This Week at American Veteran

This week, American Veteran has been seriously hampered by the back-to-back blizzards affecting the Washington metro area.

As weather permits, we plan to be back online in the next couple of days.

With the near-total federal government shut-down, all veterans' affairs hearings have been postponed, along with VSO coordination meetings. We will keep you posted as the schedule evolves in the next couple of weeks.

However, with the blizzard, the work continues. This week, the Associated Press published a story about the continued inequities in dependent indemnity compensation and survivor benefits program (DIC/SBP) offsets for military widows. The veterans' community also lost a vocal, and sometimes controversial, advocate in Congressman John Murtha (D-Pa.), who died from complications in surgery. Military Times covered the story here.

Murtha was a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and the first Vietnam veteran elected to Congress in 1974. During his time in office, Murtha fought for improved veterans' benefits, but became a controversial figure when he criticized the actions of American troops involved in the 2005 Haditha killings in Iraq.

Finally, reports of Post-9/11 G.I. Bill payment issues continue to trickle in, with more questions on back pay from fall 2009 and inconsistent payments. AMVETS leaders will continue to look for answers, though the government shut-down has hindered these efforts for the moment. Veterans should continue to monitor their bank accounts as VA continues to bring its accounts current.

Barring further complications from the weather, the winter issue of American Veteran should go to print this week. We will keep you posted on this blog with more details.

(Photo: M Street NW in Washington after Friday's first wave of the blizzard. Cell phone photo by Ryan Gallucci.)

AMVETS Riders Lead an American Warrior Home

On Sunday, Nov. 15, AMVETS Riders from Chapter No. 7 in Morristown, Tenn. joined the local Patriot Guard Riders and members of the Tennessee Highway Patrol to escort the body of Army Spc. Fred Greene back to his hometown of Mountain City, Tenn.

Greene, a 29-year-old Army combat engineer, was one of the 13 victims of the Nov. 5 shooting at Fort Hood, where Army Maj. Nadal Hasan opened fire on a crowded room of soldiers preparing to deploy.



Alan Sipe, president of AMVETS Riders Chapter No. 7, said the AMVETS Riders joined up for a 45-mile stretch of the journey, which passed through the mountains of eastern Tennessee on Sunday morning. Sipe said that entire congregations of small churches along the route lined the streets to pay their respects to Greene.

"The Tennessee Chapter No. 7 Riders were very moved at each and every moment of the ceremonies as they led one of their fallen brothers to his final resting place," said Sipe. "May he forever rest in peace."

Greene was laid to rest on Wednesday at his family church in Mountain City. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was in attendance to pay his final respects. Sipe said that Greene was buried with full military honors and treated as a KIA.



According to the Associated Press, Greene enlisted in the Army in 2008 and was assigned to the 16th Signal Company, which was heading overseas. Greene is survived by his wife, Christie, and his two adopted daughters, Haley and Allison.

(Photo: AMVETS Riders served as members of the Honor Guard when Spc. Greene arrived at the Tri-Cities Airport on Nov. 15. Photo courtesy of Alan Sipe. Video: TriCities.com news coverage of Spc. Greene's ride home and his funeral on Wednesday, Nov. 18. Embedded using HTML code provided by TriCities.com.)

UPDATE: Taliban leaders threaten to kill captured U.S. soldier

This afternoon, the Associated Press reported that the Taliban has threatened to kill a U.S. soldier in their custody, should the U.S. fail to cease operations in two volatile regions of Afghanistan. American Veteran first commented on the soldier's disappearance on July 2.

To view the original story, Click Here.

The soldier, who apparently walked off his unit's forward operating base unarmed, has not been identified by the Pentagon. A Taliban spokesman claims the soldier was drunk when he was captured and that he remains in good health, barring the American response.

AMVETS leaders continue to call on the Department of Defense to do everything in its power to ensure the soldier's safe return, hunt down his captors, and hold them accountable for their actions.

American Veteran Online will continue to track this story.

Army report suggests military over-diagnoses TBI

Yesterday, the Associated Press highlighted a new report published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine, claiming that the military has over-diagnosed Traumatic Brain Injuries.

The report was compiled by Charles Hoge, director of psychiatry and neuroscience at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Carl Castro, a psychologist with U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command, and Herb Goldberg, an Army communications specialist from Walter Reed.

Both Hoge and Castro believe that the VA should characterize many mild head injuries simply as concussions, rather than brain injuries. Hoge contests that the latter diagnosis implies that the condition is permanent, forcing the military and VA to provide additional benefits and care for those who are diagnosed.

According to a recent RAND Corporation study, nearly 300,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have suffered some kind of brain injury, whether mild or severe, and relatively few receive adequate treatment. Though this report points out that many of these injuries may not have permanent consequences, it is dangerous to suggest that the Army and VA should not diagnose brain injuries.

We've seen in recent months that even head injuries initially labelled as "mild" can have serious, long-lasting, and potentially life thretening effects. It would be a disservice to our veterans to "low ball" their diagnoses in the interests of saving money, as the report suggests.

We applaud the VA for pointing out that they continue to work with veterans to properly identify and diagnose brain injuries, and we hope that this trend continues, in light of the new Army report.

Over the years, veterans have sought the council of AMVETS service officers, hoping to receive the benefits and care for their war-time injuries. Enought hurdles already exist for our veterans, we don't need physicians second guessing diagnoses and downplaying the severity of head injuries.

Sadly, this new report seems to echo grumblings from the traditionally liberal news sources such as Salon, purporting that the military is encouraging doctors to underdiagnose PTSD as lesser maladies such as anxiety or personality disorders. The invisible wounds of war can often be the most serious, and it is the duty of our military medical system to ensure that troops are properly cared for once they return home.

I usually don't agree with the ACLU, but...

The Associated Press reported today that the ACLU has filed suit in Michigan on behalf of Lewis Lowden and his late wife Jean, who were pulled over and arrested while driving in the funeral procession for Army Cpl. Todd Motley in 2007. Lowden was cited for violating Michigan's law prohibiting funeral protests for a sign in his car's window which criticized then-President George W. Bush.

The ACLU is concerned that the current Michigan law is written in a way that gives authorities a blank check to arrest anyone who makes a statement that could be construed as controversial in and around funeral proceedings. To view the Michigan law, as it is written today, Click Here.

In 2006, the law was passed with bipartisan support to restrict the protests of that "church" in Kansas (I refuse to name them on this blog). You know, the "church" that's now notorious for picketing troops' funerals around the country, claiming that their deaths were punishment for American tolerance of homosexuality; the "church" that has given the Patriot Guard Riders, AMVETS Riders, and patriotic Americans across the country something to protect.

According to the AP, lawmakers who helped to draft the bill did not foresee an issue such as the Lowden case. The law was passed with noble intentions, but the ACLU claims the language is too broad, and can lead to authoritarian abuse, which seems to be the case with the Lowdens.

For a little background on the Lowden story, Lewis and Jean were long-time family friends of Motley. In fact, they helped with his home schooling and frequently took him on fishing and camping trips as a boy. Lowden was well known around town for the political signs he would hang in his vehicle, and when he arrived for the funeral, no one objected.

As the funeral procession passed through town, the Lowdens were pulled over and arrested on the spot. The city eventually dropped criminal charges at the request of the Motley family.

When I first came across this story, I thought it was going to be another whiny ACLU case, but I was encouraged to see that even those responsible for drafting the law are eager to hear the courts' decision on how to properly enforce a reasonable standard.

The decision on whether a political statement connotes a "disturbing or disruptive effect" on a funeral should rest solely with the grieving family. To me, it seems absurd that the police could determine what such families would take offense to--especially in this case, where the offenders were IN the funeral procession!

But don't take my word for it. Read this story for yourself, and let us know what you think.

-Ryan

(Photo: A member of the Patriot Guard Riders stands on guard at the funeral of Army Sgt. John Styles, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2008. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Liesl Marelli, released.)

Pentagon to End Stop Loss

This afternoon, the Associated Press reported that defense officials will curb implementation of the controversial Stop Loss policy this summer. AP also reported that troops held past their ETS dates will be entitled to an additional $500 per month for the duration of their extended service. The new benefit, called Stop Loss Special Pay, will be retroactive for members of the military held beyond their ETS after Oct. 1, 2008.

Stop Loss is the oft-criticized military policy to hold mission-critical troops beyond their contract or retirement dates. Stop-loss is often referred to as a "backdoor draft" which is responsible for forcing thousands of troops to continue serving in the military long beyond their prescribed time in service. (It was also the subject of the controversial 2008 MTV Film "Stop Loss.")

According to a Department of Defense press release, the Army Reserve and National Guard will deploy their first Stop Loss-free units in August 2009. The active component will follow in January 2010.

Personally, I couldn't be happier to see DoD give Stop Loss the axe. During my time in the Army Reserve, I saw the ways in which the policy affected the morale of troops, both in the field and in garrison. Once Stop Loss in enacted, the sense of hopelessness can permeate well beyond the affected soldier. Their battle buddies feel the same loss of purpose and motivation when faced with a suddenly open-ended military obligation.

When my unit returned from Iraq in 2004, our MOS, civil affairs, was held under Stop Loss. Though the policy did not directly affect me, since I was still under contract, the loss of morale was palpable. Some of my closest friends--friends with ambitions of college, ambitions of a normal family life, ambitions of a civilian life--were suddenly deciding to reenlist!

Naturally, I asked why. After all, they were quite adamant about leaving the military after a rough year in Iraq. They simply told me that they had no other option. The Army was going to hold onto them anyway, so they might as well cash in on the bonus.

In no way do I intend to disparage the service of career military men and women. Nothing is more noble than to dedicate your life to serving your country. But I must ask what might have been for the men and women who epitomized the mantra "Army life is not my style," yet decided to re-up.

The military has repeatedly touted the necessity of the program over the years, saying that it was essential to the mission to retain the best and brightest. I'm happy to see that DoD has changed its tone, despite of continued operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy reiterated my thoughts in his statement on Stop Loss today:

"Stop Loss disrupts the plans of those who have serve their intended obligation. As such, it is employed only when necessary to ensure minimal staffing in deploying units, when needed to ensure safe and effective unit performance. It is more easily rationalized in the early stages of conflict when events are most dynamic; but tempo changes in this war have frustrated our efforts to end it altogether."

If you have stories of your experiences with DoD's Stop Loss policy, let us here about it!

-Ryan

(Photo: In 2007, then-Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno delivered the oath of enlistment to soldiers from 2nd Infantry Division at Joint Security Station East in Iraq. Photo by Staff Sgt. Curt Cashour, released.)