Thousands of Vets with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

How could you watch ABC's special on Bob Woodruff and veterans of the Iraq war with traumatic brain injuries and not cry? If you could do it you're stronger than I will ever be. And of course VA finds a way, with even these most serious of injuries, to fall short.

Veterans seeking treatment face red tape, weeks of waiting, and often to have to pay for outside experts in order to have their disability claims processed. Behee's wife, Marissa, was so frustrated with the care that her husband had received at the VA in Palo Alto, Calif., that she pulled her husband out and put him in a private facility. "For the first month, I thought this isn't he way he should be treated," she told "Good Morning America."

The VA in Palo Alto said that Behee's injury was complex, and that the Behees needed to be more patient. Jim Nicholson, a spokesman for the Department of Veterans Affairs, acknowledges that there are delays in the system, but says the department is struggling to overcome a lack of knowledge about TBIs.

The War: 'Its Like It Doesn't Exist' for Americans

Not all of us are personally affected by this war but the least we can do is remember those who have the physical and emotional scars from it.

Mental care called sorely lacking for Iraq vets, families

Another miscue regarding planning for this war. No one thought there should be enough mental health professionals for servicemembers who killed and saw death and their families? A panel's 67 page report cites a 40% vacancy rate in active duty psychologists in the Army and Navy. Therapy is nothing more than talking. When is it going to stop being considered a weakness?

ABC's Bob Woodruff's Long Road to Recovery

Daniel Trotta's piece on Reuters speaks of Bob Woodruff's struggles after the ABC newsman was injured in Iraq. Woordruff's story, along with the struggle of servicemembers, will be detailed on ABC tonight in a special named "To Iraq and Back". Woodruff, a husband and father, was in a coma for 36 days. I will definitely watch this tonight.

Billions of Dollars Unaccounted for in Iraq

Billions wasted in Iraq? Now how much of this could have been used for armored vehicles, body armor and wounded veterans instead of lost to corruption and incompetence? There was no accounting system for tracking all this cash sent to Iraq.

The Pentagon set up the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to govern the country under Ambassador Paul Bremer, who began hiring private companies to secure and rebuild the country. There were no banks or wire transfers to pay them, no bean counters to keep track of the money. Just vaults and footlockers stuffed with billions of dollars in cash. "Fresh, new, crisp, unspent, just-printed $100 bills. It was the Wild West," recalls Frank Willis, who was the No. 2 man at the Coalition Provisional Authority’s Ministry of Transportation. The money was a mixture of Iraqi oil revenues, war booty and U.S. government funds earmarked for the coalition authority. Whenever cash was needed, someone went down to the vault with a wheelbarrow or gunny sacks. Asked if he has any evidence that the accounting system was a little loose, Willis says, "I would describe it as nonexistent."

Yeah, so the next time somone is apprehensive about sending more money to Iraq to "support the troops" maybe we shouldn't be so quick to call them traitors.

US Soldiers Aren't the Only Americans Dying

Thats right. Over 800 US civilians have died and more than 3,300 have been wounded in the Iraq War. They are just as important as the soldiers. They make it possible for us to send troops to train, fight, secure and police. Imagine if we had to send soldiers to cook, clean, guard and analyze intelligence as well. Respect them, love them, honor them too.

Newsweek Does It Again

Could it be the country that loves to wear yellow ribbons and American flag pins is failing its veterans? Could it be that the country who denounces anyone who doesn't support the war could support its troops even less? Of course it is. Yes America, we are failing our troops.

America's Dirty Little Secret: Homeless Veterans

Newsweek wrote what I've been repeating (from other reports I've read) for a long time. Military veterans are sleeping on the streets of America. People always seemed so shocked at how our military members are treated. What is going to happen to the kids who left their parents' home, moved into Uncle Sam's home and once they return from war they don't know how to establish their own home?

Running Like Ambulance Chasers

The Republicans don't have to do anything to make the Democrats look bad. They do it all on their own. They are shocked by the state of affairs at Walter Reed. These yahoos are going to act as if they are not accountable for the treatment of the soldiers? Please, let's not act as if because you didn't own the White House or the Congress, our servicemembers weren't your responsibility. The most horrendous things always happen right in the capital of our nation, the backyard of our public servants.

Skeletons in the Closet at Walter Reed

When someone puts their best foot forward, people forget that means something is wrong who the one left in the background. And boy is that ever the case with Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Their treatment of wounded soliders is a disgrace. But thats the Army way, pretend like everything is okay because heaven forbid a junior officer has to tell his superior he (read: his soldiers) need more help, more resources. That would be a reflection on his (or her) leadership abilities. And we wouldn't want that.

The death of PFC LaVena Johnson raises questions

The most high-profile Army cover up of the Iraq War is the death of former NFL player Pat Tillman. Chances are there is another one. If, by chance, things happened as the Army said they did they should have learned by the Tillman case to leave no stone unturned and erase all doubt. But, once again, the Army has to do things the hard way and now a family as doubts about the death of their child. The daughter of a doctor, an honor student and blood donor among a list of achievements, Johnson's death was labeled a suicide ("self-inflicted, noncombat injuries") even though she had two loose front teeth and a "busted lip" that had to be reconstructed at the funeral home.

Enemy of the Soldier: Army Physical Evaluation Board

The Army physical evaluation board's game of hoops is no shock to the countless number of Army soldiers who have medical issues. And as Iraq war veterans return home wounded they are probably surprised by the hero's welcome they receive.