Another Iraq casualty that won't register

Suicides will be the enduring problem of our returning troops for years:

"After two tours in Iraq with the Marine Corps Reserve, Steven Vickerman tried to resume a normal life at home with his wife, but he could not shake a feeling of despair.

"His parents, Richard and Carole Vickerman of Palisades, went to visit him at a veterans hospital after he suffered a mental breakdown; they were in disbelief. The funny and adventurous baby brother had become sullen, withdrawn and full of anxiety. Vickerman, who was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, killed himself Feb. 19."

Carole Vickerman told the reporter: "We're still in shock. Our son was a proud Marine. He served his country honorably, and we don't know what happened to him."

As I have documented over the years, suicides in Iraq now total in the hundreds -- though the official count is "only" 135 -- with many more than that among the returnees. (There are several haunting chapters about this in my new book about Iraq and the media, "So Wrong for So Long.")

The VA, the Vickermans believe, failed their son. The services available, they said, were insufficient, and the government should do more to address the issue for war vets. "There should be something that can be done, not only for the proud soldiers but also for their families," Carole Vickerman told the reporter. "When you hear the word 'stress,' it sounds so innocuous. It's not stress; it's a killer."

"The services were insufficient". But Republicans say they care about family values. Republicans say troops will have everything they need. Has Doug Lamborn said anything about this problem?

The suicides will continue until someone who really cares puts the emphasis where it belongs.