Here are the top stories this week related to our soldiers here and abroad, taken from the Our Troops Newsladder.

In Part V of its War Torn series, The New York Times examines the increased rates of alcoholism among returning combat veterans. (nytimes.com)

After the deadliest month in the war in Afghanistan so far, President Bush announced plans to increase the number of troops deployed to Afghanistan. 28 U.S. troops died in Afghanistan in June, outnumbering the June count in Iraq, which has triple the number of forces there. (armytimes.com)

Since March of 2003, 4,113 soldiers have perished in Iraq and thousands have been injured. Hundreds of thousands of veterans are suffering from TBI and mental illnesses like PTSD and many are not seeking treatment. While I am heartened by the passage of the new GI Bill and Bush's willingness to sign it, we have a long way to go to fully honor our veterans.

Full disclosure: I am the netroots director for OR-Sen candidate Jeff Merkley

Here are the top stories this week related to our soldiers here and abroad, taken from the Our Troops Newsladder.

A soldier with a history of mental health problems that may have made him ineligible for Army service at any other time dies in Iraq. The attrition rate for the first months of service has dropped 45% since 2004; has the Army lowered its standards for graduation from basic training so low that soldiers unfit for combat are being sent into battle? (newsweek.com)

A controversial new drug that dampens the memories of events that cause extreme stress is being tested as a treatment for soldiers with PTSD. Tests of the beta-blocker drug propranolol, which reduces hormone production to people exposed to such stress has so far been successful in reducing the emotional intensity with which sufferers recount traumatic experience. (prospect.org)

Here are the top stories this week related to our soldiers here and abroad, taken from the Our Troops Newsladder.

21 House members are co-sponsoring the Stop Loss Compensation Act of 2008, which would provide $1,500 per month of special pay to soldiers serving under stop-loss orders. The bill was introduced by Rep. Betty Sutton, Democrat of Ohio. (marinecorpstimes.com)

The rise of long, repeated combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan has given rise to an epidemic of soldiers harming themselves in order to not be sent back. This trend has occurred in past wars, but Army Reserve psychologist Elspeth Ritchie thinks the current problem may be worse than it was during Vietnam or Korea. One soldier swallowed pens, another jumped off his roof with tools strapped to his body, and a New York man paid a hit man to shoot him in the kneecap. (newsweek.com)

I recently traveled to Madison, WI, to interview Rachel and Josh, two young Iraq War veterans about the health issues they've dealt with, due to poor accountability for both the private contractors who are supposed to be supporting our troops, and for the mental health needs of returning soldiers.

When I interviewed Josh about his difficulties seeking help for his PTSD, he recounted the whole horrific process with a smile on his face and a self-effacing laugh. It took me a while to realize that Josh laughed about his troubles because the seriousness of the situation was overpowering. Unfortunately, even the VA is starting to turn its back on the gravity of this problem, even as it escalates to frightening proportions.

Stay tuned to the Progressive Future website, as we will be launching these videos in the near future.

Here are the top stories this week related to our soldiers here and abroad, taken from the Our Troops Newsladder.

2007 saw 115 soldier suicides, more than any year since the military started keeping a record of them in 1980. (boston.com)

Along similar lines, 2007 saw a 50% increase in PTSD diagnoses amid increased violence in Iraq and Afghanistan. Army officials believe that in addition there are many people who have PTSD and are keeping it secret. (marinecorpstimes.com)

Here are the top stories this week related to our soldiers here and abroad, taken from the Our Troops Newsladder.

Republicans joined Senate Democrats to pass a new GI Bill offering education benefits to veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with a veto-proof majority. (rawstory.com)

With suicide attempts among patients under VA care hovering at around 1,000 per month, the VA has announced two new panels to address the problem. (marinecorpstimes.com)

The airwaves are full of the pundits talking about the critical issues facing the ’08 election, but candidates are rarely asked about the health of veterans – a responsibility that will become costly in the face of a nationwide prescription drug bill that amounts to more than Iraq war spending and health administration costs that are Herculean compared to Canada.

That reality is: Iraq War veterans share essentially the same health coverage as civilians. And, they're almost as likely to be uninsured; one in every eight uninsured individuals, according to a Harvard study, are veterans. While many assume that the United States Armed Forces would provide their war veterans with solid treatment, this is sadly not the case for many veterans.  Veterans often turn to private insurance companies for their coverage, often at high expense.