I'm very grateful to have been given the opportunity to chronicle the triumphs, and tragedies, of America's veterans for the past two decades. Call me biased, but I believe we all share a responsibility to assure that our wounded warriors are given the type of care they deserve.
In 2007, I helped initiate and report the groundbreaking Failing Our Wounded Newsweek cover story, which exposed the poor care and red tape at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
I've also had the pleasure of meeting and writing about people such as Marissa Strock, a remarkably courageous Army veteran who lost both her legs in an IED blast in Iraq.
And I continue to cover veterans issues for Newsweek/The Daily Beast, including this recent story in which I address what a Mitt Romney presidency may mean for veterans; this piece that takes another look at how we treat our veterans; and this story which ran on Friday about an unidentified Republican senator who placed a hold on a cost-of-living benefit increase for disabled veterans.
In my view, American journalists aren't paying enough attention to these kinds of stories in 2012. Maybe it's because of cutbacks and layoffs at newspapers and magazines, or because the war in Afghanistan, though the longest in American history, has not had a direct impact on as many American families as past wars because we now have an all-volunteer force.
Thankfully, there are some very notable exceptions, including an amazing new three-part series of informative and truly shocking reports about young veteran deaths in Texas by the Austin American-Statesman daily.
The Pulitzer Prize-worthy series was written by investigative journalist Jeremy Schwartz and a team of four other dedicated journalists, who in their stories cite as one of their primary sources Paul Sullivan, a Gulf War veteran and tireless advocate for veterans who works for Bergmann & Moore, a Maryland law firm that focuses solely on veteran disability law.
Sullivan has been an invaluable source for many of my stories as well over the years.
The American-Statesman series, which is the culmination of an exhaustive six-month investigation, documents a very troubling number of deaths of younger veterans
in Texas attributable to suicide, motor vehicle accidents, and drug
abuse/overdose.
Of the veterans deaths they examined, more than one out of three died from drug overdoses, combinations of drugs, or suicide. The median age of death was 28. And veterans diagnosed with PTSD are at risk: fully 80 percent died of overdose, suicide or single car crashes.
"My
question is... how many of our recently deceased war veterans
were waiting for VA disability benefits when they completed suicide?"
Sullivan asked in an email. "I am personally aware of a few in
Austin who considered suicide while waiting endlessly, including facing
foreclosure, eviction, and even an inability to put food on the table
for themselves and their families."
Hopefully this series will prompt action that will ultimately answer Sullivan's question. These veterans obviously need more attention and better care. VA, are you listening?
It's good to know there are still journalists like Schwartz and others at the Austin American-Statesman covering these issues, and impassioned and informed advocates like Paul Sullivan who are helping reporters understand the real and sometimes complicated issues facing our veterans.
In the summer of 1968, I was a skinny seven-year-old who had just begun to learn how to play the drums. I hadn't even picked up a guitar yet, but I was becoming aware of the magic and majesty of music. When my older brother turned me on to an album by a new group called Crosby, Stills & Nash, I was immediately captured by the band's unique sound. The self-titled album, which was equal parts acoustic and electric, poetically melded rock, folk, jazz, country and blues. It was a huge hit in the Reno house -- and the rest of the world. Crosby, Stills & Nash quickly became superstars, and that first record remains one of the most beloved and influential rock records of all time.
This seminal supergroup, which brought together David Crosby from the Byrds, Stephen Stills from Buffalo Springfield, and Graham Nash from the Hollies, served up three-part harmonies that were simultaneously ethereal and powerful. The songs rocked, hard, but the music was so hauntingly beautiful it was almost supernatural. I was an instant fan, and have been ever since.
And the miracle is, 44 years after that record took the turbulent late 60s by storm, this band still delivers. On Saturday night, CSN, as they're known to their legion of loyal fans, performed the first of two sold-out shows before a devoted and electrified crowd at Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay in San Diego.
The three music legends, who made their performance debut as a trio at the legendary Woodstock festival, and their stellar backing band, which includes Crosby's son James Raymond, had the audience under their spell from the moment they walked on
stage to the moment Nash wished everyone a good night and declared, "Peace!"
Accompanied on this tour by Todd Caldwell (organ), Shane Fontayne (guitar), Steve DiStanislao (drums), Kevin McCormick (bass) and Raymond (keyboards), the guys opened with one of my personal favorites, "Carry On," which was written by Stills.
The significance of the song's title and lyrics weren't lost on the crowd. This band has indeed carried on, though infighting and unthinkable adversity. As most everyone knows, Crosby's done time in prison, had a liver transplant, had all kinds of drug problems, and has had notorious battles with Stills over the years.
But Crosby and Stills have clearly gotten past all that; they're at peace with each other. And while Crosby still has the sardonic wit, he's shed much of his youthful arrogance and anger. He just seems so happy to have been given a second chance at life.
And his harmonies with Nash still reach eloquent heights that few artists attain. The two of them are so connected musically it's almost scary.
As
you can see from the photo above, which was taken by Eleanor Stills,
these three men aren't spring chickens. Unbelievably, Nash is 70 years old. But they've all aged well. Stills' voice is a little huskier than it was back in
the day, but it still works.
Of course everyone showed up Saturday night to hear the classics, which for so many of the boomers in the audience were a soundtrack of their lives in the late 60s and early 70s when the Vietnam War and protests were raging.
The band played "Long Time Gone," "Almost Cut My Hair," "Our House," Teach Your Children," "Deja Vu," "Southern Cross," "Chicago," "Just a Song Before I Go," and "Helplessly Hoping," among others from its library. I wish they would have played "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" and "Woodstock." But I'm not complaining.
There were some nice surprises, too, including a stunning take on Bob Dylan's "Girl of the North Country."
The concert was filled with great moments, but there were two that really stood out for me: an impeccably lovely rendition by Crosby and Nash of Crosby's
"Guinnivere," and an extended and absolutely face-melting version of
"Wooden Ships," during which Stills just plain kicked ass on guitar.
Rightly, much of CSN's legacy is the folk-based, acoustic ballads.
And their long, mostly-unplugged set Saturday night was joyous and riveting. But make no mistake: this is a rock and roll band. Always has been,
always will be. These guys are old enough for the rocking chair, but they'd rather keep rocking upright, thank you very much.
And they still don't mince words regarding their liberal political views; they still let their freak flags fly.
In a couple of weeks, CSN will wrap this 80-concert world trek, which incredibly
is the longest CSN tour ever, with a gala performance of
the debut album I loved as a little kid. it will be performed in its entirety at the
Beacon Theatre in New York City. And yes, they will be including "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," which is the first song on that first album. Should be some enchanted evening.
Carry on, CSN. Love is coming. Love is coming to us all.
