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Traumatized by War? Prove it, Again and Again

Posted By Matt On 27th October 2005 @ 11:32 In Politics, Just Wrong, George W. Bush, War in Iraq, Conservative Ideology, War | 4 Comments

Reader Suzy Shedd pointed me to a disturbing story on Salon (ad-sponsored site pass required, but worth it) about attempts by the Department of Veterans Affairs to cut down on “fraud” among veterans who have already been approved to receive benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Writer Mark Benjamin points out that the letters sent out by the V.A. are themselves causing trauma among former soldiers, to the point where one veteran committed suicide after receiving one:

On Oct. 8, Greg Morris, 57, was found by his wife, Ginger, in their home in Chama, N.M., an old mining town of 1,250 in the Rocky Mountains. Lying at Morris’ side were a gun and his Purple Heart medal. For years, Morris had been receiving monthly V.A. benefits in compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder. Next to his gun and Purple Heart was a folder of information on how the V.A. planned to review veterans who received PTSD checks to make sure those veterans really deserved the money.

Last spring, the V.A. began to quietly draw up plans to take another look at nearly 72,000 veterans who from 1999 to 2004 had been classified as disabled and unemployable because of mental trauma from war. The V.A. plan, about which Salon was the first to report on Aug. 9, would review previous decisions to grant disability benefits to veterans incapacitated by PTSD.

Veterans advocacy groups are irate, charging the department with trying to save money at the expense of the men and women traumatized by war. They say mentally troubled veterans will be shocked, hurt and afraid of losing their monthly checks.

What kind of letter could cause that much stress? Perhaps one like this:

Nesler served in Vietnam in 1970 and 1971 and is coincidentally from New Mexico. His traumatic memories include a Claymore mine blasting a busload of civilians near his artillery base. He has been getting disability checks for PTSD for years.

On Aug. 11, he received a letter from the V.A. saying that his file was one of those in its review. He said the letter left him shocked, angry and afraid. The letter warns that “confirmation” of his mental wounds “had not been established” and that his file at the V.A. “does not establish that the event described by you occurred nor does the evidence in the file establish that you were present when a stressful event occurred.” (The V.A. recently determined, again, that Nesler’s claims are legitimate.)

The letters themselves generated considerable controversy. “It was like Russian roulette,” Garcia said. “You are dealing with lives. You don’t do that. You don’t just send out information to people who are suffering from some sort of mental stress saying, ‘We are going to take these benefits away.’”

To date, the inquiry has not found even one case of fraud.

A bipartisan group of Senators succeeded in attaching an amendment blocking the inquiry to the bill that funds the V.A., but it still needs to pass through a final House-Senate conference in order to appear on the final version that will arrive on President Bush’s desk.

The Salon article quotes a letter written by Representative Peter DeFazio (D-Ore), who strongly disapproves of the V.A.’s actions. The full text of that letter, along with remarks expressing disgust at “another cheap attempt by the Bush administration to save a few bucks at the expense of our veterans who put their lives on the line for us,” can be found on his website. He writes:

We believe it is a disservice to veterans who served our country honorably to automatically treat them with suspicion when the issue may be merely proper agency documentation. We are also concerned that by requiring veterans to once again document the stressors responsible for their PTSD diagnosis, the VA investigation will reopen the psychological wounds of war for these veterans and result in further disability. Indeed, we have already heard reports of veterans whose symptoms have markedly increased as a result of the smaller scale review. Even in the smaller scale incomplete review, our government is putting at risk the health of veterans in order to obtain a more complete paper trail to support their diagnoses. A larger review is likely to put even greater numbers of veterans at risk of additional disabilities.

It just sends a terrible message to those who are serving in the military today for the VA to attack and question whether those who served before are entitled to receive the benefits the VA itself previously approved.

It’s past time for the Bush Administration to fully support those who have been put their lives on the line for this country. Honoring the sacrifices of America’s soldiers means going beyond photo ops and pretty words — it means supporting soldiers fully during and after their service, and treating them with respect, rather than suspicion.

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4 Comments To "Traumatized by War? Prove it, Again and Again"

#1 Comment By Chloe On 29th October 2005 @ 21:16

That’s truly nutso… Considering SCORES of people have PTSD without ever having been in an actual warzone or having served as a soldier at all.

Which seems to me to indicate that being in a warzone makes it all the more likely someone will develop PTSD.

And I so highly doubt someone without PTSD would try to claim PTSD. My goodness, most people with PTSD generally deny they have it!

I really had thought we were moving forward nowadays… where there were reports on how they’ve been doing a lot more debriefing and offering soldiers a lot more counciling services & whatnot, and openness about the operations veterans were involved in, compared to say back in the 60s & 70s.

#2 Comment By David H. Marshall On 16th December 2005 @ 16:12

THE U.S. SENATE REPORT ALMOST SAYS IT ALL. 12/16/05.David H. Marshall, 28 Meadowview Rd., Wayland, MA. 01778, TEL: 508-877-0461. PRESENTED IS AN 11 YEARS LATER STILL WITHHELD VETERAN’S PRIOR TO SERVICE RIGHTS THAT ARE GIVEN TO CONVICTED RAPISTS AND MURDERERS!![7] In 1994 the U.S. Senate stated (in accord with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6/25/87 STANLEY decision [5]) that: 1. The Dept. of Defense (DOD) be held accountable for their now 61 years from 1944 MANY “EXPERIMENTS THAT WERE DESIGNED TO HARM”! And 2. The injured subjects should be allowed Judicial redress NOT prevented as an “INCIDENT TO SERVICE”! [13] & [14] pages 4 & 35 para. G. The 1973 National Personnel Records Center fire destroyed most of the experimental subject’s service documents. Congress’s 1974 Privacy Act censored all co-subject identity from those that survived. The 1994 U.S. Senate Report also notes a DOD, duplicated by the VA, preventing from being “associated with their military service” these from 1944 to-date not corrected human experiments. A few in congress post-1987 STANLEY lessons learned restrictions cancel these 2005 to 1944 acts with now no independent oversight. This is verified by the 12/8/88 established Executive Branch veterans court Chief Judge’s 1994 ‘NO TEETH’,“The court may not review the schedule of ratings for disabilities or the policies underlying the schedule.”[8] This speaks for the entire severely restricted Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) “disabilities” process. After this administrative court’s final decision the singular 1st U.S. Court accessible is also issues restricted. Which with the VA Secretary’s final authority on questions of law means that there is no exercising of the checks and balances between our branches of government, i.e., no UNRESTRICTED Judicial Branch revisiting of the 6/25/87 STANLEY “to harm” issue.[15, 511(a)] The result is a 1987 post-STANLEY capturing of all experimental subjects within the Executive Branch VA delaying must be exhausted unaccountable for DOD “policies” caused “disabilities” procedure. A very effective ‘for the greater good end justifies the means’ approval by a few in congress of all past, present and future “EXPERIMENTS…DESIGNED TO HARM”! Six months after the 6/25/87 U.S. Supreme Court STANLEY‘congress is responsible for’ DOD experiments is the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) VA 12/7/87 defective governing “schedule…for” [DOD] “disabilities” retroactive to 23 March 1956 “Diseases of the Ear”. A VA CFR Title 38, Ch. 1, Part 4 “may not review” finessing of the since 1936 jet-engine well known by 1949 cause & effects 1952 to 1956 DOD “designed to harm” results.[11] In direct disobedience of the DOD Secretary’s 1953 order.[2] The “schedule” manipulates and omits the known 1952 jet-engine policy cause and its “Ear” “disabilities”, e.g., ignored were hundreds of “HEARING ” citations prior to 12/7/87 part of more then 2,838 references from 1831!![1, 3 & 16] The means by which the Congress’s few no accountability is implemented is demonstrated by the corruption of a 1952 to 1956 jet-engine experiment cause and effects. This ongoing 14 years based on the 1957 VA cover up [11] is in the available SUPPORTING RECORD. SUGGESTED IS THAT YOU HOLD YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS DELIBERATE “DESIGNED TO HARM” OF OUR LOVED ONES!!
A PARTIAL SUPPORTING LIST OF REFERENCES:
[1] USAF PROJECT 7210 “A COMPILATION OF TURBOJET NOISE DATA”, BOLT BERANEK & NEWMAN, INC. CAMBRIDGE 38, MA. Sound pressure levels for all jet-engines in-service. Conducted at Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) DAYTON, OHIO in 1952. 1954 logged in as the 401st report for that year published as REPORT 54-401 July 1956.
[2] Top Secret, Sec. of the DoD 26 February 1953 ‘NO non-consensual, human experiments’ ignored Memo to the Sec.’s of the Army, Navy & Air Force. CC. DoD Joint Chiefs of Staff and the R & D Board; see page 343, “The Nazi Doctors and the Nuremberg Code” by George J. Annas & Michael A. Grodin.
[3] The 1953 “Benox Report” by H. W. Ades, Emory Univ. and at least 16 USAF & USN 1949 to 1956 “CURRENT LIST OF MEDICAL LITERATURE” reports on jet-engine subjugation. Added German, British, Russian, Japanese, American films and literature on the from 1936 to 1955 R&D & production of jet & rocket engines with applicable “ACOUSTIC NOISE” protection are in the public domain.
[5] U.S. SUPREME COURT, JUNE 25, 1987, U.S. V. STANLEY, 107 S. CT. 3054 (483 U.S. PAGE 669). It addresses the ‘congress is responsible for’ the issue of a 1958 DoD non-consensual, human drug trials and other experimentations.
[7] U.S. State Department, “U.S. REPORT UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS JULY 1994, Article 7”.
[8] CHIEF JUDGE AND COLLEAGUE STATEMENTS, COURT OF VETERANS APPEALS, ANNUAL JUDICIAL CONFERENCE, FORT MEYER, VA., 17 & 18 OCTOBER 1994. www.goodnet.com/~heads/nebeker.html
[11] MEDICAL DOCUMENTATION. Included are 40 sets of USAF 1952-1956 in-service records with 11 medical exams & the names and serial numbers of 78 injured personnel. With the then and to-date ignored Boston, MA. VA Regional Office Physician’s 6/26/57 “no vestibular function” directly submitted resulting USAF SURGEON HQ AARC, 25 June 1958 “permanently medically disqualified for military service”!
[13] Feres v. United States, 340 U.S. 135, 146 (1950).
[14] U.S. Senate - www.MINDCONTROLFORUMS.COM/1994-ROCKEFELLER-REPORT.HTM If not on site, available from the Library of Congress.
[15] “United States Code (USC) Title 38, 511. Decisions of the Secretary; finality.” www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode38/uscsec3800000511—-000-.html
[16] “BIBLIOGRAPHY ON HEARING PROTECTION, HEARING CONSERVATION, AND AURAL CARE, HYGIENE AND PHYSIOLOGY.” 2,838 citations from 1831 to 2001. www.NONOISE.ORG

#3 Comment By David H. Marshall On 24th February 2006 @ 10:49

A veteran’s court may not focus. 24 FEBRUARY 2006. ‘Congress is responsible for’ Dept. of Defense (DOD) human experiments is a 5 to 4 U.S. SUPREME COURT 6/25/87 STANLEY decision![1] A 1994 U.S. Senate response [2] is: 1. That the DOD should be held accountable for their now 62 years from 1944 MANY preplanned “EXPERIMENTS THAT WERE DESIGNED TO HARM”! And 2. That the injured subjects be allowed a Judicial redress NOT be prevented as a from 1950 “INCIDENT TO SERVICE”.[3] YET IN 2006 WHILE GIVEN TO CONVICTED RAPISTS & MURDERERS [4] STILL WITHHELD ARE THOSE RIGHTS THAT A LOVED ONE HAD PRIOR TO SERVICE!! Reported is these subjects are DOD prevented from recognizing that the experimentation “TO HARM” is “associated with their military service”. As post-STANLEY duplicated by a few in congress through the Dept. of Veterans Affairs (DVA) military disabilities and lower level U.S. Courts procedure. This is demonstrated by their giving to the Secretary of the DVA the final authority on questions of law; 511(a)![5] A result is their 12/8/88 established severely restricted US veteran’s court. Which is verified by its Chief Judge’s 1994, “The court may not review the schedule of ratings for disabilities or the Policies Underlying the Schedule.”[6] Starting with the DOD premeditated injuries through the entire process there are no specific “disabilities” criteria for: 1. The “schedule” omitted exposing “to harm” policy causes with their What, How, Where & When! 2. Its not identified each of the many experiment’s missing then known original disabilities that underlie the resultant “to harm” protection. And 3. The overlooked 62 years of updated disability effects lessons learned! This key revealing evidence is missing for medical diagnostic, disability and treatment purposes! It is not addressed within the 1st level local DVA Regional Office and at the 2nd level Board of Veterans Appeals. Then the Chief Judge’s stated no judicial review at the 3d. level veteran’s U.S. Court. After this court’s Final Decision the 4th level only U.S. Court then accessible is also issues restricted! The 1973 National Personnel Records Center fire destroyed most of these subject’s service documents. Congress’s 1974 Privacy Act censored the names of all witnesses from those that survived. Prevented is an INDEPENDENT checks and balances revisiting by the U.S. Supreme Court of the 6/25/87 STANLEY DOD “INCIDENT” as the deliberate “DESIGNED TO HARM”! A few in congress have captured all experimental subjects within a greatly extended must be completed unaccountable for “to harm” cause & effects 62 years destroyed and missing evidence process. A justice denied end justifies the means approval of their use as past, present and NOW future in-service guinea pigs. PLEASE VOTE YOUR MEMBERS IN THE U.S. CONGRESS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THESE SIXTY TWO (62) YEARS OF “DESIGNED TO HARM” EXPERIMENTATIONS!!
REFERENCES:
[1] U.S. SUPREME COURT, JUNE 25, 1987, U.S. V. STANLEY, 107 S. CT. 3054 (483 U.S. PAGE 669). It addresses the ‘congress is responsible’ for the issue of a 1958 DoD non-consensual, human drug trials and other experimentations.
[2] “Is Military Research Hazardous to Veterans’ Health? Lessons Spanning Half a Century.” Hearings Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, 103rd Congress 2nd Session (December 8, 1994 REPORT 103-97)
[3] Feres v. United States, 340 U.S. 135, 146 (1950).
[4] U.S. State Department, “U.S. REPORT UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS JULY 1994, Article 7”.
[5] www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode38/uscsec3800000511—-000-.html “United States Code (USC) Title 38, 511. Decisions of the Secretary; finality.”
[6] CHIEF JUDGE AND COLLEAGUE STATEMENTS, COURT OF VETERANS APPEALS, ANNUAL JUDICIAL CONFERENCE, FORT MEYER, VA., 17 & 18 OCTOBER 1994.

#4 Comment By David H. Marshall On 28th February 2006 @ 10:51

Suggest a title for the post of: Why the Veteran’s U.S. Court “may not”?

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