America's Veterans and Congressional Hearings on Iraq – April 2008
In this Issue of Norm’s Newsletter:
- Congressional Hearings on the Iraq War
- Supporting the New G.I. Bill (H.R. 5740)
- Troubling Links Between Veterans and Suicide
Continuing Concern in Congress on the Iraq War
Congress is continuing to press the Bush Administration this spring to explain its plan for bringing U.S. troops home and turning over ultimate control of the security of Iraq to the Iraqi government. As we prepared to consider another Supplemental budget request to fund the ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in the weeks ahead, we listened to testimony from General David Petraeus, who commands the U.S. Forces in Iraq, and our Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker. Both stressed the complexity of the task; both cited instances of progress made in reducing violence and ethnic strife within the country. But neither of them, nor the President in comments he made later, could offer to the Congress a clear strategy for ending U.S. involvement in Iraq or even a notional timetable for bringing our troops home.
More than five years after it began, it is clear that our nation’s involvement in Iraq during more than five years has been far too costly: more than 4,000 U.S. troops have been killed, and nearly 30,000 others have been seriously wounded both physically and psychologically. It has increased our national debt by at least $495 billion to date, with trillions more in future costs that will be incurred no matter how quickly we are able to extricate ourselves.
At this point, a majority of Americans as well as those of us who represent them in Congress remain unconvinced that the Bush Administration has an adequate plan for transferring to the Iraqi government the responsibility for the welfare, safety and security of its own citizens. It is clear to me that progress thus far has not been sufficient, nor has the United States given the Iraqi government the appropriate incentive to make the decisions necessary to assure peace and reconciliation within Iraq. Our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines have done everything we have asked of them and they made great sacrifices, but it does not appear that the Iraqi government’s efforts have been commensurate.
Furthermore, in asking for more time and a substantial amount of additional resources from American taxpayers, Gen. Petraeus recommended against decreasing the level of troops deployed to Iraq beyond those scheduled to return in July – meaning that we will likely have 140,000 American military personnel in Iraq through the end of 2008. Ironically, the enduring commitment of this magnitude has affected the readiness of our military, making it more difficult to re-deploy troops to Afghanistan – a conflict more central to the war on terrorism that is ostensibly our primary threat in the world today. I believe that it is important for Congress now to act more forcefully to urge the Bush Administration to substantially disengage from our military commitment in Iraq and turn the responsibility for governing and protecting Iraq to the Iraqis.
Demanding Better Care for America’s Veterans
Regardless of when all of our troops from the current conflicts are returned home, it is clear that we’ve got to do a better job caring for veterans once they come home. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have placed an array of new strains and challenges on our military personnel and these challenges do not end when they leave the battlefield. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 18 percent of veterans recently returning from tours of duty are unemployed, compared to the nationwide unemployment rate at around 5 percent. And 25 percent of these vets are in jobs where they earn less than $21,840 a year. Clearly, we’ve got to do more to support these men and women who sacrificed so much for their country, and help them transition back to civilian life.
Since the end of World War II, our nation has had a proud tradition of offering educational assistance to returning Veterans, to provide them with the skills and knowledge to transition to civilian life. The G.I. Bill – originally passed as the “Serviceman’s Readjustment Act,” has had a profound effect on the United States, dramatically increasing access to higher education and expanding opportunities for Veterans, beginning with those in America’s Greatest Generation. Following World War II, about 7.8 million veterans—out of a wartime veteran population of 15 million—took advantage of these G.I. Bill education benefits, and the program played a significant role in the expansion of the American middle class.
Over the last several decades, Congress passed a number of other G.I. Bills that also provided educational assistance to our veterans. However, benefits awarded under those subsequent G.I. Bills have not been as expansive as our nation’s original Post-World War II G.I. Bill. Currently, veterans’ educational benefits are administered under the Montgomery G.I. Bill, which was designed for peacetime – not wartime – service. This month, Rep. Harry Mitchell of Arizona introduced the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act (H.R. 5740), which I am cosponsoring. This important bill would increase educational benefits provided by the G.I. Bill for all members of the military who have served active duty since September 11, 2001. For more details of the specific benefits provided by H.R. 5740, please be sure to visit my website.
In addition, we also must do a better job at healing the psychological scars that remain for soldiers returning from the battlefield. According to a recent study, nearly one in every five U.S. troops coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan suffers from major depression or post-traumatic stress. Only about half of those with mental health problems have sought treatment. As many or more report possible brain injuries from explosions or other head wounds, said the study. Even fewer of those with head injuries have seen doctors. And in a revealing CBS News report in November, we learned that more than 6,200 veterans had committed suicide in 2005 – an average of 17 a day – even though the Veterans Administration had attempted to cover up this grim statistic. In the investigation that has been conducted since this report, we also learned that another 1,000 veterans receiving care at VA facilities attempt suicide each month. This is a situation that has reached epidemic proportions, I believe, and certainly calls for greater action in Congress. I am determined to seek solutions here, working with my colleague Senator Patty Murray, who has become a real champion for better care of America’s veterans. We were both recently interviewed on Tacoma’s KUPS Radio about how Congress is confronting this new challenge—listen to the interview here.
In 2007, when the Democrats assumed leadership in Congress, addressing the needs of veterans was established as a top priority, and last year we approved the largest increase in funding for veterans programs the 77-year history of the Veterans Administration. This funding will be used to help improve services, reduce waiting times, ensure proper maintenance at VA hospitals, hire more than 1,800 claims processors to reduce the backlog, and improve the mental health services offered to our nation’s veterans. I remain committed to assuring that these funds are spent wisely and addressing the real problems that veterans of all wars are experiencing today.
These were two of the major items on our agenda in Congress this month, and issues which we will surely revisit in the months ahead. As always, I appreciate hearing from you and learning of your views on important national issues.
Sincerely,  NORM DICKS
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