Castle SAYS he supports the troops,
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ScjjdJeQdQ]
and yet we’ve never seen those noble words backed up in ANY WAY.
MEANWHILE…The Washington Post Reports…
Army Spec. Jeans Cruz helped capture Saddam Hussein. When he came home to the Bronx, important people called him a war hero and promised to help him start a new life. The mayor of New York, officials of his parents’ home town in Puerto Rico, the borough president and other local dignitaries honored him with plaques and silk parade sashes. They handed him their business cards and urged him to phone.
But a “black shadow” had followed Cruz home from Iraq, he confided to an Army counselor. He was hounded by recurring images of how war really was for him: not the triumphant scene of Hussein in handcuffs, but visions of dead Iraqi children.
Yet even though Cruz had the support of the psychologist who examined him, who
wrote that Cruz was “in need of major help” and that he had provided “more than enough evidence” to back up his PTSD claim. His combat experiences, the letter said, “have been well documented.”
His claim was denied by the VA on grounds that he had psychological problems before he entered the service and that he had not proved he was ever in combat, despite his service as a scout and a commendation medal with valor – a designation that can only be awarded under combat conditions. He is offered only group therapy, with session not available on weekends or late enough for him to be able to keep his job and still attend.