David Goldstein

David Goldstein is a freelance journalist in Washington who has covered government and national politics, including several presidential campaigns, for more than two decades. During stints with McClatchy Newspapers, Knight Ridder, and The Kansas City Star, he has written about the pre- and post-deployment health problems of troops deployed during the Iraq War, their struggles with Veterans Affairs, and the toxic exposure of veterans involved in Cold War chemical experiments.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, and former Sen. Elizabeth Dole arrive at an event celebrating children of military and veteran caregiving families in the East Room of the White House, Nov. 10. Photo by Air Force Sgt. Jack Sanders, courtesy of the Defense Department.

Newsroom

While Americans See an End to 20 Years of War, VA’s Job Has Just Begun

by David Goldstein December 2, 2021December 6, 2021

Veterans have immediate, life-or-death needs and want better care. They want it for yesterday’s veterans, too.

Soldiers at Camp Funston, Kansas, are quarantined while recovering from the Spanish flu in 1918. The flu infected about 500 million people around the world. Photo courtesy National Archives.

Newsroom

Past Pandemics Devastated the U.S. Military, Teaching Lethal Lessons

by David Goldstein August 27, 2021November 19, 2021

It was an opportunistic disease. It chose no side in the conflict. The military had a public health emergency on its hands with few tools to fight it.

Soldiers deploying to the Gulf War make their way to a plane in 1990 at Volk Field, Wisconsin, on Jan. 1, 1991. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army.

Newsroom

“Nearly All” VA Claims for Gulf War Illness “Improperly Denied”

by David Goldstein May 20, 2021June 4, 2024

A VA official said the department is “working diligently” to gather information and “remains fully committed” to the concerns of Gulf War veterans.

Our Journalism Depends on Your Support