Statement by Terry Leichner, Vietnam Veterans Against the War
====================
It is truly sad that Mayor Rivera chooses to separate concerned veterans
into acceptable and unacceptable camps on the issue of post-traumatic stress
disorder. The provision of vital treatment should be above political rancor
and divisiveness. Veterans' peace and justice groups have never drawn a
distinction between support or dissent on the war in their many years of
veteran advocacy.

The Denver Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War takes offense at
the mayor's categorization of veterans groups as unacceptable based on their
peace and justice beliefs. We take exception to his inference we are
anti-troop and anti-military.

We remind the mayor many retired military men and women of high rank have
also voiced disagreement with the war. Disagreement doesn't make us traitors
or against the troops.

I'm a combat veteran who served with the Marines in Vietnam. I was decorated
for valor and wounded in some of the heaviest combat of the war during the
Tet Offensive of 1968.

Mayor Rivera's failure to understand that veterans may oppose the war but
passionately continue to assist treating today's returning veterans and
their families is an insult to me and the men I served with.

I've been a psychiatric Registered Nurse for 21 years. In that time I've
been a co-director of the emergency team of a large metro hospital's
behavioral health services. I've also worked in a major urban psychiatric
emergency room and as the RN for a mental health center's emergency team
expert in the treatment of PTSD. This team treated many Columbine High
School students and family members.

PTSD is no stranger to me in my practice. It's no stranger to me in my
personal life. 

Military life makes it hard to ask for psychiatric care. Mayor Rivera, as a
veteran, should know many soldiers will hesitate to seek treatment because
of stigma surrounding care. The leadership at Ft. Carson clearly knows this.
The chief psychiatrist at Ft. Carson knows this all too well and yet directs
his staff to discourage troops about Operation Just One and other community
programs of its type. A soldier who may find relief from the emotional scars
of combat in a more confidential setting may never seek treatment because of
political policies imposed by their leaders. Soldiers and their families may
suffer in quiet desperation, fearing disapproval from within their own ranks
and from their leaders.

Early intervention is key, but it's clear that the VA and the military
mental health systems are overburdened and unable to provide timely care for
returning soldiers. This isn't an indictment of either system but a true
observation. 

Veterans' groups throughout the nation want to help assure that veterans of
combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have the needed care. They've developed free
programs to assist in this care staffed by experts in PTSD.

It's time we all join together on the basic beliefs we share; the best
interests of the returning soldiers and their families. It's time we realize
we can disagree about the wars but all support the troops by assuring they
receive all treatments they need and deserve.

Already, we have seen the tragedy of untreated PTSD in Colorado.

Let's join together to have a preventive system of treatment in the
community to assist the overburdened military and VA systems. Let's do
what's right.

Terry Leichner, RN

Combat veteran USMC Dec. 31, 1968 -Feb. 12, 1969

Psychiatric RN with extensive experience in treatment of PTSD