VA Stops Releasing Data On Injured Vets As Total Reaches Grim Milestone

[Crabtownboy]

I hope the right-wing war hawks are happy. The vast majority was completely unnecessary. Such a tragedy.

The United States has likely reached a grim but historic milestone in the war on terror: 1 million veterans injured from the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. But you haven't heard this reported anywhere else. Why? Because the government is no longer sharing this information with the public.

All that can be said with any certainty is that as of last December more than 900,000 service men and women had been treated at Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics since returning from war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that the monthly rate of new patients to these facilities as of the end of 2012 was around 10,000. Beyond that, the picture gets murky. In March, VA abruptly stopped releasing statistics on non-fatal war casualties to the public. However, experts say that there is no reason to suspect the monthly rate of new patients has changed.

http://www.ibtimes.com/va-stops-rel...otal-reaches-grim-milestone-exclusive-1449584

 

[Revmitchell]

So who made the decision to no longer share the info? It could not have been Bush.

 

[Crabtownboy]

So who made the decision to no longer share the info? It could not have been Bush.

I have no idea ... but your reply is off topic. It could have been someone in the VA, the DOD or higher up. Maybe you can research it and find out who gave the order.

Do you consider 1 million young men and women wounded and maimed for life a tragedy?

 

[just-want-peace]

--- Do you consider 1 million young men and women wounded and maimed for life a tragedy?

O-F-F ------ T-O-P-I-C. !!!!!:thumbs::thumbs:

You missed this one, Crabby.

 

[saturneptune]

The VA has lots of problems, but it serves millions with health care and compensation. I can see absolutely any purpose in starting a thread that points out a problem after the government shutdown for all the good they do.

My further question is, what interest would it be to someone who never served what the statistics of the VA are? What possible use would they be?

 

[Crabtownboy]

My further question is, what interest would it be to someone who never served what the statistics of the VA are? What possible use would they be?

1. Who is your question directed at?

2. What is your feeling about a million young men and women as wounded casualties so far in this century ... almost all of whom were unnecessary casualties?

 

[Don]

2. What is your feeling about a million young men and women as wounded casualties so far in this century ... almost all of whom were unnecessary casualties?

Shouldn't that question be directed to the Nobel Peace Prize winner sitting in the White House?

 

[Crabtownboy]

Shouldn't that question be directed to the Nobel Peace Prize winner sitting in the White House?

Why not go to the president who started this while mess, Bush, that has resulted in 1,000,000 young men and women being harmed?

Do you feel it is an unnecessary tragedy?

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

I hope the right-wing war hawks are happy. The vast majority was completely unnecessary. Such a tragedy.

You're such a liberal shill, a liar who deliberately tries to destroy this country by spreading garbage like this. I mean, I hesitate to boldly disparage anyone, but how can you be so arrogant as to expect us to believe b******t websites like the one you cited? Particularly when I know you're not really so stupid that you don't know the truth? Your deliberately biased liberal/socialist ideology that causes you to lie and propagandize, particularly when it leads to the spread of gross misinformation like this, just pisses me off. You really ought to be ashamed of yourself, but what ticks me off even more is that you will now moralize, posture, and even defend this utter crap now that it is exposed.

The article below, published almost exactly a year ago by one of your favorite liberal rags, gives the lie to this utter garbage you've posted. Are you going to tell me, after reading the numbers contained with it, that the number of injured has increased five-fold in the last year? If you do, you're nothing more than a worthless liar.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/iraq-afghanistan-amputees_n_2089911.html​

According to new data released Wednesday, more than 1,500 Americans have lost a leg or arm in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan, and hundreds have suffered the amputation of multiple limbs.

The Huffington Post reported Oct. 25 that the number of American battle wounded has passed 50,000 [Emphasis added], a grim milestone of more than a decade of war and a reminder of the war's enduring human cost. On Wednesday, the wounded toll stood at 50,159, according to Defense Department data. [This was posted on 11/08/12]

Since 2001, when the war in Afghanistan was launched in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, 5,225 American military personnel have been killed in action in Afghanistan or Iraq.

However, even HuffPo couldn't resist including a bit of misleading information.

Overall, 253,330 servicemen and women have suffered traumatic brain injury on the battlefield or elsewhere, including 3,949 with penetrating head wounds and 44,610 with severe or moderate brain injury.

What it doesn't say here is that a concussion is also TBI, which means that the quarter of a million the HuffPo cites here is grossly misleading because it doesn't bother to explain that all head injuries resulting in dizziness, blurred vision, and/or short-term memory loss are TBIs. The fact they mitigate the propaganda effort by explaining that fewer than 50,000 of these injuries are "moderate to severe" isn't enough to let them off the hook as just another liberal shill. Sure TBI is serious business. If it wasn't, the NFL and NCAA wouldn't be catching hell for failing to address the issue on their fields and courts much sooner. Nonetheless, using a frightening figure like "a quarter million TBIs" is dishonest.

There is the matter of psychological damage, a subject that is near and dear to me, since I suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for years after Vietnam, all through my military career and beyond Desert Storm, after which I retired. It took a new-found faith in Christ, a compassionate believer who happened to be a VA psychiatrist, and a willingness to be honest with myself and others to overcome it. Those problems persist today among the vets returning home.

In the Army alone, 73,674 soldiers have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of their combat experience. The Army also has diagnosed 30,480 soldiers who returned from combat with traumatic brain injury, often caused by one or more severe blows to the head or exposure to a concussive blast.

Now, that 30,000+ number doesn't quite line up with the previous HuffPo misleading statement does it? I doubt the writer even knew he was calling attention to his own misleading information. He's probably too stupid to even realize that his numbers deny one another.

Nonetheless, PTSD is serious, and there are probably twice as many who have it than have been diagnosed. Part of that is a refusal by soldiers to admit they might have PTSD. Part of it is a reluctance of the military to diagnose it, because mental health issues arising from combat are difficult to diagnose and there is a very real likelihood that some -- not many but enough to be significant -- may fake PTSD in order to get a disability. It's a fact of life.

Many have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, too many. War is never nice, no one in the military, or among the civilians who support it, want war. Your constant use of the epithet "war monger" doesn't even begin to fit those who want peace, freedom and safety for all. I'm not going to argue that point. You don't want to believe it, stuff it. I have no more respect for you -- if I had any to begin with -- anyway.

War, however, becomes necessary. While our ability to proudly say this is suffering under the deliberate dismantling of our country by the fool in the White House, the United States has always been the country willing to put its own resources -- including its precious young men and women, very nearly every last one of whom have gone willingly when called to fight -- in order to preserve the peace, end tyranny, and establish freedom for those who want it, and, as Colin Powell said, we've never asked for even one foot of soil beyond what has been necessary to bury our dead.

Your efforts to undermine this nation, to paint it as evil, to attempt to tarnish its shining image with lies, is despicable. You and your useless socialist leader should be banished from our shores. Good riddance.

 

[Crabtownboy]

Do you feel no sorrow for these destroyed lives ... these unnecessary destroyed lives?

Also if you will, my link was not to Huffington Post. It was to the International Business Times.

You're such a liberal shill, a liar who deliberately tries to destroy this country by spreading garbage like this. I mean, I hesitate to boldly disparage anyone, but how can you be so arrogant as to expect us to believe b******t websites like the one you cited? Particularly when I know you're not really so stupid that you don't know the truth? Your deliberately biased liberal/socialist ideology that causes you to lie and propagandize, particularly when it leads to the spread of gross misinformation like this, just pisses me off. You really ought to be ashamed of yourself, but what ticks me off even more is that you will now moralize, posture, and even defend this utter crap now that it is exposed.

This article was published almost exactly a year ago, and it is from one of your favorite liberal rags. Are you going to tell me, after reading the numbers below, that the number of injured has increased five-fold in the last year? If you do, you're nothing more than a worthless liar.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/iraq-afghanistan-amputees_n_2089911.html​

However, even HuffPo couldn't resist including a bit of misleading information.

What it doesn't to say here is that a concussion is also TBI, which means that the quarter of a million the HuffPo cites here is grossly misleading because it doesn't bother to explain that all head injuries resulting in dizziness, blurred vision, and/or short-term memory loss are TBIs. The fact they mitigate the propaganda effort by explaining that fewer than 50,000 of these injuries are "moderate to severe" isn't enough to let them off the hook as just another liberal shill. Sure TBI is serious business. If it wasn't, the NFL and NCAA wouldn't be catching hell for failing to address the issue on their fields and courts much sooner. Nonetheless, using a frightening figure like "a quarter million TBIs" is dishonest.

There is the matter of psychological damage, a subject that is near and dear to me, since I suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for years after Vietnam, all through my military career and beyond Desert Storm, after which I retired. It took a new-found faith in Christ, a compassionate believer who happened to be a VA psychiatrist, and a willingness to be honest with myself and others to overcome it. Those problems persist today among the vets returning home.

Now, that 30,000+ number doesn't quite line up with the previous HuffPo misleading statement does it? I doubt the writer even knew he was calling attention to his own misleading information. He's probably too stupid to even realize that his numbers deny one another.

Nonetheless, PTSD is serious, and there are probably twice as many who have it than have been diagnosed. Part of that is a refusal by soldiers to admit they might have PTSD. Part of it is a reluctance of the military to diagnose it, because mental health issues arising from combat are difficult to diagnose and there is a very real likelihood that some -- not many but enough to be significant -- may fake PTSD in order to get a disability. It's a fact of life.

Many have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, too many. War is never nice, no one in the military or among the civilians who support want war. I'm not going to argue that point. You don't want to believe it, stuff it. I have no more respect for you -- if I had any to begin with -- anyway.

War, however, becomes necessary. While our ability to proudly say this is suffering under the deliberate dismantling of our country by the fool in the White House, the United States has always been the country willing to put its own resources -- including its precious young men and women, very nearly every last one of whom have gone willingly when called to fight -- in order to preserve the peace, end tyranny, and establish freedom for those who want it, and we've never asked for even one foot of soil beyond what has been necessary to bury our dead. Credit Colin Powell for that statement.

Your efforts to undermine this nation, to paint it as evil, to attempt to tarnish its shining image with lies, is despicable. You and your useless socialist leader should be banished from our shores. Good riddance.

 

[Aaron]

I hope the right-wing war hawks are happy.

Going off topic there, Herr Goebbels?

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

Do you feel no sorrow for these destroyed lives ... these unnecessary destroyed lives?

I've lost men, friends, in combat. I've been where you are too afraid to go, I've done things you have no courage to do. Things that needed to be done that you would turn from because of your hatred for honor, duty, country. Do not question whether I "feel sorrow." You have no clue. Those men knew the dangers, and willingly accepted them because they believed in the principles you reject or fail to grasp, and I am overwhelmingly confident they would, if one could ask them today, not regret anything.

Also if you will, my link was not to Huffington Post. It was to the International Business Times.

I know, idiot. Your link is the one I called a "b******t website." Try to keep up, will you? You're pathetic.

And, what? No response to the fact that your figures are grossly, deliberately inflated to be misleading, inflaming, and utterly without basis of fact?

 

[just-want-peace]

And yet still no answer to post #4, using Crabby's #1 favorite argument.
Either he is purposely ignoring the question (surely not?!?!), or I'm on his ignore list :sleep: !

 

[Sapper Woody]

"Almost 1,000,000 treated..." That can be anything. They fell down and bruised an elbow. They cut their finger at work. They have the flu. It doesn't mean it's combat related simply because they are veterans.

I myself will be treated by the VA when I get out. I tore a meniscus. It was during a deployment, but not combat related.

Stop trying to play to emotions using exaggerated and misleading information.

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

"Almost 1,000,000 treated..." That can be anything. They fell down and bruised an elbow. They cut their finger at work. They have the flu. It doesn't mean it's combat related simply because they are veterans.

I myself will be treated by the VA when I get out. I tore a meniscus. It was during a deployment, but not combat related.

Stop trying to play to emotions using exaggerated and misleading information.

You said it much more succinctly than I did. Thanks.

:thumbsup:

 

[Bro. Curtis]

I hope the right-wing war hawks are happy......

I hope you are too.

 

[Crabtownboy]

I've lost men, friends, in combat. I've been where you are too afraid to go, I've done things you have no courage to do. Things that needed to be done that you would turn from because of your hatred for honor, duty, country. Do not question whether I "feel sorrow." You have no clue. Those men knew the dangers, and willingly accepted them because they believed in the principles you reject or fail to grasp, and I am overwhelmingly confident they would, if one could ask them today, not regret anything.

You do not know where I have been and what I have seen or done. And, yes I was in the Army. I care about people. Do you?



Blessings.

 

[JonC]

It is dishonest and disgusting to use these wounded as pawns for one’s own agenda.

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

You do not know where I have been and what I have seen or done.

Nor do I care.

And, yes I was in the Army.

Coulda fooled me -- or anyone else on BB.

I care about people. Do you?

That's as equally an ignorant question as was your OP's intent to deceive. Since I first challenged your BS, you have made absolutely no effort to respond to my criticisms, you have instead chosen to attack me personally, with utter crap like this stupid question. It is disingenuous, deceitful, and misdirective on your part. You have no answer, so you attempt to disparage the challenger. You've learned well from your sensei, the Great Pretender, Grasshopper. However, in choosing the low road, you've completely discredited yourself in the process and lost your audience.

Blessings.

And then you close with this? Am I supposed to take that seriously when you insult our intelligence and question my compassion? This calls into question not only your integrity, but your faith. Done here.

 

[Bro. Curtis]

You do not know where I have been and what I have seen or done.

You should give others the same benefit of the doubt, Mr. Hypocrite.