Service. Sacrifice. Honor.

   On Monday, all across this country, Americans will take a moment to remember those who have done so much to allow our freedoms. On this day, we'll spend time with our families, join our communities in celebration and take time to remember what sometimes we all take so for granted in our everyday American lives.

   But each and every day, those who wear the uniform stand for their brothers and sisters who have given everything.

Society and the Soldier: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – Part II

   Traumatic neurasthenia. Railway spine. War syndrome. Gross stress reaction. Old sergeant syndrome. Neurocirculatory asthenia. Vietnam disease. Cerebro-medullary shock. Simple continued fever. Disordered action of the heart. Buck fever. Swiss disease...

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SPECIAL PREVIEW FOR CCNers

Join us on Our Bold New Adventure as Fighting-Dems.com continues to support the "Blue Wave" of Fighting Dem Vets in the 2008 election cycle.

It is also the home of the acclaimed Fighting Dems News Service (FDNS) edited by our own Randy Risener to inform the public of issues relating to foreign policy, national security, veterans and military families.

Our guys in Congress doing exactly what we said they would do -- leading the charge against Bush and supporting vets and active duty military and military families.

Two things. First and AP article.

Democrats' New Military Veterans Lead House Charge on Iraq War
http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20070315/pl_bloomberg/acnn0tzymida_1

Nicholas Johnston Thu Mar 15, 12:08 AM ET

March 15 (Bloomberg) -- Joe Sestak (news, bio, voting record), a freshman Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania, says he knows exactly when U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East went off course.

I was coming home and heard on the radio (NPR/ or WPR) that the defense department wants to classify soldiers who fought in Kosovo as "non-combat" veterans. If this goes through, they will lose $220/month in benefits/$. Congressman Steve Kagen-Wi/D (http://kagen.house.gov /) says that these fine soldiers were indeed in harm's way, and should not lose the recognition of their sacrifice, or the benefits they deserve.

Last Thursday March 8 Amy Goodman on Democracy Now interviewed several women on the problem of sexual assault in the military. You can hear the program at www.democracynow.org by going to the archives. Note to web administrator: Please pass this on to General Clark.

"US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has approved a request for an extra 2,200 military police to support the security drive in Iraq's capital, Baghdad.

"Speaking to Congress, Mr Gates said the deployment would be in addition to the nearly 24,000 combat troops and support personnel approved by President Bush.

"The extra forces will help deal with an anticipated increase in detainees during the Baghdad security crackdown.

"Top US military commander in Iraq, Lt Gen David Petraeus, made the request.

All,

With the recent news about how our government is failing the Iraq vets, I felt the need to repost my blog about how you can help military families right now through the Fisher House Foundation.

Friday, November 10, 2006

There's a way to help vets, families

DAN SHEA
GUEST COLUMNIST

Society and the Soldier: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – Part I

Hurricane Katrina ravages the Gulf Coast in 2005 while an earthquake savages Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. In 2004, a crushing tsunami rises out of the Indian Ocean. A terrorist attack paralyzes a nation on a mid-September morning in 2001. Every two minutes, an American is raped. Over six million are involved in car accidents annually. One to three million are victims of domestic violence in our country every year. And then there are those who are sent to combat. All are susceptible to something we call PTSD: post-traumatic stress disorder.