Vet highlights women in combat, military health care

Vet highlights women in combat, military health care
Newsday - Long Island,NY,USA

BY ZACHARY R. DOWDY | zachary.dowdy@newsday.com
8:13 PM EST, November 11, 2008
Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth stood alongside President-elect Barack Obama for a Veterans Day observance at a memorial in Illinois Tuesday and saluted those who fought beside her and died - men and women who weren't as lucky as she was.

Duckworth, 40, who in 2004 lost both of her legs and partial use of an arm during the conflict, had flown combat missions as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot. The decorated soldier, who spent 13 months recuperating at Walter Reed hospital in Washington, D.C., received the Purple Heart and the Air Medal for her service.

A major in the Illinois National Guard, she had flown the fighter plane for more than 200 combat hours before a grenade exploded in her cockpit. She told The Associated Press that her experience is an example of women's increased exposure to military combat.

"The American public is beginning to realize that women are playing an equal part in this war and that they are facing the same risks," she said.
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President Elect Obama and Tammy Duckworth place wreath in Chicago

Chicago Trib is blamed for the lack of people attending this. Read the comments on the below link. It appears that people are upset because the Trib didn't tell anyone about this before it happened.

President-elect Obama hugs Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs director Tammy Duckworth after laying a wreath at Soldier Field. (Tribune photo / Zbigniew Bzdak)

Obama honors veterans

Only a few dozen spectators were present this morning.
President-elect Barack Obama placed a wreath on a bronze memorial at Chicago's Soldier Field this morning to pay his respects on Veterans Day in what was expected to be his only public appearance of the day.

About 11 a.m., Obama was joined for the ceremony by Tammy Duckworth, the Illinois Veterans' Affairs director.

Wearing a dark overcoat and with Duckworth at his side, Obama picked up a wreath that was placed in front of the memorial and carried it a few feet forward, before setting it in front of the memorial.

Obama bowed his head for a moment, according to a media pool report of the stop. Then, he put his right hand at his forehead, saluted and walked away with Duckworth. Only a few dozen spectators were present on the cool morning visit.

--John McCormick and Rick Pearson, Chicago Breaking News Center
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Veteran's Day message from VoteVets.org

On the 11th Day of the 11th Month each year, we honor all those veterans who came before us. This year, as in recent years, we also honor the newest generation of war veterans. Today is not a day for partisan politics, it's a day for the nation to come together as one to honor those who sacrificed for our nation, in uniform.
This year, however, we also have a tremendous opportunity to honor two of the greatest veterans this nation has ever seen. With the incoming administration, comes the opportunity to send incredible veterans back into government to serve this nation, as they have time and time again.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN OUR PETITION FOR MAX CLELAND AND TAMMY DUCKWORTH TO HAVE A ROLE IN THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
Max Cleland served our nation with honor in Vietnam, losing three limbs on the battlefield. Max could have used that as an excuse to live out the rest of his life quietly, but he did not. Upon his return, he served Veterans in his home state of Georgia, and then became the head of the Veterans Administration (now the Department of Veterans Affairs). He served his home state again, as a member of the U.S. Senate. Every step of the way, Max never forgot the veterans who came before him, and those who would be coming after him.
Tammy Duckworth served America in Iraq. Duckworth lost both of her legs in 2004, when the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter she was co-piloting was hit by a rocket propelled grenade fired by Iraqi insurgents. Duckworth received a Purple Heart and was promoted to Major at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where she was presented with an Air Medal and Army Commendation Medal. Upon her return home, she ran for Congress in 2006, and now serves as the head of the veterans department in Illinois. Tammy has even remained in the National Guard, showing that nothing will keep her from serving her country!
Now is the time for President-Elect Obama to show the nation that he recognizes it is important to bring America's great veterans into his administration. One way he can do that is to name Max Cleland and Tammy Duckworth to roles in his administration.
CLICK HERE TO ASK THAT MAX CLELAND AND TAMMY DUCKWORTH BE GIVEN A ROLE IN THE NEW ADMINISTRATION
Please use today to honor the veterans in your area – volunteer your services to the local veterans center, connect with veterans in the area and listen to them about the challenges veterans face, and above all, thank them for their service. But, also take a moment to show support for two particular veterans, Max Cleland and Tammy Duckworth, and tell your friends and family to join us in asking that they be asked back into government at this crucial time for veterans in America.
Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Jon Soltz
Iraq War Veteran Chairman,
VoteVets.org

Tammy Duckworth: Service in Washington would be an honor

Duckworth: Service in Washington would be an honor
Chicago Tribune - United States
CHICAGO - Illinois' Veterans Affairs director said Friday she'd be honored to serve in the U.S. Senate if Gov. Rod Blagojevich taps her to fill Barack Obama's seat.

Tammy Duckworth also said she'd also be honored to take a post in President-elect Obama's administration. If he asks. And he hasn't.

Duckworth, 40, hasn't heard from either the governor or Obama, and said she was surprised several months ago when Blagojevich mentioned her as a contender.

A Purple Heart recipient, Duckworth lost both legs in a 2004 helicopter crash while serving as an Illinois Army National Guard pilot in Iraq. The Democrat ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2006 before being named to her current post.

The state has created $70 million in new veterans programs, including low-interest home loans, brain injury screening and a 24-hour hot line to help vets with battle-related stress. And Illinois gives employers a $600 tax credit for hiring veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I would be honored to be able to do that on a national level," Duckworth said after speaking at a conference in Chicago on legal and medical issues facing veterans.
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Veterans’ advocate promotes PTSD site

Veterans’ advocate promotes PTSD site
By Mark Abramson, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Monday, October 20, 2008
Nearly four years after Tammy Duckworth lost her legs in Iraq, she is breaking new ground in her role as director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs.

As an Illinois National Guard major and former Black Hawk pilot, Duckworth is no stranger to the emotional and physical toll of war. She lost her legs when a rocket-propelled grenade hit her chopper in November 2004.

Duckworth, who spoke in Heidelberg, Germany, on Thursday about overcoming her disability, is credited with starting a program that helps veterans and servicemembers get help for post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries. The program is called the Illinois Warrior Assistance Program, and its Web site, www.illinoiswarrior.com, can be accessed by anyone.

"It was something that I approached our governor about doing when I realized that many of our returning veterans had never been screened for post traumatic stress disorder or specifically the traumatic brain injury component of it," Duckworth said.
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http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=58264

Tammy Duckworth, Wounded Iraq veteran rips Bush, McCain

Wounded Iraq veteran rips Bush, McCain
By CHRISTOPHER WILLS | Associated Press Writer
9:23 PM CDT, August 27, 2008
DENVER - Tammy Duckworth, an Army helicopter pilot who lost both legs in Iraq, told the Democratic convention Wednesday that Republican John McCain has unfailingly backed a Bush administration that "let our warriors down."

"Our troops are courageous, strong, fierce. This administration has redeployed them until they are overstretched, stressed and strained," said Duckworth, now director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs.

She berated McCain for backing President Bush's decision to invade Iraq, calling it a diversion from the true battle -- fighting in Afghanistan to destroy al Qaeda. And Bush has failed to give adequate care to the soldiers injured in that war, she charged.

"Too often they get bureaucracy, not benefits. They find inadequate access, inferior facilities and infuriating paperwork," Duckworth said.
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DAV agenda to address underfunded VA and honor Tammy Duckworth

DAV National Convention to Push for VA Funding Reform


Last update: 1:14 p.m. EDT July 30, 2008
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Presidential Candidate, Key Officials Scheduled to Address Disabled Veterans
The Disabled American Veterans will once again convene its national body to address the needs of disabled veterans, including those who have served and sacrificed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere when the organization meets at the Bally's Hotel in Las Vegas for its 87th National Convention Aug. 9-12.
More than 4,000 DAV delegates will review important legislative initiatives aimed at building better lives for disabled veterans and their families. The major issues to be addressed by the Convention include the need to improve mental health care for the psychologically wounded and their families, eliminating the lengthy delays veterans encounter when submitting disability claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs and guarantying full funding for veterans health care.

A special moment will be the presentation of the DAV's Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year Award to Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth, whose remarkable accomplishments in service to veterans, despite suffering a double amputation and other grievous wounds during combat duty in Iraq, inspired the nation and advanced the causes of America's disabled veterans.

The 1.4 million-member Disabled American Veterans, a non-profit organization founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932, represents this nation's wartime disabled veterans. It is dedicated to a single purpose: building better lives for our nation's disabled veterans and their families. For more information, visit the organization's Web site www.dav.org.
SOURCE Disabled American Veterans
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Will more women vets be homeless?

Will more women vets be homeless?
by Erin G. Edwards and Hallie D. Martin Mar 12, 2008



Deanna Mackey hears stories of homelessness from female veterans.
One Iraq veteran got married a few days before she was deployed, but when she returned 18 months later everything was gone.
Her house, her possessions, her husband were all gone.
She was homeless.
Another Iraq veteran who called Mackey was floating from family member to family member with her pre-teen daughter.
That veteran was not only suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and a brain injury; she was horribly maimed in a fire.
Except for her daughter, her family didn’t understand what she was going through and couldn’t look at her. Every time she’d go and look at an apartment, people would take one look at her and then say the apartment was no longer available.
The small number of female veterans who call Mackey are not alone and reflect the ongoing issue of homeless female veterans.
Homelessness is a growing issue for female veterans, and experts aren’t sure how it’s going to turn out with female vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mackey, director of the Homeless and Disabled Program at The Prince Home at Manteno, said she gets desperate calls in the moment of crisis from female veterans who are victims of domestic violence.
All Mackey can do is encourage them to fill out an application for The Prince Home, which opened Feb. 25 and is the first state-run treatment program for homeless and disabled veterans.
If the callers are from out-of-state, and many callers are, The Prince Home can’t accept them because they have to take care of homeless veterans in Illinois first.
“We deal with issues to help decrease the likelihood of them becoming homeless again,” Mackey said about the intensive, nine-month therapy program. “It’s not a shelter where they just come and flop, it’s a place where they are actively working on whatever their challenges are.”
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Illinois Warrior Veterans Program
HUD and VA funds more beds for homeless vets
The Department of Housing and Urban Development is expected to announce in the coming weeks funding for 10,000 permanent housing units for veterans.
The Dept. of Veterans Affairs hopes the new housing will contribute to less homeless veterans.
On March 6, the VA reported a 21 percent drop in homelessness last year.
The drop, from 195,000 homeless vets to 154,000, is attributed to improved coordination of federal and local efforts.
“This is designed to take down the barrier for vets seeking services,” said Pete Dougherty, director of homeless programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The VA will also provide case management so vets can take advantage of health care, benefits, rehabilitation and education.
The project will cost HUD $75 million and the VA $30 million.
The 10,000 units are designed to accommodate veterans and their families, which will help many of the returning female veterans who are single mothers and may not have anywhere else to go.
“It’s tough to serve family and children,” Dougherty said. “But when we partner with community, it gives us an opportunity to make vets feel comfortable while the family gets service.”
The biggest difference between this program and past ones was how homeless veterans got the housing. Previously, they had to apply and go on a list, but the VA will identify the veterans who need housing.
“We already know who to work with and what their needs are,” Dougherty said.
The VA also announced an additional $35 million for transitional programs and beds for the homeless on Feb 28.

Tammy Duckworth moving moutains out of the way

Illinois to screen Guard troops for brain injury, combat stress

By CARLA K. JOHNSON

CHICAGO - Illinois is the first state in the nation to launch a brain injury screening program for all its National Guard troops returning from combat and a 24-hour hot line to help veterans with battle-related stress.

The Illinois Warriors Assistance Program is designed to plug gaps at the federal level in care for soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, state Department of Veterans Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth said Tuesday.

The confidential hot line addresses the stigma that a veteran in crisis may want to avoid, Duckworth said.

"When he wakes up in the middle of the night, like I did for many nights, and you're shaking and it's 2 a.m., you can pick up that hot line and reach a clinician," she said.

Duckworth, an Iraq veteran who lost her legs in combat, and Gov. Rod Blagojevich launched the program Tuesday. The state has received phone calls from 27 other states interested in using the program as a model, she said.

The $8 million program will screen returning Guard troops for traumatic brain injury, known commonly as concussion, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

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When Tammy Duckworth returned from Iraq to Illinois, she was still on a mission. This mission had her just as concerned for the welfare of her brothers and sisters in uniform. She decided to take on the status quo and make a real difference.

Since her voice was heard by Governor Blagojevich, Duckworth has been getting mountains out of the way of the wounded coming back. From PTSD to TBI, she has been a warrior in action. This kind of dedication is what it will take to actually become a grateful nation that does in fact take care of our wounded veterans.

She is doing it all right. From the emergency call in center, this provides anonymity to the veteran. They can call in the middle of the night because that's when it is the worst for the majority of them. They wake up from dreams as real as the event itself. It's all there from the sites, voices and other sounds, the smell and the fear all combined with the carnage they witnessed. Sometimes the dreams are even more devastating than the event. They are also afraid of being labeled "crazy" while often they will say "If anyone knew what was going on inside my head, they'd lock me up" simply because they don't understand this is all normal reactions to very abnormal events. On the other end of the phone they hear a calm, reassuring voice telling them it'll be ok. The next step is getting them the help they need.

This is what I've been doing for years. Out of the 25 years of veterans outreach, the last 10 have been online. They find me when they are close to suicide. I'm one person. I can't be there in the middle of the night for them. Often when I open up my emails their emails are buried in about a hundred others. By the time I read them, I say a prayer responding that they are still alive to answer. There have been times when they never responded to my reply. I often wonder what happened to them. When they do write back, it's a series of emails flying back and forth until I get them to know what PTSD, what is normal in all of this and try to get them to the point where they are ready to go for help.

It's hard to walk a fine line between needing to back off to give them time to digest what's happening and being concerned for their safety. When I don't hear from them for a day or so in this process, I usually type out a "just checking on you" short email. Once they get into the help they need, I usually don't hear from them after that but occasionally they'll email to let me know how it's going. It's a take a deep breath time at least six times a day.

This is why the call centers are vital to keeping them alive. To loose more after combat than we do during it, is pathetic. It is a statement that we as a nation have done very little when it comes to addressing the threat to their lives following them home. They are not "crazy" and most of them are not even addicted to the drugs and alcohol they use. For the most part they are trying to kill off the flashbacks and twitches. Once treatment begins, most never touch the stuff again. They are not criminals and don't like breaking the law, but with PTSD comes very irrational actions usually combined with seeking relief.

Most of the crimes we read in the paper can be connected with post combat stress. The tragic fact is if the help was available to all of them, especially considering they didn't have a criminal background, these crimes could have been prevented. This is not even discussing the problems associated with vaccinations they are given and some of the medication they are given to calm them down or help them sleep.

I was speaking with a VA Doctor today and we were discussing what his program does, while this lead into what is not being done. The VA centers need to be up and running across the nation. The VA and service organizations across the country need to begin to do support groups for the families to stop the family from falling apart during a time when the veteran is in the most need of their support and understanding.

I don't know how many times I've posted that had I not known what PTSD was, my husband and I would have divorced long ago. I had the tools to keep us together and get him the help he needed.

Duckworth and Illinois understands this. The question is, does the rest of the country understand it enough?

Nation makes them combat veterans but states have to heal the warriors?

Illinois leads way in helping veterans
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - MO, United States

By Philip Dine
POST-DISPATCH WASHINGTON BUREAU
12/23/2007

WASHINGTON — By mid-January, Illinois will become the first state to require screening of all returning National Guard troops for traumatic brain injuries. And a hotline will provide around-the-clock psychological help for veterans who wake up in the middle of the night panicked by combat-related stress.

Illinois officials have spent months preparing, including training clinicians and securing funding, as they seek to help soldiers who have fallen through large cracks in care at the federal level.

Illinois is among several states that are beginning to assume responsibility for the detection and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries, which military experts are calling the "signature wounds" of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

The amounts are relatively small but growing, as is the number of states cobbling together funding and programs. Illinois legislators have appropriated $8 million this year; Missouri's governor intends to ask the Legislature for money as well



"It shouldn't be the responsibility of the Illinois taxpayer, but these are our sons and daughters," said Tammy Duckworth, director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs and an Iraq veteran who lost both legs to a rocket-propelled grenade in 2004. "If we don't take care of these veterans through this program, we'll be taking care of them in our prisons or our homeless shelters."

State programs

Among the states setting up programs to deal with the problems of returning veterans:

Illinois: Will require screening of all National Guard troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan for traumatic brain injuries. Screening will be offered to other returning veterans. A 24-hour hotline will be set up for veterans who need counseling.

Minnesota: Offers "Beyond the Yellow Ribbon," a program that helps reintegrate returning veterans into communities, including counseling for family members even before soldiers return home. This year, the Minnesota National Guard funded the program from money intended for training; the state legislature appropriated $1.5 million for next year.

Lt. Col. Kevin Olson of the Minnesota National Guard said: "We realized that while the military does a great job of preparing our soldiers for combat, they don't necessarily do a good job of preparing them to deal with post-combat stress, including divorces, anger management, relationship problems or issues with substance abuse."

Wisconsin: Offers "Mission Welcome Home," which enlists Vietnam veterans, Rotary Clubs and community groups to ease soldiers' transitions to civilian life. State veterans officials acted after noticing that many soldiers finished their tours of duty and returned to isolated rural communities with few services. The program has generated a large response, and officials will seek more than $1 million next year.

North Carolina: Rising domestic problems among returning veterans, few of whom sought help, convinced Veterans Affairs Director Charles Smith to request $600,000 so state officials could offer help to each of the 12,000 veterans returning over the year. He plans to set up a hotline for veterans next month and go before the Legislature early next year to request more funding.

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The nation sent them. Congress sent them. The President sent them. Yet the states are the ones who have to take care of them because the ones who sent them won't. This is so wrong. While it is great the states, some states are trying to take care of the wounded, it is not every state and the actions taken are not enough. What if a soldier or National Guardsman or Reserve lived far away from the help they need in a state where no one is doing much of anything? They served equally. They were wounded equally. Tax payers paid for each one equally to risk their lives. Why is it the government on the national level seems to believe their job is over when they come home?