severe and chronic

that is the condition of some of our returning (not even counting the ones still serving in the middle east). in need of IMMEDIATE treatment.

king george sent these men and women into harm's way. not only has he NOT attended ONE funeral, HE is NOT doing anything to help those returning home in pieces (physically as well as mentally). i read the other day (and i didn't post it because i didn't want to use someone's name - who had died in this evil, unjust, immoral and illegal war) he met with the parents and girlfriend (or wife, i've forgotten) of a solider killed in iraq. yeah, king george gave the family a few medals - and my favorite part COLORING BOOKS FOR THE KIDS. yeah, if i was a child and king george sent my father into iraq to be killed i know how i'd feel if he then turned around and gave ME coloring books........... at any rate, THE LEAST KING GEORGE AND HIS COURT CAN DO IS SHUT THE F**K UP ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE AND GET THESE MEN AND WOMEN THE TREATMENT AND HELP THEY NEED. AND DO IT NOW

The War Inside
Troops Are Returning From the Battlefield With Psychological Wounds, But the Mental-Health System That Serves Them Makes Healing Difficult

By Dana Priest and Anne Hull

Army Spec. Jeans Cruz helped capture Saddam Hussein. When he came home to the Bronx, important people called him a war hero and promised to help him start a new life. The mayor of New York, officials of his parents' home town in Puerto Rico, the borough president and other local dignitaries honored him with plaques and silk parade sashes. They handed him their business cards and urged him to phone.
But a "black shadow" had followed Cruz home from Iraq, he confided to an Army counselor. He was hounded by recurring images of how war really was for him: not the triumphant scene of Hussein in handcuffs, but visions of dead Iraqi children.........

............At a low point, he went to the local Department of Veterans Affairs medical center for help. One VA psychologist diagnosed Cruz with post-traumatic stress disorder. His condition was labeled "severe and chronic." In a letter supporting his request for PTSD-related disability pay, the psychologist wrote that Cruz was "in need of major help" and that he had provided "more than enough evidence" to back up his PTSD claim. His combat experiences, the letter said, "have been well documented."
None of that seemed to matter when his case reached VA disability evaluators. They turned him down flat, ruling that he deserved no compensation because his psychological problems existed before he joined the Army..............