Wars taking a toll

Times-Reporter (Dover-New Philadelphia): The story of Marine Staff Sgt. Curtis Long, a 2002 Claymont High graduate who survived a bomb blast while serving in western Iraq in 2007, should remind us all of the toll the concurrent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are taking on our servicemen and women.

Long, 26, was riding in a mine-resistant truck when a 300-pound bomb went off, sending the truck flying 30 feet into the air. The blast knocked Long unconscious for five minutes.

He has since begun treatment for severe post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

According to the Veterans Administration, more than 400,000 veterans are receiving benefits for the disorder, including 19,000 women. ...

On July 13, the VA changes its rules and no longer required documented proof of events that might have caused the disorder and is encouraging veterans who had been denied benefits to apply again. Before that time, the VA made these men and women jump through hoops while seeking help.

All too often, it seems as if the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are out of sight, out of mind for those of us on the home front. Yet America’s sons and daughters are fighting and dying there every day.

We urge our lawmakers ... to dedicate themselves to making sure that our government gives returning soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan all the assistance they deserve.