• Read Borne in Battle – VA Treatment for Addiction After Vietnam

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    Borne in Battle – VA Treatment for Addiction After Vietnam

    In the post-Vietnam era, Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals introduced a variety of treatments for Veterans grappling with addiction issues— including specialized units, self-help programs, and various drug dependency interventions. The rise in recreational drug use in the 1960s coupled with the greater availability of drugs in Southeast Asia, a prime region for opium and heroin production, fueled an epidemic among military personnel in Vietnam. This signaled a new era in the VA’s approach to addressing addiction among Veterans.

  • Read Early VA Outreach to Native American Veterans

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    Early VA Outreach to Native American Veterans

    Native Americans have a long tradition of service in the United States military. Although Native Veterans were, in 1919, among the first groups of Native Americans to be extended U.S. citizenship, many still faced challenges obtaining and using their Veteran benefits. This was in part due to changing Federal policies affecting tribal groups.

  • Read An Overlooked Crisis: Morphinism and the National Homes, 1880-1916

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    An Overlooked Crisis: Morphinism and the National Homes, 1880-1916

    Over the past 250 years, America’s Veterans have faced challenges that are persistent, yet unique to each generation. Substance abuse and addiction are examples of challenges that have long affected Veteran communities. America’s first opioid [...]

  • Read World War I Veterans: Wounds, Opioids, and Addiction Treatment

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    World War I Veterans: Wounds, Opioids, and Addiction Treatment

    Often regarded as the first modern war, World War I was the first conflict to use machine guns, tanks, planes, and chemical warfare on a mass scale. This, coupled with the international nature of the conflict, led to unprecedented casualties on the battlefield.

  • Read Understanding the Early Mental Health Challenges of Veterans: From the Civil War to the Jim Crow Era

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    Understanding the Early Mental Health Challenges of Veterans: From the Civil War to the Jim Crow Era

    During the Civil War, the U.S. military was quickly overwhelmed by the need to care for hundreds of thousands of wounded and disabled soldiers. These wounds included mental illness, sometimes a result of war experiences or preexisting conditions complicated by injury or disability.

  • Read The History of CFM, Part 6: VA’s Construction and Facilities Management at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century, 1990s – 2000s

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    The History of CFM, Part 6: VA’s Construction and Facilities Management at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century, 1990s – 2000s

    This is Part 6 of a 6-part short history of the Office of Construction and Facilities Management. This short history is also the first in a series of histories covering VA Central Office directorates.

  • Read The History of CFM, Part 5: Finding a Home for VA’s Construction and Facilities Activities at the End of the Twentieth Century, 1980s – 1990s

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    The History of CFM, Part 5: Finding a Home for VA’s Construction and Facilities Activities at the End of the Twentieth Century, 1980s – 1990s

    This is Part 5 of a 6-part short history of the Office of Construction and Facilities Management. This short history is also the first in a series of histories covering VA Central Office directorates.

  • Read The History of CFM, Part 4: Reorganization and Expansion in the Cold War Era, 1950s – 1970s

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    The History of CFM, Part 4: Reorganization and Expansion in the Cold War Era, 1950s – 1970s

    This is Part 4 of a 6-part short history of the Office of Construction and Facilities Management. This short history is also the first in a series of histories covering VA Central Office directorates.

  • Read The History of CFM, Part 3: Post-World War II Updates to VA’s Medical Facilities, 1940s – 1950s

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    The History of CFM, Part 3: Post-World War II Updates to VA’s Medical Facilities, 1940s – 1950s

    In the early 1940s, as the United States mobilized for World War II, construction slowed at VA. When the country entered the war, building supplies grew more limited and the number of available laborers was reduced by enlistment.[1] As soldiers returned home, public criticism of the pace of VA construction and its approach to medical care increased.

  • Read The Origins of the Agent Orange Act of 1991

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    The Origins of the Agent Orange Act of 1991

    This is the shorter, abridged version of “How the Veterans Administration Addressed Agent Orange Exposure, 1977-1991” by Jordan McIntire, Historian, Department of Veterans Affairs. On February 6, 1991, President George H. W. Bush signed the [...]

  • Read The History of CFM, Part 2: Establishing the Office, Setting the Standard, and Constructing VA’s Hospital Network, 1920s – 1940s

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    The History of CFM, Part 2: Establishing the Office, Setting the Standard, and Constructing VA’s Hospital Network, 1920s – 1940s

    This is Part 1 of a 6-part short history of the Office of Construction and Facilities Management. This short history is also the first in a series of histories covering VA Central Office directorates.

  • Read The History of CFM, Part 1: Beginning to Build, 1865–1923

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    The History of CFM, Part 1: Beginning to Build, 1865–1923

    This is Part 1 of a 6-part short history of the Office of Construction and Facilities Management. This short history is also the first in a series of histories covering VA Central Office directorates.