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WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says he is personally looking into the lawsuit filed earlier this week by Vietnam veterans who suffered from post-traumatic stress and received less than honorable discharges from the military.
Hagel tells the Senate Armed Services Committee that he has asked his lawyers to get him more information on the matter, and promised that he would "get into it." Hagel is a twice-wounded Vietnam veteran and received two Purple Hearts.
It was the first public comments from a defense official on the lawsuit filed Monday by five Vietnam veterans and three veterans' organizations. The veterans are seeking to have the discharges upgraded so they can receive benefits. The lawsuit filed in Connecticut says the military has systematically denied applications for upgrades involving evidence of PTSD.
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