Veterans Voices- ‘Like a giant X-ray’ They had a front-row seat to secret nuclear weapons tests. Now they’re fighting for recognition and compensation
- An Army of One: Oregon widow dedicates everything to providing housing for homeless veterans
- The Lost Graves of Tarawa: Hastily buried following one of World War II’s most horrific battles, the remains of missing Marines are coming home
- Growing Veterans: A Marine Corps veteran teams up with a trauma counselor to prevent suicides, through farming, fellowship and an effort to end the stigma of getting help
- ‘Nothing wrong with you:’ Twenty-five years later, Gulf War Illness often treated as a mental condition
- Home at Last: Seventy-five years after the attack on Pearl Harbor, men who died on USS Oklahoma are finally being returned to their families
- Thoroughbred Therapy: How Saratoga WarHorse rekindles life for soldiers dealing with PTSD
- ALASKA’S VANISHING CARE: How VA’s “Choice” program sabotaged a hard-earned network of local health care across the state’s vast and inaccessible wilds
- Wrongful discharge? Board that corrects military records ‘stacked against servicemembers’ critics charge
- BOOTED AFTER BATTLE Thousands of combat veterans have been kicked out of the military for misconduct without regard to PTSD, TBI or their right to medical retirement
Tag Archives: Ken Olsen
The Hardest Year: Military Children Endure the Stress of Parent’s Deployment
By Ken Olsen (Copyright 2012, All Rights Reserved) Jack Crider hit a wall during his father’s third deployment. It wasn’t just his father’s absence, or the prospect of him dying in Iraq. It was the unexpected move, from Virginia to … Continue reading
Richard Christian Jr., champion of Vietnam veterans in battle for Agent Orange and PTSD claims, to be buried at Arlington
By Ken Olsen (Copyright 2012 All Rights Reserved) Richard S. Christian, Jr., who endured withering hostility from the Reagan Administration for his meticulous and tireless work on behalf of Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, died of cancer at a … Continue reading
When doing everything right isn’t enough: A Marine’s suicide shows that even the unlikeliest veteran can fall through the cracks.
By Ken Olsen (Copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved) Of all the questions raised by Clay Hunt’s suicide, perhaps the most perplexing is this: why did a 28-year-old former Marine who was receiving VA health care, taking medications for post-traumatic stress … Continue reading
The War Within: The battle against post-traumatic stress
By Ken Olsen (Copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved) Melissa Seligman started shaking when her husband described the aftermath of a suicide bombing he witnessed during his first deployment to Iraq. She had heard that same flat, detached tone from her father, when … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged American Legion, Chris Piper, Her War Her Voice, Ken Jones, Ken Olsen, Melissa Seligman, mental health, Military Families, post-traumatic stress, PTSD, The American Legion Magazine, traumatic brain injury, VA, Vet Centers, Vietnam veterans, War in Afghanistan, war in Iraq
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Brown Water Update: VA updates list of Vietnam Navy ships exposed to Agent Orange
By Ken Olsen (Copyright 2011/ All Rights Reserved) The VA has finally posted an expanded list of U.S. Navy ships exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. The so-called Brown Water ships list comes a year after U.S. Sen. … Continue reading
The War Within: Special Report on Post Traumatic Stress featured on WERE 1490 AM
More than 300,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans – nearly 20 percent of returning troops – have PTS or depression and the number is rising. Their experiences, and they way they resonate with Vietnam veterans, are part of a special report … Continue reading
Brown Water Bungle: Paperwork error excluded hundreds of Vietnam Navy veterans from receiving Agent Orange benefits
By Ken Olsen (Copyright 2011/All Rights Reserved) Hundreds of Vietnam Navy veterans whose Agent Orange claims were denied because the VA failed to obtain key military records will receive benefits as a result of a review requested by U.S. Sen. … Continue reading
Toxic Legacy: A brief history of Agent Orange in Vietnam
• 1961 to 1972: U.S. military sprays some 20 million gallons of Agent Orange and other herbicides across Vietnam and some parts of Laos under Operation Ranch Hand. • 1968-69: U.S. Military uses Agent Orange in Korean DMZ, exposing an estimated 12,000 veterans. • Early 1970s: Veterans begin … Continue reading
Broken System: Despite 30-year battle, federal court victory, Vietnam veteran’s disability claim remains unresolved
By Ken Olsen (Copyright 2011 / All Rights Reserved) A federal appeals court ruled in his favor two years ago, but Leroy Comer’s decades-long fight for less than $30,000 in VA disability benefits remains mired in the bureaucracy. Comer, who … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged American Legion, Dion Messer, disability claims, Ken Olsen, Leroy Comer, PTSD, VA
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Still Adrift: Congressional inaction sinks hope that ailing Vietnam Navy veterans will regain Agent Orange benefits
By Ken Olsen (Copyright 2010 / All Rights Reserved) Ann Langston sent a desperate note to her senator in early June asking for help expediting her husband’s Agent Orange claim. Bruce Langston had suffered an aneurysm after long bouts with … Continue reading
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