Blog #7
I began researching the topic of injured Iraq War vets. My topic is pretty much still the same, however, as I researched I have come across a lot of interesting topics. I still continue to research I & A war vets and what services are or aren’t provided to them, but recently I have focused more so on how this great influx of I & A war vets has affected our nation, views of our government, and our morals. It seems to me that the overall emotional stance about the war vets coming home and not receiving care or support is of great importance right now.
I know now that a lot of what is promised isn’t actually promised when coming back home from Iraq or Afghanistan. This has been an issue for Vietnam vets as well but the increase of war vets from I & A has been drastic. The GI Bill is struggling to be revised and doesn’t look too promising if McCain gets elected. I have learned that many vets aren’t receiving the benefits promised due to an old GI Bill. Also, I think that the issue of health care and those needing physical medical attention is one issue, but also our society is struggling to accept and accommodate the mental and emotional support the war vets need. In short, direct action such as health care needs to take action to help the vets but what is society doing or not doing that can contribute to their problems. This has helped me to shape my essay because before I thought it was just black and white…the government and the VA aren’t giving the benefits and care promised….but now other factors come into the picture of why or how the current Iraq War Vets are homesless, jobless, committing crimes etc. I have learned a lot this information is through blogs, the New York times-War time series, random Google searches, the VA website etc.
I would like to know more about how our government is actually handling this. I am getting a lot of views of those who are against war and those who struggle as a war vet. From the looks of it our government is being portrayed very negatively and nothing is really being done; however that cannot be 100% true. In order to create a conversational paper I need to present both sides of the story. I will further research scholarly articles and any government websites. Specifically I am very curious to find out how the government and legal system are dealing with the abundant suicides and crimes committed by I & A war vets. How should we punish these war vets who are struggling with PTSD and have received little to no help cope with these problems and integrate back into society?
I have yet to organize all my thoughts before writing my final essay but I can see gaps as far as how it portrays the government. Right now my topic conveys only negative aspect of the Iraq War Vets and I know this isn’t possible. It’s possible that the stories I have researched are only one-sided and I have yet to research the many success stories, one which has been as experience of our classmate, Nick. My interview with Nick is still in progress but I’m hoping that the information he gives me and his friends will help me see the other side.
My main argument right now would be the current situation of why aren’t these I & A vets getting the attention, care and support they need from their government and society? I also have many other ideas that are still in progress. For instance I want to further research in more depth the situation with the VA and the health care for the vets. I have questions about our government who should be in control of all of these issues…whether they just weren’t prepared for so many vets coming home, whether they simply cannot afford to help these men and women due to our country’s severe debt due to the war, or simply if they are not on their top list of priority right now. Also my researched has shown me that many of the war vets who suffer mentally and emotionally (PSTD) have a hard time relating to other people and cannot easily integrate into society again so many have turned to drugs, crime, and violence….the question here poses whether these crimes will have an effect on the way our legal system works. Should we treat these crimes as any other criminal or possibly give them help in ways such as therapy or counseling? Is it in best interest to put someone who is traumatized from war in a jail cell? Is our problem not just the government’s fault or society? Where do our country’s morals and ethics stand in this situation?
Hi Haley. I see that you have done some good research thus far, and I appreciate how biased you are noticing some of the information out there about this issue might be. I like how you plan to actively look for the government’s own perspective on this issue. It seems that you still have a quite a broad topic at this point. Perhaps a way to think of narrowing your topic is to think of your inquiry as: What effects is PTSD having a Iraq and Afghanistan war vets, how are those effects being addressed by the U.S. government, and what implications arise that ethically and morally challenge both the U.S. government and citizenry? Such an inquiry would not only serve as a roadmap for how to develop your ideas, but also help you determine what issues you want to address most within the page allotment you have to write this essay….
Haley: always remember that even if solutions are made, they’re not always effective. Discovering solutions to disabled veterans isn’t just about identifying a problem and applying a remedy; some solutions may involve discrimination, standardization, violating personal rights, or privatizing federal programs. These are volatile issues that may be difficult to address. Good luck with your essay; and thank you for arguing the ways to help us veterans.
haley-
this is going to be an excellent paper.I like how you are putting so much time and thought into your work. Interviewing Nick was a fantastic idea and it is a really good practice o throughly analyze an interview, esp with someone you know. i like how you are chellenging the ideas of what is citixentry with in the US and who qualifies. I think it is also astute to recongize that this paper will barely touch upon a much more complex and larger issue. great job haley. i look forward to seeing you finalized first draft