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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About 300,000 U.S. troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, but about half receive no care, an independent study said on Thursday. The study by the RAND Corp. also estimated that another 320,000 troops have sustained a possible traumatic brain injury during deployment. But researchers could not say how many of those cases were serious or required treatment. Billed as the first large-scale nongovernmental survey of its kind, the study found that stress disorder and depression afflict 18.5 percent of the more than 1.5 million U.S. forces who have deployed...

WASHINGTON, April 15, 2008 – Wounded veterans who once enjoyed sports and being outdoors have the opportunity once again, courtesy of a program in Alabama. “Lakeshore Foundation’s ‘Lima Foxtrot Programs for Injured Military’ help servicemen and women adapt sports and recreation activities so they may get back to living healthy, active, independent lives,” said Susan Katz, the foundation’s communications coordinator. “These programs are open to military personnel who have sustained severe service-related injuries in recent warfare in Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations in the world.” For more than 20 years, the Lakeshore Foundation has worked to enable people with...

On a gray Tuesday morning on Capitol Hill Sen. John McCain addressed several hundred members of Vets for Freedom -- the largest Iraq and Afghanistan veterans' organizations in the country. In DC's upper Senate Park, McCain and other pro-victory Senators and Congressmen rallied for success in Iraq. The event was timed to support the same day U.S. Commander in Iraq Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker returned to Washington to present their latest progress reports. Washington was one of VFF's last stops in the three-week National Heroes Tour, on which members spoke to and encouraged crowds...

WASHINGTON — While former Vietnam POW John McCain campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination in Florida, another retired veteran is counting on his military experience to catapult him to victory in the Sunshine State. Retired Army Col. Allen West is campaigning in Florida's 22nd U.S. Congressional District, hoping to unseat freshman Democratic Rep. Ron Klein, who toppled 26-year Republican incumbent Clay Shaw in a contentious battle in 2006. The well-funded and very politically active Klein is not about to give up his seat easily, but West is banking on his notoriety as much as his military experience to make his...

Twelve Fort Bragg soldiers have been accused of killing 13 people in the six-plus years since Sept. 11, 2001, according to Observer records. In the six years before the terrorist attacks, 16 Fort Bragg soldiers were accused of killing 18 people. Those numbers came from a search of the Observer’s archives and may not be conclusive. Law enforcement agencies do not track killings by whether the accused was a soldier. The Observer examined its own records after a New York Times story published Jan. 13 indicated that homicides involving active-duty service members and new veterans rose 89 percent during the...

January 19, 2008, 1:00 a.m. UnphenomenalTimesFake but ... fake. By Mark Steyn Have you been in an airport recently, and maybe seen a gaggle of America’s heroes returning from Iraq? And you’ve probably thought, “Ah, what a marvelous sight. Remind me to straighten up the old ‘Support Our Troops’ fridge magnet, which seems to have slipped down below the reminder to reschedule my acupuncturist. Maybe I should go over and thank them for their service.” No, no, no, under no account approach them. Instead, try to avoid making eye contact and back away slowly toward the sign for the...

Have you been in an airport recently and maybe seen a gaggle of America's heroes returning from Iraq? And you've probably thought, "Ah, what a marvelous sight. Remind me to straighten up the old 'Support Our Troops' fridge magnet, which seems to have slipped down below the reminder to reschedule my acupuncturist. Maybe I should go over and thank them for their service." No, no, no, under no account approach them. Instead, try to avoid making eye contact and back away slowly toward the sign for the parking garage. You're in the presence of mentally damaged violent killers who could...

Despite predictions the military surge in Iraq would increase death tolls, the counter-insurgency strategy has brought U.S. and Iraqi casualties way down, improved conditions in Iraq and put al-Qaida on the run. With so much good news, what are the nattering nabobs to do? Why, make up bad news, of course. And who better to do it than the anti-war New York Times? "Across America, Deadly Echoes of Foreign Battles" blared the Sunday headline for a front-page Vietnam flashback that essentially said soldiers and Marines who became crazed bloodthirsty baby-killers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan have transitioned into civilian life...

I'VE had a huge response to Tuesday's column about The New York Times' obscene bid to smear veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan as mad killers. Countless readers seem to be wondering: Why did the paper do it? Well, in the Middle Ages, lepers had to carry bells on pain of death to warn the uninfected they were coming. One suspects that the Times would like our military veterans to do the same. The purpose of Sunday's instantly notorious feature "alerting" the American people that our Iraq and Afghanistan vets are all potential murderers when they move in next door was...

The Times documentation of 121 potential killings out of more than 1.5 million veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), divided by 6 years of conflict results in a murder rate of just 1.34 incidents per 100,000 veterans per year. Since all but one of the veterans cited by the Times who committed a killing in the U.S. was male, the comparable rate is approximately 7.67 incidents of murder per 100,000 people among the general male population, compared to just 1.34 incidents per 100,000 returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans (of both genders).

In a long report published on Sunday the New York Times appears to be trying to promulgate the idea that our returning military vets cannot successfully reintegrate back into their communities and into "normal lives" after returning from the stress of active duty overseas. The Times seems to be saying that our veterans have become murderers and are so mentally wracked that coming home is difficult for them. Their entire report is written as if the rate of murders committed by returning veterans is shockingly high. But, a look at real statistics proves that vets are less likely to become...

January 14, 2008 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Mary Pearson: (916) 441–6197 or Email: mary@moveamericaforward.org EXCLUSIVE: New York Times ‘Killer Vet’ StoryExposed as Erroneous by Pro-Troop Group SACRAMENTO- Move America Forward (website: www.MoveAmericaForward.org), the nation’s largest grassroots pro-troop organization, today announced that after vetting the numbers cited by The New York Times in their Sunday, January 13, 2008 story, “Across America, Deadly Echoes of Foreign Battles,” it became clear that the Times had engaged in demonstrably erroneous and false reporting. It took seven New York Times researchers to find 121 cases in which veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan committed a...

Crazed Veterans Spark Nationwide Crime Wave That's the theme of a front page article in today's New York Times: "Across America, Deadly Echoes of Foreign Battles." The article reports on what must have been a major effort by the Times to comb through news reports from across the country, identifying and tabulating instances where servicemen who returned from Iraq or Afghanistan were charged with some form of homicide. The Times summarizes the results of its research: Town by town across the country, headlines have been telling similar stories. Lakewood, Wash.: “Family Blames Iraq After Son Kills Wife.” Pierre, S.D.: “Soldier...

Report: 121 Veterans Linked to Killings Date posted online: Sunday, January 13, 2008 NEW YORK - At least 121 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans have committed a killing or been charged in one in the United States after returning from combat, The New York Times reported Sunday. The newspaper said it also logged 349 homicides involving all active-duty military personnel and new veterans in the six years since military action began in Afghanistan, and later Iraq. That represents an 89-percent increase over the previous six-year period, the newspaper said. About three-quarters of those homicides involved Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans,...

NEW YORK - At least 121 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans have committed a killing or been charged in one in the United States after returning from combat, The New York Times reported Sunday. The newspaper said it also logged 349 homicides involving all active-duty military personnel and new veterans in the six years since military action began in Afghanistan, and later Iraq. That represents an 89-percent increase over the previous six-year period, the newspaper said. About three-quarters of those homicides involved Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, the newspaper said. The report did not illuminate the exact relationship between those...

At least 121 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans have committed a killing or been charged in one in the United States after returning from combat, The New York Times reported Sunday. The newspaper said it also logged 349 homicides involving all active-duty military personnel and new veterans in the six years since military action began in Afghanistan, and later Iraq. That represents an 89-percent increase over the previous six-year period, the newspaper said. About three-quarters of those homicides involved Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, the newspaper said. The report did not illuminate the exact relationship between those cases and the...

WASHINGTON - Veterans coming home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with debilitating mental ailments are discovering that their disability payments from the government vary widely depending on where they live, a McClatchy analysis has found. As a result, many of the recent veterans who get monthly payments for post-traumatic stress disorder from the Department of Veterans Affairs could lose tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in benefits over their lifetimes. The Bush administration has sought to reassure soldiers that they'll be treated fairly, but veterans in some parts of the country are far more likely to...

Afghanistan war veteran to deliver Channel 4's alternative Christmas messageA former soldier who lost his arm during fighting in Afghanistan will deliver this year's Channel 4 alternative Christmas message. Sgt Major Andrew Stockton will recount his experiences on the frontline and urge the public to support Britain's returning troops. His arm was severed by a rocket-propelled grenade as he went to the aid of fellow soldiers ambushed in Helmand Province in June 2006. The 40-year-old was medically discharged from the Royal Artillery in September. In a change to the usual schedule, the Christmas Day message will not be broadcast at...

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 29 (OneWorld) - U.S. war veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have announced they're planning to descend on Washington, DC this March to testify about war crimes they committed or personally witnessed in Iraq. "The war in Iraq is not covered to its potential because of how dangerous it is for reporters to cover it," said Liam Madden, a former Marine and member of the group Iraq Veterans Against the War. "That's left a lot of misconceptions in the minds of the American public about what the true nature of military occupation looks like." Iraq Veterans Against the...

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Nov. 11, 2007 – Airmen here honored veterans past and present with a 10-hour silent vigil today. Senior Airman Michael Salansky, a member of the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, stands a silent vigil in Afghanistan in honor of Veterans Day on Nov. 11, 2007. Photo by Capt. Michael Meridith, USAF  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Following a formal wreath-laying ceremony, teams of two airmen -- a total of 80 in all -- stood at “parade rest” near the flagpole of Camp Cunningham here as a constant reminder of the significance of Veterans Day....