Wounded veterans, their families suffer economically

[RamboLiberal]

He was one of America's first defenders on Sept. 11, 2001, a Marine who pulled burned 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 may lose his house, too.

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. That's a triumph for military medicine. But they often return hobbled by prolonged physical and mental injuries from homemade bombs and the unremitting anxiety of fighting a hidden enemy along blurred battle lines. Treatment, recovery and retraining often can't be assured quickly or cheaply.

These troops are just starting to seek help in large numbers, more than 185,000 so far. But the cost of their benefits is already testing resources set aside by government and threatening the future of these wounded veterans for decades to come, say economists and veterans' groups.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20070929-1042-cominghomewounded-theprice.html

[midnight]

1. Bring them HOme....... before they are wounded..... End this now.

[johan helge]

2. The lack of thankfulness towards war heroes is a shame

I'm not talking about the oratory thankfulness, but the real thankfulness, shown by actions.

This seems to be a permanent thing, in all wars.