To the Point

Unhappy Returns for American Veterans

Medical advances and better armor mean that troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are surviving wounds that killed soldiers in previous wars, but many who have not been disabled physically are coming home with other problems. The Army's Surgeon General says 30% of veterans have mental health problems three or four months after coming home. Reservists and National Guard members often don't get their jobs back, and unemployment for the youngest veterans is triple the national average. Senators of both parties say those who need help the most are not getting it from the Veterans' Administration or the Department of Labor. Do the promises of recruiters square with reality for tens of thousands of volunteers? Are the problems of veterans swept under the rug to maintain support for the war effort? Making News: Saddam and Cohorts on Hunger Strike?Saddam Hussein made international headlines today by announcing in court that he and his co-defendants have been on a hunger strike for three days. Borzou Daragahi, reporting from Baghdad for the Los Angeles Times, has more on the former Iraqi leader's "media stunt" as well as the election of interim Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari to head Iraq's new government.Reporters Notebook: Cheney Shooting, Day ThreeForty-eight hours after Vice President Cheney accidentally shot his hunting companion, Harry Whittington is recovering in a Texas hospital. Although he's had a mild heart attack, due to a shotgun pellet that's migrated near his heart, doctors are optimistic. The Vice President's office still has nothing to say. John Nichols is author of Dick: the Man Who is President and a contributor to the liberal Nation magazine.