If you read my previous post you saw this insert and hopefully signed the pledge to stand with the Iraq vets. After I signed the pledge I received this email...
So far, 1,650 supporters like you have signed Iraq Veterans Against the War's Pledge to support Operation Recovery, our campaign to defend GIs' and veterans' right to heal. We need just 350 more signatures to meet our goal of 2,000 by October 7.
Sign the Pledge today.
Just six days from now, we will travel to Washington, DC to publicly announce Operation Recovery: Stop the Deployment of Traumatized Troops campaign. On that day, October 7, this nation will enter its tenth year of war in Afghanistan -- marking ten years of untold suffering for the Afghan people and silent pain for our troops.
With our Operation Recovery Campaign, IVAW will bring to light the private stories of trauma that an overwhelming number of veterans and GIs are coping with as they are sent again and again to continue these wars. And we will hold those responsible for deploying traumatized troops accountable.
Mental Health problems among our military are overwhelming
Published medical studies in 2008 and 2010 estimate that 20-50% of all service members deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan have likely suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In real numbers this means 350,000 to 900,000 are dealing with PTSD.
And a recent Army Times article states, "At least one in six service members is on some form of psychiatric drug. And many troops are taking more than one kind, mixing several pills in daily "cocktails" - for example, an antidepressant with an anti psychotic to prevent nightmares, plus an anti-epileptic to reduce headaches..." It further cites that the Department of Defense spending on psychiatric drugs used by the active duty military has risen by 75% since 2001.
These numbers provide an outline of the picture of today's American military and what it must do to continue the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan indefinitely. But next week in Washington, real veterans will be present to tell their personal stories and put a human face on the trauma they and thousands of others endure.
350,000 to 900,000 of our military suffer from post traumatic stress disorder??? This is astounding to me! Does this country need a wake-up call or what? Whatever will we do when we run out of recruits to fight these endless wars? Please visit this website, there is so much to read and so many different ways you can help these veterans.
This was written by veteran Victor Agosto
Never Forget
Victors story,
Personal Information
- Biography
- I enlisted in the Army in August 2005. I deployed to Iraq in October 2006 as 25F (Network Switching Systems Operator/Maintainer) and returned in November 2007. While deployed, I turned against the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In May 2009, I publicly refused deployment to Afghanistan and began refusing orders connected to his unit’s deployment. I was court-martialed in August 2009. I was sentenced to 30 days in jail and was demoted to the rank of Private. I was discharged from the Army on October 20, 2009 and was barred from re-entering the Fort Hood Military Reservation. I serve on the boards of directors of Iraq Veterans Against the War and Fort Hood Support Network, the governing body of Under the Hood Cafe.
When are we gonna start paying attention to these wars and our suffering veterans? And what about our suffering troops who are asked to sacrifice so much, for what?? Something terribly secretive and scary is happening in our country and nobody is paying attention!
The One Nation rally tomorrow will not only be about jobs and our future, but about protesting these endless wars. Please get involved, let your voices be heard!
