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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>From today’s (January 24, 2006) Spokesman Review with
a special thanks to Macarena Hernandez of </span></font><span lang=EN>the <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:City> Morning News –<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:12.0pt'>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Vets at mercy of Congress for post-war care<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>By Macarena Hernandez<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:City>
Morning News<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>January 24, 2006<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Jesus Bocanegra left <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> more than a year ago, but the
war never left him.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The 24-year-old cavalry scout spent a year in Tikrit, Saddam
Hussein's hometown, beating down doors, raiding homes, searching for the enemy.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>When his tour was up in 2004, Bocanegra returned home to <st1:place
w:st="on">South Texas</st1:place>. He began to have head-splitting flashbacks,
paralyzing panic attacks and painfully vivid nightmares.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>He enrolled at the local community college, eager to
transition into civilian life. He dropped out after two months. He spent a
couple of months as a produce inspector but had to quit, irritable and unable
to concentrate.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>A door would shut, he'd jump. A stranger would approach,
he'd panic.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>"When I was in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>, if a stranger walked up to
me, he was either going to blow up himself or throw a bomb at me," he
says. That, he believes, explains his hyper-alertness and why he prefers to be
at home in his "bunker," his cocoon.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>In the combat zone, his mind and heart raced. Back home,
people seem more preoccupied with washing their cars than some war half a world
away.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The Department of Veterans Affairs deemed Bocanegra
completely disabled upon diagnosing his post-traumatic stress disorder.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>He fears life will never be the same. Not all soldiers end
up on the front lines, but for those who do, the ones who witness the horrific
reality of war, how can life ever be the same? Especially those from <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>, where
there is no real safe zone and the constant threat is from bombers who think
nothing of taking their own lives.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Americans return with bodies intact but scarred minds and
hearts.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Across the country, VA hospitals and clinics – already
facing budget crunches and backlogs – report increases in veterans
suffering PTSD. Ironically, many are <st1:country-region w:st="on">Vietnam</st1:country-region>
vets only now seeking help, but the VA is hardly prepared for the aftermath of <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>A recent New England Journal of Medicine study found that 17
percent of soldiers who returned from <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region>
suffered PTSD, a 2 percent increase from that reported by <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Vietnam</st1:place></st1:country-region>
veterans.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The tangled web of bureaucracy and overstretched staffs at
home only delays the help they need. For some, it comes too late. Capt. Michael
Pelkey, an <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region> veteran from
Spring, <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Texas</st1:place></st1:State>,
was diagnosed with PTSD in 2004. A week later, he killed himself with a shot to
the chest.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Long after the war is but a memory, Capt. Pelkey's widow
will still be describing him to the son he barely met, and Bocanegra and
thousands of other former soldiers will still be struggling with the
consequences of war. That goes for the ones who are back home, trying to piece
their lives back together, and the ones still at the front, numb to the
realities of war.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Today, Bocanegra feels abandoned. He sees a psychiatrist for
about 10 minutes every three months. He takes one pill for anxiety and another
for depression.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The doctor, he says, "just tells me, 'Take your
medication.' "<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>After nearly five years in the military, he feels like
someone else's problem now. If he needs an eye exam or a dental visit, he must
drive the four hours to <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Antonio</st1:place></st1:City>
to the nearest VA hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Supporting our troops means more than sticking a
yellow-ribbon decal on our cars, a standing ovation at the airport or an
American flag flying on Veterans Day. We can talk of patriotism, but until we
demand that our soldiers get the treatment they need, our words are empty.
Thousands of them and their families have been torn apart by war, while the
rest of us sacrificed nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>"Stay the course" or "Pull out now," few
of our leaders are concerned about making sure these soldiers have the health
care they need once they return.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Congress must calculate the total cost of this war, which
includes caring for Bocanegra and other vets long after the last gunshot or
explosion. If not, they will continue to feel as if they're begging for
handouts, and our leaders will have failed them.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Today, Bocanegra can still hear children's screams and see
the fear in the faces of the women he sighted down the barrel of his weapon.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>"You see these horrible things in war. You just killed
people," he says. "A lot of my friends that came back say they would
have preferred to die out there."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN
style='font-size:12.0pt'>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>I understand that the veterans hospital in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Walla Walla</st1:place></st1:City> was recently closed due to budget
cuts and a lack of funds to provide sufficient health care to our veterans.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>And the beat goes on . . .<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Take care, <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Moscow</st1:place></st1:City>.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Tom Hansen<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Moscow</span></font></st1:City><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>, <st1:State
w:st="on">Idaho</st1:State></span></font></st1:place><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>"Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but
the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." <br>
<br>
--Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.</span><o:p></o:p></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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