Almost half of new U.S. vets seek disability

Now lets think about these numbers for a minute.

A staggering 45 percent of the 1.6 million veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now seeking compensation for injuries they say are service-related. That is more than double the estimate of 21 percent who filed such claims after the Gulf War in the early 1990s, top government officials told The Associated Press.

That's one hell of a spike in claims. I think it's fair to say part of this is due to the economic climate. For many veterans returning home to very poor employment conditions, it's an easy way to continue to bring money into their homes.

Government officials and some veterans' advocates say that veterans who might have been able to work with certain disabilities may be more inclined to seek benefits now because they lost jobs or can't find any. Aggressive outreach and advocacy efforts also have brought more veterans into the system, which must evaluate each claim to see if it is war-related. Payments range from $127 a month for a 10 percent disability to $2,769 for a full one.

AP I can buy that, as it's easy to see why. What seems to be missed is how our leaders have very little concern for how much of a toll these conflicts have had on our military personnel. Take John McCain for instance, He's been calling for intervention in Syria for a while now, and he continues to push for action to oust Assad.McCain: Don't count on Russia to force out Assad

"What the conclusion you can draw is that this president wants to kick the can down the road on all of these issues until after the election. ... It's really an abdication of everything that America stands for and believes in," he later added.

So what is it that America stands for? Destroying American lives for the continued profit of rich old men? I get that some bad things are happening in Syria, but the American military cannot continue to shoulder the burden of every country, especially when the actual motives of intervening in these countries always seems to be unclear. John McCain is insane, the U.S. is currently fighting a war on two fronts (Iraq/Afghanistan). Close to a possible third (Iran), and he's calling for a fourth (Syria). Where does the madness end? Being a veteran myself I will tell you the hardest thing to do is leave your family for a year, and go off to fight in a foreign country. My apologies for the rant, but these men are insane, with no regard to the toll it has taken on the lives of these people. Who is John McCain and men like him loyal to? The American people?

And many of them are homeless and psychologically in need of counseling.

I know I served dinner to about 50+ today.

Military men are “dumb, stupid animals to be used” as pawns for foreign policy. - Henry Kissinger,
National Security Advisor to Nixon, 1973. (War Criminal, Freemason, Zionist, White House Advisor during the Iraq and Afghan wars).

The quote is found in “Final Days,” a book by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Kissinger has never disputed it.

Rich men's sons rarely see the front line............it's only the commoner's sons that still are put in the line of fire.

What if they gave a war and made only those who voted for that war to fight?????

With what we spend on the military (blood money) we could have fed, clothe and housed every single US Citizen.

But we choose by our apathy to endorse through propagated fear war, war and more war.

Grow up or risk extinction humanity.

What if they gave a war and made only those who voted for that war to fight?????

Perfect. But it'll never happen.

reply to post by GD21D

Sad indeed and my prayers go out to the afflicted. This thread made me think of this subject some time ago, and pardon the subtle digression. In Georgia they are building a prison for troubled vets. Shouldn't they create a rehabilitation center, as opposed to a "jail?"

Additional Source
But I don't know for sure, perhaps with the numbers so high, a significant number of vets require prison? Just guessing here. I would imagine there is a monetary angle here also.
"Alcohol and substance abuse, and mental health issues?" Okay, then he goes on to call it a dorm for group meetings. Well why do they want to call it a prison or jail then?! Seems a bit insulting imo.

reply to post by ofhumandescent
My sentiment exactly It saddens me to see my fellow comrades treated in such a way. Good men who truly do mean good, treated like pawns, with no regard to their lives by their leaders. The saddest moment in my time in the military was watching a Staff Sergeant say goodbye to his wife as we were leaving on a deployment. There where other moments that others would find worse, but for me there was something about that moment that was really heartbreaking.

Since Vietnam about 85% that fought in Vietnam have gotten service connected disability. Many are not with us now due to agent orange and Monsanto.
All my high school friends and i have.
And none of us were ever drug users

Very few that fought in Vietnam ever served more then two times in Vietnam but we have people that have been to Iraq and Afghanistan 5 to 6+ times.

These wars are certainly taking their toll. Coming home and trying to re-enter the civilian world has been an uphill struggle and I struggle everyday with what I have been through. Mainly because of why. I know my lifespan has been cut short. It will be cancer for me. Just a matter of what kind and how soon it will happen. I served in Fallujah and well, all I can say is it was some horrible stuff for everyone involved. It is a shame what has happened and what continues to happen. All I can say is when will the madness end?