Skip to main content

ATTENTION: This site is no longer active but remains as an archive.

Iraq Veterans Against the War has become About Face: Veterans Against the War. About Face can be found at aboutfaceveterans.org

Iraq Veterans Against the War

Join IVAW

Donate to IVAW

  • About
    • Founding of IVAW
    • Mission, Values, and Vision
    • War in Afghanistan
    • Why We Are against the Wars
    • Resolutions
    • IVAW Timeline
    • Board of Directors
    • Advisory Committee
    • Staff
  • Events
  • Campaigns
    • Operation Recovery
    • Winter Soldier
      • Breakdown of the Military
      • Civilian Testimony
      • Corporate Pillaging
      • Cost of War at Home
      • Crisis in Veterans Healthcare
      • Future of GI Resistance
      • Gender and Sexuality
      • Legacy of GI Resistance
      • Racism and War
      • Response to DoD
      • Rules of Engagement
      • Press Coverage
      • Press Releases
    • Right to Heal
  • Members
  • Resources
    • AWOL
    • Active Duty
    • Conscientious Objector
    • Depleted Uranium
    • History of Resistance
    • IRR Reactivation
    • Lariam
    • PTSD
    • Profiles of Resisters
    • Resources for Veterans
    • Stop Loss
    • Women's Resources
    • Mesothelioma
  • Press
  • Contact
    • Press
    • Speaker Request

Fort Hood soldiers suggest overhaul of mental health treatment to the President

published by IVAW National on 04/09/14 1:53pm
Posted to: 
Staff

More than 4 years ago Iraq Veterans Against the War in conjunction with out friends down at Under the Hood Cafe responded to the recent shooting by Major Hassan at Fort Hood by attempting to hand President Obama a letter outlining the way that he could live up to his commitment of giving service members the health care they needed. 

Under the Hood Cafe community member and an active duty soldier at the time, Mike Kern, was stationed in the Warrior Transition Unit (WTU) due to the PTSD and traumatic brain injury he struggled with after his deployment to Iraq. Hearing that the WTU, where recent victims of the shooting were also being treated, was about to receive a photo op with the president, Mike Kern reached out quickly to IVAW members to help draft a letter he intended to deliver to the president. 

After waiting in formation for hours Kern finally had his opportunity and as the president reached out to shake his hand he dipped into his pocket to deliver the letter. He was immediately grabbed by Secret Service and was sent directly to his command where he was told to take the next few days off.  Soon he found himself on calls with his immediate supervisors who were determining how they could discipline him but they were unable to determine what they could possibly charge him fo . As Mike puts it "As far I was concerned I was handing a letter to my boss". 

In the letter are a series of recommendations to improve the mental health care situation at Fort Hood and the Army in general that still hold as true to this day as they did when the letter was drafted. As the President speaks to the Fort Hood community today about yet another shooting we suggest that he read this letter (attached below) and start doing something about these important recommendations pulled from the letter:

"We ask that:

  1. Each soldier about to be deployed and returning from deployment be assigned a mental health provider who will reach out to them, rather than requiring them to initiate the search for help.
  2. Ensure that the stigma of seeking care for mental health issues is removed for soldiers at all levels-from junior enlisted to senior enlisted and officers alike.
  3. Ensure that if mental health care is not available from military facilities, soldiers can seek mental health care with civilian providers of their choice
  4. Ensure that soldiers are prevented from deploying with mental health problems and issues.
  5. Stop multiple redeployments of the same troops.
  6. Ensure full background checks for all mental health providers and periodic check ups for them to decompress from the stresses they shoulder from the soldiers they counsel to the workload they endure."

On Memorial Day we will release a report informed by outreach we did to more than a thousand soldiers at Fort Hood including 31 in depth testimonials. Stay tuned for more.

Documents: 
PDF icon 2009 Letter to Pres. Obama Re: Fort Hood Shooting

IVAW Statement on Syria Strikes

April 12, 2017 Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) condemns in no uncertain terms the bombing of Sharyat airbase in Syria six days ago by Donald Trump’s administration. As veterans of the unending and expanding wars...

See You in May Chelsea

Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) would like to extend our congratulations to Chelsea Manning, as we anxiously await her release from military prison on May 17, 2017.  We appreciate that President Obama chose to commute...
IVAW National's picture

IVAW Tells the Army Corps of Engineers: Stand Down at Standing Rock

Ashton Carter Secretary of Defense 1000 Defense Pentagon Washington, DC 20301-1000 General Mark A. Milley Army Chief of Staff 200 Army Pentagon Washington, DC 20310-0200 Lieutenant General Todd T. Semonite...

Iraq Veterans Against the War #NoDAPL Statement of Solidarity

Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) comes together in solidarity and resistance with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the Oceti Sakowin (The Great Sioux Nation), and the thousands of water warriors defending their land and...
IVAW National's picture

Iraq Veterans Against the War Statement on Orlando Massacre

We grieve for those who lost their lives Sunday morning in a bigoted, hate-fueled attack in Orlando, Florida. People - mainly Latinx and Black people - were targeted and killed simply because they were members of the LGBTQ+...

Lakbay Lumad Solidarity Statement

As the members of the Lakbay Lumad delegation near the end of their time in the U.S., we stand in solidarity with the indigenous leaders from the Philippines here to expose U.S.-sponsored violence against their...

Pages

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • …
  • Next ›
  • Last »

Supporter Newsletter!

Donations

Make a single donation or become an IVAW sustainer by making your donation a recurring one. Please consider making your generous gift right now.
Donate Online Today!

Speaker Request

Please be advised that we get many speaker requests, but regret that we are sometimes unable to fill them.
Speaker Request

Joining IVAW

Iraq Veterans Against the War is open to Active Duty, National Guard and Reservists who have served since 09/11/2001.
Join IVAW

Navigation

  • About
  • Events
  • Campaigns
  • Committees
  • Chapters
  • Members
  • Resources
  • Contact