Good links, Kat.

Responding to the needs of our Iraqi Vets should be a top priority and one of the things I read about is the shortfall of funds for their hospitals and PTSD programs. Good grief - isn't it enough that these soldiers have risked their lives? Why should they have to suffer once they get home? This is disgusting and only the tip of the iceberg. Most soldiers have been given extended tours of duty. How will they be cared for when they all return enmasse?

"According to documents released at recent meetings of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs committees, the VA hospital in White River Junction, Vt., was forced to shut its operating rooms temporarily because of a lack of maintenance funds to repair a broken heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. Hospitals in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana and eastern Texas stopped scheduling appointments for many veterans. The VA medical center in San Diego, with a waiting list of 750 veterans, diverted $3.5 million in maintenance funds to partially cover operating expenses and delayed filling 131 vacancies for three months to cover operating expenses. The Portland, Ore., hospital delayed non-emergency surgery for at least six months, and 7,000 veterans who use the VA facility in Bay Pines, Fla., are waiting longer than 30 days for a primary care appointment."