| U.S. Deaths Confirmed By The DoD: | 3517 |
| Reported U.S. Deaths Pending DoD Confirmation: | 4 |
| Total | 3521 |
...and the following news story from ABC NEWS:
The US commander in Iraq says American troops could be needed in the country for a decade to battle insurgents.
General David Petraeus has told Fox News there is broad recognition that Iraq's daunting challenges will not be resolved "in a year or even two years".
"In fact, typically, I think historically, counter-insurgency operations have gone at least nine or 10 years," he said.....
How many more will have to die for Bush's war?
Washington Post:
Army Spec. Jeans Cruz helped capture Saddam Hussein. When he came home to the Bronx, important people called him a war hero and promised to help him start a new life. The mayor of New York, officials of his parents' home town in Puerto Rico, the borough president and other local dignitaries honored him with plaques and silk parade sashes. They handed him their business cards and urged him to phone.
But a "black shadow" had followed Cruz home from Iraq, he confided to an Army counselor. He was hounded by recurring images of how war really was for him: not the triumphant scene of Hussein in handcuffs, but visions of dead Iraqi children....
...At a low point, he went to the local Department of Veterans Affairs medical center for help. One VA psychologist diagnosed Cruz with post-traumatic stress disorder. His condition was labeled "severe and chronic." In a letter supporting his request for PTSD-related disability pay, the psychologist wrote that Cruz was "in need of major help" and that he had provided "more than enough evidence" to back up his PTSD claim. His combat experiences, the letter said, "have been well documented."
None of that seemed to matter when his case reached VA disability evaluators. They turned him down flat, ruling that he deserved no compensation because his psychological problems existed before he joined the Army. They also said that Cruz had not proved he was ever in combat. "The available evidence is insufficient to confirm that you actually engaged in combat," his rejection letter stated.....
I heard some statistic on the news that said that 40% of the military are returning from Iraq with psychological problems. Although this administration wants to continue to use the bodies of our service members, they are unwilling to help them when they return with serious mental problems. Now Bush and his possible Republican successors want to continue the war???? How will they pay for this? Why is this necessary? Will your son or daughter be next?
