Military suicides

On Wednesday, McClatchy Newspapers published an article by Les Blumenthal about the Veterans' Administration's lies concerning the number of veterans who have attempted suicide. Here is a summary of the article:

* Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., says the VA was lying when it put the number of suicide attempts at fewer than 800 a year. She cites internal emails that put the number at 12,000 a year.

* She added that the VA's mental health programs are being overwhelmed by Iraq and Afghanistan vets.

* The senator "pointed to a RAND Corp. study released last week that found that 320,000 troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from traumatic brain injuries and 300,000 troops suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression. Of those with PTSD or depression, Murray said, only half have sought treatment, and only half of those have received treatment that was 'minimally' adequate."

* Murray added that, as with Vietnam-era vets, some of the more violent symptoms might not show up for 50 years.

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What else have George Bush and Dick Cheney wrought? And how can John McCain allow that this might last 100 years?