Veterans' group says stop deploying traumatized troops - The Iraq Veterans Against the War claims thousands of troops are being sent to war while suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), or military sexual trauma (MST). In a move to stop the redeployment of troops suffering from trauma, Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) launched its first strategic campaign, Operation Recovery: Stop the Deployment of Traumatized Troops. The veterans hope to help troops who are already suffering from traumatic experiences to avoid getting pushed over the edge by being forced back into a war zone, according to Joe Callan, IVAW Western Regional Field Organizer, who served in the Marines for 11 years: 'There are many soldiers who don't want to deploy, that have to even with these traumas.'
One ill boy's wish comes true - Fleet Readiness Center Southwest teamed with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego recently to grant 12-year-old Linus Phillips his wish to suit up and sit in an F/A-18 Hornet and to meet one of the pilots of the fighter aircraft. Linus has a life-threatening illness and has been fascinated by the F/A-18 Hornet since he was 6 years old. The FRCSW is the Navy's premier West Coast aircraft repair, maintenance and overhaul organization that specializes in the Navy and Marine Corps aircraft and their related systems. In Iraq, new leadership but same reality - Operation New Dawn is rising over Baghdad, but all too often the first light of sun is beaten by the first sound of rockets. The sound of explosions from the Green Zone across the river is a familiar sound to anyone in Baghdad. In the bad old days you could set your morning alarm clock by the pre-dawn barrage. But since 2008 you could go for months without hearing the 'Duck and Cover' tannoy. A powerful cocktail of factors are behind the general fall in violence since 2007: the Sunni Awakening; the American troop surge; war fatigue; Sunni reconciliation to the electoral process; the growth of Iraq's security forces and a sustained campaign to arrest and kill Shiite death squads. But the rockets are back now, with Shiite militias the suspects. American commanders say that there were about 60 attacks on the airport and Green Zone in July and August, and 23 in September. When you're the 'battle buddy' unexpectedly in trouble - I arrived at the airport on R&R leave April 29 and struggled to understand the awkwardness and inability to reconnect with my wife. On May 11, I discovered the security of a fourteen-year marriage had been compromised and the life my family had enjoyed seemed headed for destruction. Boarding an airplane at 5:15 a.m. on May 15 was one of the hardest things I've done. Struggling to breathe and unable to sleep I weathered the endless hours of travel from the U.S. to Iraq. How does a soldier board an airplane for another six months of deployment fearing his family being torn apart? The fear of losing someone they love or someone who loves them can be consuming. Relationship struggles, newborn complications, back-to-back mobilizations, fearing the loss or losing a family member and fears resulting from deployment experiences have threatened the stability of my unit. Tom Ricks
