Saturday, May 14, 2011

Veterans issues

Robert Friese died serving in Iraq April 29th in a rocket and grenade attack. He was 21-years-old and one of eleven US soldiers who died in Iraq last month. Today he was buried. Ryan Berlin (Morning Sun) quotes his friend Ron Fraizer stating, "There is nothing bad you can say about Robert. He was a brother, a father, an uncle and a best buddy. He was put here to care, protect and keep us together. That's what he really did. He helped us get through hard times."


In other news, Joaquin Sapien ("with reporting by NPR, ProPublica and Frontline) reports for Columbus City Paper:

More than half of all Iraq and Afghanistan veterans treated in Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals since 2002 have been diagnosed, at least preliminarily, with mental health problems, according to statistics [1] obtained by the advocacy group Veterans for Common Sense.
The data, which is released quarterly, also show that the raw number of returning soldiers with psychological problems is rising. Nearly 18,000 new patients were treated for mental health issues at VA facilities in the last three months of last year -- the most recent time period for which data is available-- upping the total to more than 330,000 [1].
The latest numbers confirm a trend that has intensified over the last several years.

Around the country various groups are attempting to step in and help where the VA is failing. Heath Urie (Colorado Daily Camera) reports on a group in his state:

Now, a Boulder County nonprofit group is working to harness that common experience to bring veterans such as Lecy and Sutton together to overcome one of the consequences of war -- post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
Veterans Helping Veterans Now, based in Boulder, was formed in 2007 by a group of veterans representing multiple generations of warfighters who were looking for ways to reach out to other veterans who would not ask for help on their own.
The group's mission is to support veterans who are dealing with the effects of PTSD -- an anxiety disorder that can occur after a traumatic event -- or other issues associated with leaving the military and transitioning to civilian life.


There are also many individuals attempting to help veterans in need, people such as Troy Yocum. army_mil-73865-2010-05-19-060544

(Troy Yocum photo taken by John Crosby)

Hike for our Heroes is a non-profit started by Iraq War veteran Troy Yocum who is hiking across the country to raise awareness and money for veterans issues. He began the walk last April. From the Facebook page:


Iraq War Veteran Troy Yocum, his wife Mareike and Emmie the super dog are hiking 7,000 miles across America to help military families in need. They took their first steps of the 16-month cross-country quest on April 17, 2010. Backed by corporate sponsors, many volunteers and support members, Team Hike for our Heroes/Drum Hike are taking on the challenge of raising needed funds by hiking 7000 miles across America. The journey will take 16 months passing through 31 states and 38 large cities. The team will have to average over 20 miles a day while enduring each season. Funds donated go through The Wish Upon A Hero Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization that seeks to supports the community of individuals working online who grant the needs and wants of others making a wish. We believe that no wish is too large, no hero is too small and that everyone can become a hero. The idea for the hike has been evolving since Troy joined the Army in 2001 but it is now when our economy is struggling and military families are in most need that he and his family will put one foot in front of another to connect and help struggling families. Help our mission by making a donation today!

Troy Yocum continues his mission. Justin Rose (Technican News) reports:


Yocum spent the past week traveling east through the states recently ravaged by tornados, listening to the stories of families affected around Fort Bragg—an area Yocum said was heavily crippled, leaving a profound impact.
"All the trees were snapped to pieces," Yocum said. "It was one of the craziest things I've seen on the trip so far."
Since the start of his journey in Louisville, KY, Yocum has raised over $180,000 to help 40 military families, according to Mike Bowman, lead volunteer for Hike for Our Heroes.


The following community sites -- plus Antiwar.com and Washington Week -- updated last night and today:



Thursday morning, we included the following release but that's when Blogger/Blogspot went crazy and some may have issed mit.



Chairman Murray Introduces Landmark Veterans Employment Legislation






Patty Murray




Senator Murray discusses her bill to provide help for veterans looking for work. Joining Senator Murray are from l to r Senator Chris Coons, Senator Jon Tester, and Eric Smith a currently unemployed Iraq War veteran.



FOR A HIGH RESOLUTION VERSION OF THIS PHOTO CLICK HERE



With the unemployment rate among young veterans at over 27%, Chairman Murray introduces a landmark bi-partisan bill that will require job skills training for every separating service member; create new pathways to private sector and federal employment

WATCH VIDEO HERE of Senator Murray and Eric Smith, an veteran of two tours of duty in Iraq who has struggled to find employment at home despite the skills he acquired in the military.


(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee introduced major legislation to help veterans struggling to find work and to address rising unemployment among our nation’s heroes. Senator Murray’s bill, the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, is the first of its kind to require broad job skills training for all service members returning home and comes at a time when more than one in four veterans aged 20-24 are unemployed. In addition to requiring that each separating service member attend a transition assistance program, the bill will also create new direct federal hiring authority so that more service members have jobs waiting for them the day they leave the military, and will improve veteran mentorship programs in the working world. Read more about the bill here.



The following are Senator Murray’s remarks at today’s press conference:



Thank you all so much for coming out today.



I first want to thank Senators Tester, Begich, and Coons for joining us today to speak about this critical issue in their states and across the nation.



I’d also like to say a special thank you to Senator Murkowski who couldn’t be here today, but who has joined a growing list of sponsors and has helped to bring support from across the aisle to an effort that should certainly never be partisan.



I also want to thank Eric Smith for coming here from Baltimore to tell all of you a first-hand account of what it’s like to come home from two tours in Iraq serving our nation, only to have to fight every day to find work.



And finally I want to thank all of the veterans service organizations and their representatives that are joining us to help introduce this landmark bill – they include the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and the American Legion



Today, with the help of everyone here, we are taking a huge step forward in rethinking the way we treat our men and women in uniform after they leave the military.



For too long in this country we have invested billions of dollars in training our young men and women with new skills to protect our nation - only to ignore them once they left the military. For too long, at the end of their career we patted our veterans on the back for their service and then pushed them out into the job market alone.



And where has that left us today?



Today, we have an unemployment rate of over 27% among young veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. That is over one in five of our nation’s heroes who can’t find a job to support their family, don’t have an income that provides stability, and don’t have work that provides them with the self-esteem and pride that is so critical to their transition home.



And all too often we read about the results of veterans who come home - often with the invisible wounds of war –who can’t find the dignity and security that work provides. We read about it in skyrocketing suicide statistics, problems at home, substance abuse, and even in rising homelessness among our young veterans.



But I also have heard about it first-hand from the veterans that we’ve failed to provide better job support to. I’ve had veterans tell me that they no longer write the fact that they’re a veteran on their resume because they fear the stigma that they believe employers attach to the invisible wounds of war. I’ve heard from medics who return home from treating battlefield wounds who can’t get certifications to be an EMT or to drive an ambulance. I’ve talked to veteran after veteran who’ve said they didn’t have to go through the military’s job skills training program, or that they were never taught how to use the vernacular of the business world to describe the benefits of their experience.



These stories are as heartbreaking as they are frustrating. But more than anything they’re a reminder that we have to act now.



The bill we are introducing today allows our men and women in uniform to capitalize on their service, while also ensuring the American people capitalize on the investment we have made in them.



For the first time, it would require broad job skills training for every service member as they leave the military as part of the military’s Transition Assistance Program.



Today, nearly one-third of those leaving the Army don’t get this training.



This bill would also allow service members to begin the federal employment process prior to separation in order to facilitate a truly seamless transition from the military to jobs at the VA, Homeland Security, or the many other federal agencies in need of our veterans.



This bill will also require the Department of Labor to take a hard look at what military skills and training should be translatable into the civilian sector, and will work to make it simpler to get the licenses and certification our veterans need.



All of these are real, substantial steps to put our veterans to work.



And all of them come at a pivotal time for our economic recovery and our veterans.



You know, I grew up with the Vietnam War - and I have dedicated much of my Senate career to helping to care for the veterans we left behind at that time.The mistakes we made then have cost our nation and our veterans dearly and have weighed on the conscience of this nation. Today we stand on the brink of repeating those mistakes.



We can’t let that happen. Our nation’s veterans are disciplined, team players who have proven they can deliver under pressure like no one else.



It’s time for us to deliver for them.



Thank you.



###

Matt McAlvanah

Communications Director

U.S. Senator Patty Murray

202-224-2834 - press office

202--224-0228 - direct

matt_mcalvanah@murray.senate.gov

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