PTSD Awareness Month Begins Today

June is PTSD Awareness Month

Raise Awareness 

Ten steps to raise awareness on PTSD
10 Steps to Raise PTSD Awareness

Know more about PTSD.
Understand common reactions to trauma and when those reactions might be PTSD.

Challenge your beliefs about treatment.
PTSD treatment can help. We now have effective PTSD treatments that can make a difference in the lives of people with PTSD.

Explore the options for those with PTSD.
Find out where to get help for PTSD and learn how to choose a therapist. Also see our Self-Help and Coping section section to learn about peer support and other coping strategies.

Reach out. Make a difference.
You can help a family member with PTSD, including assisting your Veteran who needs care. Know there is support for friends and family too.

Know the facts.
More than half of US adults will experience at least one trauma in their lifetime. How common is PTSD?.
For Veterans and people who have been through violence and abuse, the number is higher.

Expand your understanding.
Learn about assessment and how to find out if someone has PTSD. Complete a brief checklist or take an online screen to see if a professional evaluation is needed. June 20th is National PTSD Screening Day.

Share PTSD information.
Share handouts, brochures, or wallet cards about trauma and PTSD.

Meet people who have lived with PTSD.
Visit AboutFace, an online gallery dedicated to Veterans talking about how PTSD treatment turned their lives around.

Take advantage of technology.
Download PTSD Coach mobile app and treatment companion apps in the National Center for PTSD's growing collection of mobile offerings.

Keep informed.
Get the latest information about PTSD. Sign up for our PTSD Monthly Update, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Half of oldest VA claims cleared with provisional decisions

VA HALVES THE NUMBER OF CLAIMS BACKLOGGED MORE THAN TWO YEARS
Nextgov
By Bob Brewin
May 22, 2013

The Veterans Affairs Department has processed 22,000 out of the 42,000 disability claims that have languished for two years or longer, Allison A. Hickey, VA’s undersecretary for benefits, told a House VA Committee hearing today.

The 51 percent reduction occurred after VA kicked off a project on April 19 to eliminate the oldest claims in the backlog within 60 days. Hickey said the department expects to meet that goal.

VA decided to speed up processing of old claims by making a provisional decision to authorize payment to veterans who would then have a year to file additional evidence to support their case. Hickey said that only 5 percent of the old claims rated over the past month had a provisional rating.

Once VA clears out the oldest claims, Hickey said the department will start to work on claims backlogged between one and two years; officials expect to clear those within six months.
read more here

Jon Stewart, there is nothing funny about VA claims

Jon Stewart, there is nothing funny about VA claims
by Kathie Costos
Wounded Times
May 3, 2013

The Daily Show last night focused on the VA claim backlog. It is a serious subject. While claims are tied up, the obvious issue is the lack of income to cover their lost incomes due to service connected disabilities. What is not so obvious is what the denials and waiting does to these veterans and their families.

My husband's claim took six years. We couldn't pay our bills but that was not the worst thing. The VA took our tax refunds to pay for his care because our private health insurance would not cover his treatment. They said due to the diagnosis, it was the responsibility of the VA to take care of him. When did that happen? He filed his claim in 1993 and it was not approved until 1999! The stress added to his PTSD, the very thing that he was seeking treatment for. He had great doctors and they worked with me helping him get through all of that.

While Stewart is focusing on the "issue" now, it is not a new problem and there are many reasons for the backlog being increased. It is about as bad as it was in 2008.

By March of 2007, the Boston Globe reported that the backlog of claims had gone from 69,000 in 2000 to 400,000 in 2007 taking 177 days to process an original claim and 657 days to process an appeal. The news got worse with a staggering 915,000 in 2009 with 803,000 with the Board of Appeals.

“Backlogs are at the point where veterans must wait an average of six months for a decision on benefits claims and some veterans are waiting as long as four years,” number of unprocessed veterans claims exceeds 915,000 — a 100,000 jump since the beginning of the year.” (Have VA Pay old claims automatically, Rick Maze, Marine Corps Times, June 30, 2009)

The VA has a weekly release of the claims. As of Monday, 60% are "supplemental claims" because while the veteran has received some benefits, most of the time they have to appeal for a higher rate or have other illnesses that may be service connected as well.

Then there is the breakdown of who is filing the claims. Pending Claims has 865,989 claims with 37% coming from Vietnam Veterans, 23% from Gulf War Veterans, 20% from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, 11% listed as Peacetime and 9% from "Other Veterans." There are 606,007 considered "backlog" claims. They breakdown pretty much the same way.

Characteristics of the pending Compensation Inventory
VA tracks claims that make up the pending Compensation Inventory by a Veteran’s era of service. As of Dec 31, 2012, claims from Veterans of the following eras make up VA’s inventory (total number of claims) and backlog (claims pending for more than 125 days):

Source: Dept. Veterans Affairs, 3/28/13
Backlog: Claims pending longer than 125 days
Post-9/11 (Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts) claims make up 21% of the total inventory and 22% of the backlog
Gulf War (definition) claims make up 23% of the total inventory and 21% of the backlog Peacetime (period between end of Vietnam and Gulf War) claims make up 11% of the total inventory and 11% of the backlog
Vietnam claims make up 37% of the total inventory and 38% of the backlog
Korean War claims make 4% of the total inventory and 4% of the backlog
World War II claims make up 3% of the total inventory and 3% of the backlog
Other era claims make up 1% of the total inventory and 1% of the backlog

Original vs. Supplemental Claims
VA’s current Inventory of compensation claims contains both "original" claims—those submitted by Veterans of all eras who are claiming disability compensation from VA for the first time, and “supplemental” claims—those submitted by Veterans of all eras who have previously filed for disability compensation with VA. Below is a breakout of the original and supplemental claims in the current VA inventory:

60% of pending claims are supplemental, 40% are original.
77% of Veterans filing supplemental claims are receiving some level of monetary benefit from VA.
11% of Veterans filing supplemental claims already have a 100% disability rating (receive $2800 or more per month) or qualify for Individual Unemployability (compensated at the 100% disabled rate).
40% of Veterans filing supplemental claims are already rated at 50% disability or higher. 43% of supplemental claims are from Vietnam-era Veterans; 19% are from Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
There are 3.9 million Veterans of all eras who are currently in receipt of disability benefits from VA. Of those, 10% have a supplemental claim in the pending compensation inventory. In fiscal year 2012, VA delivered $54 billion in compensation and pension benefits.

The VBA's Office of Performance Analysis and Integrity is responsible for compiling these spreadsheets. Questions or comments should be e-mailed to VBA's Office of Field Operations which is responsible for regional office management.

There was a backlog of claims already but the rules were changed to help Vietnam veterans and they were encouraged to file claims previously denied for Agent Orange and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. As you can see, the claims backlog was already at this rate without doing the right thing for Vietnam veterans.

Stewart seems to think he is doing some good by focusing on the problem that is leaving veterans and their families suffering but unfortunately, while he may have thought it was a good thing to do, making fun of a serious issue like this did no one any service but Stewart.

We should feel grateful that he is at least talking about this but unless the public is informed on what is really going on and how long it has been happening, we will repeat the same mistakes years from now.

$40 million more on military suicide prevention?

N.J. congressmen call for $40 million in additional funding for military suicide prevention efforts
By Emily Brill
Times of Trenton
April 30, 2013

TRENTON – Congress must confront the rising rate of military suicides by funding efforts to reach out to military personnel, two New Jersey congressmen said today.

“Saying, ‘Call this number if you feel suicidal’ is not enough,” U.S. Rep. Rush Holt said. “We need outreach.”

Holt (D-12th Dist.) called on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee to continue setting aside $40 million for military and veteran suicide prevention efforts during a press conference at the the state's World War II Memorial on West State Street today.

By his side were U.S. Rep. John Runyan (R-3rd Dist.), who helped Holt secure the funding in past years, and Christopher Kosseff, a University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey executive who administers Vets 4 Warriors, a military peer counseling service funded by the appropriation.
read more here

Boston Marathon wounds raise anxiety for war veterans

It is not just the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, but all veterans. Bombs have been planted in the earth for generations. For the OEF and OIF veterans, it is pretty raw emotionally. WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Gulf War veterans have been thru September 11th so they saw their anxiety level rise back then. This is yet one more reminder of lives on the line doing what this country asked of them. All of them need help right now.

Boston Marathon wounds raise anxiety for Iraq, Afghanistan war veterans
Long Island Newsday
April 21, 2013
By MARTIN C. EVANS

The horrific wounds on the legs of some Boston Marathon spectators were all too similar to those witnessed and experienced by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Timothy Strobel of Shirley, a former Army medic, who rushed to aid the wounded when a Baghdad suicide bomber injured 38 Iraqi civilians at a crowded gas station in 2007, had to turn away from television images streaming out of Boston.

Christopher Levi of Holbrook, a former soldier with the 10th Mountain Division, who during a 2008 roadside bombing in Iraq lost both legs, felt vulnerable as he heard accounts of amputations in Boston.

They are among veterans who said the images from the Boston bombings, which killed three and wounded more than 170, inflamed their own anxieties about their experiences in war.

"It brought me right back there," said Strobel, 30, who served during one of the bloodiest periods of the Iraq War, and who now counsels veterans coping with war-related anxieties. "I had to turn the television off."

Strobel is a program coordinator for the Suffolk County-based PFC Joseph Dwyer Veterans PTSD Peer-to-Peer Program, which works with veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder. After the group's Facebook page urged veterans who were experiencing anxieties related to the Boston bombings to contact the program, more than a half dozen replied.
read more here

Older VA claims getting priority

VA says disability claims pending more than year will get priority
By Associated Press
Updated: Friday, April 19, 4:16 PM

WASHINGTON — Veterans waiting more than a year for a decision on their disability claims are moving to the front of the line, under a new program announced Friday.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is responding to criticism about the soaring number of claims that have been pending for longer than 125 days. The VA said that of the nearly 900,000 claims pending in the system, some 250,000 are from veterans who have been waiting at least a year for a decision.

Veterans receive disability compensation for injuries and illness incurred or aggravated during their active military service. The amount of the compensation is based on a rating assigned by the VA.

Allison Hickey, the VA undersecretary who oversees the Veterans Benefits Administration, says provisional decisions will be made on the oldest cases based on the evidence currently in the veteran’s file. In some cases, medical exams will be required, and those will be expedited.

Veterans whose claims are granted would get compensation immediately. Veterans whose claims are denied will have a year to submit more information before the VA makes a final decision.
read more here

Generations of war veterans show what team work really is

Veterans from WWII to Afghanistan swap war stories, share bonds in Henderson courtroom
Las Vegas Sun
By Jackie Valley
Friday, March 8, 2013
WWII Veterans Honored in Henderson

Ninety-year-old Richard Zimpfer considers himself the lucky one.

The World War II veteran — part of a small team charged with maintaining anti-aircraft systems during the war — once drove a Jeep to retrieve an explosive that didn’t detonate. He returned unharmed.

Now he chuckles at the memory, but don’t call him a hero. He says he’s just one of many who served.

“I just feel I am lucky,” said Zimpfer, choking back tears as he spoke during a ceremony Thursday in Henderson’s Veterans Treatment Court. “I had a good time, and I have never regretted having served.”

Zimpfer and two female World War II veterans, Evie Hallas and Billie D’Entremont, received handmade quilts thanking them for their service and, perhaps more important, a round of applause from the people sitting in the courtroom, including a few younger veterans.

Veterans Treatment Court, a specialty court launched in June 2011, aims to help veterans who face issues — whether it be post-traumatic stress disorder or drug and alcohol addiction — after they return home from service. It enrolls veterans charged with certain misdemeanor crimes, such as drunken driving, petty larceny and possessing marijuana, and attempts to rehabilitate them through a team approach.
read more here

More military lives lost to suicide in 2012 than battle dead from three wars

I have been looking at these numbers for so long now that it has become infuriating to turn on the news and not hear one word about any of this.

Last year we lost more troops to suicide than we lost in battle during the Gulf War.
Gulf War
Persian Gulf War
Total Served 2,225,000
Total Deaths
382

2012 Military Suicides
449


Last year we lost more veterans to suicide than we did in 11 years of fighting two wars.

US Killed in Afghanistan
2001 12
2002 49
2003 48
2004 52
2005 99
2006 98
2007 117
2008 155
2009 317
2010 499
2011 418
2012 310
2013 3
Total Deaths
2,177


US Killed in Iraq
2003 486
2004 849
2005 846
2006 823
2007 904
2008 314
2009 149
2010 60
2011 54
2012 1
Total Deaths
4,486

Total Killed in Three Wars
7,045

2012 Veteran Suicides

8,030

Military/veteran families grieving by graves filled last year by suicide

8,479

UPDATE February 24, 2013
John Henry Parker, a friend, wrote on Huffington Post that this was happening and it was a big deal even before the new numbers came out. The veterans committing suicide figure went up along with military suicides. It you want to know why this is such a big deal to people paying attention, read this.

Veteran Suicides Each Year Eclipses Total OEF/OIF U.S. Military Killed in Action Since 9/11
Huffington Post
John Henry Parker
Co-Founder, Purple Star Veterans and Families (PSVF)

Wake Up, America.

We are crossing a serious milestone in our nation's history -- and nobody knows it.

The latest U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) report from the DEFENSE CASUALTY ANALYSIS SYSTEM puts the number of U.S. military killed in action (KIA) while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan at 6,567 as of December 14, 2012.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of Americans are not correlating the lives lost in The War On Terror with the catastrophic loss of life occurring when warriors come home. In the United States, every 80 minutes a U.S. Military Veteran dies from suicide. That's 18 per day, 6,570 per year.

Fort Hood Victory Corner revisited

Victory Corner revisited
Dec 31, 2012
Rose L Thayer
Herald staff writer

The history of Victory Corner can best be described by the inscription on the monument there: “At this site during all hours of the day and night, people cheered and proudly waved flags and banners as over 26,000 soldiers passed by on their way home to their waiting units and to their loved ones.”

Photos of the dusty U.S. Highway 190 and Clarke Road intersection from the spring of 1991 — just after the Gulf War ended — depict cars lining the street and people standing and waving American flags. In one, a man riding a horse can be seen in the background and on the hill is a van, broadcasting each plane’s landing as if it were a hometown football game.

Always present were wooden cutouts of Uncle Sam and a camel named Clyde. A sign read, “Hope this is the last camel you see.”
read more here

Florida reacts to death of Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf

Florida reacts to death of Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf
Tampa Bay
By Robbyn Mitchell
Times Staff Writer
In Print: Friday, December 28, 2012

TAMPA — It was hot and clear as the military plane zipped through Tampa's airspace.

In front of a frenzied crowd, the plane landed, the door opened and out stepped Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, followed by soldiers returning from kicking Iraqi troops out of Kuwait.

"He was larger than life," recalled U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young, who was at the old Tampa Stadium for that public thank you on May 5, 1991.

"He was a hero who controlled a war that was minimal cost in money and in causalities," Young said. "He went over there, dug them out of the sand, whipped Saddam Hussein's tail and sent them flying back to Baghdad."

Gen. Schwarzkopf came to Tampa in 1988 as the head of U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base. He was ordered by then-President George H.W. Bush to initiate Operation Desert Storm, and the sweeping success of that campaign endeared him the nation and his new neighbors.
read more here

TBI and PTSD Veterans getting help from oxygen

Pure oxygen treatment brings hope for vet with TBI
by JAKE WHITTENBERG
KING 5 News
kvue.com
Posted on December 7, 2012

Anyone who meets Jeff Brennan face-to-face probably can't tell he's struggling with the after-effects of service-related injuries suffered decades ago.

But the former Marine sergeant has endured more than a decade of agonizing physical pain, emotional distress and complications from a Traumatic Brain Injury.

"I get what's called 'night terrors,' and I can't sleep," he said. Brennan also suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Many of his injuries come from artillery barrages during combat on the border between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. He also was injured during a fall from a training tower in the late 1980s and suffered complications from nose surgery.

In the years since, he lost 60 percent of his vision and relied on handfuls of daily medication to function in normal life.

"We were taking pills called nerve agent pretreatment pills and that really caused a lot of this stuff to happen," Jeff said. "What I go though would kill most people."
read more here

Judge orders more treatment for troubled vet with gun

Judge orders more treatment for troubled vet with gun
By Laurence Hammack
The Roanoke Times
November 24, 2012
ROANOKE

Sean Duvall will continue to receive the help he sought the night of June 8, 2011, when the depressed veteran called a suicide crisis line - only to be charged with possessing the homemade gun he nearly turned on himself.

Federal prosecutors, who charged Duvall with four felonies after his call for help, asked Wednesday that he be kicked out of the Veterans Treatment Court. Duvall was placed in the program, designed to offer treatment to veterans struggling with substance abuse and mental illness, after his arrest sparked controversy earlier this year.

Duvall, 46, spent a week wandering around town in 2011, sinking deeper in depression and coming closer to using a gun he had made to kill himself.

After calling a toll-free help line run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Duvall agreed to wait in a parking lot at Virginia Tech until a police officer arrived. read more here

101st Airborne Division Celebrates 70 Years of Valor

101st Airborne Division Celebrates 70 Years of Valor
Oct 18, 2012
by usapatriotism
Soldiers of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division (AASLT) gather during the "2012 Week of the Eagles" to celebrate the 70th anniversary of their great division with a truly storied past with active members carrying on this noble proud legacy and adding to its historic heritage of valor.
U.S. Army video by Maj. Robin Ochoa, August 15, 2012

“Vets Ride 4 PTSD” Bike Ride To Tallahassee To Raise Awareness

“Vets Ride 4 PTSD” Bike Ride To Tallahassee To Raise Awareness George Tice, a Desert Storm veteran who suffers from PTSD, is on a mission to raise awareness and funds for veterans who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and suicide among our military.
PRLog (Press Release)
Oct 25, 2012

George Tice, a Desert Storm veteran who suffers from PTSD, is on a mission to raise awareness and funds for veterans who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and suicide among our military. On Saturday, October 27 at 9 a.m., George Tice has committed to riding a bicycle over 480 miles to the state capital in Tallahassee. He will begin his weeklong journey at the American Legion Post 38 in Downtown Fort Myers at 9 a.m. A public press conference and short ceremony is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. prior to the ride including influential speakers from the community.

Tice hopes to encourage more aid for soldiers who suffer from PTSD. Presently, there are minimal resources and volunteers available to help those suffering from this widespread illness. He plans to meet with active duty family members, veterans and the public along the way to Tallahassee.
read more here

Indictment sought in shooting death of Gulf War Veteran

Steve Wolfson to Seek Indictment In Officer Shooting of Stanley Gibson
By Andre’ Haynes
Las Vegas Informer

On Tuesday morning outside the Regional Justice Center, Steve Sanson held a press conference to commend and discuss the action of Nevada District Attorney, Steve Wolfson to seek an indictment against Jesus Arevalo in the controversial officer involved on-duty fatal shooting of Stanley Gibson. The grand jury is closed to the public and it could be a while before prosecutors are finally able to present their case because of the amount of witnesses that may testify.

Gibson was a 43-year old, African American, disabled Gulf War veteran whom suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). On Dec. 12, 2011, he was unarmed, disoriented and posed no threat when Las Vegas police officer Arevalo disobeyed non-lethal orders and fired seven deadly bullets from his military grade AR-15 firearm into the back of Gibson’s skull.

This tragic incident has rocked the Las Vegas valley to its core because it has put Nevadans against Metro again, and in some neighborhoods it has caused racial tension between African Americans and Hispanics. If it had not been for a video tape that was aired publicly, and the efforts of Steve Sanson plus so many others, this incident may have gone unnoticed.
read more here

Think of war like an ex-wife

Think of was like an ex-wife
by Chaplain Kathie
Wounded Times Blog
September 30, 2012

28 years ago today, this was us. It was the day I married my best friend. I can honestly say I still feel that way but there was a time when I wondered "Who the hell did I marry?"

I don't like to look back on the dark times in our life together. It gets pretty painful to remember because of all the years. I'm sitting here right now trying to push the words out and I can't because I don't want to dwell on the worst years since the years after I wrote my book have been so much better.

That is what I want to share with you right now if you think it is all hopeless. It is far from hopeless.

If you think love is all we needed to stay married this long, you are living in dreamland. It takes a hell of a lot more than love to make any marriage work. It takes being willing to go to war to make a marriage work when you are married to a combat veteran.

Put it this way. Think of the war like an ex-wife wanting to take him back so much that she keeps showing up doing all she can to come between you and your husband. That's what Vietnam was to me. I knew I couldn't fight for him unless I was willing to fight "her" with everything I had.

First I had to learn as much as I could about the time he spent with "her." What was Vietnam like? What happened when he was there? Who were his buddies? I was only in grade school when he was there but I did everything possible to learn what he wouldn't tell me.

Once I understood as much as possible, I knew where he was when he was having a nightmare. I knew where he was when he had a flashback. He was with "her" and reliving all the misery "she" inflicted on him.

It took a lot of years and a lot of listening but I had the knowledge to help me know what to do to help him. I keep grieving for the new spouses trying to get through this alone without knowing what they are up against. It was almost impossible for me to do it even knowing what I knew. How much hell they are in when they don't need to be fighting this alone?

The problem isn't lack of love. It is lack of knowledge getting in the way of all of these families and the military isn't going to teach anyone what they don't even understand.

After all these years, this is the type of report we're reading instead of reading about what works.

Joint Base Lewis-McChord tries personal approach to curb military suicides
Published: Thursday, September 27, 2012
By The Associated Press

When Vicki Duffy asks soldiers what comes to mind when they hear the words "suicide prevention," she gets an earful about stale command briefings and overplayed commercials on military television stations.

Duffy, who is Joint Base Lewis-McChord's suicide prevention officer, said she doesn't take it personally. She's been in the trenches of the Army's program to curb suicides for four years, and she knows those old briefings aren't enough to do the job. "They're valuable," she said, "but they're done in a way that is very old fashioned in the Army."

Duffy and Lewis-McChord commanders this month updated their outreach down the ranks by ditching the old PowerPoint presentations in favor of one-on-one interactions between care providers and soldiers.

The effort peaked in the last two weeks with a leadership retreat for about 80 noncommissioned officers. At the same time, a suicide "stand down" was held in which officers and enlisted leaders took a walking tour of the base's social support services.

No one can say if those steps will save a life, but the idea is to empower more soldiers with resources they can use in a moment of crisis.

Better yet, the courses are intended to help noncommissioned officers monitor and improve the health of soldiers in their charge.

"This has been one of those nagging problems, and I hope we have found a way to positively affect it," said Col. Jeffrey Galin, the top medical officer for Lewis-McChord's I Corps.

"Suck it up and drive on" not working

The outreach marks a change from early in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars when commanders did not pay as much attention to emotional or psychological issues.

"It used to be 'suck it up and drive on,'" said Sgt. Thomas Hollis, 46, of Lakewood, a four-time combat veteran from Lewis-McChord's 4th Squadron, 6th Air Cavalry Regiment.

"'Suck it up and drive on' isn't working anymore," he said, citing alcohol abuse and suicides as signs of stress in the Army.
read more here

Families have been facing the aftermath of combat all these years without knowing they had to train to fight this enemy as hard as their veteran had to fight to go into combat. Too many had been waiting for the DOD and the VA to tell them what they needed to know and when that didn't happen, they just gave up. They didn't know any better. They thought it was hopeless.

Suicides, attempted suicides, divorces, homelessness, the list of suffering goes on making the headlines as if all of it is some kind of new thing when older wives like me are crying for the suffering all of them are going thru knowing it doesn't have to happen.

Here are some shocking numbers for you to digest.

Over ten years of war with over 2 million deployments.
500,000 veterans with PTSD.
Between 150,000 and 200,000 suicides.
One vehicle accidental death, unknown if it was accident or suicide.
Drug overdose deaths unknown because no one knows for sure if it was accident or suicide.
Homeless veterans figures change because while some are no longer living in their homes, they are being taken in and sleeping on the sofa of a friend but there are tens of thousands with no place to call home.
Suicides of spouse and children unknown. No one knows for sure.

Think these numbers are bad? Think these numbers came from Afghanistan and Iraq veterans? Nope. 

They came from Vietnam veterans.

The number of PTSD Vietnam veterans published in this study came with a warning.

"Treatment from the VA was difficult to obtain. The veteran began to feel depressed, mistrustful, cynical and restless.  He experienced problems with sleep and with his temper. Strangely, he became obsessed with his combat experiences in Vietnam. He would also begin to question why he survived.

For approximately 500,000 veterans (Wilson, 1978) of combat in Southeast Asia, this problematic outlook has become a chronic lifestyle affecting not only the veterans but countless millions of persons who are in contact with these veterans. The symptoms described below are experienced by all Vietnam combat veterans to varying degrees. However, for some with the most extensive combat histories and other variables which have yet to be enumerated, Vietnam-related problems have persisted in disrupting all areas of life experience. According to Wilson (1978), the number of veterans experiencing these symptoms will climb until 1985, based on his belief of Erickson's psychosocial developmental stages and how far along in these stages combat veterans will be in 1985. Furthermore, without any intervention, what was once a reaction to a traumatic episode may for many become an almost unchangeable personality characteristic."

So we were warned what was coming when the troops were sent into Kuwait during the Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq to fight in wars no human is ever fully prepared to go into and prepared even less to return back home.

Families were even less prepared because all that was learned in study after study following Vietnam were lessons worse than forgotten. They were ignored!

If you want to read about what our life was like, you can read FOR THE LOVE OF JACK, HIS WAR/MY BATTLE online for a donation of $25 to help me fight for more families just like mine. Make sure you put "book" in the comment section and I'll send you the PDF file.

Point Man of Winter Park is a 501c3
POINTMAN INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES
IRS #90-0749457
FLORIDA CH36936

Soldier On program for homeless vets to spread to Florida

Soldier On program for homeless vets to spread to Florida with grant
By BOB DUNN STAFF WRITER
Gazette Contributing Writer
Saturday, September 22, 2012

NORTHAMPTON - Soldier On, an organization that assists homeless veterans, will provide about 25 beds for vets in Florida using the methods it's developed and honed over the last 10 years in Leeds.

The $1.1 million in grant money to provide the shelter was part of $28 million awarded nationwide by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

John Paradis, public relations director for the VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System in Leeds said the approval of the grant is a testament to Soldier On's success.

"Soldier On has a successful model," Paradis said. "We're glad to see it replicated."

The model being used by Soldier On is one of providing veterans the opportunity to take over a lease instead of having to move out of transitional housing after 24 months after receiving VA services including substance abuse treatment, job training and placement assistance and mental health counseling.

Kurt Zellen, the grant and per diem liaison at the medical center, said Soldier On provides shelter and transitional assistance for about 500 veterans every year, with 225 beds at two facilities in Leeds and Pittsfield.
read more here

Deplorable conditions for America's war heroes at Haley VA

WINK investigates VA hospital for poor conditions
Jul 16 2012

FORT MYERS, Fla.- A WINK News investigation team uncovered claims, almost two years ago, of dirty and deplorable conditions at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa.

The family of injured Cape Coral soldier Corey Kent brought pictures to Senator Bill Nelson and demanded change.

The VA promised better care for veterans, but there are new claims the hospital is again neglecting to give veterans proper care. Those vets contacted the National Coalition for Patriots organization, who then contacted us.

We got our hands on the new pictures from inside the James A Haley VA hospital showing what the organization calls deplorable conditions for America's war heroes.

WINK News spoke to one vet and his wife on the phone Monday. For the past year, he's been treated at James A. Haley VA hospital. He says the conditions and his care are horrible and something's gotta change.
read more here

PTSD Awareness is everyday here

PTSD Awareness is everyday here
by
Chaplain Kathie
Wounded Times Blog June 30, 2012

Here at Wounded Times Blog PTSD awareness is everyday. There are no days off. There are no slow news days. It doesn't take a day off and deserves attention everyday, not just one. People need to pay attention to the men and women suffering from Combat PTSD more than anyone else if researchers will ever really be able to come up with plans of actions that will work.

There is a huge difference between what civilian survivors of trauma suffer from and what veterans end up with. Police come close to this type of PTSD but in all these years, I've read few reports from experts pointing out there is a difference.

This is the last day of PTSD Awareness month and it took a lot of restraint to avoid highlighting it. There were some posts about this month just as the last couple of days a few mentioning the "day" that was set aside for it.

This is how the bill reads from California

Filed Secretary of State May 31, 2012.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 107, Eng. PTSD Awareness Day.
This measure would recognize June 27, 2012, as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day.
DIGEST KEY
Fiscal Committee: no
BILL TEXT
WHEREAS, Throughout our nation’s history, the men and women of the United States Armed Forces have preserved our freedom, protected our security, and upheld our democratic values; from the battles of the American Revolution through the crucible of two world wars to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan today, our men and women in uniform have stood proudly in defense of the United States and the cause of liberty; and
WHEREAS, The brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces, who proudly serve the United States, risk their lives to protect the freedom of the United States and deserve the investment of every reasonable resource to ensure their lasting physical, mental, and emotional well-being; and
WHEREAS, The incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in members of the military is rising as the United States Armed Forces conducts two wars, exposing hundreds of thousands of soldiers to traumatic life-threatening events; and WHEREAS, The federal Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that as many as 95 percent of veterans returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have some form of PTSD; and
WHEREAS, Symptoms include nightmares, feeling numb, having difficulty experiencing love or closeness with others, feeling jittery or overly alert, having difficulty sleeping, experiencing anger or irritability, having difficulty concentrating, substance problems, and having feelings of despair or hopelessness; and
WHEREAS, Although the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs have made significant advances in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of PTSD and the symptoms of PTSD, many challenges remain; and
WHEREAS, According to the National Institute for Mental Health, PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened; and
WHEREAS, The Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense should continue to work to educate service members, veterans, the families of service members and veterans, and the public about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of PTSD; and
WHEREAS, It is important to all citizens of the State of California, that those who served our country in the military are aware of the symptoms of PTSD and are able to seek help; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., and to proclaim June 27, 2012, as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day in the state, fully confident that such procedure mirrors our shared commitment to preserve, to ensure, and to yet effect that patrimony of freedom which is our American Heritage; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.

There is a difference and if we forget that, if we still have not been able to understand that, then all the research and money in the world will not stop the suicides of the combat survivors.

How can the anyone in the general public understand this, understand the men and women coming home, if we are still not making them aware how very different Combat PTSD is from a one time event in the general public?

This is the last day of "PTSD awareness" month and there are still 19 needless funerals everyday of the month. Looks like awareness is not always a good thing when they are made aware of failures passing off as a treatment.

Attorney arming veterans with benefits knowledge

Working on the First Coast: Attorney arming veterans with benefits knowledge
Many don't realize they can receive pay for health needs.
Posted: April 10, 2012

By Roger Bull

R. Kellen Bryant is a local attorney who has recently published a pamphlet about how to qualify for Veterans Administration Improved Pension and mistakes to avoid in the process.

You’re talking about VA Improved Pension. What’s that?

It’s a cash benefit paid to veterans who qualify to help offset the cost of high medical expenses that normally come with long-term care. It doesn’t have to be service-connected injuries, just long-term care. It’s as much as $1,703 for veterans and $1,094 for spouses [monthly].

And what’s long-term care? Is it just nursing homes, or does in-home care count?

Nursing homes, assisted living, but it can be in-home, too. Just as long as they need medical help. If the senior is living in her own apartment, but the daughter has to come in and help with the cooking or whatever.

Who qualifies for it? Do you have to have a minimum amount of service?

You have to have at least 90 days of consecutive service and one day of it during a war period: World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Persian Gulf. There are specific dates.
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