I recently broke my nose a day before I returned to Iraq from leave, where I work. I have no personal health insurance because Contractors do not get benefits like Military personnel, but I do have VA Health care because I am a combat veteran of the Iraq War less than 5 years ago. Is there any way to receive VA Health care in Iraq? If not, who is going to reset my broken nose?
DemocracyNow.org – Ralph Nader and Daniel Ellsberg plan to participate in a major protest on Saturday in Washington, DC, to mark the eight-year anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq. They were interviewed on Democracy Now! March 18. Ellsberg will risk arrest by participating in nonviolent civil disobedience actions by Veterans for Peace, among others, to protest the ongoing military occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. “Innocents are being slaughtered,” Nader says. “Why don’t we say what’s on the minds of many legal experts? That the Obama administration is committing war crimes. And if Bush should have been impeached, Obama should be impeached.”
I filed a disability claim with the VA and am currently enrolled in college. However, living is getting expensive and i need help with my finances while i wait for my claim to process. Are there any programs that will help me pay my bills?
www.davidlynchfoundation.org Mother of Iraq War Veteran says Transcendental Meditation Saved Her Son’s Life. Every day mothers all over the world watch their children go off to war and often when they return home their sons and daughters are different. Distant. Lost. Angry. Suffering from post-traumatic stress (PTS). This is exactly what Julia George faced when her son David George returned from Iraq. In this video, Julia opens up about watching her son reclaim his life through the practice of Transcendental Meditation, and David shares his memories of the dark days before he began meditating. Over 500000 US troops deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001 suffer from psychological injuries. The David Lynch Foundation’s Operation Warrior Wellness is committed to bringing the stress reducing Transcendental Meditation technique to 10000 veterans with post-traumatic stress and their families. For more information on the David Lynch Foundation’s Operation Warrior Wellness program, please visit www.operationwarriorwellness.org Transcendental Meditation was first taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi 1957.
Disabled Iraq Veteran JR Martinez provides inspiration to other injured Veterans, along with a reminder that no matter how deep one’s wounds may be, life is what you make it. In fact, his is a story straight out of Hollywood. To view the Section 508-compliant version of this video visit: www.va.gov
Clear evidence of the use of highly enriched uranium weapons in Iraq brought out during lawsuit.
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Iraq Veterans Against the War Washington, DC Chapter president, Geoffrey Millard holds forth on veterans issues, his own experiences while serving in Iraq, and pays tribute to the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, for their having laid the foundation upon which IVAW was built. Geoff was one of 50 Iraq veterans interviewed in the July 30, 2007 issue of The Nation www.thenation.com
I’m trying to find organizations that help wounded veterans of the Iraq war.
The VFW and the American Legion will be in good shape to counseling the returning Veterans from Iraq. Vietnam Veterans know all about how it feels to leave a war unfinished.
CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq, July 26, 2011 – Since the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, thousands of soldiers have witnessed progress throughout their deployments to Iraq.
For Army Sgt. Kevin Chapman, a squad leader with the 1st Infantry Division’s Company D, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, being a part of the transition from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn has shaped his career as a soldier.Chapman said he always wanted to serve in the armed forces, and enlisted in the Army in 2005.
“I joined the Army to try to make a difference for my country,” the Conyers, Ga., native said. “I knew it was something I could make a career out of and do for the rest of my life.”
From 2005 to 2007, Chapman said, he was as a gunner for the mortar platoon with the 1st Armored Division’s 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, from Friedberg, Germany. He later was tasked as the radio and telephone operator in the fire direction center.
After the deployment, Chapman was reassigned to Fort Hood, Texas, where he currently serves.
After deploying twice during the middle and latter parts of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Chapman said, his current Iraq tour in support of Operation New Dawn is different because of U.S. forces’ current role to advise Iraqi security forces.
“During my first deployment we did presence patrols and terrain denial,” said Chapman. “We would go out to show we were there, and we were a force. We were more aggressive during [my first tour], and we didn’t work directly with the [Iraqi forces].”
Chapman said he saw the transition in operations begin during his second deployment in 2008.
“In 2008 and 2009, I witnessed transition,” he said. “After the agreements between the U.S. and Iraq, we had to have an [Iraqi] counterpart with us, and we worked closely with them, training them on how to shoot mortars.
“Instead of being the dominant force and telling them what to do and how to do it,” he added, “we asked for suggestions and their opinions on the training we gave.”
U.S. and Iraqi forces cooperated and combined strengths to develop training and mission schedules, while Iraqis took the lead, Chapman said.
Army Spc. John Charles, one of Chapman’s squad members, said prior experiences definitely influence Chapman’s ability to be a great leader.
“He gets a lot of responsibility dumped on him, more than anybody else, and he handles it with a sense of humor and a pride about him that I’ve not seen from another soldier,” said Charles, a Houston native.
Chapman consistently performs above his current rank, Charles added.
Now, with the mission of an advise and assist task force, Chapman said it is important for U.S. forces to teach the Iraqi forces to maintain an active presence in their country.
“We want them to take the reins, step in and continue taking over everything we do,” Chapman said. “It’s important for us to teach and show them, and hopefully when we leave, they will be better able to utilize the training we’ve given them, and it will continue making them better.”
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