Thursday, July 12–We interrupt our recent torpor to pass along this Special News Flash from Veterans for Common Sense:

Please Watch ABC World News and ABC Nightline Tonight

Veterans for Common Sense urges our members and supporters to watch tonight’s ABC “World News Tonight” and ABC News “Nightline,” today, Thursday, July 12. The two programs are scheduled to feature breakthrough reporting from Joshua Kors, the journalist who exposed how the Pentagon is abusing the personality disorder diagnosis to kick soldiers out of the military, as reported in The Nation.

Kors showed how the military is cheating our wounded Iraq War veterans out of a lifetime of medical care and disability compensation payments by claiming that the combat veterans were mentally ill before joining the Army. Kors reviewed medical records and found the military fabricated the personality disorder diagnosis. In fact, our veterans suffer from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and/or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). VCS salutes Iraq War veteran Andrew Pogany and Gulf War veteran Steve Robinson for assisting ABC News and Joshua Kors with their reporting on this scandal for more than six months.

In Thursday’s broadcasts, you will get to meet a few of our soldiers mistreated by the military and unable to get medical care from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The programs, produced in coordination with ABC News’ Bob Woodruff, will also feature interviews with Senator Kit Bond (R-MO), Congressman Bob Filner (D-CA) and rock star Dave Matthews, who posted a petition on his site to confront the personality disorder scandal. Please sign the petition.

Please let your friends and neighbors know that, on Thursday, July 12, ABC “World News Tonight” airs at 6:30 p.m and ABC News “Nightline” at 11:30 p.m. Those who have a strong reaction to the reports, and who want more news coverage about the problems our 1.6 million Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are facing, are strongly encouraged to e-mail ABC World News Tonight or to contact ABC News Nightline.

VCS believes the bogus “personality disorder” diagnoses must stop now. Our all our deployed Iraq and Afganistan war veterans should get medical exams before and after deploying to war – especially mental health exams. Then they should have prompt treatment without stigma from the military and VA. We can make a difference now so that fewer veterans fall in the cracks created by the military and VA. A bit of common sense now can reduce years of heartache from broken families, lost jobs, alcoholism, drug abuse, and homelessness. Don’t let the Administration cheat our veterans. For more information about the personality disorder misdiagnosis scandal, please go to Joshua Kors’ website.

Sincerely, Paul Sullivan
Executive Director
Veterans for Common Sense Veterans for Common Sense
1101 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, Suite 203
Washington, DC 20003