Iraq War

William Smith has done an amazing amount of important research that as a former soldier is very important to him and to our returning young members of the armed forces. --Sarah

First, what makes me qualified to write this article? I am a Veteran, I utilized the Montgomery GI Bill, I use VA for my health care and I have worked in Higher Education for the past nine years as a Public Health Educator. Since June 1989, I have been and will always be an American soldier. Like many Veterans, I enlisted for military service because of my sense of pride and duty to my country. I was assigned to the famed 1st Infantry Division — the Big Red One (BRO) at Ft. Riley, Kansas. Furthermore, I was assigned to one of the oldest units in the Army: Headquarters & Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment —- Hamilton’s Own.

One November day in 1990, the BRO was called to duty as part of Operation Desert Shield. My unit deployed to Saudi Arabia at the end of December 1990 and returned to Ft. Riley at the end of May 1991. I was awarded the Bronze Star for my service during Desert Storm.

I received an Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Army in June 1992 and enlisted in the Army Reserve in October 1992. I remained in the Reserve until December 1997.

Soon Veterans will be able to begin utilizing the Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act or as it is more commonly referred to as the GI Bill for the 21st Century. This new GI Bill is a significant improvement to the Montgomery GI Bill which helped pay for my undergraduate education – well barely, it helped with living expenses but not for tuition and books. The GI Bill for the 21st Century will enhances one of the most fundamental benefits for Veterans aside from eligibility to utilize the Veterans Administration (VA) Health Care System. For more information about the GI Bill for the 21st Century, click here.

The question that Administrator’s in higher education need to begin asking themselves is, are our country’s college and university campuses prepared for the estimated 580,000 next generation of Veteran’s of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Are our campuses prepared to address the unique needs that these students will bring to campus – different life experiences than traditional students, increased mental and physical health issues, increased utilization of campus disability services, support networks and organizations for students who are Veterans, etc.?

Let’s look at the current profile of all Veterans and what the potential issues faced by college campuses:
Basic Facts About Veterans (click to make larger)

Based on this FY 08 data there is the potential of approximately 65.5% of those receiving educational benefits are also being compensated for PTSD.

Looking at the number of amputees from the current VA data, there is also the potential from theses veterans to seek higher education on our campus and Disability Offices in concert with Counseling Services will need to position themselves to accommodate their needs.

Now let’s look specifically at OEF/OIF Veterans
Profile of Service Members Currently Deployed

Total number currently deployed includes all branches of service
Profile of Service Members Currently Deployed

It is estimated that there are 1.8M OIF/OEF Veterans to date since 2001.

Profile of Service Members Currently Deployed

It is projected that approximately 580,000 Veterans will take advantage of the GI Bill for the 21st Century. This was signed into law in 2008 by then President Bush and significantly increases the educational benefits to Veterans from the previous Montgomery GI Bill.

Current research on students who are Veterans is limited. Most of the research is dated from the post Vietnam era. I was able to find one qualitative study that was conducted by Dr. DiRamio – assistant professor of higher education administration at Auburn University; Dr. Ackerman – associate professor in the College of Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Regina Mitchell – doctoral candidate in education leadership at Central Michigan University. Their study is titled, "From Combat to Campuses: Voices of Student-Veterans" () and was published in the NASPA Journal in 2008.

What they found is that students who are Veterans typically move through four transitional periods in the course of their initial enlistment, deployment to a combat zone, coming home, and transitioning to campus life. These are classified as Military Moving In, Moving Through, Moving Out, and Campus Moving In stages. It is a great article to read (PDF).

The common issues that OIF/OEF Veterans will bring with them to college campuses are high rates of mental health disorders (PTSD, depression and increased alcohol use); increased rates of suicide and suicidal ideation; learning issues as a result of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI); and physical disabilities. PTSD is the result of any event that inspires fear, helplessness, and threat of annihilation.

Personnel in combat zones are exposed to high levels of stress and threat every day. Tours of duty typically last 12 months and current rotations have troops doing repeated tours of duty. This can have a significant impact on troop’s ability to manage this high level of stress over time. Combat related PTSD may include the following: recurrent recollections or dreams about war; flashbacks that cause the veteran to relive various trauma; avoiding any reminders of combat; emotionally numbing; hyper-arousal (feeling of being on edge and alert for new threats). PTSD and depression are often times linked among Veterans.

It has been reported that nearly half of veterans with PTSD were also depressed. Depressed veterans often times feel: worthless and profoundly sad; have poor concentration; have a lack of interest in social activities; have feelings of hopeless and helpless; experience a change in appetite; have difficulty sleeping or over sleeping; are irritable; and experience suicidal thoughts or attempts.

An article in the LA Times emphasizes the need to be mindful that

"some service members may actively avoid a diagnosis of a mental health problem, fearing the negative consequences of being diagnosed with a stress disorder or depression….these troops are worried that their career could be hurt or co-workers would have less confidence in them after a diagnosis."

This article also noted the need for

"thousands more mental health professionals – both government hospitals and the civilian health care systems – are needed to meet the need of troops and veterans, and new training is needed for current medical professionals."

According to the article Bringing the War Back Home

"the youngest group of OEF/OIF veterans were at the greatest risk for receiving mental health or PTSD diagnosis compared to veterans 40 years or older."

Campus Counseling Centers must become mindful of the unique conditions these students will present in terms of their exposure to trauma in the combat zone. They must be prepared to address the potential increase of students seeking services. Clinicians will need to be prepare to address the trauma of combat – high combat stress situation and loss of comrades. Campus clinicians must also become familiar with the resources that are available to Veterans and how to refer them to the VA or Vet Center‘s for treatment and care.

The use of alcohol among Combat Veterans as a means of self medication to cope with PTSD, depression, or social anxiety disorders is also of concern.

"In 2003, there were an estimated 25 million veterans comprising roughly 11.5 percent of the 217 million non-institutionalized civilians aged 17 or older in the United States. Approximately 93 percent of veterans are male, and 8.4 percent were between the ages of 17 and 34. (SAMHSA, 2008).

"An estimated 56.6 percent of veterans used alcohol in the past month compared with 50.8 percent of their nonveteran counterparts in 2003. Heavy use of alcohol also was more prevalent among veterans, with an estimated 7.5 percent of veterans drinking heavily in the past month compared with 6.5 percent of their nonveteran counterparts" (SAMHSA, 2008).

"An estimated 13.2 percent of veterans reported driving while under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs in the past year compared with 12.2 percent of comparable nonveterans"(SAMHSA, 2008).

The VA has approximately 94 alcohol dependence treatment program (ADP) and 42 drug dependence treatment programs (DDTP). Each ADTP and DDTP provides services that include intervention support activities, emergency medical services including detoxification, clinical and vocational assessment, consulting liaison, ambulatory/out-patient and after-care services.

Again, campus clinicians need to become familiar with the resources that are available to Veterans and how to refer them to the VA or Vet Center’s for treatment and care.

Many Veterans have become victims of Traumatic Brain Injuries as a result of the employment of IED or road side bombs. TBI is the result of sudden trauma that causes damage to the brain when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, or when an object pierces the skull and enters brain tissue. The victim may remain conscious or may experience a loss of consciousness for a few seconds or minutes. Other symptoms may include headache, confusion, lightheadedness, dizziness, blurred vision or tired eyes, ringing in the ears, bad taste in the mouth, fatigue or lethargy, a change in sleep patterns, behavioral or mood changes, and trouble with memory, concentration, or attention.

Some of the consequences resulting from TBI include problems with cognition (thinking, memory, and reasoning), sensory processing (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell), communication (expression and understanding), and behavior or mental health (depression, anxiety, personality changes, aggression, acting out, and social inappropriateness).

This type of injury, along with other injuries that result in physical disabilities such as amputation may bring an increased demand for the utilization of campus Disability Services. Again, these services should become familiar with the services provided by the VA to assist students who are Veterans. One program at my local VA hospital provides veterans with PDA’s and GPS’s to assist with calendar and task reminders and with direction finding.

The Student Veterans of America (SVA) is a coalition of student veterans groups from college campuses across the United States. The SVA was founded in January of 2008 and works to develop new student groups, coordinate between existing student groups, and advocate on behalf of student veterans at the local, state, and national level. SVA has published a guide for college campuses to use to prepare them for an increase of Veterans attending their schools. Key points from the guide are as follows:

• Survey student veterans for their needs and concerns.
• Work with student veterans during registration periods to ensure they are able to quickly enroll in classes.
• Develop easy to use procedure to notify institution (all parts of it to include professors, departments, programs, support offices) in the event they are called to duty. Ensure point of contact is promoted and easy to find.
• Keep in mind that Department of Veterans Affairs benefits and programs do not cover all the needs of student veterans.
• Consider developing institution specific scholarships, programs and other student veteran’s resources.
• Evaluate the admissions process to ensure veterans are not disadvantaged. Student transitioning out of active service face a host of admissions difficulties.
• Be mindful that Veterans have dramatically different life experiences, especially younger veterans, that their counterpart traditional students.
• Do not treat them the same as you do student straight out of high school or other first time students.
• Develop veteran specific orientation programs. Partner with local veterans organizations and military units for presentations and assistance.

In the end, the important thing to remember is that our Service Members have volunteered to provide service to their country. Whether their motivation to enlist was the result of a sense of patriotism, a duty to country, or as a way to pay for higher education they have earned the benefits they receive once their enlistment obligation has been met. It then becomes the obligation of Institutions of Higher Education to ensure that the unique needs of these students will be met on college campuses in order for our Veterans to be successful students.

It is the Army Core values that I learned in Basic Training and throughout my tour of duty in the Army that continue to guide me today and have proven to be useful in all aspects of my life – loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. Our colleges must be prepared to take on the needs of these returning service men and women.

Resources for Veterans

Transition Assistance Program
Department of Veteran Affairs
Iraq and Afghan Veterans of American
After Deployment
Military Health System

See Works Cited below the jump

Bumped. I'm not sure I agree (see my comment), but it's an interesting question. --Mike

Yesterday, while standing in line at my bank (to get some quarters, because, well, why else would I actually need to consult a bank teller?), I heard the familiar & eerie voice of the presumptive Republican nominee. The voice was coming from the two televisions above the bank windows, which are constantly tuned to CNN, & from that voice I heard something like this:

"I would rather lose an election & win a war ... Barack Obama would rather win an election & lose a war ..."

(The statement was followed, of course, by that creepy smile, which flashes as embarrassingly as an "applause" sign above a studio audience.)

This line of argument (or rhetoric) is an example of imprecise thinking for a number of reasons, the most obvious of which is that, in the context of Iraq, the clear dichotomy between winning & losing is not evident. Also, another less obvious, but still paramount, fact to understand before launching into a tirade about anyone "wanting us to lose", is that, technically, we already won the war.

The War on Iraq (or the "Iraq War", or "the war for the liberation of Iraq") was executed masterfully by Coalition forces (led by the American military) in 2003. We invaded (on 20 March 2003) & toppled Saddam's Ba'athist in something like 26 days, with Baghdad falling on 9 April 2003, & the invasion declared "over" on the 15 April. & while "Mission Accomplished" was some sort of cruel hyperbole, it was not inaccurate to say we had achieved, militarily, what the Bush Administration had set out to do. (Here, I'm trying to suspend my understanding that, for all intents & purposes, we were probably lied into this war, & that we should have been focusing on al Qaeda, etc., but, you know ...)

Then came the occupation & the attempt to set up a stable, democratic, peaceful Iraq with the ability to defend herself, principally, from insurgents, many of which were former Ba'ath Party members, as well as members of the military who were purged during "Jerry" Bremer's de-baathification. Ostensibly, while military operations are still going on in Iraq (though the "surge" may have ended), it is not precise (nor is it accurate) to use terms like "winning" or "losing" or "victory" or "defeat" with regards to the situation ... All we have are benchmarks, or key attributes, that we hope the Iraqi Republic can attain to someday. I hope they can, honestly, so something good can come out of this ill-conceived conflict.

The question is, & this election will be a referendum on this, what is the best road, now, for Iraq to follow in order to become able to govern & defend herself, to promote employment, modernization, religious pluralism & moderation, & to be a stable, democratic model for other countries in the region? (Although, I must admit, I am skeptical that what has been termed "Jeffersonian democracy", including ensuring the basic freedoms we cherish in this country, can ever take root there, but I'd like to be proven wrong ...)

My feeling is, when our troops withdraw, Iraqis will stand up & take ownership in each of these areas, & not the reverse. They've already told us they want us out. Now (& this, I think, tends to be Obama's view) this will not mean total disengagement from Iraq, but we do need to take an American face off of this occupation, & replace it with one that is less detested in the region & specifically in that country.

Is that "losing", or "admitting defeat"? Absolutely not - it's intelligently & purposefully trying to find a decent & honorable end to conflict that probably should have never been waged in the first place. It's also, incidentally, a responsible way to promote Iraqi self-governance (& sovereignty) &, ultimately, stability in the region.

Graduating students at Yale did not take kindly to a speech delivered this weekend on "Class Day" - one of the many events involved in the Yale commencement weekend. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair delivered the address, and his presence was protested by a number of students due to his support of the war in Iraq:

Mr Blair's arrival was met by a small but vocal contingent of protestors waving placards that read "No to Blair" and "Yale! Don't Support a War Criminal", but police held them back from the ceremony, which was held in a large gated garden.

But as he took to the podium, Mr Blair, 54, was met with dozens of red signs that students had hidden under their graduation robes, reading "Peace Now" and "No War".

One student, a young woman wearing a headscarf, stood throughout the ceremony, holding a "Peace Now" sign above her head just 10ft in front of the former Prime Minister, who appeared to be doing his best to avoid looking at her.

Mr Blair also avoided referring to Iraq by name as he talked about the rise of India and China as future world superpowers, the problem of climate change, and the threat of "terrorism fueled by religion".

Normally I'm skeptical of student anti-war protests. While throwing a pie in Tom Friedman's face might be emotionally satisfying on some level, it accomplishes very little in the way of real change. In recent years, students have achieved far greater success on campus when their protests were directed at their college or university. Over the past half decade, student protests have helped establish a living wage for workers at Harvard, many campuses, bowing to student pressure have divested from regimes involved in human rights abuses, and many more campuses have made strides toward becoming carbon neutral thanks to the pressure of students. The same cannot be said of student anti-war efforts.

That may be changing. Over the course of the last year, a number of high-profile war supporters have found less than hospitable environments on the campuses of America's high schools and universities. Earlier this year students at the elite boarding school Choate successfully protested plans to have Karl Rove deliver their commencement address, and Alberto Gonzalez, the disgraced former Attorney General, has found it quite difficult to raise money for his legal defense fund via speaking engagements on campuses.

One of the great traditions of politics is that after you work your ass off in the White House or some appropriately high-level government position for 5 - 8 years, you get to retire, write a book, teach or consult a little, and deliver speeches all over the country. All of these tend to pay pretty well, compensating the writer/teacher/lecturer admirably for their many years of service for which they were compensated well below their earnings potential. For a select few - most recently President Clinton who earned millions on the lecture circuit after his retirement - it's the cherry on top of the pie of a career government service.

Denying government officials like Rove, Gonzalez, and even Tony Blair, lucrative speaking engagements and high profile awards like honorary degrees won't stop the war. But at least it effectively hits those who supported the war where it hurts - in their pocketbooks and reputations. That's a whole lot better then just some pie in the face.

The great people at WesPAC and BraveNewFilms are drawing attention to a very important bill that is scheduled to appear today on the House floor.

Mike talked about the joint venture between Sen. Webb and Sen. Hagel last November when they began to make rumbles about it. Its sad that its only now getting traction, but hey.. its the sausages being made.

I sat down with Bill Smith a thirty-something Gen X'er who served in the first Iraq war and received the Bronze Star.

AK: when did you go into the service?

Smith: June 1989

AK: Why?

Smith: I felt obligated to as a citizen you know, it was giving back and a family has a history of it. You know, also for the challenge to myself.

AK: Were there any expectations you had about it?

Smith: Not really, I wasn't really thinking about expectations I knew what I was getting into in terms of basic training and the job I was getting into.

AK: did you expect to have college be paid for?

Smith: No. I knew I was going to be paying into the GI bill, its not something you get at no cost, most people don't know that. When I did it in '89 it was $100 of your monthly pay check for the first year went into the [GI] bill and you had to serve 3 years to get it something like that... I can't really remember for certain...

The impression I had was that it would help pay for college. I don't know if they still have it but there is the Army College Fund that you get based on your ASVB score. That's where you might qualify you for certain specialties or incentives but I don't know if they still do that. I didn't get the ACF but, I thought it was like $25,000 which would pay a significant fund. Today, of course it wouldn't and I don't know if they still do it.

AK: Did most people you served with think that they would have college paid for?

Smith: Idon't know - it wasn't really top of the conversation, so I'm not really sure. I don't think any of us thought it would cover all of the costs of college I knew it wouldn't I assumed everyone else knew. I knew it might help pay for college.

AK: Do you have any student loan debt now from school?

Smith: Oh yes. Lots of student loan debt

AK: Do you feel cheated at all?

Smith: I think a lot of student think that you pay the price of your education but you never get compensated by employers in terms of salary for that. I think most students feel that way. Colleges sell it as an investment and then you pay for it the rest of your life. Like now, I have a 30 year mortgage for my education. I mean this goes deeper than the GI Bill but it makes me mad.

AK: What do you think about the existing GI Bill?

Smith: The GI Bill for me didn't pay my tuition - and I don't know if the current one would. Or if it was even designed to pay for our troops to go to school. I think the most value was maybe $600 a month for me. But it paid my moving expenses and sometimes rent and food. It supplemented my income. It helped but it didn't pay for college at all.

AK: Should it?

Smith: Yeah. Particularly for people who put themselves in harms way in times of conflict or war. I think its not just the sacrifice the troops are making, being away from their children or families or having fun with friends, but the physical and mental effects combat has on an individual.

We should support them in ways that help them transition out of the armed forces and providing them with educational benefits is a key to that. Even the VA benefits is a part of that. But veterans are the highest homeless population in the country - and that's a problem. Whether thats a result of no education or other mental health issues I think there's a relationship there.

Education is supposed to open the doors to life... ya know?

AK: What did you think of the video?

Smith: The video was powerful. I'm shocked I didn't even realize, I mean, I had known that they were going to do this, and change it, but I was shocked McCain wasn't cosponsoring and I tried to find out why and I just don't understand why he's not co-sponsoring the bill. The message I left on the website basically said he's selling himself as a supporter of the troops but his words aren't turning into action. The words are meaningless unless he's going to take care of us. And clearly he isn't.

Bill graduated from Baker University in Kansas in 2003. The current Congresswoman for his district (mine as well) Rep. Nancy Boyda is a co-sponsor of HR 2702.

It has yet to be determined why someone like John McCain is not.

Campus Progress just announced that it is offering $200-$1,000 micro grants to students doing anti-war activism on campus. And up to $300 in travel grants to students traveling to marches, rallies, conferences, etc. dedicated to stopping the war in Iraq.

Get the details here.

This is a really good idea - not just for working to end the war, but in general. The Leadership Institute, a right-wing training organization, has a campus program that does microgranting. It’s been used to bring conservative speakers to campus, fund the start up of conservative publications - all manner of conservative student activism.