John Edwards for President-America's Troops: A Plan For Coming Home

America's Troops: A Plan For Coming Home

"The growing scandal at Walter Reed Army Medical Center has shocked the conscience of this nation. But the national crisis in military and veterans' health care only begins at Walter Reed. We need to address this national disgrace and demand nothing less than quality care for every single soldier, sailor, airman, Marine and veteran in this country." – John Edwards

Our troops are paying the price for the Bush Administration's lack of planning in Iraq. Our servicemen and women are coming home from a new kind of war with new kinds of devastating serious injuries. They have served with honor and bravery and President Bush needs to ensure that quality heath care continues during their long recovery.

Today, John Edwards released his plan to honor our veterans' sacrifices by ensuring that they get the care they need. America's veterans have already paid enough of the costs of war. As a nation, America did not deal well with the care and reintegration of veterans after the Vietnam War, leaving thousands of veterans without the care they desperately needed. We need to admit our mistakes and learn from them. We can do better.

Ignoring the True Cost of the War

The true cost of the war in Iraq includes an incalculable mental toll: nearly one out of every three veterans coming home are being diagnosed with mental health issues, according to a recent VA study. Young men and women—half of whom were in the National Guard or Reserves—went to Iraq with the President's assurances of victory. Instead, they found extended deployments and a brutal civil war. [Archives of Internal Medicine, 3/12/07]

An unprecedented number of brain injuries: The number whose lives are saved despite serious injuries is a testament to the skill and dedication of the military medical corps. But President Bush has failed to honor their service by ensuring that quality care continues during the long recovery. [New England Journal of Medicine, 5/19/05]

The White House has tried to deny the true cost of war. This year, the Pentagon cut the request for the vital Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center by 50 percent, despite the obvious and growing need. And President Bush's 2008 budget includes drastic cuts to veterans' health care in future years ahead. [House Committee on Veterans' Affairs]

Edwards' Plan for the Troops Coming Home

We have a moral duty to keep our promises to the men and women who serve our country and provide them with the highest-quality health care. The John Edwards plan will:

Ensure that every soldier has a plan for combat and a plan for coming home. All veterans will return to the U.S. with a new "Homefront Redeployment Plan," directing them to the nearest treatment locations for illnesses, both mental and physical.

Create a new national chain of care to ensure that no veteran again falls through the cracks. This chain will include outreach centers and clinics in every county where a veteran resides, both within and outside the VA network, and especially in rural areas.

Focus the VA on mental health, as well as physical needs: To focus on prevention, every soldier's Homefront Redeployment Plan will include early screening for signs of mental distress. The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center will receive full support; because undetected and untreated traumatic brain injuries can lead to mental health problems.