Bergdahl’s Facebook posts, writings show frustration, struggle to maintain stability
Bergdahl’s Facebook posts, writings show frustration, struggle to maintain stability
BOISE, Idaho — In public Facebook posts written before he vanished from his military base in Afghanistan, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl spoke of his frustration with the world.
He criticized military commanders and mused about how to stop violence.
But in his personal writings, he seemed to focus his frustrations on himself and his struggle to maintain his mental stability.
Together, the writings paint a portrait of a man who was dealing with two conflicts — one fought with bullets and bombs, the other fought within himself.
Bergdahl was recently released after five years as the Taliban’s prisoner. His Facebook page — under the name “Wandering Monk” — was suspended Wednesday by Facebook for a violation of terms. Bergdahl’s last post was made a few weeks before his capture.
Long waits persist for vets seeking mental health care at VA medical centers
EL PASO, Texas — Nick D’Amico, a deeply troubled Army veteran, had been seeing a counselor every other week. But he found it next to impossible to get a follow-up appointment at the El Paso VA with a psychiatrist who could adjust his medication, according to his mother.
The best the system could offer, she says, was a half-year wait for a teleconference with a Veterans Affairs psychiatrist in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
That appointment was still two months away when D’Amico, 45, left his wallet, phone, watch and Desert Storm hat at home and committed suicide by driving off a cliff outside El Paso last September.
“It’s shameful. It’s disgusting. It’s got to stop,” said his mother, Bonnie D’Amico.
For years, veterans have complained about maddening waits for mental health services at VA medical centers, and for years federal officials have responded by hiring more clinicians and expanding programs. This week, a devastating internal investigation that looked at wait times for all sorts of care across the VA system showed that the agency hasn’t solved the problem.
Senate approves veterans’ health care bill as FBI opens probe into wait times
WASHINGTON — The Senate acted Wednesday to help thousands of military veterans enduring long wait times for VA medical care, as the FBI revealed it has opened a criminal investigation into a Veterans Affairs Department reeling from allegations of falsified records and inappropriate scheduling practices.
The Senate bill, approved 93-3, makes it easier for veterans who have encountered delays getting initial visits to receive VA-paid treatment from local doctors instead. The measure closely resembles a bill approved unanimously Tuesday in the House, prompting optimism among lawmakers from both parties that a compromise version could be on its way soon to President Barack Obama for his signature.
The White House said Wednesday that Obama supports the Senate bill.
The Senate bill would authorize about $35 billion over three years to pay for outside care for veterans, as well as hire hundreds of doctors and nurses and lease 26 new health facilities in 17 states and Puerto Rico. The House bill would spend about $620 million over the same period.
The Veterans Affairs Department released an audit this week showing that more than 57,000 veterans have had to wait at least three months for initial appointments. Another 64,000 veterans who asked for appointments over the past decade never got them.
By wire sources