Texas Labor Against the War

July 19, 2011

This evening the Austin AFL-CIO Council [Central Labor Council] was privileged to have members of the Fort Hood Operation Recovery team as guests and presenters.  Visitors to the CLC meeting were Aaron Hughes, Scott Kimball, and Sergio Kochergin of Iraq Veterans Against the War; Lori Hurlebaus of the Civilian Soldier Alliance; Alice Embree of the Fort Hood Support Network (who is also a member of the Texas State Employees Union).

Aaron spoke of the need for solidarity among soldiers, veterans, and workers.  Soldiers are workers–they are public employees; and our unions have many veterans as members.  Many soldiers come from union families and go back to unions when discharged.  But the unemployment rate among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is 21% (12% more than the national average).  The rate is even higher among African-American and female veterans–about 30%.

Many soldiers suffer from war trauma and nonetheless are redeployed.  Suicide rates among active-duty troops are twice as high as that of the civilian population, and veterans with PTSD are 6 times more likely to attempt suicide.  20% to 50% of all service members deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  One in 3 women in the military are sexually assaulted.  1 in 3 soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq say they can’t see a mental health professional when they need to, and nearly 20% of service members are taking some kind of psychiatric drug.

Aaron pointed out the huge expense of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  This money is needed at home–and we owe veterans the benefits and health treatment they need.

Most of the CLC delegates signed the pledge of support for Operation Recovery that our visitors passed around.  It states:  “I pledge to support the Operation Recovery campaign to the best of my ability.  In a war where soldiers are being injured faster than the military can treat them, I will work alongside veterans and service members to end the cycles of trauma and abuse.”  The pledge sheet further explains:  “Join Iraq Veterans Against the War and Civilian Soldier Alliance in our effort to stop the deployment of troops suffering from Military Sexual Trauma, Traumatic Brain Injury, and PTSD.  By signing our pledge, you agree to do what you can to help defend the rights of soldiers to heal and to hold accountable those who are responsible for deploying traumatized troops.  As the Operation Recovery campaign unfolds, we will be calling on you to help in a variety of ways.”

There was discussion from the CLC delegates, several of whom are veterans.  A Teamster rep described their program to get members back into jobs when they get home from the military.  A member of AFSCME indicated she has personal experience with veterans’ mental health problems and wants to get a group she works with in touch with Operation Recovery.  There was also interest among the delegates in U.S. Labor Against the War–USLAW brochures were available as well as Operation Recovery literature.

For more TxLAW stories on Fort Hood Operation Recovery, see http://txlaboragainstwar.org/2011/07/08/killeen-ivaw-its-audacious-and-a-little-crazy-what-were-doing-at-ft-hood/, http://txlaboragainstwar.org/2011/05/27/killeen-ivaw-operation-recovery-action-at-ft-hood/, and http://txlaboragainstwar.org/2011/07/17/killeen-under-the-hood-update-july-2011/

For LOTS of information about Operation Recovery, to sign the pledge, and to donate, see http://www.ivaw.org/operation-recovery

Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/operationrecovery
For more on the Civilian-Soldier Alliance, go to http://www.civsol.org/

–Leslie Cunningham, July 21, 2011

(Photo Larry Kolvoord, Austin American-Statesman)

Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War and supporters constructed a symbolic “guard tower” outside the East Gate of Fort Hood on Thursday, May 26, 2011. During a press conference held at the foot of the tower, veterans Sergio Kochergin, left, and Aaron Hughes stood atop the tower. The group claims that Fort Hood is the center of a mental health epidemic that is sweeping the Armed Forces. 

Austin American-Statesman, http://galleries.statesman.com/gallery/photos-day-may-2011/#170585; also in the print version of the Statesman May 27, 2011. 

E-MAIL FROM IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST THE WAR, MAY 27, 2011:

IVAW puts Fort Hood Commander on watch

Left – Op Rec Team members at Under the Hood Outreach Center / Right – Op Rec Team at guard tower put Gen. Campbell on watch  

Yesterday morning, 6 members of our Operation Recovery Team went to Fort Hood Commander, General Campbell’s office to deliver a letter requesting he meet with us about the plight of traumatized troops under his command.  We were turned away, then surrounded by Fort Hood security officials who became sympathetic to our cause when we identified ourselves as veterans who are dealing with PTSD.  But we were ultimately escorted off base.  

In response, we held a press conference about the issue of un-treated trauma that is ravaging the Fort Hood community as well as the military at large.  We then erected a guard tower across from the gates of Fort Hood as a symbolic act to let Commander Campbell know that we are keeping watch over his actions (or lack thereof) when it comes to the health and well-being of soldiers at Fort Hood.  As we stood watch at the gates of Fort Hood, we handed out over 200 purple ribbons to soldiers entering the base.  These ribbons symbolize our solidarity with the tens of thousands of soldiers who are suffering from un-treated trauma because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Get Involved with IVAW’s Operation Recovery Campaign

There are a number of ways you can support our efforts to stop the deployment of traumatized troops at Fort Hood: 

• Join our Operation Recovery Facebook group and share with your friends.
• Sign the Operation Recovery Pledge.
• Make a donation and put “Fort Hood” in the Special Projects box.
• Go to our website to download fact sheets and other materials.

Learn more by watching this short video about IVAW’s Operation Recovery Campaign at Fort Hood and meet the veteran organizers behind this effort

May is a busy month at Under the Hood.   Iraq Veterans Against the War headed to UTH this month, as part of its Operation Recovery Campaign, in its continued effort to stop the deployment of troops suffering from PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Military Sexual Trauma .  IVAW has requested a meeting with General Don Campbell.  Read IVAW’s letter to General Campbell here.   IVAW has not yet received a response, but their efforts to reach the General is only the beginning of the work they plan to do while in Fort Hood.  IVAW’s organizing team will work for several months to outreach to soldiers, build their case against the military’s egregious practices, conduct town hall meetings, and pressure Fort Hood’s new General to do the right thing 

 

Regina Vasquez brings her  Fatigues Clothesline to UTH.  This 8 week series beginning May 15th, from 5-7 pm, is for women only.  To find out more, you can reach Regina at [email protected].

 

Join us on Memorial Day as we celebrate Kyle Wesolowski’s release from the army!  As we told you in our March issue,  Kyle’s Conscientious Objector claim was approved by the U.S. Army.  Since he was notified of his CO status, Kyle has been on terminal leave.  After months of patiently waiting, Kyle will officially be out of the military by Memorial Day! 

 

Here are the details:

What: Under the Hood BBQ and get-together  

When: Monday, May 30th, starting at 2:00 p.m.

Where: Under the Hood Cafe & Outreach Center, 17 College Street, Killeen Texas

 

A $10 suggested donation is requested to cover the cost of food, however, no one will be turned away for lack of funds.  GIs are welcome to join us free of charge.

Meet new friends and get together with old ones.  We look forward to seeing you on the 30th!

 

The Fort Hood Support Network, sponsor of Under the Hood, is very pleased to receive a 2011 grant from RESIST, an organization that has funded forty years of social change.  The “Hell Yes!” Grant was awarded for leadership in the movement for social justice on April 3, 2011.  RESIST says, “The ‘Hell Yes!’ Grant honors the spirit of resistance to illegitimate authority and is awarded to groups that embody the moral clarity, courage and political commitment to challenge the forces that drive toward war and place profits over people.”  The Fort Hood Support Network board member and treasurer says: “We are honored to be a ‘Hell Yes!’ grant recipient.”  

 

Your continued support of Under the Hood allows us to continue our important work in Killeen. Whether you are making a one-time donation or want to sign up as a sustainer, it’s easy to contribute through PayPal.  

 

The Fort Hood Support Network (FHSN) operates Under the Hood Café and Outreach Center.  FHSN is a Texas non-profit corporation with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status.  Donations may be treated as tax-deductible.  

Interested in sharing some of your time and talents with Under the Hood?   We are always happy for support in any form.  Along with monetary support to keep our doors open, we can always use other forms of assistance.  If you believe that you can provide support in some way, please feel free to contact us.  We’d be happy to put you to work!

 

 Check out the  ResiStore!   Now you can purchase great items and support Under the Hood at the same time. Check it out here.

  

Under the Hood Update is on Facebook.  Become a fan!  You can find archived issues and connect with other fans of Under the Hood.  Visit our Facebook page by clicking here.

 

Past issues of Under the Hood Update are now on the Under the Hood website!

If you’ve missed any of our past issues, or if you just want to re-read past articles, please click here.

P.O Box 16174 | Austin, TX  78761

 

Fort Hood suicide rate four times the national average?  Austin activist and Under the Hood Cafe volunteer Jim Turpin takes another look at the escalating crisis of GI suicides and PTSD.

Under the Hood Café near Ft. Hood in Killeen Texas is a place where active duty GIs and veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan can discuss the debilitating effects of war. Photo from Under the Hood / Flickr.

Texas’ Fort Hood sets the pace:

PTSD and suicides in the military
are at an all-time high

By Jim Turpin / The Rag Blog / October 27, 2010

KILLEEN, Texas — Even with the spin from the current administration that the “war is over” in Iraq, it is well known that 50,000 combat-ready troops remain in the country. Add to that a recent deployment of 2,000 troops from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment from Fort Hood in Texas. At present almost 100,000 troops remain in Afghanistan.

With the total number of U.S. military personnel cycling through both Afghanistan and Iraq at almost 1.8 million, and with the RAND corporation estimating that 18% have PTSD (which is deemed low by some experts), this would put the returning numbers with PTSD at 324,000.

A recent article in The New York Times confirms what the organizers of the Killeen-based GI coffeehouse Under the Hood Café have been battling at Fort Hood for the last year and a half: suicides are at the highest point since 2008, with 14 confirmed suicides since the beginning of 2010. In one recent weekend, there were three suicides and one murder-suicide at Fort Hood.

With the population at Fort Hood ranging from 46,000 to 50,000 soldiers at any given time, the rate of suicide is four times the national average, based on Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates of 11.5 suicides per 100,000 people.

The repeated deployment of military personnel who suffer from both physical and psychological wounds has led to these all-time high suicide rates. A recent article in the American Journal of Public Health studied 2,500 New Jersey National Guardsmen and determined “deployed soldiers were more than three times as likely as soldiers with no previous deployments to screen positive for post traumatic stress disorder.”

Despite these staggering statistics, the Fort Hood command continues to find ways to deny soldiers their right to receive necessary mental health services. Several soldiers have come forward recently with reports of harassment, undue punishment, and interference when seeking these necessary services.

A number of examples include:

• The imprisonment of SPC. Eric Jasinski in March 2010. Jasinski, who was suffering from PTSD, refused redeployment to Iraq based on this condition. It was feared that Jasinski’s confinement could interfere with his ability to receive his prescribed medications. Eric’s attorney James Branum stated, “He was seeing a psychiatrist for his condition and prescribed Zoloft for depression and Trazadone to get to sleep, and they handed him his gun and told him to go back to Iraq.”
• The deployment of 50 soldiers from Ft. Hood with physical (knee, back, and shoulder issues due to bomb blasts) and psychological (PTSD/TBI) issues in June 2010 to the National Training Center at Ft. Irwin, California. Combat training for those soldiers with verified PTSD and other anxiety disorders runs counterintuitive to generally accepted psychiatric practices.
• Recent reports from soldiers at Ft. Hood suffering from PTSD and substance abuse who are being given extra work loads or are being kept from dealing with additional personal crises at home. Issues they are confronted with include being given medication only (instead of counseling) or being ignored by the chain of command when they request assistance.

Veteran deaths also surge after discharge from the military and are often the result of vehicle accidents, motorcycle crashes, drug overdoses, or other causes. An article this month in The New York Times discusses the huge number of veteran deaths attributed to destructive, risky, and lethal behaviors:

“The data show that veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan were two and a half times as likely to commit suicide as Californians of the same age with no military service. They were twice as likely to die in a vehicle accident and five and a half times as likely to die in a motorcycle accident. These numbers are truly alarming and should wake up the whole country,” said United States Representative Bob Filner, Democrat of San Diego, who is the chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

“They show a failure of our policy.”

The Under the Hood Café and Outreach Center, the GI coffeehouse located near Ft. Hood, Texas, the largest military base in the U.S., offers GIs a free speech zone. It provides a non-military environment that allows active duty GIs and veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan to discuss the debilitating effects of war. Under the Hood offers free referrals for medical and psychological services and legal assistance for those soldiers who are resisting redeployment to war zones.

To benefit its ongoing efforts in support of GIs, veterans, and military families, Under the Hood is having a “Hoodstock Flashback” concert (see graphic below) on Sunday, November 14, from 6-11 p.m. at Jovita’s in Austin. Admission is $10 at the door and includes such artists as Barbara K, Karen Abrahams, Will T. Massey, and Richard Bowden.

[Jim Turpin is a native Austinite and member of CodePink Austin. He also volunteers for the GI coffeehouse Under the Hood Café at Ft. Hood in Killeen, Texas.]

RIVETING VIDEO!!! by Jeff Zavala:  Direct action at Fort Hood and resistence against deployment of 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment to Iraq, by veterans and military family members, Aug. 22, 2010.

Fort Hood resistance against deployment of 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment to Iraq

see Jeff on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/ZGraphix?v=wall&story_fbid=148285151858699#!/ZGraphix?v=wall and at http://www.zgraphix.org/

more info on this action:  http://txlaboragainstwar.org/2010/08/23/501/