Forgotten Casualties of Iraq & Afghanistan Wars

Most news organizations report the latest U.S. fatalities in fighting the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The latest numbers are 4180 in Iraq and 610 in Afghanistan. Those numbers are tragic to the families of the service men and women involved. Also, those numbers represent a great loss to the country of our brave men and women. In addition, another reported cost of the Iraq war is is the estimated cost to exceed one trillion dollars.

The forgotten casualties are the disabled veterans returning from the wars. A report out lately outlines that up to 200,000 of the 600,000 war veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are looking to the Veterans Administration (VA) for health care. The U.S. is preparing to stay in Iraq through 2010, so that number will undoubtedly increase.

In addition to combat related injuries, veterans are dealing with long-term medical issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD usually develops over a long period of time.
It is estimated that 100,000 servicemen and women are also receiving disability compensation for their injuries.

As a country, we need to take care of our brave men and women. They have risked their lives and future for all of us. We can help by supporting worthy veterans organizations. One such example is Disabled American Veterans, they are an organization helping the disabled veterans with valuable assistance and services beyond what the VA is providing.