1 active duty soldier and 22 U.S. military veterans commit suicide every day.
The government shutdown, which is into its 8th day as of October 9th, 2013, inspired new outrage from the American public.
The recent outrage concerns the failure of the Unites States government to supply the death benefits due the families of soldiers killed in action. These monies are used to cover costs such as travel and funeral expenses.
The families of soldiers killed in Afghanistan in October 2013 will be receiving the bodies of loved ones, and burdening the cost with no help from the American government. ( The United States has been at war in Afghanistan since October of 2001 – it is the longest war in American history.)
Panicked lawmakers, in the face of a national disgrace, rushed to belatedly provide for these benefits used to bury the dead.
The government shutdown has not stopped the processing of a $400,000 death insurance policy to the next of kin; a process outsourced to private insurance companies.
As this Bloomberg article reports, the $400,000 is placed in an interest bearing account until the families of the dead soldiers are prepared to deal with the financials. Until that time, the money will earn the families of the dead soldiers 1% interest, and the insurance company will keep the other 4.8% interest earned.
The government shutdown is also putting additional burdens on veterans as regional VA facilities are being shuttered, and the employees who process veteran claims are furloughed.
This is occurring during what many are describing as an epidemic of soldier suicides in America – 325 Army suicides in 2012 set a new record.
StopSoldierSuicide.org breaks the numbers down, 1 active duty soldier and 22 U.S. military veterans commit suicide every day.
The United States government has shut down, but death marches on – on the battlefield and on the home front.
StopSoldierSuicide.org hosts a memorial wall, readers can access it by clicking here.
LINKS
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-28/fallen-soldiers-families-denied-cash-payout-as-life-insurers-boost-profit.html
http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/06/us/soldier-suicide-note/index.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/nation/2013/10/08/shutdown-casualties-combat-benefits-unpaid-pentagon/2941809/
So focused on holding the country hostage to get their way like an insolent child that they ignore their duty to the country. All this will proudly wearing their American flag lapel pins and touting how patriotic they are and how unpatriotic their opponents in the “other” party are. Time for a clean flush of all of them. The stench coming from Washington has become unbearable.