'Horses for Heroes' helps injured, traumatized war vets adjust
12:00 AM CDT on Friday, March 19, 2010
By AVI SELK / The Dallas Morning News
aselk@dallasnews.com
Saddle up, soldier.
The horses of Stajduhar Stables in Colleyville have long been helping children bear the burdens of debilitating diseases. The animals' rhythmic gait can calm the nervous systems of kids with autism and strengthen the muscles of those with cerebral palsy.
Now the therapeutic riding stable is looking for injured or traumatized veterans to get on the horse – no charge. They call it "Horses for Heroes."
The stable has booked five soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder for its pilot class this spring, but it's still searching for at least one physically disabled veteran to participate. The success of the class will help determine whether the program gets grant money to continue into the future. DFW Case Management Society of America is funding the pilot class with a donation to the stable's nonprofit foundation.
"We can help them regain their strength, regain their balance," said Lisa Stajduhar, a physical therapist who owns the stable. "If they use a prosthetic, we can help them get up and start walking again."
read more here
Horses for Heroes
Showing posts with label wounded warrior. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wounded warrior. Show all posts
Friday, March 19, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Only 19 percent of medical evacuations in Mideast battle-related
Data: Only 19 percent of medical evacuations in Mideast battle-related
By Teri Weaver, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, March 17, 2010
TOKYO — Only one out of five medical evacuations of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan in the past eight years were diagnosed as battle-related injuries, according to a new analysis by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center.
During the same time, evacuations for mental disorders rose drastically, from 61 instances in 2002 to 1,014 in 2008, the last full year analyzed.
The majority of the medical evacuations from Iraq and Afghanistan occurred because of injuries classified as happening outside the battlefield, including back and knee problems, mental disorders, and other physical problems such as digestive, respiratory or urinary symptoms, according to the report.
The analysis was the first of its kind to look comprehensively at all 52,283 medical evacuations from October 2001 to September 2009, according to Army Col. Robert DeFraites, a preventive medicine doctor who directs the center.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=68719
By Teri Weaver, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, March 17, 2010
TOKYO — Only one out of five medical evacuations of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan in the past eight years were diagnosed as battle-related injuries, according to a new analysis by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center.
During the same time, evacuations for mental disorders rose drastically, from 61 instances in 2002 to 1,014 in 2008, the last full year analyzed.
The majority of the medical evacuations from Iraq and Afghanistan occurred because of injuries classified as happening outside the battlefield, including back and knee problems, mental disorders, and other physical problems such as digestive, respiratory or urinary symptoms, according to the report.
The analysis was the first of its kind to look comprehensively at all 52,283 medical evacuations from October 2001 to September 2009, according to Army Col. Robert DeFraites, a preventive medicine doctor who directs the center.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=68719
DoD Assessing Disability Ratings
DoD Assessing Disability Ratings
Week of March 15, 2010
A recent review by a Department of Defense Physical Disability Board of Review (PDBR) resulted in 61 percent of applicants having their status changed from a medical separation to retirement on the permanent disability list. This review is open to eligible veterans of the DoD, Guard and Reserve and Coast Guard. Eligible veterans can request a PDBR by submitting a Department of Defense Form 294, which is available at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/infomgt/forms/eforms/dd0294.pdf.
Veterans requesting a PDBR must mail their completed and signed DD Form 294 to SAF/MRBR, 550 C St. W., Suite 41, Randolph Air Force Base, TX 78150-4743. Applicants may submit statements, briefs, medical records or affidavits supporting their application.
Week of March 15, 2010
A recent review by a Department of Defense Physical Disability Board of Review (PDBR) resulted in 61 percent of applicants having their status changed from a medical separation to retirement on the permanent disability list. This review is open to eligible veterans of the DoD, Guard and Reserve and Coast Guard. Eligible veterans can request a PDBR by submitting a Department of Defense Form 294, which is available at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/infomgt/forms/eforms/dd0294.pdf.
Veterans requesting a PDBR must mail their completed and signed DD Form 294 to SAF/MRBR, 550 C St. W., Suite 41, Randolph Air Force Base, TX 78150-4743. Applicants may submit statements, briefs, medical records or affidavits supporting their application.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Homes for Our Troops taking care of Florida's wounded warriors
Home Building / Adaptation Projects in Florida
Luis Puertas
Branch: Army Rank: Specialist
Home: Orlando, FL
Army SPC Luis Puertas was left a double amputee after an EFP explosion in Baghdad, Iraq, on September 20, 2006. SPC Puertas was the driver of the lead HUMVEE on a daily patrol near Sadar City when an unseen EFP, planted at the base of a light pole launched into the vehicle, amputating both of his legs on impact. Leaving him trapped beneath the 400 pound up-armored door of the HUMVEE. Miraculously, his team was able to extricate him from the wreckage, and prepare him for medevac from the scene.
Click here to continue...
Juan Roldan
Branch: Army Rank: Staff Sergeant
Home: Tampa, FL
Army SSG Juan Roldan was left a double amputee above the knees after an EFP explosion in Sadar City, Iraq on December 29, 2006. During the days prior to the execution of Saddam Hussein, Baghdad, Iraq and the surrounding area was described as "Hell on Earth" by military members who were patrolling the streets; "things were out of control." SSG Roldan was a vehicle commander, on a patrol through Sadar City when an Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP) struck the vehicle, immediately killing the driver and gunner and throwing SSG Roldan from the vehicle.
Click here to continue...
Steven Holloway
Branch: Army Rank: Sergeant First Class
Home: Wellington, FL
Army SFC Steven Holloway was a patrol leader on a mission to train Iraqi Police when his team was rerouted to assist at the scene of a deadly IED attack in Mosul, Iraq. After radioing for a Medivac, SFC Holloway went to the aid of a severely injured soldier and was immediately hit by a sniper's bullet. The Medivac he had called transported the injured soldier and SFC Holloway as well.
Click here to continue...
Paul "Russ" Marek
Branch: Army Rank: Staff Sergeant
Home: Melbourne, FL
SSG Paul Russell Marek was serving with the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq when his tank was destroyed by an IED. Three of his crew members perished in the explosion and Russ lost his right leg and right arm, his right ear and left thumb and suffered brain injury and severe burns over 20 percent of his body. That happend on September 16, 2005 as he rode in a tank near Baghdad.
Click here to continue...
Veterans Find Therapy on Ski Slopes
Wounded Warriors, Veterans Find Therapy on Ski Slopes
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
MERCERSBURG, Pa., March 12, 2010 – Matthew Bilancia addresses the slopes like a man on a mission, cutting and edging his snowboard down the mountain with the confidence and passion of someone who’s been doing it all his life.
But beneath the thick pants and poised facade, the former Air Force senior airman bears the source of his determination: a scar on his right knee that reminds him of all the doctors and physicians who once told him, “Walking would be difficult. Forget about sports and athletics.”
Bilancia was one of four wounded warriors and disabled veterans to participate yesterday in what is expected to be one of the few remaining days of the winter sports season at Whitetail Resort here. He and the others came together with the USO of Metropolitan Washington and the Two Top Mountain Adaptive Sports Foundation to prove to themselves that rehabilitation is more than pain killers and doctor recommendations.
“I’ve been using snowboarding and hand cycling and weight lifting to manage my pain for the past three years,” Bilancia, a New Jersey native, said. “I think by using different sports and athletics, it keeps you from being depressed. It manages my depression and post-traumatic stress. It’s great to able to use those things instead of the medication.”
go here for more
Veterans Find Therapy on Ski Slopes
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
MERCERSBURG, Pa., March 12, 2010 – Matthew Bilancia addresses the slopes like a man on a mission, cutting and edging his snowboard down the mountain with the confidence and passion of someone who’s been doing it all his life.
But beneath the thick pants and poised facade, the former Air Force senior airman bears the source of his determination: a scar on his right knee that reminds him of all the doctors and physicians who once told him, “Walking would be difficult. Forget about sports and athletics.”
Bilancia was one of four wounded warriors and disabled veterans to participate yesterday in what is expected to be one of the few remaining days of the winter sports season at Whitetail Resort here. He and the others came together with the USO of Metropolitan Washington and the Two Top Mountain Adaptive Sports Foundation to prove to themselves that rehabilitation is more than pain killers and doctor recommendations.
“I’ve been using snowboarding and hand cycling and weight lifting to manage my pain for the past three years,” Bilancia, a New Jersey native, said. “I think by using different sports and athletics, it keeps you from being depressed. It manages my depression and post-traumatic stress. It’s great to able to use those things instead of the medication.”
go here for more
Veterans Find Therapy on Ski Slopes
Monday, March 8, 2010
Tupper Lake community pulls together to help wounded soldier's family
UPDATE
25k raised for injured soldier
Tupper Lake community pulls together to help wounded soldier's family
By Dick Case
March 07, 2010, 6:00AM
Tupper Lake -- It’s a hard hit for Tupper Lake, a village in the northern Adirondacks, according to Jim LaValley.
Within four years, Tupper Lake has had two of its young people seriously wounded in U.S. warfare thousands of miles away.
Feb. 24, 1st Lt. Bergan Flannigan lost her leg to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. The 24-year-old Army officer is being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.;
In June 2006, Josh Jones was wounded when his Humvee ran over a buried mine in Bagdad, Iraq. He lost his leg, also.
“It’s a hard hit,” LaValley was saying to me last week from Tupper Lake, where he runs a real estate company. “You know these kids; it gets me in the gut.”
25k raised for injured soldier
Courtesy U.S. Army
1st Lt Bergan Flannigan of Tupper Lake wears the Purple Heart she was awarded after losing her leg while on patrol last month in Afghanistan. Shown with her at Craig Joint Theater Hospital in Afghanistan are her husband, 1st Lt. Thomas Flannigan, left, and Col. John F. Garrity.
The community of 4,500 village residents immediately stepped up to help the Arsenaults. Events to raise money to assist the family were held Saturday in Tupper Lake.
Tupper Lake community pulls together to help wounded soldier's family
By Dick Case
March 07, 2010, 6:00AM
Tupper Lake -- It’s a hard hit for Tupper Lake, a village in the northern Adirondacks, according to Jim LaValley.
Within four years, Tupper Lake has had two of its young people seriously wounded in U.S. warfare thousands of miles away.
Feb. 24, 1st Lt. Bergan Flannigan lost her leg to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. The 24-year-old Army officer is being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.;
In June 2006, Josh Jones was wounded when his Humvee ran over a buried mine in Bagdad, Iraq. He lost his leg, also.
“It’s a hard hit,” LaValley was saying to me last week from Tupper Lake, where he runs a real estate company. “You know these kids; it gets me in the gut.”
To help
Donations for Bergan Flannigan’s family may be sent to ARISE at PO Box 1200, Tupper Lake, N.Y. 12986. Make checks out to ARISE Bergan Fund.read more here
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Vietnam Vet Inspires Crowds
Vietnam Vet Inspires Crowds
contact Lauren Kalberer
Feb 27 2010 11:07PM
KXMBTV Bismarck
So often our soldiers carry their scars with them... whether on the inside or the outside.
This weekend, a Vietnam vet is showing his scars... to help others.
This is Dave Roever...
He is a Navy special forces veteran who was injured in 1969... after a hand grenade blew off next to his head.
Today he travels around the country and the world... to speak to all kinds of audiences... and hopefully inspire them.
He says after his injury, someone helped him... and he forever wants to pass on that gift of hope.
After 14 months in a hospital... He knows how injured soldiers feel... and wants them to know they don't have to feel alone...
read more here
Vietnam Vet Inspires Crowds
contact Lauren Kalberer
Feb 27 2010 11:07PM
KXMBTV Bismarck
So often our soldiers carry their scars with them... whether on the inside or the outside.
This weekend, a Vietnam vet is showing his scars... to help others.
This is Dave Roever...
He is a Navy special forces veteran who was injured in 1969... after a hand grenade blew off next to his head.
Today he travels around the country and the world... to speak to all kinds of audiences... and hopefully inspire them.
He says after his injury, someone helped him... and he forever wants to pass on that gift of hope.
After 14 months in a hospital... He knows how injured soldiers feel... and wants them to know they don't have to feel alone...
read more here
Vietnam Vet Inspires Crowds
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Wounded and Waiting for VA
Nine months for one claim and then 18 months for another? This happens way too often. As bad as it is with nearly a million claims tied up for "at least 125 days" you need to really understand what is happening between the time a veteran is wounded and the time he is receiving what he or she earned.
My husband, a Vietnam vet, took six years worth of torture before his claim was approved. This was in the 90's. Back then it was not so much of a backlog of claims as it was correcting paperwork and finding records no one seemed to know where they were. In his case it turned out to be an error on paperwork for a Bronze Star. Once it was corrected his claim was approved. He is well cared for by the VA. The problem is, we remember all too well what the experience took out of us and our marriage.
When the VA doctor read the diagnosis of PTSD we assumed that the term "service connected disability" applied to him. After seeking help everywhere else, we thought the long nightmare was coming to an end and he would begin to heal. We didn't know it was about to get worse.
With each denial on his claim, a piece of him was killed off. The PTSD knife in his back was being twisted and turned. It grew harder and harder to restore hope for him that sooner or later they would approve his claim. After all, we knew why he was the way he was, where he went in his nightmares and where his flashbacks took him too. I was watching him die a slow death and the only hope I had was that the VA would take care of him. Everyone at the VA hospital knew it was PTSD because of Vietnam but the VA itself.
What happens is that once the veteran decides to finally go for help, there is a glimmer of hope restored to them. They have faced the enemy in combat, faced the wound still trying to take their life from them, faced the stigma realizing had they not been there, they wouldn't be carrying this pain and then they had to face the VA, their only hope, turning them down.
They have bills to pay, just like everyone else. For them, they are unable to work the same way they would have if they did not serve in combat. For more, they cannot work at all. Flashbacks drain them, nightmares wear them down and then there is the self-medicating, using drugs and alcohol to kill off feelings they cannot tolerate. The stress of the wound itself is deadly as it tries to finish what combat started. Added onto the emotional toll is the pain that comes when they are suffering helplessly watching everything they have slip away.
Bill collectors call and they cannot pay, because they cannot work, because they served the nation. Think of what that would do to you if you had been in their boots.
They served for the sake of the nation and each other, but return to where their homes are in jeopardy of being taken away went the mortgage can't be paid or the rent is too late.
All of this adds to the stress PTSD has already fed.
And then comes the stress on the family adding to what PTSD started.
These are not just claims. These are not just veterans waiting for help when they never asked us to wait for them. These are men and women, along with families, waiting for hope, waiting for honor, waiting for someone to say "this is not right" and do something about it.
Watch this video and maybe you will be able to send a letter to your own congressman/woman to make sure no veteran has to wait for the result of what was asked of them to be taken care of. Since this video was created, the only thing that has changed is there are a lot more waiting for their wounds and welfare to matter to the rest of us.
My husband, a Vietnam vet, took six years worth of torture before his claim was approved. This was in the 90's. Back then it was not so much of a backlog of claims as it was correcting paperwork and finding records no one seemed to know where they were. In his case it turned out to be an error on paperwork for a Bronze Star. Once it was corrected his claim was approved. He is well cared for by the VA. The problem is, we remember all too well what the experience took out of us and our marriage.
When the VA doctor read the diagnosis of PTSD we assumed that the term "service connected disability" applied to him. After seeking help everywhere else, we thought the long nightmare was coming to an end and he would begin to heal. We didn't know it was about to get worse.
With each denial on his claim, a piece of him was killed off. The PTSD knife in his back was being twisted and turned. It grew harder and harder to restore hope for him that sooner or later they would approve his claim. After all, we knew why he was the way he was, where he went in his nightmares and where his flashbacks took him too. I was watching him die a slow death and the only hope I had was that the VA would take care of him. Everyone at the VA hospital knew it was PTSD because of Vietnam but the VA itself.
What happens is that once the veteran decides to finally go for help, there is a glimmer of hope restored to them. They have faced the enemy in combat, faced the wound still trying to take their life from them, faced the stigma realizing had they not been there, they wouldn't be carrying this pain and then they had to face the VA, their only hope, turning them down.
They have bills to pay, just like everyone else. For them, they are unable to work the same way they would have if they did not serve in combat. For more, they cannot work at all. Flashbacks drain them, nightmares wear them down and then there is the self-medicating, using drugs and alcohol to kill off feelings they cannot tolerate. The stress of the wound itself is deadly as it tries to finish what combat started. Added onto the emotional toll is the pain that comes when they are suffering helplessly watching everything they have slip away.
Bill collectors call and they cannot pay, because they cannot work, because they served the nation. Think of what that would do to you if you had been in their boots.
They served for the sake of the nation and each other, but return to where their homes are in jeopardy of being taken away went the mortgage can't be paid or the rent is too late.
All of this adds to the stress PTSD has already fed.
And then comes the stress on the family adding to what PTSD started.
These are not just claims. These are not just veterans waiting for help when they never asked us to wait for them. These are men and women, along with families, waiting for hope, waiting for honor, waiting for someone to say "this is not right" and do something about it.
Watch this video and maybe you will be able to send a letter to your own congressman/woman to make sure no veteran has to wait for the result of what was asked of them to be taken care of. Since this video was created, the only thing that has changed is there are a lot more waiting for their wounds and welfare to matter to the rest of us.
Posted to Great Americans by NamGuardianAngel on September 14, 2009
Rep. John Hall speaks about the proposed federal budget Monday at the Orange County Veterans' Service Agency in Goshen.
Times Herald-Record/KEITH GOLDBERG
Claims backlog for veterans' benefits could shrink
By Keith Goldberg
Times Herald-Record
Posted: February 09, 2010 - 2:00 AM
GOSHEN — Damian Todd's first claim for veteran disability benefits took about nine months to process. His next claim, for post-traumatic stress disorder, took 18, and was resolved only when he got Rep. John Hall involved.
"I think the people at the VA (Veterans Affairs) do the best they can with the resources they have," said Todd, 34, who lives in Highland Mills and served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1998 to 2007. "There's just not enough of them."Right now, the VBA has nearly a million backlogged claims — the definition of a backlogged claim is one that hasn't been processed for at least 125 days.
"I don't think we'd be satisfied with that (backlog) with our private insurance company," said Hall, who hopes that number can be knocked down to 30 days.read more here
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Operation Mend at UCLA helping soldiers recover better
Military, civilian medical communities team up to improve the lives of troops with severe disfigurements from war
By Charlie Reed, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, February 6, 2010
Gunnery Sgt. Blaine Scott can now eat a cheeseburger without first having to tear it to pieces.
It’s a small yet significant triumph for the 37-year-old native of Kellerton, Iowa. In 2006, a roadside bomb in Iraq scorched 40 percent of his body, including his face. Three of his fellow Marines died in the attack.
Scott endured more than a dozen surgeries during the 18 months he spent recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where 800 troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan have been treated at its burn center since 2003. But it wasn’t until he returned to active duty and hooked up with Operation Mend at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center that civilian plastic surgeons restored his ability to chew, gave him a new nose and further refined scars with another dozen surgeries.
"It’s good to get back to the way I was," said the married father of three, whose youngest son knows him only by the face scarred by war.
Advances in combat medicine and body and vehicle armor have made war more survivable for troops like Scott. Today, 3 percent of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq die from their wounds, compared with 19 percent during the Vietnam War and 25 percent during World War II, according to statistics provided by the Pentagon.
But the price of survival is often paid with severed limbs, disfigured faces and burned bodies.
Operation Mend is among a growing number of partnerships the military has forged with the civilian medical community to help the tens of thousands wounded in combat, many with severe disfigurements. And recent investments in reconstructive surgery research point to the military’s growing attention to improving life for war-mangled troops.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=67806
By Charlie Reed, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, February 6, 2010
Gunnery Sgt. Blaine Scott can now eat a cheeseburger without first having to tear it to pieces.
It’s a small yet significant triumph for the 37-year-old native of Kellerton, Iowa. In 2006, a roadside bomb in Iraq scorched 40 percent of his body, including his face. Three of his fellow Marines died in the attack.
Scott endured more than a dozen surgeries during the 18 months he spent recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where 800 troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan have been treated at its burn center since 2003. But it wasn’t until he returned to active duty and hooked up with Operation Mend at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center that civilian plastic surgeons restored his ability to chew, gave him a new nose and further refined scars with another dozen surgeries.
"It’s good to get back to the way I was," said the married father of three, whose youngest son knows him only by the face scarred by war.
Advances in combat medicine and body and vehicle armor have made war more survivable for troops like Scott. Today, 3 percent of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq die from their wounds, compared with 19 percent during the Vietnam War and 25 percent during World War II, according to statistics provided by the Pentagon.
But the price of survival is often paid with severed limbs, disfigured faces and burned bodies.
Operation Mend is among a growing number of partnerships the military has forged with the civilian medical community to help the tens of thousands wounded in combat, many with severe disfigurements. And recent investments in reconstructive surgery research point to the military’s growing attention to improving life for war-mangled troops.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=67806
Monday, February 1, 2010
Wounded Warrior: A Story of Survival
Wounded Warrior: A Story of Survival
A Colorado Springs soldier was not expected to survive a critical injury he suffered in Iraq. His recovery was nothing short of miraculous. His family tells 11 News it is a testament to the power of hope. Reporter: David Nancarrow
PLAY VIDEO: Wounded Warrior: A Survivor's Story
A Colorado Springs soldier was not expected to survive a critical injury he suffered in Iraq. His recovery was nothing short of miraculous. His family tells 11 News it is a testament to the power of hope. Reporter: David Nancarrow
PLAY VIDEO: Wounded Warrior: A Survivor's Story
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Canada looks at caring for veterans as a human rights issue
That is what it all boils down to isn't it? Replacing income because a combat veteran suffers for having served, having risked their life, having already paid the price few others will come close to understanding, leaving them without enough money to live off of, should be considered nothing less than a human rights issue. They are disabled and should be treated as disabled with the medical care and financial support they need just like anyone else but unlike anyone else, they would not be disabled unless they risked their lives for the sake of everyone else in the country. So how is it that they are forced to fight yet another battle to make sure they do not have to suffer even more for suffering in the first place?
Disabled vets wage new war
By SEAN BRUYEA
Thu. Jan 21 - 4:46 AM
It has become a sad truth that the path of an injured soldier to receive disability benefits in Canada is a minefield of obstacles. Today, the Supreme Court of Canada will hear about some of them.
When Canadian Forces members are injured on duty, they receive pain and suffering payments from Veterans Affairs while keeping their full salary. If soldiers are so disabled as to be unemployable, they are kicked out of the military and paid 75 per cent of their salary through a long-term disability plan held by the Canadian Forces. Then, in some seemingly petty act of revenge, the Canadian Forces insurance plan deducts amounts for pain and suffering paid by Veterans Affairs.
No other long-term disability income plan in Canada is allowed to deduct Veterans Affairs payments for pain and suffering. This is why Nova Scotia resident Dennis Manuge has brought his case to the Supreme Court; his case represents more than 4,000 disabled soldiers similarly affected. I am one of the 4,000.
The National Defence ombudsman has called the deductions "profoundly unfair" and said that "the inequity might very well be serious enough to attract the protection of human rights legislation" including "the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which identifies physical and mental disabilities as prohibited grounds of discrimination."
read more here
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Columnists/1163449.html
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Virginia Wounded Warrior Program reaches out to veterans who need help
State program reaches out to veterans who need help
By Michael Martz
Published: January 7, 2010
Since terrorists struck the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, more than 230,000 troops have been deployed to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq from Virginia military bases.
Now, a state program is trying to help those coming back to find help for problems they might not even want to discuss.
The Virginia Wounded Warrior Program is using a tiny budget to reach a big problem -- veterans with behavioral-health problems, ranging from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder to traumatic brain injuries.
More than 813,000 military veterans live in Virginia, including more than 38,000 veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. And that doesn't include the families of service members who have been deployed.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as we're concerned," said Mary Ann Bergeron, executive director of the Virginia Association of Community Services Boards. "When they come back, families expect the same person. Well, they're not getting the same person."
read more here
State program reaches out to veterans who need help
By Michael Martz
Published: January 7, 2010
Since terrorists struck the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, more than 230,000 troops have been deployed to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq from Virginia military bases.
Now, a state program is trying to help those coming back to find help for problems they might not even want to discuss.
The Virginia Wounded Warrior Program is using a tiny budget to reach a big problem -- veterans with behavioral-health problems, ranging from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder to traumatic brain injuries.
More than 813,000 military veterans live in Virginia, including more than 38,000 veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. And that doesn't include the families of service members who have been deployed.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as we're concerned," said Mary Ann Bergeron, executive director of the Virginia Association of Community Services Boards. "When they come back, families expect the same person. Well, they're not getting the same person."
read more here
State program reaches out to veterans who need help
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Service dog comforts Bells veteran with PTSD
Service dog comforts Bells veteran with PTSD
By MARIANN MARTIN
mmartin10@jacksonsun.com
January 10, 2010
When Aimee Sherrod paces the floor after a nightmare, her dog Bear licks her face. When she feels frightened by a large crowd, Bear blocks people by standing in front of her. When she yells at her husband and family, Bear puts his nose in her hand.
"On the days I push everyone else away, he won't leave me alone," Sherrod says as she sits on the couch in her Bells home. Bear, a service dog from the organization Puppies Behind Bars, puts his head in her lap, letting her play with his ears.
Sherrod, a mother of two, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving two tours of duty in Iraq in the Air Force.
The first Air Force casualty in the war came from her unit. During her second tour in 2003 and 2004, her unit was stationed in the Baghdad International Airport, which was targeted by bombings and sniper fire.
Post-traumatic stress disorder was diagnosed in 2004, and Sherrod took a medical discharge from the Air Force in 2005.
Since then, she has struggled to cope with her illness, which has kept her from holding a steady job or staying in school. She hopes that may change since she got Bear in October.
"He is not a robot or a magic fix, but he helps," she said. "And anything that makes it (the post-traumatic stress disorder) less, is good with me. Just like today - he can tell I'm more nervous than usual and he is right on top of me."
read more here
Service dog comforts Bells veteran with PTSD
By MARIANN MARTIN
mmartin10@jacksonsun.com
January 10, 2010
When Aimee Sherrod paces the floor after a nightmare, her dog Bear licks her face. When she feels frightened by a large crowd, Bear blocks people by standing in front of her. When she yells at her husband and family, Bear puts his nose in her hand.
"On the days I push everyone else away, he won't leave me alone," Sherrod says as she sits on the couch in her Bells home. Bear, a service dog from the organization Puppies Behind Bars, puts his head in her lap, letting her play with his ears.
Sherrod, a mother of two, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving two tours of duty in Iraq in the Air Force.
The first Air Force casualty in the war came from her unit. During her second tour in 2003 and 2004, her unit was stationed in the Baghdad International Airport, which was targeted by bombings and sniper fire.
Post-traumatic stress disorder was diagnosed in 2004, and Sherrod took a medical discharge from the Air Force in 2005.
Since then, she has struggled to cope with her illness, which has kept her from holding a steady job or staying in school. She hopes that may change since she got Bear in October.
"He is not a robot or a magic fix, but he helps," she said. "And anything that makes it (the post-traumatic stress disorder) less, is good with me. Just like today - he can tell I'm more nervous than usual and he is right on top of me."
read more here
Service dog comforts Bells veteran with PTSD
Monday, December 28, 2009
“I thought, give me a couple days, I’ll be alright. I’m a Soldier,”
This is what most of them are like. They don't complain. Most of them do not ask for any help at all and this is what should upset us the most. If it is a physical wound, the thought of getting medical attention to help them heal faster offers them hope of getting back on duty faster. They tough it out as much as they can, most of the time far beyond where an average person would attempt to do. Yet when it is PTSD, they are the last to ask for help. When report after report came out that less than half of the servicemen and women with PTSD sought help, the rest of the nation should have noticed. Even today, there are people in this country under the delusion that "half of PTSD claims are bogus" because they failed to pay attention.
They are human like the rest of us but they are willing to do what few of us will do, yet we stand in judgment of them. We convince ourselves that the DOD and the VA are doing everything possible to take care of the wounded, as long as we don't have to lift a finger or heaven forbid, pay a few extra dollars on our taxes to make sure we take care of the men and women we send to risk their lives.
When you read this story, think about the type of people we're talking about while the rest of us whine, moan and complain about how hard our lives are, because for all the problems we have, they do as well, but we don't have to worry about getting wounded doing our duty because we let them do it all.
They are human like the rest of us but they are willing to do what few of us will do, yet we stand in judgment of them. We convince ourselves that the DOD and the VA are doing everything possible to take care of the wounded, as long as we don't have to lift a finger or heaven forbid, pay a few extra dollars on our taxes to make sure we take care of the men and women we send to risk their lives.
When you read this story, think about the type of people we're talking about while the rest of us whine, moan and complain about how hard our lives are, because for all the problems we have, they do as well, but we don't have to worry about getting wounded doing our duty because we let them do it all.
Wounded warriors receive food, cheer this season
By Joy Pariante, Sentinel Leisure Editor
December 24, 2009 News
He traveled within Iraq’s most volatile areas, but Sgt. 1st Class Robert Walker never thought he would be in even more danger on his own flight line.
Walker inspected attack helicopters to ensure they were safe to fly and prepared to fight. Following a mortar attack at Balad Air Base in August of 2005, Walker went out to determine if his aircraft had been damaged. Attack helicopters are used to protect other aircraft, military equipment and, most importantly, personnel.
While crossing the flight line, Walker’s vehicle was hit by a mortar. The non-commissioned officer was injured, but it would be years before he knew how severely his injuries would affect him. Despite continuous and intense pain in his neck and back, Walker served three consecutive tours in Iraq He wasn’t diagnosed or treated until June 2008.
“I thought, give me a couple days, I’ll be alright. I’m a Soldier,” Walker said.
Three years after the blast that left him in constant pain, Walker discovered he had a compression fracture of his neck, which would require surgery. After he was evacuated from Iraq, he underwent spinal fusion surgery, which left him with limited mobility and a metal plate in his neck. Any wrong moves before surgery could have left Walker paralyzed from the neck down.
read more here
http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/story.php?id=2777
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Wounded, uprooted find solace at Fisher House
Wounded, uprooted find solace at Fisher House
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Dec 22, 2009 11:04:51 EST
WASHINGTON — Michelle Ford had newborn twins and a husband severely wounded in Afghanistan when she got the offer to move into a group home on the campus of Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Living with other families made her apprehensive, but she agreed. It turned out to be a wise decision.
While the rest of Washington is wrapped up in its holiday hustle, the Ford family is finding the homey atmosphere and camaraderie of Fisher House to be a salve and a source of support as husband Derrick recovers from injuries suffered during a roadside bombing in Afghanistan in mid-August. The couple and 3-month-old twins Trinity and Dennis live with 10 other families, each of whom has a service member or relative being cared for at the hospital.
read more here
Wounded uprooted find solace at Fisher House
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Dec 22, 2009 11:04:51 EST
WASHINGTON — Michelle Ford had newborn twins and a husband severely wounded in Afghanistan when she got the offer to move into a group home on the campus of Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Living with other families made her apprehensive, but she agreed. It turned out to be a wise decision.
While the rest of Washington is wrapped up in its holiday hustle, the Ford family is finding the homey atmosphere and camaraderie of Fisher House to be a salve and a source of support as husband Derrick recovers from injuries suffered during a roadside bombing in Afghanistan in mid-August. The couple and 3-month-old twins Trinity and Dennis live with 10 other families, each of whom has a service member or relative being cared for at the hospital.
read more here
Wounded uprooted find solace at Fisher House
Monday, December 21, 2009
The war may never be over for Dedi Noble
Camano Island mother devoted to memory of son killed in Iraq
By Gale Fiege
Herald Writer
The war may never be over for Dedi Noble.
During the first two Christmases after her only child, Army Sgt. Charles E. Matheny IV, was killed in Iraq, Noble sat in the front room of her Camano Island home and sobbed.
“Charlie's body came home. The funeral and burial came. The blackness came,” she said. “I asked God to take me, too, because my main purpose in life was to be Charlie's mother. Then I realized if he was gone, perhaps there was another purpose for me.”
As they did last Dec. 25, Noble and her husband, David, plan to load up their car on Christmas Day with gifts for 60 wounded warriors and drive to the regional Veterans Administration hospital in Seattle.
Noble, a member of the Washington Gold Star Mothers association, will spend the day visiting with veterans in the spinal-cord injury, brain injury, post-traumatic-stress disorder and psychiatric units.
read more here
http://heraldnet.com/article/20091221/NEWS01/712219881
By Gale Fiege
Herald Writer
The war may never be over for Dedi Noble.
During the first two Christmases after her only child, Army Sgt. Charles E. Matheny IV, was killed in Iraq, Noble sat in the front room of her Camano Island home and sobbed.
“Charlie's body came home. The funeral and burial came. The blackness came,” she said. “I asked God to take me, too, because my main purpose in life was to be Charlie's mother. Then I realized if he was gone, perhaps there was another purpose for me.”
As they did last Dec. 25, Noble and her husband, David, plan to load up their car on Christmas Day with gifts for 60 wounded warriors and drive to the regional Veterans Administration hospital in Seattle.
Noble, a member of the Washington Gold Star Mothers association, will spend the day visiting with veterans in the spinal-cord injury, brain injury, post-traumatic-stress disorder and psychiatric units.
read more here
http://heraldnet.com/article/20091221/NEWS01/712219881
Friday, December 18, 2009
Wounded troops and families feted for holiday at Haley VA
Wounded troops and families feted for holiday at Haley VA
By Robbyn Mitchell, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Friday, December 18, 2009
TAMPA
The din rose higher and higher as more than 300 guests talked and chowed down on turkey, but Craig Remsburg was determined to speak his piece Thursday night.
"I just want to thank you for all you're doing for us," Remsburg said as he shook the hand of Bob Silah, the chairman of Operation Helping Hand. "This is all so wonderful."
The father of an Army Ranger in a coma, Remsburg was in awe of how the Tampa community came out in force to honor his son and nearly 30 other injured or wounded military personnel at Operation Helping Hand's monthly dinner at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center's Spinal Cord Injury Center.
People were listening to Christmas music and talking between forkfuls of turkey , mashed potatoes, bread, yams and fried plantains.
Santa Claus sat smilingly near the front of the room, welcoming children. The Tampa Bay Lightning's Thunderbug flitted from table to table working the littlest dinner guests into a frenzy with mimicry and gags.
Silah said the group had raised $12,000 during the dinner, the bulk — $8,000 — coming from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office clay pigeon shoot out.
read more here
Wounded troops and families feted for holiday at Haley VA
By Robbyn Mitchell, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Friday, December 18, 2009
TAMPA
The din rose higher and higher as more than 300 guests talked and chowed down on turkey, but Craig Remsburg was determined to speak his piece Thursday night.
"I just want to thank you for all you're doing for us," Remsburg said as he shook the hand of Bob Silah, the chairman of Operation Helping Hand. "This is all so wonderful."
The father of an Army Ranger in a coma, Remsburg was in awe of how the Tampa community came out in force to honor his son and nearly 30 other injured or wounded military personnel at Operation Helping Hand's monthly dinner at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center's Spinal Cord Injury Center.
People were listening to Christmas music and talking between forkfuls of turkey , mashed potatoes, bread, yams and fried plantains.
Santa Claus sat smilingly near the front of the room, welcoming children. The Tampa Bay Lightning's Thunderbug flitted from table to table working the littlest dinner guests into a frenzy with mimicry and gags.
Silah said the group had raised $12,000 during the dinner, the bulk — $8,000 — coming from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office clay pigeon shoot out.
read more here
Wounded troops and families feted for holiday at Haley VA
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Oprah's Thanksgiving Gift to wounded warriors
If you've been with family today giving thanks for what you have in your life, you may have missed a special Oprah show. Today she gave the wounded warriors one of the greatest gifts possible. She gave them her attention as well as compassion.
There is more to say but today is Thanksgiving and while I am thankful for much today, this program is now among the blessings I'm grateful for today. Please watch the clips if you did not see the show. If you did then please write to thank Oprah for this show.
Oprah on Location at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Oprah on Location at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Oprah visits Walter Reed Army Medical Center to meet the real men, women and families behind the headlines. Then, a day in the life of a soldier and a mom.
When the physically wounded are being treated, it is assumed they have other wounds needing to be treated. Should they require help to heal emotionally, everyone around them has been watching for signs, or at least they should be.
Juanita Wilson talked to Oprah about how her husband couldn't understand why she didn't come home the same way. It happens all too often when the family members are unwilling to look beyond the body they see into the soul of the person they were closest to. Juanita lost her hand but her other wound is trying to take over the rest of her.Ceremony Reenlists Injured Soldiers Into U.S. Army Reserve
WASHINGTON - APRIL 6: U.S. Army Reservist Sgt. 1st Class Juanita Wilson (C) is congratulated by Lt. Gen. James Helmly (L), Chief of the Army Reserve, after Wilson took the oath to reenlist in the Reserves on the West Steps of the U.S. Capitol April 6, 2006 in Washington, DC. Wilson's daughter, Kenyah Wilson, 7, is at right. Wilson lost her left hand to an improvised explosive device in Iraq in August, 2004. Wilson said she has no second thoughts about reenlisting. 'I was born and bred to be a solider,' she said.
Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Apr 06, 2006
Everything she spoke about pointed to PTSD but that in no way prevents her from serving. PTSD is not the end of a life. It's the end of the way they used to be because trauma always changes people. We all change with what happens in our own lives. For our troops and our veterans, the change came after they did what we asked them to do. That makes it all our responsibly and a continuation of our obligation.
Women on the Front Lines
More women than ever are enlisted. Meet Juanita Wilson, the first American mother to lose a limb in Iraq.
Combat Photography
A retired Air Force staff sergeant goes behind the lens...browse a gallery of Stacy Pearsall's moving photographs.
The Road to Recovery
At Walter Reed, our most critically injured soldiers begin to rebuild their lives. The visit Oprah won't soon forget.
In Their Own Words
In a split second, their lives were changed forever. Meet the soldiers at Walter Reed, and watch them tell their stories.
There is more to say but today is Thanksgiving and while I am thankful for much today, this program is now among the blessings I'm grateful for today. Please watch the clips if you did not see the show. If you did then please write to thank Oprah for this show.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Army strain, recovery at Fort Lewis
King: Army strain, recovery at Fort Lewis
By John King, CNN Chief National Correspondent
November 10, 2009 8:38 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
CNN's John King travels to Fort Lewis, Washington
Soldiers are dealing not only with physical injuries but with ones harder to detect
Two-thirds of the troops stationed at Fort Lewis are now in Iraq or Afghanistan
"State of the Union" with John King airs at 9 a.m. ET Sunday
Fort Lewis, Washington (CNN) -- The pain is excruciating, but to Army Spc. Michael Ballard, pain is the price of progress.
"I broke the top of my femur, so with the plate and screws, now I'm actually, two months later, able to walk -- do some walking on my own," Ballard told us. "Physical therapy is coming along very well."
Once the hip is back to full strength, Ballard will need knee surgery to repair ligament damage, but he shrugs and voices encouragement at his progress and smiles a confident smile when asked about his ultimate goal.
"Get back and fight," Ballard said without hesitation. "Return to duty."
Veterans Day traditionally has been set aside more to honor those who have served rather than those still serving. But eight-plus years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq have created a huge class of combat veterans who still wear the uniform, many of them with two or three or more deployments under their belts and perhaps more in their futures.
read more here
Army strain, recovery at Fort Lewis
By John King, CNN Chief National Correspondent
November 10, 2009 8:38 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
CNN's John King travels to Fort Lewis, Washington
Soldiers are dealing not only with physical injuries but with ones harder to detect
Two-thirds of the troops stationed at Fort Lewis are now in Iraq or Afghanistan
"State of the Union" with John King airs at 9 a.m. ET Sunday
Fort Lewis, Washington (CNN) -- The pain is excruciating, but to Army Spc. Michael Ballard, pain is the price of progress.
"I broke the top of my femur, so with the plate and screws, now I'm actually, two months later, able to walk -- do some walking on my own," Ballard told us. "Physical therapy is coming along very well."
Once the hip is back to full strength, Ballard will need knee surgery to repair ligament damage, but he shrugs and voices encouragement at his progress and smiles a confident smile when asked about his ultimate goal.
"Get back and fight," Ballard said without hesitation. "Return to duty."
Veterans Day traditionally has been set aside more to honor those who have served rather than those still serving. But eight-plus years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq have created a huge class of combat veterans who still wear the uniform, many of them with two or three or more deployments under their belts and perhaps more in their futures.
read more here
Army strain, recovery at Fort Lewis
Monday, November 2, 2009
A soldier's injuries cripple body and mind
How many more? How long will it take before we get this right once and for all? I've been reading stories like this since 1982 and they don't get any easier to read. I can also assure you, they don't get any easier to live with after either.
I want every family to still have their veteran with them and not bury them. I want every wife (or husband) to still have the person they wanted to spend the rest of their life with still by their side. I want every child to grow up with them knowing they are loved by them and for every parent to stop having to bury a son or daughter needlessly. I want every veteran to know nothing about PTSD is their fault unless they think it is no longer a gift to be compassionate. To know that the person they were before is still inside of them trying to get out from behind the pain and the walls their mind has built fortified by drugs and alcohol. This I want them to know so they may heal and live. When we read about PTSD numbers we need to remember behind every number is a family that is just as much war wounded as their family member is.
A soldier's injuries cripple body and mind
Capt. Peter Sinclair returned from Iraq with debilitating back pain and haunting memories of war and death -- dogged enemies in his fight to rebuild his life.
By Jia-Rui Chong
Peter Sinclair rummaged through the closet and found what he was looking for.
His roommate, drawn to the commotion, saw Pete raise a gun to his head. Daniel Jennings managed to yank it away. He locked up all of Pete's guns.
"You can't stop me," Pete said.
Jennings and Pete had served together in Iraq from 2004 to 2005, but this was a year later and Pete was struggling.
Daniel encouraged him to lie down and left to get help once Pete seemed calmer.
"You're a good man," Pete said.
But he could not shake the images of war: dismembered children, mutilated bodies. Alone in his house, Pete called his parents. His sister Jennifer answered.
All he could do was scream, "Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye!"
He found a 7-inch knife and plunged it into his wrist.
As the blood spread across the floor, Daniel returned with an Army friend. They took the knife away and stopped the bleeding. Paramedics and police officers soon swarmed the house in Garden Grove.
As an officer in Iraq, Pete had won praise and promotions. His commander had called him "one of the finest, if not the finest young officer in the 298th Corps Support Battalion."
But Pete had come back from war with a broken body, suffering from back injuries and painful memories. Doctors, nurses, psychologists and physical therapists treated him, but few were able to help.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are challenging, if not taxing, veterans medical services. So far, nearly 36,000 troops have been wounded, many returning with injuries that in previous conflicts would have killed them. Some, like Pete, endure complications from physical and emotional trauma that neither surgery nor therapy nor medication can easily resolve.
read more here
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-pete2-2009nov02,0,4375826.story
I want every family to still have their veteran with them and not bury them. I want every wife (or husband) to still have the person they wanted to spend the rest of their life with still by their side. I want every child to grow up with them knowing they are loved by them and for every parent to stop having to bury a son or daughter needlessly. I want every veteran to know nothing about PTSD is their fault unless they think it is no longer a gift to be compassionate. To know that the person they were before is still inside of them trying to get out from behind the pain and the walls their mind has built fortified by drugs and alcohol. This I want them to know so they may heal and live. When we read about PTSD numbers we need to remember behind every number is a family that is just as much war wounded as their family member is.
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
"He served in the Persian Gulf War, and after he returned home he joined the Los Angeles Police Department and the Army Reserves. In December 2003, he was called up for another tour in Iraq. A first lieutenant, he was assigned to an ordnance company at Ft. Buchanan in Puerto Rico."
Jennifer Sinclair weeps during a memorial service for her brother in June. Army Capt. Peter Sinclair had spent years on a regimen of painkillers, muscle relaxers and anti-anxiety medications to cope with debilitating back pain and severe post-traumatic stress after returning from Iraq in 2005. (Benjamin Reed / Los Angles Times / June 21, 2008)
A soldier's injuries cripple body and mind
Capt. Peter Sinclair returned from Iraq with debilitating back pain and haunting memories of war and death -- dogged enemies in his fight to rebuild his life.
By Jia-Rui Chong
Peter Sinclair rummaged through the closet and found what he was looking for.
His roommate, drawn to the commotion, saw Pete raise a gun to his head. Daniel Jennings managed to yank it away. He locked up all of Pete's guns.
"You can't stop me," Pete said.
Jennings and Pete had served together in Iraq from 2004 to 2005, but this was a year later and Pete was struggling.
Daniel encouraged him to lie down and left to get help once Pete seemed calmer.
"You're a good man," Pete said.
But he could not shake the images of war: dismembered children, mutilated bodies. Alone in his house, Pete called his parents. His sister Jennifer answered.
All he could do was scream, "Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye!"
He found a 7-inch knife and plunged it into his wrist.
As the blood spread across the floor, Daniel returned with an Army friend. They took the knife away and stopped the bleeding. Paramedics and police officers soon swarmed the house in Garden Grove.
As an officer in Iraq, Pete had won praise and promotions. His commander had called him "one of the finest, if not the finest young officer in the 298th Corps Support Battalion."
But Pete had come back from war with a broken body, suffering from back injuries and painful memories. Doctors, nurses, psychologists and physical therapists treated him, but few were able to help.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are challenging, if not taxing, veterans medical services. So far, nearly 36,000 troops have been wounded, many returning with injuries that in previous conflicts would have killed them. Some, like Pete, endure complications from physical and emotional trauma that neither surgery nor therapy nor medication can easily resolve.
read more here
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-pete2-2009nov02,0,4375826.story
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