THE WASTE OF THE IRAQ WAR
Victory is no victory
"... the largest move of military equipment we have done since World War Two... nearly 3 million pieces of equipment to be moved, from airplanes, helicopters and tanks to laptops and lights.... around 2 million pieces of equipment have been redeployed... some back to the United States, others to Afghanistan or other locations... Closing down the Iraq war has meant shutting down the U.S. military bases, which numbered 505 at the peak... The Victory Base complex in Baghdad, the heart of the war operation surrounded by 27 miles of concrete blast walls and razor wire, once hosted 40,000 troops and more than 20,000 contractors. Victory was so big it had a reverse osmosis water plant that could generate 1.85 million gallons a day, an ice plant, a 50-megawatt power generating station, stadium-sized chow halls and a laundromat with 3,000 machines able to do 36,000 loads a day... Balad, north of Baghdad, had 36,000 residents... with two 11,000-foot runways, had 27,500 takeoffs and landings a month in 2006, second only to London's Heathrow... nearly 4 million items worth $390 million had been given to Iraq, including 26,000 CHUs worth $124 million and 89,000 air conditioners worth $18.5 million..."
http://news.yahoo.com/u-withdrawal-iraq-eight-years-worth-stuff-130926527.html;_ylt=Ahgm2p5QuYR.A.ITQ53bYrTyWed_;_ylu=X3oDMTRwMGY4cHZtBGNjb2RlA2dtcHRvcDEwMDBwb29sd2lraXVwcmVzdARtaXQDTmV3cyBmb3IgeW91BHBrZwM3YzFjNWY2Yi05OTI5LTM4NzktYjJkYi1kMjcxOTE3MmRlMjkEcG9zAzEwBHNlYwNuZXdzX2Zvcl95b3UEdmVyA2ZlMTNhOTcwLTE3NjYtMTFlMS1iYmQ3LWQ3NDM4NjViMmM1Mw--;_ylg=X3oDMTMzMDRxZ2RpBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDOWYzMzE0MDItZmMwNC0zNTRlLWE1YWYtZGUwYWE0YTdjNWQwBHBzdGNhdAN3b3JsZHxhc2lhBHB0A3N0b3J5cGFnZQR0ZXN0Aw--;_ylv=3
Thursday, November 17, 2011
WAR CRIMES A FACTOR IN PTSD
"… CBS show "48 Hours Mystery" focused on John Needham, a young veteran from the war in Iraq… (who) claimed to have witnessed horrendous atrocities committed by his unit against Iraqis during their deployment in the country. In a letter to senior army officials… Needham wrote that he suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression, described what he called war crimes, asked for an investigation and requested to be assigned to a different unit…"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/14/john-needham-iraq-veteran_n_1093454.html
FT. HOOD SHOOTER BOTHERED BY BY ACCOUNTS OF WAR CRIMES
"... In the weeks before the rampage, the accused gunman, Maj. Nidal M. Hassan, an Army psychiatrist, told colleagues and Army lawyers that he wanted to report soldiers who had admitted in counseling sessions that they witnessed or committed war crimes in Iraq or Afghanistan. War crimes can include acts like torture, murder, sexual assault and cruel treatment... Major Hasan’s efforts to report war crimes were first reported by ABC News..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/us/07therapists.html?_r=1&sudsredirect=true
"… CBS show "48 Hours Mystery" focused on John Needham, a young veteran from the war in Iraq… (who) claimed to have witnessed horrendous atrocities committed by his unit against Iraqis during their deployment in the country. In a letter to senior army officials… Needham wrote that he suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression, described what he called war crimes, asked for an investigation and requested to be assigned to a different unit…"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/14/john-needham-iraq-veteran_n_1093454.html
FT. HOOD SHOOTER BOTHERED BY BY ACCOUNTS OF WAR CRIMES
"... In the weeks before the rampage, the accused gunman, Maj. Nidal M. Hassan, an Army psychiatrist, told colleagues and Army lawyers that he wanted to report soldiers who had admitted in counseling sessions that they witnessed or committed war crimes in Iraq or Afghanistan. War crimes can include acts like torture, murder, sexual assault and cruel treatment... Major Hasan’s efforts to report war crimes were first reported by ABC News..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/us/07therapists.html?_r=1&sudsredirect=true
