HDNet World Report Investigates an Alarming String of Murders Committed by Iraq War Veterans
HDNet logo. (PRNewsFoto/HDNet)
DENVER, CO UNITED STATES
Three-part story examines a cluster of 15 murders and attempted homicides committed by current and former soldiers at Ft. Carson, Colorado
'Ft. Carson Killings: The New Casualties of War' airs on HDNet, Tuesday, June 2 at 9:00 p.m. ET
DALLAS, May 28 /PRNewswire/ -- HDNet World Report, HDNet's award-winning weekly news program, presents a dramatic report about a string of 15 murders and attempted homicides committed by soldiers currently (or formerly) based at Fort Carson, CO.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080324/HDNETLOGO)
One base. Four years. Three attempted murders. Twelve murders. Some of the crimes involved loved ones, some were random, but what the murders have in common is that they were all committed by men just back from the war zone. Most of these men are from the same brigade that served in Iraq for a total of 24 months -- the 4th combat team of the 4th Infantry.
But, what is causing these men to kill? Critics say that Iraq veterans are coming home with severe PTSD and other mental problems caused by combat stress, but the Army isn't doing enough to ease them back into civilian life.
HDNet correspondent Carol McKinley, who reported from Iraq while with Fox News, obtained an exclusive jailhouse interview with Kenneth Eastridge, one of the men convicted for his part in a murder. Eastridge served two tours in Iraq, and says he returned from war with PTSD but was offered little if any help by the Army.
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The New Casualties of War =
Friday, May 29, 2009
McCormick Foundation give 2.6 million to Welcome Back Veterans
McCormick Foundation, Major League Baseball Announce $2.6 Million in Additional Grants for "Welcome Back Veterans"
Twelve recipient organizations will use funds to help returning vets and families stabilize lives and re-integrate into communities
CHICAGO, May 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The McCormick Foundation's Board of Directors has approved $2.6 million in 2009 grants as part of Welcome Back Veterans, a national public awareness and fundraising initiative to address the mental health and employment needs of America's veterans and their families. This brings the total amount awarded through Welcome Back Veterans to more than $5.5 million. A complete record of 2009 grants awarded is provided below.
Welcome Back Veterans has raised more than $4.5 million as of April 2009. An additional $2.2 million in matching funds has been provided by the McCormick Foundation (first $4 million raised matched at 50 cents on the dollar). With all administrative costs paid by Major League Baseball and the McCormick Foundation, more than $5.5 million has been distributed over the past year to 24 nonprofit agencies targeting veterans' greatest needs.
Welcome Back Veterans Grants - Mental Health
1. Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services, Inc.
(New York) $250,000
For Home Again: Reaching Out, a family-focused outreach, community
education and mental health program offered to Operation Iraqi
Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) veterans and
their families in the Bronx.
2. Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic Studies $135,000
For the Soldiers Project, which offers free, accessible confidential psychological treatment to OIF / OEF military service members and
their families.
3. National Center on Family Homelessness, Inc. (Newton, MA) $250,000
For Community Circles of Support for Veterans' Families, which
provides education, outreach, mental health treatment and
social support.
4. National Veterans Business Development Corporation
(Washington, D.C.) $300,000
For the TROOPS Activator, a Web-based technology that gives
veterans access to mental health treatment via their home computers.
5. North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System Foundation
(Great Neck, NY) $250,000
For PTSD / TBI treatment programs for military families on Long
Island and throughout the New York metro region.
6. Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, Inc.
(Washington, D.C.) $200,000
For suicide prevention for veterans with PTSD including long-term,
peer-based emotional support, crisis response and intervention.
7. USA Cares (Radcliff, KY) $300,000
For the Warrior Treatment Today program, which provides financial
assistance to veterans who enroll in in-patient PTSD and TBI programs.
Mental Health Total $1,685,000
go here for the rest
McCormick Foundation, Major League Baseball
Twelve recipient organizations will use funds to help returning vets and families stabilize lives and re-integrate into communities
CHICAGO, May 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The McCormick Foundation's Board of Directors has approved $2.6 million in 2009 grants as part of Welcome Back Veterans, a national public awareness and fundraising initiative to address the mental health and employment needs of America's veterans and their families. This brings the total amount awarded through Welcome Back Veterans to more than $5.5 million. A complete record of 2009 grants awarded is provided below.
Welcome Back Veterans has raised more than $4.5 million as of April 2009. An additional $2.2 million in matching funds has been provided by the McCormick Foundation (first $4 million raised matched at 50 cents on the dollar). With all administrative costs paid by Major League Baseball and the McCormick Foundation, more than $5.5 million has been distributed over the past year to 24 nonprofit agencies targeting veterans' greatest needs.
Welcome Back Veterans Grants - Mental Health
1. Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services, Inc.
(New York) $250,000
For Home Again: Reaching Out, a family-focused outreach, community
education and mental health program offered to Operation Iraqi
Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) veterans and
their families in the Bronx.
2. Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic Studies $135,000
For the Soldiers Project, which offers free, accessible confidential psychological treatment to OIF / OEF military service members and
their families.
3. National Center on Family Homelessness, Inc. (Newton, MA) $250,000
For Community Circles of Support for Veterans' Families, which
provides education, outreach, mental health treatment and
social support.
4. National Veterans Business Development Corporation
(Washington, D.C.) $300,000
For the TROOPS Activator, a Web-based technology that gives
veterans access to mental health treatment via their home computers.
5. North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System Foundation
(Great Neck, NY) $250,000
For PTSD / TBI treatment programs for military families on Long
Island and throughout the New York metro region.
6. Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, Inc.
(Washington, D.C.) $200,000
For suicide prevention for veterans with PTSD including long-term,
peer-based emotional support, crisis response and intervention.
7. USA Cares (Radcliff, KY) $300,000
For the Warrior Treatment Today program, which provides financial
assistance to veterans who enroll in in-patient PTSD and TBI programs.
Mental Health Total $1,685,000
go here for the rest
McCormick Foundation, Major League Baseball
Error left thousands of military retirees out of Retro Pay
Military update:
DFAS: Error left thousands of military retirees out of Retro Pay
By Tom Philpott, Special to Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, May 30, 2009
As many as 39,000 disabled military retirees have been left out of the VA Retro Pay program by mistake, say officials at the Defense Finance and Accounting Service who are calculating the amount of money owed.
This latest and perhaps most serious gaffe in the problem-plagued VA Retro Pay project was uncovered after DFAS received a rising number of complaints from retirees. None had been screened for retroactive payment, but follow-up calculations confirmed that each had been underpaid.
VA Retro payments have ranged from a few hundred dollars to many thousands, depending on individual circumstance. All recipients have served in the military for 20 or more years and all have disabilities that qualified them for one of two relatively new disabled retiree entitlements: Combat-Related Special Compensation, which began in 2003, or Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay, which started in 2004.
The VA Retro Pay project began to identify retirees for lump-sum back payments in September 2006. The project became necessary because of difficulties in calculating initial payments to retirees under CRSC and CRDP, complex plans voted by Congress to begin to lift the ban on concurrent receipt of both military retirement and disability compensation. First up were to be full career retirees with combat-related injuries or severe disabilities.
go here for the rest
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=62992
DFAS: Error left thousands of military retirees out of Retro Pay
By Tom Philpott, Special to Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, May 30, 2009
As many as 39,000 disabled military retirees have been left out of the VA Retro Pay program by mistake, say officials at the Defense Finance and Accounting Service who are calculating the amount of money owed.
This latest and perhaps most serious gaffe in the problem-plagued VA Retro Pay project was uncovered after DFAS received a rising number of complaints from retirees. None had been screened for retroactive payment, but follow-up calculations confirmed that each had been underpaid.
VA Retro payments have ranged from a few hundred dollars to many thousands, depending on individual circumstance. All recipients have served in the military for 20 or more years and all have disabilities that qualified them for one of two relatively new disabled retiree entitlements: Combat-Related Special Compensation, which began in 2003, or Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay, which started in 2004.
The VA Retro Pay project began to identify retirees for lump-sum back payments in September 2006. The project became necessary because of difficulties in calculating initial payments to retirees under CRSC and CRDP, complex plans voted by Congress to begin to lift the ban on concurrent receipt of both military retirement and disability compensation. First up were to be full career retirees with combat-related injuries or severe disabilities.
go here for the rest
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=62992
Long Beach sees upswing in officer-involved shootings
Long Beach sees upswing in officer-involved shootings
Police have shot three people this week alone and nine so far this year. Officials say the incidents involved violent suspects who failed to comply with commands or threatened officers with weapons.
By Andrew Blankstein
May 29, 2009
Long Beach police are grappling with a string of officer-involved shootings in recent months, including three this week alone.
Five people were injured in officer-involved shootings during a seven-hour period from Wednesday afternoon to early Thursday, authorities said. One of the victims was a police officer apparently struck by "friendly fire."
So far this year, Long Beach police officers have shot nine people. By comparison, the Los Angeles Police Department -- with 10 times more officers -- reported nine officer-involved shootings, and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department -- also about 10 times as large -- reported 10 such shootings.
Long Beach police officials acknowledged it was an unusual number for a short period but noted the circumstances were different in each case and involved violent suspects who failed to comply with commands or threatened officers with weapons.
"It's hard to predict when we have these clusters," said department spokeswoman Jackie Bezart. "We are doing the best we can to maintain order like we always do and maintain safety for the citizens like we always do."
Long Beach has seen an increase in homicides so far this year, recording 10 as of May 1 compared to only two during the same period in 2008. But serious crimes overall in the city of 460,000 residents are up more modestly, about 2%.
go here for more
Long Beach sees upswing in officer-involved shootings
Police have shot three people this week alone and nine so far this year. Officials say the incidents involved violent suspects who failed to comply with commands or threatened officers with weapons.
By Andrew Blankstein
May 29, 2009
Long Beach police are grappling with a string of officer-involved shootings in recent months, including three this week alone.
Five people were injured in officer-involved shootings during a seven-hour period from Wednesday afternoon to early Thursday, authorities said. One of the victims was a police officer apparently struck by "friendly fire."
So far this year, Long Beach police officers have shot nine people. By comparison, the Los Angeles Police Department -- with 10 times more officers -- reported nine officer-involved shootings, and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department -- also about 10 times as large -- reported 10 such shootings.
Long Beach police officials acknowledged it was an unusual number for a short period but noted the circumstances were different in each case and involved violent suspects who failed to comply with commands or threatened officers with weapons.
"It's hard to predict when we have these clusters," said department spokeswoman Jackie Bezart. "We are doing the best we can to maintain order like we always do and maintain safety for the citizens like we always do."
Long Beach has seen an increase in homicides so far this year, recording 10 as of May 1 compared to only two during the same period in 2008. But serious crimes overall in the city of 460,000 residents are up more modestly, about 2%.
go here for more
Long Beach sees upswing in officer-involved shootings
UK:WWII veteran finally diagnosed with PTSD
Perhaps one of the most troubling things about PTSD is the lack of awareness veterans have. They may not know exactly what is "wrong" with them, the cause of their suffering, but they are acutely aware they are suffering. It is not just that they can remember in detail something that happened years ago, it's that they cannot forget any of it. How can they when nightmares bring it all back? When flashbacks bring it all back triggered by anniversaries of the event, smells, sounds, movies and TV reports?
All you need to do is to go to any of the memorials for the fallen and watch a veteran as he or she spots a name of someone they knew to witness the ravishing pain they carry while they are transported back in time to the days when they lived side by side.
PTSD is not new. It's as ancient as mankind. Throughout the centuries man has gone into combat and survivors have carried the scars within their soul. Read any account of military campaigns from ancient Romans and Greeks and see the wound. Read the Old Testament and the accounts of warriors from Moses, to Judges, Kings and the psalms of David. Read the accounts of Native Americans and see this wound exposed. There is no escaping PTSD unless we can escape being human.
The military is still attempting to train the troops to be "resilient" and toughen their minds to overcome PTSD but in the process they are telling the troops if they are wounded by PTSD, it's their own fault, they were too weak to prepare, they are mentally deficient and not as good as the rest of their company. The basis for this problem is that the military does not seem to have the ability to understand anything about PTSD to know what kind of damage they have been doing with program like Battlemind.
Battlemind begins by telling them they can prevent PTSD as if this is possible. Is it possible to stop being human? To stop being a caring person, sensitive to others? It is no more possible to prevent being wounded by PTSD than it is to repel a bullet headed for exposed body parts. The only thing they can prevent is PTSD claiming so much of the soul of the warrior that it become irreversible. While PTSD comes with different level of cuts, much like an infection eats away until antibiotics are applied, PTSD eats away at the individual until therapy is applied. Between the onslaught of the trauma and the time they begin to talk about it, it is claiming more and more of territory. One traumatic event followed by another cuts deeper into the soul. If the first cut is not treated the open wound allows a pathway for the invader to have free access.
We have to remember that PTSD does not come from within. It comes from an outside force and enters into the soldier. Much like PTSD enters into a police officer, firefighter, victim of crimes, accidents and natural disasters, the difference is the number of strikes received. Warriors are wounded deeper because of the number of times they come into contact with traumatic events. The cuts are more numerous than what a police officer or firefighter encounters but they also suffer from PTSD, yet we are more likely to understand the trauma affecting a civilian following a criminal act than understanding them being exposed to it over and over and over again.
George McMahon's actions 65 years ago were rewarded with the Military Cross and PTSD. He knew there was something wrong but was never treated for the wound he carried away with him. He is a testament to the heart of the warrior, strength to carry on while walking wounded through life and his family is testament to the suffering of families across generations also wounded by the wounded.
McMahon proved courage in battle eliminating any thoughts of the uninformed that PTSD has anything to do with not being courageous enough. He is also an example of it never being too late to seek help. The sooner treatment of this wound begins the better the outcome but even after 65 years there is hope of him healing some of the scars he has carried all these years.
All you need to do is to go to any of the memorials for the fallen and watch a veteran as he or she spots a name of someone they knew to witness the ravishing pain they carry while they are transported back in time to the days when they lived side by side.
PTSD is not new. It's as ancient as mankind. Throughout the centuries man has gone into combat and survivors have carried the scars within their soul. Read any account of military campaigns from ancient Romans and Greeks and see the wound. Read the Old Testament and the accounts of warriors from Moses, to Judges, Kings and the psalms of David. Read the accounts of Native Americans and see this wound exposed. There is no escaping PTSD unless we can escape being human.
The military is still attempting to train the troops to be "resilient" and toughen their minds to overcome PTSD but in the process they are telling the troops if they are wounded by PTSD, it's their own fault, they were too weak to prepare, they are mentally deficient and not as good as the rest of their company. The basis for this problem is that the military does not seem to have the ability to understand anything about PTSD to know what kind of damage they have been doing with program like Battlemind.
Battlemind begins by telling them they can prevent PTSD as if this is possible. Is it possible to stop being human? To stop being a caring person, sensitive to others? It is no more possible to prevent being wounded by PTSD than it is to repel a bullet headed for exposed body parts. The only thing they can prevent is PTSD claiming so much of the soul of the warrior that it become irreversible. While PTSD comes with different level of cuts, much like an infection eats away until antibiotics are applied, PTSD eats away at the individual until therapy is applied. Between the onslaught of the trauma and the time they begin to talk about it, it is claiming more and more of territory. One traumatic event followed by another cuts deeper into the soul. If the first cut is not treated the open wound allows a pathway for the invader to have free access.
We have to remember that PTSD does not come from within. It comes from an outside force and enters into the soldier. Much like PTSD enters into a police officer, firefighter, victim of crimes, accidents and natural disasters, the difference is the number of strikes received. Warriors are wounded deeper because of the number of times they come into contact with traumatic events. The cuts are more numerous than what a police officer or firefighter encounters but they also suffer from PTSD, yet we are more likely to understand the trauma affecting a civilian following a criminal act than understanding them being exposed to it over and over and over again.
George McMahon's actions 65 years ago were rewarded with the Military Cross and PTSD. He knew there was something wrong but was never treated for the wound he carried away with him. He is a testament to the heart of the warrior, strength to carry on while walking wounded through life and his family is testament to the suffering of families across generations also wounded by the wounded.
McMahon proved courage in battle eliminating any thoughts of the uninformed that PTSD has anything to do with not being courageous enough. He is also an example of it never being too late to seek help. The sooner treatment of this wound begins the better the outcome but even after 65 years there is hope of him healing some of the scars he has carried all these years.
Mr McMahon's son-in-law Bill Tyson, 54, said: "They told us George is likely to be suffering from PTSD.
"Personally, I feel guilty that he has suffered for so many years without us realising it.
WWII vet told he has war illness
By STAFF REPORTER
A D-DAY hero has been told he is suffering a stress related illness picked up in battle — 65 years AFTER he was the first Brit to storm an enemy beach.
WWII vet George McMahon, who was the first soldier on Sword Beach in Normandy, France, had revealed he is still suffering terrifying flashbacks from June 6, 1944.
And Army docs have told the 89-year-old war hero he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) picked up during WWII.
Mr McMahon's family first sought help from docs when the ex-soldier talked vividly about the war in the lead-up to the 65th anniversary of D-Day.
Mr McMahon of Kirk Ella, Hull, was then visited by the Service Personnel and Veterans' Agency — part of the Ministry of Defence — who said he was displaying PTSD symptoms.
The Scotland-born Army vet who served with The King's Regiment Army was awarded the Military Cross for storming two machine-guns.
He said of his D-day flashbacks: "It is still so fresh in my mind. It is the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning.
"I was the first man to land. I was not going to wait to be shot, so I jumped off the side of the landing craft into the water and ran."
Although not able to discuss Mr McMahon's case MoD officials said: "Anniversaries tend to trigger an increase in people coming forward for help to deal with their trauma.
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WWII vet told he has war illness
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Pvt. Henry E. “Rickey” Marquez is finally home
Body of WWII soldier to return home Saturday
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday May 28, 2009 18:10:56 EDT
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A day after a different soldier’s remains were mistakenly escorted from Kansas City International Airport to a Kansas City, Kan., cemetery, the body of Pvt. Henry E. “Rickey” Marquez is finally home.
The remains of the soldier, who was killed in battle 64 years ago in Germany, arrived at the airport Thursday morning. They were taken to Highland Park Cemetery, where he will be buried Saturday with full military honors.
A mix-up Wednesday led to the remains of the wrong soldier being sent to the cemetery in a grand procession that included Patriot Guard motorcycle riders, Fort Leavenworth soldiers and local police. John Marquez says that when the procession reached the cemetery, military officers realized his brother’s remains were still in Hawaii.
Leavenworth spokesman George Marcec told The Associated Press on Thursday that it’s still not clear whose remains were taken from the airport the previous day. He said that body apparently was on its way to Iowa and that Kansas City was just a stopover.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/ap_wrong_soldier_funeral_052809/
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday May 28, 2009 18:10:56 EDT
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A day after a different soldier’s remains were mistakenly escorted from Kansas City International Airport to a Kansas City, Kan., cemetery, the body of Pvt. Henry E. “Rickey” Marquez is finally home.
The remains of the soldier, who was killed in battle 64 years ago in Germany, arrived at the airport Thursday morning. They were taken to Highland Park Cemetery, where he will be buried Saturday with full military honors.
A mix-up Wednesday led to the remains of the wrong soldier being sent to the cemetery in a grand procession that included Patriot Guard motorcycle riders, Fort Leavenworth soldiers and local police. John Marquez says that when the procession reached the cemetery, military officers realized his brother’s remains were still in Hawaii.
Leavenworth spokesman George Marcec told The Associated Press on Thursday that it’s still not clear whose remains were taken from the airport the previous day. He said that body apparently was on its way to Iowa and that Kansas City was just a stopover.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/ap_wrong_soldier_funeral_052809/
Phil Waterford opens heart to Vietnam vet
Waterford opens heart to Vietnam vet
Dealer presents 2010 Ford Fusion to wounded warrior, gives others 2 checks
By Jason Campbell
Reporter
jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com
209-249-3544
POSTED May 28, 2009 2:19 a.m.
When Phil Waterford got home from the Memorial Day drama events that he emceed on Saturday, he couldn’t sleep.
After spending Friday night learning about the stories of the men who have overcome great adversity, and listening to those same stories again on Saturday, Waterford – who owns and operates Manteca Ford Mercury – could only think about what he could do to help those who gave so much to their country.
And he came up with the perfect plan.
With no sleep to his credit, Waterford called his financial advisors on Sunday morning and told them that he was going to give away two checks and a new vehicle to “wounded warriors” that afternoon – something that they discouraged him from doing at the time.
While those in charge of his finances claimed he couldn’t afford to do it, Waterford said that he turned over the keys of the 2010 Ford Fusion that arrived on the lot Sunday morning to wounded Vietnam veteran Bob Gutierrez – who was afraid that the car he drove to Manteca for the Memorial Day celebration wouldn’t get him back to Texas – in an emotional moment at Sunday’s community gathering at Woodward Park.
“When I called up my financial advisor, he told me that I couldn’t afford to do it, and I had to tell him ‘I can’t afford not to,’” Waterford said before giving Gutierrez the keys on Wednesday.
“Those stories on Saturday weighed so heavily on my heart, and I just felt that it was something that I had to do.”
go here for more
http://www.mantecabulletin.com/news/article/4173/
Dealer presents 2010 Ford Fusion to wounded warrior, gives others 2 checks
By Jason Campbell
Reporter
jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com
209-249-3544
POSTED May 28, 2009 2:19 a.m.
When Phil Waterford got home from the Memorial Day drama events that he emceed on Saturday, he couldn’t sleep.
After spending Friday night learning about the stories of the men who have overcome great adversity, and listening to those same stories again on Saturday, Waterford – who owns and operates Manteca Ford Mercury – could only think about what he could do to help those who gave so much to their country.
And he came up with the perfect plan.
With no sleep to his credit, Waterford called his financial advisors on Sunday morning and told them that he was going to give away two checks and a new vehicle to “wounded warriors” that afternoon – something that they discouraged him from doing at the time.
While those in charge of his finances claimed he couldn’t afford to do it, Waterford said that he turned over the keys of the 2010 Ford Fusion that arrived on the lot Sunday morning to wounded Vietnam veteran Bob Gutierrez – who was afraid that the car he drove to Manteca for the Memorial Day celebration wouldn’t get him back to Texas – in an emotional moment at Sunday’s community gathering at Woodward Park.
“When I called up my financial advisor, he told me that I couldn’t afford to do it, and I had to tell him ‘I can’t afford not to,’” Waterford said before giving Gutierrez the keys on Wednesday.
“Those stories on Saturday weighed so heavily on my heart, and I just felt that it was something that I had to do.”
go here for more
http://www.mantecabulletin.com/news/article/4173/
A Wound in the Mind
In Print : A novel of turmoil, war, and humanity
By Jack Shea
Published: May 28, 2009
"A Wound in the Mind" by Francis J. Partel Jr. Fiction Publishing Inc. 129 pages. $19.95
The 1960s, particularly the later part of the decade, was a blur of action, events, tragedy, liberation and the emergence of the sex, drugs and rock 'n roll mentality. Recently, personal books about the 60s have been rolling off the presses from Tom Brokaw's bestseller, "BOOM!" to locally authored, "In My Life," by Tom Dresser. Now comes "A Wound in the Mind", a short novel of combat-related stress disorder penned by Chappaquiddick summer resident Francis J. Partel Jr.
For some authors, 60s books may be a way to understand what really happened. Others, such as Messrs. Dresser and Partel, seem to know. Mr. Partel was a young naval officer who served in the Southeast Asian naval theater in which his book takes place.
Mr. Partel's novel reminds us that Vietnam wasn't just a poorly executed war. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an almost invisible pathology in 1968, was also unleashed. As we've since learned, the effects of PTSD are viral, deadly, and continuing.
"Wound in the Mind" has an autobiographical tone. It tells the story of the real-life court martial of a United States Marine corporal Juan Cachora, accused of breaking the jaw of his commanding officer in a spontaneous melee that began after a string of firecrackers exploded behind him when he was on shore leave during the Vietnam War.
He did it, according to witness statements. However, witnesses, many of whom are shipmates, are equally clear that Cpl. Cachora was not drunk or disorderly, nor did he have a grudge against his well-liked superior.
The military disfavors striking officers and the law is clear. Cachora faces five years in brig time. The defense team becomes aware of early research efforts into PTSD and argues that the Marine, who has received The Navy Cross and The Purple Heart, needs therapy, not jail time.
go here for more
A novel of turmoil, war, and humanity
By Jack Shea
Published: May 28, 2009
"A Wound in the Mind" by Francis J. Partel Jr. Fiction Publishing Inc. 129 pages. $19.95
The 1960s, particularly the later part of the decade, was a blur of action, events, tragedy, liberation and the emergence of the sex, drugs and rock 'n roll mentality. Recently, personal books about the 60s have been rolling off the presses from Tom Brokaw's bestseller, "BOOM!" to locally authored, "In My Life," by Tom Dresser. Now comes "A Wound in the Mind", a short novel of combat-related stress disorder penned by Chappaquiddick summer resident Francis J. Partel Jr.
For some authors, 60s books may be a way to understand what really happened. Others, such as Messrs. Dresser and Partel, seem to know. Mr. Partel was a young naval officer who served in the Southeast Asian naval theater in which his book takes place.
Mr. Partel's novel reminds us that Vietnam wasn't just a poorly executed war. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an almost invisible pathology in 1968, was also unleashed. As we've since learned, the effects of PTSD are viral, deadly, and continuing.
"Wound in the Mind" has an autobiographical tone. It tells the story of the real-life court martial of a United States Marine corporal Juan Cachora, accused of breaking the jaw of his commanding officer in a spontaneous melee that began after a string of firecrackers exploded behind him when he was on shore leave during the Vietnam War.
He did it, according to witness statements. However, witnesses, many of whom are shipmates, are equally clear that Cpl. Cachora was not drunk or disorderly, nor did he have a grudge against his well-liked superior.
The military disfavors striking officers and the law is clear. Cachora faces five years in brig time. The defense team becomes aware of early research efforts into PTSD and argues that the Marine, who has received The Navy Cross and The Purple Heart, needs therapy, not jail time.
go here for more
A novel of turmoil, war, and humanity
Bailout needed for veteran's groups with state cut backs
In a time when the need is greater and increasing daily, are these states out of their minds? How about a federal bailout for veterans? Looks like they are in an ever growing crisis situation and need help today! While I'm prepared to do this work 70 hours a week for free until I either die or end up homeless, these budget cuts are not only hurting veterans but the people just as committed to them as I am. I know I'm helping veterans but I'm suffering for doing it financially. I thought by now I'd be making a living wage doing this but the money has not come in and now hope of finding a paying job or grant doing what I've been called to do has evaporated to the point where I'm embarrassed to talk about any of this. I'm not the only one struggling to help our veterans at the same time finding a financial crisis increasing the stress of doing this. The VA budget has been increased more than ever but the money does not seem to be getting to the states or service organizations. This is crisis time because if the advocates go away the veterans burdens will increase on their shoulders and they have had already too much weight to carry. Where do they go if we go away?
Recession brings cuts to state groups for vets
By David Eggert - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday May 28, 2009 8:37:47 EDT
LANSING, Mich. — The wail of bagpipes at Memorial Day events honoring servicemen killed in Iraq and Afghanistan rang hollow for some military veterans this year.
In Michigan and elsewhere, once-sacrosanct veterans’ programs are no longer safe from the knife as tax revenues continue sliding in the recession.
In a recent budget-cutting order, Gov. Jennifer Granholm and legislators slashed $1 million, or 25 percent, of funding for 11 groups that help veterans through a maze of paperwork and bureaucracy to get disability and pension benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The cut is forcing layoffs and likely will be carried over to the next budget, too.
“It’s a travesty,” said Daniel Crocker, Michigan service director for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, which had to eliminate four jobs. “The greatness of a nation will be judged by how it treats its veterans.”
South Carolina plans to cut aid to the VFW, American Legion and Disabled American Veterans in the next budget. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn recently outlined a “doomsday” budget that would close all four of the state’s veterans’ home if an income tax increase is not passed, leaving more than 1,000 veterans without care.
Thirteen veterans’ groups in Ohio got 10 percent less than promised this year after state cuts.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/ap_veterans_groups_cuts_052809/
"We have a responsibility to serve all of them as well as they serve all of us"
This is a quote from President Obama. "We have a responsibility to serve all of them as well as they serve all of us"
Over the weekend while in Washington DC, I had many conversations with veterans but I overheard a lot more conversations. I wondered where they got some of the ideas they had, where the misinformation came from but more so, why they were focused on what was not real instead of focusing on the hard issues that we do need to address? How is it possible that committed veterans, so caring, so concerned about others, would take what certain talking heads tell them seriously without knowing if what they are being told is true or not?
There are the usual suspects in this misinformation campaign. Rush, Hannity, O'Reilly among the most powerful with listeners of their radio programs and watching them on FOX. While these men are politically motivated in spinning what they say, they still have an obligation to the truth especially when it comes to our troops and veterans. I cannot believe, as callous as they sound at times, that they do not regard the troops and veterans in the highest regard but I have to ask why they did not report on all that was happening to the troops and our veterans over the last eight years when they could have been raising the urgency of their needs. It should never matter what political party the President comes from when it comes to them. They cannot dismiss the fact the men and women serving this nation are putting the needs of the nation first instead of party and come from all voting blocks. They serve with the same dedication no matter if the President is a Republican or a Democrat. The truth is still true no matter if there is a D or an R following the name.
President Bush had a habit of using words to say he appreciated the men and women serving, but everything he did was not in their best interests. There were less doctors and nurses working for the VA with troops being wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq than after the Gulf War. Where was the outrage then? The VA budge was cut with both military campaigns producing more and more wounded. Where was the outrage then? Why were they silent? When the conditions at Walter Reed were reported on the outrage was not focused on those conditions but against the Washington Post for reporting on them. When Nicholson was returning VA funds and soldiers were coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan seeking help but were turned away because the VA was overloaded, where was the outrage then? The list of what was ignored by these men goes on and people finding out what they were not told are feeling embarrassed by the fact they thought they knew what was going on.
The veterans in our nation served one nation but have not been serviced with information from all political sides. When President Clinton was in office, his record on veterans affairs was lacking in certain areas. This was widely reported on but when it was President Bush, there was silence from the "right" commentators, just as now when things are being done for the sake of the troops and veterans, there is silence from them once again. They only thing they seem to want to now discuss is when President Obama wanted to address the problem of wounded veterans coming back and finding out they would have to pay for their care out of their own pocket instead of having their insurance companies pay for it until their claim was approved.
This is another thing the "right" commentators never discuss. In the 90's the Congress passed a rule that allowed the VA to collect payment for any "non-service connected treatment" allowing the VA to collect even on claims that being processed or appealed. The Congress did not understand what the language in this rule would do to the veterans. Until a claim is approved the VA regards the claim as "non-service connected" and all their care falls under the "Means Test" to see if the veteran can afford to pay. Should they have private insurance through a spouse or in the case of National Guards and Reservists, their own insurance, the insurance companies do not have to cover their medical needs if they were in fact due to service in the military. President Obama was thinking of how to solve this problem while looking at the backlog of claims along with the fact these wounded veterans were coming back and finding out they had to pay out of their own pocket as they fought to have their claims approved. The service organizations raised hell over this and President Obama knew he'd have to come up with another idea to solve this problem until all of our veteran were taken care of.
The most obvious answer would be to change the rules of the VA until the backlog of claims are processed and they receive what this nation obviously owes to them. While the service organizations were impressed with Obama's willingness to listen and change his thoughts, the media, especially the "right wing" commentators failed to report on this issue behind the concerns of the President and reported instead that Obama wanted to "charge veterans" for their care. This was already being done and had been done since the 90's. We were subjected to this when my husband's claim was being denied and all the way up to when it was finally approved.
We had private insurance but they would not pay because they said it was the obligation of the VA to cover his care. The VA was denying his claim and we were forced to pay out of our own pocket until his claim was finally approved. This happens all the time and has been going on for years. When we couldn't pay the bill, the VA attached our tax refund several years in a row. Eventually we received most of the money back but the extra hardship on us was almost too much to take and the media, well, they just didn't care.
Whenever I try to set the record straight I can see the doubt in their eyes. After all, they look at me and think I don't know what I'm talking about because they never heard of such a thing. They trust what they are being told by the commentators because they believe they know what they are talking about. I'm no one. It doesn't seem to matter that I've been fighting for veterans, no matter what party is in control since 1982 and had veterans in my life since the day I was born. I'm saying things they simply don't believe because the commentators are trusted more.
One of the issues I have with President Obama is that while he was campaigning he quietly visited the Montana National Guard to take a look at their PTSD program to address the need and the suicides. Yellow Ribbon is one of the best programs out there and his visit proved he was paying attention because he could have picked any program he wanted to, but he picked on of the best. Obama was so impressed with this program he promised to replicate it across the nation should he be elected. The media should be asking when this will be done because the military and the VA are still using a program called Battlemind causing more harm because it basically tells the troops if they end up with PTSD it's because they didn't train their brains well enough to prevent it. In other words, it's their fault. The media has been silent on this while our troops are committing suicide with higher numbers every year and increased attempted suicides. Will the Washington Post report on the fact Marines are crying on my shoulder because they were supposed to prepare and toughen their brains? Will any of the commentators on FOX talk to any of the families or the troops about this program? Does anyone really care about solving this problem?
It's not all on President Obama's shoulders but also on the heads of Congress still holding hearings asking the same people the same questions and getting the same answers instead of solutions while the troops and veterans suffer. Instead of asking people what works and what has to be done, they are talking to people that just became aware of what PTSD is. What about the people dealing with all of this for over 30 years with a history of making mistakes so they found out what does work and then do it? In this case all sides of the media have failed when they could have been reporting on what should be of urgent "breaking news" instead of jumping on stories that will not save one single life.
So here is something to set the record straight. This is from President Obama in his weekly address before Memorial Day. It address the fact the VA has just had the largest increase in funding in three decades. His actions prove how he feels about veterans. While I still have issues with President Obama this is proof of where his values are. If you hear none of this on FOX or on any of the radio shows you listen to, then you need to wonder why it is they are not saying a word about any of this while troops are in Iraq and Afghanistan, while they come home wounded and waiting for the care they were promised and older veterans are being pushed to the back of the line being told they will have to wait even longer.
Over the weekend while in Washington DC, I had many conversations with veterans but I overheard a lot more conversations. I wondered where they got some of the ideas they had, where the misinformation came from but more so, why they were focused on what was not real instead of focusing on the hard issues that we do need to address? How is it possible that committed veterans, so caring, so concerned about others, would take what certain talking heads tell them seriously without knowing if what they are being told is true or not?
There are the usual suspects in this misinformation campaign. Rush, Hannity, O'Reilly among the most powerful with listeners of their radio programs and watching them on FOX. While these men are politically motivated in spinning what they say, they still have an obligation to the truth especially when it comes to our troops and veterans. I cannot believe, as callous as they sound at times, that they do not regard the troops and veterans in the highest regard but I have to ask why they did not report on all that was happening to the troops and our veterans over the last eight years when they could have been raising the urgency of their needs. It should never matter what political party the President comes from when it comes to them. They cannot dismiss the fact the men and women serving this nation are putting the needs of the nation first instead of party and come from all voting blocks. They serve with the same dedication no matter if the President is a Republican or a Democrat. The truth is still true no matter if there is a D or an R following the name.
President Bush had a habit of using words to say he appreciated the men and women serving, but everything he did was not in their best interests. There were less doctors and nurses working for the VA with troops being wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq than after the Gulf War. Where was the outrage then? The VA budge was cut with both military campaigns producing more and more wounded. Where was the outrage then? Why were they silent? When the conditions at Walter Reed were reported on the outrage was not focused on those conditions but against the Washington Post for reporting on them. When Nicholson was returning VA funds and soldiers were coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan seeking help but were turned away because the VA was overloaded, where was the outrage then? The list of what was ignored by these men goes on and people finding out what they were not told are feeling embarrassed by the fact they thought they knew what was going on.
The veterans in our nation served one nation but have not been serviced with information from all political sides. When President Clinton was in office, his record on veterans affairs was lacking in certain areas. This was widely reported on but when it was President Bush, there was silence from the "right" commentators, just as now when things are being done for the sake of the troops and veterans, there is silence from them once again. They only thing they seem to want to now discuss is when President Obama wanted to address the problem of wounded veterans coming back and finding out they would have to pay for their care out of their own pocket instead of having their insurance companies pay for it until their claim was approved.
This is another thing the "right" commentators never discuss. In the 90's the Congress passed a rule that allowed the VA to collect payment for any "non-service connected treatment" allowing the VA to collect even on claims that being processed or appealed. The Congress did not understand what the language in this rule would do to the veterans. Until a claim is approved the VA regards the claim as "non-service connected" and all their care falls under the "Means Test" to see if the veteran can afford to pay. Should they have private insurance through a spouse or in the case of National Guards and Reservists, their own insurance, the insurance companies do not have to cover their medical needs if they were in fact due to service in the military. President Obama was thinking of how to solve this problem while looking at the backlog of claims along with the fact these wounded veterans were coming back and finding out they had to pay out of their own pocket as they fought to have their claims approved. The service organizations raised hell over this and President Obama knew he'd have to come up with another idea to solve this problem until all of our veteran were taken care of.
The most obvious answer would be to change the rules of the VA until the backlog of claims are processed and they receive what this nation obviously owes to them. While the service organizations were impressed with Obama's willingness to listen and change his thoughts, the media, especially the "right wing" commentators failed to report on this issue behind the concerns of the President and reported instead that Obama wanted to "charge veterans" for their care. This was already being done and had been done since the 90's. We were subjected to this when my husband's claim was being denied and all the way up to when it was finally approved.
We had private insurance but they would not pay because they said it was the obligation of the VA to cover his care. The VA was denying his claim and we were forced to pay out of our own pocket until his claim was finally approved. This happens all the time and has been going on for years. When we couldn't pay the bill, the VA attached our tax refund several years in a row. Eventually we received most of the money back but the extra hardship on us was almost too much to take and the media, well, they just didn't care.
Whenever I try to set the record straight I can see the doubt in their eyes. After all, they look at me and think I don't know what I'm talking about because they never heard of such a thing. They trust what they are being told by the commentators because they believe they know what they are talking about. I'm no one. It doesn't seem to matter that I've been fighting for veterans, no matter what party is in control since 1982 and had veterans in my life since the day I was born. I'm saying things they simply don't believe because the commentators are trusted more.
One of the issues I have with President Obama is that while he was campaigning he quietly visited the Montana National Guard to take a look at their PTSD program to address the need and the suicides. Yellow Ribbon is one of the best programs out there and his visit proved he was paying attention because he could have picked any program he wanted to, but he picked on of the best. Obama was so impressed with this program he promised to replicate it across the nation should he be elected. The media should be asking when this will be done because the military and the VA are still using a program called Battlemind causing more harm because it basically tells the troops if they end up with PTSD it's because they didn't train their brains well enough to prevent it. In other words, it's their fault. The media has been silent on this while our troops are committing suicide with higher numbers every year and increased attempted suicides. Will the Washington Post report on the fact Marines are crying on my shoulder because they were supposed to prepare and toughen their brains? Will any of the commentators on FOX talk to any of the families or the troops about this program? Does anyone really care about solving this problem?
It's not all on President Obama's shoulders but also on the heads of Congress still holding hearings asking the same people the same questions and getting the same answers instead of solutions while the troops and veterans suffer. Instead of asking people what works and what has to be done, they are talking to people that just became aware of what PTSD is. What about the people dealing with all of this for over 30 years with a history of making mistakes so they found out what does work and then do it? In this case all sides of the media have failed when they could have been reporting on what should be of urgent "breaking news" instead of jumping on stories that will not save one single life.
So here is something to set the record straight. This is from President Obama in his weekly address before Memorial Day. It address the fact the VA has just had the largest increase in funding in three decades. His actions prove how he feels about veterans. While I still have issues with President Obama this is proof of where his values are. If you hear none of this on FOX or on any of the radio shows you listen to, then you need to wonder why it is they are not saying a word about any of this while troops are in Iraq and Afghanistan, while they come home wounded and waiting for the care they were promised and older veterans are being pushed to the back of the line being told they will have to wait even longer.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_________________________________________________________________________________
EMBARGOED UNTIL 6:00 AM ET, SATURDAY, May 23, 2009
WEEKLY ADDRESS: President Obama Calls on All Americans to Honor the Service of the Troops and Their Families
WASHINGTON – On this Memorial Day weekend, President Barack Obama called on the American people to join him in paying tribute to America’s veterans, servicemen and women – particularly those who have made the ultimate sacrifice - and their families. America’s troops and their families embody what is best in America, and the American people have a responsibility to serve them as well as they have served us.
The audio and video will be available at 6:00am Saturday, May 23, 2009 at www.whitehouse.gov.
Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
Saturday, May 23, 2009
This Memorial Day weekend, Americans will gather on lawns and porches, fire up the grill, and enjoy the company of family, friends, and neighbors. But this is not only a time for celebration, it is also a time to reflect on what this holiday is all about; to pay tribute to our fallen heroes; and to remember the servicemen and women who cannot be with us this year because they are standing post far from home – in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world.
On Friday, I traveled to Annapolis, where I spoke at the Commencement of the United States Naval Academy. It was an honor to address some of America’s newest sailors and Marines as their Commander-in-Chief. Looking out at all of those young men and women, I was reminded of the extraordinary service that they are rendering to our country. And I was reminded, too, of all of the sacrifices that their parents, siblings, and loved ones make each day on their behalf and on our behalf.
Our fighting men and women – and the military families who love them – embody what is best in America. And we have a responsibility to serve all of them as well as they serve all of us.
And yet, all too often in recent years and decades, we, as a nation, have failed to live up to that responsibility. We have failed to give them the support they need or pay them the respect they deserve. That is a betrayal of the sacred trust that America has with all who wear – and all who have worn – the proud uniform of our country.
And that is a sacred trust I am committed to keeping as President of the United States. That is why I will send our servicemen and women into harm’s way only when it is necessary, and ensure that they have the training and equipment they need when they enter the theater of war.
That is why we are building a 21st century Department of Veterans Affairs with the largest single-year funding increase in three decades. It’s a commitment that will help us provide our veterans with the support and benefits they have earned, and expand quality health care to a half million more veterans.
That is why, this week, I signed a bill that will eliminate some of the waste and inefficiency in our defense projects – reform that will better protect our nation, better protect our troops, and save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars.
And that is why we are laying a new foundation for our economy so that when our troops return home and take off the uniform, they can find a good job, provide for their families, and earn a college degree on a Post-9/11 GI Bill that will offer them the same opportunity to live out their dreams that was afforded our greatest generation.
These are some of the ways we can, must, and will honor the service of our troops and the sacrifice of their families. But we must also do our part, not only as a nation, but as individuals for those Americans who are bearing the burden of wars being fought on our behalf. That can mean sending a letter or a care package to our troops overseas. It can mean volunteering at a clinic where a wounded warrior is being treated or bringing supplies to a homeless veterans center. Or it can mean something as simple as saying "thank you" to a veteran you pass on the street.
That is what Memorial Day is all about. It is about doing all we can to repay the debt we owe to those men and women who have answered our nation’s call by fighting under its flag. It is about recognizing that we, as a people, did not get here by accident or good fortune alone. It’s about remembering the hard winter of 1776, when our fragile American experiment seemed doomed to fail; and the early battles of 1861 when a union victory was anything but certain; and the summer of 1944, when the fate of a world rested on a perilous landing unlike any ever attempted.
It’s about remembering each and every one of those moments when our survival as a nation came down not simply to the wisdom of our leaders or the resilience of our people, but to the courage and valor of our fighting men and women. For it is only by remembering these moments that we can truly appreciate a simple lesson of American life – that what makes all we are and all we aspire to be possible are the sacrifices of an unbroken line of Americans that stretches back to our nation’s founding.
That is the meaning of this holiday. That is a truth at the heart of our history. And that is a lesson I hope all Americans will carry with them this Memorial Day weekend and beyond.
Thank you.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Life already ruined, lying First Coast vet gets light sentence
In all honesty, I want to feel sorry for this man because I'm sure he helped a lot of people, but I can't. I really want to understand why he did this and ended up hurting the very people he was claiming he cared about. How can any of them do this?
I've met award recipients and most downplay the medals they earned. I've met heroes that never received a medal but the service they give to others is outstanding. One is not a prerequisite for the other. So why fabricate a story they know is false and sooner or later will be proven false? Did they think about the people that trusted them? Did they think about what something like this would do to them? No one wants to be made a fool out of but to be made to feel foolish for believing in someone you trusted for years leaves a bitterness beyond belief behind.
I've met award recipients and most downplay the medals they earned. I've met heroes that never received a medal but the service they give to others is outstanding. One is not a prerequisite for the other. So why fabricate a story they know is false and sooner or later will be proven false? Did they think about the people that trusted them? Did they think about what something like this would do to them? No one wants to be made a fool out of but to be made to feel foolish for believing in someone you trusted for years leaves a bitterness beyond belief behind.
Life already ruined, lying First Coast vet gets light sentence
Florida Times-Union - Jacksonville,FL,USA
By Timothy J. Gibbons Story updated at 6:24 PM on Wednesday, May. 27, 2009
In the past five months, Charles T. White has lost most of his friends.
After pleading guilty to lying about being a prisoner of war in Vietnam and earning a Purple Heart, the veteran was kicked out of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, an organization he’d been part of for 40 years, holding offices and serving on the honor guard.
U.S. Magistrate Monte Richardson decided Wednesday that punishing the St. Augustine man more would be egregious. Instead he sentenced White to one year of probation, waiving mandatory drug tests and fines.
He faced up to two years in prison and a $200,000 fine for violating the Stolen Valor Act, which makes it a crime to claim unearned medals.
Last year White served as a VFW honor guard and was keynote speaker at a prisoner of war recognition event at Jacksonville Naval Air Station. During both he claimed to have been a POW and earned the Purple Heart.
White also falsely claimed to have served on the USS Miller, to have been head corpsman on the USS Dealey and to have worked at Cuba Naval Hospital during the Cuban missile crisis.
The sentence he received Wednesday was just, White said during a brief conversation after the hearing.
“I made a mistake in life,” he said. “I paid for my mistake.” click link for the rest
Brig. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend issues orders to stay alive
You may think this sounds dumb right now, but therapists have been having patients sign contracts stating they will not commit suicide for years.
May 27th, 2009
Commander ‘orders’ soldiers against suicide
Posted: 08:36 PM ET
FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky (CNN) — The 101st Airborne’s senior commander in-effect ordered his soldiers Wednesday not to commit suicide, a plea that came after 11 suicides since Jan. 1, two of them in the past week.
“If you don’t remember anything else I say in the next five or 10 minutes, remember this — suicidal behavior in the 101st on Fort Campbell is bad,” Brig. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend told his forces. “It’s bad for soldiers, it’s bad for families, bad for your units, bad for this division and our army and our country and it’s got to stop now. Suicides on Fort Campbell have to stop now!”
Fort Campbell’s suicide rate, the highest in the Army, “is not a good statistic,” he said in remarks to one of four divisions he addressed during the day.
After nearly one soldier per week committed suicide at the base between January and mid-March, the Army instituted a suicide prevention program that “seemed to be having good effects” until last week, when two more suicides occurred, he said.
“Suicide is a permanent solution to what is only a temporary problem,” Townsend said. “Screaming Eagles don’t quit. No matter how bad your problem seems today, trust me, it’s not the end of the world. It will be better tomorrow. Don’t take away your tomorrow.”
http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/
For Memorial Day, Buffalo police honor Vietnam vets
For Memorial Day, Buffalo police honor Vietnam vets
By Gene Warner
News Staff Reporter
Those who served both their country and their community — first in Vietnam, later on the streets of Buffalo — finally received some recognition today with the unveiling of a plaque listing 66 Buffalo police officers who also served in Vietnam.
"It's much too little and much too late, but please accept this as a [token] of our gratitude," Buffalo Police Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson told more than 100 people at a Memorial Day ceremony in police headquarters.
Two high-ranking Buffalo police officers who never stepped foot in Vietnam, Lt. Kenneth Bienko and Detective James A. Lema, spearheaded the four-year effort to remember other police officers who served.
"It's long overdue for these guys," Lema said after the 10-minute ceremony. "They put their lives on the line twice, once for our country and once for our city. This is just a small way of saying thank you."
Bienko, a Gulf War veteran, served 22 years in the Navy, Coast Guard and Army. Both the military and the Buffalo Police Department have been a huge part of his life.
go here for more
http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/682357.html
By Gene Warner
News Staff Reporter
Those who served both their country and their community — first in Vietnam, later on the streets of Buffalo — finally received some recognition today with the unveiling of a plaque listing 66 Buffalo police officers who also served in Vietnam.
"It's much too little and much too late, but please accept this as a [token] of our gratitude," Buffalo Police Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson told more than 100 people at a Memorial Day ceremony in police headquarters.
Two high-ranking Buffalo police officers who never stepped foot in Vietnam, Lt. Kenneth Bienko and Detective James A. Lema, spearheaded the four-year effort to remember other police officers who served.
"It's long overdue for these guys," Lema said after the 10-minute ceremony. "They put their lives on the line twice, once for our country and once for our city. This is just a small way of saying thank you."
Bienko, a Gulf War veteran, served 22 years in the Navy, Coast Guard and Army. Both the military and the Buffalo Police Department have been a huge part of his life.
go here for more
http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/682357.html
National Guardsman Struggles to Find a Job
The Penalty for Serving: After Iraq, a National Guardsman Struggles to Find a Job
This article is adapted from Christian Davenport's book, "As You Were: To War and Back With the Black Hawk Battalion of the Virginia National Guard," which is being published June 1 by John Wiley & Sons Inc. (Courtesy John Wiley & Sons Inc.)
Craig Lewis, now a captain in the Army National Guard, found job prospects grim when he returned from Iraq. (Hector Emanuel)
Craig Lewis and Christian Davenport
Captain, Army National Guard; Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 26, 2009; 12:00 PM
Craig Lewis is a helicopter pilot with combat experience and a college degree. So why didn't anyone seem interested in hiring him after he returned from Iraq?
Craig Lewis, a captain in the Army National Guard, was online Tuesday, May 26 to discuss his efforts to find a job and return to life at home after serving in Iraq. Joining him was Christian Davenport, a Washington Post staff writer who covers military affairs and chronicles Lewis's story in his new book, "As You Were: To War and Back With the Black Hawk Battalion of the Virginia National Guard."
Christian Davenport: Greetings,
Welcome to the chat. Craig and I are eager to get to your questions about the piece. But I wanted to first give a little background about how I came to write about Craig and some of his fellow soldiers returning to civilian life after Iraq. I embedded with their unit, the Virginia Army National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, for a couple of weeks at the beginning of 2007, then flew home with them and spent the next year following their reintegration. I wanted to tell this story because the National Guard has played such an important role in this war, and yet has been, I think, overlooked.
Unlike the active duty, which returns home to big bases and are surrounded by fellow service members, the citizen-soldiers of the Guard come almost immediately back to civilian life, where they're expected to pick up where they left off. And as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, they face multiple tours and repeat the jarring process of leaving families and civilian jobs again and again. Then there are the domestic emergencies they respond to, such as Hurricane Katrina.
Craig's story obviously focuses on what can happen to reservists' civilian careers, and let's be clear: soldiers aren't the only ones who sacrifice. The deployments create quite a hardship on employers as well, who often have to scramble to fill vacancies on short notice. But there are often other issues that come up, some of which I explored in the book. For example, one of the soldiers I followed was asked, eight days after he got home, if he would return to Iraq with another unit in a few months -- a decision that weighed heavily on him. Another was a Vietnam veteran, who deployed to Iraq at age 58, a time when his wife thought they should be thinking about retirement, not war. Another was a medic who struggled to get treatment for her post traumatic stress disorder.
go here for more
The Penalty for Serving
This article is adapted from Christian Davenport's book, "As You Were: To War and Back With the Black Hawk Battalion of the Virginia National Guard," which is being published June 1 by John Wiley & Sons Inc. (Courtesy John Wiley & Sons Inc.)
Craig Lewis, now a captain in the Army National Guard, found job prospects grim when he returned from Iraq. (Hector Emanuel)
Craig Lewis and Christian Davenport
Captain, Army National Guard; Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 26, 2009; 12:00 PM
Craig Lewis is a helicopter pilot with combat experience and a college degree. So why didn't anyone seem interested in hiring him after he returned from Iraq?
Craig Lewis, a captain in the Army National Guard, was online Tuesday, May 26 to discuss his efforts to find a job and return to life at home after serving in Iraq. Joining him was Christian Davenport, a Washington Post staff writer who covers military affairs and chronicles Lewis's story in his new book, "As You Were: To War and Back With the Black Hawk Battalion of the Virginia National Guard."
Christian Davenport: Greetings,
Welcome to the chat. Craig and I are eager to get to your questions about the piece. But I wanted to first give a little background about how I came to write about Craig and some of his fellow soldiers returning to civilian life after Iraq. I embedded with their unit, the Virginia Army National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, for a couple of weeks at the beginning of 2007, then flew home with them and spent the next year following their reintegration. I wanted to tell this story because the National Guard has played such an important role in this war, and yet has been, I think, overlooked.
Unlike the active duty, which returns home to big bases and are surrounded by fellow service members, the citizen-soldiers of the Guard come almost immediately back to civilian life, where they're expected to pick up where they left off. And as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, they face multiple tours and repeat the jarring process of leaving families and civilian jobs again and again. Then there are the domestic emergencies they respond to, such as Hurricane Katrina.
Craig's story obviously focuses on what can happen to reservists' civilian careers, and let's be clear: soldiers aren't the only ones who sacrifice. The deployments create quite a hardship on employers as well, who often have to scramble to fill vacancies on short notice. But there are often other issues that come up, some of which I explored in the book. For example, one of the soldiers I followed was asked, eight days after he got home, if he would return to Iraq with another unit in a few months -- a decision that weighed heavily on him. Another was a Vietnam veteran, who deployed to Iraq at age 58, a time when his wife thought they should be thinking about retirement, not war. Another was a medic who struggled to get treatment for her post traumatic stress disorder.
go here for more
The Penalty for Serving
Quilt of Tears recalls Agent Orange victims
Quilt of Tears recalls Agent Orange victims
By Audrey Stanton
Register-Herald Features Editor
By Audrey Stanton
REGISTER-HERALD features editor
RAINELLE — Living veterans aren’t the only ones honored in Rainelle this weekend.
Under a large white tent in the town’s industrial park, “The Quilt of Tears” exhibit features a collection of 26 quilts honoring victims of a deadly herbicide used primarily during the Vietnam War.
“It’s an emotional sight for many of the veterans who see it,” said Henry Snyder, a veteran who is suffering for the ill effects of Agent Orange. He and his wife Shelia travel with the exhibit, sharing its message anywhere they can. The Florida couple took over the cause after the widow who started it could no longer do so.
They say hundreds of thousands of Vietnam veterans have suffered and died from the effects of Agent Orange. Yet an accurate figure is anyone’s guess because most cases aren’t traced. They place it around 500,000. Most death certificates list the cause of death as cancer unless a widow states otherwise, the Snyders say.
go here for more of this story
Quilt of Tears recalls Agent Orange victims
Email from Sheila and Henry
Dear Friends,
Henry & I just got home yesterday from our trip to Rainelle, W. Va. where we displayed The Quilt Of Tears during the L.Z. Rainelle Veterans Reunion 2009 (http://www.lzrainelle.com/). It was a very nice town & event which began with a biker group Task Force Omega from Kentucky (http://www.greasyonline.com/events/tfo_rainelle.pdf) traveling & stopping in Rainelle on their way to The Wall in DC. Part of "Run For The Wall".
The color scheme used for the L.Z. Rainelle Veterans Reunion this year was orange & black. I've included a beautiful wreath that was given to us & was displayed with The Quilt of Tears during the event.
Rainelle is a pretty small West Virginia town but during the five day Quilt display we had the special opportunity to meet many Veterans & families that are affected by illnesses that AO has caused.
The school children from Rainelle Elementary also visited us during that time which is always a pretty special experience & one that we enjoy.
I believe that we helped many of those people with information along with education about AO & the Quilt Of Tears project. We were honored to have been in Rainelle.
Rev. John Steer (***see note below) joined everyone in Rainelle & performed Sunday morning services, which is an honor but one that Henry & I missed.
I do think he would have understood & forgiven us though... A local elderly WW2 Veteran come to see what The Quilts were all about & led to quite a long, very enjoyable visit. He talked of Rainelle, where he spent all of his life with the exception of his service in WW2. (I just love talking & listening to folks like that :o) He had such a proud, knowledgeable soft spoken way about him that blended sense of humor as most of the older Vets do. He left us for a little bit then returned with an old painting of the local area years before, explaining how it used to be. It was indeed a joy to listen to him & tears came to his eyes as he said " You know there is people today that say the Holocaust never happened" I hugged him wiping my own tears & knew that I was exactly where I should have been for Sunday services.
Unfortunately, Henry & I were unable to take extra time off from our jobs this year to travel on to DC to display The Quilts near The Wall on Memorial Day but perhaps next year we will have the time to display both places.
By Audrey Stanton
Register-Herald Features Editor
By Audrey Stanton
REGISTER-HERALD features editor
RAINELLE — Living veterans aren’t the only ones honored in Rainelle this weekend.
Under a large white tent in the town’s industrial park, “The Quilt of Tears” exhibit features a collection of 26 quilts honoring victims of a deadly herbicide used primarily during the Vietnam War.
“It’s an emotional sight for many of the veterans who see it,” said Henry Snyder, a veteran who is suffering for the ill effects of Agent Orange. He and his wife Shelia travel with the exhibit, sharing its message anywhere they can. The Florida couple took over the cause after the widow who started it could no longer do so.
They say hundreds of thousands of Vietnam veterans have suffered and died from the effects of Agent Orange. Yet an accurate figure is anyone’s guess because most cases aren’t traced. They place it around 500,000. Most death certificates list the cause of death as cancer unless a widow states otherwise, the Snyders say.
go here for more of this story
Quilt of Tears recalls Agent Orange victims
Email from Sheila and Henry
Dear Friends,
Henry & I just got home yesterday from our trip to Rainelle, W. Va. where we displayed The Quilt Of Tears during the L.Z. Rainelle Veterans Reunion 2009 (http://www.lzrainelle.com/). It was a very nice town & event which began with a biker group Task Force Omega from Kentucky (http://www.greasyonline.com/events/tfo_rainelle.pdf) traveling & stopping in Rainelle on their way to The Wall in DC. Part of "Run For The Wall".
The color scheme used for the L.Z. Rainelle Veterans Reunion this year was orange & black. I've included a beautiful wreath that was given to us & was displayed with The Quilt of Tears during the event.
Rainelle is a pretty small West Virginia town but during the five day Quilt display we had the special opportunity to meet many Veterans & families that are affected by illnesses that AO has caused.
The school children from Rainelle Elementary also visited us during that time which is always a pretty special experience & one that we enjoy.
I believe that we helped many of those people with information along with education about AO & the Quilt Of Tears project. We were honored to have been in Rainelle.
Rev. John Steer (***see note below) joined everyone in Rainelle & performed Sunday morning services, which is an honor but one that Henry & I missed.
I do think he would have understood & forgiven us though... A local elderly WW2 Veteran come to see what The Quilts were all about & led to quite a long, very enjoyable visit. He talked of Rainelle, where he spent all of his life with the exception of his service in WW2. (I just love talking & listening to folks like that :o) He had such a proud, knowledgeable soft spoken way about him that blended sense of humor as most of the older Vets do. He left us for a little bit then returned with an old painting of the local area years before, explaining how it used to be. It was indeed a joy to listen to him & tears came to his eyes as he said " You know there is people today that say the Holocaust never happened" I hugged him wiping my own tears & knew that I was exactly where I should have been for Sunday services.
Unfortunately, Henry & I were unable to take extra time off from our jobs this year to travel on to DC to display The Quilts near The Wall on Memorial Day but perhaps next year we will have the time to display both places.
Memorial grows at spot of soldier's suicide
Memorial grows at spot of soldier's suicide
By CATHY KELLY
Posted: 05/27/2009 01:30:57 AM PDT
SANTA CRUZ -- Red, white and blue flowers now mark the oceanfront spot where a soldier shot himself Friday, as people paid tribute to the accomplished infantryman.
Cards and notes at the scenic spot along West Cliff Drive thank Army Pfc. Roy Brooks Mason Jr. for his service to the country and convey condolences to his family.
Mason, 28, of Fairfield, was a decorated soldier who had been deployed to Iraq twice.
He was stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., and was reported missing from there Tuesday.
About 1:15 p.m. Friday, Mason called emergency dispatchers from a call box near West Cliff Drive and Stockton Avenue and told a dispatcher a dead body would be in a red Chevrolet Cobalt there, a car he had recently rented in Colorado. He asked that someone "clean up the area" before children saw anything.
Tuesday, those who had heard about Mason's death struggled to make sense of it.
One man parked near the overlook said he wasn't surprised to hear of the loss, as he had served in the Marine Corps and knew that "soldiers go through a lot."
Ingrid Smith of Santa Cruz stopped and took a moment to straighten a story about Mason that had partially fallen off a bench.
Smith said hearing about Mason's death angered her, as she believes the military needs to change the way it deals with those who need help.
go here for more
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/rss/ci_12456410?source=rss
By CATHY KELLY
Posted: 05/27/2009 01:30:57 AM PDT
SANTA CRUZ -- Red, white and blue flowers now mark the oceanfront spot where a soldier shot himself Friday, as people paid tribute to the accomplished infantryman.
Cards and notes at the scenic spot along West Cliff Drive thank Army Pfc. Roy Brooks Mason Jr. for his service to the country and convey condolences to his family.
Mason, 28, of Fairfield, was a decorated soldier who had been deployed to Iraq twice.
He was stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., and was reported missing from there Tuesday.
About 1:15 p.m. Friday, Mason called emergency dispatchers from a call box near West Cliff Drive and Stockton Avenue and told a dispatcher a dead body would be in a red Chevrolet Cobalt there, a car he had recently rented in Colorado. He asked that someone "clean up the area" before children saw anything.
Tuesday, those who had heard about Mason's death struggled to make sense of it.
One man parked near the overlook said he wasn't surprised to hear of the loss, as he had served in the Marine Corps and knew that "soldiers go through a lot."
Ingrid Smith of Santa Cruz stopped and took a moment to straighten a story about Mason that had partially fallen off a bench.
Smith said hearing about Mason's death angered her, as she believes the military needs to change the way it deals with those who need help.
go here for more
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/rss/ci_12456410?source=rss
11 suicides at Fort Campbell prompts stand-down
11 suicides at Campbell prompts stand-down
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky.
By Kristin M. Hall - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday May 27, 2009 15:26:04 EDT
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — Regular duties are suspended for three days at Fort Campbell, which leads the Army in suicides this year, so commanders can identify and help soldiers who are struggling with the stress of war and most at risk for killing themselves.
The post began a stand-down Wednesday so soldiers can focus on suicide prevention training in the wake of 11 confirmed suicides by Campbell soldiers this year. More deaths are being investigated as possible suicides.
“This is not a place where Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division want to be,” said Brig. Gen. Stephen Townsend. “We don’t want to lead the Army in this statistic.”
From January to March, the installation on averaged one suicide per week, Townsend said. After an Army-wide suicide prevention campaign in started in March, there were no suicides for six weeks, he said.
“But last week we had two. Two in a week,” Townsend said.
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky.
By Kristin M. Hall - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday May 27, 2009 15:26:04 EDT
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — Regular duties are suspended for three days at Fort Campbell, which leads the Army in suicides this year, so commanders can identify and help soldiers who are struggling with the stress of war and most at risk for killing themselves.
The post began a stand-down Wednesday so soldiers can focus on suicide prevention training in the wake of 11 confirmed suicides by Campbell soldiers this year. More deaths are being investigated as possible suicides.
“This is not a place where Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division want to be,” said Brig. Gen. Stephen Townsend. “We don’t want to lead the Army in this statistic.”
From January to March, the installation on averaged one suicide per week, Townsend said. After an Army-wide suicide prevention campaign in started in March, there were no suicides for six weeks, he said.
“But last week we had two. Two in a week,” Townsend said.
“You wouldn’t hesitate to seek medical attention for a physical wound or injury,” Townsend said. “Don’t hesitate to seek medical attention for a psychological injury.”
For female soldiers, last battle is within
For female soldiers, last battle is within
By Mark Curnutte - Cincinnati Enquirer
Posted : Monday May 25, 2009 11:20:29 EDT
They are just a fistful of the 200,000 female troops thrust into battle — intentionally or not — in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Spc. Angela Strittholt, Army Reserve Spc. Jennifer Wells, Lt. Col. Iva Griggs and Spc. Laura Seaman are among those female troops who have came home with problems once reserved for fighting men.
They arrive with physical injuries such as paralysis, lost limbs and bad backs. They develop mental health issues, as seemingly benign as sleeplessness and as potentially debilitating as post-traumatic stress disorder, which the Veterans Affairs Department reports that up to 40 percent of veterans — regardless of gender — have or develop during their lives.
go here for more
For female soldiers, last battle is within
By Mark Curnutte - Cincinnati Enquirer
Posted : Monday May 25, 2009 11:20:29 EDT
They are just a fistful of the 200,000 female troops thrust into battle — intentionally or not — in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Spc. Angela Strittholt, Army Reserve Spc. Jennifer Wells, Lt. Col. Iva Griggs and Spc. Laura Seaman are among those female troops who have came home with problems once reserved for fighting men.
They arrive with physical injuries such as paralysis, lost limbs and bad backs. They develop mental health issues, as seemingly benign as sleeplessness and as potentially debilitating as post-traumatic stress disorder, which the Veterans Affairs Department reports that up to 40 percent of veterans — regardless of gender — have or develop during their lives.
go here for more
For female soldiers, last battle is within
VA Web Site Helps College Counselors Aid Veterans
To view and download VA news release, please visit the following
Internet address:
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel
VA Web Site Helps College Counselors Aid Veterans
WASHINGTON (May 27, 2009) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has
launched a new Web site to strengthen the connection between college and
university mental health professionals and the Veterans of the Iraq and
Afghanistan conflicts now studying on their campuses.
"Many of our newest Veterans are beginning their post-service lives by
furthering their educations," said Dr. Gerald M. Cross, VA's acting
under secretary for health. "This initiative is designed to ensure that
colleges and universities are able to assist with any special mental
health needs they may have."
The Web site, www.mentalhealth.va.gov/College, features recommended
training for college and university counselors, with online modules
including "Operation SAVE" for suicide prevention, "PTSD 101" and
"Helping Students Who Drink Too Much." It also will feature a resource
list that will be updated regularly.
Although the Web site is designed primarily for counselors, it also
serves as a resource for Veteran-students who wish to learn more about
the challenges they may face in adjusting to their lives after leaving
the military.
"We hope counselors and our returning Veterans find this site helpful
and easy to use," Cross said. "As the site grows, we expect it will
become an increasingly valuable resource."
The new site is one of several Web-based tools VA has developed to
assist Veterans in dealing with mental health issues. Others include a
guide for families of military members returning from deployment and
information about a suicide prevention hotline for Veterans.
Internet address:
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel
VA Web Site Helps College Counselors Aid Veterans
WASHINGTON (May 27, 2009) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has
launched a new Web site to strengthen the connection between college and
university mental health professionals and the Veterans of the Iraq and
Afghanistan conflicts now studying on their campuses.
"Many of our newest Veterans are beginning their post-service lives by
furthering their educations," said Dr. Gerald M. Cross, VA's acting
under secretary for health. "This initiative is designed to ensure that
colleges and universities are able to assist with any special mental
health needs they may have."
The Web site, www.mentalhealth.va.gov/College, features recommended
training for college and university counselors, with online modules
including "Operation SAVE" for suicide prevention, "PTSD 101" and
"Helping Students Who Drink Too Much." It also will feature a resource
list that will be updated regularly.
Although the Web site is designed primarily for counselors, it also
serves as a resource for Veteran-students who wish to learn more about
the challenges they may face in adjusting to their lives after leaving
the military.
"We hope counselors and our returning Veterans find this site helpful
and easy to use," Cross said. "As the site grows, we expect it will
become an increasingly valuable resource."
The new site is one of several Web-based tools VA has developed to
assist Veterans in dealing with mental health issues. Others include a
guide for families of military members returning from deployment and
information about a suicide prevention hotline for Veterans.
Defense launches campaign and Web site to destigmatize traumatic stress
Defense launches campaign and Web site to destigmatize traumatic stress
By Bob Brewin 05/26/2009
The Defense Department launched a multimedia campaign that includes a new Web site designed to reduce the stigma that combat veterans and their families say they feel when seeking mental health care.
The effort includes the new Real Warriors Web site, which is hosted deliberately outside a military Internet domain because troops have reported that seeking help for mental health problems could harm their military careers.
The site went live on May 21 on a dot-net domain, an address where developers hope troops and their families feel it is safe to look for mental health information as opposed to looking for the same information hosted on a dot-mil domain, , said Army Brig. Gen. Loree Sutton, a psychiatrist who serves as director of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.
Lisa Jaycox, a behavioral scientist with the RAND Corp. and one of the co-editors of the 2008 report " Invisible Wounds of War," said Defense faces a tough task when it comes to destigmatizing treatment for mental and psychological problems.
A survey RAND conducted in conjunction with its study showed that troops did not seek mental health care due to concern over "negative career repercussions," Jaycox said. "It's extremely hard to disentangle fitness for duty from seeking mental health care."
To lessen the stigma, Defense could show positive examples of people who sought help for post-traumatic stress disorder while their military careers thrived, Jaycox said.
Sutton said Real Warriors offers concrete examples of three combat veterans who candidly relate their battles with PTSD.
Army Maj. Gen. David Blackledge is one of the three profiles. Blackledge, the Army's assistant deputy chief of staff for mobilization and reserve issues, said in February he decided to talk publicly about his struggle with PTSD because he believed it was critical for senior Army leaders to discuss their experiences with combat stress.
The Defense centers designed Real Warriors to help troops and their families in a variety of ways, including anonymous, online chat sessions with mental health professionals, Sutton said.
Because many of the 1.9 million servicemen and women who have served one or more tours in Iraq or Afghanistan are young, officials decided to incorporate social media and Internet tools to reach that audience. The site's developers included buttons at the bottom of the page that users can click to access pages on Facebook, Digg, Delicious and Twitter that focus on mental health issues.
go here for more
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090526_4907.php
By Bob Brewin 05/26/2009
The Defense Department launched a multimedia campaign that includes a new Web site designed to reduce the stigma that combat veterans and their families say they feel when seeking mental health care.
The effort includes the new Real Warriors Web site, which is hosted deliberately outside a military Internet domain because troops have reported that seeking help for mental health problems could harm their military careers.
The site went live on May 21 on a dot-net domain, an address where developers hope troops and their families feel it is safe to look for mental health information as opposed to looking for the same information hosted on a dot-mil domain, , said Army Brig. Gen. Loree Sutton, a psychiatrist who serves as director of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.
Lisa Jaycox, a behavioral scientist with the RAND Corp. and one of the co-editors of the 2008 report " Invisible Wounds of War," said Defense faces a tough task when it comes to destigmatizing treatment for mental and psychological problems.
A survey RAND conducted in conjunction with its study showed that troops did not seek mental health care due to concern over "negative career repercussions," Jaycox said. "It's extremely hard to disentangle fitness for duty from seeking mental health care."
To lessen the stigma, Defense could show positive examples of people who sought help for post-traumatic stress disorder while their military careers thrived, Jaycox said.
Sutton said Real Warriors offers concrete examples of three combat veterans who candidly relate their battles with PTSD.
Army Maj. Gen. David Blackledge is one of the three profiles. Blackledge, the Army's assistant deputy chief of staff for mobilization and reserve issues, said in February he decided to talk publicly about his struggle with PTSD because he believed it was critical for senior Army leaders to discuss their experiences with combat stress.
The Defense centers designed Real Warriors to help troops and their families in a variety of ways, including anonymous, online chat sessions with mental health professionals, Sutton said.
Because many of the 1.9 million servicemen and women who have served one or more tours in Iraq or Afghanistan are young, officials decided to incorporate social media and Internet tools to reach that audience. The site's developers included buttons at the bottom of the page that users can click to access pages on Facebook, Digg, Delicious and Twitter that focus on mental health issues.
go here for more
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090526_4907.php
President Barack Obama is being awarded NCHV's highest award
Recent VA News Releases
To view and download VA news release, please visit the following
Internet address:
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel
Secretary Shinseki Addresses the National Coalition for Homeless
Veterans National Conference
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 21, 2009) - Yesterday, the Secretary of the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Eric K. Shinseki addressed the
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans National Conference (NCHV) at
the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia.
"President Obama has made it clear that homelessness among Veterans is
unacceptable," Secretary Shinseki said. "We have a moral duty to prevent
and eliminate homelessness among Veterans."
The NCHV is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Veteran-specific service organization
whose 250-plus member organizations represent a variety of homeless
providers in 45 states and the District of Columbia. It was organized
in 1990 by a small group of community-based service providers who were
troubled by the disproportionately large percentage of homeless people
who are Veterans. It serves as the primary liaison between the nation's
care providers, Congress and the executive branch agencies charged with
helping them succeed in their work.
This year, President Barack Obama is being awarded NCHV's highest award,
the Jerald Washington Memorial Founders' Award. Shinseki said the
president's "early work as a community organizer provided him first hand
experience about the devastation that is homelessness-for individuals,
for families and for communities. Now, as our president and as our
commander-in-chief, he is committed to combating this stain on the
American conscience."
Speaking to the NCHV attendees, Shinseki said, "We look forward to
working with this coalition. Your community-level experience has helped
tens of thousands of Veterans with a variety of problems. Your
expertise is respected, and I look forward to being your partner as we
eliminate homelessness among Veterans. "
During the conference Secretary Shinseki announced that VA is creating a
national center on homelessness among Veterans. The center is VA's
first opportunity to develop, promote and enhance policy, clinical care,
research and education to improve homeless services, so that Veterans
may live as independently as possible in a community of their choosing.
The center will be co-located with the Philadelphia VA Medical Center
and the Tampa VAMC with the support of host-site academic affiliates,
the University of Pennsylvania and the University of South Florida.
Secretary Shinseki applauded NCHV for the work they are doing and
highlighted some of the programs VA has to assist homeless Veterans:
* Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program -- Established
since 1987, the program now has 132 sites with extensive outreach,
physical and psychiatric examinations, treatment, referrals and on-going
case management services.
* Domiciliary Care for the Homeless (DCHV) Program -- Started
with 13 medical centers, and has grown to 2,000 operation beds at 40
sites today. Rehabilitative residential services are offered on VA
medical center grounds or in the community to eligible Veterans.
* Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program --
Authorized in 1992, it provides grants and per diem payments to help
public and nonprofit organizations establish and operate supportive
transitional housing and service centers. Today, VA partners with more
than 500 community organizations and has authorized 15,000 beds through
the GPD program.
* Stand Downs for homeless Veterans are one- to three-day events
designed to provide homeless Veterans and their families a variety of
services. In 2008, more than 30,000 Veterans and 4,500 family members
received outreach services from Stand Downs aided by 24,500 volunteers.
* Project CHALENG (Community Homelessness Assessment, Local
Education and Networking Groups) for Veterans -- Started in 1993, a
nationwide initiative in which VA works with other federal, state, local
agencies and nonprofit organizations to assess the needs of homeless
Veterans. The last estimate of the number of homeless Veterans on any
given night was 131,000, a reduction of over 47 percent from previous
estimates of 250,000 used six years ago.
To view and download VA news release, please visit the following
Internet address:
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel
Secretary Shinseki Addresses the National Coalition for Homeless
Veterans National Conference
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 21, 2009) - Yesterday, the Secretary of the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Eric K. Shinseki addressed the
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans National Conference (NCHV) at
the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia.
"President Obama has made it clear that homelessness among Veterans is
unacceptable," Secretary Shinseki said. "We have a moral duty to prevent
and eliminate homelessness among Veterans."
The NCHV is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Veteran-specific service organization
whose 250-plus member organizations represent a variety of homeless
providers in 45 states and the District of Columbia. It was organized
in 1990 by a small group of community-based service providers who were
troubled by the disproportionately large percentage of homeless people
who are Veterans. It serves as the primary liaison between the nation's
care providers, Congress and the executive branch agencies charged with
helping them succeed in their work.
This year, President Barack Obama is being awarded NCHV's highest award,
the Jerald Washington Memorial Founders' Award. Shinseki said the
president's "early work as a community organizer provided him first hand
experience about the devastation that is homelessness-for individuals,
for families and for communities. Now, as our president and as our
commander-in-chief, he is committed to combating this stain on the
American conscience."
Speaking to the NCHV attendees, Shinseki said, "We look forward to
working with this coalition. Your community-level experience has helped
tens of thousands of Veterans with a variety of problems. Your
expertise is respected, and I look forward to being your partner as we
eliminate homelessness among Veterans. "
During the conference Secretary Shinseki announced that VA is creating a
national center on homelessness among Veterans. The center is VA's
first opportunity to develop, promote and enhance policy, clinical care,
research and education to improve homeless services, so that Veterans
may live as independently as possible in a community of their choosing.
The center will be co-located with the Philadelphia VA Medical Center
and the Tampa VAMC with the support of host-site academic affiliates,
the University of Pennsylvania and the University of South Florida.
Secretary Shinseki applauded NCHV for the work they are doing and
highlighted some of the programs VA has to assist homeless Veterans:
* Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program -- Established
since 1987, the program now has 132 sites with extensive outreach,
physical and psychiatric examinations, treatment, referrals and on-going
case management services.
* Domiciliary Care for the Homeless (DCHV) Program -- Started
with 13 medical centers, and has grown to 2,000 operation beds at 40
sites today. Rehabilitative residential services are offered on VA
medical center grounds or in the community to eligible Veterans.
* Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program --
Authorized in 1992, it provides grants and per diem payments to help
public and nonprofit organizations establish and operate supportive
transitional housing and service centers. Today, VA partners with more
than 500 community organizations and has authorized 15,000 beds through
the GPD program.
* Stand Downs for homeless Veterans are one- to three-day events
designed to provide homeless Veterans and their families a variety of
services. In 2008, more than 30,000 Veterans and 4,500 family members
received outreach services from Stand Downs aided by 24,500 volunteers.
* Project CHALENG (Community Homelessness Assessment, Local
Education and Networking Groups) for Veterans -- Started in 1993, a
nationwide initiative in which VA works with other federal, state, local
agencies and nonprofit organizations to assess the needs of homeless
Veterans. The last estimate of the number of homeless Veterans on any
given night was 131,000, a reduction of over 47 percent from previous
estimates of 250,000 used six years ago.
Why Vietnam Veterans break my heart and restore it again
by
Chaplain Kathie
I've been blessed to have veterans in my life since my life began. My father was a disabled Korean veteran. My uncles were WWII veterans. While they were still living, I met and married my husband, a Vietnam veteran. His father and uncles were also WWII veterans. Not bad considering we are only second generation Americans.
Ever since my life with my husband began, we've been active with veterans. I've been doing outreach work with them helping them to understand what PTSD is since 1982. It seemed only natural to do this. In all of these years, my heart has been broken over and over again because of all the suffering they have gone through, all so needlessly because they never received what they needed to heal beginning with the lapse of coverage from the media. If it were not for bad stories on Vietnam veterans for the last 30 years, there would have been no reporting on them at all. It's what the media does not report on that has restored by heart over and over again.
This past weekend we traveled with the Nam Knights from Orlando to Washington DC. While Rolling Thunder received the coverage for their ride on Sunday, May 24th, the Nam Knights rode on Saturday. We had about 400 Harleys roaring thru the streets of Washington, past Arlington National Cemetery up to The Vietnam Memorial Wall, parking a few streets away with a fantastic police escort getting us from one point to the other. They escorted us after a ceremony on the lawn near the Memorial to the Law Enforcement Memorial. Considering the Nam Knights is a group of Vietnam veterans, other veterans and Law Enforcement this memorial was important to them. The escort then blocked roads all the way from DC into Maryland for a feast provided by the VFW Post.
What does not get reported on is what the Nam Knights do other than once a year. They give back to this country as they have since they gave in Vietnam. The biggest thing Vietnam veterans did was fight for all other veterans. When they came home wounded by PTSD, they fought to have it treated and recognized by the VA and the DOD. Despite the fact other established groups wanted nothing to do with them, they didn't allow that to stop them. They started their own groups and made sure the power of their numbers along with the hearts of warriors, they would not be defeated in fighting for all veterans. Because they pushed to have the wound of PTSD treated, it began to be treated in police officers, firefighters, civilians after tragedies, accidents and crime.
Had it not been for them the older veterans suffering from what was called "shell shock" wouldn't have been treated. The Gulf War veterans wouldn't have been treated. Survivors of the Oklahoma bombing wouldn't have been treated. Survivors and witnesses of the multiple school shootings wouldn't have been treated. Survivors and witnesses of September 11th wouldn't have been treated. The troops and veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan wouldn't have been treated. With all of this, the police officers and firefighters, National Guardsmen and emergency responders wouldn't have been treated for doing their duty. With all of this, when they are informed of exactly how far reaching their efforts accomplished, they are stunned. They never thought about it. They only thought of doing the right thing.
Yet with this, they still die of PTSD and they still die homeless on our streets.
Vietnam veteran buried in Farmington
NewsWest9.com - Midland,TX,USA
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) - A veteran of the Vietnam War was buried in Farmington on Memorial Day, more than three months after he died at age 62 in Las Cruces.
Steve Nelson Baker was receiving treatment for post traumatic stress disorder shortly before he died. He was homeless when he died Feb. 2, and had been homeless off and on since his two tours of duty as a private in the Vietnam War.
click link for more
They still see their wound carried so deeply within them but push on with acts of kindness, with humility, seeking nothing than the help and hope they seek to offer to someone in need. Be it a soldier being wounded sent to Walter Reed to recover or coming into the area, they are there.
One of the Orlando Knights has a son serving now and his friend was wounded in Iraq. There was a donation taken up for him and his family and while a stranger to all the Knights, all gave what they could.
We had a family in a chase truck in case one of them broke down. They didn't have their Harelys with them. One of the Knights put out a request for rides for them so they could come with us to the Wall and within seconds, each one had a ride. Without helmets in hand another call was put out and four were offered when only three were needed. The best part of this story is that the man in the chase truck, a Vietnam veteran and Silver Star recipient had never seen The Wall before. He couldn't take his bike for the trip because he was hit by a car and his back was broken. That didn't stop him from making the trip from Orlando to DC. He drove the chase truck the first day and made sure the rest of the pack was safe considering there were drivers trying to cut into the group because they wanted to go faster and endangered the lives of the riders. His son took over after that and protected the group. With all he and his family were prepared to give to the rest of the Knights, they never thought of themselves and how they would be able to go with us to the memorial. They just wanted to help. Yet you will not read their story in the news paper or see it on the news. No one bothered to cover this day or the fact the Nam Knights was been giving back for 20 years.
NAM KNIGHTS OF AMERICA MC
AMERICAN MILITARY VETERAN
& LAW ENFORCEMENT
MOTORCYCLE CLUB
Parent Chapter: Carlstadt, New Jersey
with 36 additional chapters in New Hampshire (2), New York (6),
Maryland (2), North Carolina (2), Georgia (6), Florida (10), Massachusetts (3),
Pennsylvania (1), South Carolina (1), Virginia (1), Alberta (1)
and another in New Jersey (2)
About the Nam Knights
In the summer of 1989 a small group of Harley-riding combat vets of the Viet Nam War, who were also police officers, banded together to form the Nam Knights.
The Club was founded in New Jersey by Jack Quigley, now retired Undersheriff of The Bergen County Sheriff's Department. Jack served as a platoon sergeant with the 11th Motor Transport Battalion, First Marine Division.
Today, the Nam Knights of America Motorcycle Club has grown to 37 chapters in ten states and one Canadian province, with hundreds of members made up of veteran's of all eras as well as law enforcement personnel plus a few special and dedicated "civilians."
As Jack has said: "The club was formed to recapture the brotherhood its founding members shared while serving in Southeast Asia, and to help other veterans of all wars who are unable to physically or financially help themselves.
"The mission of the Nam Knights is to honor the memory of American Veterans and Police Officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty, to assist Veterans and Police Officers in their time of need, and to promote community awareness through sponsorship and participation in various community and fund-raising events.
"The Nam Knights Motorcycle Club continues to grow and thrive due to the extraordinary dedication of its members, their families and our benevolent supporters."
NAM KNIGHTS OF AMERICA MC
President's Message
Dear Visitor:
Our organization is pleased that you have the interest to surf into our web site. We are very proud of our site. NK Carl (Sgt. Maggot) Magnifico, NK David (Wrongway) Lewis and NK Steve (Slider) Mona have certainly put their expertise into compiling a most exciting and interesting web site. This is just an example of what a fine organization the Nam Knights of America Motorcycle Club is.
Membership is made up of 50% police officers (active and retired) and also 50% Viet Nam and other military era veterans, plus a few confirmed "civilians". The members who are non-police/non-veterans enjoy all the benefits of any member, although they cannot hold executive positions from 1st Sergeant At Arms up through the position of President. All members ride Harley-Davidson Motor Company or custom-built motorcycles with the appearance and construction of which is identical to a Harley-Davidson, and which engine parts are interchangeable with a Harley-Davidson with an engine displacement of 750cc or above.
The organization's main interests are to stress the importance of helping our fellow police officers and family members that may be in need of assistance. We also place a great deal of importance in the well-being of our veterans and to bringing out the message to the general public about our prisoners of war and those that are missing in action. We support legislation for the benefit of veterans and veteran's facilities, the advancement of studies and treatment of Agent Orange, Post Traumatic Stress and Hepatitis C. Many of our projects are to benefit the Paramus Veterans Home, police personnel and the betterment and enjoyment of motorcycle safety.
Again, I would like to thank you for your interest in our organization. If you will please sign our Guest Book and let us know your personal feeling about the web site, the Nam Knights, and/or our missions. If you are a Veteran of any conflict, please let us know that too. If you are an active or retired police officer, please let us know which department.
As President of the Parent Chapter, I feel that this is the best organization that I have ever had the privilege to be a part of and to serve. With chapters up and down the East Coast and one in Western Canada we have had many opportunities to meet more of our veteran comrades. We have grown very close and are able to share the importance of being veterans or police officers in our own way. We thank you for your support and help in the past and present in keeping the above issues alive.
To the many police departments that have helped us in the past with our functions -- helping to make them run smoother and safer -- thank you so much. Last but not least, those of you from the biker world: The only thing that I can say is thank you so very much for all the support that you have given us in the past. You have truly been very important and financially supportive in all that we have done to support our veterans and law enforcement personnel. It certainly is true that the biker is a person with a large heart, and not a person without honor. We thank you. To all the veterans' organizations and motorcycle clubs that have helped us in the past, we thank you for your support, interest and friendship in the Nam Knights Motorcycle Club.
Fred (Fritz) Reiman
President
N.K. Parent Chapter
NK1Fritz@aol.com
Please go to the site and thank them for what they do and have done no matter what some people think of them when they see them riding in packs down the street with their Harleys roaring engines, leather vests with the Nam Knights rocker on their backs because in their warriors hearts beats compassion beyond belief and a brotherhood that embraces acts of kindness. Considering they keep giving isn't it time we gave them at least a thank you on a guest book?
When you look into their eyes, you can see what makes a warrior live on. Knowing what they do and how much they give, my heart has been restored over and over again and I feel honored to know them and be counted as a Lady along with the other wives of these magnificent men. All of the wives are standing by their side and doing almost as much as they do.
If you see this on their back, thank them for all they do and have done for 20 years.
Sheriff Joseph M. Underwood Jr. recalls service in Vietnam
Sheriff recalls service in Vietnam
By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 10:35 AM EDT
Dowagiac Daily News - MI, USA
Cass County Sheriff Joseph M. Underwood Jr.'s great-uncle died in the Civil War on the same date he was wounded in Vietnam, Nov. 9.
Carl Biek and Ann Biek helped conduct the veterans tribute put on after the parade at Riverside Cemetery by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1855 and its Auxiliary.
His grandfather fought in World War I, his dad in World War II.
Underwood, Dowagiac's keynote Memorial Day speaker, recalled Monday being drafted for Vietnam and "going from a young, carefree 19-year-old" to traveling by train to a destination he thought was Fort Knox, Ky., but turned out to be Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
"What an experience," the sheriff said from the podium erected in front of City Hall. "You had to grow up very, very fast. We became trained and, in a short period of time, I found myself getting off the plane in Saigon on Christmas Eve. I'll never forget that day or that night, hearing gunfire, seeing flashes of light, hearing screams. The next day, seeing the wounded and those who died. This is what we had trained for. Were we ready for the next step?"
Underwood was wounded on Nov. 9 after serving 11 months in Vietnam.
go here for more
Sheriff recalls service in Vietnam
By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 10:35 AM EDT
Dowagiac Daily News - MI, USA
Cass County Sheriff Joseph M. Underwood Jr.'s great-uncle died in the Civil War on the same date he was wounded in Vietnam, Nov. 9.
Carl Biek and Ann Biek helped conduct the veterans tribute put on after the parade at Riverside Cemetery by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1855 and its Auxiliary.
His grandfather fought in World War I, his dad in World War II.
Underwood, Dowagiac's keynote Memorial Day speaker, recalled Monday being drafted for Vietnam and "going from a young, carefree 19-year-old" to traveling by train to a destination he thought was Fort Knox, Ky., but turned out to be Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
"What an experience," the sheriff said from the podium erected in front of City Hall. "You had to grow up very, very fast. We became trained and, in a short period of time, I found myself getting off the plane in Saigon on Christmas Eve. I'll never forget that day or that night, hearing gunfire, seeing flashes of light, hearing screams. The next day, seeing the wounded and those who died. This is what we had trained for. Were we ready for the next step?"
Underwood was wounded on Nov. 9 after serving 11 months in Vietnam.
go here for more
Sheriff recalls service in Vietnam
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Insights on why people 'snap' and kill
It always seems to end up with the same question. "Why am I so angry" when veterans are coming to terms with PTSD. Anger is the only emotion they allow themselves to feel until they begin to heal. Anger doesn't hurt. Anger isn't "sissy ass". Anger was good and kept them alive while people were trying to blow them up and shooting at them. Anger will keep them from feeling any kind of pain now and being attacked by the emotions they used to feel, or at least they think it will. They grind their teeth in their sleep while dreams take control. They pound their fist and drive with rage and they walk away believing they deserve better without knowing what that "better" is. They just know they don't like themselves very much or anyone else for that matter. Can we really blame them?
How would you feel knowing you did the right thing for the right reason and then end up paying for it by suffering with PTSD? Ok, honestly answering that will have caused your body temperature to rise up. Then top that one off with finally understanding you need help to heal but are told your VA claim has been denied or the DOD doesn't believe you and is ready to kick you out claiming whatever is "wrong" with you was already wrong with you before you put on your uniform.
This kind of anger, they usually keep in control and allow themselves only so much of it to come out. Then there is the kind of angry reaction they cannot control. This article makes a lot of good points but there is a part of it they have dangerously wrong. It claims that "Experts say people who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder are unlikely to act violently while experiencing a flashback. The range of emotions that a PTSD patient feels during a flashback -- fear, anxiety, dread, a sense of shock -- usually does not lead to a violent action" but with a flashback comes what they cannot control. They are not in that same room at that moment but right back in danger with their lives on the line. The fight or flight instinct takes over and it's not their wife trying to snap them back to reality, but the enemy. Much like nightmares take them back into combat and wives have tried to wake up their husbands only to be punched out, it is not their wife they thought they were lashing out at. It was the enemy in their dreams. They have no clue where they really are.
The reaction of a family member and others to a PTSD veteran goes into determining the outcome. Awareness of what PTSD is and what it does offers tools to the people in their lives. Once wives are aware of where her husband really is in his dreams, she will get up out of bed, out of range and wake her husband up. Escalated violence avoided. If she knows what a flashback is, she will not make sudden moves, or yell and startle him, but instead will use a code word they set up to snap him back into reality. Again, escalation of violence avoided.
It is frustrating to live with someone taking you on a roller coaster ride of emotions never knowing what will set them off especially if you have no clue where any of it is coming from. Hurt feelings pile onto anger and it all builds up until things get so out of control marriages end, hatred begins to replace love and marriages end badly. It all reinforces the thought that anger is the only safe feeling they can allow themselves to have because everything else just hurts too much. So on this part, they are wrong. PTSD flashbacks and nightmares can and too often do lead to violence, just as they lead to reckless driving, getting into fights on purpose and thinking that everyone is out to get you.
From the reports so far, it appears that Sgt. Russel went thru this when he was told by some he had PTSD but someone else tried to tell him he didn't. The reports that his father said regarding tests indicate that. After wanting to dedicate his life to the military, they were telling him he was no good and he must have believed they were out to get him. This we'll know more later as things come out but if it is behind what he did, we need to face it and fix it. We can't do that if the "experts" still fail to know what comes with PTSD and what causes it.
and this they got wrong, very wrong.
How would you feel knowing you did the right thing for the right reason and then end up paying for it by suffering with PTSD? Ok, honestly answering that will have caused your body temperature to rise up. Then top that one off with finally understanding you need help to heal but are told your VA claim has been denied or the DOD doesn't believe you and is ready to kick you out claiming whatever is "wrong" with you was already wrong with you before you put on your uniform.
This kind of anger, they usually keep in control and allow themselves only so much of it to come out. Then there is the kind of angry reaction they cannot control. This article makes a lot of good points but there is a part of it they have dangerously wrong. It claims that "Experts say people who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder are unlikely to act violently while experiencing a flashback. The range of emotions that a PTSD patient feels during a flashback -- fear, anxiety, dread, a sense of shock -- usually does not lead to a violent action" but with a flashback comes what they cannot control. They are not in that same room at that moment but right back in danger with their lives on the line. The fight or flight instinct takes over and it's not their wife trying to snap them back to reality, but the enemy. Much like nightmares take them back into combat and wives have tried to wake up their husbands only to be punched out, it is not their wife they thought they were lashing out at. It was the enemy in their dreams. They have no clue where they really are.
The reaction of a family member and others to a PTSD veteran goes into determining the outcome. Awareness of what PTSD is and what it does offers tools to the people in their lives. Once wives are aware of where her husband really is in his dreams, she will get up out of bed, out of range and wake her husband up. Escalated violence avoided. If she knows what a flashback is, she will not make sudden moves, or yell and startle him, but instead will use a code word they set up to snap him back into reality. Again, escalation of violence avoided.
It is frustrating to live with someone taking you on a roller coaster ride of emotions never knowing what will set them off especially if you have no clue where any of it is coming from. Hurt feelings pile onto anger and it all builds up until things get so out of control marriages end, hatred begins to replace love and marriages end badly. It all reinforces the thought that anger is the only safe feeling they can allow themselves to have because everything else just hurts too much. So on this part, they are wrong. PTSD flashbacks and nightmares can and too often do lead to violence, just as they lead to reckless driving, getting into fights on purpose and thinking that everyone is out to get you.
From the reports so far, it appears that Sgt. Russel went thru this when he was told by some he had PTSD but someone else tried to tell him he didn't. The reports that his father said regarding tests indicate that. After wanting to dedicate his life to the military, they were telling him he was no good and he must have believed they were out to get him. This we'll know more later as things come out but if it is behind what he did, we need to face it and fix it. We can't do that if the "experts" still fail to know what comes with PTSD and what causes it.
Insights on why people 'snap' and kill
Story Highlights
Schizophrenia, brain tumors, seizures, alcohol and drug abuse are risk factors
Other warning signs include feelings of hopelessness and shame
If warning signs are strong, the person should be taken to emergency room
Even 48 to 72 hours of treatment for psychosis reduces the risk of violence
By Elizabeth Landau
CNN
(CNN) -- A University of Georgia professor shot and killed his wife and two other adults in Athens, Georgia, in late April, according to police. A U.S. soldier fired on fellow troops in early May at a counseling center at a base outside Baghdad, Iraq, killing five comrades, according to authorities.
While the full stories behind these particular shootings remain unknown, psychiatrists do have some sense of why some people "snap" and become violent.
In fact, although a person's snap into violence may come as a total surprise, in most cases there is a psychological buildup to that point, said Dr. Peter Ash, director of the Psychiatry and Law Service at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
"There's a pathway to violence that starts with some thinking and then fantasizing about a plan," he said. "There may be a more explicit planning phase that other people don't particularly notice."
The fantasy of killing others may turn into intention, leading the person to track victims and obtain weapons, Ash said.
The psychological buildup to a violent outburst with the intent to kill usually takes a minimum of a few days, said Dr. Lyle Rossiter, a forensic psychiatrist in Saint Charles, Illinois. However, in highly unusual cases, a person with bipolar disorder could experience a buildup of only hours, he said.
A person who has already decided to kill someone else may develop an "eerie composure," firmly believing that the moment to turn back has passed, said Dr. Charles Raison, a psychiatrist and director of the Mind/Body Institute at Emory University.
and this they got wrong, very wrong.
If delusions can contribute to violent behavior, what about flashbacks? Experts say people who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder are unlikely to act violently while experiencing a flashback. The range of emotions that a PTSD patient feels during a flashback -- fear, anxiety, dread, a sense of shock -- usually does not lead to a violent action, Rossiter said. The association between mental illness and snapping is controversial, some say. Most people with mental illness are not violent, said Dr. Roland Segal, a forensic psychiatrist in Phoenix, Arizona.
go here for the rest
Iraq fight results in 1 DSC, 2 Silver Stars
Iraq fight results in 1 DSC, 2 Silver Stars
By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 26, 2009 5:49:44 EDT
The battle inside the farming complex on the outskirts of Samarra, Iraq, lasted less than 10 minutes.
But in that time, a high-value target responsible for weapons smuggling, kidnapping and murder was dead, as were 12 of his fighters. Six others were detained.
In the fierce fight to subdue them, three Special Forces soldiers suffered gunshot and shrapnel wounds. Their actions earned one of them the Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest award for combat valor, and two of them the Silver Star, the third-highest award for valor.
On May 14, the awards were presented to the three soldiers: Sgt. 1st Class Jarion Halbisengibbs, 27, receiving the DSC, and Capt. Matthew Chaney, 31, and Sgt. 1st Class Michael Lindsay, 30, each receiving the Silver Star. Adm. Eric Olson, commander of Special Operations Command, presented the DSC, and Lt. Gen. John Mulholland, commander of Army Special Operations Command, presented the Silver Stars during a ceremony at Fort Carson, Colo.
All three soldiers belong to 10th Special Forces Group.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/army_dsc_award_052309w/
By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 26, 2009 5:49:44 EDT
The battle inside the farming complex on the outskirts of Samarra, Iraq, lasted less than 10 minutes.
But in that time, a high-value target responsible for weapons smuggling, kidnapping and murder was dead, as were 12 of his fighters. Six others were detained.
In the fierce fight to subdue them, three Special Forces soldiers suffered gunshot and shrapnel wounds. Their actions earned one of them the Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest award for combat valor, and two of them the Silver Star, the third-highest award for valor.
On May 14, the awards were presented to the three soldiers: Sgt. 1st Class Jarion Halbisengibbs, 27, receiving the DSC, and Capt. Matthew Chaney, 31, and Sgt. 1st Class Michael Lindsay, 30, each receiving the Silver Star. Adm. Eric Olson, commander of Special Operations Command, presented the DSC, and Lt. Gen. John Mulholland, commander of Army Special Operations Command, presented the Silver Stars during a ceremony at Fort Carson, Colo.
All three soldiers belong to 10th Special Forces Group.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/army_dsc_award_052309w/
What Steven Green’s Case Says About the Health of America’s Military
I've posted about Steven Green and this trial on my other blog at Screaming In An Empty Room and to tell you the truth, the comments left there show how little people think about what is an alarming thought. The troops, however noble and rare most of them are, there are some with clearly other reasons for going into the military. There were waivers given with two active military campaigns going on allowing people that would never be allowed to served otherwise in, people with criminal records, gangs and even medically unfit. Green's actions were appalling, reprehensible, but if we fail to take a look behind the obvious, we will learn nothing.
This is a great article on some thoughts behind the trial of Steven Green.
This is a great article on some thoughts behind the trial of Steven Green.
What Steven Green’s Case Says About the Health of America’s Military
Matthew Newton
Mental Notes
This past Friday, former U.S. Army soldier Steven Green was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of four Iraqi civilians in March of 2006. Green’s case, and countless others, have become an example of the military’s growing failure to properly screen recruits prior to enlistment (e.g. Green was one of over 5,000 soldiers granted conduct waivers in 2005). And the fact that news of Green’s sentencing came just as the nation started the Memorial Day weekend acts as a sobering example of not only the horrors of war, but the psychic cost to both civilians and veterans.
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What Steven Green Case Says About the Health of America’s Military
Death of Pfc. James Coon was too much for step-mom
Two years after the death of her step-son, Marie Coon committed suicide unable to overcome the grief of his death. When we think about the fallen, especially as we did this past weekend for Memorial Day ceremonies around the nation, we need to also acknowledge the families of the fallen. We remember the sacrifices once a year, but they remember them everyday and every year.
Pfc. James J. Coon 22 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Walnut Creek, California Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle in Balad, Iraq, on April 4, 2007
Stepmother's grief over Iraq death leads to suicide
By Theresa Harrington
Contra Costa Times
Posted: 05/25/2009 01:45:51 PM PDT
WALNUT CREEK — Marie Coon is an Iraq war casualty. But not in the traditional sense.
Her stepson's fatal injuries from a sniper attack in Iraq in 2007 ended up causing two deaths — his and hers.
"She was having a hard time dealing with Jimmy's death," her husband, Jim Coon said Friday. "She just kept saying how she missed Jimmy."
On Mother's Day — after struggling for more than two years to cope with the loss of the young man she loved as her son — Marie committed suicide by locking herself in the cab of a pickup truck at Lake Arrowhead with portable lighted barbecues and a pail of burning coals. She left a note, saying she wanted to be with Jimmy. She was 48.
"I'm just walking around pretty much in a daze," said Jim, 51, who moved with his wife about a year ago from Walnut Creek to Paradise in Northern California. "I'm hoping that she's in heaven. I'm hoping she's with Jimmy. If she's not, I hope she's having a great life wherever she is. I never wanted to see her get hurt."
Jim said he planned to attend Walnut Creek's Memorial Day service Monday with his daughter and brother, to honor his son Army Pfc. James Coon and Cpl. Sean Langevin. Both were Walnut Creek soldiers who died in Middle East conflicts.
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http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_12446527
Pfc. James J. Coon 22 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Walnut Creek, California Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle in Balad, Iraq, on April 4, 2007
Troops in Iraq, Afghanistan honor their fallen at Camp Victory
Troops in Iraq, Afghanistan honor their fallen
By Chelsea J. Carter and Heidi Vogt - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday May 26, 2009 8:51:00 EDT
BAGHDAD — American troops on Memorial Day honored their fallen on two battlefields, one war winding down and another ramping up. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. military remembered the toll so far on the troops — more than 4,900 dead — with the outcome still unclear.
In Iraq, soldiers and Marines stood solemnly during a playing of Taps at Baghdad’s Camp Victory. They saluted a memorial of a single helmet propped on a rifle beside a pair of boots.
Thousands of miles away, in the Afghan capital of Kabul, soldiers left mementos at a similar memorial for two comrades who recently died.
“Memorial Day for us is intensely personal,” Gen. David McKiernan, the outgoing U.S. commander in Afghanistan, told a crowd at Camp Eggers. The training command based there has lost 70 soldiers since last Memorial Day.
“It is the empty seat in the mess hall, the battle buddy who is no longer here, or the friend who did not return from patrol. And it is the commitment to carry on with the mission in their honor,” McKiernan said.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/ap_iraq_afghanistan_memorial_day_052609/
Soldier’s death at Knox leads to changes
Soldier’s death at Knox leads to changes
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday May 25, 2009 14:21:58 EDT
FORT KNOX, Ky. — Indiana National Guard Sgt. Gerald “G.J.” Cassidy, who served his country in Bosnia and Iraq, died alone and ignored in a barracks at Fort Knox from an accidental drug overdose.
His fate left a legacy that has changed the lives of thousands of wounded soldiers, Army officials say. The Louisville Courier-Journal reported Sunday that his death in September 2007 led to improvements at Fort Knox and all 45 Warrior Transition Units nationwide devoted to healing war wounds and getting soldiers back to military jobs or productive civilian lives.
“Any time you lose a soldier, you have to go back and examine what you’ve done wrong. It’s very apparent that mistakes were made with Sgt. Cassidy,” said Lt. Col. Gary Travis, battalion commander of the Fort Knox unit. “Cassidy’s incident occurred during a time of transition.”
Cassidy began experiencing migraine headaches after a roadside bomb exploded about 11 feet from his Humvee in Iraq in August 2006. With diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injury, Cassidy returned to the U.S. in April 2007 and was sent to Fort Knox, which launched its Warrior Transition Unit that June.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/ap_SoldierMedical_052509w/
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday May 25, 2009 14:21:58 EDT
FORT KNOX, Ky. — Indiana National Guard Sgt. Gerald “G.J.” Cassidy, who served his country in Bosnia and Iraq, died alone and ignored in a barracks at Fort Knox from an accidental drug overdose.
His fate left a legacy that has changed the lives of thousands of wounded soldiers, Army officials say. The Louisville Courier-Journal reported Sunday that his death in September 2007 led to improvements at Fort Knox and all 45 Warrior Transition Units nationwide devoted to healing war wounds and getting soldiers back to military jobs or productive civilian lives.
“Any time you lose a soldier, you have to go back and examine what you’ve done wrong. It’s very apparent that mistakes were made with Sgt. Cassidy,” said Lt. Col. Gary Travis, battalion commander of the Fort Knox unit. “Cassidy’s incident occurred during a time of transition.”
Cassidy began experiencing migraine headaches after a roadside bomb exploded about 11 feet from his Humvee in Iraq in August 2006. With diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injury, Cassidy returned to the U.S. in April 2007 and was sent to Fort Knox, which launched its Warrior Transition Unit that June.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/ap_SoldierMedical_052509w/
Veterans' Memories Can Haunt, But Also Heal, on Memorial Day
Veterans' Memories Can Haunt, But Also Heal, on Memorial Day
By Josh Farley (Contact)
Monday, May 25, 2009
POULSBO
So quickly the wounded came aboard USS Sanctuary that MaryAnne Harris recalls the "mud on their cammies was still wet."
Harris, a retired nurse and commander who served in the Vietnam War aboard the Sanctuary, a hospital ship, had once been unable to reminisce on the horrors she witnessed while on duty. Harris felt she would cry, "and never stop," she said.
But on Monday, Harris addressed a gathered crowd of veterans and non-vets alike at the Poulsbo waterfront gazebo at a Memorial Day ceremony, not only revisiting her Vietnam experiences, but encouraging others to let their own memories surface.
The event was hosted by Poulsbo American Legion Post 245 and Kingston VFW Post 2463.
She told the crowd of her post-traumatic stress disorder, which for years kept her from recognizing a holiday like Memorial Day.
But she would learn to face her fears, and — just as she helped heal the physical wounds during the war — Harris has learned to counsel veterans to face their own emotional wounds following combat.
One in three veterans suffer from PTSD, she told a crowd at the Poulsbo event. Some don't report it, and some even take their own lives, succumbing to it.
In 1991, Harris collected the courage to visit Washington D.C., and see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. At first she couldn't go to the site, because, "it represented my failures," she felt.
She finally went and began looking at the names on the wall. When she came upon a 19-year-old's name she recognized, Harris said she began to look back on her painful past.
go here for more
Veterans Memories Can Haunt, But Also Heal, on Memorial Day
By Josh Farley (Contact)
Monday, May 25, 2009
POULSBO
So quickly the wounded came aboard USS Sanctuary that MaryAnne Harris recalls the "mud on their cammies was still wet."
Harris, a retired nurse and commander who served in the Vietnam War aboard the Sanctuary, a hospital ship, had once been unable to reminisce on the horrors she witnessed while on duty. Harris felt she would cry, "and never stop," she said.
But on Monday, Harris addressed a gathered crowd of veterans and non-vets alike at the Poulsbo waterfront gazebo at a Memorial Day ceremony, not only revisiting her Vietnam experiences, but encouraging others to let their own memories surface.
The event was hosted by Poulsbo American Legion Post 245 and Kingston VFW Post 2463.
She told the crowd of her post-traumatic stress disorder, which for years kept her from recognizing a holiday like Memorial Day.
But she would learn to face her fears, and — just as she helped heal the physical wounds during the war — Harris has learned to counsel veterans to face their own emotional wounds following combat.
One in three veterans suffer from PTSD, she told a crowd at the Poulsbo event. Some don't report it, and some even take their own lives, succumbing to it.
In 1991, Harris collected the courage to visit Washington D.C., and see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. At first she couldn't go to the site, because, "it represented my failures," she felt.
She finally went and began looking at the names on the wall. When she came upon a 19-year-old's name she recognized, Harris said she began to look back on her painful past.
go here for more
Veterans Memories Can Haunt, But Also Heal, on Memorial Day
Horses help returning soldiers
Horses help returning soldiers
RYN GARGULINSKI
Tucson Citizen
Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are finding horses can be a man's best friend.
A group of horses called The Warriors in Transition Unit are helping soldiers with their return to their home turf.
For soldiers coming back from Afghanistan or Iraq, the transition back into society can be a tough one.
As strange it may sound, horses are helping them overcome survivor's guilt, battlefield nightmares and the transition back into society.
go here for more
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/fromcomments/116768.php
RYN GARGULINSKI
Tucson Citizen
Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are finding horses can be a man's best friend.
A group of horses called The Warriors in Transition Unit are helping soldiers with their return to their home turf.
For soldiers coming back from Afghanistan or Iraq, the transition back into society can be a tough one.
As strange it may sound, horses are helping them overcome survivor's guilt, battlefield nightmares and the transition back into society.
go here for more
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/fromcomments/116768.php
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