Tuesday, August 26, 2014

VA Investigators did not find proof of deaths caused by delays

Veterans Affairs says no proof delays caused deaths at hospital
CBS/AP
August 25, 2014

WASHINGTON - The Department of Veterans Affairs says investigators have found no proof that delays in care caused any deaths at a VA hospital in Phoenix, deflating an explosive allegation that helped expose a troubled health care system in which veterans waited months for appointments while employees falsified records to cover up the delays.

Revelations that as many as 40 veterans died while awaiting care at the Phoenix VA hospital rocked the agency last spring, bringing to light scheduling problems and allegations of misconduct at other hospitals as well. The scandal led to the resignation of former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. In July, Congress approved spending an additional $16 billion to help shore up the system.
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Marine gave life with poem he carried, it has been stolen

Poem found on fallen Marine's body stolen
Memento given to family stolen from truck
WCVB News
Heather Unruh
Aug 25, 2014

FAIRHAVEN, Mass. —He was only 19, when Lance Cpl. Matthew Rodriguez of Fairhaven died in action in Afghanistan last December.

Now, as his family struggles to cope with his death, a theft of something very precious to the Marine. He carried it with him the day he died.

His family hopes it will be recovered.

The Marine and his high school sweetheart Julia Tapper were engaged just a year before Rodriguez was killed on the battlefield last December.

"We would have talks about what might happen to him and he would always tell me not to be sad or crying," said Tapper, Rodriguez's fiance.

"He was always smiling, must a big goofy kid," said the soldier's mother, Lisa Rodriguez.

Holding on to memories is all the family has.

Then on Sunday a precious part of those memories was stolen.

Matthew's truck was broken into in a New Bedford parking lot. Julia's purse was taken.

Inside the purse was Matthew's iPhone and a poem she shared with her lost Marine.

Rodriguez had cut it out, laminated it, and never parted with it. It was found in his helmet the day he died.
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Marine Iraq Veteran Beaten Over Michael Brown?

Marine, war veteran beaten in possible hate crime
WMCAction
News5.com Staff
Posted: Aug 26, 2014

West Point, Miss.
(WMC) - A 32-year-old Marine and Iraq war veteran attacked and beaten in what might be a hate crime.

Investigators say several men jumped Ralph Weems in a parking lot in West Point, Mississippi.

One man is in custody, but West Point Police Chief Tim Brinkley says there were more attackers. His department is developing a list and trying to bring them in for questioning.

The Associated Press reports that Weems' friend and fellow veteran David Knighten says the beating was racially charged.

Knighten says someone outside a Waffle House told him politely that it was not a safe place for whites to be at the moment, because people inside were upset over the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
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Latest Fort Lee Suicide Part of Many

Fort Lee has history of soldier killings, suicides
Times Dispatch
Mark Bowes
Richmond Times Dispatch
August 25, 2014

Fort Lee has seen at least four other soldiers commit suicide in the past three years, with two of them collectively killing five other people before fatally shooting themselves.

The soldiers who killed had served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and at least one of them was being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder after returning from his last deployment.

Three years ago today, Fort Lee Army Capt. Leonard J. Egland, 37, committed one of the worst multiple slayings in Chesterfield in a decade. Police said he fatally shot his estranged wife, Carrie P. Egland, 36; her new boyfriend, Scott T. Allred, 40; and Allred’s 7-year-old son, Morgan, in the Chester home the Eglands had shared before they separated about a year earlier and Egland moved out.

Police said Egland, an 18-year Army veteran who served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, then traveled to Pennsylvania, where he fatally shot his estranged wife’s mother, Barbara Reuhl, 66, before dropping off his daughter unharmed at a hospital. Egland then fatally shot himself in Jamison, Pa., after firing at police who tried to stop him.
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Fort Lee Suicide

Tulsa researchers attempt to end nightmares of PTSD

Local Researchers Take New Approach to Treating PTSD
NPR
Matt Trotter
August 25, 2014

These nightmares tend to stick around a long time. Think of the worst night’s sleep you’ve ever had, then multiply it. By a lot.

"In our clinical trials, the noncombat trials that we’ve done, it’s an average of 16 to 18 years that people have suffered from nightmares multiple times per week," Davis said. "And in our combat study that we did a couple years ago, it was an average of 40 years."

Nearly 8 million Americans suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychologists at a local institute believe they’ve found a better way to treat it, and they have backing from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology in the form of a six-figure grant.

The typical course of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder involves nine to 12 sessions with a therapist.

"And there’s no medications involved. It is an approach that focuses on the way that trauma impacts the way that you think, the way that you behave and the way that you feel," said Joanne Davis, codirector of the Tulsa Institute for Trauma, Abuse and Injustice, and an associate professor of psychology at the University of Tulsa.

She’s launching a study of a two-sided treatment approach for PTSD because traditional therapy helps with functional issues "but nightmares and sleep problems are considered to be the hallmark of posttraumatic stress disorder," Davis said.

"And they’re really looked-at important factors that not only help in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder but also in maintaining it over the long term."
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Woman ran 3,400 miles for veterans

Woman runs 3,400 miles for wounded veterans
By MYFOX NEW YORK STAFF
Posted: Aug 25, 2014

NEW YORK (MYFOXNY)
Long-distance running helped Anna Judd overcome challenges in life and she used that experience to help America's veterans struggling with their own conditions.

Judd completed a 3,400- mile run from Venice, California to Lower Manhattan over five months in an effort to draw awareness to America's wounded soldiers. She arrived in New York City on Saturday afternoon.

"I feel pretty good. I think your body can adjust to anything. It was a huge physical challenge. I wanted to challenge myself to my limitations not just physically but emotionally and make a difference in the world," said Judd.

The veteran suicide rate is 22 a day, added Judd, and the number with psychological and mental health problems including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder is high.
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Fort Hood Soldier's Death in Afghanistan Under Investigation

Fort Hood soldier dies in Afghanistan from "non-combat" related incident
ABC News 25
Posted: Aug 25, 2014

FORT HOOD - The Department of Defense has released the name of a Fort Hood soldier who died from a "non-combat" related incident on Friday, August 22 in Gardez, Afghanistan.

According to the Fort Hood Public Affairs Office, Sgt. Christopher Waugh Mulalley, 26, whose home of record is listed as Eureka, California, entered active-duty service in July 2006 as an infantryman.

Circumstances surrounding his death are under investigation. Further details into the incident were not released.
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Monday, August 25, 2014

Data on VA suicide prevention shows "shh" moment extended

VA touts progress on suicides; data tell another story
USA TODAY
Dennis Wagner
August 25, 2014
But other evidence hints at the magnitude of the crisis. As of June 2012, the national VA Suicide Prevention Line was getting roughly 17,000 calls per month — up more than 17 percent from 2009. Four out of five were veterans seeking help, nearly one-third of them contemplating suicide.

Seven years ago, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs rejected allegations by media outlets and watchdog organizations that America faced a suicide epidemic among former military personnel.

The VA claimed just 790 veterans under department care had taken their own lives that year. Yet, by reviewing available public records since 2005, CBS News uncovered 6,256 suicides.

As VA officials publicly disputed the network's data, Dr. Ira Katz, the top mental-health officer, was sending internal e-mails titled "Not for the CBS Interview Request."

"Shh!" Katz wrote in one message. "Our suicide prevention coordinators are identifying about 1,000 suicide attempts per month among veterans we see in our medical facilities."

When the e-mails were disclosed, confirming the CBS findings, some members of Congress called for Katz's resignation or termination.

Today, Katz remains at VA headquarters as acting director of mental health operations. In a phone interview with The Arizona Republic, he and Caitlin Thompson, deputy director for suicide prevention, said veterans' mental-health care is a national success story that merits a B+ if graded on a curve against other programs. Katz said recent data indicate the suicide rate is increasing among men in the general U.S. population but is stable among VA patients. "We're doing relatively well by fighting this trend," he added.
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I made a promise about not writing anything that was not positive on military suicides so I am reserving what I want to say now with this latest report. So here is just a reminder.

This is from 2008 and the promises made by the VA to respond to the suicide crisis
Justice Department lawyer Richard Lepley argued Monday that the VA has responded to the unprecedented number of claims, which officials say is being driven by aging Vietnam veterans and other warriors of the Cold War era, by launching a massive new hiring process.

Lepley told the judge that the VA has added more than 3,700 new "mental health physicians" to a mental health professional staff of 17,000 that treats increasing cases if post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological problems in the last year.

"We are staffing up," Lepley said. "We can't do it overnight."

Government lawyers say the VA has been devoting more resources to mental health and making suicide prevention a top priority. They also argue that the courts don't have the authority to tell the department how it should operate.

Earlier in the morning, veterans lawyer Gordon Erspamer told the judge that the VA isn't doing enough, calling for the judge to order a massive overhaul of how the VA processes claims and perhaps hire a "special master" to preside over the agency.

Erspamer cited a RAND Corp. report released last week estimating that 300,000 U.S. troops—about 20 percent of those deployed—are suffering from depression or post-traumatic stress from serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Erspamer showed the judge two e-mails written last year among high-ranking officials that said an average of 18 military veterans kill themselves each day—and five of them are under VA care when they commit suicide. Another e-mail said 1,000 veterans under VA care attempt suicide each month.

Minnesota: Veteran Suicides Almost Double Civilian Rate

Veterans and suicide: A national issue with local consequences
St. Cloud Times
Kirsti Marohn and David Unze
August 25, 2014

Almost 19 percent of suicides in Minnesota from 2007-12 were veterans

That's the estimated number of veterans in the United States who died by suicide every day in 2010, according to a February 2012 report from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

A St. Cloud Times analysis of state death records found that 686 veterans died by suicide in Minnesota from 2007 to 2012. Almost 19 percent of suicides in Minnesota during those years were veterans, which closely tracks the national numbers.

Veterans also are dying from suicides at a higher rate than the general population, according to the Times analysis.

The average rate of veteran suicides in Minnesota during that six-year period was 30 per 100,000 people, almost double the suicide rate of the overall population of 15.4 per 100,000.

Scars of Service

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New York Daily News called Fort Lee soldier "unhinged" in suicide report?

Fort Lee suicide soldier identified as Sgt. 1st Class Paula Walker from Yonkers, NY Paula Walker was a human resources specialist, the U.S. Army says. The 14-year veteran shot herself to death in a barricaded office on the Virginia base.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Soldier dies after shooting at Fort Lee
WWBT
Posted: Aug 25, 2014


FORT LEE, VA (WWBT)
Fort Lee officials say a soldier has died after she likely shot herself at the post Monday morning.

The shooting caused the post to be placed on lockdown for around 45 minutes.

Army officials have not released the soldier's identity, but say she is an E7 Sergeant First Class who was deployed to Iraq in 2007 for 15 months in the personnel arena.

The soldier came into the Combined Arms Support Command Headquarters, building 5020 around 8:45 a.m. She went to the third floor of the building armed with a small, concealed handgun. She barricaded herself inside an office and began throwing stuff around the room.

An alert was sounded and officials made occupants take shelter or evacuate as negotiators tried to get the situation to end peacefully. Officials say the soldier turned the gun to her head and fired a single shot. No other injuries were reported.

Special Agents from the US Army Criminal Investigations Command are on scene and investigating.

Officials initially called the incident a 'police emergency' and asked everyone to stay indoors. The installation was locked down and all personnel were asked to enact active shooter protocols.
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Disturbed female soldier dies after she shoots herself in apparent suicide attempt at Fort Lee in Virginia
The female sergeant died after she barricaded herself in an office at the Combined Arms Support Command and threw things at police who tried to calm her down before firing a single round into her head, a major general at the fort said.
New York Daily News
BY PHILIP CAULFIELD
August 25, 2014

An unhinged female soldier died after she barricaded herself in an office at Fort Lee in Virginia and shot herself in the head on Monday, officials said.

The soldier initially survived the self-inflicted blast, but died after she was taken to Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, officials at the fort said.

The incident at the heavily populated base began at around 9 a.m. when military authorities received alerts about a female soldier with a gun inside building 5020 at the Combined Arms Support Command headquarters.

Maj. Gen. Stephen R. Lyons, CASC's commander, said the sergeant 1st class had snapped, barricaded herself in an office with a gun and threw things at authorities trying to talk her down.
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There was another suicide tied to Fort Lee in January

Man dead in apparent murder-suicide a soldier, Fort Lee officials say
FROM STAFF REPORTS)
Published: January 15, 2014

FORT LEE - A man suspected of killing his wife and then turning the gun on himself was a decorated Fort Lee soldier who had done several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Terrell D. Davidson, 38, was an Army first sergeant who had deployed to Iraq for three tours and one tour in Afghanistan, according to a statement from Fort Lee officials Tuesday.

Davidson was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in the 12000 block of Mason Avenue around 9:15 p.m. Sunday, according to Chesterfield County police. Nearby, police found the body of the solider's wife, Nequia S. Davidson, 39. She died from a gunshot wound, police said.

Terrell Davidson entered active duty service in 1993 as an automated logistical specialist. He arrived at Fort Lee two years ago and served in a staff position as an instructor/writer. In November 2013, he was assigned as the senior noncommissioned officer in a 23rd Quartermaster Brigade training company.

Davidson deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 and Iraq in 2003, 2004 and 2008.

His awards and decorations included the Bronze Star medal, five Army Commendation medals, five Army Achievement medals, six Army Good Conduct medals, two National Defense Service medals, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary medal, Global War on Terrorism Service medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbons, Combat Action Badge and Air Assault.
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