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updated: February 6, 2007
Summary
American servicemembers and their families have responded
with tremendous courage and dedication to the demands of
prolonged warfare. But at times, government bureaucracy has
failed to support those called to serve.
War Spending: Funding for the Iraq and Afghanistan
wars has become a political football, used by politicians on
both sides of the aisle to disguise the wars’ cost and to fund
unrelated pet projects. Military contractors have made a
tremendous profit off of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,
and are responsible for untold fraud and waste. Every dollar
wasted is one that could have been spent on real support
for our troops and veterans. Moreover, contractors
have been implicated in serious ethical breaches regarding
the treatment of Iraqis, which erodes the good-will our
troops struggle to build with the local populace.
The Wounded at Walter Reed: In the last year
alone, the Independent Review Group, the Task Force on
Returning Global War on Terror Heroes, the Veterans’
Disability Benefits Commission, the Government
Accountability Office, and the President’s Commission on
Care for America’s Returning Wounded Warriors have all
issued reports on the failure to properly care for wounded
troops. But little concrete action has been taken to respond
to their recommendations.
Troops’ Families: There are over 40,000 non-citizens
serving in the US military today. Far more have spouses
who are not yet American citizens. These troops have shouldered
the duty of Americans to protect our nation; the last
thing they should be worrying about while deployed is the
possibility that their husband or wife may be deported.
Local Supporters: In addition, the interpreters and
other local Iraqis and Afghanis who serve as our liaisons
in theatre are often putting their lives and the lives of their
families at tremendous risk. Yet in the first years of the war,
only a few hundred refugee visas were issued to these brave
Iraqis and Afghanis. New legislation should increase the
number of visas offered to these supporters of our troops,
but more can and must be done to ensure that they have
access to the refugee asylum process.
For more information about these issues, please see the IAVA
Issue Reports: “A Breaking Military: Overextension Threatens
Readiness” and “Battling Red Tape: Veterans Struggle for Care
and Benefits.” All IAVA reports are available here.
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