Prime Minister Julia Gillard hears "tidal wave" of PTSD vets needing care

Australia is talking about a "tidal wave" of veterans with PTSD. Compare the 39 killed in Afghanistan to the 2,191 US troops killed. Their wounded of 249 to the thousands of US wounded. If Australia is already talking "tidal wave" what does that have to say about the US? When you consider how many more US forces are there compared to Australia, that should send the most powerful message of all.  If Australia is dealing with a "tidal wave" we are dealing with a tsunami.

Gillard confronted by soldier with PTSD
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has been confronted on talkback radio by a soldier who complained about a lack of support for mentally ill veterans.

The man who identified himself as "Adam" says he returned from Afghanistan with post traumatic stress disorder but he has found the discharge process confusing and stressful.

His comments follow a warning from retired Army Major General John Cantwell that Defence will be bombarded "thousands" of mental illness cases as troops withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of the year.

Adam said he had a bad experience with the Department of Veterans' Affairs and asked the Prime Minister what she planned to do about it.

"My experiences with DVA, [Department of Veterans' Affairs] is a very jagged field and nobody can give you direct answer of where you're going to be and where you'll end up, which adds to the stresses of the discharge process," he said.

"Now what is your plan... for the return guys that are coming with those problems? Because they are going to come back and things are going to be different for them."
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Australia withdraws Afghanistan troops
At least 1,000 soldiers to be home by end of 2013 as security in Uruzgan province is handed over to Afghans
Associated Press in Canberra
guardian.co.uk
Tuesday 26 March 2013

Australia has announced two-thirds of its troops in Afghanistan will be home by the end of the 2013 when the international military base at Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan province closes.

The defence minister, Stephen Smith, said at least 1,000 of the 1,550 Australian troops in Afghanistan would be withdrawn by the end of the year.

Australia has the 10th largest national force in Afghanistan and is the largest military contributor outside Nato. Australia also has the largest number of special forces in the campaign after the United States and Britain.

Military involvement is supported by both the Australian government and opposition but its popularity among the Australian public has plummeted as the war has dragged on for 12 years. In that time 39 Australian troops have died and 249 have been wounded.
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VA Assistant Sec. Tommy Sowers blames others

UPDATE
March 28, 2013
Last night Jon Stewart of the Daily Show showed how angry he is over what is happening to our veterans coming home from Afghanistan joining the line of Iraq veterans. I like to watch the Daily Show before I finally go to sleep. Last night was not one of the nights when he got my mind off what I do all day long. I was too angry. Not angry about what usually gets my blood boiling. I was angry over Stewart forgetting how bad it has always been for our veterans.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook

I left the Daily Show this comment
I track all these reports and last night I was glad it was covered but wow are you wrong. The number of VA Service Reps was 1,516 in January of 2003 but in 2007 there were only 1,392. In 2000 the VA had 578,000 claims but went to 838,000 in 2008. That same year the VA was trying to do online claims. It was also later in the year of 879,291 in backlog including 148,000 Vietnam veterans who finally filed claims in 2007. That same year, the a defense contractor was given a contract for $2.7 million to make 555,000 phone calls to veterans to find out why they had not gone to the VA. Obama changed the rules for PTSD claims and Agent Orange Claims but with the mess that was there before, Congress didn't increase funding enough or hire enough staff to even catch up. Suicides are up and there are 900 DOD suicide prevention programs congress finds the money for but they are not working. RAND took a look among other researchers and found why they failed but DOD won't listen.
You should be angry at what is going on, but we've been angry all along.

If you doubt he is telling the truth, then you need to read what happened in 2008.

Veterans Affairs lauds technology, blames predecessors for 2-year claim wait
Jane C. Timm
9:35 AM on 03/27/2013

Veterans Affairs’ Assistant Secretary Tommy Sowers blamed the previous Veterans Affairs administration for the recently revealed 700-day wait that many veterans face when claiming disability.

The crux of the problem, Sowers said, is that they inherited an inefficient, paper-based claims system.

“Why are we still using paper in 2013?” Morning Joe‘s Mike Barnicle asked.
“Why in 2009 were we still using paper?” Sowers fired back. “When we came in, there was no plan to change that; we’ve been operating on a six month wait for over a decade.”

The wait now tops 600 days in many places.
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Buried under backlogs
By GREGG CARLSTROM
February 25, 2008

At the start of the Bush administration in 2001, VA had more than 400,000 pending claims for disability ratings, which determine a service-disabled veteran’s employability and disability benefits. The department made progress reducing that number: By 2003, the backlog was down to around 250,000.

But then the nation went to war.

“VA was kind of cruising right along with a certain volume of claims until the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Then the volume of claims increased,” said Belinda Finn, VA’s assistant inspector general for auditing. “We still had the same processes for handling a lower workload, and the system just hasn’t been able to handle the increase in claims.”

And so the backlog started creeping up. By 2008, VA once again has more than 400,000 pending claims for a disability rating. About 25 percent of those are officially considered backlogged, meaning they have been pending longer than six months.

“The number of claims that we receive each year has been going up pretty steadily,” said Michael Walcoff, VA’s associate deputy undersecretary for field operations. “In 2000, we got 578,000 claims, and last year got 838,000.

Apr 24, 2008 “Since 2006, the number of claims has grown 15 percent. The amount of time it takes to make decisions on disability claims is two to three year. On an average, it takes four years to get an appeals decision.”

Pilot Program to Cut Red Tape for Veterans' Disability Claims
VA Launches Pilot Program to Cut Red Tape for Veterans' Disability Claims
KWTX Channel 10 (Texas)
June 13, 2008 - The Texas Veterans Commission will assist the Department of Veterans Affairs Waco Regional Office in a pilot program aimed at faster processing of disability claims, the state Veterans Commission announced Friday.
The Waco VA Regional Office and the TVC was selected for the pilot program because “they are well known for working together with exceptional effectiveness,” the TVC said in a press release Friday.
Veterans counselors from TVC will use their unique understanding of VA claims processes to assist veterans in more quickly obtaining the evidence needed to support their claims,” said Acting Under Secretary for Benefits Patrick W. Dunne.

June 22, 2008
VA reported 879,291 claims were in backlog
June 22
Increased VA budget to quicken disability claims
BILL SMITH VIEWS ON VETERANS
THE HOUSE OF Representatives and the U.S. Senate approved legislation in March that would increase the VA budget by $3.2 billion, which is more than what the Administration offered in February. According to the June issue of DAV magazine, this move could set the VA’s total budget at $93.6 billion for 2009, indicating a $5.22 billion increase from this year. The two bills, H. Con. Res. 312 in the House and S. Con Res. 70 in the Senate, passed March 13 and 14 respectively.
From comments in the June issue of the VFW magazine: “The $3.2 billion increase is in line with the veterans health care recommendations that were laid out in the Independent Budget,” said Dennis M. Cullinan, director, National Legislative Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, when referring to a budget developed by the VFW, Paralyzed Veterans of America, AMVETS and Disabled Veterans. “Both the Senate and House versions reject the proposed co-payment and fee increases, which the VFW strongly opposes.”

July 16, 2008
VA Announces On-Line Claims Applications
Wonder if this has anything to do with Lockheed Martin messing up the claims process? That just made the news yesterday.

VA Announces On-Line Claims Applications
WASHINGTON (July 16, 2008) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that on-line applications are now accepted from veterans, survivors and other claimants filing initial applications for disability compensation, pension, education, and vocational rehabilitation and employment benefits without the additional requirement to submit a signed paper copy of the application.
Effective immediately, VA will now process applications received through its on-line application website (VONAPP) without the claimant's signature. The electronic application will be sufficient authentication of the claimant's application for benefits. Normal development procedures and rules of evidence will still apply to all VONAPP applications.

All of this led to this

House passes 8 veterans’ benefits bills
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jul 30, 2008 17:26:37 EDT
Veterans with disabilities clearly connected to military service, such as amputated limbs as a result of combat wounds, would get speedy approval of claims to receive veterans’ benefits under a bill approved Wednesday by the House.
The Disability Claims Modernization Act, sponsored by Rep. John Hall, D-N.Y., is one of eight veteran-related bills that the House of Representatives rushed to pass before leaving town for a summer break that will stretch into early September and feature a lot of campaigning by lawmakers seeking re-election as well as the Democratic and Republican presidential nominating conventions.

Lockheed Martin mistakes caused $20 million in benefits errors to disabled veterans, Kucinich says
By Stephen Koff, Plain Dealer Washington Bureau Chief
on October 23, 2008
WASHINGTON -- A federal contractor's mistakes have caused $20 million in errors affecting severely disabled military veterans, according to U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich.
It's too early to tell how much of that represents money denied to severely disabled veterans, compared with excessive payments that the government made to veterans who should not have qualified for as much.
But according to Kucinich, citing an audit by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, between 1,782 and 1,985 severely disabled veterans were wrongly denied a payment, while as many as 2,514 such veterans received inaccurate payments. This only includes payments exceeding $2,500, since smaller ones are not part of the DFAS review.
In terms of the number of veterans involved, this means the contractor, Lockheed Martin, "mis-computed and mishandled the VA Retro pay awards of the equivalent of a whole combat brigade," Kucinich said Wednesday.

If you read Wounded Times you get the news like the above without the political bull. You can know the facts. If you subscribe, you get it all first.  Remember it is free!

Medal of Honor Heroes gather to honor everyday heroes

Medal of Honor Heroes gather to honor everyday heroes
2013 Citizen Service Before Self Honors
By C.J. Lin
Stars and Stripes
Published: March 26, 2013

ARLINGTON, Va. — Marcos Ugarte wasn’t even thinking; he just knew he had to do it. He propped up a ladder against a burning home, climbed it and pulled to safety a 7-year-old boy who had been trapped in a second-floor room.

So when 21 Medal of Honor recipients gathered this week to honor the 15-year-old Ugarte and three other civilians with an award for bravery and sacrifice, the teen couldn’t help but think that what he did didn’t quite stack up.

“What I did was so small compared to what they have done in the war,” said Ugarte, of Troutdale, Ore. “They’re amazing. They’ve all done great deeds in the war, and I think it’s just an honor to shake their hand.”
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Army chaplain’s Passover seder a draw across Europe

Army chaplain’s Passover seder a draw across Europe
By Steven Beardsley
Stars and Stripes
Published: March 26, 2013

GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Break out the Haggadah and crack the matza — Passover has arrived at this small Army garrison, where U.S. Army Europe’s only Jewish chaplain is holding services for the second straight year.

Capt. Andrew Shulman of the 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion guided participants in the first of four Passover seders on Monday, a meal that commemorates the Jewish exodus from Egypt and the tale of an angel of death passing over homes marked with the blood of a lamb.

The holiday began at sundown on Monday and continues through next Tuesday.
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 On the subject of "your" Easter and "my" Easter (Orthodox) here's the answer on why it is different.

What differences are there between Easter and Orthodox Easter? The most obvious difference between “Western Easter” and Orthodox Pascha is the date. While the feast-days occasionally coincide, Orthodox Christians still calculate the date of Easter on the old calendar established under Julius Caesar, a calendar which many Orthodox Churches still employ. At St. John’s, we use the modern calendar for most of our “fixed feasts” (we celebrate Christmas on December 25 according to the Gregorian calendar, for example), but in order that all the Orthodox Christian churches may celebrate the great “Feast of feasts” together, we calculate the date of Pascha following the more ancient Christian tradition.

Fatal police shooting of JBLM medic justified

Fatal police shooting of JBLM medic justified
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Mar 27, 2013

TACOMA, Wash. — The Pierce County prosecutor says a police officer was justified in fatally shooting a man who pointed a loaded handgun at him last August outside a Tacoma home.

Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said 29-year-old Prince Jamel Gavin refused orders to drop the gun and was shot when he raised it toward the officer.
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Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier killed by police

US military veterans face inadequate care after returning from war

Take a look at the bold part. That is what I have been saying since 2008!

US military veterans face inadequate care after returning from war – report
Study for Congress has 'serious misgivings' about government's treatment of US troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan
The Guardian
Karen McVeigh in New York

Almost half of the 2.2 million troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan report difficulties on their return home, but many receive inadequate care from the US Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs, according to a new study published on Tuesday.

The Institute of Medicine report, requested by Congress and funded by the Pentagon, expressed "serious misgivings" about methods used to treat the "significant numbers" of returning veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and substance use disorder. It cited tools and treatments used by the DOD which had "no clear scientific evidence base" and said more needed to be done to evaluate their effectiveness.

The study, aimed at examining lingering problems of veterans returning from both conflicts, also called into question a Defense Department policy which bans restricting access to private weapons "even if a service member is at risk from suicide".

It examined veteran suicides, high unemployment rates and also the ramifications of the "high rates" of military sexual assault, all issues that have attracted recent congressional attention.

George Rutherford, the report's co-author, said DOD had been slow to address the needs of returning veterans.

"Although several federal agencies are actively trying to address the support needs of current and former service members deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan as well as their families, the response has been slow and has not matched the magnitude of this population's requirements as many cope with a complex set of health, economic, and other challenges" said Rutherfold, chair of the IOM's committee on the assessment of readjustment needs of military personnel, veterans, and their families.
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They are repeating the same mistakes, claiming it is new and improved.
Congress Hears Military Suicide Testimony

PFC Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer-to-Peer Veterans Counseling

This is what the bill is and what it costs

4 New York Counties Set to Receive Funding for Vets Peer Pilot Program
Sunday, April 08, 2012
By Annmarie Fertoli
Associate Producer
WNYC News

Under the state’s new budget plan, four New York counties — Suffolk, Saratoga, Jefferson, and Rensselaer — are set to receive $200,000 each, to launch a pilot peer support program to help veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.

LONG ISLAND COMMUNITY
NEWS RELEASES
For Immediate Release: March 27, 2013
Zeldin Announces Expansion of PFC Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer-to-Peer Veterans Counseling Program In State Budget

(Long Island, NY) Senator Lee M. Zeldin (R-C-I, Shirley) today announced funding for the continuation and expansion of the PFC Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer-to-Peer Veterans Counseling program in the just passed 2013-14 state budget.

A top priority for Senator Zeldin since first being elected, the Dwyer Program provides “peer-to-peer” counseling between veterans who personally understand the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

Since its inception in last year’s budget, the program has been operating successfully in four test counties: Suffolk, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Jefferson. At Senator Zeldin’s request, this innovative direct counseling program will now be funded again for Suffolk County veterans, those in the other test counties, as well as for veterans in seven additional counties: Nassau, Erie, Onondaga, Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester.

“This is a huge a win for our veterans,” said Senator Zeldin, a Major in the U.S. Army Reserves. “Countless veterans have already benefitted from this excellent program and now even more will have access to this service. I want to thank all of my Senate colleagues who joined me in the fight to ensure that this critical funding was included in this year’s state budget. Their support was instrumental in this effort and will greatly assist our troops who have served our country honorably and are now struggling to make the adjustment back into day-to-day life.”

Senate Republican Leader Dean G. Skelos (R, Rockville Centre) said, “As New York’s veterans worked courageously to protect our freedom, many have faced physical and mental traumas that will last with them long after they return home. The expansion of the PFC Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer-to-Peer Counseling Program will provide an outlet for Nassau’s veterans to share their experience and facilitate healing so that our bravest service members can receive the understanding and care they deserve.”

Independent Democratic Conference Leader Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) said, “Since its inception, the PFC Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer-to-Peer Veterans Counseling program has proven extraordinarily effective at providing top-notch care for our state’s returning heroes. These brave men and women deserve innovative, fully-funded treatment initiatives that provide the type of attention, care, and results that the Dwyer program is already producing. I’m pleased that this budget package expands this great program into Westchester County, where I personally know dozens of veterans who will make good use of this program’s resources.”

“We must ensure that our veterans are afforded every opportunity to succeed and grow upon returning from defending our nation,” said Senator Kenneth P. LaValle (R-C-I, Port Jefferson). “They did their job overseas, now we must do ours by providing them with the services they need here at home.”

Senator David Carlucci (D-Rockland), Chairman of the Senate’s Mental Health Committee, said, “When it comes to treating veterans with PTSD, it’s clear that we need to continue investing in novel approaches that deliver positive results. The PFC Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer-to-Peer Veterans Counseling program is exactly that type of initiative. By providing counseling services from a brother or sister in arms, the Dwyer program breaks down barriers between counselor and patient and provides the type of care that many veterans truly need. I’m pleased that we’re bringing this program to Rockland County, where I know that many of the region’s veterans and families will benefit.”

“I’m pleased that the Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer-to-Peer Veterans Counseling Program will be expanded into Nassau County,” said Senator. Kemp Hannon (R-Nassau). “There are thousands of returning veterans who suffer from PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury, and they deserve no less than our full attention, care and support. I thank Senator Zeldin for his efforts, and join with him in expressing our commitment to providing our servicemen and women with the support services they need to readjust to civilian life back home.”

“Our brave veterans have sacrificed their families and lives to protect our freedoms,” said Senator John Flanagan (R-C-I, East Northport). “We owe them a debt of gratitude and support upon their return from serving this great country. I want to thank Senator Zeldin for his constant efforts on behalf of all New York veterans, and join him in supporting the continuation and expansion of this critically important peer counseling program. The program has already proven to be a great success for so many Suffolk County veterans by easing their transition from military to civilian life. Now the program will be available to even more of our military heroes throughout New York State.”

“Our veterans put everything on the line to protect our freedom and defend our Nation. We owe it to them to provide the best services and support programs when they come home. I am pleased that our Nassau and Suffolk County veterans will have access to the PFC Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer-to-Peer Veterans Counseling Program. As these veterans struggle to adjust to life back at home, we will stand with them, honor their sacrifice and help them heal,” said Senator Carl L. Marcellino (R-Syosset).

“Expanding the Dwyer program will help ensure that veterans affected by PTSD and traumatic brain injury will have greater access to the care they need. Our troops bravely risk their lives on the battlefield to protect us. Their lives should not be at risk again because they could not get the necessary care when they return home. This is an innovative and invaluable service which will now be able to help even more of our American heroes in their time of need,” said Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. (R-Merrick).

“When our men and women return home, unfortunately they bring with them the lasting effects of combat including traumatic brain injury. Peer counseling has been successful in helping ease their transition into their communities as they come home. I fully support not only continuing the program, but expanding it. Our veterans deserve nothing less,” said Senator Jack M. Martins (R-C-I, Mineola).

Senator Phil Boyle (R-C-I, Bay Shore) said, “Combat Veterans have given our great nation their dedicated service to protect our freedom. By providing continued funding for the Joseph Dwyer Veterans Counseling Program, I hope that New York State can make a small payment on the immeasurable debt we owe them for their sacrifices.”

Senator David Valesky (D-Onondaga/Oneida) said, “I’m pleased that this year’s budget package addresses the needs of veterans statewide, by funding extraordinary and proven programs such as the PFC Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer-to-Peer Veterans Counseling initiative. When our country’s bravest men and women return home, I think it’s incumbent upon us as legislators to provide them with the best possible mental health resources. Expanding this program into Onondanga County will help countless veterans and their families overcome the hardships that come with a condition as serious as PTSD. That’s why I’m proud to support it.”

“This past Tuesday, March 19, marked the 10-year anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom and was a solemn reminder of the countless personal sacrifices America’s veterans have made, and continue making, in the preservation of liberty and the defense of our nation. With thousands of veterans suffering from the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), we have a moral obligation to help New York’s heroes overcome these serious challenges. One of my top legislative priorities this year has been a continuation, and expansion, of the PFC Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer-to-Peer Veterans Counseling Program in the 2013-14 State Budget so we can help all of our veterans receive the care and services they need. I am proud to have been part of the successful effort to maintain and increase this necessary funding. The PFC Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer-to-Peer Veterans Counseling Program has already made a positive difference for Rensselaer and Saratoga veterans and its expansion into more counties will further assist New York’s veterans and their families affected by PTSD and TBI. The men and women of our armed forces have made the world a safer and better place. Our words of thanks are not enough – we need to match our words with a sustained commitment of funding for veterans support services that I was honored to help secure,” said Senator Kathleen A. Marchione (R,C-Halfmoon).

“Our veterans make so many sacrifices to defend our country and our freedom,” said Senator Patty Ritchie (R-C Heuvelton). “Because they have given so much, it’s imperative to have resources available that will enable them to cope with the transition into civilian life. The PFC Joseph Dwyer Peer Support Program has already been a tremendous success in Jefferson County and has been an exceptional asset given our close proximity to Ft. Drum and the tens of thousands soldiers and veterans who call our region ‘home’. I am thrilled to see that it will be able to continue and expand to provide a much-needed service to our brave veterans.”

“With the rising number of returning veterans suffering from ailments like traumatic brain injury, we must do everything in our power to give our returning troops the services and programs that they need,” said Senator Greg Ball, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs. “The expansion of the Dwyer program to Putnam, Westchester and five other counties in the state will allow even more veterans to receive these services to help them transition back into civilian life.”

Senator Bill Larkin (R-C-I, Cornwall-on-Hudson) said, “The PFC Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer-to-Peer Counseling Program is an outstanding resource for our veterans and I am pleased that it will now be expanded to Orange County. It means so much to our veterans, particularly returning veterans, to be able to speak with someone who has been through what they have been through and who can provide timely counseling and assistance when they need it the most. This program does just that and I am grateful that additional veterans will have access to these valuable services.”

Senator Mark J. Grisanti (R,I-60) said, “Since the founding of this great country, our veterans have been the backbone for our freedoms. In this day, we now know more about the physical and especially the mental toll serving in our Armed Forces has on the individual. When our veterans return home we need programs like the PFC Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer to Peer Counseling Program set up in our counties to ensure that every veteran who needs access to help has that access as readily available as possible.”

Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer (R-C-I, Amherst) said, “We know that many of our returning service members can experience nightmares, flashbacks, difficulty sleeping, and feeling detached when they come home and try to go back to their previous routines and lives. Now that the PFC Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer-to-Peer Counseling Program has been enacted as part of the 2013-14 State Budget, these veterans will be provided with a way to discuss day-to-day problems with other veterans who have been through the same kind of trauma. It gives veterans a sense of connection to other people again and helps them cope with difficult memories. It will now be an added resource for any veteran in Erie County who wishes to use it.”

“We are learning more and more every day; that for the brave men and women who serve this country, the battle doesn’t end when they return home to American soil. For many, the psychological and emotional impacts of war have long lasting and devastating effects on their mental health and their ability to lead well-adjusted lives. The PFC Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer-to-Peer Counseling Program has made great strides for New York’s veterans dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and I am excited to see this valuable program expanded to Western New York and across the state,” said Senator Patrick M. Gallivan (R-C-I, Elma).

Federal Veterans Administration statistics show that up to 20 percent of Iraq and Afghan war veterans, 10 percent of Gulf War (Desert Storm), and 30 percent of Vietnam veterans experience PTSD.

Weather Channel Maj. Nicole Mitchell fired for military service?

Weather Channel Anchor Says She Was Fired Because Of Military Service
By Claire Gordon
Posted Mar 27th 2013

The internet is full of tributes to Maj. Nicole Mitchell, "weather babe," who for seven years was a familiar face on the Weather Channel. But Mitchell is far more than just a "Hot Girl of the Weather Channel." She's been a military reservist for two decades, now serving as a member of the elite "Hurricane Hunters" for the Air Force Reserve. She has degrees in meteorology and law, and claims that her employment reviews were always outstanding. So it came as a shock to Mitchell, and her fans, when the Weather Channel kicked her off the air in 2010.

Mitchell is one of thousands of National Guard and Reserve members who believe that they lost a job, or were denied a job, because they're on-call to fight for their country. And like many, she's suing -- alleging discrimination against members of the military. After NBC bought The Weather Channel in 2008, Mitchell says that her new managers would frequently complain about her military obligations, purposely schedule work shifts during her trainings, and dock her vacation days. She was bumped from the channel's flagship show to a later night broadcast, and finally, four days after she returned from her two-week annual training in 2010, she was told that her contract wouldn't be renewed, "for business reasons."

"Everyone's loyalty was being tested," says Mitchell about the more intensive demands under NBC. "

'We say jump and we're looking to see who will jump and who won't.' And I couldn't jump." NBC Universal didn't respond to requests for comment.
read more here

Twenty-Two Too Many" Running for the "Swept Aside"

Last night I went out with a group of friends to see a movie. We try to do it every week but last week I couldn't because I was on a roll writing my new book, THE WARRIOR SAW, SUICIDES AFTER WAR. The movie was Lincoln. I wanted to see very much but will have to wait until it is on cable. One of my friends was telling me about the movie and the powerful image of Lincoln after the battle was over and he was alone. I asked her if they had shown him collecting bodies. She was shocked. I told her how Lincoln was in the Illinois Militia and his job during the Black Hawk War was what we call "mortuary affairs" today.

Abraham Lincoln served as a volunteer in the Illinois Militia from April 21, 1832 – July 10, 1832 during the Black Hawk War. Lincoln never saw combat during his tour but was elected captain of his first company. He was also present in the aftermath of two of the war's battles, where he helped to bury the militia dead. He was mustered in and out of service during the war, going from captain to private and finishing his service in an independent spy company commanded by Captain Jacob Early.

Another friend wanted to know about the book and why I am doing it. Another friend asked me how I could expose myself to all of this pain on a daily basis. I told her the answer to both questions is simple. I know them. I also know a lot of quiet heroes. This came from one of them and a group trying to raise awareness of members of our military, past and current, surviving combat but taking their own lives everyday in this country.

Here is what was posted on my Facebook page.

"Twenty-Two Too Many" Running for the "Swept Aside"
by Kevin E. Lake


The latest numbers released by the U.S. Government in regard to the current suicide epidemic among our veterans in America show that there are, on average, twenty two veterans a day committing suicide. This is up from the previously released statistic of eighteen.

If you do the math, you come up with a huge annual number that few media outlets want to put in print. That number is 8,030, and it means that we’re losing almost twice as many veterans to suicide each year than we’ve lost in our ten year involvement in the war in Iraq. The total number of soldiers lost in Iraq and Afghanistan since the war on terror began nearly a dozen years ago is not much higher than this.

This is the first time in world history that more soldiers have died from suicide after coming home from war than have died on the battlefields of the war itself.

Through my personal experiences as a veteran who struggles with P.T.S.D., and the extensive research I’ve done in regard to the issue of veteran suicide for the articles that I write as well as a book that I’ve written on the topic, I’ve identified three categories of concern and the underlying factors within each category that are proving to be the leading causes of these unnecessary deaths.

First, there is ‘the system.’ Within the system, which involves the U.S. military and U.S. Government provided healthcare agencies such as the V.A. we see the main factors contributing to the epidemic appearing in the forms of abusive leadership within the ranks and mismanagement and over prescription of medications.

The second area of concern I’ve identified is the soldier’s family. Within this unit, we often see soldiers personal lives fall apart during and after deployments through divorce, alienation from children and other family members, financial ruin, etc.

Thirdly, we have ‘the darkness.’ I cannot explain the darkness; I only know that it exists. It surrounds me at times, as it does all of us who have had traumatic experiences, and who suffer from P.T.S.D., and I fear that there is something lurking within the darkness that knows whose number is up, whose number will be called later, and for some reason, whose number will not be called at all (though the ‘thing’ enjoys lurking around in these people’s darkness regardless).

This is the only way I know of describing this ‘unknown’ portion of the puzzle, and I believe that anyone who has ever been visited by the darkness and the ‘thing’ that inhabits it will understand.

In regard to the system, the answer is quite simple- give abusive leaders within the ranks their walking papers, and get the meds issue which seems to be so out of control under control- but the solution seems to be slow in coming, because it requires action, and we all know that government agencies are not the swiftest in turning with the tides.

In regard to the family, more resiliency training is needed BEFORE soldiers deploy to war. The pain and struggles will still be there, but being forewarned is being forearmed, and convincing everyone to bring their spouses and family members to the last National Guard or Reserve drill before deploying to sit through a two hour long ‘death by power point’ presentation does not constitute resiliency training.

What can we do about the darkness?

We need light. And the good news is that you don’t have to be a soldier, or a veteran, or a spouse, or a family member, or any part of any institution to light a candle.

You simply need to care about those who are in the dark.

Keri Jacobs is an Air Force mom who cares and has been acting on her concerns in many ways over the past few years. She has sent care packages filled with goodies like cookies and other favorite foods and snacks as well as letters to deployed troops. Each year she volunteers at a week long respite for wounded warriors.

It was while attending the wounded warrior respite a couple of years ago that Keri heard a VA psychiatrist make a statement that has stayed with her and has led her to do even more. The counselor simply yet profoundly said, “We can’t let those (veterans and soldiers) with P.T.S.D. fall through the cracks.”

Keri started reaching out to other parents whose children were suffering from P.T.S.D., and she befriended another military mom, Susan, on a military mom support site. Susan was worried about her son Andy who ‘was not the same person since coming back from the war.’ Shortly after Keri and Susan became friends, Susan’s son Andy was swallowed by the darkness. It is still uncertain whether the medication overdose that caused his death was intentional or accidental.

Around the same time that Susan lost her son Andy, Keri had made the acquaintance of a man named Sid Busch, a Navy veteran who had started a group called “Running in Memory of Our Fallen Heroes”. Sid is in his sixties and has run over 200 marathons. The last 40 of them have been in memory of fallen warriors.

Keri knew that she wanted to run for Andy, and she asked and received permission from Susan to run the Baltimore marathon, held in October, in his memory. Keri pinned Andy’s picture to the front and back of her shirt, and for her, it was an incredible experience running in his honor.

“I used the time to pray for the family, to think of Andy, to answer questions and receive condolences from other runners,” she says of the experience. “At the end of the race, I collected my finisher’s medal to send to Susan.”

After Keri’s first marathon run in memory of Andy, some of her friends expressed interest in running to honor the memory of those who’d been swallowed by the darkness. They wanted to run in the upcoming Rehoboth Beach Marathon in Delaware, which was held this past December.

Keri had become friends with two other ladies who had started groups to honor their son’s memories and to raise awareness of P.T.S.D. and veteran suicide by this time. She and four of her friends ran in memory of her two new friend’s sons, Randy and Trever, as well as Andy’s memory once again.

Randy’s mother has been raising awareness of P.T.S.D. and suicide among our veterans in her own way through her Facebook group Operation I.V., which you can join and support at: www.facebook.com/OPERATIONIV, and Trever Gould’s mother has been doing the same with her group, which you can also join and support at Trevor Gould Memorial.

This second Marathon in which Keri ran for this cause inspired her to go even farther and find more runners to run in honor of even more fallen heroes. Of her following actions, she says this: “It seemed natural to plan again for a spring marathon. With a large field of 30,000 runners, the Rock N Roll DC Marathon was an excellent venue for raising awareness of combat P.T.S.D. Several of my friends and I signed up. I wanted to run in memory of more of our troops. While I knew there was no shortage, I wanted permission from the families; there needed to be a personal connection. I started researching and reading news articles. I would sit by the fire every night, sip wine, surf the web and read the most tragic stories about combat suicide. This was emotionally overwhelming. There needed to be a whole new vocabulary to describe what I felt that was beyond using the words ‘heartbreaking’ and ‘maddening’. Using sources like the “Wounded Times Blog” and “Military Suicide Report” I found names.

“If something struck me about a particular story, I would write down the name, look up the obituary and then locate the survivors and their addresses via the online white pages. After many hours, I had 15 names, 15 sets of parents, and 15 addresses. I wrote a personal letter to each family member, explaining how we would like to honor their sons’ memory by running in their honor in a March 2013 marathon. Emails and letters started trickling in, granting permission. Not everyone replied, and a few were returned.

“I had more veterans. I needed more runners. By word of mouth and emails to our training group, several volunteered. The requirements were that they needed to read the stories, run with their vet’s picture on their front and back, and send the finisher’s medal to the families. I matched each runner with a soldier or Marine. We all wanted to run strong in their memory and wanted to show the families we cared.”

Ironically, by race day Keri had a total of eleven runners running in memory of eleven veterans, two numbers which eerily add up twenty two, the number of veterans we lose each day to suicide, hence the term ‘Twenty two too many.”

“Among our veterans were two from the Vietnam War,” Keri says. We pinned our pictures on our front and back and ran our best. There is nothing like the feeling of having another Marine run by you, salute the picture of “your” Marine and shout “Semper Fi!”

Keri shared with me that she’d run across a quote from Boyd Wicks, Sr., the father of a Marine who had lost his battle with the darkness while she was doing her research on veteran suicide that really changed her and gave her a sense of purpose. Wicks had pleaded, “Please remember those who came back after combat and committed suicide. My son died that way. No one seems to care about him or the others who have died from P.T.S.D. after combat. Because they didn’t die in a war zone or in uniform, they are forgotten – swept aside. They don’t fit in anywhere. No one recalls these dead heroes, who also gave all.”

Keri Jacobs and her friends have not forgotten. They are honoring Wicks’ plea. “We run for this purpose,” she says. “To remember and honor these heroes who also gave all.”

If you have a family member or a friend who served our country proudly in the military and has since been swallowed by the darkness, and you would like their memory honored by having Keri and her friends run in their memory, please feel free to contact Keri Jacobs on Facebook

*In memory of: SFC Randy Abrams, CPL Jonathan Bartlett, SPC William Busbee, SP5 James Clarke, SPC Christopher Dana, SGT Dylan Fisher, SPC Trever Gould, CPL Clay Hunt, ‘Vietnam Andy’, SGT Boyd “Chip” Wicks, Jr., SGT Andrew Wilson

Kevin E Lake is an author and in Iraq War Veteran. His latest novel “Off Switch” was written to raise public awareness of the veteran and soldier suicide epidemic in the U.S. and is available.

To lay down his life for the sake of his friends

Last week I wrote two posts on healing and survivors guilt.Walking Point out of PTSD darkness and "It should have been you" said dying Marine Looking for more details to put into my new book, THE WARRIOR SAW, SUICIDES AFTER WAR, I found one going back to a month after I started this blog. Considering yesterday I celebrated the fact this blog has been read 1 million times, I thought it would be good to share it with some of the new readers.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Kathie Costos for Wounded Times
To lay down his life for the sake of his friends.

Do you think God abandoned you still? Come on and admit that while you were in the center of the trauma, you either felt the hand of God on your shoulder, or more often, never felt further from Him. In natural disasters, we pray to God to protect us. Yet when it's over we wonder why He didn't make the hurricane hit someplace else or why the tornadoes came and destroyed what we had while leaving the neighbors house untouched. We wonder why He heals some people while the people we love suffer. It is human nature to wonder, search for answers and try to understand.

In times of combat, it is very hard to feel anything Godly. Humans are trying to kill other humans and the horrors of wars become an evil act. The absence of God becomes overwhelming. We wonder how a loving God who blessed us with Jesus, would allow the carnage of war. We wonder how He could possibly forgive us for being a part of it. For soldiers, this is often the hardest personal crisis they face.

They are raised to love God and to be told how much God loves them. For Christians, they are reminded of the gift of Jesus, yet in moments of crisis they forget most of what Jesus went through.

Here are a few lessons and you don't even have to go to church to hear them. ( Matthew 8:5-13)
As he entered Caper'na-um, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress." And he said to him, "I will come and heal him." But the centurion answered him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth." And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; be it done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed at that very moment.

This sounds like a great act Jesus did. You think about the Roman Centurion, powerful, commanding, able to lead men into combat, perhaps Jesus even knew of the other men this Centurion has killed. Yet this same man, capable of killing, was also capable of great compassion for what some regarded as a piece of property, his slave. He showed he didn't trust the pagan gods the Romans prayed to but was willing to trust Jesus.

Yet when you look deeper into this act, it proves that Jesus has compassion for the warriors. The life and death of Jesus were not surprises to Him. He knew from the very beginning how it would end. This is apparent throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament. He knew He would be betrayed, beaten, mocked, humiliated and nailed to the cross by the hands of Romans. Yet even knowing this would come, He had compassion for this Roman soldier. The Romans had tortured and killed the Jews since the beginning of their empire as well as other conquered people. The Roman soldiers believed in what they were doing, yet even with that, there was still documentation of them suffering for what they did.

Ancient historians documented the illness striking the Greeks, which is what we now call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. There is evidence this illness hit every generation of warriors. Jesus would be aware that saving the Centurion's slave, because of the faith and trust He placed in Jesus, would be reported from soldier to soldier. Jesus showed compassion even to the Romans. How can we think that He would not show compassion to today's soldiers? How can we think that He would look any differently on them than He did toward the soldiers who would nail Him to the Cross?

God didn't send you into combat. Another human did. God however created who you are inside. The ability to be willing to lay down your life for the sake of others was in you the day you were born. While God allows freewill, for good and for evil, He also has a place in His heart for all of His children. We humans however let go of His hand at the time we need to hold onto it the most.

When tragedy and trauma strike, we wonder where God was that He allowed it to happen. Then we blame ourselves. We do the "if" and " but" over and over again in our own minds thinking it was our fault and the trauma was a judgment from God. Yet we do not consider that God could very well be the reason we survived it all. PTSD is a double edge cut to the person. The trauma strikes the emotions and the sense that God has abandoned us strikes at the soul. There is no greater sense of loss than to feel as if God has left you alone especially after surviving trauma and war. If you read the passage of Jesus and the Roman, you know that this would be impossible for God to do to you. Search your soul and you will find Him still there. For the last story on this we have none other than the Arch Angel Michael, the warrior angel. If God did not value the warrior for the sake of good, then why would He create a warrior angel and make him as mighty as he was?

Michael has a sword in one hand and a scale in the other. God places things in balance for the warriors.

And in John 15:

12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

When it comes to waging war, issuing orders, God will judge the hearts and minds of those who sent you and He will also know yours. If you feel you need to be forgiven, then ask for it and you will be forgiven. Yet if you know in your heart the basis of your service was that of the willingness to lay down your life for your friends, then ask to be healed. Know this. That if Jesus had the compassion for a Roman how could He have any less compassion for you?

Because the military is in enough trouble already trying to evangelize soldiers for a certain branch of Christianity, understand this is not part of that. It's one of the benefits of having I don't care what faith you have or which place of worship you attended. If you were a religious person at any level before combat, your soul is in need of healing as well. There is a tremendous gift when the psychological healing is combined with the spiritual healing. If you have a religious leader you can talk to, please seek them out.

If you doubt this, the top post on Wounded Times is "For those I love I will sacrifice" and has been read over 35,000.

If you don't have one, or one who will listen to you, call me at 407-754-7526 or email me woundedtimes@aol.com.

If you don't want to talk to a woman than go to Point Man International Ministries site and use the drop down menu for OUTPOSTS find your state and contact them.