Cilla McCain:  “For nearly a decade, I’ve been researching and writing about the issue of non-hostile deaths in the military. Early on in my research, I would get upset at the information provided by our troops and their families. Their revelations painted a picture of a dysfunctional military culture that allows medical and legal malpractice, as well as violent crime, to thrive and exist…” She…

On July 2nd, 2011 Marine Corps Times published an article about a new advanced high-tech scanner which would provide medical professionals with detailed pictures of brain activity which could aid in the diagnosis of Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), which until now have been an often-invisible war wound. The magnetoencephalography (MEG) scanner works by recording the electrical activity in the brain tissue. Areas of abnormal low-frequency…

We now have legislation in both the House and Senate that requires mental health screening for troops before and after they go into combat. U.S. Reps. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., and Mike Thompson, D-Calif., introduced legislation in the House that would require a face-to-face mental health screening for all soldiers before they are deployed on a combat mission, after their tour and every six months for…

The big flap this week is that the head of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, is afraid returning veterans will join right-wing extremist organizations. Given how badly we treat veterans returning with PTSD, that’s not a big surprise. We destroy them and discard them. Check the stories here and here. Maybe it’s time to treat our veterans right and give them the help they need to return to civilian…

By ERIC NEWHOUSE • Great Falls Tribune U.S. Reps. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., and Mike Thompson, D-Calif., introduced legislation Thursday in the House that would require a face-to-face mental health screening for all soldiers before they are deployed on a combat mission, after their tour and every six months for two years following their return. The bill is a companion measure to legislation introduced in the Senate…

Yet another initiative from the Obama administration. This time they are setting the stage for immigration reform. You can read about ithere. In the article the President says immigrants who are long-time residents but lack legal status “have to have some mechanism over time to get out of the shadows.” Could we not consider the needs of our veterans, servicemen, and servicewomen first? If you…