Tag: veterans

DOJ sues California towing company for auctioning off US military members’ vehicles

The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against California-based S&K Towing, Inc., accusing the company of illegally auctioning off vehicles owned by US servicemembers in violation of federal law.

According to the DOJ, the San Clemente towing company sold or otherwise disposed of as many as 148 vehicles belonging to military personnel between August 28, 2020, and April 15, 2025. Many of the vehicles were reportedly towed from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

Federal prosecutors allege that S&K failed to comply with the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), which requires towing companies to obtain a court order before selling or disposing of a vehicle owned by a protected servicemember. The DOJ noted that S&K’s contract with Camp Pendleton required the company to follow all applicable state and federal laws.

“Towing companies must respect and abide by the federal laws that protect members of our Armed Forces,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Dhillon said servicemembers are often away for long stretches because of training or deployment and may not even know their vehicle has been towed.

She added that the SCRA is intended to ensure troops receive basic legal protections, including notice and the opportunity to have towing and storage fees adjusted while they are serving.

First Assistant US Attorney Bilal A. Essayli for the Central District of California said servicemembers “deserve peace of mind” that their legal rights will be protected while they are away serving the country. “It is unacceptable for a business to sell or dispose of servicemembers’ vehicles without abiding by the laws that protect servicemembers,” Essayli said.

The DOJ also alleged that S&K was explicitly warned about the issue in May 2024, when a Military Legal Assistance attorney contacted the company and explained that it was violating the SCRA. According to the lawsuit, a manager at S&K responded: “We do this all the time.”

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17 Veterans Kill Themselves A Day Waiting 17 Days For Help

Every day, roughly 17 veterans take their own lives. For two decades, that number hasn’t budged. 

VA Secretary Doug Collins said that despite spending billions of dollars, we’re losing the same number of veterans every year. For veterans under the age of 45, a recent report shows suicide is the second-leading cause of death. They’re not faceless statistics, but fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters who couldn’t survive the wait for help. 

What makes this unbearable is that while those veterans were in crisis, veterans wait an average of 17 days to see a mental health professional for the first time. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), ranking member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, wrote that these delays ‘pose serious risks to the health and safety of those who served.’ 

The problem isn’t money. In November, President Trump signed a $133 billion VA funding bill that includes $698 million for suicide prevention outreach. And the problem isn’t resourcing, as more than 9 million scheduled visits go unutilized each year due to missed appointments. The problem is that the infrastructure can’t keep up. 

The VA operates on electronic record systems that don’t communicate across facilities, community providers, or state lines, the very kind of coordination that’s standard in private health systems. 

Consider the veteran who needs help for mental health or PTSD treatment. There might be an appointment at their local VA, an available telehealth appointment, or a nearby walk-in clinic. But the scheduling infrastructure can’t surface those pathways together. Staff can’t schedule across the network, even though there’s availability to address a veteran’s needs that day. The veteran can’t book online, and they’re told to wait, call back, or try another number. 

The inefficiencies are well documented. The VA’s own Access to Care website shows it: mental health, primary care, specialty services, all backed up. At the West Los Angeles VA, new patients wait 69 days for mental health, 49 days for pain medicine, and 100 days for substance use treatment. VA clinicians are mission-driven and understand the wounds of war, but they’re working with systems that can’t deliver at the speed healthcare demands. 

The largest health systems in America manage their networks in real time. Open appointments, provider resourcing, and patient needs are all visible in a single ‘pane of glass’ that call center staff can reference to route patients. For decades, VA has struggled to do the same. For a fraction of what VA spends, that same capability can be deployed systemwide. Not to add bureaucracy but linking the network so it operates as one. 

Veteran suicide is complex. Stigma keeps many from seeking help, and nearly 33,000 veterans are homeless each night, many struggling with mental illness and disconnected from care. That makes it even more critical that when a veteran reaches out—after overcoming enormous barriers—the system responds immediately. We can’t afford to lose them to wait times and scheduling friction after they’ve found the courage to ask for help. 

Of course, technology alone won’t solve this. Some argue that expanding community care—a program that lets eligible veterans see local private providers—is the solution. It’s part of the answer. But more choice doesn’t help if veterans and schedulers can’t see what’s available, most convenient, or the soonest. 

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Veterans Groups Urge Congress To Expand Psychedelics And Marijuana Access To Mitigate Suicide Crisis

Multiple veterans groups advised congressional lawmakers about the need to continue exploring psychedelics and marijuana as alternative treatment options for the military veteran population at recent hearings on Capitol Hill. And one veterans advocate cited his experience attending President Donald Trump’s Oval Office signing event for a cannabis rescheduling order as an example of progress in the fight for such alternatives.

At a series of joint hearings before the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees last month and this week, representatives of veterans service organizations (VSOs) testified about the need to promote innovative approaches in mental health treatment, in part to help mitigate the suicide crisis that’s disproportionately impacted those who’ve served.

Dan Wiley, national commander of the American Legion, said on Wednesday that the organization’s “number one priority” is “ending veteran suicide,” which involves finding alternatives to conventional therapies because “pills and therapy have objectively not worked.”

“We need stronger transition programs, innovative therapies and improved safeguards to medication management,” he said, while going out of his way to add that, after a decade with the American Legion, “I was proud to be in the Oval Office as the president signed an executive order that reclassified cannabis as a Schedule III drug.”

“This allows for federal research on how it can reduce drivers of suicide,” he said. “Now the American Legion does not support use of illegal drugs, but we strongly support research that could result in new, effective treatments.”

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Appallingly shoddy Vietnam War memorial to be torn down after $1million was spent on building it

A $1million memorial dedicated to Vietnam War veterans is set to be torn down just a year after a fraud scandal plagued the community behind the project.

California officials announced the memorial in 2023 as a way to honor Vietnamese soldiers allied with the US during the war. 

The construction began in the upscale Orange County neighborhood, which is also home to the largest Vietnamese population in the US. 

Former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do spearheaded the project, allocating $1 million in taxpayer funds to the Viet America Society nonprofit. 

It was later revealed that Do was funneling money through the organization for his personal gain, and the disgraced politician was sentenced to five years in prison on conspiracy charges as a result.

Do’s fall from grace left the Vietnam War memorial in shambles, with new leadership appalled by the shoddy construction. 

A county report obtained by the Los Angeles Times found that repairing the unfinished monument would cost between $168,000 and $420,000, with an additional $40,000 to finish engraving the names of fallen soldiers. 

Since demolition would only cost a fraction of that estimate, county officials opted to start the project from scratch. 

Crews arrived at Mile Square Regional Park this week to tear down what remained of Do’s tarnished legacy. 

His successor and former political rival, Janet Nguyen, called the monument a ‘disgrace’ in a statement to the Daily Mail. 

‘The county decided to tear down the wall because we can do better. This memorial is a disgrace to veterans and not the respect they deserve. We have been looking for alternative options, including a space at the new veteran’s cemetery,’ she added. 

Nguyen told California news outlet, KTLA, in November that it was ‘heartbreaking’ to see how veterans were honored.  

The new county supervisor added that the monument was not even accessible to those with disabilities. 

Veterans from Vietnam are now elderly, but the monument was designed in a part of the park without a wheelchair-accessible path. 

‘What was the point?’ Nguyen questioned at a press conference in November. 

‘They … put up these cheap materials that are getting worn down already within not even a year, just so they could launder the rest of the money themselves.’ 

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Vietnam War veterans sue to block Trump’s proposed ‘Triumphal Arch’ monument in DC

A group of Vietnam War veterans has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block President Donald Trump’s proposed “Independence Arch,” a massive monument planned for Memorial Circle between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, argues the 250-foot structure would obstruct the historic line of sight between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House at Arlington National Cemetery.

The plaintiffs say that the view was intentionally designed to symbolize national unity following the Civil War and has remained unobstructed for nearly a century.

According to the complaint, the proposed arch would be “as tall as 250 feet,” more than double the height of the Lincoln Memorial, and would be positioned directly on the ceremonial axis connecting the two memorials.

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A dream-like psychedelic might help traumatized veterans reset their brains

A new study suggests that the intensity of spiritual or “mystical” moments felt during psychedelic treatment may predict how well veterans recover from trauma symptoms. Researchers found that soldiers who reported profound feelings of unity and sacredness while taking ibogaine experienced lasting relief from post-traumatic stress disorder. These findings were published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

For decades, medical professionals have sought better ways to assist military personnel returning from combat. Many veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, as well as traumatic brain injuries caused by repeated exposure to blasts. These conditions often occur together and can be resistant to standard pharmaceutical treatments. The lack of effective options has led some researchers to investigate alternative therapies derived from natural sources.

One such substance is ibogaine. This psychoactive compound comes from the root bark of the Tabernanthe iboga shrub, which is native to Central Africa. Cultures in that region have used the plant for centuries in healing and spiritual ceremonies. In recent years, it has gained attention in the West for its potential to treat addiction and psychiatric distress. Unlike some other psychedelics, ibogaine often induces a dream-like state where users review their memories.

Despite anecdotal reports of success, the scientific community still has a limited understanding of how ibogaine works in the human brain. Most prior research focused on classic psychedelics like psilocybin or MDMA. The specific psychological mechanisms that might allow ibogaine to alleviate trauma symptoms remain largely unexplored.

Randi E. Brown, a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, led a team to investigate this question. They worked in collaboration with the late Nolan R. Williams and other specialists in psychiatry and behavioral sciences. The team sought to determine if the subjective quality of the drug experience mattered for recovery. They hypothesized that a “mystical experience” might be a key driver of therapeutic change.

The concept of a mystical experience in psychology is specific and measurable. It refers to a sensation of unity with the universe, a transcendence of time and space, and deeply felt peace or joy. It also includes a quality known as ineffability, meaning the experience is too profound to be described in words. The researchers wanted to know if veterans who felt these sensations more strongly would see better clinical results.

The study analyzed data from thirty male Special Operations Veterans. All participants had a history of traumatic brain injury and combat exposure. Because ibogaine is not approved for medical use in the United States, the veterans traveled to a clinic in Mexico for the treatment. This setup allowed the researchers to observe the effects of the drug in a clinical setting outside the U.S.

The treatment protocol involved a single administration of the drug. The medical staff combined ibogaine with magnesium sulfate. This addition is intended to protect the heart, as ibogaine can sometimes disrupt cardiac rhythms. The veterans received the medication orally after a period of fasting. They spent the session lying down with eyeshades, generally experiencing the effects internally rather than interacting with others.

To measure the psychological impact of the session, the researchers administered the Mystical Experiences Questionnaire. This survey asks participants to rate the intensity of various feelings, such as awe or a sense of sacredness. The researchers collected these scores immediately after the treatment concluded.

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Two veterans shaped the UFO phenomenon from a joke into real federal policy

For more than three quarters of a century, reports of strange objects in the sky have unsettled pilots, challenged scientists, and tested the credibility of governments.

What began in the late 1940s as scattered sightings of so-called flying saucers has evolved into a modern national security issue discussed openly in Congress under the term Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, or UAP. Two men, separated by generations but united by military service and a refusal to accept official dismissals, played defining roles in that transformation. Maj. Donald E. Keyhoe and Luis Elizondo each forced the United States to confront uncomfortable questions about what is operating in its airspace and how much the government should tell the public.

Their work reflects not only changing technologies but also changing attitudes toward secrecy, transparency, and the responsibilities of democratic institutions. Together, they form a continuous historical thread linking the earliest UFO debates of the Cold War to today’s formal federal reporting systems.

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The Balance Between Incentivizing Death and Saving the Lives of Veterans, as Hundreds of Millions Are Paid Out to Families for Their Loss

When veterans take their own lives, their families may receive financial support if the veteran was covered by Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI).

The real question isn’t whether families should receive these payments, but rather if more could be done to prevent such tragic losses without encouraging financial motives.

It’s a delicate balance to strike, and it’s an issue that deserves careful, thoughtful consideration.

A recent article from The Gateway Pundit highlighted a question posed by the Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI) program, which has raised concerns for Sonny Fleeman, a combat veteran and federal whistleblower. That is, “Is there a suicide exclusion?”

The response is, “No—claims related to suicide are not excluded.” For this reason, Fleeman contended that this might incentivize veterans to take their own lives in order to secure financial benefits for their families.

The combat veteran is not suggesting that the families of service members should be denied this financial benefit. What he previously expressed is that “the current design quietly weaponizes despair in a population already on the edge.”

His primary desire is for veterans to prioritize seeking help for their conditions rather than focusing on financial rewards for their families.

On October 28, 2025, Fleeman submitted a Freedom of Information Act request concerning VGLI death claims, suicides, and payout data. Once considered “not public interest,” the results are now in.

“Based on VA’s own totals from 1999 to 2023, 2,602 suicide-classified death claims out of 66,593 total claims—about 4%, or roughly one out of every 25—show that suicide is a meaningful and recurring share of VGLI payouts,” Fleeman told The Gateway Pundit.

“From 2004 to 2023,” he said, “those suicide-related claims accounted for more than $370 million, averaging tens of millions of dollars each year.”

The federal whistleblower emphasized that the dataset alone cannot determine whether VGLI’s experience is typical or uniquely elevated compared to private sector group life insurance.

“That requires apples-to-apples actuarial benchmarks—age and risk adjustments and comparable cause-of-death definitions—that aren’t publicly available to my knowledge,” he explained.

“Given that VGLI serves a known high-risk population and has no suicide exclusion,” Fleeman argued, “it’s reasonable to suspect the suicide share may be elevated, but confirming that is beyond me and requires independent benchmarking against private sector.”

Ultimately, he stated, it is “essential to find a solution” that prevents veterans from feeling as though the message conveyed by the policy is: “The only way to support your family is through your death.”

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Lawsuit Filed After Minnesota Officials Allegedly Weaponized Zoning Laws Against Free Camping Program for Disabled Veterans

A bombshell federal civil rights lawsuit filed in Minnesota accuses St. Louis County officials of waging a years-long, politically motivated campaign to shut down a nonprofit that provides free primitive camping and outdoor therapy to disabled veterans.

The 121-page complaint, filed in U.S. District Court, alleges systemic corruption, disability discrimination, abuse of power, and constitutional violations by county commissioners, planning officials, attorneys, and township leaders who, according to the lawsuit, colluded to block a veteran-focused nonprofit because they simply did not want those veterans on the land.

At the center of the case is Rough-N-It Inc., a nonprofit founded to provide free, non-commercial camping for disabled veterans, many of whom cannot afford resort fees and rely on outdoor therapy as part of their recovery.

According to the lawsuit, county staff repeatedly claimed the project offered “no public benefit,” even after being explicitly informed multiple times that the sole purpose of the land use was to serve disabled veterans.

The complaint alleges officials never conducted the legally required Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) analysis, instead relying on stereotypes and hostility toward veterans with disabilities.

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