FEMALE VETERANS POSE A CHALLENGE FOR THE VA

It's PTSD not PMS.

LES BLUMENTHAL
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/414092.html

Two nightmares haunt Robin Milonas.

While serving in Afghanistan in 2004 as an Army Reserve civil-affairs officer, the former lieutenant colonel got lost in a minefield while leading a small convoy delivering school supplies to civilians. Even more troubling is the memory of a man who arrived at the main gate of Bagram Air Base carrying a young boy whose leg had been blown off by a land mine.

“I was an outgoing, energetic, determined good soldier who wanted to make the Army a career,” said Milonas of Puyallup, who just turned 50. “Now I am broken.”

Milonas is one of roughly 180,000 women who have been deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. While they don’t officially serve in combat, they have experienced life in a war zone where there are no front lines.

And, as they return home, they are increasingly turning to an already overtaxed Department of Veterans Affairs for help. Last year, the VA treated more than 255,000 women vets. The number is expected to double within five years.

In some regions, the surge already has arrived. During the past 10 years, the number of women treated at the VA’s hospital at American Lake outside of Tacoma has risen 80 percent, and the Seattle VA hospital has seen a 42 percent increase.

VA officials say they are better prepared to handle women patients than they were several years ago. But they acknowledge “continual challenges” as they move to open the door to a man’s world where pap smears and mammograms could become as common as prostate exams.
And where “military sexual trauma” would be treated as a serious and growing mentalhealth problem, rather than a subject to be avoided.

“It’s not your father’s VA, it really isn’t,” said Patricia Hayes, the VA’s national director of women’s health care issues. “We have geared up and are gearing up. But there are places that may have gaps.”

Others say the agency is far from prepared. And given the VA’s chronic budget shortfalls and increasing demands from the rapidly growing number of male veterans, the task could be even harder than expected.

“They aren’t ready,” U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said of VA officials. “Absent a proactive, concerted effort and knowing their limited resources, they (the VA) are struggling with so much this might get lost.”

Murray, perhaps the leading VA critic on Capitol Hill, has introduced legislation requiring studies of how serving in Iraq and Afghanistan has affected the physical, mental and reproductive health of women, and how the VA is dealing with their problems.

“It’s a hard issue, and pouring a huge light on this is a risk, as some will say women just shouldn’t be in the military,” Murray said. “But as more women transition home from the physical and mental wounds of war, and step back into lives as mothers, wives and citizens, the VA must be there for them.”

IT’S PTSD, NOT PMS

Milonas says she’s been stopped three times by police for erratic driving. When she sees a dark spot in the road, she thinks it’s a landmine and swerves. Except for her job teaching special education at Lochburn Middle School in the Clover Park School District, she stays home. She constantly checks to see the doors and windows are locked.

Milonas has been diagnosed with PTSD and receives therapy at the Tacoma Veterans Center. But three times she has been denied a disability rating from the VA, which says Milonas hasn’t proven her problems are related to her service in Afghanistan.

Milonas believes the VA has yet to recognize that even though women are barred from combat, it’s hard for them to avoid the trauma associated with serving in a war zone like Afghanistan.
“The battle is everywhere,” she said.

VA officials say there is no double standard when it comes to disability ratings for PTSD.
“This is the first group of women vets we have seen with this intensity of experience,” said Hayes. “We are not sure what the long-term effects will be.”

The VA has begun a longterm study of 12,000 women veterans.
Women veterans have faced a number of problems, ranging from clinics that don’t have fulltime obstetrician/gynecologists to uncomfortable group therapy sessions where men outnumber women and topics can include sexual assault and harassment.
“I don’t want to say this derogatorily, but women view VA hospitals as male domains,” said Chili Perez, a 58-year-old Mount Lake Terrace Army veteran.

MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA

Concern is mounting over the numbers of women veterans suffering from military sexual trauma, which can include rape, assault and harassment. According to the VA, nearly one in five women veterans seeking care have been diagnosed as victims of military sexual trauma, though some believe the figure could be nearer to one in three.

“I was raped by a senior officer,” said a 33-year-old former captain in civil affairs who was based in Tikrit, Iraq, who now lives in Olympia. She said she returned home depressed and suicidal. The woman asked that her name not be used.

“I don’t have a harrowing combat story to tell, but it is relevant,” she said. “Some come back and just get on with their day-to-day lives, but believe me, there will be a surge of people 10 to 15 years from now who will have to face it.”
The woman has nothing but praise for her treatment at the VA, though she said the key was being assigned a strong counselor from the start.
“I think they are getting better at dealing with this, but some still want to blame the victim,” she said.

The VA now offers womenonly group therapy sessions, women vets can request women counselors and womenonly entrances to clinics are being provided.
“A lot of women are reluctant to come into a hospital,” said Jan Buchanan, women veterans program manager for the VA’s Puget Sound Region. “It seems too military to them. They fear they might see their perpetrator.”

But they are coming, and it’s the younger veterans in particular. So, far, 41 percent of the women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan have sought medical help, at least once, at the VA. That compares with 14 percent of older women and 22 percent of male veterans.

They want birth control, infertility and family planning advice, child care for their children when they are being treated and coverage for their newborns, VA officials say.
“The old saying was, ‘If the Army wanted you to have a baby, it would have issued you one,’ ” said Lourdes Alvarado- Ramos, who rose to the rank of sergeant major in the Army Medical Corps and now is deputy director of the Washington state Department of Veterans Affairs. “But that has changed. The system has been geared to males. Bricks and mortar, clinics and hospitals, they were all thought of as a male place. We need to make women veterans more comfortable with the system.”

Les Blumenthal covers issues about Washington state from the McClatchy Washington, D.C., bureau. He can be reached at lblumenthal@mcclatchydc.com.

VETERANS ATTEST TO PTSD NEGLECT BY THE VA

Recently released documents from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are further proof the VA has failed to adequately address the crisis in veterans' mental health care, according to a former top VA employee turned veterans' advocate.

Veterans Attest to PTSD Neglect by VA
Wednesday 21 May 2008
http://www.truthout.org/article/veterans-attest-ptsd-neglect-va
by: Maya Schenwar and Matt Renner, t r u t h o u t Report

In March, Norma J. Perez, the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) coordinator at a VA facility in Temple, Texas, wrote an email (PDF) to her subordinates stating: "Given that we have more and more compensation seeking veterans, I'd like to suggest that you refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD straight out. Consider a diagnosis of adjustment disorder, R/O [ruling out] PTSD ... we really don't or have time to do the extensive testing that should be done to determine PTSD."

In response, VA secretary James Peake said that the VA is "committed to absolute accuracy in a diagnosis and unwavering in providing any and all earned benefits. PTSD and the mental health arena is no exception." Peake placed the blame on Perez, saying that the memo revealed the mistake of a single employee, not VA policy.

However, the VA has been under fire from Congress and veterans' rights groups for more than a year for allegedly covering up and underreporting the mental health care crisis among veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. A lawsuit that is currently awaiting a final ruling seeks to force the VA to move quickly in addressing the mental and physical health needs of veterans.

Paul Sullivan, the executive director of Veterans for Common Sense (VCS), the veterans' rights organization which brought the lawsuit, said the Perez email exemplifies a larger trend. "The bottom line is that VA under the Bush administration has dropped the ball. The email sent by Perez proves our lawsuit was correct - VA is short staffed for mental health care and VA intentionally misdiagnoses veterans in order to save money. VA was illegally and unconscionably turning away suicidal veterans in need of emergency mental health care. We are asking the court to order VA to stop this outrageous practice," Sullivan said.

New VA documents obtained exclusively by VCS using the Freedom of Information Act indicate the Veterans Administration is only paying disability benefits for PTSD to 33,247 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, although 67,717 have been diagnosed with PTSD. According to Sullivan, VCS is calling for an investigation into this apparent discrepancy.

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report in September 2007 stated that the VA's "lack of early identification techniques" led to "inconsistent diagnosis and treatment" of PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury. According to the GAO, early diagnosis is essential in preventing PTSD's consequences - which could be deadly.

Firsthand Accounts of PTSD Crisis

Kristofer Goldsmith, a former Army sergeant who was forced to stay in the military beyond his contract because of the "stop loss" order given by the president, testified about his experience with mental health care at Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We were told that if we were to seek mental health, we would be locked away and our careers would not advance. If I admitted that I had severe chronic depression, if I thought I had PTSD ... my career could have been ruined," Goldsmith said.

He received an adjustment disorder diagnosis after experiencing a panic attack in March 2007. Because he was not granted the PTSD label - despite displaying many symptoms of the disorder - he was ordered to deploy to Iraq for a second tour.

What Goldsmith described as a "sharp downward spiral" came to a head the day before he was scheduled to ship back to Iraq with his unit.

"The day before I was supposed to deploy, Memorial Day, I went out onto a field in Fort Stewart and tried to take my own life ... I took pills and drank vodka until I couldn't drink anymore. The next thing I knew I was handcuffed to a gurney in the hospital. The cops had found me and literally dragged my body into an ambulance," Goldsmith said in his testimony.

Finally, in October 2007, months after his suicide attempt, Goldsmith received a PTSD diagnosis from the VA.

Click on link to read full story.

ISRAEL PM CALLS FOR US TO BLOCKADE IRAN

It appears as though the Israel Prime Minister wants the United States to set up a blockade of Iran.

Why do I smell the hand of Sen. Joseph Lieberman behind this idea?

Israel PM calls for naval blockade of Iran

Wed May 21, 4:56 AM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080521/wl_mideast_afp/irannuclearpoliticsisraelus_080521085612

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has urged the United States to impose a naval blockade on Iran to pressure it to stop its controversial nuclear programme, the Haaretz daily reported on Wednesday.

Olmert raised the issue during a meeting in Jerusalem on Tuesday with US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the newspaper said.

"The present economic sanctions on Iran have exhausted themselves," Olmert was quoted as telling the California Democrat.

Asked about the report, Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev would say only: "We do not confirm this information."

Rafi Eitan, a member of Olmert's security cabinet, said he also favoured air travel restrictions against Iran.

"A blockade of maritime and air routes against Iran is a good possibility," Eitan, the minister in charge of pensioners' affairs, told public radio.

"There are voices we hear in Washington that indicate the military option remains open," he added.

Click on link for full story

NEW VIDEO: US MEDIA "SPINS" SADR CITY SUCCESS

http://therealnews.com/t/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=1541&updaterx=2008-05-21+11%3A38%3A38

Pepe Escobar, award winning journalist who reports for The Real News Network, spells out how the mainstream media in the United States has been misled by the so-called success of the Iraqi Army in taking over Sadr City.

MORE THAN ONE MILLION IRAQI REFUGEES STRANDED

Although the Iraqi government has claimed that many returned home, the UNHCR recently declared that there are still more than 1 million refugees in Syria, and that the Iraqi government is not doing enough to support internally-displaced Iraqis, much less those abroad.

http://aliveinbaghdad.org/

Baghdad, Iraq - The number of Iraqi refugees in Syria and elsewhere surpassed 2 million refuges in the last few years according UNHCR statistics. They began to move to Syria and elsewhere after the security situation in Iraqi became exceedingly difficult to endure, beginning with the rising insurgency in 2004, and the number increased steadily until late in 2007.

Although there have been claims by the Iraqi government that Iraqis are returning in large numbers, the latest report by UNHCR suggests that entirely the opposite is true. According to UNHCR’s report, only 4 percent of those interviewed are planning to return to Iraq.

Most Iraqis were unable to find jobs to support their lives in Syria, due to the difficult economic situation that Syria is experiencing. Many of them decided to leave between the years of 2005 and in particular 2006 while Iraq was still undergoing a very bad security situation. Now many are returning simply because they could not afford to continue living in Syria without work. Given the reports that the Iraqi government was offering one million Iraqi dinars to any refugee family that returns to Iraq, it begs the question whether some returned to Iraq for a short period to collect the money, visit family, and immediately returned to Syria. Other reports suggested that Iraq was not yet ready for a massive repatriation of its citizens, and the UNHCR appeared to agree.

In the middle of 2007 the Sahwa forces started to control some of the areas in Baghdad and the western governorates, restoring at least the appearance of security in many tumultuous and predominantly Sunni areas of Iraq. These events encouraged a great number of Iraqis to return to their homes and attempt to regain some semblance of their normal lives.

FILE UNDER WE'VE HEARD THIS STORY BEFORE: WHITE HOUSE DENIES PLANS TO ATTACK IRAN

White House denies story about attacking Iran

By BEN FELLER, Associated Press Writer Tue May 20, 4:00 PM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080520/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_iran

WASHINGTON - The White House on Tuesday denied a published report in Israel that said President Bush intends to attack Iran before the end of his term in January.

A story in the Jerusalem Post quoted a "senior official" there as saying that Bush plans to attack Iran in the coming months. The story says the unidentified official claimed that a "senior member" of Bush's traveling entourage made the statement about attacking Iran in a closed meeting. Bush was in Israel last week.

The article also says the unnamed Bush official said that Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney "were of the opinion that military action were called for."

"An article in today's Jerusalem Post about the president's position on Iran that quotes unnamed sources — quoting unnamed sources — is not worth the paper it's written on," White House press secretary Dana Perino said in a statement.

Click on link to read full story.

PSYCHOLOGIST RECOMMENDS VETS WITH PTSD NOT BE TREATED

The treatment of returning veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continues to sink to lower and depths .

Now a psychologist has recommended returning veterans who suffer from PTSD not be treated.

Psychologist Recommends Refusing to Treat Vets Suffering from PTSD

By Marie Cocco, Washington Post Writers GroupPosted on May 20, 2008, Printed on May 21, 2008

http://www.alternet.org/story/85860/

WASHINGTON -- The comment was outrageous, but it was not the least bit surprising. A psychologist responsible for assessing returning war veterans for post-traumatic stress disorder -- a psychological ailment that could entitle them to monthly disability payments -- told staff members not to diagnose the illness because to do so would increase the government's costs.

"Given that we are having more and more compensation-seeking veterans, I'd like to suggest that you refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD straight out," the psychologist at a Department of Veterans Affairs center in Texas wrote in an e-mail. She suggested diagnosing a less severe disorder that would not carry the greater long-term disability costs.

The correspondence was made public by VoteVets.org and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, two groups that have dogged the Bush administration about our latest national disgrace: the shoddy care and bureaucratic callousness shown toward the warriors who are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with life-altering wounds of the body and spirit.

Of course, the morally indefensible missive was repudiated by higher-ups in the Department of Veterans Affairs as soon as it was revealed last week. And of course, the persistent congressional outcry over the treatment of veterans -- not to mention the onrushing election season -- makes it more likely than not that some temporary alleviation of the pain and suffering vets endure in a system that is supposed to be serving them will be addressed. Somehow, some day, that is.

Click on link to read full story.

BREAKING NEWS: ISRAELI NEWSPAPER, ARMY RADIO STATION AND TOP US OFFICER SAY BUSH ADMINISTRATION MAKING PLANS TO ATTACK IRAN

There has been a lot of talk recently that the Bush administration is making plans to attack Iran.

We now have three reports all courtesy of Citizens for a Legitimate Government at http://www.legitgov.org/ giving details of what an Israeli newspaper, a Army radio station and a top US officer are saying about the plans to attack Iran. Be sure to click on the part in "BLUE" to read further details.

Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government
20 May 2008
http://www.legitgov.org/
All items are here:
http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news

White House denies imminent plans to attack Iran --Report: President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney believe military action needed 20 May 2008 The White House on Tuesday dismissed an Israeli media report that President [sic] Bush intends to attack Iran before his term ends in January. The Jerusalem Post article cited an Israeli Army Radio report that quoted a "senior official in Jerusalem" saying a "senior member of the president's entourage" claimed
Bush and Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney thought military action was called for against Tehran.

White House denies Army Radio report on plan to attack Iran 20 May 2008 The White House on Tuesday flatly denied an Army Radio report that claimed US President [sic] George W. Bush intends to attack Iran before the end of his term. Army Radio had quoted a top official in Jerusalem claiming that a senior member in the entourage of President Bush, who visited Israel last week, had said in a closed meeting here that Bush and Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney were of the opinion that military action against Iran was called for.

Military officer: Iran jeopardizing 'peace' in Iraq 20 May 2008 The top uniformed U.S. military officer told Congress Tuesday that Iran is directly jeopardizing any potential for peace in Iraq, prompting fresh calls from senators that the U.S. pursue diplomatic talks with Tehran. Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that "irresponsible actions" by Iran's Revolutionary Guard "directly jeopardize" 'peace' in Iraq. [*What* peace in Iraq?]

NEW YORK TIMES REPORTS TOP US GENERAL IN IRAQ APOLOGIZES FOR USING KORAN FOR TARGET PRACTICE

U.S. General Apologizes for Desecration of Koran

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/19/world/middleeast/19iraq.html

By ANDREW E. KRAMER
THE NEW YORK TIMES

BAGHDAD — The commander of United States troops in Baghdad asked local leaders and tribal sheiks this weekend for their forgiveness after the discovery that a soldier had used a Koran for target practice at a shooting range.

Responding to an episode ripe with the potential to stoke unrest, the commander, Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, held a meeting Saturday with Iraqi leaders.

“I come before you here seeking your forgiveness,” General Hammond said at the meeting, in remarks carried by CNN. “In the most humble manner, I look in your eyes today and I say, please forgive me and my soldiers.”

General Hammond also read a letter of apology from the soldier, who was not identified. “I sincerely hope that my actions have not diminished the partnership that our two nations have developed together,” the general read from the letter.

Another American officer kissed a Koran and gave it to the tribal leaders, according to news agency reports.

Click on NY Times link to read full story.

BUSH ISSUES APOLOGY TO IRAQI PM OVER KORAN SHOOTING

Even President Bush has jumped into the dust-up over the US soldier using the Koran for target practice. Bush has issued an apology to Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki for the incident.

Bush sends apology over Koran shooting in Iraq

50 minutes ago
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080520/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestuskoranbush

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush called Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to apologize after an American soldier riddled a Koran with bullets near Baghdad, the White House said Tuesday.

Bush "apologized for that in the sense that he said we take it very seriously," White House Press Secretary Dana Perino told reporters.

"We were concerned about their reaction, we wanted them to know that the president knew that this was wrong, and that the commanders in the field had publicly reprimanded the soldier and removed him from Iraq," she added.

Bush "was glad that our military took immediate action."

HAVE THEY GONE MAD? US HOUSE OF REPS DOESN'T RULE OUT WAR WITH IRAN

Now the US House of Representatives are saying they wouldn't rule out military action against Iran. Have they all gone mad?

What do they plan to fight Iran with?

The US military is already stretched to the breaking point and going to war with Iran would eventually mean ground troops in Iran and we don't have them.

The United States has lost its moral compass.

Editorial comment by Bill Corcoran, editor of CORKSPHERE.

US wants Iran military option on table

Tue, 20 May 2008 08:53:29
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=56495&sectionid=351020104

Nancy Pelosi, surrounded by a congressional delegation in IsraelLeaders of the US House of Representatives say they do not rule out any option including a military action against the Islamic Republic. Speaking at a news conference at Israel's parliament, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House majority leader Steny Hoyer answered in favor to questions by journalists if a military action should be taken against Iran. Pelosi said a 'full array of tactics are on the table' in order to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. House majority leader Steny Hoyer supported the idea of a military action against Iran, insisting that "no options should be taken off the table". The high-ranking 13-member congressional delegation is on a four-day visit to Israel on the 60th anniversary of the Zionist regime. US officials have a long history of trying to portray Iran and its nuclear program as a major threat to the region in a bid to curry favor with Israel -- Washington's number one ally in the Middle East.

WAR TAKES TOLL ON BAGHDAD PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL

BAGHDAD — In a different time, in another country, where violence and terror did not stalk the streets, Dr. Amir Hussain could practice psychiatry the way he once hoped to.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/world/middleeast/20psychiatry.html?ref=worldspecial

He can see it in his mind: the clean, tastefully decorated hospital wards, the well-stocked pharmacies, the gleaming laboratory equipment, the thickly carpeted consulting rooms, the halfway houses and outreach teams that help chronically ill patients re-establish their lives outside the hospital.

He has witnessed such things firsthand. In 2005, he left Iraq to spend five months in England, learning specialized care for the elderly and watching psychiatrists at work.

But Dr. Hussain, who entered his profession at a time when Iraqi doctors were among the most sophisticated and highly trained in the Middle East, is caught in a time warp in a war-torn land where knowledge and sophistication have been largely overwhelmed by third-world decay, and ancient equipment has plunged some treatments into a “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” barbarism, despite the best intentions.

He cares for patients whose illnesses are often set off or worsened by the mayhem around them, who crowd into his tiny office at Ibn Rushid psychiatric hospital in central Baghdad, accompanied by their mothers and aunts, wives and brothers.

The litany of death and misery they recite no longer shocks him.

“We are used to hearing it, and I think our emotions are frozen,” he says.
Besides, his own experiences are not that different. Like many other Iraqis, he suffers from some symptoms of traumatic stress: insomnia, anxiety, a tendency to start at loud noises.
“The traffic jams, this is a stress, then all of a sudden something explodes,” he said.

He tries when he can to listen to relaxing music. The trips to the countryside he once enjoyed are no longer an option. The roads are too perilous.

Click on link to continue reading full New York Times story.

VIDEO OF US SOLDIER REFUSING TO RETURN TO IRAQ

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=7833897&ch=4226714&src=news

US soldier goes before Congress to protest returning to Iraq.

VETS TESTIFY TO ATROCITIES THEY WERE ORDERED TO CARRY OUT IN IRAQ

Iraqi Vets Testify to War Atrocities, Vow to Fight and Resist Bush Policy

By Liliana Segura, AlterNet

Posted on May 20, 2008, Printed on May 20, 2008

http://www.alternet.org/story/85725/


"I was ordered multiple times by commissioned officers and noncommissioned officers to shoot unarmed civilians if their presence made me feel uncomfortable," Sgt. Jason Lemieux told a panel of lawmakers last Thursday in a packed public hearing on Capitol Hill. "These orders were given with the understanding that my immediate chain of command would protect our subordinates from legal repercussions." Lemieux, a former Marine who was part of the invading force that entered Baghdad in March 2003, came to Washington, D.C., with Iraq Veterans Against the War, weeks after the fifth anniversary of President George Bush's declaration of "Mission Accomplished" to tell Congress enough is enough. Invited by Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., the veterans spoke firmly and eloquently before members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, telling stories that were just "the tip of the iceberg," as Lemieux put it, but which nevertheless offered a frightening range of accounts: violent house raids, the killings of innocent people, "drop weapons" used to make dead civilians look like insurgents, racism in the ranks, and their own process of dehumanization as they became inured to the humanity of those who they were supposedly sent to "liberate."

The morning was infused with a sense of urgency. "Every day that the occupation continues, more men, women and children will be killed, maimed, or forced to flee their country as refugees," said Kelly Dougherty, executive director of IVAW, in introductory remarks. "More veterans will return home with lifelong scars, emotional and physical, with little support to help them readjust.

"Many," she added, "will fall victim to suicide." Indeed, of the nine veterans who testified that day, two said they had tried to kill themselves after returning home.

Like the Winter Soldier hearings in March, when more than 200 service members gathered in Silver Spring, Md., to give their eyewitness accounts of the injustices occurring in Iraq and Afghanistan, "Winter Soldier on the Hill" was designed to drive home the human cost of the war and occupation -- this time, to the very people in charge of doing something about it. Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, the rest of Congress was debating the next round of funding for the war -- whether to approve more than $160 billion in additional taxpayer money to continue the occupation. "I think you know that the very issue that we're talking about today is on the House floor today," Woolsey noted -- a partial explanation for the small hearing room and the small handful of lawmakers who showed up. Even for those politicians who have consistently criticized the war, however, a group like IVAW -- whose platform includes immediate withdrawal of all occupation forces from Iraq, including contractors, as well as paying reparations to the Iraqi people -- is a politically risky ally. "I think we're generally viewed as too radical for most politicians," one IVAW field organizer and former military intelligence officer, T.J. Buonomo, said after the hearing. And this is a Congress where political courage has been in lethally short supply.

Click on link to read full account.

NAMES, HOMETOWNS AND HOW THEY DIED IN IRAQ

The following is a list of names of US soldiers and Marines killed in Iraq and how they died as well as their hometowns. Click on the "BLUE" in each name for further details.


Date
Total
Name
Place of Death - Province
Cause of Death
18-May-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Branden Haunert
Salah ad Din Province - Salah Ad Din
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
15-May-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Sergeant John K. Daggett
Halifax, Canada - Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack
14-May-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Sergeant Victor M. Cota
Baghdad (Kadamiyah)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
11-May-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Corporal Jessica A. Ellis
Baghdad (northwest of)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
10-May-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Specialist Joseph A. Ford
Al Asad - Anbar
Non-hostile - vehicle accident
09-May-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Specialist Mary J. Jaenichen
Iskandariyah - Babil
Non-hostile - injury
06-May-2008
2
US: 2 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Private 1st Class Aaron J. Ward
Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire

US
Specialist Alex D. Gonzalez
Mosul - Ninewah
Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire, RPG
02-May-2008
3
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 2



GE
Lieutenant Giorgi Margiev
Diyala Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

GE
Corporal Zura Gvenetadze
Diyala Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Private Corey L. Hicks
Baghdad (eastern part)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
01-May-2008
5
US: 5 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Lance Corporal Casey L. Casanova
Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Corporal Miguel A. Guzman
Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Lance Corporal James F. Kimple
Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Sergeant Glen E. Martinez
Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Specialist Jeffrey F. Nichols
Baghdad (central)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack (VBIED)
Total
16
US: 14 UK: 0 Other: 2

MARINE CORPS TIMES: SHOULD GIS BE AWARDED PURPLE HEART FOR PTSD?

Idea sparks debate among troops, defense officials

A quick question tossed at Defense Secretary Robert Gates — Should veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder receive the Purple Heart? — has created a maelstrom in the blogosphere.

By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writerPosted : Monday May 19, 2008 11:59:13 EDT
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/05/army_purpleptsd_051908w/

It seems the reasoning behind the idea — to lessen the stigma of mental health disorders — also works against the proposition.
“It would lessen the meaning of the award,” a Marine said about the military’s oldest combat medal.
“I’d be ashamed to wear it,” chimed in a soldier.

“It’s an insult to those who have suffered real injury on the battlefield,” wrote an Army intelligence officer.

The dust-up began May 2 when Gates was on a visit to Red River Army Depot, Texas. During a brief media availability, a reporter asked Gates if the Pentagon might consider awarding Purple Hearts to troops with combat-related PTSD.

“It’s an interesting idea … I think it’s clearly something that needs to be looked at,” Gates said.
John Fortunato, who directs the Restoration and Resilience Center in Fort Bliss, Texas, added fuel to the fire by saying the medal could help service members understand that PTSD is a common by-product of war.

“These guys have paid at least as high a price, some of them, as anybody with a traumatic brain injury, as anyone with a shrapnel wound,” Fortunato said, adding that not recognizing PTSD as a wound deserving of the Purple Heart “says this wound isn’t worthy.”
Fortunato made his comments to the Pentagon’s internal American Forces Information Service, which folded them into an article posted May 5 on the official Defense Department Web site. But by Thursday, calls to Fortunato were being referred to the Pentagon — he was no longer talking about the issue.

At a news conference Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said Gates will, in fact, look into the issue.

“I should point out that they’ve looked at this before and they determined ... that it was not appropriate to make PTSD a qualification for the Purple Heart,” Morrell said. “But I can tell you that the department is exploring PTSD as a qualifying wound through the [Defense Department] Awards Advisory Group. There is no timetable at this point for them to provide a recommendation.”

Gen. George Washington created the Badge of Military Merit to honor anyone who served with distinction during wartime. In 1932, Gen. Douglas MacArthur decided it would go only to those wounded or killed in action. Rules for who may receive it are strict: The injury must occur during combat, can’t be self-inflicted and can’t result from an accident.

But illnesses don’t qualify — and PTSD is considered an illness, not an injury.

“I thought it was a brilliant idea when it first came up,” said Charles Figley, who co-edited “Combat Stress Injury Theory Research,” and is a professor at the Florida State University Traumatology Institute. “But the science is just not there to be able to determine if there was an injury.”

Figley had hoped that considering PTSD a combat injury would reduce some of the stigma associated with it. In fact, many of the bloggers attacking the idea say it would denigrate the medal — and they don’t consider PTSD the same thing as a battle wound.

Click on link: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/05/army_purpleptsd_051908w/ to read the full story.

CNN REPORTS: IRAQ PARTY WANTS TO PUNISH US SOLDIER WHO USED QURAN FOR TARGET PRACTICE

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq's most powerful Sunni Arab political party on Monday said a U.S. soldier's desecration of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, requires the "severest of punishments," not just an apology and a military reassignment.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/19/iraq.quran/index.html

The Iraqi Islamic Party, the movement of Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, condemned what it said was a "blatant assault on the sanctities of Muslims all over the world."
An American staff sergeant who was a sniper section leader used a Quran for target practice on May 9.

The U.S. commander in Baghdad on Saturday issued a formal apology and read a letter of apology from the shooter.

The sergeant has been relieved of duty as a section leader "with prejudice," officially reprimanded by his commanding general, dismissed from his regiment and redeployed -- reassigned to the United States.

LATEST US CASUALTY REPORT: UPTICK IN VIOLENCE IN AFGHANISTAN

The Chicago Tribune is reporting the death of a soldier, Staff Sgt. James P. Snyder was wounded in a roadside bombing, in Baghdad in January, 2008. He died Sunday, May 10th at Fort Benning Georgia six surgeries in three weeks. No other details were released.

Marine Sgt. Jake Knospler has endured 22 surgeries since a grenade tore through his face during the Battle of Fallujah in Iraq in 2004. He has many more operations to go.

Source: http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/

Reported Security incidents:Baghdad:#1: Iraq’s oil exports in April dropped by more than two million barrels mainly because of the ongoing violence in the country, said Oil ministry in a statement. The ministry says that oil exports stood at 57.06 million barrels for April, down from 59.4 million the month before.
#2: U.S. soldiers killed three militants after coming under attack on Sunday in Sadr City, in eastern Baghdad, the U.S. military said.

#3: Three bodies were found in various districts of Baghdad on Sunday, police said.

#4: A roadside bomb wounded three people in Doura district in southern Baghdad, police said.

#5: One Katyusha rocket wounded five people near Hurriya district in northwestern Baghdad, police said.Five civilians were wounded when a Katusha rocket hit Adan intersection in Kadhemiyah neighborhood in north Baghdad around 12:00 p.m.

Nasiriyah:#1: Monday's bombing killed Lt. Col. Farhan Qassim, chief of police in Suq al-Shiyoukh, an area outside Nasiriyah, 200 miles southeast of Baghdad. The blast went off inside Qassim's office as he entered it in the morning, police in Nasiriyah said. The police officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared becoming targets themselves.

Basra:#1: Gunmen killed two policemen in a drive-by shooting on a police patrol on Sunday in central Basra, 420 km (260 miles) southeast of Baghdad, police said.

#2: Iraqi solders and police launched pre-dawn raids in four neighborhoods of Basra, including two Shiite militia enclaves, arresting several suspects, Basra's operations command Maj. Gen. Mohammed Jawad Huwaidi said, without giving a precise number of arrests. The sweep was targeting gunmen believed to be behind Sunday's attack on a police checkpoint in the center of the city that killed a policeman and wounded three others, Huwaidi said.

Tikrit:#1: A car bomb killed one person and wounded six others in central Tikrit, 175 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

Ninevah Prv:#1: Iraqi security forces arrested 56 wanted men during operations in in Nineveh province in northern Iraq, Interior Ministry spokesman Major-General Abdul-Karim Khalaf said.

Sulaimaniya Prv:#1: Iranian artillery shells were fired at the border area of Iraq's Sulaimaniya province. There were no casualities, a local government official said.Al Anbar Prv:Ratba:#1: Two dead bodies were found with gunshot wounds and signs of torture in a deserted area near Rutba, 360 km (220 miles) west of Baghdad, police said.Fallujah:#1: A man was killed with his wife while she was wearing an explosive vest. The incident took place in al Mukhtar area north Falluja city west of Baghdad. Police said that they got intelligence information that the man has an explosive vest. The man gave the vest to his wife when the house was raided by the security forces. After police left the house, the explosive vest detonated killing the woman and casing serious wounds to the man who dies later, police said.

Afghanistan:#1: An official says a suicide bomber in eastern Afghanistan has wounded four Afghan troops and a civilian translator. A provincial government spokesman Ghamai Mohammadyar said the bomber struck the troops on patrol in Bermel district of Paktika province on Monday. He said four Afghan soldiers and a civilian translator working with the U.S.-led coalition troops were wounded. The bomber died in the blast.

#2: A suicide bomber blew himself up next to a police convoy in southern Afghanistan Sunday, killing four civilians and wounding eight other people, an official said. The suicide bomber was targeting the district police chief in Musa Qala in Helmand province, but instead killed four civilians, said provincial police Chief Mohammad Hussein Andiwal. Eight other people, including five policemen were wounded, he said. The bomber also died. Several shops were damaged in the blast. The police chief was not harmed, Andiwal said.

#3: A U.S.-coalition member and another civilian died in a separate roadside blast, also in the south. Also Sunday, a roadside bomb hit a U.S. military vehicle in the southern Zabul province, killing one coalition service member and an Afghani. A statement from the U.S.-led coalition said another service member was seriously injured in the attack. It did not give any further details about the casualties, or say if the civilian killed was a bystander or working with the coalition

.#4: In eastern Nangarhar province, suspected Taliban militants shot and killed two police officers Sunday in Khogyani district, said Mohammad Hashim Ghamsharik, spokesman for the provincial governor.

#5: The attack came a day after insurgents hit a NATO helicopter carrying the Helmand's Gov. Ghulab Mangal into the volatile town. The helicopter was damaged in the rocket-propelled grenade attack, but no one was injured.

#6: The Australian military on Monday said it had launched a "major push" to clear out extremist Taleban fighters from their heartland in southern Afghanistan. A series of operations would be carried out north of the soldiers' base near Tarin Kowt to clear out insurgents, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) said. "Australian soldiers have begun a major push into the Taleban heartland of Uruzgan province in southern Afghanistan with the intent of pushing out the Taleban, restoring vital infrastructure and creating a safe environment for the Afghan people," the ADF said in a statement. The push would be spearheaded by engineers, infantry, cavalry and support troops, it said. Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Yeaman, commanding officer of the 4th Reconstruction Task Force, said the Australians had moved into the Baluchi region as part of joint operations with the Dutch.

#7: One Indian and one Nepalese kidnapped by a criminal gang have been released in western Afghan province of Herat after 27 days in captivity, Indian embassy in Afghanistan said Sunday. "We are pleased to inform that Mr. Sarang Mohammed Naeem, an Indian national, along with his Nepalese colleague, K.B. Gurung, abducted by a criminal gang on 21st April, have been released late last night (May 17, 2008)," the Indian embassy said in a statement.

#8: A suicide bomber killed 10 people on Sunday after attacking a bakery on a Pakistan army base near the northwestern city of Peshawar, according to police and the Pakistani military. Nineteen others were wounded in the suicide attack in Mardan, in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, according to a Pakistani military news release. The bomber also died in the attack, which happened between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. local time (1500-1600 GMT, 1000-1100 ET), police said. Four Pakistani security personnel were among those killed, and four others were among the injured, the military said.

#9: AN Australian soldier seriously hurt in a roadside bomb attack in southern Iraq is to be transferred to Germany for specialist treatment. The soldier suffered shrapnel wounds to his arms, neck and face when the bomb exploded near his Bushmaster vehicle outside the city of An Nasiriyah on Saturday. No other soldier was injured in the attack and the Bushmaster vehicle, although damaged, was driven from the scene.

#10: A convoy of 79 commercial trucks loaded with WFP food left southern Afghan city of Kandahar for western Herat and Nimroz provinces on May 17, Aleem Siddique, a UNAMA spokesman told a weekly press briefing here. "The convoy, which was escorted by the Afghan National Police, was attacked by anti-government elements using small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades on the main ring road in Maiwand district of Kandahar province," he said. In the attack, he added, two trucks loaded with WFP food were hit by rocket-propelled grenades and burned down, which resulted in the loss of 84 tons of wheat for 10,500 people. "Thankfully, no human casualties have been reported," the UNAMAspokesman further said.

#11: In a separate incident on May 8, a commercial truck with 48 tons of WFP wheat for 6,000 people went missing on the way from Kandahar to Herat, he added.

REUTERS: US APOLOGIZES FOR QURAN SHOOTING: GI SHIPPED BACK TO US

Muslim holy book was found riddled with bullet holes at Baghdad range

GI who used Quran for target practice is shipped back to US

Reuters
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24693647/

BAGHDAD - An American sniper was removed from Iraq after he used a copy of the Quran for target practice, the military said Sunday, a day after a U.S. commander held a formal ceremony apologizing to Sunni tribal leaders.

The elaborate ceremony — in which one U.S. officer kissed a new copy of Islam's holy book before giving it to the tribal leaders — reflected the military's eagerness to stave off anger among Sunni Arabs it has been cultivating as allies.

The tribesmen have become key in the fight against al-Qaida in Iraq militants, who depict the American forces as anti-Islamic occupiers. One anti-U.S. Iraqi Sunni group condemned the Quran shooting, calling it "a hideous act." Similar perceived insults to Islam have triggered protests throughout the Muslim world. Iraqi police found the bullet-riddled Quran with graffiti inside the cover on a firing range near a police station in Radwaniyah, a former insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad, U.S. military spokesman Col. Bill Buckner said.

An American soldier was killed Sunday by a roadside bomb that hit his vehicle north of Baghdad, raising to at least 4,080 the number of U.S. service members who have died since the Iraq war began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

FIGHTING RESUMES IN SADR CITY: ONE US SOLDIER KILLED

Clashes reignited in Sadr City, but otherwise Iraq was relatively calm today. At least 28 Iraqis were killed and 56 more were wounded in violence limited mostly to the capital. One American soldier was killed and another wounded in Salah ad Din province when their patrol struck a roadside bomb.

http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=12857

Fighting resumed in Sadr City where four people were killed and 38 more were injured. An al-Sadr source said that Iraqi forces opened fire on people at a marketplace, killing seven of them. Three others were killed when they attacked U.S. forces

In Baghdad, a car bomb killed two Iraqi soldiers and wounded six others in Zayouna. Four people were wounded when a mortar struck Iskan. Two gunmen were killed after they attacked U.S. forces in northwestern Baghdad. No casualties were reported after rockets fell in the Green Zone. Two civilians were injured during an IED attack in Ataifiyah. An IED targeting a U.S. patrol near al-Kindi hospital injured two civilians instead. Also, a fire consumed a number of stores in the Amil marketplace, but no casualties were reported after U.S. forces detonated an IED found there. Also, four dumped bodies were found.
A U.S. air strike in Khan Bani Saad killed six suspects and destroyed a weapons cache.
Coalition forces in Mosul prevented a car bombing, and a large arms cache was found separately.
Fifteen suspects were detained in central and northern Iraq.
Four suspects were captured in Makhmour.
The police chief in al-Rashad was arrested under suspicion of collaborating with gunmen.
Fifty people were detained in Maysan province.
No casualties were reported near Suleimaniyah where Iranian sources continue to bomb suspected Party for Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK) rebel locations.
In Basra, a grenade was tossed at an entertainment store. No one was hurt. Another bomb blasted a building housing the Iraqi Labour Union and the Iraqi Communist Party, but no casualties were reported. Clashes between police commandos and and gunmen left four people with injuries.

US SOLDIER WHO DEFACED QURAN REMOVED FROM IRAQ

BAGHDAD_A U.S. Army soldier was removed from Iraq after he shot a Quran full of bullets and marked it with graffiti, the U.S. military announced Sunday.

By Raviya H. Ismail McClatchy Newspapers

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/

U.S. military officials, fearing a backlash as a result of the desecration moved quickly to resolve the case after Iraqi police found the desecrated book May 11 at a shooting range in the predominantly Sunni Muslim area of Radwaniya in western Baghdad.

They briefed tribal leaders on their investigation and expressed regret for the damage to the Quran, the Islamic holy book. » read m

MORE ON US SOLDIER USING QURAN FOR TARGET PRACTICE AND INCIDENTS OF VIOLENCE ACROSS IRAQ AND MORTAR ATTACK ON GREEN ZONE

Here is the latest information on the US soldier who used the Quran for target practice. We also have reports of violence across Iraq and another attack on the Green Zone.

Despite all this that is happening in Iraq, the mainstream media and FOX NEWS continue to BS the American public that the "surge" is working.

Reported Security IncidentsBaghdad Reports on the violence overnight in Sadr City are sketchy. Reuters merely reports that "Four people were killed and 38 others wounded in clashes between security forces and Shi'ite militiamen in Sadr City in eastern Baghdad, police and hospital sources said. However, Israel News says specifically that "Mortar shells slammed into a residential area north of Baghdad, killing at least four people and wounding 30, most children playing outside, officials said Sunday." The AP photo caption above http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/ says that 5 children were killed in a mortar strike in Sadr City, which is not "north of Baghdad," but rather in the northeastern part of Baghdad. Whether these reports all refer to the same incident, and how many total casualties there were, is not clear at this time. The AP has numerous other photos of children with severe injuries in the hospital. Xinhua now reports a total of six dead in Sadr City. If the situation becomes clearer, I'll post an update later in the day.

-- C Reuters also reports:
A mortar bomb wounded four people in Iskan district in western Baghdad, police said.
Five bodies were found in various districts of Baghdad on Saturday, police said.
U.S. forces killed two militants who tried to attack them in northwestern Baghdad, the U.S. military said.A fire erupted in al-Amil neighborhood souk (market), southwestern Baghdad, on Sunday after U.S. forces detonated an improvised explosive device (IED), gutting a number of stores in the area, an Iraqi police source said. The U.S. had no comment on the matter.

Two soldiers were killed and four others wounded when a roadside car bomb went off near an Iraqi army patrol on al-Rubaie street, eastern Baghdad, on Sunday, an Iraqi police source said.

KUNA reports three dead.Four katyusha rockets strike Green Zone, no casualties reported.Roadside bomb targeting a U.S. convoy in central Baghdad injures three civilians.Bomb in a minibus injures twoAt least one civilian was killed and another wounded on Saturday evening when a roadside bomb exploded near an Iraqi army vehicle patrol in northern Baghdad, a police source said. This was reported too late to make yesterday's post.

Khan Bani Saad (south of Baquba)A senior officer from the Iraqi army was killed on Saturday during clashes with armed groups in Diala province, central Iraq, a security source said. The deceased held the rank of colonel. Two other soldiers were injured. Again, this was reported too late for yesterday's post.U.S. forces killed six militants and destroyed a weapons cache in an airstrike in the town of Khan Bani Saad, near Baquba, the U.S. military said. Presumably supporting the Iraqi army action in that town which resulted in the casualties yesterday.al-Rashad, Kirkuk areaIraqi troops arrest police chief on charges of collaborating with "armed groups." No explanation is given, but it's a fair bet this has something to do with the Arab-Kurdish territorial dispute.

-- CBasraIraqi police say they have carried out raids and confiscated mortar rounds and automatic rifles. Actually the list of confiscated weapons doesn't sound very impressive -- 88 mortar shells and 40 rifles. -- CNotable by its absence: any news from Mosul. The big operation there apparently turned out to be a wet firecracker. We'll see what happens in the days ahead. Other News of the DayA U.S. Army staff sergeant in Radhwaniya writes "Fuck yeah" inside a Koran, draws a target on the cover, uses it for target practice, and leaves it for Iraqis to find. It's too soon to tell what the wider reaction will be. CNN's Michael Ware describes the apology by Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, which appears to have been accepted by the local Shawa, at least for now.

Excerpt:
A former college quarterback, Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, commander of the 4th Infantry Division, stood facing the angry crowd. His face was grim and fixed as tribal sheikhs swirled around him."I am a man of honor, I am a man of character. You have my word, this will never happen again," the general told the angry crowd through loudspeakers, pounding the makeshift podium three times with his fist."In the most humble manner, I look in to your eyes today and I say, please forgive me and my soldiers." The act of his sniper was criminal, he said. "I've come to this land to protect you, to support you...this soldier has lost the honor to serve the United States Army and the people of Iraq here in Baghdad."Martin stood before the crowd next, opening his address with an Islamic blessing. He announced the sergeant had been relieved of duty with prejudice; reprimanded by the commanding general with a memorandum of record attached to his military record; dismissed from the regiment and redeployed from the brigade.Holding a new Quran in his hands, he turned to the crowd. "I hope that you'll accept this humble gift." Martin kissed the Quran and touched it to his forehead as he handed it to the tribal elders. The crowd's voice rose, "Yes, yes, to the Quran. No, no, to the devil."But would it be enough to appease the mood in Radhwaniya? A local sheikh came to the microphone. "In the name of all the sheikhs," he said, "we declare we accept the apology that was submitted."This news has just broken, so I have found very little commentary about it. No doubt there will be further discussion as the day goes on. This Muslim American blogger expects serious repercussions.

Iraqi military spokesman announces intention to restore basic services to Sadr City. We'll see.Iraqi oil exports fell by nearly 3 million barrels in April, ostensibly because of the fighting in Basra. Nancy Pelosi leaves Iraq, with minimal public comment.

Quote of the Day
[J]ump to September 11, 2001 and its aftermath -- and you know the Tai Chi version of history from there. Think of it as a grim cosmic joke -- that the 9/11 attacks, as apocalyptic as they looked, were anything but. The true disasters followed and the wounds were largely self-inflicted, as the most militarily powerful nation on the planet used its own force to disable itself.

STARS AND STRIPES REPORT ON US SOLDIER USING QURAN FOR TARGET PRACTICE

US military says soldier shot at Quran

By KIM GAMEL Associated Press Writer
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

BAGHDAD (AP) -- A soldier used a Quran, the Islamic holy book, for target practice in a predominantly Sunni area west of Baghdad, prompting an apology from the military, a spokesman said Sunday.

Iraqi police found the bullet-riddled Quran with graffiti inside the cover on a small-arms range near a police station in Radwaniyah, a former insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad, U.S. military spokesman Col. Bill Buckner said.

American commanders then launched an inquiry that led to disciplinary action against the soldier, who has been removed from Iraq, Buckner said.

The action, which happened May 9 and was discovered two days later, threatened to further strain relations between the Americans and Sunni allies who have joined forces with them against al-Qaida in Iraq in Radwaniyah and other areas.

The incident was first reported by CNN, which broadcast a ceremony at which the top American commander in Baghdad apologized to tribal leaders in Radwaniyah. The military confirmed the details in an e-mailed response to a query.

"I come before you here seeking your forgiveness," Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond was quoted as saying. "In the most humble manner I look in your eyes today and I say please forgive me and my soldiers."

The commander also read a letter of apology by the shooter, and another military official kissed a Quran and presented it to the tribal leaders, according to CNN.

The military statement called the incident "serious and deeply troubling" but stressed it was a result of one soldier's actions and "not representative of the professionalism of our soldiers or the respect they have for all faiths."

Separately, mortar shells slammed into a residential area north of Baghdad, killing at least four people and wounding 30, most of them children playing outside, officials said Sunday.
The shelling occurred as clashes broke out in Shiite areas late Saturday despite a truce reached last week by Shiite politicians and followers of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

The Sunni alliances have been key to a steep decline in violence over the past year, along with a U.S. troop buildup and a longer term cease-fire by al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia.

Bandaged girls and boys with bloodstained clothes cried as they were packed two to a bed at a hospital in Sadr City, a Shiite stronghold where most of the recent fighting has occurred.

At least three mortar rounds struck a house, an open area and a street where boys were playing soccer in the Maamil neighborhood on Baghdad's northeastern outskirts, witnesses said.
Those killed included a man and three children, according to police and hospital officials who also said at least 30 people were wounded.

CNN WAR CORRESPONDENT MICHAEL WARE WRITES ABOUT THE DESECRATION OF QURAN BY US MILITARY OFFICER

When a gunshot-riddled Quran is found, a tenuous partnership is threatened
U.S. military officers apologize to authorities, citizens in Iraqi village

In our Behind the Scenes series, CNN correspondents share their experiences in covering news and analyze the stories behind the events.

CNN's Michael Ware covers the Iraq war.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/17/btsc.ware/index.html

CNN's Michael Ware says the Quran incident could have become a crisis.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- What the Iraqi fighter found threatened America's vital alliance with Sunni militia.

A week ago in a police station shooting range on Baghdad's western outskirts, the American-allied Iraqi militiaman found what one or more GIs had been using for target practice -- a copy of the Quran, Islam's holy book.

Riddled with bullets, the rounds piercing deep into the thick volume, the pages were shredded. Turning the holy book in his hands, the man found two handwritten English words, scrawled in pen. "F*** yeah."

The discovery was incendiary. It was an affront to Islam and a serious challenge to the religious credentials of the U.S-allied militias, or Awakening Councils, who turned on al-Qaeda and are now on the U.S. government payroll. Watch villagers protest the incident »

Largely moderate Sunnis, the American-backed militias face constant accusations from Islamic groups that they have turned against Islam to support the cause of the infidels, or nonbelievers. If this indignity had gone unanswered, the Islamists' case would have been won.

Abdullah, the militiaman who found the defaced Quran, complained to his superiors. Soon, there was outrage among the tribes and population of Radhwaniya, a semi-rural area long home to loyalists of the former regime of Saddam Hussein.

Word of what the Americans had done rippled throughout the district and the fury spread. Honor was at stake, and the urge for a violent response against the insult was strong. However, tribal leaders made an approach to American commanders in the region. "Honestly, we have to defend our religion," said Sheikh Saad al-Falahi, "and relations [with the U.S.] would deteriorate if they did not apologize."

Don't Miss
Soldier uses Quran for target practice
Having fought and then negotiated so hard and for so long to quiet the insurgency in Radhwaniya, American commanders were wary of the potential crisis.

The U.S. 4th Infantry Division is posted in Baghdad and surrounds; many of its commanders and soldiers are veterans of the Iraq campaign. Col. Ted Martin, commander of the Division's 1st Brigade, immediately launched an investigation, promising the tribal leaders a swift outcome.
Investigators soon identified the Army section that had been at the police station's small arms range, and a staff sergeant, a sniper section leader from the 64th Armor Regiment, was the primary suspect. After denying involvement, the sergeant eventually confessed, though he claimed he had no idea the book used for target practice was a Quran. Martin dismissed the excuse.

On Saturday, about a week after the incident (locals say the shooting practice was on May 9, U.S. forces say the Quran was discovered May 11), CNN was present for the showdown in Radwaniyeh as the Americans faced the tribes.

U.S. commanders arrived at a police outpost in heavily armored vehicles to be met by a human tempest; hundreds of chanting tribesmen lined up behind razor wire, offering their blood and souls in sacrifice for the Quran.

A former college quarterback, Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, commander of the 4th Infantry Division, stood facing the angry crowd. His face was grim and fixed as tribal sheikhs swirled around him.

"I am a man of honor, I am a man of character. You have my word, this will never happen again," the general told the angry crowd through loudspeakers, pounding the makeshift podium three times with his fist.

"In the most humble manner, I look in to your eyes today and I say, please forgive me and my soldiers." The act of his sniper was criminal, he said. "I've come to this land to protect you, to support you...this soldier has lost the honor to serve the United States Army and the people of Iraq here in Baghdad."

Martin stood before the crowd next, opening his address with an Islamic blessing. He announced the sergeant had been relieved of duty with prejudice; reprimanded by the commanding general with a memorandum of record attached to his military record; dismissed from the regiment and redeployed from the brigade.

Holding a new Quran in his hands, he turned to the crowd. "I hope that you'll accept this humble gift." Martin kissed the Quran and touched it to his forehead as he handed it to the tribal elders. The crowd's voice rose, "Yes, yes, to the Quran. No, no, to the devil."

But would it be enough to appease the mood in Radhwaniya? A local sheikh came to the microphone. "In the name of all the sheikhs," he said, "we declare we accept the apology that was submitted."

With hands shaken and sheepish thank-yous made, the general and the colonel returned to their armored convoy. The crisis, it seems, was averted.

The stakes, though, had been high. If accord had not been found, says Sheikh Ayad Abd al-Jabbar, head of the local Support Council, it could have been dire.

"Then surely the situation would have changed in another direction and more tension will have risen up, after all the cooperation with the Americans to restore security."

BUSH REVIVES TALK ABOUT STRIKING IRAN

There are many insiders who tell me the Bush administration plan is to launch an air strike on Iran right after Labor Day. The idea is this will help John McCain get elected because the old "saw" of not changing a horse in mid-stream will then be used during the run up to the election.

Bush signaled as much when he was in Israel earlier this week His speech to the Israeli government was more important for what he didn't say than what he did say.

Bush was signaling that the United States is making preparations to go to war against Iran.

The media got it all wrong, as usual, and focused on what they assumed was Bush taking a swipe at Barack Obama. The mainstream press corps was once again duped by the Bush administration.

Bush visit to Israel revives talk of a strike on Iran

By Dion Nissenbaum McClatchy Newspapers

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/37422.html

JERUSALEM — President Bush's historic speech to the Israeli parliament was as telling for what it didn't say as for what it did.

In 22 minutes, Bush offered one of the strongest demonstrations of support for Israel ever made by an American president. And he reawakened lingering hopes among hawks in Israel or the United States for a U.S. military strike to thwart Iran's nuclear program.

Israel's Army Radio reported Friday that the possibility of an American strike on Iran was raised in private discussions during Bush's visit.

And Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said that the Israeli prime minister and American president were "on the same page" on the issue of Iran.

"Both Israel and the United States agree that tangible steps have to be taken, that we cannot sit idly by and see Iran develop a nuclear weapon and that the international community has an obligation to take tangible steps to prevent that from happening," said Regev.

Continue reading by clicking on this link: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/37422.html

CNN REPORTS: US SOLDIER USES QURAN FOR TARGET PRACTICE

U.S. soldier uses Quran for target practice; military apologizes

Story Highlights
U.S. soldier aims at Quran at police shooting range at Iraqi village
Soldier relieved of duty, sent to United States for reassignment
Officer apologizes in special ceremony at village
Residents protest with banners and by chanting slogans

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/17/iraq.quran/index.html

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. military on Saturday formally apologized to an Iraqi village after a soldier admitted using the Quran -- Islam's holy book -- for target practice.

Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Hammond, commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad, apologized to the Radhwaniya tribe for the staff sergeant, who was a sniper section leader assigned to the headquarters of the 64th Armored Regiment. He also read a letter of apology by the shooter.

"I come before you here seeking your forgiveness," Hammand said to tribal leaders and others at the apology ceremony. "In the most humble manner I look in your eyes today and I say please forgive me and my soldiers."

Another military official kissed a Quran and presented it as "a humble gift" to the tribal leaders.
The shooter, whose name was not released, shot at a Quran on May 9, villagers said. The Quran used in the incident was discovered two days later, according to the military.

A tribal leader said "the criminal act by U.S. forces" took place at a shooting range at the Radhwaniya police station. After the shooters left, an Iraqi policeman found a target marked in the middle of the bullet-riddled Quran.

Copies of the pictures of the Quran obtained by CNN show multiple bullet holes and an expletive scrawled on one of its pages.

A military investigation found the shooter guilty and relieved him of duty; he will be redeployed to the United States for reassignment away from the 1st Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division, Hammond said.

"The actions of one soldier were nothing more than criminal behavior," he said in the apology. "I've come to this land to protect you, to support you -- not to harm you -- and the behavior of this soldier was nothing short of wrong and unacceptable."

Tribal leaders, dignitaries and local security officials attended the ceremony, while residents carried banners and chanted slogans, including "Yes, yes to the Quran" and "America out, out."

GIS GIVE UP THEIR LIVES AND BUSH GIVES UP GOLF

Veterans all across the United States and around the world are furious because President Bush told Politico that he felt the only right thing to do was to give up golf during wartime.

What Bush didn't tell Politco is he had pulled a muscle in his leg and gave up running too.

But even after Bush said he gave up golf as his contribution to the troops in Iraq, he was seen playing golf three months later.

Bush's golf claim angers veterans

guardian.co.ukguardian.co.uk
May 15, 2008
http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=172578

George Bush has angered US war veterans by declaring that out of solidarity with those who made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq he decided to make his own sacrifice: giving up golf.

In an interview with the Politico website, the president said he took the decision because of the war. "I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf. I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal."

Brandon Friedman, a veteran US infantry officer who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, told the Press Association: "Thousands of Americans have given up a lot more than golf for this war. For President Bush to imply that he somehow stands in solidarity with families of American soldiers by giving up golf is disgraceful. It's an insult to all Americans and a slap in the face to our troops' families."

Friedman, who is vice chairman of the US veterans' organisation VoteVets, added: "It shows how disconnected he is from everyday Americans, especially those who are serving in Iraq."

Bush said he laid down his clubs after the August 2003 bombing of United Nations offices in Baghdad that killed the UN's top official in the country, Sergio Vieira de Mello. "I remember when de Mello got killed as a result of these murderers taking this good man's life. I was playing golf - I think in central Texas - and they pulled me off the golf course and I said, 'It's just not worth it any more'."

WHO WILL SIGN THE SURRENDER IN IRAQ? COMMENTARY BY BILL CORCORAN

Who is going to sign the surrender in Iraq?

Will it be the insurgents?

Will it be Al Qaeda?

Will it be the terrorists?

Will it be the Mehdi Army?

Sen. John McCain says we will not leave Iraq until we WIN in Iraq.

How do we know when we have WON in Iraq?

Let's look at the facts.

The "enemy" is not ONE army and doesn't even wear ONE kind of uniform.

So who the hell surrenders?

I was in the Army during the Korean war and the enemy wore uniforms and represented either North Korea or the Chinese. You could spot an enemy soldier a couple of hundred yards away because they were wearing a uniform unlike the one you were wearing.

This is not the case in Iraq.

Not one single group we are fighting in Iraq wears a uniform and they don't answer to any government.

So what I want to know from Senator McCain is who signs thesurrender in Iraq?

The readers of my blog, CORKSPHERE, at http://corksphere.blogspot.com/ have been asking me this question and I haven't got an answer for them because there isn't an answer.

Bill Corcoran, editor of CORKSPHERE

MARINE CORPS TIMES REVEALS E-MAIL FROM VET AFFAIRS DEPT.WANTS DOCTORS TO AVOID PTSD DIAGNOSIS FOR VETS TO SAVE MONEY

VA e-mail: Save money, do not diagnose PTSD

By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writerPosted : Friday May 16, 2008 10:24:47 EDT
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/05/military_va_adjustmentdisorder_051508w/

Two veterans advocacy groups have asked for copies of all documents relating to the Veterans Affairs Department’s post-traumatic stress disorder policies after an e-mail surfaced asking VA doctors to keep costs down by giving diagnoses of adjustment disorder instead.

Veterans diagnosed with PTSD are eligible for health benefits and, in some cases, disability retirement pay. Adjustment disorder, on the other hand, is considered a short-term diagnosis, and does not qualify veterans for benefits, said Brandon Friedman, vice chair of VoteVets.org, one of the advocacy groups.

“They can say, ‘Ah, you’ve got something temporary, it’ll go away, so we don’t need to pay you for the rest of your life,’ ” Friedman said.

He said several veterans have told him they were diagnosed with adjustment disorder rather than PTSD, and that they felt they had received the wrong diagnosis.

“We hear anecdotal evidence all the time that VA is trying to cut costs by not diagnosing PTSD,” said Friedman, a former infantry officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. “But we’ve never actually seen proof that it was being done in an organized way.”

The e-mail, which Friedman said came from a VA hospital’s PTSD program coordinator, was apparently sent to several VA employees at that hospital. A psychologist from the hospital in turn sent it to VoteVets.org, Friedman said.

Click on link http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/05/military_va_adjustmentdisorder_051508w/ to read full Marine Corps Times story.

ALL THIS HAPPENED FRIDAY IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN AND STILL BUSH AND MCCAIN CLAIM THINGS ARE GETTING BETTER

The Bush administration, GOP candidate for POTUS John McCain and the mainstream media continue to LIE to the American public and say all is going great in Iraq and Afghanistan.

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED ON FRIDAY IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN.

SOURCE: http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/

War News for Friday, May 16, 2008
Baghdad:#1: Gunmen ambushed an Iranian Embassy convoy in Baghdad, wounding three Iranians, including two diplomats, and an Iraqi. Iranian Embassy spokesman Manoucher Taslimi says the convoy was en route to a revered Shiite shrine in the northern neighbourhood of Kazimiyah when it came under fire. The attack happened at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday as the convoy approached a bridge that links Kazimiyah with the predominantly Sunni area of Azamiyah, according to Taslimi. He says those wounded, including two Iranian diplomats and an Iranian and an Iraqi administrative employee, were in stable condition.The Interior Ministry official said five people were wounded when the two-vehicle Iranian convoy exchanged fire with Iraqi soldiers at a checkpoint near the bridge after most of the Iranians failed to produce identification cards. "The checkpoint staff asked them for ID cards, but nobody had one except for one Iranian called Abu al-Fadhil," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information. Reports indicate the Iraqi security forces "handled the situation appropriately and with a high degree of professionalism, once again demonstrating their capability at maintaining security in their districts," Russell said in an e-mailed statement.#2: 3 unidentified bodies were found in Baghdad by Iraqi Police today. 1 in Fdhailiyah; 1 in Iskan and 1 in Bayaa.#3: A roadside bomb exploded at a bus station in central Baghdad, killing one civilian and wounding three others, police said.#4: A roadside bomb hit an Iraqi army convoy in southeastern Baghdad, wounding two civilians, police said.#5: The U.S. military said it killed one gunman and wounded another in eastern Baghdad on Thursday when their vehicle came under attack.#6: 3 mortar rounds slammed into the Ghazaliyah police station, west Baghdad, which is being used as a US military base at 11.15 am. No casualties were reported.#7: 3 mortar rounds slammed into the former Central Markets building in Shaab, North Baghdad, which is being used as a US military base at 11.15 am. No casualties were reported.#8: Medical sources inside Sadr city reported 11 injuries and 2 deaths including women and children brought in from al-Shamaiyah and Rashad neighbourhoods, two eastern suburbs of Baghdad, at 4 pm Friday.Diyala Prv:Khanaqin:#1: Five people were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in northeast of Baaquba city on Friday, an official security source in Diala said. "The IED, planted in al-Aasry neighborhood in Jalawlaa, Khanaqin district, (155 km) northeast of Baaquba, wounded five civilians, including four children from the same family," the source, who did not want his name mentioned, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq.Mahaweel:#1: U.S. and Iraqi security forces detained nine gunmen during a raid on Thursday in Mahaweel town, 75 km (45 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.Iskandariya:#1: U.S. forces detained 12 suspects on Thursday in the town of Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police saidTikrit:#1: 3 prominent doctors were kidnapped by gunmen on the way between Tikrit and Baiji, close to al-Hamra village, 20 km to the north of Tikrit. They are Dr. Sabbar Mahrooz Abdullah, administrator of Tikrit Teaching Hospital, his deputy and specialist Dr. Ahmed Salah.Mosul:#1-2: U.S. and Iraqi troops moved against al-Qaida on two separate fronts Thursday, with house-to-house searches in Mosul and an operation in the desert to stanch the flow of insurgents and weapons to that northern city.#1: There were no reported clashes during the searches in known al-Qaida strongholds in the western and eastern parts of Mosul, Iraq's third largest city, where insurgents are believed to use the cover of sheep and produce markets to smuggle cash, weapons and foreign fighters from nearby Syria.#2: American Marines were operating farther south, near Lake Tharthar, a remote desert region that has been a refuge for al-Qaida fighters and a back channel for supplying the network in the north. We're trying to shut down the rat lines,'' Marine Brig. Gen. Richard Mills, who is heading up the operation, told a briefing at a mobile command post set up in the Mameluke desert. U.S. Marines on Thursday searched an abandoned mud house, uncovering six weapons caches including material for building roadside bombs.Since the Marines' operation began five weeks ago, they have killed six Sunni insurgents in clashes - including five killed when a Harrier jet dropped two bombs on a desert house after a clash in which a U.S. Marine was wounded, Brig. Gen. Randolph Alles said.#3: A physician was killed by a stray bullet in his home in western Mosul. Dr. Muhammad Abdul-Hakim Lawind, a physician at the Ibn Sina Teaching Hospital, was killed when he received a stray bullet in the head while inside his home in al-Najjar neighborhood, western Mosul," the source, who refused to give his name, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq.#4: In the 17 Tamuz neighborhood, western Mosul, a child was wounded when an Iraqi army force detonated an IED," the source said, adding the child happened to be near the scene.#5: A woman was shot down inside her home in eastern Mosul during a late hour of Thursday night, a Ninewa police source said on Friday. A 30-year-old woman was shot down in her home in the eastern Mosul neighborhood of al-Bakr. The woman's brother said she was killed by stray bullets," the source, who did not want his name mentioned, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq.Al Anbar Prv:Fallujah:#1: A suicide bomber blew up his explosive vehicle near a police station in central Falluja city on Friday with no word yet on casualties, an official security source in Anbar province said. "A suicide bomber attacked a police station in the al-Dhubbat neighborhood in central Falluja on Friday afternoon. Fire broke out in the attack site," the source, who refused to give his name, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq.A suicide car bomb killed four policemen and wounded nine other people in Falluja, 50 km (32 miles) west of Baghdad, police said. Police beat up a Reuters cameraman and a photographer when they tried to film the aftermath of the bombing. The photographer had to be treated in hospital.#2: 1 policeman was shot at by gunmen in al-Ameriyah/Fallujah, 30 km to the south of Fallujah city at 4 pm. The bullet lodged in his stomach and his situation is critical.Afghanistan:#1: Two Canadian soldiers had a close call in Afghanistan on Friday, escaping a suicide attack with only minor injuries. Two Afghan soldiers were also injured in the attack just west of Kandahar City in Zhari district, said CTV's Paul Workman, reporting from Kandahar. The troops were on a foot patrol in a village when the attack took place.#2: In other violence, militants attacked the compound of a district chief in neighbouring Zabul province Thursday night. A one-hour gun battle broke out, leaving five Taliban dead and six wounded, said the district chief, Barat Khan, according to reports.#3: In Khost province in Afghanistan's east, troops comprising Afghan and foreign forces attacked insurgents who were planting roadside bombs in the early morning hours on Friday. Two militants were killed in the skirmish and another died later in hospital.#4: Suspected Islamic militants have killed a Pakistani soldier in revenge for an alleged U.S. missile strike near the Afghan border, an official said Friday. Authorities found the bullet-riddled body of the paramilitary soldier early Friday about 6 miles north of Damadola, a village in the northwestern tribal region of Bajur.