Natn'l Defense Authorization Act: provisions for saving veterans back home

The big deal is that it contains provisions fought for by the Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America like mandatory mental health screenings, which have the potential to save more lives than all the MRAP's money can buy.

Check out UPDATE: Senate Passes NDAA, Mental Health Provision

Every minute we wait to improve mental health care for troops has a human cost. We cannot afford to lose one more servicemember to suicide. It is critical we identify those most in need of mental health care early on and get these men and women the help they have earned. Mandatory mental health screenings have been a top priority for IAVA, and we applaud the hard work of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees and Senator Baucus for their leadership on this issue. Generations of veterans will benefit from this critical legislation.

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Comments

[WilliePilgrim]

Broken bodies will be one thing, but I hope that beyond the vague definition of PTSD, there is a flood of research on the physical aspects of neurology following the impacts and stress a person expereinces in war. Rest assured these nightmares will be revisited and with devastating consequences for the people involved. The temptation will be to treat those as criminals instead of victims themselves. This is not about "blaming society" but it is about recognizing that our injured brains will create the world it percieves. The capacity to recognize those injuries and the best possible treatment for them will become more and more critical as the walking wounded return to our streets and confront their past and the American street.