Friday, May 19, 2006
Fractured Friday - Slaughterhouse Iraq
2454 and Counting * John Murtha * Homeless Veterans
50 more soldiers have died in Iraq so far in the month of May; The total is 2454. Source: Iraq Coalition Casualties.
What happened in Haditha,Iraq, on November 19,2005 ? Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) stated in a report that innocent women and children were killed in "cold blood" by marines. A criminal investigation is continuing. "WASHINGTON -- Military officials said Thursday that a criminal investigation into a firefight in western Iraq that left at least 15 civilians dead is not complete, but they did not dispute a congressman's charges that the attack by Marines was far worse than originally reported."
Plight of the Veterans
From a report by Daniel Trotta in Reuters-Alertnet
*****
Plight of the Veterans
From a report by Daniel Trotta in Reuters-Alertnet
- On any given night the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) helps 200 to 250 of them, and more go uncounted. They are among nearly 200,000 homeless veterans in America, largely from the Vietnam War.
- Advocates say the number of homeless veterans is certain to grow, just as it did in the years following the Vietnam and Gulf wars, as a consequence of the stresses of war and inadequate job training.
- Homeless veterans have remained in the shadows of the national debate about Iraq, although the issue may gain traction from the film "When I Came Home," which won an award the month for best New York-made documentary at the city's Tribeca Film Festival.
- The documentary tells the story of Iraq war veteran Herold Noel as he lived in his car. It will get a screening in June at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
- U.S. Rep. Bob Filner, a California Democrat, calls it a "national disgrace" that homelessness among veterans has not been solved and held an informal hearing on Thursday to highlight the issue.