Formerly Homeless Veteran Embraced by Creative Community
04/10/2012
Jim Terpstra is a Navy veteran who happens to be a very talented writer. For a reason he reveals in the video below, Jim became homeless, and while struggling to get his life back on track, contacted The Veterans Project about our mentoring program.
read more here
Showing posts with label military sexual trauma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label military sexual trauma. Show all posts
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Montana veteran's best option for help was in Florida
Montana veteran's best option for help was in Florida
By CINDY UKEN
Posted: Sunday, March 4, 2012
Two days after his 17th birthday, Paul Schinker joined the U.S. Marine Corps, yearning for deployment as far away from his abusive and dysfunctional small-town Montana childhood home as possible.
He saw joining the Marine Corps in the mid-1970s as an opportunity to develop his identity as a man. While in boot camp he became squad leader and graduated in the top five of his 200-member group. He was stationed to Okinawa, more than 6,300 miles from home.
The once-wayward teen had everything he longed for: discipline, direction and distance. He earned the nickname "Smiley."
He would later wonder if he was "too jolly," and further questions whether his "gay" demeanor made him the target of a gang rape less than two weeks after landing in Okinawa.
As the 6-foot, 2-inch, 180-pound Schinker stepped out of the men's communal shower, about a dozen fellow Marines jumped him. The Marines, all in their 20s, pinned his arms and legs to the wet, cold floor and used the hose of a water-filled fire extinguisher to rape him.
All these years later, Schinker still breaks into quiet sobs as he relates the details. His wife, Jennie, reaches for his hand and there is a long silence.
"I died that day," he said. "I died that day. ... I was so scared. I can still remember how wet the floor was ... Of course they all just walked off laughing. I can give you more detail but that's enough."
His band of brothers had betrayed him.
read more here
By CINDY UKEN
Posted: Sunday, March 4, 2012
Two days after his 17th birthday, Paul Schinker joined the U.S. Marine Corps, yearning for deployment as far away from his abusive and dysfunctional small-town Montana childhood home as possible.
He saw joining the Marine Corps in the mid-1970s as an opportunity to develop his identity as a man. While in boot camp he became squad leader and graduated in the top five of his 200-member group. He was stationed to Okinawa, more than 6,300 miles from home.
The once-wayward teen had everything he longed for: discipline, direction and distance. He earned the nickname "Smiley."
He would later wonder if he was "too jolly," and further questions whether his "gay" demeanor made him the target of a gang rape less than two weeks after landing in Okinawa.
As the 6-foot, 2-inch, 180-pound Schinker stepped out of the men's communal shower, about a dozen fellow Marines jumped him. The Marines, all in their 20s, pinned his arms and legs to the wet, cold floor and used the hose of a water-filled fire extinguisher to rape him.
All these years later, Schinker still breaks into quiet sobs as he relates the details. His wife, Jennie, reaches for his hand and there is a long silence.
"I died that day," he said. "I died that day. ... I was so scared. I can still remember how wet the floor was ... Of course they all just walked off laughing. I can give you more detail but that's enough."
His band of brothers had betrayed him.
He took time off work under the Family Medical Leave Act and, leaving his wife behind, traveled 2,300 miles to Bay Pines, Fla., to seek treatment in an acute psychiatric unit that specializes in MST. He was admitted from March through May 2011 and treated for both military sexual trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder. It cost him $1,500 out of pocket for travel expenses.
read more here
Friday, October 14, 2011
VA YouTube video wants to change attitudes toward female veterans
VA Announces PSA About Women Veterans
Nationwide Release Encourages Public to Join VA Culture Change
WASHINGTON (Oct. 13, 2011)- The Department of Veterans Affairs is taking its internal culture change message to the public with a new video about the vital role women play in the military and the importance of providing women Veterans with high quality health care.
VA's Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group recently completed a 60-second public service announcement (PSA) that challenges viewers to rethink pre-conceived notions about women Veterans. This dynamic video features images of women in service to our country: they drive supply trucks, participate in reconnaissance missions, walk safety patrols, and operate helicopter machine guns.
"When these brave women complete their service and become Veterans, we want them to know that VA is there to meet their health care needs," said Dr. Patricia Hayes, Chief Consultant of the VA's Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group. "At the same time, we want the public to recognize the contributions of women Veterans and the benefits they have earned through their service to the Nation."
Broadcast organizations interested in obtaining a broadcast-quality version of the PSA should contact VA's Office of Public Affairs (202-461-7600).
The number of women using VA has doubled in the past decade, and that increase is expected to continue into the next decade.
More than half of the women using VA health care have a service-connected disability. These range from combat PTSD to missing limbs. The PSA gives a sampling of the service-connected disabilities women Veterans must cope with on a daily basis.
The PSA was developed for nationwide release from a new employee orientation video-available at www.womenshealth.va.gov-created as part of VA's ongoing efforts to change its culture to be more understanding and accommodating of women Veterans and honor the important service they have given our country.
"VA's goal is to provide the highest quality care for every Veteran, regardless of gender. Part of this initiative has been educating staff so they understand and appreciate that it is their job to make sure women Veterans receive the best care anywhere," said Hayes.
In addition to new employee orientation, VA is spreading its culture-of-change message to current employees through posters, conferences, and e-mail messaging. VA health care providers are all given the opportunity to participate in a ground-breaking mini-residency program in Women's Health for Veterans. This program has already educated more than 1,100 VA providers on the latest knowledge in gender-specific health care.
For more information about VA programs and services for women Veterans, please visit: www.va.gov/womenvet and www.womenshealth.va.gov.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
1 in 4 sexual assault hotlines fail in Navy audit
1 in 4 sexual assault hotlines fail in Navy audit
Published: October 10, 2011
The Naval Audit Service has found that one out of four test phone calls to Navy and Marine sexual assault hotlines either failed or was improperly handled, according to a Navy Times article.
Most of the failures came as a result of lack of voice mail, improperly handling reporting methods or failing to return phone calls in a timely manner.
read more here
Published: October 10, 2011
The Naval Audit Service has found that one out of four test phone calls to Navy and Marine sexual assault hotlines either failed or was improperly handled, according to a Navy Times article.
Most of the failures came as a result of lack of voice mail, improperly handling reporting methods or failing to return phone calls in a timely manner.
read more here
Thursday, September 22, 2011
BBC reports on our female veterans and trauma
Female veterans tormented by combat and sexual trauma
By Laura Trevelyan
BBC News, New York
June Moss struggled with suicidal tendencies and depression after returning home from her tour in Iraq
Nearly one in six members of the US military on active duty is a woman. Coming to terms with what they experience, especially when they come home, can take a terrible toll.
Women in the US military have come a long way since a WWII recruiting poster urged them to 'Free a Marine to Fight' by joining up in support roles.
Today 14.5% of active duty members of the US military are women.
And even though they're not strictly in combat roles, women are experiencing warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan just like the men do.
Women, too, are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder as a result of the horrors they've seen. Coping with that, and with being a mother, poses problems of its own.
Take June Moss, a mother of two who was a staff sergeant in the US army shortly after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
read more here
By Laura Trevelyan
BBC News, New York
June Moss struggled with suicidal tendencies and depression after returning home from her tour in Iraq
Nearly one in six members of the US military on active duty is a woman. Coming to terms with what they experience, especially when they come home, can take a terrible toll.
Women in the US military have come a long way since a WWII recruiting poster urged them to 'Free a Marine to Fight' by joining up in support roles.
Today 14.5% of active duty members of the US military are women.
And even though they're not strictly in combat roles, women are experiencing warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan just like the men do.
Women, too, are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder as a result of the horrors they've seen. Coping with that, and with being a mother, poses problems of its own.
Take June Moss, a mother of two who was a staff sergeant in the US army shortly after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
read more here
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Female Veterans Breaking Silence, Beating Trauma
Female Veterans Breaking Silence, Beating Trauma
by AMY TA
August 8, 2011
During a military mission in Afghanistan this weekend, a U.S. helicopter came under fire, crashing and killing eight Afghans and 30 U.S. servicemen. Twenty-two of the casualties were Navy SEALs.
Families are still trying to process the weekend's loss and deal with mental and emotional fallout from the nation's wars. And women have it particularly tough.
Significantly more women have served in the U.S. military in recent years, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Many of these women suffer post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and other issues after their service ends.
U.S. Air Force veteran Lisa Bolling has survived military trauma, returned to a home on the streets, and is now coping with PTSD.
In an interview with Tell Me More guest host Allison Keyes, Bolling says that she first served at the Air Force base in Florida for two years, which was a wonderful experience.
But she wanted to see the world and thus got sent to Germany. She says she was assaulted by a male service member one month after arriving at the base in Germany.
"And six months later, I was pushed out of the military. I got eight letters of reprimand and two Article 15s because I didn't want to go back on the base. And I didn't feel like I could tell anyone. It was a tactical unit. It was very cold — strictly business," she explains.
read more here
Female Veterans Breaking Silence Beating Trauma
by AMY TA
August 8, 2011
During a military mission in Afghanistan this weekend, a U.S. helicopter came under fire, crashing and killing eight Afghans and 30 U.S. servicemen. Twenty-two of the casualties were Navy SEALs.
Families are still trying to process the weekend's loss and deal with mental and emotional fallout from the nation's wars. And women have it particularly tough.
Significantly more women have served in the U.S. military in recent years, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Many of these women suffer post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and other issues after their service ends.
U.S. Air Force veteran Lisa Bolling has survived military trauma, returned to a home on the streets, and is now coping with PTSD.
In an interview with Tell Me More guest host Allison Keyes, Bolling says that she first served at the Air Force base in Florida for two years, which was a wonderful experience.
But she wanted to see the world and thus got sent to Germany. She says she was assaulted by a male service member one month after arriving at the base in Germany.
"And six months later, I was pushed out of the military. I got eight letters of reprimand and two Article 15s because I didn't want to go back on the base. And I didn't feel like I could tell anyone. It was a tactical unit. It was very cold — strictly business," she explains.
read more here
Female Veterans Breaking Silence Beating Trauma
Monday, April 4, 2011
The Military's Secret Shame, rape
The Military's Secret ShameVictims speak out: (from left) Greg Jeloudov has debilitating PTSD; Blake Stephens twice attempted suicide; Jamey Michael Harding saw a drill sergeant go on to rape underage cadets.
by Jesse Ellison
April 03, 2011
When men in the military rape other men in the ranks, no one wants to talk about it. Why the sexual assault of males in the service is finally being confronted.
Like in prisons and other predominantly male environments, male-on-male assault in the military, experts say, is motivated not by homosexuality, but power, intimidation, and domination. Assault victims, both male and female, are typically young and low-ranking; they are targeted for their vulnerability. Often, in male-on-male cases, assailants go after those they assume are gay, even if they are not. “One of the reasons people commit sexual assault is to put people in their place, to drive them out,” says Mic Hunter, author of Honor Betrayed: Sexual Abuse in America’s Military. “Sexual assault isn’t about sex, it’s about violence.”Greg Jeloudov was 35 and new to America when he decided to join the Army. Like most soldiers, he was driven by both patriotism for his adopted homeland and the pragmatic notion that the military could be a first step in a career that would enable him to provide for his new family.
Instead, Jeloudov arrived at Fort Benning, Ga., for basic training in May 2009, in the middle of the economic crisis and rising xenophobia. The soldiers in his unit, responding to his Russian accent and New York City address, called him a “champagne socialist” and a “commie faggot.” He was, he told NEWSWEEK, “in the middle of the viper’s pit.” Less than two weeks after arriving on base, he was gang-raped in the barracks by men who said they were showing him who was in charge of the United States. When he reported the attack to unit commanders, he says they told him, “It must have been your fault. You must have provoked them.”
What happened to Jeloudov is a part of life in the armed forces that hardly anyone talks about: male-on-male sexual assault. In the staunchly traditional military culture, it’s an ugly secret, kept hidden by layers of personal shame and official denial. Last year nearly 50,000 male veterans screened positive for “military sexual trauma” at the Department of Veterans Affairs, up from just over 30,000 in 2003. For the victims, the experience is a special kind of hell—a soldier can’t just quit his job to get away from his abusers. But now, as the Pentagon has begun to acknowledge the rampant problem of sexual violence for both genders, men are coming forward in unprecedented numbers, telling their stories and hoping that speaking up will help them, and others, put their lives back together. “We don’t like to think that our men can be victims,” says Kathleen Chard, chief of the posttraumatic-stress unit at the Cincinnati VA. “We don’t want to think that it could happen to us. If a man standing in front of me who is my size, my skill level, who has been raped—what does that mean about me? I can be raped, too.”
read more here
The Military's Secret Shame
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Bill would ease compensation for sexual trauma
Bill would ease compensation for sexual trauma
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Mar 8, 2011 17:18:35 EST
Veterans who are sexually assaulted, raped or harassed while in the service often find they are ineligible for post-service disability compensation and medical treatment if they have no evidence that they’re suffering from service-related traumatic stress.
A Maine congresswoman wants to change that.
Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, has introduced legislation that would require the Veterans Affairs Department to accept veterans’ statements about the origin of their sexual trauma in the absence of police, medical eyewitness reports or other documentation about the event or events that triggered the mental health problems.
“It’s very difficult to prove sexual assault within the current system, which makes it just as difficult for veterans who have been victims to qualify for the treatments and benefits they need to recover,” Pingree said in a statement. “It’s a classic case of adding insult to injury.”
Anuradha Bhagwati, a former Marine Corps officer who is now executive director of the Service Women’s Action Network, said military sexual trauma victims often lack military records because they never file formal complaints or their records were destroyed. They also often lack informal records, such as letters to friends and family, because they are reluctant to talk about their treatment, she said.
Some records that might help prove claims, such as rape kits and the medical records related to them, and sexual harassment complaints filed with military equal opportunity offices, are routinely destroyed under defense and service policies, Bhagwati said.
“The reality is, the majority of sexual trauma victims do not report their crimes because they don’t feel safe to do so,” she said. “If they do report it, the records often are not available because they are destroyed.”
read more here
Bill would ease compensation for sexual trauma/
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Mar 8, 2011 17:18:35 EST
Veterans who are sexually assaulted, raped or harassed while in the service often find they are ineligible for post-service disability compensation and medical treatment if they have no evidence that they’re suffering from service-related traumatic stress.
A Maine congresswoman wants to change that.
Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, has introduced legislation that would require the Veterans Affairs Department to accept veterans’ statements about the origin of their sexual trauma in the absence of police, medical eyewitness reports or other documentation about the event or events that triggered the mental health problems.
“It’s very difficult to prove sexual assault within the current system, which makes it just as difficult for veterans who have been victims to qualify for the treatments and benefits they need to recover,” Pingree said in a statement. “It’s a classic case of adding insult to injury.”
Anuradha Bhagwati, a former Marine Corps officer who is now executive director of the Service Women’s Action Network, said military sexual trauma victims often lack military records because they never file formal complaints or their records were destroyed. They also often lack informal records, such as letters to friends and family, because they are reluctant to talk about their treatment, she said.
Some records that might help prove claims, such as rape kits and the medical records related to them, and sexual harassment complaints filed with military equal opportunity offices, are routinely destroyed under defense and service policies, Bhagwati said.
“The reality is, the majority of sexual trauma victims do not report their crimes because they don’t feel safe to do so,” she said. “If they do report it, the records often are not available because they are destroyed.”
read more here
Bill would ease compensation for sexual trauma/
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Bill adds protections for sex assault victims
Bill adds protections for sex assault victims
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 19, 2010 15:49:13 EDT
In a move that could lead more military women to report sexual assaults and seeking counseling, the House Armed Services Committee voted Wednesday to allow conversations between victims and victims’ advocates to be privileged communications.
At the urging of Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., the committee approved a new rule that would treat communications between sexual assault victims and their advocates in a way similar to information shared between patients and psychiatrists.
read more here
Bill adds protections for sex assault victims
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 19, 2010 15:49:13 EDT
In a move that could lead more military women to report sexual assaults and seeking counseling, the House Armed Services Committee voted Wednesday to allow conversations between victims and victims’ advocates to be privileged communications.
At the urging of Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., the committee approved a new rule that would treat communications between sexual assault victims and their advocates in a way similar to information shared between patients and psychiatrists.
read more here
Bill adds protections for sex assault victims
Friday, February 5, 2010
Sexual Trauma Vets wrongly charged for free care, IG finds
Vets wrongly charged for free care, IG finds
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Feb 5, 2010 10:06:47 EST
Veterans seeking treatment for sexual trauma suffered in the military may have been improperly charged copayments by the Veterans Affairs Department, according to a new report from the VA Inspector General.
The report, issued Thursday, has resulted in a change in billing practices and a promise that anyone charged for mental health counseling or treatment for physical health conditions could get their money back.
Free counseling and treatment, mental or physical, is available for male or female veterans for sexual trauma that occurred while on active duty or during National Guard and reserve duties. Unlike disability-related health issues, which veterans often must prove are service-connected, veterans seeking treatment for injury, illness or psychological conditions relating to sexual trauma do not have to provide any documentation or evidence that they reported the incident that caused the trauma.
Any veteran can receive the care; they don’t even have to be eligible for veterans benefits or be enrolled in the veterans health care system.
More than 65,000 patients were treated by the VA for sexual trauma in fiscal 2009, according to the report.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/02/military_veterans_sexualassault_020410w/
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Feb 5, 2010 10:06:47 EST
Veterans seeking treatment for sexual trauma suffered in the military may have been improperly charged copayments by the Veterans Affairs Department, according to a new report from the VA Inspector General.
The report, issued Thursday, has resulted in a change in billing practices and a promise that anyone charged for mental health counseling or treatment for physical health conditions could get their money back.
Free counseling and treatment, mental or physical, is available for male or female veterans for sexual trauma that occurred while on active duty or during National Guard and reserve duties. Unlike disability-related health issues, which veterans often must prove are service-connected, veterans seeking treatment for injury, illness or psychological conditions relating to sexual trauma do not have to provide any documentation or evidence that they reported the incident that caused the trauma.
Any veteran can receive the care; they don’t even have to be eligible for veterans benefits or be enrolled in the veterans health care system.
More than 65,000 patients were treated by the VA for sexual trauma in fiscal 2009, according to the report.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/02/military_veterans_sexualassault_020410w/
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
PTSD:The War Within from NAMI Front Line
You've heard the song All You Need Is Love by the Beatles, and while that is something you really do need when you are living with PTSD in your life, what you really need more is information to begin to heal, start over again with this new kind of normal and live a happier life. I can assure you that if I didn't know what I did, my marriage would have ended years ago, or my reaction to what my husband was going thru would have made it worse. We're going on 25 years married in September. Believe me, if love is there, knowledge added to it, then you can do it too. Otherwise, no amount of love is enough to take you thru the darkest days of PTSD.
A look at the War Within from NAMI Kern County Front Line. If you want to know more about PTSD, this is a great way of hearing about it first hand from the troops and their families.
A look at the War Within from NAMI Kern County Front Line. If you want to know more about PTSD, this is a great way of hearing about it first hand from the troops and their families.
The Award winning Kurt Rivera Produced video from Bakersfield, CA that will not be shown at our NAMI National Convention in San Francisco due to time constraints.
Kurt Rivera will be part of our Veterans FRONT LINE Presentation at the NAMI California Conference in Torrance, CA on August 21st.
View this outstanding video in it's entirety right here on our NAMI FRONTLINE website thanks to our FRONT LINE Partners at Trilogy:
The War Within: Eyewitness News Investigates PTSD
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Eli Painted Crow, female warrior fights for female warriors
Mike Tharp: Local vets stand up for Stand Down
Jim, a Vietnam veteran, sits in Eli PaintedCrow's living room. Balding, brown-bearded with calloused hands, he talks with Ismael Hernandez, vice commander of Merced's Disabled American Veterans chapter.
Eli (pronounced 'Ellie'), 48, a Yaqui Indian, shuffles through copies of online material she's just printed out from her ever-humming laptop. As she talks in her kitchen about her efforts to help female veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Jim's words slide in from the other room: "Rockets...mortars...PTSD."
Eli moved to Merced in 1989, early in her 22-year career in the U.S. Army. She got out as an E-7, a mid-level noncommissioned officer. NCOs form the backbone of any military unit. They know more than privates and corporals and colonels and generals about how the Army and Marines work. Eli's MOS (military occupational specialty) was 88M, truck driver.
go here for more
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/115/story/760851.html
Jim, a Vietnam veteran, sits in Eli PaintedCrow's living room. Balding, brown-bearded with calloused hands, he talks with Ismael Hernandez, vice commander of Merced's Disabled American Veterans chapter.
Eli (pronounced 'Ellie'), 48, a Yaqui Indian, shuffles through copies of online material she's just printed out from her ever-humming laptop. As she talks in her kitchen about her efforts to help female veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Jim's words slide in from the other room: "Rockets...mortars...PTSD."
Eli moved to Merced in 1989, early in her 22-year career in the U.S. Army. She got out as an E-7, a mid-level noncommissioned officer. NCOs form the backbone of any military unit. They know more than privates and corporals and colonels and generals about how the Army and Marines work. Eli's MOS (military occupational specialty) was 88M, truck driver.
go here for more
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/115/story/760851.html
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Documentary tells ex-Army sergeant's story of pain
Documentary tells ex-Army sergeant's story of pain
The Associated Press
By CHERYL WITTENAUER
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Retired Army Sgt. Angela Peacock once was outgoing, competitive and athletic. These days, she barely functions, trusts no one and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder that prevents her from working.
She has gained 100 pounds and chain smokes. She lives alone in northern St. Louis County on a military pension and disability.
The story of Peacock's struggle to recover from the trauma of combat and an alleged sexual assault by an officer premieres Wednesday in a new online documentary. "Angie's Story" is the latest webcast in the series "In Their Boots," about the struggles of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and their families.
The series is a project of the Brave New Foundation, a Culver City, Calif.-nonprofit group headed by filmmaker and political activist Robert Greenwald. His films, including "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers," "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price" and "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism," are left-leaning.
But "In Their Boots" is apolitical. That was a condition of the grant from the financial backer, the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund, Greenwald said.
"This is not partisan work," he said. "We were approached to take this on because the stories of patriotic men and women returning home and adjusting to physical and mental problems are stories that traditional media have not been covering."
The series has explored such topics as traumatic brain injury, the plight of young military widows and a soldier's suicide from the parents' point of view.
In the 20-minute documentary "Angie's Story," Peacock says she told her platoon leader while deployed in South Korea in 2001 that she'd been raped by a noncommissioned officer.
She recalled her platoon leader saying, "If you tell, they're going to make you look like a whore. They're going to say you were drinking, it's all your fault. You better just keep your mouth shut."
Peacock said she later learned 57 military women had been sexually assaulted in South Korea that year.
click link for more
The need to take care of your spirit cannot be overlooked when trying to heal from trauma. No matter what faith you claim as your own, or if you have no faith at all, it is a very important part of your healing. Reach out for God as you know Him or keep reaching out until you find Him and the peace you need to feel within. If you do not believe in God, then at least try to reconnect to the spirit within you.
The Associated Press
The Defense Department said in a statement it is committed to eliminating sexual assault through a robust prevention and response policy, removing barriers to reporting and ensuring that care is available to victims.
Last year, the military took action against 600 suspected perpetrators. An additional 572 are awaiting action.
By CHERYL WITTENAUER
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Retired Army Sgt. Angela Peacock once was outgoing, competitive and athletic. These days, she barely functions, trusts no one and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder that prevents her from working.
She has gained 100 pounds and chain smokes. She lives alone in northern St. Louis County on a military pension and disability.
The story of Peacock's struggle to recover from the trauma of combat and an alleged sexual assault by an officer premieres Wednesday in a new online documentary. "Angie's Story" is the latest webcast in the series "In Their Boots," about the struggles of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and their families.
The series is a project of the Brave New Foundation, a Culver City, Calif.-nonprofit group headed by filmmaker and political activist Robert Greenwald. His films, including "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers," "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price" and "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism," are left-leaning.
But "In Their Boots" is apolitical. That was a condition of the grant from the financial backer, the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund, Greenwald said.
"This is not partisan work," he said. "We were approached to take this on because the stories of patriotic men and women returning home and adjusting to physical and mental problems are stories that traditional media have not been covering."
The series has explored such topics as traumatic brain injury, the plight of young military widows and a soldier's suicide from the parents' point of view.
In the 20-minute documentary "Angie's Story," Peacock says she told her platoon leader while deployed in South Korea in 2001 that she'd been raped by a noncommissioned officer.
She recalled her platoon leader saying, "If you tell, they're going to make you look like a whore. They're going to say you were drinking, it's all your fault. You better just keep your mouth shut."
Peacock said she later learned 57 military women had been sexually assaulted in South Korea that year.
click link for more
Angela Peacock
Army Sergeant Angela Peacock joined the military in February 1998. She wanted to travel, serve her country and gain some life experience. In 2001, while deployed in South Korea, Angie was raped by a fellow soldier. She was encouraged by her command not to tell, so she held it in, and in 2003 she took it to Iraq with her. She led her unit courageously, but silently struggled until she couldn't stay quiet any longer. Out of Iraq and back at home, Angie decides to take control of her PTSD - a result of both her military sexual trauma and combat stress - and take her life back.
Three short videos of Angela, one with taking care of her spirit with instructor, another with her meditating and another with using crafts.
http://intheirboots.com/RS117.php
The need to take care of your spirit cannot be overlooked when trying to heal from trauma. No matter what faith you claim as your own, or if you have no faith at all, it is a very important part of your healing. Reach out for God as you know Him or keep reaching out until you find Him and the peace you need to feel within. If you do not believe in God, then at least try to reconnect to the spirit within you.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Military sexual trauma:76 percent were diagnosed with a mental condition
Among women who reported experiencing sexual trauma, 76 percent were diagnosed with a mental condition, compared to 47 percent of other female veterans. The rates were similar in men.
Sexual Trauma Haunts Many Female Vets
Study found 1 in 7 from Iraq, Afghanistan who sought medical care were victims
Posted October 28, 2008
By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Oct. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Shedding light on the challenges facing women in the military, a new study shows that more than one in seven female Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seeking VA medical care reported experiencing sexual trauma during their service.
Veterans who reported sexual trauma, such as rape and threatening sexual harassment, were three times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.
"These mental health conditions are getting recognized, diagnosed and treated," said study co-author Joanne Pavao, a researcher with the VA Palo Alto Health Care System's National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, in California.
Pavao and her colleagues analyzed the records of 89,960 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who sought medical care in the VA health-care system between Oct. 1, 2001, and Oct. 1, 2006. They were expected to present their findings Tuesday in San Diego at the American Public Health Association's annual meeting.
click post title for more
Sexual trauma afflicts 15 percent of U.S. veterans seeking mental health care
Sexual trauma afflicts 15 percent of U.S. veterans: study
Tue Oct 28, 2008
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nearly 15 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seeking medical care from the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department have suffered sexual trauma, from harassment to rape, researchers reported on Tuesday.
And these veterans were 1.5 times as likely as other veterans to need mental health services, the report from the VA found.
"We are, in fact, detecting men and women who seem to have a significant need for mental health services," said Rachel Kimerling of the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in California.
The study, presented at a meeting of the American Public Health Association in San Diego, raises many questions.
Kimerling said in a telephone interview the term "military sexual trauma" covers a range of events from coerced sex to outright rape or threatening and unwelcome sexual advances.
go here for more
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE49R0O020081028
Tue Oct 28, 2008
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nearly 15 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seeking medical care from the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department have suffered sexual trauma, from harassment to rape, researchers reported on Tuesday.
And these veterans were 1.5 times as likely as other veterans to need mental health services, the report from the VA found.
"We are, in fact, detecting men and women who seem to have a significant need for mental health services," said Rachel Kimerling of the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in California.
The study, presented at a meeting of the American Public Health Association in San Diego, raises many questions.
Kimerling said in a telephone interview the term "military sexual trauma" covers a range of events from coerced sex to outright rape or threatening and unwelcome sexual advances.
A spokeswoman for the VA said about 40 percent of all discharged veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have sought medical care of some sort from the VA, which has a universal screening program for military sexual trauma.
go here for more
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE49R0O020081028
Friday, November 30, 2007
From a female veteran and what they go through
My rules for emails are very simple. They are private. Nothing sent to me is posted on my blogs. There are times when the sender wants it posted. I am more than happy to do this. This is one of those cases. It's about a female veteran being denied a VA claim for PTSD and for an injury. I took out some personal information but these are her words.
September 24, 2006
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
St. Petersburg Regional Office
P.O. Box 1437
Bay Pines, Fl 33731
Dear Department of Veterans Affairs:
I am writing an appeal on my denial of knee injury and PTSD.
As I previously stated, I suffered a knee injury due to jumping out of my cot during basic. I have not been able to use the right leg for support in going from a kneeling position to standing erect for years. I have always favored my right leg and tend to rely on my left leg for changing positions. After years and years of doing this, my left knee is suffering from the effects causing me pain. I had my bilateral knees checked out by a physician which she stated..there is definitely a difference in both knees.
I take either percocet or soma or both for the pain. I feel that I wouldn't have this pain and difficulty in movement if it wasn't from an injury from basic training. I, to this day remember the doctor explaining I either needed physical therapy or surgery to help with the injury. I know that I would not have this problem if it wasn't for basic training. I am also thinking about my future with knee problems. I fear that someday, I will need a total knee replacement.
I am appealing my denial on sexual harassment. As I stated, I was a PFC that went to sick bay in May, 1966, to find out why I was having pelvic pain. The doctor knew that I did not want the exam, yet he had two nurses hold me down for the examination. My statement was denied as you stated no evidence of records found for verification of the occurrence. I was either eighteen or nineteen at the time of the occurrence.
The Army was my first job and I came from a very sheltered background. How could I, a PFC bring a complaint against a Captain? Who would had believed my word against a word of an officer and a doctor? Sexual harassment was not even heard of at that time. The first time I heard the word sexual harassment were many years later during the supreme court justice nominee.
How many women at that time would come forward even when they were raped? Very few as women, we were treated differently. Women had to prove their case along with their whole background being exposed. Yet, for the man it was so much easier...they didn't have to expose their background or their buddies would support them. Women did not have the luxury of having a support system except from family and close friends. For instance, my sister was a victim of physical abuse by her husband. Every time she would call the police, they would laugh at her. No report filed.
I have carried around the hurt and humiliation all my life from this so called occurrence. I may not had reported this while in the service, but I have told several friends and my daughter what I went through. Even to this day, I remembered what I went through and yes it has affected me in many different ways. I hated going to a ob-gyn doctor all my life. This occurrence affected my sexual relationship with my husband. Do you know how it feels after being intimate and feeling so sick to your stomach afterwards. This went on for years and years. I was in essence raped or assaulted by an instrument. This doctor had the choice of listening to me or assaulting me. He decided on the latter.
I would like you all to sit back for a few minutes. Imagine this happening to your children, wife, grandchildren, niece, sister or neighbor. Years later they told you what happened. Would you say show me the records or show me the proof? I doubt it very much, instead you would want to do the moral standards of conduct. Can any of you take away that one minute in my life? Of course not, I have lived with it all my life. The day, I told my counselor about my attack, I broke down crying.
That moment in time has never left me. I then had an appointment with the VA psychiatrist. He believed my story, he saw how I was that day in his office and he wrote to the VA saying I was suffering from PTSD due to the attack. Are you saying that you have doubts about one of your chosen psychiatrist? The doctor saw my reaction and told me he believed every word I said. One further note, I took a friend to the VA hospital in California. That is the first time I saw that women veterans had rights for any offense they suffered while in the service. I carried this with me all my life and will continue to do so.
I also went to talk to the chaplain in August, 1966, when I was attacked by my husband. Yet, I was told Special Forces knew they would probably be killed and this is how they react to their wives. The chaplain further told me to leave the service as this was the only way I could be protected. Once again, the men were protected over the women. If your daughter had a cigarette to her face, would you just say that is how men will treat her?
I am just one voice of what many women went through in the military. Yet, this voice feels she deserves to have disability due to her harassment. One voice is crying out for help, understanding and compassion. One voice can make the difference in right and wrong. One voice can tell the horrors of what many service women have gone through.
Even with suffering from PTSD, I have a startle reflex as well as recurring nightmares. If anyone comes behind me, I scream and jump. I have thrown my keys across the floor from fear. I am always making sure no one is walking directly behind me. If an automobile is even with my car, I will take my foot off the gas and slow down. Will this startle reflex ever go away, I doubt it. I have warn friends never to come up behind my back due to my reaction. Having this reflex isn't fun for me..it is a hardship instead. As for the nightmares, I had to live with them for more years then I want to remember.
I wake up scared to go back to sleep again. How would you feel if you had recurring nightmares for years and years. This is not a part of my life that I would wish on anyone.
I want you all to close your eyes and put yourself in my place. As I said, this was my first job..the Army away from home. I was extremely naive and quiet. My childhood was surrounded by being obedient and never making any waves in life. I was taught to be honest and truthful. I will end this letter with the statement that everything I have told you about my injury and sexual harassment is the God honest truth.
Keep our troops safe,
Nancie L. Smith
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