Monday, March 14, 2011

Home For Our Troops builds home for wounded Marine



Community Constructs Home for Marine
The sound of saws and hammering could be heard over strong wind, as hundreds worked to build a home for a marine. Sgt. Dylan Gray lost both legs when an anti-tank mine went off in Iraq.
Posted: 6:55 PM Mar 13, 2011
Reporter: Joe Harrington
The sound of saws and hammering could be heard over strong wind, as hundreds worked to build a home for a marine. Sgt. Dylan Gray lost both legs when an anti-tank mine went off in Iraq.

Gray and his family decided to settle in rural Smith Valley, where 'Home For Our Troops' is facilitating the building of a home. 'Home For Our Troops' is dependent on volunteers and donations to make the effort possible.

"All these people that don't know me that have dedicated their whole weekend to come out here and build me a home it's amazing," Sgt. Gray said.

The roof was being put on the home Sunday.

Gray, who uses prosthetic legs or a wheelchair, will have greater mobility in his new home. It will have wider doorways, low counters and a large roll-in shower, among other special features.

"The home he's in now the wheelchair he's in typically half the day can't go through some of the doorways," a 'Home For Our Troops' representative said.

'Home for Our Troops' has been building twenty to thirty homes each year.

Gray's home will be finished in several months.

click link for video on this from KOLO News

Suicidal thoughts plague veterans

When they die in combat they are treated like a hero, and rightly so, but when they die because of combat, people have a hard time viewing the man or woman the same way. The fact they were brave enough, cared enough, unselfish enough to step up, willing to accept the risk of serving in the military, we fail to really honor their lives and their service.
Some veterans end up taking their own lives. The VA reported nearly 11,000 suicide attempts and about 700 deaths in 2009.
More than 134,000 calls to the Suicide Prevention Hotline and still there were that many deaths back home with 11,000 more trying to commit suicide. This is not a national headline we're reminded of on the news but it is a national disgrace!

Suicidal thoughts plague veterans
By Bernard A. Lubell Medill News Service
David Cox remembers being deployed, looking at his loaded weapon and thinking of ending his life.

The Highland resident had suicidal thoughts during at least one of his six deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and is thankful that one of his team members recognized his symptoms. Cox's weapon was taken away before he was sent home.

Cox had grown accustomed to seeing horrible things. In his civilian life, he worked for 14 years as a trauma nurse specialist at Cook County's John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital.

But in the Air National Guard, he was part of a three-member team that worked on the most critically wounded as the patients were transported to hospitals to receive treatment. He said the work he did while deployed was different than the work at the hospital, and it took its toll.

"You see things the human mind really isn't supposed to see," said Cox who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and said he still struggles with suicidal thoughts sometimes.

More than 134,000 people made calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline last year. Of those callers, 61 percent identified themselves as veterans, while 7 percent identified themselves as a friend or family of a veteran.

This means nearly three-fourths of calls made to the lifeline were related to veterans' issues. click link for more of this

When they die because of combat, it is even sadder. They survived their tour of duty. They survived the bullets and bombs while they endured all the hardships during their deployment. Back home, where they are supposed to be safe, too many end up committing suicide. How could living back home with family and friends, no longer in fear of bullets or bombs, be worse than combat? It is because we just don't care enough to make sure coming home is not more dangerous for them than war is.

Illinois Iraq veteran's death likely suicide
By Len Wells
Posted March 13, 2011 at 11:25 p.m.
WAYNE CITY, Ill. — State and local police continue to investigate the shooting death of an Iraq war veteran whose body was found outside his Wayne City home Saturday afternoon.

A preliminary investigation indicates he likely took his own life.

The body of Charles Randel Talbert, 29, was found in the driveway of his home at 509 E. Section Line Road about 1 p.m. Saturday.
read more here
Illinois Iraq veteran's death likely suicide

Sunday, March 13, 2011

U.S. Inquiry on Military Family Foreclosures Finally!

U.S. Inquiry on Military Family Foreclosures
By DIANA B. HENRIQUES
Published: March 11, 2011


The Justice Department is investigating allegations that a mortgage subsidiary of Morgan Stanley foreclosed on almost two dozen military families from 2006 to 2008 in violation of a longstanding law aimed at preventing such action.

A department spokeswoman confirmed on Friday that the Morgan Stanley unit, Saxon Mortgage Services, is one of several mortgage and lending companies being investigated by its civil rights division. The inquiry is focused on possible violations of a federal law that bars lenders from foreclosing on active-duty service members without a court hearing.

Mark Lake, a Morgan Stanley spokesman, declined on Friday to comment on the investigation. However, in the fine print of a recent regulatory filing, Morgan Stanley disclosed that it was “responding to subpoenas and requests for information” from various government and regulatory agencies concerning, among other issues, its “compliance with the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act,” the law that governs the actions creditors can take against service members on active duty.

The investigation came to light in a document that Saxon’s lawyers filed on Tuesday in federal court in Grand Rapids, Mich., during a trial to assess damages against Saxon and two co-defendants after a federal judge ruled late last year that they had illegally seized and sold the home of Sgt. James B. Hurley, a Michigan National Guard member who lost his home while he was serving in Iraq in 2005. That case was ultimately settled on Thursday.
read more here
U.S. Inquiry on Military Family Foreclosures

Veterans suffer when no one wants to pay the price for them

Too many years of hearing some people talk about "supporting the troops but they are just nowhere to be found when it really comes to doing it. The worst part is, the general public has just accepted words while demanding no proof.

"It's time to come together and support our great American men and women in uniform and their commander-in-chief," said Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a contender for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He has been among the most supportive in his party of a possible military strike against Iraq.
Tom Delay, in the same report said that "suggesting that lawmakers keep any thoughts of disagreement to themselves" in other words, the debate about sending men and women into another war was not worthy of debate. What did he think was worthy of debating if not the fact men and women sent would die?

It seems they didn't plan for the National Guards or Reservists.

Landrieu Amendment to Supplemental Appropriations Act to Support Department of Defense Operations in Iraq for Fiscal Year 2003
The amendment, proposed by Sen. Mary Landrieu, would have appropriated $1 billion to procurement for the National Guard and Reserves. The amendment was intended to fill a Guard and Reserve shortage of "helmets, tents, bullet-proof inserts, and tactical vests" and "chemical and biological protective gear". Landrieu based the $1 billion on National Guard and Reserve Unfunded Requirement lists. The amendment would offset the $1 billion appropriation with a $1 billion reduction in President Bush's tax cuts

Supplemental Appropriations Act to Support Department of Defense Operations in Iraq for Fiscal Year 2003
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Ted Stevens, includes an appropriation of $603 million for "force protection gear and combat clothing"

Dodd Amendment to Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Iraq and Afghanistan Security and Reconstruction Act, 2004
The amendment, offered by Sen. Chris Dodd, would have added $322 million to the $300 million already appropriated towards the purchase of "high-tech body armor, bullet-proof helmets, special water packs to keep soldiers hydrated, and other survival gear.

Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Iraq and Afghanistan Security and Reconstruction Act, 2004
The bill, proposed by Sen. Ted Stevens, includes $300 million in appropriations for the purchase of body armor for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005
The bill, sponsored by Sen. John Warner, reported out of conference committee with $435 million in appropriations for individual body armor.
While congress approved of making more disabled veterans in 2001 with troops sent into Afghanistan, they were not even willing to pay for the veterans we already had.
Budget Proposed for Fiscal Year 2003
The latest projection from the Department of Veterans Affairs is that almost 700,000 more veterans will receive VA care in 2003 than had been projected last year for 2002. The hundreds of VA community outpatient clinics opened over the last six years, as well as the prescription drug benefit that provides a 30-day supply of medication for a modest $7 copayment, have produced an unprecedented increase in veterans using the VA health care system. The nation’s 25 million veterans, particularly its elderly veterans who saw service during World War II and the Korean War, are voting with their feet for VA health care, and the VA system is being overwhelmed.

Last November, the Administration was considering whether to deny health care to Priority 7 veterans in response to a funding shortfall caused by errors in estimating the number of veterans who would seek VA health care. Fortunately, the Administration decided to seek the necessary funds in a supplemental appropriation, however Congress has not yet received their request. As a result, the Department of Veterans Affairs is short at least $300 million in the current fiscal year, and this demand-based shortfall must also be covered in the FY 2003 budget by adding an additional $300 million.

President Bush's request was too low for the veterans we already had and not many were talking about the new ones being created at the same time they were talking about budget shortfalls and not talking about it half as much as others in congress were talking tax cuts for the wealthy.




VA Announces Record Budget, Health Care Changes
January 17, 2003


WASHINGTON – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi today announced a record increase in the budget for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical care, the annual decision required by law (PL 104-262) on health care enrollment and a new plan between VA and the Department of Health and Human Services for a program that will allow eligible veterans to use their Medicare benefits for VA care.

The President's FY 2004 Budget includes a total of $63.6 billion for VA -- $30.2 billion in discretionary funding (mostly for health care) and $33.4 billion for VA-administered entitlement programs (mostly disability compensation and pensions). The budget includes $225 million in new construction funding for VA's nationwide infrastructure initiative (CARES) to ensure that VA can put services where veterans live.

"VA is maintaining its focus on the health care needs of its core group of veterans – those with service-connected disabilities, the indigent and those with special health care needs," Principi said.

"We're able to do so because of the generous budget proposed by President Bush for fiscal year 2004, beginning Oct. 1, 2003. It will be 7.7 percent more for health care than the expected FY 2003 budget. This would be the largest requested increase in VA history,' he said.

In order to ensure VA has capacity to care for veterans for whom our Nation has the greatest obligation – military-related disabilities, lower-income veterans or those needing specialized care like veterans who are blind or have spinal cord injuries -- Principi has suspended additional enrollments for veterans with the lowest statutory priority. This category includes veterans who are not being compensated for a military-related disability and who have higher incomes.

The suspension of enrollment affects only veterans in Priority Group 8, the lowest group in VA's eight-level system for setting health care priorities, who have not enrolled in VA's health care system by January 17. Priority Group 8 veterans already enrolled will be "grandfathered" and allowed to continue in VA's health care system.

Work is underway with the Department of Health and Human Services to determine how to give Priority Group 8 veterans aged 65 or older who cannot enroll in VA's health care system access to the "VA+Choice Medicare" plan. The plan calls for VA to participate as a Medicare+Choice provider. Eligible veterans would be able to use their Medicare benefits to obtain care from VA.

In return, VA would receive payments from a private health plan contracting with Medicare that would cover costs. The "VA+Choice Medicare" plan would become effective later this year as details are finalized between VA and the Department of Health and Human Services.

"HHS is happy to join the Department of Veterans Affairs in developing this new option for veterans who might otherwise be unable to obtain health care through the VA," said HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson. "This is a creative marriage of our federal health programs to serve our veterans efficiently and effectively."

VA has been unable to provide all enrolled veterans with timely access to health care services because of the tremendous growth in the number of veterans seeking VA health care. More than half of all new enrollees have been in Priority Group 8. This demand for VA health care is expected to continue in the future.

Between October 2001 and September 2002, VA enrolled 830,000 additional veterans. Since 1996, VA enrollment has increased from 2.9 million to 6.8 million today. Non-service disabled, higher income veterans accounted for the majority of the rapid enrollment growth, hindering the ability of VA to care for the service-disabled, the indigent and those with special needs. Even with the suspension of new enrollments for Priority Group 8 veterans, another 380,000 veterans in Priority Groups 1 through 7 are projected to enroll by the end of FY 2003.

"Last year, VA treated 1.4 million more veterans with 20,000 fewer employees than in 1996," said Principi. "Nonetheless, VA leads the nation in many important areas like patient safety, computerized patient records, telemedicine, rehabilitation and research. I not only want to see this standard continue, I intend to see it get even better."

Congress mandated in 1996 that VA establish an enrollment system to manage hospital and outpatient care within budgetary limits and to provide quality care to those enrolled. By law, the VA secretary must decide annually whether to maintain enrollment for all veterans.

"With this record budget increase, I expect access to medical facilities for severely disabled veterans to improve, along with a reduction in waiting times for all veterans,' Principi said.
But then there was a lot of talk about how Bush cut the VA Budget. Some said he didn't but when you factor in the rise of healthcare costs, the increased number of veterans along with everything else, this is how they hid the fact the budget was equal to an actual cut.
This is from Factcheck.org
In Bush’s first three years funding for the Veterans Administration increased 27%. And if Bush's 2005 budget is approved, funding for his full four-year term will amount to an increase of 37.6%.

In the eight years of the Clinton administration the increase was 31.7%

Those figures include mandatory spending for such things as payments to veterans for service-connected disabilities, over which Congress and presidents have little control. But Bush has increased the discretionary portion of veterans funding even more than the mandatory portion has increased. Discretionary funding under Bush is up 30.2%.
Clinton didn't have two wars going on creating more veterans needing to be taken care of.


Closing the "Shortfall" in
President Bush's 2009 VA Budget Report
AMVETS IS URGING CONGRESS TO CLOSE A THREE-BILLION-DOLLAR SHORTFALL IN PRESIDENT BUSH'S 2009 V-A BUDGET. ACCORDING TO "THE INDEPENDENT BUDGET"-
AMVETS IS URGING CONGRESS TO CLOSE A THREE-BILLION-DOLLAR SHORTFALL IN PRESIDENT BUSH'S 2009 V-A BUDGET. ACCORDING TO "THE INDEPENDENT BUDGET"--WHICH IS CO-AUTHORED BY AMVETS, DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS, PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA, AND VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS--THE ADMINISTRATION'S FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS FALL SHORT IN FOUR VITAL AREAS: HEALTH CARE, MEDICAL AND PROSTHETICS RESEARCH, VETERANS BENEFITS, AND CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMS. AMVETS NATIONAL COMMANDER, J-P BROWN, THE THIRD, DISCUSSES THE IMPACT OF THE BUDGET SHORTFALL...

(BROWN):
"AS YOU KNOW, NOT ENOUGH MONEY FOR HEALTH-CARE SERVICES MEANS THAT FEWER SERVICES WILL BE AVAILABLE TO DEAL WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY, POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, VISUAL AND HEARING IMPAIRMENT, AND SPINAL-CORD INJURY. INADEQUATE FUNDING FOR RESEARCH MEANS THAT VETERANS WITH EITHER LOSS OF LIMBS OR SPINAL-CORD INJURIES MAY NOT REALIZE THE PROMISE OF MOBILITY, INDEPENDENCE, AND A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. A LACK OF INVESTMENT IN A BETTER AND FASTER CLAIMS SYSTEM MEANS THAT THE CURRENT BACKLOG OF 870-THOUSAND CLAIMS AND APPEALS WILL GROW EVEN BIGGER, AS OUR BRAVE HEROES RETURN FROM WAR. AND THE HUGE GAP IN CONSTRUCTION FUNDING MEANS THAT, FOR MANY VETERANS, SERVICES COULD BE OUT OF REACH. CONGRESS CANNOT FUND A WAR, WITHOUT ALSO PROVIDING FOR THE NEEDS OF THE WAR-FIGHTER; TELL YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO FULLY IMPLEMENT 'THE INDEPENDENT BUDGET'."

No one wanted to pay for the veterans back then and they ended up paying the price for a lot of talk about "supporting the troops" and caring about our veterans. So now we have more waiting for the care they were promised, more ending up giving up hope of that help and more ending up homeless.
Orlando VA struggles to meet needs of rising tide of homeless vets
Pastor Scott Billue, who runs Matthew's Hope for the homeless in Winter Garden, applauds the effort. Since opening his ministry a year ago, he has helped some veterans reach out for help, including one who finally sought treatment for alcoholism after decades of drinking. But he also has buried a 50-year-old homeless Marine who lapsed into depression and hanged himself.

"Part of the problem is that the system is just overwhelmed," he said. "I realize our country's broke. But if you're going to send them over into harm's way, you'd better be prepared to take care of them when they come home."

By Kate Santich, Orlando Sentinel
March 13, 2011
Christopher O'Connor looks as if he just stepped out of a Marine Corps recruiting poster — the classic crew cut, the thickly muscled torso, the angular jaw — until the Orlando veteran rolls up his pants leg.

On his flesh are the distinctive circular scars of shrapnel wounds, welling up in spots where the metal is still lodged. On the eve of his 20th birthday, O'Connor was patrolling the streets of Fallujah, Iraq, when a remote-detonated IED exploded a few feet away. The blast left him with traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and a left leg damaged so badly it was nearly amputated.

By age 21, he was retired from the Marines, working as a car salesman and buying a town house in Kissimmee.

A year later, he was unemployed, drinking too much and homeless — part of a growing population of Central Florida veterans who drift from sofa to sofa or wind up in homeless shelters, on the streets or pitching a tent in the woods.

"When I got out, they gave me a retired ID, and they pretty much just said, 'Thanks for your service,' " O'Connor said recently. "And, actually, I don't know if they really said 'thanks.' I had no idea how seriously injured I was."

Florida has the second-largest population of homeless veterans in the nation, behind California. And though some areas of the country have been working on the issue for more than 20 years, in Orlando the Department of Veterans Affairs didn't begin addressing the problem until 2007. It's now trying to play catch-up.

As a consequence, from 2008 to 2010, the population of homeless veterans in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties nearly doubled — to 1,250. Most live completely outside the system that might help them, avoiding shelters and unaided by housing programs or counseling from the VA. Three-quarters live on the streets, in abandoned buildings or cars or in camps.

More troublesome, some homeless advocates argue, is that they may be only the first wave of a flood of homeless veterans to come: soldiers from the War on Terror.

"It's going to get worse before it gets better," said Cathy Jackson, executive director of the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida. "The period from military discharge to homelessness has accelerated dramatically. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that in the next three years there's going to be a surge in our numbers."
read more here
Orlando VA struggles to meet needs of rising tide of homeless vets

You can wish to think this nation cares about our troops and our veterans, but that care is limited to how much we demand the elected pay them back for putting their lives on the line instead of finding excuses for not doing it.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Australian Soldiers returning home with PTSD

Protecting those who serve to protect us

By Madonna King

Updated Tue Mar 8, 2011 8:46am AEDT


Paula' s voice faltered a few times, but she'd thought long and hard about what she wanted to say.

She is the wife of an Australian solider, who served in Timor and Afghanistan. She's proud of Glenn and what he does. And his bosses, given his glowing references, are proud of him too.

But now Glenn has returned home, a man Paula often doesn't recognise, and the question raised by Paula is this: who is responsible for him now?

Glenn has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a horrible illness that is making him almost impossible to live with. His mood swings, nightly bouts with the alcohol bottle and aloofness from his wife and three sons, are making his life, and theirs, hell.

Paula doesn't know what to do. And she says our army doesn't know either - and doesn't want you to know just how common it is that our soldiers, returning home, are caught in a mental nightmare.

Her words this week prompted a landslide of commentary, but the most chilling was from other soldiers, some of them still serving, who revealed a problem they believe is being buried under army protocol and political spin.

read more here
Protecting those who serve to protect us

Minneapolis VA study looks at how faith may help after trauma

Faith may help in trauma recovery

By MARK BRUNSWICK, Star Tribune
Last update: March 11, 2011 - 5:21 PM
A study conducted at the Minneapolis VA shows signs that victims of trauma and PTSD can be helped by programs that emphasize spirituality as part of recovery.

The study looked at a group intervention program called Building Spiritual Strength (BSS), an interfaith eight-session method that encourages participants to use their faith to manage the impact of trauma. The program includes steps such as keeping a "prayer log," group discussions of conflict resolution and how to build a personal relationship with a higher power. Perhaps not surprisingly, the study showed that using a spiritual resource was more effective for those who profess a religious association or at least a spiritual orientation. But the influence can't be dismissed among those who don't identify themselves as either religious or spiritual.
read more here

Faith may help in trauma recovery


17 Marines attempted suicide so far this year, CNN, FOX and MSNBC don't care

The headline reads that two Marines committed suicide in February but it is the 17 unsuccessful attempts that should concern us more. 17 attempts in two months from the Marine Corp alone is a very troubling sign considering all the claims of steps being taken to prevent suicides.

MILITARY: Two Marine suicides in February

Two active-duty Marines killed themselves in February, raising to four the number who have committed suicide in 2011.

Another 17 Marines attempted suicide, according to the latest figures from the headquarters of the Marine Corps.
read more here
Two Marine suicides in February

Why does it ever have to get so bad for them that after they survive they lose the will to live? Why aren't all of these programs the military has working after millions being spent? When will there be a program that really works?

When will the 24/7 cable news spend time on this instead of covering every else? While the tsunami hitting Japan is horrible and deserves being reported on, we'll see coverage for a week instead of spending any time covering other news stories. Other news stories from around the world take up all the "news time" with reporters filling air time from Libya but no reporting being done on our troops in Afghanistan or Iraq any more than they are reporting on what happens to them when they come home. Is there anyone in control of these media giants thinking it is their responsibility to inform the public about what is happening to the men and women we send into combat? Do they give a damn about them at all? I wonder if their advertisers care. Maybe we shouldn't care about their products until they demand their money be spent on at least covering what is happening to our veterans.

Do we see reports on CNN, MSNBC or FOX about National Guardsman being foreclosed on while they are deployed? Do we see reports on military families having to go on food stamps? Do we see reports from families after someone they love committed suicide after surviving combat in our name? We don't any more than we see reports from Walter Reed.

The lead up to sending troops was all over the news when they went to Afghanistan and then to Iraq. The invasions were covered but then the reporters went away. We committed young men and women to begin risking their lives going back to 2001 and while they are still risking their lives, the American public doesn't have a clue about any of it.

Friday, March 11, 2011

TBI vet caregivers would be eligible for help

Why is this limited to just Iraq and Afghanistan veterans? They did so little for older veterans and their families before this. Since these families have been doing most of the work taking care of veterans from the Gulf War, Vietnam, Korea and WWII, you'd think they would finally be included in on what is being done to address the needs of ALL caregivers to get some help. While it is good for the newer veterans families, it needs to include all veterans families equally.

TBI vet caregivers would be eligible for help
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Mar 11, 2011 16:20:20 EST
Family caregivers of service members who have suffered traumatic brain injury would be eligible for more support under proposed regulations, Veterans Affairs Department officials clarified Friday.

A caregiver benefits program signed into law in May greatly expands support for caregivers of severely disabled veterans. The most generous new benefits — including living stipends and health care coverage for the caregiver — are provided to caregivers of disabled Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

“We’re very concerned to hear the interpretation that we wouldn’t be covering traumatic brain injury,” said Deborah Amdur, chief consultant for care management and social work for VA’s Veterans Health Administration.

“Without a doubt, it is our intention that those individuals would be included and eligible,” said Amdur, who testified Friday before the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee’s health panel.
read more here
TBI vet caregivers would be eligible for help

Navy sends 8 ships to provide tsunami relief

Navy sends 8 ships to provide tsunami relief
By Sam Fellman - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Mar 11, 2011 2:55:35 EST
Eight warships are headed to Japan to render disaster relief in the wake of a catastrophic magnitude 8.9 earthquake that left hundreds dead Friday. The quake unleashed a tsunami that is tearing across the Pacific. It unmoored two subs and is forcing other ships to get underway or ease their lines as the surge waters arrive, according to updates posted on official Navy Facebook pages across the region.

The earthquake, the most devastating to have struck Japan since the country began tracking seismic activity more than a century ago, leveled homes and buildings, and spawned a 23-foot high wave that carried away cars and people.

Japan has requested aid through the State Department, Armed Forces Press Service reported Friday.
read more here
Navy sends 8 ships to provide tsunami relief

If government shuts down, so would troop pay

If government shuts down, so would troop pay
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Mar 11, 2011 16:08:58 EST
U.S. troops could be required to report to work without pay if a budget clash in Congress results in a government-wide shutdown, according to draft planning guidance circulating in the Pentagon.

A shutdown could happen as early as next week, as the government is set to run out of money at midnight March 17. A bill that would keep the government operating temporarily has been prepared in the House of Representatives, but it is not clear when or if it might pass.

The government has been operating under a series of temporary appropriations, known as continuing resolutions, since Oct. 1 because of lawmakers’ inability to agree on how much money to provide federal agencies. Budget discussions have become increasingly complicated since the November general elections resulted in a divided legislature, with Republicans controlling the House and Democrats controlling the Senate.

When the government was shut down in 1995, military personnel continued to report to work and were paid, but the planning guidance sent to the services and defense agencies says a shutdown this time will be different.

“All military personnel will continue in normal duty status regardless of their affiliation with exempt or non-exempt activities,” says the draft planning guidance that was prepared for the services and defense agencies. “Military personnel will serve without pay until such time as Congress makes appropriated funds available to compensate them for this period of service.”
read more here
If government shuts down, so would troop pay

VA Reaching Out to Veterans on Campus Through VetSuccess

VA Reaching Out to Veterans on Campus Through VetSuccess


New Agreements Recently Reached to Ease Transition


from Active-Duty Military


WASHINGTON (March 11, 2011)- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is
making a concerted effort this Spring to reach out to student Veterans
at eight VetSuccess on Campus sites to make them aware that VA
counselors are standing by to help ease their transition from
active-duty military to college life.

"Veteran-students transitioning from active duty service to civilian
educational pursuits face unique challenges entering the college
setting," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "The
VetSuccess on Campus program continues this Administration's commitment
and responsibility to meet the needs of Veterans and their families
through effective peer-to-peer counseling and other services."

Under the VetSuccess on Campus program, a full-time, experienced
Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor and a part-time Vet Center Outreach
Coordinator are assigned at each campus to provide VA benefits outreach,
support, and assistance to ensure their health, educational, and benefit
needs are met.

To make Veteran-students aware of the VetSuccess on Campus program at
each of the eight sites, VA will conduct outreach activities through
direct emails, posters, social media posts, articles in campus
newspapers, campus website links, and outreach events at the student
commons.

The VetSuccess on Campus program began in June 2009 as a pilot project
at the University of South Florida. In September 2009, the program was
expanded to two additional universities, Cleveland State University and
San Diego State University.

A fourth pilot was started at the Community College of Rhode Island in
December 2010. Agreements have recently been reached between VA and
Arizona State University, Texas A&M Central Texas, Rhode Island College,
and Salt Lake Community College.

"The President's 2012 budget submission requests funding to support
expansion of the program beyond the eight existing sites to nine more
campuses," said Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Director Ruth
Fanning. "This continued expansion will help to ensure the coordinated
delivery of VA benefits and services to those who honorably served this
Nation."

Under the VetSuccess on Campus program, vocational testing, career and
academic counseling, and adjustment counseling are provided to work to
resolve challenges interfering with completion of education programs and
entrance into employment.

The Vet Center Outreach Coordinator provides peer-to-peer counseling and
referral services. Both the counselor and coordinator may refer
Veterans for more intensive health services, including mental health
treatment through VHA Medical Centers, Community-Based Outpatient
Clinics, or Vet Centers, as well as provide additional information on VA
benefits and services.

For more information on VA's Vocational Rehabilitation Program and
VetSuccess, go to http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/index.htm or
www.vetsuccess.gov or call 1-800-827-1000.

Patriot Guard organizer supports Iraq War vet who lost home while overseas

Who would have thought there would be a need for a group of people to join together so they could protect a family while burying one of their own? That's why the Patriot Guard Riders started. They decided that someone needs to protect the families of the fallen from Westboro and their hate. As bad as that is, who would think that a National Guardsman would deploy overseas and lose his home? Well that's what has been happening along with families having to go on food stamps and a lot of other stories you don't hear about from 24/7 Cable news. They show up when most people don't have a clue.

Patriot Guard organizer supports Iraq War vet who lost home while overseas
Published: Friday, March 11, 2011
By John Agar
The Grand Rapids Press
As an organizer for Patriot Guard Riders, Barb Mitchell showed her support at trial every day for James Hurley, the Van Buren County man who lost his house while he served overseas with the U.S. Army National Guard.

Hurley, 45, settled his lawsuit against Deutsche Bank Trust Co. and Saxon Mortgage Services during trial in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids.

“I was there because I was concerned that Sgt. Hurley gets fair treatment from the court,” Mitchell, a Kalamazoo resident, said today. “As a citizen, I wanted to see the right thing done.”
read more here
Patriot Guard organizer supports Iraq War vet who lost home while overseas

Antioch family mourning death of 22-year-old soldier in Afghanistan

Antioch family mourning death of 22-year-old soldier in Afghanistan
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First Posted: March 11, 2011 - 1:07 pm

ANTIOCH, Ill. — Family members of a 22-year-old Illinois soldier who died in Iraq say "nothing compares" to experiencing his loss.

Spc. Andrew Wade of Antioch died Wednesday in Afghanistan. Federal officials say his death wasn't combat related. His family said in a statement Friday that Wade was "devoted to his friends, family and above all, his country."
read more here
Antioch family mourning death of 22-year-old soldier in Afghanistan

U.S. military bases in Japan report all service members are safe

A spokesman for the U.S. military bases in Japan said all service members were accounted for and there were no reports of damage to installations or ships.

Widespread destruction from Japan earthquake, tsunamis
By the CNN Wire Staff
March 11, 2011 9:24 a.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Government sends 8,000 troops to help in quake effort
NEW: Air and rail service disrupted, thousands stranded
Between 200 and 300 bodies have been found in Sendai city, local media report
About 2,000 residents near a nuclear plant are asked to evacuate

Tokyo (CNN) -- The most powerful earthquake to hit Japan in at least 100 years unleashed walls of water Friday that swept across rice fields, engulfing towns, dragging houses onto highways and tossing cars and boats like toys, apparently killing hundreds and forcing the evaucations of tens of thousands.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the "enormously powerful" earthquake has caused "tremendous damage over a wide area."

The quake, which struck at 2:46 pm local time, sparked fires in at least 80 locations, Japan's Kyodo News Service reported, and prompted the U.S. National Weather Service to issue tsunami warnings for at least 50 countries and territories.

Police in Miyagi Prefecture say between 200-300 have been found in the coastal city of Sendai alone, Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported late Friday. The death toll is likely to rise as there are few casualty counts yet from the worst-hit areas.

Kyodo, citing Japan's defense forces, said 60,000 to 70,000 people were being evacuated to shelters in the Sendai area.

Japanese authorities ordered the precautionary evacuation of a nuclear plant affected by the earthquake, saying that while there was no immediate danger, crews were having trouble cooling the reactor. The Fukushima plant is one of four closest to the quake that the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said were safety shut down.
read more here

Widespread destruction from Japan earthquake, tsunamis

PTSD name change pushed by more

PTSD name change pushed by more
March 11, 2011 posted by Chaplain Kathie
They face bullets and bombs, watch friends die, risk their lives everyday for a year at a time, endure no sleep, lousy food when they get to eat, spend their days worrying about what is going on where they are at the same time they worry about what is going on back home, yet some experts think they are so “thin skinned” changing a word will get them to go for help. Amazing.
MILITARY:
Taking the ‘disorder’ out of post-war stress
By Rick Rogers
For the North County Times
Posted: Friday, March 11, 2011
Soldier’s heart, shell shock, war neurosis, combat fatigue —- and now, especially for the last decade in Iraq and Afghanistan, post traumatic stress disorder.
Through the ages all have denoted the deleterious affects of combat on mental health that, depending on the numbers you believe, afflicts 15 to 40 percent of all combat veterans.
Whatever the name, those affected by it typically experience intrusive thoughts, intense startle responses and often attendant depression and self-medication.
The million-dollar question is, how can more troops be prodded toward seeking help?
Some in the veteran community suggest a marketing makeover. Specifically, dropping the “D” for “disorder” from PTSD nomenclature to lower the stigma quotient.
“When you tell anybody they have a disorder, they look at it as an emotional weakness of some sort,” said Bill Rider, president and co-founder of the Oceanside-based American Combat Veterans of War. “It is not a disorder.”
ACVOW counsels and debriefs Camp Pendleton Marines and sailors returning from war. Its office on the Marine base has been a fixture for years.
“It certainly is something that is going to happen to anybody who sees any amount of combat: exchanging fire with the enemy; your friends dying; you killing people, the enemy. It is going to happen,” explained Rider, who fought at Khe Sahn and has admitted to having combat stress himself.
The last decade? The term was used way back in 1978 and addressed Vietnam veterans but “experts” seem to think this is all related to Iraq and Afghanistan. The DAV commissioned a study, The Etiology of Combat Related Post Traumatic Stress Disorders by Jim Goodwin Psy.D. In it he clearly said that they already knew of 500,000 Vietnam veterans with PTSD. Why do so many people want to act as if this is all new?

The best way to get veterans into the help they need is to get them to understand this attacked them and it wasn’t caused by them. Next, make damn sure when they want to get help, it is waiting for them and not making them wait for it. Make sure they don’t have to have more stress piled on top of their shoulders when they cannot work and can’t pay their bills because their claim is tied up. Changing the term has not worked since the beginning of this country and a word alone will not help them.

This part is the most troubling of all.
“Disorder” needs striking from PTSD, because only a sociopath could avoid post-traumatic stress after combat. If its normal, how can it be a disorder?
read more here
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/03/11/ptsd-name-change-pushed-by-more/

Army reprimands 9 officers in Fort Hood shooting

Army reprimands 9 officers in Fort Hood shooting
(AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nine Army officers are being reprimanded for leadership failures in connection with the shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, and their failure to detect and report problems with the accused shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, as he moved along in his medical career.

Saying that although no single event directly led to the tragedy, Army Secretary John McHugh found that certain officers failed to meet expected standards, an Army statement said Thursday. The officers — all lieutenant or above — will receive punishments ranging from an oral reprimand to the far more serious written letter of censure that is considered a career-ender.

Hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the November 2009 shooting spree on the Texas military post.

A Pentagon review last year found that Hasan's supervisors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center where he worked expressed serious concerns about his questionable behavior and poor judgment but failed to heed their own warnings. It said the Army psychiatrist's supervisors continued to give him positive performance evaluations that kept him moving up through the ranks despite worries about his strident views on Islam and worries about his competence.

In one episode, Hasan reportedly gave a class presentation questioning whether the U.S.-led war on terror was actually a war on Islam. And fellow students said he suggested that Shariah, or Islamic law, trumped the Constitution, and that he also attempted to justify suicide bombings.

The review, however, found that no one in Hasan's chain of command blocked his ability to hold a secret security clearance or stop his continued assignments, including his move to Fort Hood.
Earlier this year a Senate review came to similar conclusions, saying the Defense Department and the FBI had sufficient information to detect that Hasan had been radicalized to violent extremism, but they failed to act on it.

read more here
Army reprimands 9 officers in Fort Hood shooting

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Health professionals lack an understanding of the combat experience

Combat soldiers must face more than the enemy
March 10, 2011 - By MIKE REUTHER - mreuther@sungazette.com

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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a normal reaction to an intense experience and affects many soldiers who have been through combat.

Dr. Joshua Wilk, deputy branch chief, Department of Military Psychiatry Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, put into perspective the very real problem of PTSD at Lycoming College Wednesday night.

Along with depression, PTSD is among the more common components of the combat experience, including for many returning Afghanistan and Iraq War veterans.

Wilk said while PTSD and depression are not unusual, less than half of combat veterans experience symptoms linked to either emotional problem.

Still, he made it clear they are hardly unusual reactions to traumatic events. And while most combat veterans will adjust to life following war, it won't happen immediately upon returning home.

Among the symptoms of PTSD are trouble sleeping, irritability, blunted emotions, little tolerance for trivial incidents and overall hyper-alertness.

Unfortunately, less than half of all soldiers with PTSD symptoms seek help, many due to fear of the stigma attached to the problems.

Many other soldiers believe treatment for PTSD has little to offer.

In fact, Wilk noted, many health professionals lack an understanding of the combat experience.
read more here
Combat soldiers must face more than the enemy

Fundamental difference between a veteran’s and a civilian’s PTSD

Fundamental difference between a veteran’s and a civilian’s PTSD
March 10, 2011 posted by Chaplain Kathie
First let me say that being right does no good if no one listens. Too many years ago, I noticed a difference between civilian survivors and participants. By that I mean, law enforcement and military personnel. There is one kind of PTSD survivors experience after a crime, natural disaster, accidents and abuse but there is another type when people are part of the traumatic event itself. Then there is the type after violence was used in response coupled with the constant threat of more events.

Cops don’t face daily traumatic events but they know each day they leave their house, they may not come back home. For deployed servicemen and women, during their entire deployment, they also know it could be their last day, just as they try to cope with what happened the day before and the day before that. Even back home they have to constant threat of redeployment hanging over their heads. This is also true for Reservists and National Guards. There is no real down time for them.

We can understand someone changing after a horrible accident. Even if there were no other times, we can still understand the fear they have whenever they get into a car. We can understand fear and panic striking when hurricane season rolls around or tornados are reported in the area even if the person has only been in harms way once. We can understand a firefighter after one too many deaths especially involving children. People can change after one event in their lives as survivors. They change even more when they are part of the event itself.


Life After War: Perspectives on PTSD From Rhode Island Veterans
Posted by Simon van Zuylen-Wood
March 9th, 2011


In 2003, having waited 15 years in the Rhode Island National Guard for the opportunity to deploy overseas, Vinnie Scirocco deployed for Iraq and trained at a base. Three months later, without seeing combat, Scirocco was physically injured and given honorable discharge. “I didn’t feel like I completed my mission,” said Scirocco, now the State Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). “To the day I die I will probably always feel that way. No pill, no conversation with anyone at any educational level can change that.”

After six years of road rage and constant guilt Scirocco checked himself into the Veteran’s Affairs Hospital in Providence and was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

A childhood friend of Scirocco’s, who was deployed at the same time and remained in Iraq, developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) shortly after Vinnie’s discharge, after shooting and killing a baby girl. He was a gunner on a Humvee that patrolled the streets of Baghdad, where civilian vehicles are not allowed to pass military vehicles. A family desperately trying to get to the hospital chanced it and passed the Humvee. Scirocco explained the aftermath: “So he shot at the car. What you hope to do is shoot in between the husband and the wife. You didn’t want to shoot at anybody. Well, there was a little girl in the backseat who got shot and killed. This friend of mine, he’s a father. He’ll never be the same—no matter how many times I tell him, ‘It’s not your fault; you had to do that,’ he’ll always feel guilty for that—he can’t take that bullet back.”

Both Scirocco and his friend undergo therapy and take medication for PTSD. They’re both saddled with a heavy, inextinguishable guilt. But one of them never saw action, while the other did. The problem with diagnosing PTSD when no identifiable trauma has occurred is not necessarily that veterans will be getting benefits they don’t deserve, but that the misdiagnosis can lead to a dangerous reliance on prescription drugs, or an overestimation of one’s own mental health problems.

The condition’s implied emphasis on outside trauma rather than manufactured neurosis has done much to de-stigmatize mental illness among soldiers. And the more PTSD is destigmatized in the ranks of the armed services, the argument goes, the more active soldiers and veterans will feel comfortable seeking psychiatric help. And then the Army suicide rate—which this year surpassed the civilian one for the first time—might start decreasing. But PTSD diagnoses may overemphasize trauma and de-emphasize soldiers’ own understanding of duty, patriotism, and camaraderie. A study of four Rhode Island veterans reveals that guilt over not serving was equally responsible for fragile mental health as trauma sustained while in battle.

Dr. Tracie Shea, who works with PTSD patients at Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center in Providence, suggests there’s a fundamental difference between a veteran’s and a civilian’s PTSD.

California-based researcher Dr. Paula Caplan argues that no veterans at all should be diagnosed with PTSD, suggesting more precise terms like “battle fatigue” and “shell shock” for dealing with mental battle scars. Caplan, who has a forthcoming book on the misdiagnosis of PTSD among veterans, argues that the PTSD label “pathologizes” and further stigmatizes veterans’ mental problems, which she says are a normal reaction to war. “We should never say that because somebody is traumatized by war [they have PTSD],” Caplan says. “We shouldn’t use that term. We should say they are traumatized by war.”

Caplan thinks the only way to rehabilitate veterans is through routine engagements with civilians, especially those willing to listen and talk.
read more here
Fundamental difference between a veteran’s and a civilian’s PTSD

Marine Lance Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter, hero Marine honored

Thursday, Mar. 10, 2011
Heroic Marine honored
Gilbert man severely injured in Afghanistan
By JEFF WILKINSON - jwilkinson@thestate.com

Marine Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, gets support from his fiance Jordan Gleaton, in the state senate chambers, where Sen. Jake Knotts, R-Lexington, presented a proclamation honoring the injured serviceman.
Tracy Glantz
tglantz@thestate.com


Marine Lance Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter, his face missing an eye and crisscrossed with deep scars, stood on the floor of the S.C. Senate on Wednesday to receive the thanks of his state.

Carpenter, 21, of Gilbert lost the eye, most of his teeth and use of his right arm from a grenade blast Nov. 21 near Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Friends and family say he threw himself in front of the grenade to protect his best friend in Afghanistan, Cpl. Nick Eufrazio.


Read more: Heroic Marine honored

Marine Corps opens crime-tips website to combat use of Spice

Marine Corps opens crime-tips website to combat use of Spice
By TRAVIS J. TRITTEN
Stars and Stripes
Published: March 10, 2011

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The Marine Corps on Okinawa has created a crime-tips website to combat the use of designer drugs known as Spice, officials said Thursday.

The site allows servicemembers and others to log on and provide information anonymously about use of synthetic marijuana and other crimes to the Marine Corps Criminal Investigation Division “from the comfort of their home” via an online report form, the service said in a news release.

Various forms of synthetic marijuana, most commonly called Spice, have swept the United States and caused a major crackdown by the military and the Drug Enforcement Administration, which placed an emergency ban on five substances used to make Spice earlier this month.
read more here
Marine Corps opens crime-tips website to combat use of Spice

Westboro wants to collect from Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder's Dad to finance more protests?

What kind of a twisted outcome is this leading to? First, a family calling themselves Westboro Baptist Church decides to protest at funerals. Legally they believe they have a right to do this no matter what anyone else thinks and now the Supreme Court has backed them up on it. They didn't seem to explain how free speech should be allowed to force people to listen. That is exactly what Westboro has been doing to the families. They are a captive audience. Families have to be there but Westboro does not. They target and stalk the families but that's ok with the Supreme Court.

Top that off with the startling fact Westboro targets families when they decide which funeral to protest at. Consider this. According to Icasualties.org, there have been 4,439 US deaths in Iraq and 1,496 in Afghanistan. Westboro claims they are protesting the fact that the military has gays serving in it. The whole military. Yet they do not protest every funeral. In other words, they target certain ones. Since they are claiming to be protesting gays and holding signs up thanking God for the deaths of the soldiers, they are also making public statements against the fallen suggesting they were gay. After all, if they are supposed to be all about being against gays in the military and all homosexuals, show up and protest at certain funerals, then they are targeting these fallen along with their families.

The Supreme Court is fine with that? Isn't it illegal to stalk someone? Isn't it illegal to harass someone? Isn't terrorism illegal?
terrorism
n
1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) systematic use of violence and intimidation to achieve some goal
2. the act of terrorizing
3. the state of being terrorized
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

That isn't bad enough. Westboro is now seeking to collect for legal fees from Snyder's Dad. But even that isn't bad enough. Margie Phelps is happy about all of this because she plans to use the money to finance more protests!

Westboro member and lead lawyer Margie Phelps said it was nobody's business whether the church used the money to finance more funeral protests.

"He intended to shut us down and he announced that far and wide," she said. "And the Pentagon backed him up on it. That was their plan. And now they're going to finance some of it, that's how they see it. It's a beautiful, poetic thing."

But this was fine with the Supreme Court? How can any of this be justice for anyone other than this group of haters to stalk, target and terrorize?
Marine's dad to defy Westboro on court costs

By ANDY MARSO, Capital News Service
Published 03/09/11


TOP: Albert Snyder, right, pauses during an interview in York, Pa. The funeral of Albert Snyder's son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, left, was picketed by members of the Westboro Baptist Church.
BOTTOM: Westboro Baptist church member Gabriel Phelps-Roper, 10, and his sister Grace Phelps-Roper, 13, both of Topeka, Kan., protest at the funeral of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder in Westminster, Md.
WASHINGTON - The father of a Marine killed in Iraq won't pay the nearly $100,000 in court costs charged by Westboro Baptist Church, which picketed his son's 2006 funeral, in the wake of his unsuccessful lawsuit against the group, his lawyer said.

"We're not just going to write them a check," Sean Summers, lawyer for Albert Snyder, said Friday. "We're going to make them work for it."

The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 last week that Westboro's anti-gay protests were speech protected under the First Amendment. The decision upheld the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision to deny Snyder's suit against the anti-gay church's founder, Fred Phelps.

Snyder's son, Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, was not gay, but the church pickets military funerals nationwide because they say soldiers' deaths are God's vengeance for the country's tolerance of homosexuality.

A lower court awarded Albert Snyder $5 million in damages for emotional distress. However, at the Supreme Court, all the justices except Samuel Alito sided with Westboro, which means Snyder may be on the hook for the church's court costs.

Westboro member and lead lawyer Margie Phelps said it was nobody's business whether the church used the money to finance more funeral protests.

"He intended to shut us down and he announced that far and wide," she said. "And the Pentagon backed him up on it. That was their plan. And now they're going to finance some of it, that's how they see it. It's a beautiful, poetic thing."

The Fourth Circuit has already ordered Snyder to pay Westboro $16,510.80. Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly has offered to pick up that cost. Phelps said she would be willing to "barter" with O'Reilly for airtime on his show, "The O'Reilly Factor," instead.

Fox News responded by saying that O'Reilly's offer to Snyder still stands, but he won't trade airtime on his show.
read more here
Marine's dad to defy Westboro on court costs

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Minnesota National Guard officials confront mental health stigma

Minnesota National Guard officials confront mental health stigma ahead of deployment
by Jessica Mador, Minnesota Public Radio
March 9, 2011

St. Paul, Minn. — It's been almost four years since Coon Rapids Army Reservist Molly Black returned from Iraq but she still thinks about her deployment at least a dozen times a day.

"We lost two people over there," she said. "A few more have lost limbs or are paralyzed now, so that stuff sticks with you. You have survivor's guilt."

For more than a year, the 30-year-old was based in northern Iraq where she helped train Iraqi police. She remembers the day insurgents attacked her unit with a car bomb.

"It was about 8 o'clock in the morning and a 1500-pound vehicle-borne IED [improvised explosive device] drove through the entrance and exploded," she said.

The explosion was followed by an avalanche of gunfire, mortar and rocket attacks from all directions that collapsed the building. The attack killed almost two dozen people.

Black has been in the military for more than eight years. She knows daily violence comes with the territory. But she still struggles with its effects.

When her unit returned home, Black says commanders talked only briefly about the potential for lingering mental health problems.

"You're back, this is awesome, good job, you're on your own," she said.

She feels lucky that her friends saw danger signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): She was depressed and irritable, she drank too much and stopped going out. Since then, she's gotten treatment and it's helping.

About 2,400 soldiers from the Minnesota Army National Guard will deploy to Kuwait this summer as part of Operation New Dawn, the final drawdown of U.S. forces from Iraq. Research has shown that combat can have a long-term effect on the mental health of soldiers.
read more here
Minnesota National Guard officials confront mental health stigma

If you know a Vietnam Veteran consider sending this link to them


I get a lot of links about things on Vietnam Veterans, since they are the reason I started doing this work, but this one, this is the one I want all Vietnam veterans to see. It is a beautiful and powerful documentary.

Vietnam VideoThis is one of the better Vietnam videos made by and for Michigan Vietnam Veterans, but I believe all of you will appreciate this. This story could and is retold by 49 other states and territories as well.

If you know a Vietnam Veteran consider sending this link to them.

Stop-loss pay deadline extended to March 18

Stop-loss pay deadline extended to March 18
By Pauline Jelinek - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Mar 8, 2011 17:01:48 EST
WASHINGTON — They’ve sent out letters and flyers and have tweeted and pleaded, but Pentagon officials are still struggling to give away a huge cache of money to troops and veterans.

The Defense Department said Tuesday that as of last week it had spent only $300 million of $534 million approved by Congress as special pay for service members forced after Sept. 11, 2001, to serve beyond their enlistment terms — a controversial practice called stop-loss.

The money was approved in 2009 and troops were supposed to claim it by October. But Congress has just extended the deadline for a fourth time — to March 18.

Extensive efforts by the Pentagon, White House, Congress and the Veterans Affairs Department to get people to file claims for the money have included letters to the last known mailing addresses of all 145,000 believed eligible and a public service announcement taped by President Barack Obama and broadcast last year.

Officials also have posted messages to Facebook pages of the Pentagon and individual services, spread the word through 130 veteran and military service organizations, typed reminders on the bottom of military and retiree pay stubs, and placed television, radio, newspapers and blog stories and announcements in areas of the country with sizable troop populations, said Eileen Lainez, a Defense Department spokeswoman.

The payment is $500 for each month or partial month a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine was forced to stay on active duty and is on top of the regular pay received at the time. Eligible to receive it are troops, veterans and their beneficiaries.
read more here
Stop-loss pay deadline extended to March 18

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/

Talk Doesn’t Pay, So Psychiatry Turns Instead to Drug Therapy

During a time when I worked as a temp, I worked for a group of 6 psychiatrists. This was back in the early 90's. Even back then they were limiting their appointments to 15 minute drug based quickies. Most of these people were trying to cope with their entire lives being destroyed. They were sent to therapists for talk sessions. The problem with this was that there were not enough therapists to go around and it is even worse now.

For PTSD, the best results come from talk therapy. Either one on one or in group, depending on the veteran. What we're seeing now is that there are less therapists to listen and more psychiatrists focusing on writing prescriptions. In other words, a lot more drugging and a lot less healing.

Talk Doesn’t Pay, So Psychiatry Turns Instead to Drug Therapy
Written by Gardiner Harris
Monday, 07 March 2011 11:36

March 5, 2011 (New York Times) - Alone with his psychiatrist, the patient confided that his newborn had serious health problems, his distraught wife was screaming at him and he had started drinking again. With his life and second marriage falling apart, the man said he needed help.

But the psychiatrist, Dr. Donald Levin, stopped him and said: "Hold it. I’m not your therapist. I could adjust your medications, but I don’t think that’s appropriate."

Like many of the nation’s 48,000 psychiatrists, Dr. Levin, in large part because of changes in how much insurance will pay, no longer provides talk therapy, the form of psychiatry popularized by Sigmund Freud that dominated the profession for decades. Instead, he prescribes medication, usually after a brief consultation with each patient. So Dr. Levin sent the man away with a referral to a less costly therapist and a personal crisis unexplored and unresolved.

Medicine is rapidly changing in the United States from a cottage industry to one dominated by large hospital groups and corporations, but the new efficiencies can be accompanied by a telling loss of intimacy between doctors and patients. And no specialty has suffered this loss more profoundly than psychiatry.

Trained as a traditional psychiatrist at Michael Reese Hospital, a sprawling Chicago medical center that has since closed, Dr. Levin, 68, first established a private practice in 1972, when talk therapy was in its heyday.

Then, like many psychiatrists, he treated 50 to 60 patients in once- or twice-weekly talk-therapy sessions of 45 minutes each. Now, like many of his peers, he treats 1,200 people in mostly 15-minute visits for prescription adjustments that are sometimes months apart. Then, he knew his patients’ inner lives better than he knew his wife’s; now, he often cannot remember their names. Then, his goal was to help his patients become happy and fulfilled; now, it is just to keep them functional.

Dr. Levin has found the transition difficult. He now resists helping patients to manage their lives better. "I had to train myself not to get too interested in their problems," he said, "and not to get sidetracked trying to be a semi-therapist."
read more here
Talk Doesn’t Pay

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

America Is NOT Broke

Whenever you hear an elected official talk about how broke this nation is, you should be asking yourself a very important question. Why are they talking about this all of a sudden? It isn't that our debt just happened overnight. They turn this into a crisis and we should all be asking what their motive is.

They are going after veterans on top of everyone else.

These same people keep saying the tax breaks for the richest in this nation are a top priority because they create jobs but they have no answers as to where those jobs were when we were losing them after they got tax cut after tax cut. Why believe any of them now?

Veterans hate to think that their service has been forgotten when they become veterans but for too many, that is exactly what happens. In a nation with this kind of wealth we should not have one homeless veteran but we have hundreds of thousands of them.

Think about this
American billionaires
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
US citizens who have a net worth equal to or greater than one billion United States dollars, or had that net worth at the time of their deaths; see also List of Americans by net worth
But that is not the worst. While we kept losing jobs and saw veterans coming home with no jobs to go into, millionaires scored.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2010, 10:36 AM ET
Millionaire Population Soars — Again
Text
By Robert Frank

Earlier this summer, I reported on two surveys (here and here) that showed a bounce back in the population of millionaires.


Associated Press
Mr. Monopoly, played by Merwin Goldsmith, throws out Monopoly money during a promotion for the game at Washington’s Union Station in 2003.
Since then, the stock market has floundered, the economy has slumped and overseas markets have drifted sideways. And yet….America’s millionaire-manufacturing sector continues to outperform the rest of the economy.

According to a new survey from Phoenix Marketing International’s Affluent Market Practice, the number of American households with investible assets of $1 million or more rose 8% in the 12 months ended in June. The survey says there now are 5.55 million U.S. households with investible assets of $1 million or more.

That follows two years of declines and brings the millionaire count back to 2006 levels. Of course, that is still below the peak of 5.97 million in 2007 and the current growth rate is well below pre-financial crisis levels, when the millionaire population increased as much as 35% a year.

Still, the numbers offer further evidence that the wealthy may have decoupled from the rest of the economy. The study’s authors say high salary growth, rather than investments, are the main drivers of the millionaire expansion.

The very wealthy seem to have had a better year than the mere millionaires. The population of American households with $5 million or more in investible assets surged 16%. The population of those with $10 million to invest increased 17%.
read more here
Millionaire Population Soars — Again/
Yet we are supposed to believe these same politicians care about the troops and our veterans? How many of their families had to use food stamps to feed their families while one of their own was risking his/her life in Iraq or Afghanistan?

They tell us that we have to pay down the debt for the sake of our children but they don't say it is important today to feed them, shelter them and provide for them. They don't address families living on the streets because the parents lost their jobs and ran out of unemployment. They don't say anything about the 60 minutes report about homeless kids in the Orlando area right down the street from Disney. They don't talk about rent along with everything else going up but not compensation for veterans or social security for the elderly, just as much as they don't want to talk about the fact congress did in fact get cost of living raises for themselves.

Now they want to go after teachers, firefighters, police officers, all other public employees, the elderly and veterans. They want the rest of us to think these people are suddenly a drain on the country instead of the backbone of it. They don't want us to think about how much we are all suffering today as long as they put up that smoke screen about the debt we pass on when we wonder how to put food on the table or fill our gas tank to get to work if we are lucky enough to have a job.

The GOP politicians are the ones who got us into this mess and now they want to be able to continue to destroy all of it for the sake of the wealthy! They are praying the poor in this country are too busy listening to their empty stomachs than they are listening to their words.

Say what you want about Michael Moore but he is right on this and it is about time someone said it!


Michael Moore:
America Is NOT Broke
Saturday 05 March 2011
by: Michael Moore | MichaelMoore.com | Speech


Michael Moore spoke to protesters in Madison, Wisconsin, on March 5, 2011.
Edited: Jared Rodriguez / t r u t h o u t)
America is not broke.

Contrary to what those in power would like you to believe so that you'll give up your pension, cut your wages, and settle for the life your great-grandparents had, America is not broke. Not by a long shot. The country is awash in wealth and cash. It's just that it's not in your hands. It has been transferred, in the greatest heist in history, from the workers and consumers to the banks and the portfolios of the uber-rich.

Today just 400 Americans have the same wealth as half of all Americans combined.

Let me say that again. 400 obscenely rich people, most of whom benefited in some way from the multi-trillion dollar taxpayer "bailout" of 2008, now have as much loot, stock and property as the assets of 155 million Americans combined. If you can't bring yourself to call that a financial coup d'état, then you are simply not being honest about what you know in your heart to be true. click link for more

Psychologist: Threatened volunteers should be evaluated for PTSD

If you want to get a better idea of what PTSD is all about, this will help you understand it. Remember PTSD comes after trauma. It is not caused by you. It invades you.

Psychologist: Threatened volunteers should be evaluated for PTSD
Monday, March 07 2011 @ 12:05 AM MST
Contributed by: Admin
Views: 246
by John Q. Murray

Two volunteers who said their lives were threatened by Frenchtown Fire personnel may now be experiencing symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The Chronicle asked a clinical psychologist familiar with the diagnosis and treatment of PTSD to review interviews with Jenny Ross and Christian Boots to assess whether they would benefit from treatment.

Dr. Steven R. Farmilant said that their statements are consistent with a diagnosis of PTSD, and they should be evaluated to determine whether they have the condition and require treatment.

Jenny Ross was threatened by former Frenchtown Fire Chief John Bibler, who claimed to be a decorated military hero and sniper. He said he would shoot Jenny Ross after first killing her dog and then her family.

Christian Boots, a resident firefighter, said he was beaten and threatened by another resident who reportedly had substance abuse and anger management problems. The resident allegedly said he would throw Christian into an icy river to drown, so that his body would be eaten by animals and never recovered.

With the consent of both Jenny and Christian, the Chronicle shared notes and stories about the violence and threats with the psychologist.

Dr. Farmilant concluded that some of their statements and alleged experiences are consistent with a stress-related injury "requiring further evaluation and possible medical and cognitive therapy intervention."

Both Christian and Jenny made statements consistent with the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). The manual, which provides detailed criteria for identifying psychological conditions, including PTSD, is updated periodically to reflect current research on mental disorders.
click link above for more

Texas Fund for Veterans’ Assistance lottery ticket funds great idea

Over Four Million Dollars Available to Organizations Helping Veterans and Their Families

March 7, 2011
AUSTIN – Today the Texas Veterans Commission announced the availability of over four million dollars in grants to be awarded to organizations that provide services to veterans and their families.

A wide variety of services are eligible for funding including housing and employment assistance for homeless veterans, emergency financial assistance, counseling for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and family and child services.

Over nine million dollars in grants have been awarded to 38 organizations over the past year.

“We look for organizations of all sizes that provide high quality services to Veterans,” says Bill Wilson, Director of the Fund for Veterans’ Assistance. “Recent changes to the grant process expanded both the types of organizations that will be considered and the possible services to be funded.”

Grant funds will be awarded to qualified charitable organizations, Veterans Service Organizations and local government agencies of all sizes, from local organizations with only a few employees to organizations with thousands of employees.


“A high priority of the is to attract those organizations that meet the needs of Veterans and their families,” adds Wilson.

The Texas lottery scratch-off game, Veterans Cash, is the primary source of funds for the Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans’ Assistance. The new, camouflage, instant ticket was released earlier this year.

Information outlining the grant application and other grant details can be found at Fund for Veterans. Applications must be received by the Texas Veterans Commission no later than 5:00 PM Central Time on March 28, 2011.

Texas Veterans Commission

The mission of the Texas Veterans Commission’s is to advocate for and provide superior service to Veterans and their families in the areas of disability claims assistance, employment services, education benefits and grant funding. Over 200 skilled counselors in 75 cities provide one-on-one guidance to Veterans and their families to ensure they receive all the benefits to which they are entitled.
For more information about the Texas Veterans Commission visit Texas Veterans Commission.


Fund for Veterans’ Assistance

Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans’ Assistance

The Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans’ Assistance is a program that makes reimbursement grants to eligible charitable organizations, local government agencies, and Veterans Service Organizations that provide direct services to Texas veterans and their families. Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans’ Assistance reimbursement grants address a broad range of needs, including:
Limited emergency financial assistance;
Transportation services;
Counseling for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury;
Employment, training, education, and job placement assistance;
Housing assistance for homeless veterans;
Family and child services;
Legal services, excluding criminal defense;
Development of professional services networks; and
Enhancement of veterans’ assistance programs, including veterans’ representation and counseling.


Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans’ Assistance Funding

The Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans’ Assistance is supported by proceeds from the sale of $2 Veterans Cash scratch-off tickets. Each time you buy a Veterans scratch-off lottery ticket, you help Texas veterans and their families. To locate retailers that sell Veterans Cash lottery tickets, go to www.txlottery.org and click on the Scratch-Off and Store Locator link.
The fund is also supported by generous donations made to the Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans’ Assistance, which are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Please make checks payable to TVC Fund for Veterans’ Assistance.
Contributions can be sent to:
Texas Veterans Commission
Fund for Veterans’ Assistance
Post Office Box 12277
Austin, Texas 78711-2277

Monday, March 7, 2011

Conspiracy Test Gulf War Illness

The Military Channel had a program on Gulf War Syndrome tonight.

Depleted Uranium and the lack of connection made between the military and the veterans was the first part of the program. Just when I thought they were going to admit what was done to our veterans of the Gulf War, they dragged in someone saying the media was behind it. If someone said the veterans are sick because of Gulf War Syndrome, then they would all say they were.

Mar 07, 9:00 pm

(60 minutes) Conspiracy Test
Gulf War Illness
TV-PG, CC

Conspiracy Test will run its own independent experiment on DU testing with blood samples obtained from up to five veterans of the first Gulf War and some more recent Iraq War vets.

Five veterans were tested for depleted uranium and sarin gas. Blood test checked the DNA of these veterans. 22 matched pairs of chromosome along with the sex codes were checked. Chromosomes were damaged and had breakage. Three of the veterans allowed their cases to be talked about. Pieces of their chromosomes attached to other ones. Like cancer patients and children with birth defects, this damage is out of the ordinary. Radiation exposure is one of the factors with the breakage. Two of the veterans that did not want their cases relased had more damage done. Alpha radiation is usually the cause of this kind of damage.

How can they fake chromosome damage? They ruled out sarin gas in these cases, so what else will they use to explain it away. Their health problems will not go away and they have not been able to cure it, but they have been able to make it better. They were twice as likely to be sick than others that did not deploy.

The program pointed out they needed to do wide spread testing in more veterans. The role the government plays in all of this is they need to release everything they know so that this is not repeated ever again.

The fact remains that after all these years, Gulf War veterans will probably be dying to find out what is wrong with them before they end up being treated or compensated for it. Much like the Vietnam Veterans waited 40 years for answers, they will die off before they see real justice or answers.

You can also check out what PBS has on this here http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/syndrome/

VA Celebrates Women's History Month

VA Celebrates Women's History Month

WASHINGTON (March 7, 2011) - The Department of Veterans Affairs joins
with the nation to observe Women's History Month in March by recognizing
and honoring women Veterans.

"Duty. Honor. Pride. These words reflect the spirit of generations of
American women who have sought to defend the rights and freedom of
others," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "The
history of women in the armed forces began more than 220 years ago with
women who served during the American Revolution and continues through
the present day. VA is honored to serve these women who have
contributed so much to our Nation."

Women Veterans are one of the fastest growing segments of the Veteran
population. Of the 22.7 million living Veterans, more than 1.8 million
are women. They comprise nearly 8 percent of the total Veteran
population and 6 percent of all Veterans who use VA health care
services.

VA estimates women Veterans will constitute 10 percent of the Veteran
population by 2020 and 9.5 percent of VA patients.

In recent years, VA has undertaken a number of initiatives to create or
enhance services for women Veterans, including the implementation of
comprehensive primary care throughout the nation; staffing every VA
medical center with a women veterans program manager and regional
offices with a designated woman Veterans coordinator; supporting a
multifaceted research program on women's health; improving communication
and outreach to women Veterans; and continuing the operation of offices
like the Center for Women Veterans and the Women Veterans Health
Strategic Healthcare Care Group.

"During this observance of Women's History Month, let's remember the
special contributions of the ever-increasing number of women serving in
the armed forces," said Tammy Duckworth, assistant secretary for public
and intergovernmental affairs. She noted that women currently make up
more than 14 percent of the active-duty military and 18 percent of the
Guard and Reserves.

VA has 43 women's memorials and monuments at its National Cemeteries
across the country. Additionally, several notable women are buried in VA
National Cemeteries, including Chief Specialist Evelyn B. (Ulrich)
Einfeldt, a Navy World War II Veteran who was one of the 67 Navy "WAVES"
involved in Operation Magic. She assisted with the assembly of BOMBE
(Enigma), a machine to decode German and Japanese transmissions. She was
laid to rest at the Fort Sill National Cemetery on April 6, 2006.

Lillian Kinkela Keil, an Air Force flight nurse pioneer, is buried at
the Riverside National Cemetery. She flew 425 combat missions and took
part in 11 major campaigns, including the D-Day invasion and the Battle
of the Bulge in World War II and the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in
Korea. One of the most decorated women in American military history, she
was awarded 19 medals.

For more information about VA programs and services for women Veterans,
please visit: http://www1.va.gov/womenvet and
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/womenshealth.
Here's one of my videos to help you know how rich the history of women is serving in the military.

Army's burgeoning suicide rate and in fatal accidents

PTSD death sends family on search for answers

By: CHARLES D. BRUNT 03/07/11 3:01 AM
Albuquerque Journal
Senior Airman Anthony "Tony" Mena managed to dodge bullets, rocket-propelled grenades and roadside bombs during two tours in Iraq.

But he couldn't survive the onslaught of medications that military, Veterans Affairs and civilian doctors prescribed to treat his resulting post-traumatic stress disorder and back pain.

Five months after being medically discharged, the former member of Kirtland Air Force Base's 377th Security Forces Squadron died in his sleep — the result of a lethal mix of nine prescribed medications, including antidepressants, pain killers, tranquilizers and muscle relaxers.

The medical examiner ruled the 23-year-old's death an accident: Mena had not taken more medicine than prescribed.

His July 21, 2009, death set his family on a quest to force changes in PTSD treatment.

"I trusted the doctors," his mother, Pat Mena, said from her El Paso, Texas, home. "I really thought they had a list of everything my son was taking."

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that produces psychological symptoms that can occur after a traumatic event. It can cause flashbacks, nightmares, depression, anxiety, edginess, substance abuse and other symptoms, and can surface years after the event.

Some studies indicate 20 percent of returning Iraq and Afghanistan troops have PTSD.

Cases like Mena's have prompted the military to revise its policies on polypharmacy, the use of combinations of multiple medications. Military studies have cited polypharmacy as a factor in the Army's burgeoning suicide rate and in fatal accidents.



Read more at the Washington Examiner:
PTSD death sends family on search for answers

Montana lets National Guards know they are really welcomed home

National Guard soldiers honored in Missoula
Posted: Mar 6, 2011 5:55 PM by Allyson Weller (KPAX News)

MISSOULA- The Montana National Guard honored more than 30 soldiers from the 230th Vertical Engineer Company based out of Hamilton at the Freedom Salute Ceremony.

The event took place at the Hilton Garden Inn in Missoula and welcomed back Montana soldiers who returned from combat in Afghanistan in January. The purpose of the ceremony was not only to honor them, but to help with the transition from soldier to civilian.

"This event is actually the capstone for the last two years that we have trained, were deployed, were re-deployed, and we've started to integrate back into the community and with our families," said Captain Candice Griffith.


"This is pretty important because they've had a lot of problems in the past where they have had suicide and they've had divorcees and problems within families," said Specialist Farrah Warner.

The Montana National Guard holds events 30 days, 60 days and 90 days after soldiers return home to help them integrate back into civilian life.
read more here
National Guard soldiers honored in Missoula

Soldier with second-degree murder of another soldier

Murder charged after Eagle River shooting
RUSSIAN ROULETTE: Friend charged with murder.
By ROSEMARY SHINOHARA
rshinohara@adn.com
Published: March 6th, 2011

Police have charged a soldier with second-degree murder in the shooting death of another soldier at an Eagle River home early Sunday. The two men were playing Russian roulette with a loaded revolver, police said.

A 26-year-old soldier from an Army brigade at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was shot in the abdomen about 2 a.m. Sunday and was pronounced dead at Providence Alaska Medical Center about an hour later, police and military officials said.

The soldier who was shot has not yet been identified pending notification of his family.


Read more:
Murder charged after Eagle River shooting

Schofield soldier shoots self, Army says

Schofield soldier shoots self, Army says
The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Mar 6, 2011 9:16:55 EST
HONOLULU — A soldier who was brandishing a weapon at Schofield Barracks has died after suffering what an Army spokesman described as a “self-inflicted” gunshot wound.

Spokesman Dennis Drake said the soldier, whose name has not been released, died in a hospital about 7:45 p.m. Friday.
read more here
Schofield soldier shoots self, Army says