How Soon We Forget the Veteran Who Attacked the White House

The story behind Friday's intrusion: a VA system failing millions like Omar J. Gonzalez.

By Ron Fournier   "September 22, 2014 When a deranged man jumps a 9-foot fence and storms into the White House, the most obvious questions involve security—and so these were among Monday's headlines: "The Secret Service Considers Bigger White House Buffer" (The Washington Post) and "White House May Check Tourists Blocks Away" (The New York Times).

"Beware of the most obvious. The most important angles often lurk below the surface. What struck me about Day 3 coverage of the White House breach was how the intruder had all but been erased from the stories.

 

"His name is Omar J. Gonzalez. He is a decorated Iraq war veteran from Texas, a sniper who was badly wounded by a homemade bomb.  He suffers posttraumatic-stress disorder, his family says. For two years, Gonzales has been homeless and living alone in the wild and in campgrounds. What happened to him? What happens to men and women like him when they return home from war?" ...