IVAW Iraq Veterans Against the War continues their educational campaign Operation Recovery around this military abuse of deploying wounded troops. (As many as 1 out of 7 troops are using anti-depressants in the field)
WASHINGTON DC - On October 7th, the 9-year anniversary of the Afghanistan War, Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) will launch a national veteran-led campaign to end the military's widespread practice of deploying wounded troops into war zones. Operation Recovery: Stop the Deployment of Traumatized Troops will focus on ending the practice of deploying service members suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic
Brain Injury (TBI), and Military Sexual Trauma (MST).
VIDEOS
* Oct 7: Operation Recovery at the White House Press Briefing
* Oct 7: US Veterans concerned over war trauma Al Jazeera
* Oct 7: Operation Recovery Democracy Now
Videos on right side
Events are occuring in many cities
*
11/11 IL Chicago in War
11/11 IL IVAW VVAW VFP Veterans Day Ceremony (Chicago in War)
11/11 CA Operation Recovery Teach-in: Bay Area
11/11 GA Veterans Day Teach-In
11/11 - Veterans Day Teach-In
11/11 IL Warrior Writers (Chicago in War)
11/11 IL INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS - Main Art Opening of Chicago in War
11/11 - Raising Awareness About Operation Recovery with Chalk
11/11 - Albuquerque Chapter's Veteran's Day TV Appearance
11/11 - Operation Recovery Teach-in: Bay Area
Veterans from both the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, including many with personal experience being deployed while wounded, will participate in the campaign launch Thursday. Starting at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (9:15am across from 7123 Georgia Ave.), veterans will hold a ceremony for all those wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to be followed by a sixmile march to Capitol Hill (1:30pm at Russell Senate Office Building, Constitution Ave NE, and Delaware Ave. NE). Veterans will testify about their experiences with redeployment and announce the launch of Operation Recovery. A letter will be read aloud before being delivered
to military and government officials demanding an end to the practice of deploying traumatized service members. In the upcoming weeks, IVAW plans to publicly identify and target responsible officials.
Last year, 239 soldiers killed themselves and 1,713 soldiers survived suicide attempts; 146 soldiers died from high-risk activities, including 74 drug overdoses.ii A third of returning troops report mental health problems, and 18.5 percent of all returning service members are battling
either PTSD or depression, according to a study by the Rand Corporation. Recently, four decorated combat vets committed suicide in a single week at Ft. Hood, prompting Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to state the issue of soldier suicides as his top
priority.iii IVAW asserts that those who are deploying troops with mental health issues are responsible for such alarming statistics.
"I was denied treatment for the mental and physical wounds I sustained in battle, like so many others,” says Ethan McCord, a veteran whose unit was shown in the “Collateral Murder” video distributed by Wikileaks. “This campaign is critical for soldiers because we are asserting our
right to heal. Now, the government has a choice – will it recognize our right to heal, or continue to deny it?”
Operation Recovery Announcement Press Kit
Iraq Veterans Against the War