V8-27

More Forces or ‘Mission Failure’

Top U.S. Commander For Afghan War Calls Next 12 Months Decisive

By Bob Woodward

The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan warns in an urgent, confidential assessment of the war that he needs more forces within the next year and bluntly states that without them, the eight-year conflict “will likely result in failure,” according to a copy of the 66-page document obtained by The Washington Post.
Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal says emphatically: “Failure to gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum in the near-term (next 12 months) — while Afghan security capacity matures — risks an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible.”
His assessment was sent to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on Aug. 30 and is now being reviewed by President Obama and his national security team.  Read More…

Also in the news:
Army gives bad discharges to Thousands of PTSD Vets
Picture yourself, as one of thousands of vets with bad discharges. Picture yourself unable to get a defense or post office job. Picture yourself with no GI bill, no home loan, no PTSD treatment, no disability compensation, no insurance for your family, no education benefits for your children.
Picture what you did to earn this punishment. You fought for your country.
Picture the people who did this to you. They were bureaucrats, fatasses, accountants, paper pushers in the Pentagon who blackmailed you into signing everything away or spending years on administrative hold awaiting court martial for being sick….

Student veteran group helps ex-military become adjusted to life on campus
Since 1999, the number of veterans receiving compensation for PTSD has risen nearly 121 percent, due to the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan.
To curb this increase, the group is trying to serve as a network to help veterans make the transition from soldier to student.

500 Mile March for PTSD will happen in Spring
The march will raise funds for our hour-ling television documentary on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, commonly known as PTSD.
The documentary will feature interviews with soldiers and Marines with their boots on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, who talk about PTSD and what they are doing to avoid having it as an aspect of their lives.