top priority
• Enlisted.com
• 
• Military Report
• Walter Reed Army Medical Center

• CNN The review was conducted by directors of individual VA facilities around the country and compiled in a 94-page report to Nicholson. It found that 90 percent of the 1,100 problems cited were deemed to be of a more routine nature: worn-out carpet, peeling paint, mice sightings and dead bugs at VA centers.  The other 10 percent were considered serious and included mold spreading in patient care areas. Eight cases were so troubling they required immediate attention and follow-up action.  Some of the more striking problems were found at a VA clinic in White City, Oregon. There, officials reported roof leaks throughout the facility, requiring them to "continuously repair the leaks upon occurrence, clean up any mold presence if any exists, spray or remove ceiling tiles."  In addition, large colonies of bats resided outside the facility and sometimes flew into the attics and interior parts of the building.  "Eradication has been discussed but the uniqueness of the situation (the number of colonies) makes it challenging to accomplish," according to the report, which said the bats were being tested for diseases. "Also, the bats keep the insect pollution to a minimum which is beneficial."  In other findings:  In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, secondhand smoke from an outside smoking shelter sometimes infiltrated the building through the women's restroom.  Deteriorating walls and hallways were common, requiring repair, patch and paint in 30 percent of patient areas in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Numerous unspecified "environmental conditions" affected the quality of the building in New York's Hudson Valley, with the private landlord repeatedly refusing to fix problems. The VA is taking steps to relocate to another facility.  Roof leaks or mold at facilities such as Hudson Valley; North Chicago, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; Puget Sound, Washington; Portland, Oregon; and Fayetteville, Arkansas.  
• Guardian Congress looking into hefty bonuses for VA leaders in face of $1 billion short in healthcare.  search terms: Rep. Henry Mitchell, chairman House Veterans' Affairs subcommittee, department, Sen. Daniel Akala heads Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, VA chief Jim Nicholson, backlog and delays of cases averaging 177 days in getting benefits out, 
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