Lax security blamed after deadly shooting at Camp Liberty

This was one of those times when I had deep compassion fatigue. I thought that since everything was done the way people like me keep pushing for it to be done, getting help as soon as possible, getting help in theater, but they still ended up dead, there really wasn't much point in fighting to get anyone into treatment. Yes, I know it is never too late to get help and that the majority will heal, lead good lives and really live a life with help, the sad part is, we just can't save them all. I really wish we could.

Lax security blamed after deadly shooting

By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Oct 16, 2009 18:32:02 EDT

The Camp Liberty Combat Stress Center in Baghdad, Iraq, where a soldier is accused of shooting and killing four other soldiers and a Naval officer on May 11, had “numerous physical security deficiencies” that put staff and patients at risk, according to a report released Friday.

Many of the patients seen by the center’s staff are “potentially violent,” according to the AR 15-6 investigation into the shooting. And the report highlighted several problems, among them inadequate locks on the one-story building’s exterior doors, training for staff and storage for weapons.

The investigation also found the 54th Engineer Battalion, the unit to which the accused shooter belongs, did not have formal written policies and procedures in place regarding behavioral health treatment. Instead, the battalion relied heavily on the battalion chaplain’s expertise.

Sgt. John M. Russell is accused in the shooting. He faces five counts of murder, two specifications of attempted murder and one count of aggravated assault.

Russell, who was 44 at the time of the shootings, is in pre-trial confinement in Kuwait. He was escorted into the Combat Stress Center where he got into an argument with the staff and was asked to leave, according to original reports.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/army_campliberty_101609w/

Monday, May 11, 2009

5 US soldiers shot at Camp Liberty in Iraq
Update on soldiers killed at stress clinic at Camp Liberty
Updates on Camp Liberty shooting
Dr. Matthew Houseal one of the dead among Camp Liberty Shooting
Camp Liberty shootings leave a lot of questions


Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Army IDs soldiers shot by Sgt. at Camp Liberty

Maj. Matthew P. Houseal, 54, of Amarillo, Texas;
Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, 25, of Paterson, N.J.;
Spc. Jacob D. Barton, 20, of Lenox, Mo.; and
Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr., 19, of Federalsburg, Md.

Is Camp Liberty the tragedy that will end the excuses?
Bodies of servicemen killed by comrade come home from Camp Liberty
Mental health bill finds new urgency after Camp Liberty tragedy
Mom of GI killed in Camp Liberty clinic shooting seeks info
I almost forgot how many posts were about Camp Liberty. What I didn't forget was the fact that we failed them. We failed Sgt. Russell, his family and Maj. Matthew P. Houseal, Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, Spc. Jacob D. Barton and Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr. plus their families. We also failed the men and women in their units, their friends and their neighbors. We failed the others who fell through the cracks already hanging onto hope waiting for their turn to be helped. What we have to also remember is that we didn't fail all of the veterans with PTSD.

18 Veterans commit suicide everyday. That's appalling. That is also just the ones they know about. Too many more are never reported as suicides. There are over 10,000 a year attempting to commit suicide. We need to keep fighting for them just as hard as we fight for the ones we cannot save. We also need to keep fighting for the ones we did get into help, help that wouldn't have been there if we didn't care in the first place.

I applaud Vietnam veterans often when I bring up the point other veterans came home with the same kind of wound inside of them, but it took the Vietnam veterans to have it recognized and treated. What I keep forgetting to mention is that it took the American people to listen to their voices and do something about it. We heard them, at least some of us did. Imagine how many lives we managed to save!

Still stories like this end up reminding us just how much more we have to do before we can honestly say we did all we could do to save as many as possible.


I am reviewing a book written by Victor Montgomery III, Healing Suicidal Veterans. This book, like so many others, would not be possible if people didn't care, take a stand and demand someone do something. Maybe too many Moms didn't recognize their sons. Too many wives ended up knowing there was something really wrong with their veteran husbands. Maybe hearing how much they wanted to go back to Vietnam gave us enough of a clue, they just didn't feel as if they belonged here anymore. How could they really? We didn't make them feel welcomed.

We didn't want to hear what they had to say and we didn't want to establish any safety nets to be ready. We did it reluctantly. We never wanted to really witness war. That's what hurt them the most.

Ever since we sent them to go into combat, it's been easy to wave a flag and cheer. It's even easy to show up when they come home but we want to go back to our own lives, pretending they can do the same. It's just easier that way.

They were like us before they went. They stopped being like us when they went. When they came home, they even stopped being like the others taking their place, because they tasted war, risked their lives, saw things no one is ever really prepared for and they became veterans. This title they will carry the rest of their lives, but we want to pretend they just go back to being our son/daughter, husband/wife, parent, neighbor, co-worker or friend. Yet if we really thought about them, we'd want to know what they have going on inside of them even if we didn't want to know all the details. After all, if we can listen horror stories that are a part of normal "life" from "regular" people, then why can't we listen to them?

We pay to read horror books, go to movies, decorate our yards for Halloween and spend a fortune on costumes, but real life of what they go through is just too much for us? This makes no sense at all. Pretending they we just away for vacation will not help them heal and if we don't then we'll end up with a lot more horror scenes like Camp Liberty with real funerals that didn't need to happen.

Fort Hood readies for return of 16,000 soldiers

Fort Hood readies for return of 16,000 soldiers

The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Oct 15, 2009 21:56:38 EDT

FORT HOOD, Texas — A central Texas Army post is preparing for the return of about 16,000 soldiers over the next few months.

The 1st Cavalry Division soldiers will start returning from Iraq in November to Fort Hood.

At a town hall meeting Thursday night, the crowd of 500 erupted in cheers when a military official said, “Your loved one is coming home.”

The troops will be home for at least a year before they’re redeployed.

The top U.S. military commander in Baghdad, Maj. Gen. Daniel Bolger, speaking to the Fort Hood families via satellite, said “we are near the finish line,” and he thanked the families for their support.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/ap_army_hood_returning_soldiers_101509/

Living MoH recipient possible, Gates says

Living MoH recipient possible, Gates says

By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Sep 17, 2009 20:04:12 EDT

No living service member has been awarded the Medal of Honor during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That could finally be changing.

On the same day that President Barack Obama presented a posthumous Medal of Honor to Army Sgt. 1st Class Jared Monti at the White House, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said reviews are underway that may result in the nation’s top military honor being presented to a living recipient of the current wars.

During a Thursday news conference at the Pentagno, Gates was asked: “Has no one [in the two wars] performed an act of courage worthy of the Medal of Honor and lived through it?”

“This has been a source of real concern to me,” Gates said. “We are looking at this. Without getting into any detail … there are some [award recommendations] in process.

“It is, as everybody knows, a very time-intensive, thorough process. But I would say that I’ve been told there are some living potential recipients that have been put forward.”

Only six of nation’s highest award for valor have been issued during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which have lasted 6½ and 8 years, respectively. Four were awarded for acts of heroism in Iraq; Monti’s award brought the Afghanistan total to two.

The 16-year conflict in Vietnam, by contrast, produced 246 awards of the Medal of Honor.
read more here
Living MoH recipient possible, Gates says

The New Walter Reed: Less Than 'World Class'?

The New Walter Reed: Less Than 'World Class'?
By Stephen Schimpff
Columbia


We Americans owe our servicemen and women, especially our wounded warriors, the very best in medical care. With the construction of a “new Walter Reed” in Bethesda, we have a unique opportunity to ensure that they get such world-class care. But for that to happen, much more needs to be done.

Care for military personnel in the Washington area has long been provided by Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington and National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. But in 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) mandated consolidation into a new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on the grounds of the naval hospital. This facility will provide primary and more complex care to all military personnel who live in the northern half of the capital area, as well as tertiary care — high-level specialty care — to those from the entire region, including complete care for wounded service members.

About a year ago, following reports that the new facility was not on track to meet a stated requirement of “world class,” Congress passed legislation calling for a review by a subcommittee of the Defense Health Board. I was nominated to join this 15-member group by Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.).

There is much to commend in the work that has been done so far. For example, the view of the facility from Wisconsin Avenue will be very pleasing, with the iconic 1930s tower flanked by a new outpatient building and a revamped, extended inpatient building — and these will provide not only good but excellent care. But a master facility plan has never been done for the campus, which currently serves multiple functions and includes many older buildings that, over time, should be replaced in an orderly manner. During our review, we were told that such a plan was not within the scope of the BRAC budget.

Similarly, no analysis has been performed to determine future needs based on local demographic changes (the number of retired military personnel in the area is increasing), changing types of wounds (such as from improvised explosive devices) or advances in the delivery of medical care. Instead, the consolidation was planned using a static approach, whereby the functions performed at Walter Reed were simply shifted to the future facilities. Again, the rationale we were given for this was that the BRAC law did not allow for any other approach.
read more here
The New Walter Reed

Waning war interest frustrates wounded troops

Waning war interest frustrates wounded troops

By Michelle Roberts - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Sep 10, 2009 7:11:47 EDT

SAN ANTONIO — A year after Capt. Sam Brown was set ablaze when a bomb blew up his Humvee in Afghanistan, the 25-year-old West Point graduate endures a steady schedule of painful surgery and stretching to break up knotty burn scars.

He also has another routine: checking a Web site that counts U.S. and coalition troop deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For Brown, it’s one more regular reminder that the wars have not ended — something he says many Americans seem to have forgotten.

With the timetable set for withdrawal from Iraq and the fighting in Afghanistan nearing its ninth year, U.S. war coverage has waned, often pushed off the front page by the economy, health care and celebrity deaths.

But for severely wounded soldiers — those with huge burn scars and amputated limbs — the wars are no distant memory. Their long and painful recovery battles are a constant reminder.

“Unless you see it all the time, it’s just kind of easy not to remember,” Brown said. “The war is definitely not over.”
read more here
Waning war interest frustrates wounded troops

The war in Iraq: Was it worth it?

Yesterday I was at a party in Ocala. I was talking to a WWII veteran, clearly a Republican, as most of the people there were. We talked about a lot of things and no one there had a good opinion of President Obama because of all the rumors they heard. Most of our friends are Republican, which is fine because they are nice people and deeply care about this country. The problem is, deeply caring does not translate into staying informed of the facts. They listen to people making all kinds of false claims and believe them because they are on a cable TV show or have a radio program. They trust the people they listen to assuming they are being told the truth even after they learn what they were told in the past was wrong.

The WWII veteran shocked me. The conversation turned into being about going into Iraq and what President Bush did. He is not well thought of and the veteran's eyes filled as he talked about the waste of life of our troops.

This happens all the time. The same people years ago, supporting President Bush, no matter what he did, ordered, did not do and did not order, blindly supported him, attacked others who did not support him, and now have come to the conclusion they were wrong. Now all the talk about supporting the President have vanished because there is a Democrat in the White House and Democrats have control over the House and the Senate. Now they still believe rumors they hear on cable TV and talk radio but it's about being against the President instead of drumming up "patriotic support" of him as President.

What happened to the days when facts were real and people could either support a politician or not support them based on what they do and what they stand for instead of what party they happen to belong to? I often wonder if any of the people in Washington today would be there if they didn't happen to belong to a certain party? How did everything become political in this country and take over the truth? How many will find they regret believing the wrong people telling them rumors instead of telling them the truth?

As I watched some of the videos on this article, I heard nothing new, read nothing new because I've stayed informed of the facts but it brought me back to the days when anyone saying anything differently than the people on cable TV and talk radio, were attacked and called anti-American, Bush basher, told they were against the troops and vilified. The truth was still the truth and some people dared to speak it. Now the doubters of the truth are realizing they were wrong but it's too late to do much about it.

There are still troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, still risking their lives, doing their duty, getting wounded, being redeployed over and over again but the truth behind both campaigns has not changed. What if the people who blindly support President Bush were aware of the facts years ago? Would lives have been saved? What if they listened to the reports about the wounded coming back to an overwhelmed VA unable to take care of them years ago? Would things have been fixed a long time ago so they wouldn't still be waiting to be taken care of properly?

Picking political sides is fine but picking our own version of the truth is not, especially when it comes to issues of war, sending men and women to risk their lives in our name. The truth does not change even though minds do. But between the beginning and the end there are lives lost and regret does not bring them back to life. It does not restore lost years away from family and friends. It does not mend broken bodies or suffering minds. Regret is only useful if we do something to make sure the same mistakes are not repeated. The problem is, the same people on cable TV and talk radio are still there, still talking about rumors instead of truth and the people listening still have not managed to understand the same people they listen to today, lied to them yesterday and very well could be lying today.

Talk radio and some cable TV shows are all about political gain and the problem is, the country pays for it as a whole. I stopped watching FOX as soon as I knew they were not telling the truth about an issue as important as sending men and women into combat and what happens when they come home. I stopped watching and listening to anyone when I knew what the real reports were but heard a spin instead from them. I strongly suggest that you do the same because regretting listening to the wrong people today may be too late when the next combat operation comes up and we have to decide to send the troops or not.

The war in Iraq: Was it worth it?
As the war draws nearest to an end, readers reflect on whether the U.S. should be in Iraq.
By Timothy J. Gibbons Story updated at 4:15 AM on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009
The war in Iraq is 86 percent finished.

Just over six years ago - 2,339 days, to be precise - coalition forces invaded Iraq.

In the days that followed, troops swept through the country. Saddam Hussein was found and executed. Elections were held and governments formed.

At the same time, thousands of coalition troops, including more than 4,000 from the United States, were killed, as were an unknown number of Iraqi soldiers and civilians as well as fighters from other countries.

Now the war has entered its end game.

Just over a year from now, President Barack Obama has said, combat operations in the country will come to an end. While about 50,000 service members may stay for about 15 more months to handle training and other matters, the bulk of U.S. forces will be brought home.

Already troops have pulled out of urban areas, including Baghdad, with Iraqi forces taking charge of providing security in those areas.

What the coming year will bring is unknown.

The war in Iraq: Was it worth it

Soliders in Iraq
We want to talk to you about the war in Iraq. We're particularly looking to get in touch with soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen with ties to the Jacksonville area or Southeast Georgia (even if you don’t live here now) who have been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

NBA crew chief Bob Delaney wants to help Iraq veterans with PTSD

This NBA ref, who knows the combination to the hurt locker, helps Iraq veterans cope with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
By Dave Scheiber, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Sunday, August 9, 2009
In the dangerous desert sands of northern Iraq, an NBA referee arrived in July on a mission that had nothing to do with officiating. But it did involve helping soldiers make the right calls for themselves — and keep order in their lives while immersed in the most difficult of circumstances.

• For veteran NBA crew chief Bob Delaney, 10 days of living with U.S. troops on the front lines of battle — offering them comfort and counsel about the hazards of posttraumatic stress disorder — was the latest step in a journey that began more than 30 years ago by the shadowy docks of northern Jersey.

• That is where Delaney was known as Bobby Covert, a young undercover agent for the New Jersey State Police who lived in the constant presence of the Genovese and Bruno crime families.

• The experience was life-changing at a fundamental level. But in its own way, so was the most recent one, supporting soldiers fighting a ruthless enemy on the outside — and teaching them to cope better with the demons that can arise within.

• Many of them don't understand or wish to acknowledge that enemy, one veiled in whispers and a stigma of shame. PTSD has risen to crisis levels in the military, with scores of American troops committing suicide each year, and more than a third of returning vets reporting mental health problems from the immense pressures of combat.

• Delaney knows a little bit about facing pressure.

• And, at his core, he knows the heavy toll it can take.
read more here
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/article1025531.ece

19 Year old soldier's death in Iraq under investigation

DoD Identifies Army Casualty


The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pvt. Keiffer P. Wilhelm, 19, of Plymouth, Ohio, died August 4 in Maysan province, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 13th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.

The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.

http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx

Iraq wounded vet's clash with Boise police still a mystery

Reasons for Iraq vet's clash with Boise police still a mystery
By Patrick Orr - porr@idahostatesman.com
Published: 07/30/09
George Nickel Jr. couldn't explain to police why he used a rifle to shoot into a Vista neighborhood apartment complex and pointed a handgun at officers, according to court testimony Thursday.

Nickel is being held in the Ada County Jail on a $500,000 bond -- which is half as much as Ada County prosecutors said is necessary to keep the 38-year-old former Iraq vet incarcerated after an armed confrontation with Boise police late Tuesday night.

Boise police say Nickel told them he was looking for his dog in his apartment building when he used an AR-15 rifle to try to shoot the locks off two different doors. Minutes later, Boise police say, officers confronted him in a stairway and fired an estimated 12 rounds at Nickel, who was seen holding a handgun with a flashlight attached and didn't shoot back. No one was struck by any of the gunfire, police say.

A few new details emerged during Nickel's court arraignment Thursday, but they did not include a possible motive.

After he was arrested, Nickel could not explain to Boise police why he shot at the doors and confronted officers. All he said was that on a scale of one to 10, he was angry to the level of nine, Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Whitney Faulkner said.
read more here
http://www.idahostatesman.com/mobile/story/851137.html

Too few Medals of Honor for Iraq, Afghan valor

Too few Medals of Honor for Iraq, Afghan valor?
By KEVIN FREKING (AP) – 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON — Eight years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq. About 4,000 U.S. soldiers killed in action. More than 34,000 wounded. Just six considered worthy of America's highest military award for battlefield valor.

For some veterans and members of Congress, that last number doesn't add up.

They question how so few Medals of Honor — all awarded posthumously — could be bestowed for wars of such magnitude and duration.

Pentagon officials say the nature of war has changed. Laser-guided missiles destroy enemy positions without putting soldiers in harm's way. Insurgents deploy roadside bombs rather than engage in firefights they're certain to lose.

Those explanations don't tell the whole story, said Rep. Duncan Hunter, a first-term lawmaker who served combat tours as a Marine in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has sponsored legislation that directs the defense secretary to review current trends in awarding the Medal of Honor to determine what's behind the low count.

The bill passed the House. If Senate negotiators go along, Secretary Robert Gates would have to report back by March 31.

"It seems like our collective standard for who gets the Medal of Honor has been raised," said Hunter, R-Calif.

"The basis of warfare is you've got to take ground and then you've got to hold it. That takes people walking into houses, running up hills, killing bad guys and then staying there and rebuffing counterattacks," he said. "That's how warfare has always been no matter how many bombs you drop and how many predators you have flying around."

The Medal of Honor has been awarded 3,467 times since the Civil War. Almost half — 1,522 — were awarded in that conflict alone. The next highest tally came from World War II — 464. In the Vietnam War, 244 were awarded.

read more here
Too few Medals of Honor for Iraq, Afghan valor

Robotic warfare pilots had to watch troops die then go home

The next time you have a tough day at the office, think about what they go through doing their jobs.

'They circled above and watched U.S. soldiers die in front of them'
Story Highlights
Robotic warfare allows pilots to control armed vehicles without risk to themselves

Military experts are now looking at the psychological impact this may have on pilots

Pilots now transition from battlefield to home environment in less thna an hour

Some pilots wlecome (welcome) operating from the U.S. rather than being deployed overseas


From Nic Robertson
CNN Senior International Correspondent


(CNN) -- The Pentagon has revolutionized warfare during the past decade, making unmanned aerial vehicles, known as UAVs, a staple of modern combat in Afghanistan and Iraq.


A USAF technician at Creech, Nevada, checks Hellfire missile attachements on a Predator.

Remotely-controlled drones, such as the Predator and the Reaper, have allowed the U.S. military to spy on and attack enemy combatants without putting their own forces at risk, thereby making UAVs a must-have.

Some describe it as a version of post-traumatic stress disorder, often more associated with soldiers directly in harm's way. Peter Singer, an adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama's campaign team and author of 'Wired for War,' described one encounter with a frustrated non-commissioned officer.

"She actually banged the table, saying: 'No one is paying attention to this issue of PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] among my men and women, no one's paying attention to it," Singer says. "And she talked about a scene where they were flying a drone above a set of U.S. soldiers that were killed and the drone was unarmed at the time and they couldn't do anything about it. They just circled above and they watched U.S. soldiers die in front of them." Watch the debate about the impact of UAVs on pilots »

USAF fighter pilots like Major Morgan Andrews remotely control drones from Creech airbase in Nevada. Less than an hour after targeting he'll be back in suburban Las Vegas, his drive home more physically dangerous than the combat mission he has just undertaken.
read more here
They circled above and watched U.S. soldiers die in front of them

New PTSD Approach Offers Reduced Stigma at Lackland Air Force Base

New PTSD Approach Offers Reduced Stigma
July 14, 2009
Air Force Print Newsby Lt. Col. Lesa Spivey

LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas - Servicemembers seeking help for deployment-related post-traumatic stress disorder now have the option of being treated through primary care channels at a new pilot program offered at Wilford Hall Medical Center here.

The primary goal of this new research program is to offer effective therapy for PTSD within the primary care environment, where servicemembers are likely to feel more comfortable seeking mental health assistance.

Servicemembers who wish to participate in this type of treatment program simply schedule an appointment with their primary care manager and go to their primary care facility, just as they would for any other treatment. The primary care manager then refers the servicemember to the behavioral health consultant who works in the primary care clinic. This process helps to mainstream the treatment alongside other, more routine care. It is hoped that, as a result, a servicemember will feel less isolated or ostracized and be more willing to ask for help.

PTSD is caused by exposure to a traumatic event that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury. An individual who is experiencing PTSD symptoms may have been personally threatened or injured, or he or she might have witnessed the death or serious injury of another. In either case, the severity of PTSD is directly related to the level of threat to the person's life or the lives of others while in the combat environment.

PTSD is one of the top health concerns for servicemembers returning from combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Recent studies of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans suggest that 5 to 17 percent of U.S. military personnel returning from deployments have PTSD symptoms and as many as 25 percent report some psychological problems.

Almost 2 million U.S. military personnel have deployed in support of OIF/OEF, and estimates in this population indicate that 100,000 to 300,000 OIF/OEF veterans are at significant risk for chronic PTSD.
read more here
New PTSD Approach Offers Reduced Stigma

Vietnam Veteran Re-enlists in Iraq

Vietnam Veteran Re-enlists in Iraq
16th Sustainment Brigade
Story by Capt. Natalie Mercedes-Williams
Date: 07.13.2009
CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ-EAST, Iraq — Sgt. 1st Class Hershel L. Mayfield, a native of Tallassee, Ala., has been serving in the Army for 39 years; thirty-seven of which were with the 158th Maintenance Company, Alabama Army National Guard.

Mayfield decided that it was time to re-enlist again into the Guard and continue to serve his country for two more years.

"Everything I do today is done with the next generation in mind, and how I can influence them to do the same for their nation," said Mayfield.

Mayfield joined the Guard, reclassing as a light-wheel vehicle mechanic, with a desire to continue serving his country as a Soldier. He thanked his wife of 30 years, Sheila, and his children Hershel Mayfield III (deceased) and Amber Lynn Tounton, for supporting him throughout his military career.
read more here
Vietnam Veteran Re-enlists in Iraq

Wounded still wait as more come

As the troops pull back out of the cities of Iraq and the Iraqis take over, it's easy to assume the worst is over for our troops, but in doing so, we not only forget the wounded we already have, we close our eyes to fact more will come.

7 U.S. troops killed as Afghan ops intensify

By Fisnik Abrashi - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jul 7, 2009 7:45:42 EDT

KABUL, Afghanistan — Bombs and bullets killed seven American troops on Monday, the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan in nearly a year — and a sign that the war being fought in the Taliban heartland of the south and east could now be expanding north.

Separately, Taliban militants claimed on a militant Web site that they were holding an American soldier whom the U.S. military says insurgents might have captured last week. The Taliban statement, however, did not include any proof, such as a picture or the soldier’s name.

Four of the deaths Monday came in an attack on a team of U.S. military trainers in the relatively peaceful north, bringing into focus the question of whether the U.S. is committing enough troops to secure a country larger than Iraq in both population and land mass.
read more here
7 U.S. troops killed as Afghan ops intensify

Just as Iraq draws to a close, Afghanistan operations increase and with it comes more wounded and more deaths. The stress will increase as more troops head into Afghanistan. With the DOD and the VA unable to keep up with the numbers already filing claims for their wounds, we're in for an increasing need to step up to stand by their sides and help them. The government has been unable to adjust fast enough. We can point to the fact no one in Congress or the Bush Administration prepared for any of this, but that does not change the fact what is being done now is still not enough to make up for it. Increasing the VA budget to an all time high is not enough for today.

We are still seeing the wounded we already have needing care for physical wounds as well as traumatic ones. Yet read about the type of people we're talking about. They are wounded and some of them still want to go back into the military no matter how much pain they are in.

Injured soldier longs for return
By BILL RODGERS Tribune Chronicle
Ever since a mine exploded next to him in Iraq and knocked him off a roof, U.S. Army Pfc. David Mickey's primary focus has been getting better fast enough so that he could go back.

David Mickey and his family were at the Trumbull County Veterans Memorial on Monday afternoon looking for a brick his mother dedicated to him. The family members were enjoying their two weeks together before the Cortland soldier leaves for the Warrior Transition Unit in Fort Richardson, Alaska.

It hasn't been an easy recovery for the would-be career soldier, and he might not make it back to his unit at all. The process has been a long one. It's been taxing on his parents, too, who spent one week after the March 2007 explosion not knowing whether their son was alive or whether he had died in surgery.

"Two-and-one-half years and he still can't go back. It shows you just how traumatic that is," David's father, Stan Mickey, said. "You don't often think about it (war injuries) like that."

There's been almost one dozen surgeries to heal David's injured back, his left arm, his right heel and the nerve damage throughout. Trudy said doctors have shaved off part of his left eardrum, which after the attack healed back so thick that there's a chance the 28-year old may need a hearing aid and tubes to hear normally. He walks with a knee brace now that he is able to get around without a cane, but he can only stand for so long before the pain starts again.

To this day, shrapnel from the attack still is working its way out of her son's body, she said. She recalled one day when she was talking to him and saw a trickle of blood near his ear as another piece of metal came free.

And on top of it all, David now has admitted to himself that he has post traumatic stress disorder. Crowds make him nervous. He has nightmares and bouts of depression. It's impossible for him to stomach some of the movies he loved before he left for the war.

"I've changed some. I have PTSD, but I don't want to let it run my life," he said.
read more here
Injured soldier longs for return
linked from
http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx

How can you read about Pfc. David Mickey's wounds and his desire to go back and not want to do whatever it takes to make his life easier? How can you read about any of them and not want to help them? Yes, it is the responsibility of the government, the DOD and the VA, to take care of them, but again, too little and too late. Why allow any of them to suffer at all until the government catches up?

What can you do? Do you belong to any of the veterans service organizations? You can make sure the Commander of the post knows what's going on and then hold his/her feet to fire to do something locally. Make them active in helping out veterans your own community. Ask them to provide information on PTSD and TBI, the two signature wounds of Iraq and Afghanistan. Ask them to start support groups for them and their families. Organize transportation for them to doctor's appointment. Contact local officials to step up and seek federal funds to address homelessness of our veterans. Donate clothing and small appliances so that when they do find a place to live, they have something to start out with. Donate your time and visit them at the shelters. None of this is new and is being done in many parts of the country but the problem is, it's not happening everywhere. This needs to happen today! We've already let too many down.

Wounded Warriors Return to Iraq

Wounded Warriors Return to Iraq
June 29, 2009

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (American Forces Press Service) – Six wounded soldiers, all amputees, returned here last week hoping to close the door on the combat that changed them forever.

The last time Sgt. Christopher A. Burrell was in Iraq, he was pulled from a burning vehicle in Baghdad’s Sadr City neighborhood. A tourniquet applied by another soldier saved his life, but a nurse here at the Air Force Theater Hospital had to break the tragic news—his left leg was gone, taken by an explosively formed projectile.

Now, almost a year and a half later, and after months of rehabilitation and physical therapy at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Burrell returned to Iraq with five other amputee combat veterans as part of Operation Proper Exit.

”I don’t remember much, but I remember my nurse,” Burrell said. ”Shelly. She was an angel, there to comfort me when I was in a difficult spot.“

Operation Proper Exit, a United Service Organizations pilot program sponsored by the Army and the Troops First Foundation, allows soldiers wounded in combat to return to Iraq. The goal of the program is to give the soldiers an opportunity for closure, and to see the progress made in securing and stabilizing the country, Burrell said.

”It kind of helps you heal mentally and emotionally, to close that chapter in your life so you can move on,” he said. ”The progress that’s been made—it shows that we made a sacrifice but it was for a reason.”
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http://www.army.com/news/item/5539

Hot, sexy soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan

http://blogpig.co.uk/2008/09/sexy-soldier-pictures/

They are young, strong, physically fit, stunningly sexy hunks. The things they can do with their bodies is simply amazing!

Do I have your attention yet?

Good.

Shame on you!

Shame on you for not paying attention to these people before this. What's wrong with you? We stand in line and cheer as if it is our patriotic duty to send them off to war. Heck, we even pay attention in the beginning as news crews send in reporters and cameras but that interest soon fades replaced by much more pressing news, like who is on American Idol, what is going on with Brad, Angelina and Jen, or the latest political scandal. War wanes but sex always seems to sell.

American Idol and America's Got Talent captures us because people, regular people are chasing a dream of making it big. We can all relate to that.

We can all relate to love stories like Brad and Angelina but it also helps that both of them are very attractive. Do you think we'd be interested if they were ugly? We can still relate to them because of the human emotions of love.

We can relate to the passing of super stars like Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. It's not that they were ever really out of the spotlight. Some felt they "knew" them and their lives because of all the media coverage they had during their lives.

What we cannot relate to is the men and women in the military and our veterans. We can't because we have to face it, they are not that interesting to the media. They long ago abandoned reporting on events in Iraq and Afghanistan. These are two reports from yesterday.

Rising toll at US military hospital in Afghanistan
By JASON STRAZIUSO and EVAN VUCCI - Associated Press Writers
Thu, Jun. 25, 2009 03:44PM

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan -- The urgent call came in: Roadside bombs had ripped through two Humvees and wounded eight or nine U.S. soldiers.

Medevac helicopters immediately hit the air to ferry the soldiers to the main U.S. military hospital. But when they arrived, they carried only five patients.

The other four were dead.


With 2009 expected to be the bloodiest year since the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, medical personnel at Bagram's SSG Heath N. Craig Joint Theater Hospital say they've already seen an increase in casualties and expect more. The flow of dead and wounded puts enormous strain on the soldiers and the medical staff who must face it head on.

"Everything I've experienced is boredom or terror," said Air Force Maj. Adrian Stull, a 36-year-old emergency physician from Beavercreek, Ohio. "And if I have to choose between the two, I'd have to choose boredom, because everyone goes home with all their fingers."

June 1 was a day of terror.

It started when two roadside bombs hit the same convoy of 10th Mountain Division soldiers only a couple of miles apart in Wardak, a province west of Kabul. The damage was so severe that one of the Humvees split in half.
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http://www.newsobserver.com/1635/story/1583483.html

9 soldiers hurt in Iraq roadside bombings

By Patrick Quinn - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jun 25, 2009 18:18:25 EDT

BAGHDAD — A bombing Thursday at a bus station in a Shiite neighborhood in southwest Baghdad killed at least seven people, police said, the latest in a series of recent attacks that have left nearly 200 people dead ahead of a U.S. military withdrawal from cities next week.

Another three bombs and a mortar killed two more people around the capital. The U.S. military said nine American soldiers were wounded in two roadside bomb attacks against a convoy in eastern Baghdad. A roadside bomb also killed a man in the northern city of Mosul. The attacks were latest is a series of deadly bombings mostly targeting Shiites in the past week.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/06/ap_iraq_bombing_062509/

These stories were linked from http://icasualties.org/oif/

Go there and find out what is going on with our troops if you really support them.

It's not that this is anything new but at least when Vietnam was going on, we had so much coverage it kept us aware that our troops were still risking their lives, getting wounded and dying. What we didn't know was that they would come home with the war deep inside of them just as other generations did. No one cared anymore when they were back home and the protests ended. The media only wanted to report on the bad things some of them did.

This blog, among many more, have been paying attention to Iraq and Afghanistan, along with what happens when they come home. It's not that hard to find the reports, but you have to have the will to look for them. You have to care in the first place. They have to be of a personal interest to you. Military families care. Veterans and their families care. The problem is, the rest of the country is not interested enough. You'd think they would be considering the wounded will be with us the rest of their lives and requiring support from the rest of us. We're going to be left with the shock of the need simply because we didn't pay attention all along and the media, well, they were just too busy reporting on celebrities.

Troops pause to remember Capt. Kafele Sims at memorial

Troops pause to remember Captain at memorial
By Steve Mraz, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Wednesday, June 24, 2009


On Tuesday, Quinonez said farewell to Sims, the physician assistant who diagnosed him with appendicitis last August. Quinonez had persistent gas pains and went to see Sims.

"Within five minutes, [Sims] said, ‘You have acute appendicitis,’" Quinonez said. "I can’t tell you what happened 20 minutes later because I was knocked out and in surgery. I do know that I am here today because of [Sims’] actions and decisions. That day he saved my life."

Sims, 32, of Los Angeles, died June 16 in Mosul, Iraq, in a noncombat-related incident. The cause of Sims’ death is still under investigation, said Bruce Anderson, U.S. Army Europe spokesman. Sims was assigned to the 18th Engineer Brigade in Schwetzingen.

go here for more

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=63436

Getting Mental Health Care in a Combat Zone

Guest Post by
Meredith Walker

Getting Mental Health Care in a Combat Zone
With the suicide rate of active duty soldiers at an all-time high, the issues of mental health care for those in the military has never been more pertinent or more pressing. One of the major issues in mental health care in the field, however, is the stigma associated with needing psychiatric care, in a work culture that values strength, both physical and mental. Many feel that this stigma makes soldiers shy away from getting the health care they desperately need.

New figures from the conflict in Iraq suggest that as much as twenty percent of active duty soldiers and those who have recently returned home from Iraq may be suffering from some form of depression, anxiety, PTSD or emotional disturbance. This translates to nearly 340,000 individuals who could be wrestling with mental problems on their own, unable or embarrassed to ask for help.

This issue has been brought dramatically to the forefront by the May 2009 shooting of five soldiers at a counseling center by another solider, Sgt. John M. Russell, an individual whom officials had mandated get treatment from the counseling center. For this man, treatment was too late. Encouraging soldiers to get mental health help and to talk to someone about their feelings of stress or grief over lost comrades is essential to preventing future tragedies of this nature.

Even more pressing is the current realities of serving in the military. Today, many soldiers go out on three or four tours of duty, as opposed to the one or two served by most fighting in Vietnam, a conflict notorious for the war-induced trauma many soldiers who fought in it returned home with. Studies suggest that those going out for their third or fourth rotation are twice as likely to suffer mental health problems as those just coming into active duty.

Changes are being made to help soldiers get help, however. More soldiers are actively speaking to about their combat stress and the military is offering more combat stress clinics where soldiers can rest and recover. The biggest obstacle to overcome in helping soldiers get mental health care help, however, is the soldiers themselves who often feel weak or incapable of doing their duty if they seek out help. Many do not want to be regarded negatively by peers or commanders, and simply deal with the pain silently.

Today, many in the armed forces as well as veterans at home are advocating new awareness of stress-counseling programs and are encouraging commanding officers to set an example by seeking out treatments and showing all soldiers that it’s ok to need a shoulder to lean on, hopefully preventing future tragedies and ensuring better lives for all enlisted.

This post was contributed by Meredith Walker, who writes about the masters in public health. She welcomes your feedback at MeredithWalker1983@gmail.com

Anyone that wants to write a guest post is welcome to do so at anytime as long as it is helpful. email me at namguardianangel@aol.com with the post you want to ad in the body of the email. Due to constant crashes of my PC, I no longer open attachments.

Drug Problems Among Iraq, Afghan Vets Could Dwarf Vietnam

If you go here there is an extensive post I did on the practice of medicating our troops.

PTSD On Trail:Sgt. Nicholas Horner and the wound he spread

The Hartford Courant sounded the alarm bell years ago, but no one heard it. I guess the broadcast media was just too busy reporting on events at the time, like movie stars in trouble or other salacious pieces of gossip. What was being done to our troops above and beyond the hazards of combat was deplorable and apparently it still is. Read this and then know full well, that there is one more lesson we never learned from Vietnam. We didn't take care of them when they were deployed and we certainly didn't take care of them willingly either. We made them fight for everything we ended up doing for them. How long do you think it will take the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to be treated right?

Drug Problems Among Iraq, Afghan Vets Could Dwarf Vietnam
Drug Addiction Rates in Afghan/Iraq Vets Could Surpass Vietnam’s Rates

Atlanta, GA 6/15/2009 10:07 PM GMT (TransWorldNews)
Rather than the heroin addictions many Vietnam veterans brought back with them from Southeast Asia, today's returning soldiers are more likely to be addicted to prescription medications -- the very opiates prescribed to them by the military to ease stress or pain -- or stimulants used by soldiers to remain alert in combat situations.

As a result, the U.S. could face a wave of drug addiction and mental-health problems among returning veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars greater than that resulting from the Vietnam War, according to experts at the recent Wounds of War conference sponsored by the National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA*) at Columbia University (Join Together is a project of CASA).

Historically, substance abuse has "not only been present but fostered by the military," said keynote speaker Jim McDonough, a retired U.S. Army officer and former strategy director at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "At Agincourt, the Somme and Waterloo, soldiers got liquored up before combat ... There's been almost no break in that [tradition] today."

"I think there's a lot more [soldiers addicted to] pharmacological opiates than the data show," said John A. Renner Jr., M.D., associate professor of psychiatry at the Boston University School of Medicine and associate chief of psychiatry at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System. "A lot of them were using opiates before they went, and a lot are reporting that opiates are freely available in combat areas."

Nora Volkow, M.D., director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), noted that while many soldiers receive prescription opiates for traumatic injuries and pain, the drugs also are effective in relieving stress. "So, even if you don't take it for that, it will work," she said.
go here for more
http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=94142&cat=10

Younger soldiers under stress more likely to get help

Younger soldiers under stress more likely to get help
By Teri Weaver, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, June 9, 2009
MADAIN, Iraq — Spc. Richard Wahl is married with two kids and a baby due in August.

When his wife developed a serious condition a few weeks ago, the young couple weren’t sure what to do. The crisis came down to geography.

"I was here," he said. "And she was there."

Wahl, 20, of the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment is on his first tour in Iraq.

About half of the battalion has deployed previously, some, multiple times. For the most part, those soldiers are dealing with this tour fairly well, said the battalion chaplain, Capt. Mike Smith.

But the soldiers who more often seek help are younger, privates or corporals, who are experiencing Iraq for the first time, said Lt. Col. Avery Davis, the chief of physical medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital. He is attached to the battalion for a year as its primary doctor.

These younger soldiers, some still teenagers, are experiencing their first serious relationships, their first serious jobs and their first time away from home — all in a war zone. That mix can turn into anger, lethargy or something more dangerous if left alone, Smith and Davis said.

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