Topic: Healthcare

“It’s so inaccurate”—How the VA Is Failing to Track Veterans Burn Pit Claims
VA figures show an astonishingly low rate of approval of burn pit claims: Of the 10,588 claims, 2,360 veterans had their benefits granted and 8,228 were denied.

“Pulling the Crazy Card”—Choosing to Show Empathy for a Suicidal Sailor
Thibaut Delloue rushed a suicidal sailor to shore after he asked for help on deployment only to see his shipmate ostracized and labeled a malinger.

“They Didn’t Make It?”—When Your Brother’s Homecoming Starts in a Burn Ward
After an IED exploded in Iraq, a badly burned Marine asks his brother if his teammates survived. “He knows I won’t lie to him. We are both warriors.”

30 Years On, Veterans Recall the Desert Storm Air War
People tend to remember Desert Storm as a short, easy war. Compared with the “forever” wars, that makes sense: a 100-hour blip in the annals of history.

Mystery Seizures Haunt Marine Units a Decade after Deployment
Seizures among veterans are surging. Some blame PTS and TBI. Others blame toxic exposures.

Fighting to Go Home: Operation Desert Storm, 30 Years Later
The Pentagon expected roughly 40% of Americans would be wounded or killed but “the Iraqi army wasn’t nearly as formidable as everyone made them out to be.”

Senior Marine Corps Counsel Ridicules Sexual Assault Survivor at Court-Martial Hearing
Defense attorneys alleged unlawful command influence, that Marines denied the defendant due process. Judge described Corps’ behavior as “a step too far.”

Chemicals. Chemicals. And More Chemicals. A Veteran Reflects on Her Time in Desert Storm
For decades, the U.S. has poisoned service members with toxic chemicals. Lotions. Pills. Testing. Burn pits. And then there’s the enemy’s chemical weapons.

“I Screamed Into My Radio to Ignore the Order”—Pardoned Soldier’s Comrade Still Lives With Guilt of Murdered Civilians
When Clint Lorance ordered his men to kill innocent civilians in Afghanistan, the soldiers came home and struggled to assuage their feelings of guilt.