Smartest people on PTSD were not even invited to the room?

Want to know why suicides tied to military have gone up?

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
May 8, 2019

There is a huge difference between what is happening right now, and what was happening before all the wrong awareness became a billion dollar industry.

In the movie "Now You See Me" there is a line about always being the smartest guy in the room.

The thing is, the one who thought he was smarter, turned out to outsmarted by the one he thought he trapped.  (If you saw the movie, you know the brilliant ending. If you didn't see it, well worth watching.)

I can assure you that the smartest people on PTSD and suicide, were not even invited into the conversation. They are the people I learned from over 3 decades ago.

They made me smart enough to know that if the DOD actually pushed the research project designed for school kids, on members of the military, it would be a disaster.

May 29, 2009, almost ten years ago, I warned that Comprehensive Soldier Fitness would make it worse and, suicides would go up. They did. 

When you tell a member of the military, they can train their brains to become mentally tough, you ended up preventing them from getting the truth, and knowing that PTSD has more to do with the strength of their emotional core. This BS ended up telling them it was their fault, and the the DOD messed things up even further by kicking out members who asked for help, or acted out because they felt they could not ask for help.

Now, all these years later, we are still reading about how they haven't figured out why suicides have gone up after all the "efforts" and money spent. You know, the stuff that Congress has been paying out with our money...and holding no one accountable, including themselves.

I hope that by now you have figured out that when politicians take over, it does not matter which party is in control, we end up getting stuck with the bill. We usually end up getting stuck with things just as bad, or worse, because they did not think to ask the people with the answers.

So, to toss a bigger load into the pile, we have social media making simple communications...simple.

Give the fact that people can take pictures of their McDonalds chicken nuggets with the breading taken off and turn the question of peal or not, into a such a hot topic, it got into the New York Post,

"In the following days, the post quickly amassed more than 2,500 “likes” and 19,000 shares." We have completely lost the ability to pay attention to important stuff going on.

Take the "suicide awareness" raisers running around the country as if veterans didn't know they were already killing themselves. That is yet one more reason why the numbers of veterans we failed went up, instead of down. 

This is what raising awareness has done

"Health officials also warn about the possibility of "suicide contagion" — meaning that people who are exposed to a suicide or attempted suicide within their family or friend group, or who hear about it in the media, may be at greater risk of suicide themselves."

They do not need to be reminded they are losing this war. They need to know that there is a way they can win this battle and live a better life!

Veterans and suicide risk: The warning signs — and how to get help

CBS News
BY ASHLEY WELCH
MAY 8, 2019

The suicides of at least four military veterans at Veterans Affairs facilities last month has captured the attention of advocates and members of Congress. According to data released by the VA, there were more than 6,000 veteran suicides each year from 2008 to 2016. Data published in 2017 found the risk for suicide was 22 percent higher among veterans.

The recent suicides come after President Trump signed an executive order in March mandating a veteran suicide prevention task force.

A combination of individual, relationship, and societal factors contribute to the risk of suicide, health officials say. Mental illness, including depression and anxiety, is also a risk factor for suicide. But it's important to remember there isn't just one cause.

"A lot of very smart people are looking at this and saying it's multifactorial. We don't really understand why there's such an increase," CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook said on "CBS This Morning" last June, after the suicide deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. "One of the things we keep coming back to when these surprising events happen is you never know what is in somebody's head."
read more here

Anyway, now you have the answer to that part anyway. BTW, too bad they do not even know they are way off on the number they talk about too!

Heroic teen at Colorado school had already joined Marine Corps

Colorado STEM school student Brendan Bialy helped disarm gunman

NBC News
By Patrick Smith and Hayley Walker
May 8, 2019

A high school senior who plans to become a Marine after graduation was among the students who tackled a gunman in a Colorado school on Tuesday.

Brendan Bialy attends the STEM School Highlands Ranch, which is not far from the site of the Columbine High School shooting 20 years ago.

Brendan Bialy, who is enrolled in the Marine Corps Delayed Entry Program, helped subdue a shooter at the STEM School in Colorado.

Bialy's father, Brad, confirmed to NBC News that the teenager and other classmates tackled and disarmed one of the two shooters.
read more here

UPDATE: And the hero who did not survive

"This wasn't your average kid. He was extraordinary": Dad of school shooting hero remembers his son 
CBS News
MAY 9, 2019 

John and Maria Castillo are still trying to process the fact that their son, Kendrick, is gone.

"I'm sad, I'm mad. I have all these emotions. I feel like my life is blank as of yesterday," said John, speaking with reporters from the family home in Denver. CBS Denver was there. 
read more of his story here

Fort Myers HOA does not like Vietnam veteran's memorial on his garage?

Skirmish at Florida community over a Vietnam War memorial mural settled ... unhappily

Fort Myers News-Press
Michael Braun
May 7, 2019

A skirmish between residents and management at a North Fort Myers development in Florida involving a memorial to the Vietnam War ended peacefully if not unhappily Tuesday.

The issue arose seemingly overnight when residents of the Del Tura Golf and Country Club began talking on social media sites about a mural on a garage door painted in black and depicting a Vietnam War-era soldier kneeling before a cross with a helicopter flying in the background.

Community officials sent Bob Masson, 71, a Vietnam War vet and the mural's owner, a letter asking him to remove the depiction. Apparently there also had been a complaint.

"It feels like I've been kicked in the head," Masson said. "It feels like (his service in the war) meant nothing right now. It meant a lot to us when we were over there."
read more here

Other veterans rights being taken away at VA over POW MIA table?

Air Force veteran wants to force his rights by taking away from others?

What part of the Constitution keeps getting missed by those who want to force everyone else to comply with protecting their "free expression" of lack of faith?

Last I heard, Congress did not make a law establishing a religion. 

Vietnam veterans however, did in fact establish the POW MIA table and the ceremony. They established honoring those who served, risked their lives and did not make it back home to enjoy the freedom they sacrifices their lives to provide to others. 

Yes, the same folks who are so terrified they are not being represented for their non-beliefs, they want to make sure that no one else has the right to express their own beliefs...as protected by the whole part of this...

The Bill of Rights – Full Text

Amendment IThe Bill of Rights – Full Text Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

The missing man table consists of the following elements:

• A small table set for one, symbolising the isolation of the absent service member. The table is usually set close to, or within sight of, the entrance to the dining room. For large events, the missing man table may be set for six places representing each of the five armed services (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard), with the sixth symbolising the civilians who died during armed conflict.^[8] The table is round to represent the everlasting concern the survivors have for the missing.^[9]
• One or more head covers may be placed upon the table represent the armed service of the missing persons.^[10]
• A white tablecloth to symbolise the pure intentions of the service members who responded to the country's call to arms.^[11]
• A single rose in the vase symbolising the blood that service members have shed in sacrifice to ensure the freedom of the United States of America. This rose also represents the family and friends who keep the faith while awaiting the return of the missing service members.^[12]
• The red ribbon represents a love of country that inspired the service members to serve the country.^[13]
• A slice of lemon on the bread plate that represents the bitter fate of the missing.^[14]
• Salt sprinkled on the bread plate that symbolises the tears shed by waiting families.^[14]
• An inverted glass to represent fact that the missing and fallen cannot partake.^[12]
• A Bible represents the spiritual strength and faith to sustain the lost. This may be omitted in official displays.^[15].
• A lit candle symbolises a light of hope that lives in hearts to illuminate the missing's way home.
• An empty chair to represent the absence of the missing and fallen^[16]

But even they left it out here.

Manchester VA Medical Center, veterans battle over Bible display

New Hampshire Union Leader
By MICHAEL COUSINEAU
May 7, 2019

MANCHESTER -- A Bible once owned by a prisoner of war -- and on display at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center -- has launched a battle over religious freedom.

An Air Force veteran filed a lawsuit Tuesday looking to remove the Bible displayed on a POW/MIA table.

This Bible on the POW/MIA table at the Manchester VA Medical Center has sparked a controversy. DAVID LANE/UNION LEADER

“We would all be outraged if the MVAMC only provided care to Christians, or denied care to non-believers, or those who worship their God in other ways,” attorney Lawrence Vogelman wrote in the seven-page lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Concord.

“The placement of a Christian Bible on this sacred table is just as objectionable,” he said.

Curt Cashour, press secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs, called the lawsuit “nothing more than an attempt to force VA into censoring a show of respect for America’s POW/MIA community.

“Make no mistake: VA will not be bullied on this issue,” he said in a statement.

Cashour also apologized to veterans for the VA temporarily removing the Bible a few months back.
read more here

Military Makeover with Montel: Homestead Equine Therapy

Area veteran and Homestead Stables to be featured on Lifetime TV’s ‘Military Makeover with Montel’

Observer
BUSINESS
MAY 5, 2019

Heritage Ministries Vice-President of Marketing and Development, Lisa Haglund, has announced that Homestead Stables by Heritage, in conjunction with N.E.I.G.H. and the Constance Project, will serve as a filming location for “Military Makeover with Montel,” hosted by Montel Williams this month.

The show, which airs on Lifetime TV, will feature the story of Ashville, NY resident Cody Willett, who currently works as a computer specialist with the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department, and his wife Jessica. A weapons supply technician for special operations teams in the United States Air Force, Willett was four months into his second deployment when his base was attacked. He was severely injured in a rocket propelled grenade attack, leaving him with a fractured lower spine, dislocated shoulder and a damaged ankle. Evacuated for medical treatment in Germany, Cody was eventually able to return home to New York, where he met his wife.


Upon his return, Willett began working with Cindy Reidy of the PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Peer to Peer Program. The program’s goal is to link veterans together for socialization and friendship and utilizes peer support from those who can relate to the struggles of transitioning into civilian life.


It was at this point that Homestead Stables and equine assisted therapy specialist, Dawn Samuelson, founder of The Constance Project, entered the picture. Named after Dawn’s late sister, Constance Marie Davenport, a U.S. Air Force veteran that took her own life at the age of 25. The program is designed to aid in the prevention of suicide and work with veterans that experience PTSD, bereavement, anxiety, depression and anger issues. The Constance Project not only works with veterans, but active military and their families as well.
read more here

WWII Veteran lived long enough to see memorials in Washington, but not home again

95-year-old WWII vet dies returning from Honor Flight to Washington

FOX 5 News
BY BOB PONTING AND JEFF MCADAM
MAY 6, 2019

SAN DIEGO – A local World War II veteran who flew to Washington as part of an Honor Flight collapsed and died during the return trip to San Diego, the organization that organized the flight said.

"The fella who caught my dad came up to me and said, 'listen, your dad, within 5 seconds of having him in my arms was gone,'” said Bruce Manchel, the veteran's son.

Frank Manchel, 95, was accompanied by his son, Bruce, on the trip organized by Honor Flight San Diego. On Sunday, he boarded the flight home from Baltimore Washington International Airport to San Diego after spending the weekend in Washington, D.C. During the flight, Manchel collapsed. Others on the flight tried to resuscitate Manchel, but he was pronounced dead.

Before the plane landed, Bruce tells FOX5 that his father was placed next to him on the flight. Before the other veterans on board deplaned, each one of them stopped in front of his dad.
read more here

Double murder-suicide claimed lives of 3 Navy Corpsmen

Police: 3 Navy corpsmen dead in double murder and suicide

Associated Press
MAY 7, 2019

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Authorities in Virginia say they're investigating the shooting deaths of three active duty service members in what appears to be a double murder and suicide.

The Virginian-Pilot reported Tuesday that the two women and one man were Navy corpsmen. The two women were stationed at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. The man was stationed at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina.

Police say the two women were shot to death at a 7-Eleven in Portsmouth late Saturday night. The man was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a car parked nearby.

Naval Criminal Investigative Service identified the women who died as 19-year-old Shianne Soles and 23-year-old Meaghan Burns. Soles is from Veradale, Washington, and Burns is from Massachusetts.

NCIS identified the man as 22-year-old Donavon Moora, of New York.
go here for updates

Oklahoma veteran with PTSD sent to death by suicide?

Krysten Mischelle Gonzalez served country, sent to jail and suicide

This is one of those stories that I missed. I found it today searching for something else. It is a story that needs to be shared because it is yet one more, among a long list, of things we get oh, so wrong.

Jail inmate waited for mental health treatment bed for months before death

The Oklahoman
by SILAS ALLEN
January 13, 2019

Krysten Gonzalez, front, prepares to paint a hallway at the City Rescue Mission in 2014. At the time, Gonzalez was a part of a recovery program at the rescue mission. Gonzalez died Tuesday after being found unresponsive at the Oklahoma County jail. 

[Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman Archives]

Editor's note: If you or anyone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Find more information here.

For nearly three months before she died, Krysten Mischelle Gonzalez sat in an Oklahoma County jail cell while public defenders searched for an inpatient mental health treatment facility that would agree to accept her, the county's chief public defender says.

Gonzalez, 29, was found unresponsive in her cell about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. Jail staff performed lifesaving measures before taking her to OU Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead shortly after 5 p.m. The state medical examiner's office has not determined a cause of death, but jail officials say Gonzalez hanged herself.

Gonzalez had been jailed since Oct. 11 on a warrant for failure to appear. The case stems from a June 2017 incident in which an officer responding to a shoplifting call found a baggie containing 0.6 grams of meth in Gonzalez's purse.

A U.S. Army veteran, Gonzalez stated in court papers that she had been treated in the past for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. In November 2017, her Oklahoma County case was transferred to mental health court. As a part of that transfer, Gonzalez agreed to make regular appearances in mental health court. If she violated the terms of the agreement, Gonzalez would be subject to an automatic 10-year prison sentence.
read more here

Atomic veteran fighting the VA seeking justice for others like him

Atomic veteran continuing the fight for benefits after denial from VA

Enid News and Eagle
By James Neal
Staff Writer
May 6, 2019

"The main thing was for them to take a better look at the other people they treated this way," Simpson said. "I'm not the only atomic veteran that's been treated this way by the VA."

An atomic veteran is continuing a fight for benefits — for himself and other veterans subjected to atomic testing — after his most recent claim was denied by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Richard Simpson, of Hillsdale, holds a photo of an atomic bomb test within 500 meters of the trench he was in with his Marine Corps platoon in 1953. (Bonnie Vculek / Enid News and Eagle)

The News and Eagle first wrote of Richard Simpson, of Hillsdale, in a story last December about atomic veterans' efforts to gain disability benefits for conditions related to radiation exposure. The were ordered to participate in a series of tests between 1945 and 1962 in which the U.S. military subjected troops to atomic blasts to observe the effects of radiation.

The National Association of Atomic Veterans (NAAV) estimates 195,000 to 300,000 U.S. troops were subjected to atomic testing during that timeframe.

Simpson, then a platoon sergeant in the Marine Corps, participated in Operation Upshot-Knothole in 1953, in which he and his men were placed in trenches about 500 feet from a 350-foot tower, on which an atomic bomb was detonated.
read more here

Firefighter's last request, to not die in vain

Family stressing importance of mental health after death of Orange Twp. firefighter

ABC 6 News
by Haley Nelson
May 3rd 2019

ORANGE TWP, Ohio — The parents of a Central Ohio firefighter/paramedic are sharing a message about the importance of mental health for first responders, after his death.

Orange Township firefighter/paramedic Trever Murphy died by suicide on April 12th, after battling anxiety, PTSD and more this year. He was 28.

"We (saw) bits and pieces here and there," said mom Kathrine Murphy Hardin, "but, you could tell he was always the tough guy, 'I've got to hide this under this nice hard shell'."

His story is one of so many successes, say parents Kathrine and Gary.

"His motto was 'Go big, or go home'," said Murphy Hardin, "and that's what he did. He was top in his class in Columbus State, he excelled in high school."
read more here