ACLU sues for release of military rape records

ACLU sues for release of military rape records

http://militarytimes.com/news/2010/12/ap-aclu-military-rape-lawsuit-121310w/

By John Christoffersen
Dec 14, 2010

NEW HAVEN, Conn. ­ Sexual assault pervades the military, but the
Pentagon refuses to release records that fully document the problem
and how it is handled, the American Civil Liberties Union and other
groups said in a federal lawsuit that seeks access to the records.

Tens of thousands of service members have reported some form of
sexual assault, harassment or trauma in the past decade, according to
the lawsuit filed Monday in New Haven against the departments of
Defense and Veterans Affairs. The plaintiffs include the Service
Women's Action Network, the ACLU of Connecticut and Yale Law School students.

The groups that filed suit want information on the number of
acquittals, convictions and sentences, the number of disability
claims related to sexual trauma that were accepted and rejected, and
the number of sexual harassment complaints. The records are needed to
determine the extent of the problem and what has been done to address
it, the groups say.

"The government's refusal to even take the first step of providing
comprehensive and accurate information about the sexual trauma
inflicted upon our women and men in uniform ... is all too telling,"
said Anuradha Bhagwati, a former Marine captain and executive
director of SWAN. "The DOD and VA should put the interests of service
members first and expose information on the extent of sexual trauma
in the military to the sanitizing light of day."

Messages were left Monday with the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

The government prosecutes 8 percent of military sex offenders, while
40 percent of civilian sex offenders are prosecuted, according to the
lawsuit. Post-traumatic stress disorder claims related to sexual
trauma are often denied for failing to prove the case, even when men
and women in uniform have been diagnosed with the disorder, the lawsuit said.

The Defense Department said there were 3,230 reports of sexual
assault involving military service members as victims or subjects in
fiscal year 2009, an increase of 11 percent from the prior year. The
report said part of the increase stemmed from a social marketing
campaign aimed at preventing sexual assault.

The lawsuit contends sexual assaults are nearly twice as common
within military ranks as in civilian society, and surveys show that
nearly one in three women report being sexually assaulted during
their time in the military.

About 80 percent of unwanted or threatening sexual acts are not
reported, according to the lawsuit. Victims who report abuse to their
superiors often face social isolation, retribution and
counteraccusations, the lawsuit says.

Sexual abuse is the primary causes of PTSD among female service members.

"Much of the information about the extent and cost of the [military
sexual trauma] problem, along with the government's reluctance to
prosecute offenders and treat victims, is not in the public sphere,"
the lawsuit states. "The public has a compelling interest in knowing
this information, given the potential enormity of the problem, the
emotional and financial cost that it imposes on military service
members and the increasing number of women serving in Afghanistan and Iraq."

.

THE SAGA OF THE AMERICAN GI

THE SAGA OF THE AMERICAN GI

http://www.progressiveavenues.org/The_GI_Saga.html

Join the Army – Kill Overseas – Become a "Hero"­ and then Kill Yourself

December 14, 2010
By Marti Hiken and Luke Hiken

"More than 1,000 troops have killed themselves over the past five
years in a suicidal wave. The steepest hikes have been in the Army
and Marine Corps, the two services providing most of the troops for
nation's two wars. A recent independent report ordered by Congress
found the Pentagon's suicide prevention efforts inadequate."
-- MARK THOMPSON, "Top Admiral: Military Suicides Will Keep Rising,"
Time Magazine, 9-30-10
http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/09/30/top-general-military-suicides-will-keep-rising/

Given the high number of military suicides, it is important to
understand the context for these tragic deaths.

The holidays frequently evoke symptoms of depression and an
escalating sense of hopelessness with marital, economic, or other
personal problems. So, as the holidays approach, a joyous time of
year with family gatherings, Chanukkah candles, dreidels, Christmas
trees, snow falling, wreaths, and Kwanzaa celebrations, reflect on
the fact that it is also the time of year when more Americans and
especially American service members and veterans commit suicide than
any other time of the year. The numbers of those who will end their
lives this season will be high as Americans face foreclosures, high
rents, loss of jobs, recession, no food, and strong consumer sale
pitches to spend, spend, spend.

THE ROLE OF THE U.S. MILITARY IN CREATING PTSD

The U.S. military, of course, is directly responsible given that the
service members are under its jurisdiction and command. The U.S.
military also is responsible to its veterans for providing the needed
care because the vets suffering the PTSD are a result of what
happened to them during the wars. Ultimately, however, it is
Congress, the ever-conservative judiciary and President who are
responsible for the suicides. Every death should be laid at the feet
of our elected representatives and the appointed judges. If the wars
are so unpopular and disturbing to the point that self-inflicted
death becomes the standard, then there is something incongruous and
pathetic about the fact that American soldiers are being told they
are "heroes" for murdering Muslims throughout the Middle East.

"War is hell" remains the common command justification for the high
suicide. Don't buy it. The suicide rate is higher with the wars from
this decade than during any other war, including Vietnam.

"Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was
talking of the military's ability to fight future wars Wednesday when
he suddenly changed gears. 'We had five suicides in the Army last
weekend,' the nation's top military officer abruptly volunteered.
And, he warned, such horrors are only going to grow."

"All of the pathologies of war – PTSD, crime, domestic violence,
suicide – are tolls that must be paid long after troops have left the
battlefield. It has become obvious that mere billions of taxpayer
dollars cannot really blunt war's psychic trauma. It's almost painful
to watch senior military leaders -- so used to prevailing -- try, and
fail, to defeat this latest scourge. And warning it is only going to
get worse."
-- MARK THOMPSON, "Top Admiral: Military Suicides Will Keep Rising,"
Time Magazine, 9-30-10
http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/09/30/top-general-military-suicides-will
keep-rising/

PTSD SYMPTOMS

Even those who have not engaged in direct combat suffer from PTSD
symptoms. They have killed by missiles dropped by remote-controlled
drones, in hand-to-hand combat; they have engaged in varied forms of
training and combat; they have seen members of their units killed
before their eyes; they have killed civilians, including children;
they have raped and tortured; and, they have been pushed to the limit
by stop-loss, by regulations, fragos [in the military, a (hasty or
sudden) change or amendment to a previous operational order] and directives.

PTSD grabs hold of an individual with its tenacious tentacles,
encircling not only the individual, but also the family, the loved
ones and the extended support group, if the sufferer is lucky enough
to have one. PTSD has symptoms that don't go away; on the contrary,
they hide and surface at unexpected and vulnerable times. Something
moves, the light changes, a memory escapes from the depth of the soul
and grabs hold of the mind and switches it back to another time. A
world is brought forth where the experiences meld into the present,
but not completely because the mind is in limbo with dangerous and
violent remedies that are out of place.

I have witnessed the immediate aftermath of a GI's suicide. I was too
late to stop it. Everyone was too late to stop it. The GI suffered
from PTSD and wasn't able to bring together the reality of the moment
with the crimes of the war. He was fragile and he had a very sharp
knife that was his constant companion.

What I saw and focused on was the blood spewed everywhere. It was on
the walls, on the rug, in the bathroom, under the chairs, and on his
wife's blouse and jeans. It was the color of red – the same color of
the bright ribbons that adorn so many presents wrapped for Christmas.
The same red color as the blood he had seen when he had cut the neck
of a small boy in a small town in a small country.

He was dead, but the rest of us, including his wife, will never be
able to wash the blood off.

PTSD can erupt as early as Basic Training when an individual is
subjected to the arbitrary and brutal abuse associated with that
stage of training. It sometimes endures a lifetime. While the
military acknowledges the lack of control and remedies for suicide,
allocating a miniscule number of programs for it, it still refuses to
take responsibility for it by giving service members straightforward
medical discharges rather than giving them personality disorder
discharges and discharging them for various sorts of misconduct
(which are an inevitable outcome of PTSD).

Take Jeff Lane. He isn't contemplating suicide, or at least, not
much; he's not contemplating running somewhere, because running
conjures thoughts of being alone and running down a long tunnel into
an unwelcoming void. He's not about to pick up his gear and walk to
the base or even to ask the counselors to drive him; instead, he has
taken all his medals and pinned them up on the wall beside his bed.
He has taken great care and gone to great strides to do this just
perfectly. He placed each one in the order that he had received them.
He stares at each medal as he remembers the valour, courage, and
fortitude that he had shown. Indeed, for each action, he had been
rewarded with a ribbon, some metal, and as a result, great pride took
over his heart. He had saved the life of more than one of his buddies
and he had shot and killed people who didn't wear a uniform.

Then the evil thoughts begin; the ones that drag him down. He doesn't
want to go there, but his mind won't release him. The pride begins to
lose control and he freezes up. He hears a car go by the window and
he wants to get up to look at it, but he is unable to. The medals
become a blur.

She was a young woman inside the house. He felt like a robot with all
his gear on and given what he was carrying. Her parents had already
been killed. It was she and he in the room, alone. He didn't want to
shoot her, but what purpose was there in leaving her to face all that
had happened -- that he had caused. If he killed her, and he looked
into her eyes stricken with fear, he wouldn't have to make judgment.
She would just be dead and he could forget about her. It was the easy
way out. Her eyes closed, ready for the death that would come.

On to the next medal as Jeff tries to focus: there is no meeting of
the two worlds, the one of war and the other of the present. Jeff
realizes that he is slipping into the vague world of the battle
between the memory of it all and the present. It is as though he is
drowning and he knows he is slipping into the tunnel that takes you
to the place of the void where there is nothing.

He listens to the gunshots ringing everywhere around him. He wants to
save his medals – the ones that envelope his pride and valor. He
looks up at them, grasping for them as they were the life buoy that
would bring him to safety. But, they are an illusion riding high in
his mind. He sees blood on his legs and hands. His hands have been
gouging rivers in his legs. He wants to feel the pain, but he can't,
no matter how hard he tries. He sees rivers of blood. He wants to
drip the water from the rivers on his medals and he stands on his bed
to perform the ceremony. He suddenly stops, similarly as his dreams
always end. He is unable to mutilate his medals. They are he; they
are one. He can't touch them and he is to be the only sacrificial lamb today.

Jeff Lane collapses onto his knees, grabs the pillow, and cries,
sobbing into its comforting softness as he folds into a fetal
position on the bed.

THE U.S. MILITARY RENEGES ON ITS RESPONSIBILITY

The military needs the cannon fodder, although it certainly doesn't
need the support of the American people to wage the wars. And, if the
result is that suicides kill a greater percentage of our soldiers, so be it.

Bill heard the bell ring and immediately rose from his work to run to
the counseling room. He joined Dan who was counseling and evaluating
a vet who had retuned from Afghanistan and Pakistan, and who been
inside Iran for a while. Dan knew both territories well – the
geographical and mental ones -- but in such cases when a counselee
became violent, reinforcements per program rules were required immediately.

He sized up the situation quickly. Not good. The counselee had
returned to the war zone. He was being shot at. His buddies were in
danger or dead. He was probably wounded, shot. Maybe he had gone
through an IED or sniper situation. Maybe he had killed innocents.

"I killed them all, you know!" he yelled. His eyes were wild, glazed over.

"We gotcha covered," Dan yelled.

"I'm over here," Bill yelled. "We're safe here," he yelled, coming up
behind. He knew that Dan was more able to physically get the guy
under control. Another counselor entered the room.

"I killed all the motherfuckers. I got 'em. I had to kill 'em, you
know. What could I do? Everyone of them." He circled the room, his
eyes darting every which way. His arms were in front of him as though
he were looking for something to grab, maybe weapons or someone to
fight. His feet were doing a dance like a boxer. He was wild and it
was a dangerous situation. He tried to edge past Dan, trying to push
him aside. That was a mistake. Dan grabbed his farthest arm, swung
him around, twisted and locked his arm against his lower back, and
grabbed him around the neck from behind with his other arm. He had
control of the guy's entire body. The guy was kicking and stomping,
trying to throw Dan over his shoulder. Dan was too firmly rooted for
that and he was braced against the wall. The guy turned his head and
looked up at the ceiling as though he expected bullets to be coming
from the buildings at any moment. Bill and the other counselor were
on the guy in another split minute. The guy was screaming bloody
murder. "You're all going to die. Don't you see. I had to do it. I
gotta save ya. I had to do it."

"Calm down, Tony! We're taking you out to the back room where you can
simmer down," Bill said. "You're at our office here in the city.
You're with friends." "When he's okay, take him out to Livermore
facility," he said to the counselor.

THE MILITARY MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE GI TO HOLD ONTO HIS/HER HUMANITY

The fact that the military establishment is trying very hard to deal
with the high suicide rate just doesn't pass muster, and it must be
held responsible for each and every death of its service members.
Unpopular wars are unpopular for a reason. The strategies and
tactics, the training or lack of it, in which the U.S. military
engages lead its members to rot in hell due to their cruelty and
disdain for human life. Drone warfare and house-to-house searches
create more enemies and more problems, and it is inevitable that the
casualties will be those who directly and indirectly inflict the wounds.

It was late at night -- too late to be standing and crouching outside
the modest home. The soldiers were hunched over, weapons in their
hands. It was a dark night and the soldiers waited in anticipation.
They had their orders; they just waited for the command. It came.
They rushed the door. The second in line kicked it down, not wavering
for a second. The noise woke the family. The father reached for the
gun beside his bed. He was too late. One of the soldiers kicked it
across the room that served as a living room, dining room, kitchen
and bedroom. The wife started to scream and ran toward their baby.
The two older children cried. They looked toward their parents for
directions as to what their emotions should be. All the faces showed fear.

The soldier shouted that they should get on the floor, face down.
They did as they were told. Their arms were roughly brought to their
backs and tied. The mother tried to pull down her nightgown. Two of
the soldiers noisily and roughly went through the room, knocking over
what scarce furniture there was. They searched the chests, through
the kitchen pots, breaking the dishes, throwing clothes around and
rustling through papers. The father yelled, begging the soldiers not
to kill his family. The soldier kicked him in the side. Blood ran out
of his mouth. The elder brother's eyes turned from fear to anger; he
would seek revenge. The other child tried to squirm to the corner as
though that would hide her from the ugliness. Her father's eyes told
her to remain quiet.

The soldier in command asked him where the papers were; they pulled
him to his feet roughly and butted him in the stomach. His legs
collapsed. The mother screamed that there were no papers or weapons
other than the one weapon. The soldiers talked among themselves. One
by one they took the family outside and threw them against the side
of the small house. They threw out names, one after the other, and
the father replied that he didn't know who they were asking about.
The soldiers hit him in the head. One of the soldiers began slowly to
hike the nightgown up to the thighs on the wife. The soldier in
command eyed him viciously and ordered that the father accompany them
as they pulled him away from the house and his family. The wife
screamed and screamed to no avail holding the baby to her body. The
middle child wailed. The older boy was silent.

The location was Boston in the 1770s and Iraq and Afghanistan in the
2000s and, as John Adams stated, that with blanket search warrants:
"then and there the child Independence is born." House-to-House
searches, whether in times of war or occupation or against dissidents
and their supporters, and since before the Magna Carta, are not games
that wise citizens should allow their kings to play.

PERMANENT WAR ENSURES CONTINUED SUICIDES

The only way to prevent the current high rate of suicides and PTSD is
to end the wars. A reasonable foreign policy would alleviate the
deaths that too many American families are facing. There are many
support groups available, yet, you, the soldiers and veterans must
take the first step – to live. To save your lives, and to end these wars.
--

SUICIDE RESOURCES:

•INDEPENDENT VOTER NETWORK (IVN)

http://www.caivn.org/article/2010/05/12/us-military-besieged-record-suicide-rate

"the toll of military suicides last year was the worst since records
began to be kept in 1980."

"The surge in suicides, which have risen five years in a row, has
become a vexing problem for which the Army's highest levels of
command have yet to find a solution despite deploying hundreds of
mental-health experts and investing millions of dollars."

"Military suicides make up about 20% of all suicides in the U.S.,
suggesting that the problem is worse among the armed forces than in
the general population since veterans make up only about 7.6% of the
population."

"The suicide rate among soldiers who have deployed to [war zones] is
higher than for soldiers who have never deployed"

"For every death, at least five members of the armed forces were
hospitalised for attempting to take their life."

•WORLD SOCIALIST WEBSITE

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/jan2010/suic-j06.shtml

•BAY CITIZEN

http://www.baycitizen.org/veterans/story/after-service-veteran-deaths-surge/

More than 1,000 veterans in California under 35 died after returning
home from Iraq and Afghanistan between 2005 and 2008 - three times as
many California service members who were killed in conflict overseas,
according to a recently published Bay Citizen report.

•Kennedy, Kelly, Army Times," Study finds 'hidden epidemic' of female
vet suicides," 12-2010: Female veterans commit suicide at a rate
three times higher than women who never served, accord­ing to a new study.
--

Marti Hiken is the director of Progressive Avenues. She is the former
associate director of the Institute for Public Accuracy and former
chair of the National Lawyers Guild Military Law Task Force. She can
be contacted at info@progressiveavenues.org, 415-702-9682.

The Progressive Avenues website, www.progressiveavenues.org, is
updated regularly in the "What's Added, What's New" link on the Home
page, at http://www.progressiveavenues.org/Whats_New_Added.html

Luke Hiken is a former supervising attorney at the California
Appellate Project, and has engaged in the practice of criminal,
immigration, and appellate law.

.

More sex assaults reported at military academies

More sex assaults reported at military academies

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101216/ap_on_re_us/us_military_sexual_assaults

Dec 15, 2010

DENVER – Sexual assault reports at the three U.S. military academies
rose 64 percent in the 2009-10 academic year, but many more victims
probably didn't come forward, the Defense Department said Wednesday.

A total of 41 sexual assaults involving students were reported to
authorities at West Point, the Naval Academy and the Air Force
Academy in 2009-10, the department said in its annual report on
sexual harassment and violence.

In the previous academic year, 25 were reported.

Officials point to a survey of students at the three academies taken
last spring as well as statistics from the civilian population as
indicators that the reported sexual assaults represent fewer than 10
percent of all types of unwanted sexual contact, ranging from
fondling to intercourse.

It wasn't immediately clear what percentage of the respondents had
reported behavior that would qualify as a sexual assault.

Sexual offenses are "one of the nation's most underreported crimes,"
said Kaye Whitley, director of the Defense Department's Sexual
Assault Prevention and Response program, which issued Wednesday's report.

Whitley said improved reporting of sexual assaults is one of the
department's key goals.

The report calls the increase in assault reports "concerning," but
Whitley said she was encouraged that more people came forward. She
said the increase in reports doesn't necessarily mean that more
people were assaulted.

The Air Force Academy, in Colorado Springs, Colo., had the largest
increase in reported sexual assaults, from eight in 2008-09 to 20 the
next year, a jump of 150 percent.

West Point ­ officially, the U.S. Military Academy, in West Point,
N.Y. ­ reported 10 assaults in 2009-10, an increase of one.

The Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Md., reported 11 assaults in
2009-10, an increase of three.

Air Force Col. Reni Renner said the eight reported at the Air Force
Academy in 2008-09 may have been unusually low. In 2006-07, 19 were
reported, and in 2007-08, it was 24.

Renner said she doesn't know the reason for the low number in
2008-09, but some at the academy have speculated that a sexual
assault case that was dismissed instead of going to trial may have
discouraged some victims to report.

Renner said she also doesn't know why the Air Force Academy has more
reports than the other two schools but said it could stem from the
confidence students have in the academy's sexual assault response coordinator.

The survey showed 47 percent of female respondents and the same
percentage of males at the Air Force Academy regarded the coordinator
as a valuable resource to "a large extent."

At the Naval Academy and West Point, the percentages for the same
answer ranged from 14 percent to 19 percent for female and male respondents.

The report outlines each academy's efforts to improve sexual assault
prevention training and reporting and to improve the "climate of
victim confidence" to encourage victims to report attacks.

Whitley said the survey of students indicated the message of the
training is getting through, with more than half indicating they
thought the training was effective in reducing assaults.

She said statistical verification that the programs are reducing
assaults is elusive.

"Prevention is the most difficult program to measure because you
never know how many sexual assaults your program prevented," she
said. "There are no models out there" to do that.

She also said research shows it takes about 10 years to change
cultural attitudes, and the military is five years into its campaign
to reduce sexual assaults.

The report says the Pentagon wants to develop a standardized process
for evaluating progress at all three academies, and that Department
of Defense officials will visit each campus as part of the next
evaluation process.

Whitley said the Defense Department also plans to launch a sexual
assault hot line in March that would allow servicemen and women to
communicate by phone, online chat or text messages 24 hours a day.

"That's going to help us increase reporting," she said.

The Service Women's Action Network, which advocates for women in the
military, issued a statement criticizing the report for the absence
of policy changes.

Anuradha Bhagwati, a former Marine captain and now director of the
group, said in a written statement the report "signals a lack of any
real dedication by our military leadership to change an environment
that is weakening our military."
--

Online:

Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service
Academies and Service Academy Gender Relations Survey: http://www.sapr.mil

.

PTSD claims have increased 125%

Veterans Affairs faces daunting job of reducing medical claims backlog

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/12/17/veterans.affairs.backlog/index.html

12/17/10
Jennifer Rizzo

Veteran claims for medical benefits are still piled high at the
Veterans Affairs Department, despite a major push from the secretary
of the department for quicker claims processing.

There are a quarter of a million claims in the system that have not
been assessed within 125 days of being filed, according to Mike
Walcoff, acting under secretary for benefits. Backlogged claims
amount to more than one-third of the cases in the system, a similar
ratio to last year.

Earlier this year, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinsheki called
for an initiative eradicating backlogged claims by 2015.

The department has been hit with more claims this year after it
increased the number of Agent Orange- and Gulf War-related illnesses
that qualify for benefits, and put new rules in place that simplify
the process for post-traumatic stress disorder claims.

PTSD claims alone have increased 125% and there have been 200,000 new
Agent Orange-related claims, only 30,000 of which have been decided,
the department said.

To meet Shinsheki's goal, Veterans Affairs has implemented 45 pilot
programs, commissioned an innovation contest and started new
procedures like Fast Track, a web portal aimed at speeding up the
claims processing system to under 30 days.

.

Growing mental health problems in military

Report:
Growing mental health problems in military

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/12/09/military.mental.problems/index.html?hpt=T2

From Charley Keyes
12/9/10

Mental problems send more men in the U.S. military to the hospital
than any other cause, according to a new Pentagon report.

And they are the second highest reason for hospitalization of women
military personnel, behind conditions related to pregnancy.

The Defense Department's Medical Surveillance report from November
examines "a large, widespread, and growing mental health problem
among U.S. military members."

The 31-page report says mental disorders are a problem for the entire
U.S. population, but that sharp increases for active duty military
reflect the psychological toll of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Most notably in this regard, the rate of incident diagnoses of
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increased nearly six-fold from
2003 to 2008," the report says.

And new outreach and screening, as well as the military's efforts to
reduce the stigma attached to seeking treatment also contributed to
higher numbers, according to the report.

The Army was hit hardest by the most common and long-lasting problems
-- post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, bipolar
disorder, alcohol dependence and substance dependence, according to the report.

"The Army was relatively most affected (based on lost duty time) by
mental disorder-related hospitalizations overall; and in 2009, the
loss of manpower to the Army was more than twice that to the Marine
Corps and more than three times that to the other Services," the report says.

"The Army has had many more deployers to Afghanistan and Iraq and
many more combat-specific casualties; it is not surprising,
therefore, that the Army has endured more mental disorder-related
casualties and larger manpower losses than the other services."

While most new diagnoses of mental illness were in the Army, the
fewest were in the Air Force.

"The only exceptions to this observation were in 2007, 2008, and the
first two quarters of 2010 when the incidence rates of new diagnoses
of alcohol dependence in the Marine Corps were the highest of all the
Services," the report said.

But overall, the Marines were found to have fewer overall mental
problems than the Army, Air Force and Navy with 4.3 percent of
Marines versus 6.4-percent of the overall pool of active duty military.

Researchers call for additional study, and admit that tracking mental
problems can be a moving target, as treatment and attitudes change.

"There are real and perceived barriers to seeking and accessing care
for mental health disorders among military members. These barriers
include shortages of mental health professionals in some areas and
the social and military stigmas associated with seeking or receiving
mental health care," the report says. "The nature and effects of
these barriers to care have likely changed."

.

For-Profit Schools Bank $521 Million Off Veterans’ GI Bill Benefits

[See URL for embedded links.]

For-Profit Schools Bank $521 Million Off Veterans' GI Bill Benefits

http://www.truth-out.org/for-profit-schools-bank-521m-off-veterans%E2%80%99-gi-bill-benefits65869

10 December 2010
by: Julianne Hing

The growing question around for-profit schools' shameless
profiteering may soon be: who aren't they willing to exploit? Poor,
underserved populations, check. Which end up being disproportionately
made up of people of color, check. The homeless and unemployed,
check. The military? Got them too. A new report released today by
Sen. Tom Harkin's Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Committee details exactly how for-profit schools have taken advantage
of veterans' benefits and loopholes in their federal regulations to
scoop up the many vets coming home from wars abroad to boost enrollment.

Veterans have been a boon to for-profit schools­their increased
military benefits have made service members especially attractive
prospective clients. "Between 2009 and 2010 alone, revenue from
military educational benefits at 20 for-profit education companies
increased 211 percent," said the report. In the last four years, 20
for-profit schools saw their income from VA and Department of Defense
benefits skyrocket­from $66.6 million in 2006 to $521.2 million in
2010, a 683 percent inrease.

"Congress may have unintentionally subjected this new generation of
veterans to the worst excesses of the for-profit industry:
manipulative and misleading marketing campaigns, educational programs
far more expensive than comparable public or nonprofit programs, and
a lack of needed services."

Federal regulations bar for-profit schools from receiving more than
90 percent of their revenue from federal student loans and grants.
Many schools are already perilously close to maxing out there. But
money from the G.I. Bill and other VA benefits aren't considered
federal student aid, which has allowed them to fully exploit the
newly expanded benefits.

The Huffington Post's Chris Kirkham tells the story of one vet:

In July 2009, [Roger Betancourt] enrolled at Kaplan University
online, after being recruited heavily by an academic advisor
specializing in military recruitment. Betancourt said he was
skeptical at first, especially because he hadn't been able to discuss
the funding with the Department of Veterans Affairs. "It was a very
aggressive process," said Betancourt, now 28. "I felt a lot of
pressure, to the point where I felt like I was buying a car. Like
they were trying to sell me a Mustang and I just wanted to buy a
truck." After the recruiter called his wife, Betancourt said he
eventually decided to enroll, trusting the recruiter's word that all
VA issues had been resolved. Less than two months later, he heard
from the VA that his paperwork was not in order. He was not yet
eligible for the benefits, and he had $2,300 in outstanding charges
from Kaplan. Unable to pay off the bill, he was locked out of classes
and is now working two jobs to get the charges off his credit report.

For-profit schools don't limit their aggressive recruiting and shady
tactics to just vets, as a separate federal investigation found
earlier this year.

It's not that for-profit schools in and of themselves are bad. They
provide educational opportunities and training for students who've
often been locked out of public higher education. But their bottom
line is about profit­students' long-term job prospects, welfare and
financial solvency be damned. They're facing strict regulation
because 40 percent of for-profit schools' students eventually default
on their loans, which are often tens of thousands of dollars higher
than students' debt levels from nonprofit state and community
schools. Because just 22 percent of students graduate from for-profit
school programs­the national average for higher education programs is
57 percent.

.

Soldiers use extreme methods to meet military weight rules

Study:
Soldiers use extreme methods to meet military weight rules

http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2010-12-06-military-weight_N.htm

12/6/10
By Lance M. Bacon, Army Times

Soldiers are dangerously starving themselves, gobbling diet pills and
laxatives ­ even resorting to costly liposuction surgery ­ all to
meet the Army's weight standards and avoid losing their careers,
according to military personnel who spoke to Army Times.

Health experts say the number of soldiers using extreme weight-loss
methods may closely resemble results of a recent study by two
officers attending the Naval Post Graduate School. The study found
that nearly one in three Marines have gone to such measures to lose
weight. The Army doesn't keep data on the likely numbers of soldiers
taking these risks, but dozens of soldiers responded to a question
from Army Times, many saying they use starvation, dehydration, pills
or laxatives, and some have used ­ or are considering using ­ liposuction.

Additionally, more than a third of men in uniform do not meet height
and weight standards, according to a separate 2009 report.

"Liposuction saved my career ­ laxatives and starvation before an
(Army Physical Fitness Test) sustains my career," a soldier told Army
Times in an e-mail. "I for one can attest that soldiers are using
liposuction, laxatives and starvation to meet height and weight
standards. I did, do and still do," wrote the soldier, a medium
helicopter repairer.

"Six years ago, I spent $4,500 on liposuction while on (permanent
change of station) leave. As a crewmember, our mission is to keep
those aircraft in the air, and time for PT is not available," he
wrote. "I was blessed with a very slow metabolism and an insatiable appetite."

Soldiers know they will face the dreaded "tape" if they exceed
height/weight standards. The tape measurements are used to determine
body fat percentage, with limits set by age group and gender.

Soldiers are afraid of those limits, knowing that if they cross that
line they won't be promotable. Further, they cannot be assigned to
leadership positions and they are not authorized to attend
professional military schools. Their career is over if they don't
make satisfactory weight loss in two months ­ typically six to 16 pounds.

The danger to careers is real.

About 24,000 soldiers were discharged between 1992 and 2007 for
failure to comply with weight standards outlined in Army Regulation
600-9, according to the 2009 Military Services Fitness Database
report, which was published in the journal Military Medicine. In
comparison, the Army discharged less than a tenth of that number ­
2,342 soldiers ­ for failing the physical fitness test between 1999 and 2007.

To save their careers, some soldiers turn to excessive, unnatural and
unhealthy measures.

Extent of practice not known

With 35% of male soldiers failing the weight standards, and 6% of men
and women exceeding body fat standards, according to the 2009 report,
how many of them will turn to extreme solutions is hard to say, as
empirical data on this practice does not exist ­ a fact bemoaned by
the medical experts interviewed by Army Times.

"I don't think we have a clear understanding how widespread this
problem is," said Col. George Dilly, Medical Command's chief
dietician and a consultant to the Army surgeon general. "Soldiers are
hiding the fact they are doing this because they don't want the
problem exposed."

Dilly said the typical scenario is well known. As a soldier
approaches his semi-annual weigh-in, he may use diuretics and
laxatives to reduce fluid and lower his weight. But this can be a
deadly decision, Dilly said, because it causes dehydration, and the
loss of essential electrolytes can lead to cardiac arrest. Worse yet,
this approach has no effect on the individual's body fat.

"This is not a long-term strategy," he said. "In fact, it's a very
dangerous short-term strategy."

Second Lt. Lane Stover knows this all too well. The 5-foot-4-inch
quartermaster said she went to extreme measures to keep the weight off.

"When I ate more than I thought I should, I would purge, and punish
myself by heading to the gym or out on a late-night run," she said in
an e-mail to Army Times. "I would often take laxatives, in excess of
the prescribed amount, and knew exactly how long it would take for
them to go into effect. It was a disgusting and dangerous practice
that I thought would help me.

Stover said she entered therapy and went to support groups to fix her
problem, but said one problem remains.

"My behaviors aren't the only problem. The Army's weight standard
is," she said. "Until the Army takes a closer look at the weight
regulations and methods for determining body fat, soldiers will
resort to extreme measures to ensure they are within their weight
requirements."

Alejandra Lewis said she had taken laxatives and starved herself "a
couple of times" in preparation for the PT test. She said the problem
was not her weight, but the way the Army measures body fat.

"Every person has a different shape of body; not everyone is the
same," she wrote to Army Times. "When I joined the military I went
down 80 pounds starving myself and (using) laxatives. I had to do it
because even though I had met weight, I have thick thighs. The tape
measure said I was over, so I had to lose even more weight just to
meet the standards. They need to change it because it isn't fair."

The fact that soldiers are taking these steps is no secret in the
cosmetic-surgery community.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Melissa Gash, based at Fort Riley, Kan., said
she recently saw a poster for liposuction at the post gym.

"The bottom of the poster clearly states that advertisement does not
mean endorsement, but the fact that material like that is even
allowed on post, and more specifically where soldiers go to get fit,
is inappropriate," she said. "It gives the soldier the false
impression that liposuction should even be an option. Americans are
all about fast results and immediate gratification. Whatever happened
to working hard to accomplish a goal and feeling the satisfaction
after earning what you set your sights on?"

But military health professionals say troops should not believe all
the hype ­ and should be aware of the risks involved.

"We want soldiers to look right," said Dr. Thomas Williams, a retired
colonel who heads the Army Physical Fitness Research Institute. "But
they also need to feel right and perform right, and you can't get
that from a pill or a procedure."

.

Stryker soldier expected beating

Stryker soldier expected beating

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/12/03/1449830/stryker-soldier-expected-beating.html

Pfc. Justin Stoner said he knew he was in for a beating when seven of
his Stryker platoon mates showed up at his living quarters in
Afghanistan just days after he raised concerns about drug use in their unit.

ADAM ASHTON
12/03/10

Pfc. Justin Stoner said he knew he was in for a beating when seven of
his Stryker platoon mates showed up at his living quarters in
Afghanistan just days after he raised concerns about drug use in their unit.

"When you go say something like that, word gets around," said Stoner,
a key whistleblower who testified in court for the first time Thursday.

He spoke at a pretrial hearing for Spc. Adam Kelly, a 26-year-old
soldier from Montesano who allegedly participated in the assault on
Stoner in May. Stoner said the soldiers unleashed a torrent of
punches and kicks while they shouted at him, calling him a "rat."

The beating triggered an investigation that resulted in misconduct
charges against 12 of Stoner's platoon mates in the 5th Brigade, 2nd
Infantry Division. Five are accused of murdering civilians and are
awaiting possible trials at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Stoner contends the soldiers who assaulted him suspected that his
initial complaint would draw more scrutiny to the platoon and reveal
unjustified killings. That's why his comrades wanted to intimidate
him from speaking with officers, Stoner said.

"Everyone … was worried it would progress to other things the platoon
had done," he said.

Stoner has refused to testify at Article 32 hearings for several of
the other accused soldiers. On Thursday, it was revealed that he has
an immunity deal that requires him to take the witness stand from
this point forward. He could have been charged with drug use based on
a sworn statement from one of his fellow soldiers.

His testimony is important because two of the soldiers facing murder
charges – Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs and Spc. Jeremy Morlock – allegedly
participated in the May assault.

Stoner also had a look at severed fingers Gibbs allegedly took from
Afghan corpses. The private says Gibbs showed them to him when Gibbs
and Morlock returned to Stoner's room a couple hours after the assault.

Gibbs "started off calm and almost polite, saying he's sorry that had
to happen" when he returned carrying something wrapped in cloth,
Stoner recalled.

"He's playing with this cloth while he was doing it and right when
he's done, he just rolls out these fingers and he says, 'I'd hate for
you to wind up like this guy.'"

Prosecutors drew out those threats to argue that the assault on
Stoner was "not a normal fight in the barracks."

"Pvt. Stoner was trying to report misconduct in his platoon and Spc.
Kelly and his platoon mates sought to stop him, and they assaulted
him," prosecutor Capt. Dre Leblanc said.

Stoner testified that Kelly kicked him in the genitals, punched him
and spat in his face.

Kelly has admitted as much in sworn and recorded statements that have
been leaked to the media. He is not among the accused killers.

His attorney, Capt. Scott Crivelli, acknowledged that Kelly
participated in the beating, but argued that Kelly was not a part of
a conspiracy to intimidate Stoner. Without that intent, Crivelli
argues that Kelly should not be punished in the military's highest
court – the general court-martial. Crivelli says Kelly should face a
lighter sentence at what's called a special court-martial.

"It seems to be more of a retribution-type act rather than trying to
impede an investigation," Crivelli said.

Stoner lent some weight to that argument when he distinguished
between the lower-ranking soldiers like Kelly who participated in the
assault and the noncommissioned officers who he said initiated the beating.

They were Staff Sgts. David Bram and Gibbs. Bram is awaiting a
court-martial trial centered on his alleged role in assaulting
Stoner. Gibbs is accused of murdering three civilians and keeping
body parts he collected from Afghan corpses. Commanders have not yet
ruled whether Gibbs will go through a court martial.

Bram and Gibbs "had their full intent," Stoner said. "The rest of the
guys didn't have a clue it would get to that point."

Stoner also said he believes his platoon leaders – Lt. Stefan Moye
and 1st Sgt. Justin Ditmer – sanctioned the beating when they
disclosed Stoner's identity as the source of charges that soldiers
had been smoking hashish at the base. Moye has denied sharing
Stoner's name with enlisted soldiers; Ditmer has said he named Stoner
when he told his squad leaders about the allegations. That group
included Bram and Gibbs.

Moye and Ditmer "basically said, 'we'll turn our heads'" to an
assault, Stoner said in court.

Neither Moye nor Ditmer faces criminal charges.

Kelly's hearing, which started and ended Thursday, was heard by
investigating officer Maj. Troy Reitter. Lewis-McChord commander Gen.
Curtis Scaparrotti will later determine whether Kelly should face a
court-martial trial.
--

Adam Ashton: 253-597-8646 adam.ashton@thenewstribune.com

.

US sergeant admits firing at Afghans ‘for kicks’

[2 articles]

US sergeant admits firing at Afghans 'for kicks'

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23903397-us-sergeant-admits-firing-at-afghans-for-kicks.do

Rashid Razaq
02.12.10

An American Army sergeant pleaded guilty today to shooting at unarmed Afghans.

Robert Stevens, of Portland, Oregon, admitted aggravated assault and
lying to investigators at his court martial. He made a deal with
prosecutors which means he must testify against other defendants
accused of killing civilians "for kicks".

Stevens said that in March he followed an order from Staff Sgt Calvin
Gibbs to shoot at two unarmed Afghans in a field. They were not injured.

Gibbs is accused of leading a "kill team" to carry out unprovoked
attacks. He insists the shootings were justified.

"When SSG Gibbs called for us to fire I knew there was not a threat,
and that there was no reason to shoot these guys," Stevens said in a
statement.

"I was extremely thankful to find out that we had not killed or
wounded either of those two individuals."

Stevens was being sentenced later today.

--------

Stryker soldier accused of Afghan war crimes pleads guilty

http://www.mynorthwest.com/category/local_news_articles/20101201/First-court-martial-held-for-stryker-soldier-accused-of-Afghan-war-crimes/

Dec 1, 2010
By TIM HAECK

The first Fort Lewis Stryker soldier to face court martial for war
crimes in Afghanistan has changed his plea to guilty.

Staff Sgt. Robert Stevens of Portland, Ore. has a plea deal that
would require him to testify against 11 other Lewis-McChord based
Stryker soldiers.

Ltc. Col. Kwasi Hawks, who is overseeing the court-martial, must
accept the deal.

Stevens, is accused of firing on a group of Afghan men which he
falsely claimed was a threat. No one was injured. He is also accused
of throwing a grenade outside his own Stryker vehicle and saying it
came from enemy combatants.

Stevens is not accused of murder. He's charged with conspiracy to
commit aggravated assault, making a false official statement,
aggravated assault, engaging in conduct likely to cause death or
bodily harm to other soldiers, and dereliction of duty.

If Hawks does not accept the deal, Stevens faces more than 19 years in prison.

Eric Montalvo, who represents another Stryker soldier, says it's no
surprise that Stevens is suddenly willing to break ranks.

"There's a prism, different clarity with which you view the
circumstances," he said.

Five other soldiers are accused of murdering Afghan civilians.

Soldier wants statement kept out of court-martial

Soldier wants statement kept out of court-martial

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/8738842/

12/7/10

Fort Bragg, N.C. ­ An 82nd Airborne Division soldier who is accused
of killing his brother-in-law on Fort Bragg on asked a military judge
Tuesday to keep a statement he made to investigators out of his court-martial.

Spc. Eric A. Mead, 26, of Detroit, is charged with premeditated
murder, attempted premeditated murder and violation of an order.

Mead's brother-in-law, Stephen Harris, was killed May 9 inside Mead's
home in the Casablanca housing area on post, authorities said. Mead's
wife was injured in the incident.

Authorities haven't disclosed how Harris was killed and his sister
injured, nor have they released details of a possible motive.

The day before the slaying, Mead's unit commander ordered him to stay
away from his wife because of previous verbal altercations, authorities said.

Mead was apprehended shortly after the incident at a Fort Bragg checkpoint.

Brian Harris, a special agent with the Army Criminal Investigative
Command, said during Tuesday's court hearing that Mead told him that
he heard a voice in his head and had been seeing a therapist for a few months.

Prosecutors showed video of an interview after the arrest in which
Harris read him his rights and asked Mead if he wanted a lawyer.

"I can't answer any questions because I don't know what (expletive)
happened," Mead responded.

Harris said said he told Mead he needed to help him understand what
took place. He said it appeared Mead wanted to open up, and that's
why he went on with the interview.

Mead's defense attorney, Maj. Jacqueline Tubbs, said it was obvious
from the video that Mead had requested a lawyer so the questioning
should have stopped.

"How clear does it have to be, unless we're playing the 'no' means
'yes' game," Tubbs said.

Tubbs wants the judge to prevent military prosecutors from
introducing the statement as evidence during the court-martial. The
judge didn't rule on the motion Tuesday.

Mead, who is being held in pretrial confinement at Camp Lejeune, is
an indirect-fire infantryman assigned to 1st Battalion, 325th
Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team.

He joined the Army in June 2002 and was deployed to Afghanistan in
2005 and to Iraq in 2006.

.

Court martial for soldier charged in Afghan deaths

Court martial for soldier charged in Afghan deaths

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/12/03/1956473/court-martial-for-soldier-charged.html

12.03.10

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- A soldier who warned of an alleged
plot to kill Afghan civilians only to be charged in the case faces
court martial.

Officials at Joint Base Lewis-McChord said Friday that the commanding
general has referred charges against Spc. Adam Winfield, of Cape
Coral, Fla., to a military trial. Winfield is one of five soldiers
accused in the deaths of three civilians during patrols in Kandahar
Province this year.

Prosecutors say Winfield willingly participated in the final killing,
but his lawyer says he feared he'd be killed if he didn't follow an
order to shoot at the victim.

Winfield sent messages home to his parents after the first killing,
telling them he was being threatened to keep quiet. His father says
he asked Lewis-McChord officials to intervene on his son's behalf, to no avail.

No trial date has been set.

.