I received a heart-wrenching message from a nurse at a VA hospital regarding the young men from Iraq who are now showing up there. There won’t be any news coverage of the shattered lives he is witnessing there. So I thought the least I can do is bring it to your attention.
The VA nurse’s message:
Some people say that we have to hold the course. Well, if I believed in fighting this war, I would have taken a different course and ensured that our troops were better protected and enough troops were in place to properly provide for security for the majority of peaceful Iraqis. No matter how long we stay, it only takes something as simple as one sacred religious building destroyed by hateful people (as we have seen in the last few days) to create nationwide mayhem and bring out long held animosities. I don’t really have an answer, but this mess will outlast any US troop presence. Our administration has only been able to leave the region less stable, with democratic institutions that may not survive, even if most Iraqis just want to live in peace.
As you know, I work at the VA as a registered nurse and our large facility has one of the handful of units in the country treating vets with severe traumas. It also includes counseling resources for vets with psychological problems. The VA is seeing thousands of military personnel coming home wounded, both physically and mentally. Many of the early deaths and injuries have been blamed on the lack of proper protective equipment because our leaders did not properly prepare and plan. In this war, with the excellent forward-based medical teams, more military personnel are surviving their wounds. A significant percentage of the wounded have severe traumas from these roadside/car bombs, more than in previous conflicts. They survive with severe limitations and expensive recovery costs, not to mention the effect on their spouses and family. With the earlier close urban warfare, the constant fear of the next car driving by having a bomb in it, or witnessing horrible events, many of our returning troops have been under intense psychological stress. The VA is working to help these people, and some will not have lasting scars. But as we have learned from previous wars, some do have lasting scars. These are the people you don’t hear about, or shy away from when they end up as transients because they retreat from care or because there isn’t enough care available where they live.
We are no safer from a homeland attack then we were pre 9/11. We are further away from peace in Iraq and peace at home than ever. Young Americans are over there with no exit strategy, unprotected targets in harm’s way. Iraq is nothing but another Vietnam. I say bring our troops home now!
(Crossposted at Daily Kos and MyLeftWing)
