Headline spin on soldiers with PTSD again

How did this report end up being another "blame the veteran" piece?

Soldiers with mental illness more often get PTSD

When you read further down you find this.

In the new study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, more than 22,000 soldiers completed a health questionnaire before they were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, and again after they returned.

Just over three percent had some mental illness, including PTSD, at the outset.

When you put the whole thing together, you get not much adding up to this headline.

Soldiers with mental illness more often get PTSD


NEW YORK | Mon May 2, 2011 5:18pm EDT
(Reuters Health) - Preexisting mental health problems could be setting soldiers up for posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, when they return from the battlefield, U.S. Navy researchers said Monday.

They found those with depression, panic disorder or another psychiatric illness were more than twice as likely to develop the condition as their mentally stable peers.

"More vulnerable members of the deployed population might be identified and benefit from interventions targeted to prevent or to ensure early identification and treatment of postdeployment PTSD," Dr. Donald Sandweiss of the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, California, and colleagues write.

Earlier studies have come to different conclusions, but their methods were less reliable than those used in the current one, the researchers add.

Between seven to eight percent of the general population eventually develops PTSD, according to the National Center for PTSD at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The psychological toll -- including flashbacks, "numbing" toward other people, and drug problems -- can be extremely hard to deal with and may destroy relationships or cause trouble on the job.
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Soldiers with mental illness more often get PTSD

Are they saying that 7 to 8 percent of the population are exposed to traumatic events causing PTSD or are there actually more since the going rate of PTSD is one out of three exposed to events that put their lives in danger. Do they address the fact that when you look up the symptoms of PTSD, you find depression, panic attacks along with a very, very long list of symptoms that could be misdiagnosed when taken all together along with the stressor of a traumatic event, it all turns out to be PTSD. They have been misdiagnosing PTSD as something else for a very long time but when you talk to experts they always look for what is behind what they are seeing.

They will ask about when the person started to show signs and then ask about events. They listen for key words from patients as well as families and then zero in on the term "suddenly changed" so they can discover if it is mental illness or PTSD. Much like going to a doctor with any condition cannot be diagnosed without knowing what you feel is wrong with you, they get this one wrong all the time. If you went to a doctor and said you had a headache but they never checked for a bullet hole in your head, aspirin isn't going to do you much good at all.

But this is the Reuters version of the piece in Science Daily.

Post-Deployment PTSD Symptoms More Common in Military Personnel With Prior Mental Health Disorders

At baseline, 739 participants (3.3 percent) had at least one psychiatric disorder, defined as PTSD, depression, panic syndrome or another anxiety syndrome. Of the overall group, 183 individuals (0.8 percent) sustained a physical injury during deployment. Follow-up questionnaires showed that 1,840 participants (8.1 percent of the 22,630 subjects in the study population) had PTSD symptoms after deployment.

Participants who showed signs of PTSD at baseline had nearly five times the odds of developing the disorder after deployment. Similarly, among those who experienced other mental health issues were at baseline, the odds of post-deployment PTSD symptoms was 2.5 times more likely. Further, the study found each three-unit increase in Injury Severity Score (as assigned by the JTTR or CTR EMED) was associated with a 16.1 percent greater odds of having post-deployment PTSD symptoms.

Pre-deployment? Were these men and women deployed prior to this study and how many times were they deployed before this? The Army said that redeployments increased the risk of PTSD by 50%. Experts also say that a lot of times PTSD does not cause problems in some until years after the event itself. So what is this study really all about? Is it about trying to say they have no responsibility to the veterans they discharged under "personality disorders" and they can start doing that again? After all, if they were already mentally ill then the military is not responsible for them if they end up with PTSD. In other words, is this one more attempt at blaming the troops for the price they pay serving and risking their lives?

Cole CO during 2000 attack says crew vindicated

Cole CO during 2000 attack says crew vindicated
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Monday May 2, 2011 13:25:13 EDT
A former commander of the destroyer Cole cheered the news that Osama bin Laden had been killed during a raid on a secret compound in Pakistan early Monday, but said the news was also a sobering reminder of those who lost their lives or were injured during the Oct. 12, 2000, bin Laden-directed attack in Aden, Yemen.

“I’m absolutely thrilled that we finally reached out and got bin Laden,” said retired Cmdr. Kirk Lippold, who commanded the ship at the time of the attack. “But as you would expect, that’s also tempered with the fact that there are still 17 families out there that are missing their loved ones, along with thousands of other Americans who’ve also paid a price at the hands of that guy.”
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Cole CO during 2000 attack says crew vindicated

Osama tried to hide behind his wife?

UPDATE 4:13

May 03, 2011
Obama aide: Bin Laden not armed when killed


By David Jackson, USA TODAY

Osama bin Laden was not armed when a U.S. Navy SEAL shot and killed him during the raid two days ago in Pakistan, a White House spokesman said today, contrary to previous accounts provided by Obama administration officials.

"He was not armed," spokesman Jay Carney said today while reading a revised narrative that corrects other errors from previous readouts of the operation that took the life of the world's most wanted terrorist.

The new account changes the initial claim, later withdrawn, that bin Laden had used a woman believed to be his wife as a "human shield" when confronted by U.S. forces during the raid that began at 4:15 p.m. Sunday, Washington time.

The updated version says "a woman -- bin Laden's wife -- rushed the U.S. assaulter and was shot in the leg but not killed."

"Bin Laden was then shot and killed," the narrative adds at that point. "He was not armed."

At a White House briefing yesterday, counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan said that bin Laden "engaged in a firefight with those that entered the area of the house he was in. And whether or not he got off any rounds, I quite frankly don't know."

Brennan also said bin Laden was "hiding behind women who were put in front of him as a shield."
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Obama aide: Bin Laden not armed when killed

40 minutes to capture or kill: Timeline, history of Osama bin Laden raid
Sunday's dramatic events, with a continuous firefight that ended in Osama bin Laden's death in Pakistan, were preceded by years of intelligence gathering and extensive, painstaking planning.

By James Oliphant, Washington Bureau
4:01 p.m. EDT, May 2, 2011


Reporting from Washington— After landing by helicopter at the Pakistani compound housing Osama bin Laden on Sunday, the U.S. special operations team tasked with capturing or killing the Al Qaeda leader found itself in an almost continuous gun battle.

For the next 40 minutes, the team cleared the two buildings within the fortified compound in Abbottabad, north of Islamabad, trying to reach Bin Laden and his family, who lived on the second and third floors of the largest structure, senior Defense Department and intelligence officials said Monday.

"Throughout most of the 40 minutes, they were engaged in a firefight," said a senior Pentagon official, who characterized the operation as intense but deliberate.

Bin Laden "resisted" and was killed by U.S. gunfire in the larger building toward the end of the operation. He fired on the assault team, a U.S. official said, and may have tried to use his wife as a shield. The woman also was killed.

After the firefight, the special-operations force quickly gathered papers — valuable intelligence on Al Qaeda, officials said — and other materials in the two buildings and clambered back on helicopters, taking Bin Laden's corpse with them.
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40 minutes to capture or kill

Two Korean War vets receive Medal of Honor posthumously

Two Korean War vets receive Medal of Honor posthumously
(Reuters) - President Barack Obama posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest declaration of military valor, to two Korean War veterans on Monday.

Family members of Army Private First Class Anthony Kaho'ohanohano and Private First Class Henry Svehla accepted the awards on the soldiers' behalf over 50 years after their deaths.

Kaho'ohanohano, a native Hawaiian, held off enemy soldiers with his firearm, grenades and eventually his hands on September 1, 1951, allowing his comrades to regroup and repulse the attack.

After his platoon appeared to be losing in a fight on June 12, 1952, Svehla, from New Jersey, charged enemy positions, firing and throwing grenades. Despite being wounded, he carried on. Finally, he threw himself on a grenade to save the lives of fellow soldiers.
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Two Korean War vets receive Medal of Honor posthumously

Deltona FL Master Sgt. Tara R. Brown among dead at Kabul Airport shooting

Deltona airman killed in gunfire near Kabul airport
Master Sgt. Tara R. Brown, 33, died in a hail of gunfire at Kabul International Airport earlier this week.

Compiled by Orlando Sentinel
11:17 p.m. EDT, April 29, 2011

A Deltona airman was among nine Americans killed this week in gunfire at a military compound near Kabul International Airport in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced Friday.

Master Sgt. Tara R. Brown, 33, and eight other Americans died when a veteran Afghani pilot opened fire about 10 a.m. Wednesday.

An argument with a foreign colleague at a meeting in the operations room of the Afghan air force building preceded the shooting, according to statements released by NATO and Afghan officials. The pilot targeted foreign instructors and advisers, they said.
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Deltona airman killed in gunfire near Kabul airport

Combat Stress as 'Moral Injury' Offends Marines

When will they ever learn? If it was a "moral injury" then why would survivors of other traumatic events suffer? Yes, moral issues do factor into PTSD but when you have so many believing in what they are doing, telling them it is a moral injury is way off base.

Combat Stress as 'Moral Injury' Offends Marines
April 29, 2011
Stars and Stripes|by Megan McCloskey
SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The new buzzwords in the mental health community for types of combat stress are "moral injury" -- and some Marines don't really care for the label.

On the third day of the Navy and Marine Corps' annual conference on combat and operational stress control, moral injury was the guiding topic. One Marine commander roped into a panel discussion at the last minute bluntly took issue with the phrase: "As a Marine, I'm insulted."

Lt. Col. James "Hall" Bain, commander of 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, said he thought the term implied that Marines were stressed as a result of immorality.
Combat Stress as 'Moral Injury' Offends Marines

Military PTSD is a whole different type of wound than regular people suffer from. The closest thing to military PTSD is the type that strikes law enforcement. Why? Because of the number of times they are exposed to traumatic events and the fact they are not just survivors, but part of the trauma itself. Some will and do question the moral justification of what they had to do but that is part of just being human. All humans with any kind of a conscience question themselves but not all humans develop PTSD. Trying to box in PTSD with a "moral injury" tells them they suffer because they did something wrong and that's the end of the story. I am not surprised they feel insulted. It is almost as if the speakers did a fraction of the homework they should have done on this before they addressed the Marines.

Plant City Marine killed in Afghanistan on daughter's first birthday

Plant City Marine wanted to be best dad he could be

By Dan Sullivan, Times Staff Writer

Freeman died in Afghanistan on Thursday on his daughter Kaitlyn Michelle’s first birthday.

Ronald "Dougie" Freeman wanted to be the best.

Those who knew him already knew him as the best student, the best worker, the best brother. But he needed to prove it to himself. To do that, he had to become a Marine.

"He could have had anything he wanted," said his father, Brian Freeman. "But he wanted to go into the Marines."

On Thursday, Lance Cpl. Freeman of Plant City was killed in Afghanistan. He was 26.

A Department of Defense statement said he died while conducting combat operations for Operation Enduring Freedom in Helmand Province.

A minesweeper, Lance Cpl. Freeman got off a truck to search an area when one exploded, killing him, according to his family.

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Plant City Marine wanted to be best dad he could be

Kentucky National Guard returns home

Troops return home after being deployed in Afghanistan for nearly a year

By Marisela Burgos

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - More than 60 troops who were deployed for nearly a year in Afghanistan returned home.

The Kentucky National Guard's Agribusiness Development Team 2 had been in Afghanistan since July 2010. A welcome home ceremony was held, Sunday, at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base on Grade Lane in Louisville.

Major General Edward Tonini said the team taught the people of Afghanistan farming, while they were deployed. He said they taught basic techniques. He said it was an important mission.

"It's a country that has known nothing but war for literally hundreds of years and what we're doing is providing them with the elements of being able to sustain themselves," Tonini said.
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Troops return home after being deployed in Afghanistan

Osama bin Laid by Seals and CIA!

Inside the raid that killed bin Laden

SEALs, working with CIA , stormed fortified compound deep inside Pakistan
By Matt Apuzzo - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday May 1, 2011 23:37:59 EDT
WASHINGTON — Helicopters descended out of darkness on the most important counterterrorism mission in U.S. history. It was an operation so secret, only a select few U.S. officials knew what was about to happen.

The location was a fortified compound in an affluent Pakistani town two hours outside Islamabad. The target was Osama bin Laden.

Intelligence officials discovered the compound in August while monitoring an al-Qaida courier.

The CIA had been hunting that courier for years, ever since detainees told interrogators that the courier was so trusted by bin Laden that he might very well be living with the al-Qaida leader.

Nestled in an affluent neighborhood, the compound was surrounded by walls as high as 18 feet, topped with barbed wire. Two security gates guarded the only way in. A third-floor terrace was shielded by a seven-foot privacy wall. No phone lines or Internet cables ran to the property. The residents burned their garbage rather than put it out for collection. Intelligence officials believed the million-dollar compound was built five years ago to protect a major terrorist figure. The question was, who?

The CIA asked itself again and again who might be living behind those walls. Each time, they concluded it was almost certainly bin Laden.
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Jubilation across the U.S.
Soldiers from Lewis-McChord celebrate the news
Troops react to bin Laden’s death
By Colin Kelly - Staff writer
Posted : Monday May 2, 2011 0:48:33 EDT
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan — The mood on a U.S. base in the war zone was celebratory early Monday.

For one soldier, in his first day in the theater, it was a historic day.

Army Maj. Erik S. Archer said he heard the news from the soldier who he’s replacing.

“My guy that I’m RIPing in with knocked on my door said, ‘Hey, you gotta come see this, the president is announcing that they got bin Laden,’ and I didn’t believe him at first,” Archer said.

“This is my fourth time overseas, and I went and saw the president and … it was just goose bumps to see all the people outside the White House clapping and cheering. It’s a national moment, I think.”

Troops watching the announcement were mesmerized, Archer said.
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New Yorkers React To Osama Bin Laden Death (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
New Yorkers are responding to the news that Osama bin Laden is dead.

Shortly after the announcement from President Obama, New Yorkers in Times Square and Ground Zero flooded the streets to celebrate the news that the man behind the attacks of September 11th was killed by American forces.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg released a statement on the news, saying that “New Yorkers have waited nearly ten years for this news. It is my hope that it will bring some closure and comfort to all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001.”

New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly greeted the news as a "welcome milestone" for the victims of those horrific attacks, and for those "who remain tenaciously engaged in protecting New York from another attack."

Senator Charles Schumer said that the death of bin Laden is a "thunderous strike for justice for the thousands of my fellow New Yorkers -- and citizens from all over the world -- who were murdered on 9/11."

HuffPost's Rob Fishman was downtown near ground zero Sunday, and filed this report:
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New Yorkers React To Osama Bin Laden Death

Buried at sea

Clinton: Bin Laden death shows 'You cannot defeat us'
By the CNN Wire Staff
May 2, 2011 10:20 a.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Terrorists will almost certainly attempt to avenge the death, Panetta says
DNA matching is under way, a U.S. official says
Intelligence work on a courier for bin Laden led to a key break
Hundreds celebrate in front of the White House and in New York

(CNN) -- The successful U.S. operation that killed Osama bin Laden sends a message to the Taliban in Afghanistan, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday.

"You cannot wait us out. You cannot defeat us. But you can make the choice to abandon al Qaeda" and participate in a peaceful political process, Clinton said.

"There is no better rebuke to al Qaeda and its heinous ideology," she said. "The fight continues and we will never waver."

Some doubted that the terrorist leader would ever be caught, she said, but "this is America... We persevere, and we get the job done."

Clinton also noted that bin Laden's death comes at a time of "great movements toward freedom and democracy."

The operation that killed the founder and leader of al Qaeda was designed to do just that, not to take him alive, a U.S. government official told CNN Monday.

DNA matching is under way on samples from his body, the official said. There are photographs of the body with a gunshot wound to the side of the head that shows an individual who is not unrecognizable as bin Laden, the official said.

No decision has yet been made on whether to release the photographs and if so, when and how.
The mastermind of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks -- the worst terrorist attacks on American soil -- was killed by U.S. forces Monday in a mansion in Abbottabad, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, U.S. officials said.

Four others in the compound also were killed. One of them was bin Laden's adult son, and another was a woman being used as a shield by a male combatant, the officials said.

Bin Laden's body was later buried at sea, an official said. Many Muslims adhere to the belief that bodies should be buried within one day.
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Bin Laden death shows 'You cannot defeat us'

Body of Alabama major killed in airport attack returned from Afghanistan

Body of Alabama major killed in airport attack returned from Afghanistan
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First Posted: May 01, 2011
GADSDEN, Ala. — A 41-year-old Gadsden native training pilots in Afghanistan was among nine people who died after an Afghan military pilot opened fire during a meeting at the Kabul airport.

The flag-draped coffin of Air Force Maj. Jeffrey Ausborn was flown to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Saturday. Plans for a memorial service have not yet been announced.

His wife, Suzanna, said he volunteered to go to Afghanistan last year to teach new Afghan pilots how to fly the C-27 aircraft. He was a 19-year veteran of the Air Force.

"He was the most compassionate, kind, patient and understanding husband, father, pilot and supervisor," she told The Gadsden Times.

She said the two talked nearly every day. "That's how is knew something was wrong. I didn't hear from him. I miss him so much," she said.
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Alabama major killed in airport attack


DOD identifies 8 killed in Kabul

Ross Perot to be guest speaker at Veterans Reunion

Saturday May 7, 2011 at 10:30am,
Prior to the massing of the colors, Ross Perot will be the guest speaker.

go here for more information

Florida Veterans Reunion

Reserve deputy chief talks up new Florida center

Reserve deputy chief talks up new Fla. center
By Don Ruane - The (Fort Myers, Fla.) News-Press
Posted : Sunday May 1, 2011

CAPE CORAL, Fla. — An Army Reserve training center to be built in north Cape Coral is a $14.5 million investment that will create 20 to 30 jobs and help local businesses, the deputy chief of the national Army Reserve said Saturday after a tour of the city.

Maj. Gen. Keith L. Thurgood toured the 15-acre training center site on Corbett Road at Diplomat Parkway while in town to address the gathering of the Florida Reserve Officers Association at The Resort at Marina Village.

The construction contract for the center is going out for bids in September. Completion is expected in 2013. The site is on Corbett Road at Diplomat Parkway. A $132-million, four-story Veterans Affairs Clinic is going up just across Corbett Road and is expected to open in 2012. The Reserve wants to look for ways to collaborate with the clinic, Thurgood said.

He said he also is impressed with the city’s efforts to spur more development in the area, which is called the Veterans Investment Zone. The zone is a one-mile circle around the clinic where special incentives are available from the city to entice developers.

Some 300 reservists will pass through the center each year, but they will stay in local hotels at the end of each day, dine at local restaurants and visit local attractions, Thurgood said. The training center also will need the services of local landscapers, plumbers, electricians and others.

“Our soldiers are involved in communities all the time,” Thurgood said at a news conference after inspecting the rehabilitation work on the Iwo Jima flag-raising statue at Four Mile Cove Eco Preserve.

There are 11,000 Army reservists in Florida and they have an annual economic impact of $200 million, Thurgood said.
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Reserve deputy chief talks up new Fla. center

Nevada’s mental health courts are in serious jeopardy

Nevada’s mental health courts are in serious jeopardy

You can tell Clark County’s mental health court sessions on Thursday afternoons are informal because the judge stands behind a lectern in street clothes, and there isn’t a phalanx of high-priced attorneys to be found.

But dealing with adult criminal offenders who suffer from bipolar disorders or schizophrenia is still serious business. During last week’s hourlong session, District Judge Jackie Glass reviewed 28 cases in rapid succession. Among them were jail detainees in restraints seeking admission to the court’s mental health care program and others who live in transitional housing or with relatives who updated the judge on their progress with drug treatment and community service.

One young man skipped a therapy session at church, claiming he was sick and fell asleep, but he was admonished by Glass: “We don’t think you’re invested in your treatment and we have concerns about that.” He was led away in handcuffs, ordered to spend 24 hours in jail.

Another offender appeared before the judge and admitted he wasn’t taking his medication, including insulin. So Glass donned her overcoat, telling him she was wearing a judge’s robe, and said: “If I order you to take your medication, will you take it?” He nodded affirmatively and returned to his seat.

Mental health court has kept mentally ill individuals out of jails and emergency rooms after committing crimes ranging from petty larceny to assault, but it could vanish July 1. That’s because Gov. Brian Sandoval’s call for shared sacrifice to help solve the state’s budget deficit would kill Clark County’s mental health court and others in Washoe and Carson City counties, judges and mental health advocates say.

They argue that Sandoval’s proposal to make the counties, rather than the state, fund mental health courts won’t work because the counties are strapped for money.

Among those leading the outcry is Glass, who helped start Clark County’s mental health court in 2003 after it received seed money through a federal grant. Since the court was established 107 participants have graduated from the program.

“It’s a shame that the governor didn’t put that funding in the budget,” Glass said. “The individuals who would be helped will have a very difficult time receiving treatment.”
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Nevada’s mental health courts are in serious jeopardy

The Hidden Risks of PTSD for Our Nation's Veterans

The Mindful Self-Express
The mind-body experiment
by Melanie Greenberg, Ph.D.
Why Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is Not a Mental Health Problem
The Hidden Risks of PTSD for Our Nation's Veterans
Published on May 1, 2011 by Melanie A. Greenberg, Ph.D. in The Mindful Self-Express

Recent scientific studies show that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is not a mental health problem. Am I saying this to be controversial and get more readers? The answer is "yes." Do I actually believe this statement? The answer is "yes" again. "But how can you say such a thing?" you ask. "Doesn't the DSMIV-TR, the major diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association, include diagnostic criteria for PTSD." "It sure does," I answer. "The individual must experience a threat to life or physical integrity and his reaction at the time of the event must include fear, helplessness, or horror. In addition, she needs to report symptoms such as nightmares, avoidance or emotional numbing, and chronic anxiety." "Well then?" you ask. And, finally taking pity on you, I say "PTSD is not a mental health issue, it is a mind-body problem. Focusing only on the mental health aspects does a disservice to our nation's veterans because it ignores the links between PTSD and a variety of life-threatening and/or costly medical problems, many of which require preventive intervention."
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The Hidden Risks of PTSD for Our Nation's Veterans

Plant City Marine killed in action 'wanted to be the best'

Plant City Marine killed in action 'wanted to be the best'

By STEPHEN THOMPSON | The Tampa Tribune
Published: April 30, 2011

TAMPA --
Ronald "Dougie" Freeman was an A student at Plant City High School, where he also took part in the ROTC program.

After graduating, he performed so well as a machinist that the company didn't want him to leave, his father said. When he did, he was told he could have his job back when he returned.

Freeman left to join the military. Always striving to be the best, he chose the Marine Corps, said his father, Douglas Freeman.

First, he had to slim down.

In high school, Freeman weighed 300 pounds. But he worked out, running up to eight miles a day to get down to the acceptable 200 pounds or so for his 6-foot-plus frame.

"It'd be raining, he'd still run," recalled his uncle, Bobby Freeman.

In Dougie Freeman's refrigerator, there was only grilled chicken and tuna.

He signed on in 2008.

On Thursday, just three weeks after arriving in Afghanistan for the first time – and nine days after the birth of the son he would never see – Freeman was killed by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Helmand province. He was 25.

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Plant City Marine killed in action

Veteran Wendy Torrey's death shocks family, friends and fellow veterans

Wendy Torrey didn't find what she was looking for trying to heal from what she had been through. She tried to find it. She had been in a treatment program before she walked into a shooting range and pulled the trigger against her own body. Torrey, by all accounts, not only want to heal herself, she wanted others to heal too. So what was missing from her "treatment" and what is it that they are still not doing when veterans like her do everything experts tell them they need to do but still end up so hopeless they don't want to live another day with the pain they are in? We have plenty of excuses when they just decide they don't want help, choose to drink or do drugs instead of fighting to heal or turn down help from others instead of embracing all the help they can get, but when they do all the can to heal but still take their own lives, we better start looking at what they are given in the form of help and fix what we're getting wrong.

Woman’s death shocks family, friends, fellow vets
Barb Ickes
Posted: Sunday, May 1, 2011

When Wendy Torrey followed her boyfriend to Bettendorf five years ago, she threw herself into what mattered to her: other veterans.

At 33 years old, Torrey had served in Bosnia with the Army, had lost her husband to an SUV rollover accident and was single-handedly raising the couple’s son, Trevor.

She found her way to VFW Post 9128 in Bettendorf shortly after moving to the Quad-Cities and served for two years as the post’s chaplain. She enrolled in Western Illinois University and earned a bachelor’s degree in business management.

She helped other veterans while volunteering for about six months as an intern for U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa. She also found work with the Veterans Administration hospital system in Iowa City.

But Torrey needed help, too.

“She served in the Bosnia campaign,” said Scott County Veterans Affairs Director David Woods. “We knew she had PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), and she was being treated for it.”

In fact, Torrey had recently completed a treatment program at the Battle Creek Veterans Affairs Medical Center when she went to a shooting range April 20 in Taylor, Mich.

After renting a handgun and shooting targets for an unspecified amount of time, Torrey took her own life.

“We’re just dumfounded, because we didn’t see it coming,” said her father, John Torrey of Corpus Christi, Texas. “She didn’t tell us much about Bosnia. Veterans hide those things from people they care about.”

According to her obituary, Torrey enlisted in the Army in 1997, which is where she met her husband, Jeremy. She served with the military police in Bosnia.

“Her platoon asked her to man their M-60 machine gun, and she walked point on foot patrols, seeing things young women are not supposed to see,” her obit read.

Word of her suicide reached Bettendorf last week.
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Woman’s death shocks family, friends, fellow vets

Original report
Female Army Vet, released from PTSD program, committed suicide at shooting range

This is where the healing begins

I'm going to start off with a bit of honesty you won't hear from many. It will anger a lot of members of the clergy, some I know personally, but you don't have to go to church. Christ is an example of that because He prayed wherever He was. He prayed on a hill. He prayed in a garden. God heard Him no matter where He was.

Acts 17 Paul in Athens

24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

I spent my entire life attending church. Most of the priests I encountered were as good as they come, but a few reminded me they were also as human as they come. Some were filled with ego but more were filled with light. Just because they enter into ministry, they do not escape being human on this planet trying to do the best they can but as humans, they make a lot of mistakes. They can say the wrong thing. They can give a bad example of what Christ's love is to the point where you leave the church after their sermon feeling worse than you did before you walked in the door. If you feel as if you wasted time sitting in the pew, know you did not waste time reaching out for God. If you left the church because you had someone up at the pulpit you had a problem with, God didn't leave you because of that. The truth is, He never left you. You can always find Him no matter where you are. This is one of the reasons why I wanted to become a Chaplain. I take care of people where they are with whatever they need because that is what Christ did for me. He took a total "screw up" and changed my life just as He had done for others over the last couple of thousand years.


No matter what I've done in my life, I'm forgiven.


When we talk about what is gnawing at our soul it accomplishes a couple of things. First the weight is lifted off our souls. Once the words come out, we no longer feel like a monster because we finally understand a monster wouldn't care or be willing to face whatever reaction may come from the person we confess to. The shame we feel inside is defeated with the words leaving our mouths and our burden is lifted. Then we remember there is nothing we cannot be forgiven for. Christ forgave the hands that nailed Him to the cross. There is nothing He cannot forgive you for doing to someone else. He died to take your burdens on Himself. If you think that He's shocked by anything wrong you did, He saw you when you did it. He knew what was in your heart, what happened before in your life, just as He knows what will come tomorrow if you allow Him to lead the way.


When you are forgiven, know that this day is the new beginning you've heard about, then the healing begins.


You are still just one more human on the planet trying to do the best you can with your life. That's the place you need to start with other than being in the military or a veteran long after the boots came off.

If we believe we are evil, then we feel we are evil. God knows better because He created the soul within you and knew you before you were born. He had plans for you.

Jeremiah 29
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity.

If as a member of the military you've forgotten what caused you to be where you were in the first place, God didn't forget. He knew you were willing to die for the sake of others.

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

There was no evil intent within you to begin with. It was based on what God put within you. The thing that called your soul to be able to set everyone else before yourself. The courage to do it, the will to endue whatever price you had to pay for the sake of others. Some did it for country but all did it for their brothers and sisters. Unique individuals joined together for a greater good having to enter into the hell of war, seeing things and doing things less than 10 percent of the population of this nation will ever know. Your intent was good even though you had to walk thru what evil had begun.

You leave there and wonder as the changes within you begin to haunt your thoughts. Have you become evil? Had God abandoned you? How could you not wonder? When you see what humans are capable of doing to others, you wonder how a loving God could allow so much pain, suffering and horrible things to happen. When you were there, you didn't notice God was there in the midst of all of it because you were there. Every moment of compassion you felt, He was there. Every tear you shed, He was there. Every act you did for the sake of someone else, He was there. When you walked through the darkness of war, He was there waiting for you to help you find peace again.

In the memories of darkness, if you look, you will see moments of miracles when His love was there, when what you had to do was just what you had to do and not who you were inside. Your intent was good and He wants you to remember that but as a human the bad things you had to do stand out more in your mind. Let the good within your soul raise above what your mind sees.

There needs to be another term used to describe what you are going through other than Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when it comes after combat. Every human that survives traumatic events is changed. One out of three are drastically changed after one event but you have lived through many. You not only survived those times, you were part of the events themselves. The cuts to your soul are deeper with each bomb that exploded, with each bullet fired and there is a lot to overcome for you. These are not things average humans are supposed to go through but these are things your soul was prepared for. Just as the calling of your soul was to serve, the healing power is also within you. You just need to be able to find it so that you can come out on the other side of this darkness and live in the love of God knowing you are forgiven for what you had to do.

When you think you are evil, then the love you felt becomes trapped behind a wall of pain feeding the pain trapping out the love from others. You begin to think that you don't deserve to be loved by anyone so you push them away at the time you need them in your life the most. If you know God has forgiven you, then you need to forgive yourself for whatever wrong you feel you've done. When Christ told us to forgive others, it was not for their sake, but for our own. When we carry that within us, it eats away at all the good we should be feeling. When we cannot forgive ourselves, it is a burden no one is forced to endure but we do it to ourselves. You can forgive yourself, you can forgive others, because He forgave you first and that is where the healing begins.


There are many members of the clergy getting involved in helping you heal because they are finally understanding that this wound you carry attacked you with just as much force as a bullet. It needs to come out of you. It causes you pain. For as long as it remains within you, it reacts like an infection taking over more and more of who you are. With a bullet, you see a doctor to remove it. With this, you need to see people able to help you heal the whole you. Your mind, your body and your soul. The soul is where the pain is so avoiding this part of your healing prevents it from being true healing of your life. As I wrote in the beginning, you don't have to go to church to do this.

You can do it where you are and lay down all the burdens in your soul. You don't have to know the "proper" words to use but just believe He is listening. Don't put it off or feel as if you have to be properly dressed. Do it in whatever you have on.

You can contact a group to help you soul heal. Point Man Ministries is there to help you find the love God had for you before the day you were born.

There are two videos on the side bar of this blog with a Staff Sgt. talking about this and his own dark days when he put the barrel of a gun into his mouth but was saved to live on and share God's love.

If you are a member of a church, then read the following and make sure the clergy in your own church get involved in helping other veterans heal this wound they carry within them.




While the percentage of suicides and attempted suicides is wrong in this article, the reporter got the rest right. Most of the time they are given the numbers and it is not their fault if they report something wrong. Reading they have 70,000 with PTSD in the Pikes region of Colorado should be a sledgehammer to anyone thinking the war is over when they come home.

Faith community addressing PTSD issues
Posted: Apr 30, 2011 6:00 PM by Matt Stafford
Updated: Apr 30, 2011 8:15 PM
Even with all of the resources of the military, taking care of all of the soldiers coming home with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a big task. Local experts say we have 70,000 active duty or retired military suffering from P.T.S.D. in the Pikes Peak region.

"Talking about the divorce rate among soldiers being at least twice the national average. Everyday five, either active duty or retired, soldiers are trying to commit suicide, so the need is tremendous," says Mike Chapman, who works with the Military Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ on Fort Carson.

In Colorado Springs, local experts only see problems with P.T.S.D. growing; and the issues extend past the post.

"The fact that 70 percent of soldiers and families who attend church, or other faith groups, do so off-post means it is a community issue," says Chapman.

Local faith leaders are taking charge; 20 to 30 churches and others spent all day talking about ways to help at Woodmen Valley Chapel.

"I served for 20 years, and now I find myself in a church setting where our church is very interested in reaching out to the same military community that we're part of in Colorado Springs." says Jeff Kozyra, a conference attendee who works for New Life Church.

Hernando Pena has a clear view of what they're up against; after two deployments from Fort Carson, his stress came out in the form of anger and alcohol use.

"This has been a three year stinch that we're talking about as far as suffering through Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder," says Pena, a veteran of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. "It almost broke us apart."
read more here
Faith community addressing PTSD issues

Bible verses from Bible Gateway

U.S. citizens who claim they were tortured or traumatized by Saddam will get some justice

Iraq approves $400M for Kuwait invasion victims
By Rebecca Santana - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Apr 30, 2011 15:25:58 EDT
BAGHDAD — Iraqi lawmakers approved a controversial $400 million settlement Saturday for Americans who claim they were abused by Saddam Hussein’s regime during the 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

The settlement is part of a deal reached between Baghdad and Washington last year to end years of legal battles by U.S. citizens who claim they were tortured or traumatized, including hundreds held as human shields.

Many Iraqis consider themselves victims of both Saddam’s regime and the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and wonder why they should pay money for wrongs committed by the ousted dictator.

Lawmakers approved the settlement by a majority after listening to the foreign and finance ministers as well as the head of the central bank describe why it was necessary, said Abbas al-Bayati of the State of Law political bloc.

Another lawmaker, Mahmoud Othman, said by approving the settlement, Iraq would be protecting itself from more lawsuits in the future that could have been well above the $400 million that was agreed to.

“They explained very well what was the settlement and how it will be negative if we don’t approve it,” he said. “That’s why people were persuaded.”
read more here
Iraq approves $400M for Kuwait invasion victims

Coping with the loss of a husband killed at war

Coping with the loss of a husband killed at war
By David Ariosto, CNN
April 30, 2011 4:49 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Jeff Ausborn was among 8 U.S. service members killed in a Kabul airport shooting
The attack also left an American contractor dead
Ausborn is survived by his wife, Suzanna, and 5 children

(CNN) -- Suzanna Ausborn first met her husband during a deployment in Kuwait, where their work and friendship in the same Air Force unit would later blossom into a budding romance.

She soon fell in love with Jeff, an only child and Alabama resident. And despite the 19-year veteran's regular deployments halfway around the world, she said they had remained inseparable.

"Jeff is one of the types of people when you meet, you want to be around him all the time," she said. "You never want to be away from him."

But when Suzanna didn't receive a call from her husband earlier this week, she began to worry.

"We talked nearly every day -- that's how I knew something was wrong, I didn't hear from him."
Jeff Ausborn was among eight American service members killed on Wednesday by an Afghan pilot who opened fire at an airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.

A U.S. contractor was also killed in a shooting that has since prompted an investigation into the suspected security breach that resulted in the deaths of nine Americans.
read more here
Coping with the loss of a husband killed at war

Chiarelli Lauds Anti-Suicide PSAs

Too many people want to excuse themselves for not wanting to know by saying they can't understand. I was one of them. Before 1982, I didn't want to know what it was like for the Vietnam veterans coming home or what their families were going through. After all, I was raised by a Korean Vet and surrounded by WWII veteran uncles. What could I possibly learn from Vietnam Veterans? I was young when all of it was going on anyway. I didn't want to know until I met a Vietnam Veteran I fell in love with at the age of 23. Vietnam became something very personal to me and I finally opened my eyes to the fact that just because their boots came off and they put on sneakers, where they were stayed with them.

Over the years the biggest thing noticed was these men and women survived combat while someone else was counting on them. No matter how much emotional pain they were in, they stayed and did what they had to do. They got up from a couple of hours of sleep, ready to risk their lives another day. All that happened to them, around them and even because of them, didn't stop them from making sure more of them lived longer than if they had not been there.

I tell the story often of a young Marine back from Iraq crying and apologizing for crying because he was a Marine and wasn't supposed to cry. He did everything he needed to do no matter how much pain he was in. He didn't allow himself to feel it until he was back home and no one else was in danger, except him. He wanted to live.

The other night I got a phone call from a National Guards Mom I hadn't heard from in a couple of years. Her son had tired to commit suicide twice by the time she contacted me. She didn't know what to do any more than she understood what was going on. He was totally lost. He carried the pain of something he had to do, started to think he was evil because all he focused on was what happened, forgetting what came before the end of this event. He needed to see himself through different eyes. Anyway, fast forward to two year later, he got married again, is back in treatment, went back to church and is healing. He's closer to his Mom than ever before because she was willing to do whatever it took to help him. She wanted to understand and it saved his life.

We need to stop making excuses to not care, not want to know, because we lose 18 veterans a day to suicide and we're still losing them to suicide while on active duty. We can't save them all but they are worth fighting for and doing whatever we can to save them. After all, the fact they were willing to die for us shouldn't mean we should let them.

You don't have to know what it was like for them to be a soldier. You just need to understand what it is like for them to be human.

News
American Forces Press Service


Chiarelli Lauds Anti-Suicide PSAs
By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2011 – Preventing suicide in the military is showing signs of progress, but breaking the social stigma attached to it remains a challenge, the Army vice chief of staff said at the Blue Star Families’ premiere showing of the “I Don’t Know What It’s Like,” public service announcements to help military families fight suicide.

“Making sure the people who need help are willing to take advantage of those programs and services is not something that can be directed from the upper echelons of command,” Army Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli told an audience of military families, senior military leaders, members of Congress, business and Hollywood celebrities here last night at the American Red Cross Great Hall of Service.

“In the military, we institute policies and [give] orders,” the general said. “But you can’t direct the elimination of this stigma.”

Fighting the stigma, he said, can only be done by those who understand that the symptoms of depression and anxiety, which could lead to suicide, are real and not signs of weakness, and that seeking help is OK, Chiarelli said.

The nonprofit Blue Star Families launched the suicide prevention PSAs in support of military families, with help from several organizations, including The Creative Coalition, comprising members of the arts and entertainment community who take on issues of public importance.

Chiarelli recalled how a Blue Star Families member, Alison Buckholtz, gained attention last year from her opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times when she called on the Defense Department for an outreach program to tackle the growing problem of suicides in the military.

The general credited Buckholtz for raising awareness of the suicide issue.

”The PSAs are the direct result of her call for a public outreach program that will inevitably save lives both inside the military and outside the military,” Chiarelli said.

“[We’re] seeing a reduction in the number of suicides across our forces, including our reserve components,” he said. “Every suicide is one too many. We must continue, and double, our efforts and keep working to expand the accessibility of programs and services to better support those not living or working near a military installation.”

Combating suicide requires total team support, the general said, now and into the future.

“That’s what these public service announcements are about,” Chiarelli said. “There are great support and care programs available, and today, doctors, therapists, behavioral health counselors and members of the clergy are willing to help those struggling with depression, anxiety and other conditions.”

However, professionals cannot help those who avoid seeking help because they feel embarrassed, ashamed or fear it will negatively impact their lives and careers, the general said.

“There’s absolutely no reason for anyone to suffer in silence,” Chiarelli said. “A soldier who is hit and injured by an [improvised explosive device] would never go untreated, and there’s no difference.”

also
Survivor: War hero reaches out to help Soldiers
Apr 28, 2011

By Dave Larsen, III Corps and Fort Hood Public Affairs
FORT HOOD, Texas -- John McCormick is a survivor. He survived two combat tours in Vietnam and came out a hero. He survived deep depression and suicidal ideations and came out addicted to alcohol. He survived his substance abuse and came out with a message for today's troops who face the same fight he fought himself: You can conquer it all, but you don't have to go it alone.

The 72-year-old retired Army officer, a graduate of West Point's class of 1961 and Corpus Christi resident, visited Fort Hood in March 2011, when national media outlets were reporting a spike in suicides among Soldiers in February.

Later that month, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli held a press conference at the headquarters of the 1st Cavalry Division here. With national Alcohol Awareness Month observed in April, the general discussed the correlation between substance abuse and suicide.

"There's no doubt in my mind that there is a correlation between substance abuse, both alcohol and prescription drugs, and suicide," Chiarelli, who has spearheaded the Army's suicide prevention efforts, said March 28. "Suicide is a compulsive act, and when you mix alcohol or some other form of medication with individuals who may have ready access to a firearm you have a lethal combination."

McCormick is living proof of that correlation.

"It really means a lot to me," he said, "if I can help one Soldier by telling my story."
read more here
War hero reaches out to help Soldiers

DoD identifies 8 killed in Kabul shooting

DoD identifies 8 killed in Kabul shooting
By Scott Fontaine - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Apr 29, 2011 14:57:34 EDT
The Pentagon has released the names of the eight airmen killed in Wednesday’s attack at Kabul airport in Afghanistan.

The airmen — seven officers and one NCO — were deployed to help train the nascent Afghan air force. They were killed when a disgruntled Afghan pilot opened fire, killing the airmen and an American contractor.

The airmen killed in the attack were:
Lt. Col. Frank D. Bryant Jr., 37, of Luke Air Force Base, Ariz
Maj. Philip D. Ambard, 44, of Buckley Air Force Base, Colo
Maj. Jeffrey O. Ausborn, 41, of Randolph Air Force Base, Texas
Maj. David L. Brodeur, 34, of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
Master Sgt. Tara R. Brown, 33, of Joint Base Andrews, Md
Capt. Charles A. Ransom, 31, of Midlothian, Va
Maj. Raymond G. Estelle II, 40, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va
Capt. Nathan J. Nylander, 35, of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.
Capt. Charles A. Ransom, 31, Joint Base Langley-Eustis
read more here
DoD identifies 8 killed in Kabul shooting

Vietnam-era Green Beret finally returns home

Vietnam-era Green Beret finally returns home
By Mitch Weiss - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Apr 29, 2011 13:29:44 EDT
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — No one had seen Sgt. 1st Class Donald Shue since he was on a mission in Laos during the Vietnam War in November 1969, so his sister was skeptical when Army officials called a few months ago to say his remains had been found.

“I said, ‘No you didn’t. I don’t believe it. It’s been 42 years. You don’t have any proof of that,’” his sister Betty Jones told The Associated Press. Then they revealed the clue that identified Shue: a Zippo lighter with his name inscribed on it.

Army officials visited her home and showed her the lighter. When she saw it, she broke down and cried.

“That was the most joyful thing I ever looked at. I knew it was Donnie,” she said.

Now, four decades later, the North Carolina soldier is coming home. Thousands are expected to pay their respects this weekend in Concord, where Shue was born, and nearby Kannapolis, where he was raised. Jones, 74, of Kannapolis, called the burial a homecoming.

“We’ve been praying and praying and praying for this day,” Jones said. “This will finally give us some closure.”
read more here
Vietnam-era Green Beret finally returns home

Fort Bragg Staff Sgt. Carson Morris killed in accident

Police ID driver sought in fatal Fayetteville wreck

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Police on Thursday identified a suspect in a weekend wreck in Fayetteville that killed a Fort Bragg soldier.

Carson Morris, 35, was northbound on 71st School Road on a 2006 Suzuki motorcycle on Saturday night when a southbound vehicle attempted to make a left turn on to Old Bunce Road in front of Morris, police said.

Morris, a staff sergeant assigned to the 7th Transportation Battalion, 82nd Sustainment Brigade at Fort Bragg, died at the scene.
read more here
Police ID driver sought in fatal Fayetteville wreck/

Darkhorse Marines tell the story of Sangin, in their own words

The story of Sangin, in their own words
BY GRETEL C. KOVACH
THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2011
The 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment gathers today at Camp Pendleton with family and military dignitaries to honor the fallen from their ranks in Sangin, Afghanistan.

During their seven-month tour that ended this month, the battalion helped subdue the deadliest area of the country for international forces. The ritual roll call of names during the memorial ceremony will be answered by silence, but the Marines who gave their lives in the violent outpost coveted by Taliban insurgents and opium traders will be remembered in the annals of the Corps.

Much was written about the 3/5 Marines during their ferocious fight against an entrenched insurgency, when the battalion suffered more casualties than any other in the 10-year war, according to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Union-Tribune staff writer Gretel C. Kovach and photojournalist Nelvin C. Cepeda spent three weeks on the Sangin front lines with the “Darkhorse” battalion in February and March.

This selection of voices recounts their battle for Sangin — how it was fought, what it meant to them and what it cost.
read more here
The story of Sangin, in their own words

Stress rising in families, but programs can help

MILITARY: Stress rising in families, but programs can help
CHILDREN BEARING EMOTIONAL BRUNT OF MULTIPLE DEPLOYMENTS
By RICK ROGERS - For the North County Times
Posted: Friday, April 29, 2011
Marine Corps and Navy officials say military families are seeing an uptick in stress-related problems because of multiple deployments, including high levels of anxiety and depression among children.

Kirsten Woodward, director of the Family Programs Division for the Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, said one of the military's best programs for reducing stress is available at Camp Pendleton.

"The level of distress (among families) is distressing," said Woodward, who spoke at the Combat and Operational Stress Control conference held this week in Mission Valley. The four-day forum brought together military mental health professionals from across the country.

"But there are avenues for help, and the FOCUS program, which has been recognized as a best practice program by the Defense Department, is one of them."

FOCUS stands for Families OverComing Under Stress. The program has been a fixture at Camp Pendleton since 2008. While no figures were available for the North County base, the total number of service members, spouses and others using the program has grown from 20,000 three years ago to 200,000 today.

Woodward said FOCUS has been shown to reduce behavior problems among children by almost 50 percent and emotional issues by nearly 33 percent. It's been so successful that the Army and the Air Force want the program on their bases, too.
read more here
Stress rising in families, but programs can help

Can you see a sniper in this video?

I couldn't.

300 dead vs. royal wedding

UPDATE 4-30-11
Volunteers rush to help after tornadoes
By Ben Smith, Mariano Castillo and Phil Gast, CNN
April 30, 2011 6:26 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Sunday declared a day of prayer in Alabama
Death toll from South's latest tornado outbreak tweaked to 337
Storms caused at least $2 billion in insured losses, catastrophe expert firm says
Alabama death toll adjusted to 249

(CNN) -- As emergency responders continued to count the dead on Saturday, states pulverized by this week's tornado outbreak encouraged volunteers to help -- but in an orderly way.
In Alabama, where at least 249 people died, a call center is receiving 2,000 to 3,000 calls a day.

Officials working with the United Way are urging people to go to www.servealabama.gov or call 2-1-1 statewide to offer their assistance.

After the search and recovery efforts, people will be needed for months to help with specific tasks, said Jon Mason, director of the Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

"We're overwhelmed in a positive way by the willingness to help from within the state and the rest of the United States," he said.
read more here
Volunteers rush to help after tornadoes

This morning, every station was covering the royal wedding. It was almost as if the world had stopped. The people surviving the tornadoes were not interested in William and Kate this morning. They were thinking about their family members no longer here and everything else they lost. The death count went up again. The search for more bodies goes on.

Obama to visit Alabama as South reels in tornado aftermath; 300 killed
By the CNN Wire Staff
April 29, 2011 7:39 a.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: 35 emergency response teams deployed across Alabama
NEW: Motorists beware, officials say, gas may be hard to find in northern Alabama
Death toll reaches 300 in six southern states
Nearly 1 million customers are without power


Tuscaloosa, Alabama (CNN) -- President Barack Obama plans to visit Alabama on Friday, the hardest-hit of six states ravaged by a series of storms and tornadoes that killed 300 people and left entire neighborhoods in ruins.

The president's scheduled visit is taking place as emergency responders in Alabama and five other states continue to assess the damage wreaked by one of the worst outbreaks of violent weather in the southeastern United States in decades, experts said.

The severe storms and tornadoes pounded the region between late Tuesday and Wednesday. They leveled entire neighborhoods, rendered major roads impassable and left nearly 1 million customers without power.

Alabama suffered the greatest of loss of life with 213 fatalities in 19 counties. The storms also left 34 people dead in Tennessee, 32 in Mississippi, 15 in Georgia, five in Virginia and one in Arkansas since late Tuesday.
read more here
Obama to visit Alabama

Disabled veterans ruled as "incompetent" ripped off

This story makes me sick. A friend of ours served in Vietnam, not once, not twice, but four tours. It took him 19 years to have his PTSD claim approved. After watching his mental state deteriorate over the years and reactions to the increased medications, a guardian being appointed to take care of his money made a lot of sense. He received a huge retroactive check after living off of only social security payments all those years. In his case, making irrational decisions was always a possibility. If his daughter ended up with control over his money, he would have been able to manipulate her into giving into whatever he wanted to do with his money. She's a sweet woman and loves her Dad making saying "no" to him very hard on her.

That's the good part of this Guardianship Act. The bad part is what is included in this article. The guardians are not just paid for taking care of compensation from the VA. They have been getting a percentage of everything!

While the VA says, If the Florida courts appoint a guardian, a 5% commission is permissible under the Florida Uniform Veterans Guardianship Act, a March 2010 Inspector General Audit found VA regional Officers are not consistently taking effective actions to insure the income and estates of incompetent beneficiaries are protected.

And that brings us back to Ed Brewer who is waiting for a guardian because the VA says he is incompetent despite the fact a psychiatrist who works for the VA says Brewer is totally competent, he is aware of his benefits, spending them wisely and doesn't need a guardian.

The other problem is, there are a lot of veterans able to take care of their own money still put into guardianship and this is wrong. Why hasn't the VA been able to correct this outrageous situation? People have been making money off of it for years and it has been easy money for them.

Vets lose benefits as VA covers up mistake

Written by
Mike Deeson


Thousands of veterans who served our country seem to be taken advantage of when it comes to their benefits. It involves vets who have been declared incompetent and are receiving VA benefits.

Meet Ed Brewer who like thousands of Veterans is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Brewer says now that he is old and sick and he needs what he fought for, they are telling him to go to hell.

Republican Congressman Walter Jones from North Carolina in a speech from the House floor told his fellow member if something isn't done about the vets who are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the situation is going to get worse.
read more here

Vets lose benefits as VA covers up mistake

Veterans' families suit against Prudential advances

Veterans' families' suit against Prudential advances
Published: Thursday, April 28, 2011
By Stephanie Barry, The Republican

SPRINGFIELD – A lawsuit brought by 10 veterans’ families across the country who allege they were cheated by an insurance giant advanced in a federal court in Springfield on Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor, who is taking senior, or semi-retired status in August, set a schedule stretching into next year for lawyers for Prudential Insurance Company of America to recover documents dating back to the 1990s stating the policies for paying death benefits to families of fallen soldiers.

The lead plaintiff is Kevin Lucey, of Belchertown, father of a soldier who committed suicide in 2004 when he returned from Iraq. Lucey has been joined by others similarly situated across the nation.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs on Wednesday said that there are potentially 60,000 who may join in the suit to recoup $850 million they allege the insurance company misused by paying woefully low interest rates and holding back lump sum payouts in favor of investing the money.

“They’re investing it in anything they want, to do anything they want,” said plaintiffs’ lawyer, Daniel King, of Austin, Texas.

The lawsuit claims Prudential reaped more than $100 million by collecting 5.7 percent on interest on deferred policy payments while paying out only 1 percent to families.
read more here
Veterans' families' suit against Prudential advances

110,000 veterans’ accounts under fiduciary management

Court Rules Against V.A. on Fiduciaries
By JOHN SCHWARTZ
A federal appeals court has told the Department of Veteran’s Affairs to loosen its grip on benefits decisions for veterans who have been declared incompetent.

The department appoints fiduciaries to manage the benefits of veterans who are no longer able to take care of themselves. There are 110,000 veterans’ accounts under fiduciary management, and the total value is about $3.2 billion.

Veterans’ families have argued in several recent cases that they do not want the financial minders appointed by the department, as an article in The New York Times reported earlier this month.

When families have sued, however, the department has generally argued that while families may have input in the decision to appoint a fiduciary, once the minder is in place the relationship is solely within the jurisdiction of the Department of Veterans Affairs and is not subject to judicial review.

On Tuesday, the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in Washington ordered the secretary of Veterans Affairs and his department to take a second look at that argument.
read more here
Court Rules Against V.A. on Fiduciaries

Lake Mary Florida company used to help VA communication

United States Department of Veterans Affairs Adopts F4W Systems


LAKE MARY, Fla., April 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- F4W, Inc. (F4W) announced today that it is providing the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with thirteen of its latest Core communication systems. The systems, which will be placed at VA's twelve Emergency Management Strategic Healthcare Group (EMSHG) regional offices throughout the United States and in the office of VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki, will provide VA with secure, resilient communications in the event of natural disasters and other emergencies.

"We're very proud to be able to support VA and veterans with our state-of-the-art communications equipment," said Harry Timmons, president of F4W. "We believe that our technology is the best in the marketplace, and will significantly improve VA's ability to respond to hurricanes, earthquakes and other emergency situations."

F4W's communications systems utilize the power and flexibility of the Internet and Voice over IP (VoIP) technology to enable encrypted voice and data connections without the need for additional hardware. The company's systems use any available connection to access the Internet for voice and data connectivity without relying on any single system or communications provider.

Using one of F4W's systems, VA employees will be able to conduct up to twenty simultaneous phone calls over a 3G cellular modem. Every call will be secure, private, and have superior sound quality. The systems VA purchased come in an easily transported kit form so that they can be quickly delivered to individual VA facilities requiring assistance.

Each kit provides voice and data communications across any available network. If normal network infrastructure is unavailable, the kit also contains a broadband satellite system to ensure connectivity beyond the incident site. The kit requires absolutely no technical support to set up and needs only ten to twenty minutes to begin working.
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Department of Veterans Affairs Adopts F4W Systems

Louisiana police officer dies protecting daughter and 2,000 guardsmen activated as storm toll climbs

"In Choctaw County, Miss., a Louisiana police officer was killed Wednesday morning when a towering sweetgum tree fell onto his tent as he shielded his young daughter with his body. The girl wasn’t hurt."

2,000 guardsmen activated as storm toll climbs
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Apr 28, 2011 7:50:10 EDT
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — About 2,000 Alabama National Guard soldiers were being deployed around the state as dozens of tornadoes wiped out neighborhoods across a wide swath of the South, killing at least 201 people in the deadliest outbreak in nearly 40 years. Officials said Thursday they expected the death toll to rise.

Alabama’s state emergency management agency said it had confirmed 131 deaths, while there were 32 in Mississippi, 16 in Tennessee, 13 in Georgia, eight in Virginia and one in Kentucky.

The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said it received 137 tornado reports around the regions into Wednesday night.

“We were in the bathroom holding on to each other and holding on to dear life,” said Samantha Nail, who lives in a blue-collar subdivision in the Birmingham suburb of Pleasant Grove, where the storm slammed heavy pickup trucks into ditches and obliterated tidy brick houses, leaving behind a mess of mattresses, electronics and children’s toys scattered across a grassy plain where dozens used to live. “If it wasn’t for our concrete walls, our home would be gone like the rest of them.”

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2,000 guardsmen activated as storm toll climbs

Good Samaritan Saves Veterans From Burning Home

Good Samaritan Saves Veterans From Burning Home

A Good Samaritan saved seven men from a fiery death by alerting them of the fire.

"We were on our way home from the grocery store when we saw this smoke. We pulled over to see what it was, and their house was on fire. And they had no idea their house was on fire. So we told everyone, got everyone out of the house, and called the fire department," said Jamie Coffman, the Good Samaritan.

Some of the veterans who lived in the home were previously homeless, or recovering from substance abuse.

Everyone inside was able to get out safe.

"I didn't even smell the smoke, nothing, took us all by surprise," said Victor Mejia, one of six veteran's who lived at the group home.

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Good Samaritan Saves Veterans From Burning Home

Missing Vietnam War memorial plaque sold online, found headed to Thailand

Investigation turns up Cumberland memorial plaque for Vietnam veterans

By James Halpin
Staff writer
How exactly a veteran's memorial plaque that had been missing from Fayetteville for years ended up in a crate bound for Thailand remains a mystery.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents recently intercepted the plaque, dedicated to Vietnam servicemen who were missing in action or prisoners of war, at the Port of Long Beach in California, according to the Los Angeles Border Enforcement Security Task Force.

"It was bought off the Internet," said Suzette Schrump, whose father-in-law's name is among those on the plaque. "We believe it was being sold as a trophy to go back to 'Nam. What a disgrace."
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Investigation turns up Cumberland memorial plaque

New Zealand Veteran confronts fake Vietnam Hero

"That record shows Bateman never left New Zealand as part of his service."

THE SOUTHLAND TIMES GEOFF BATEMAN: Told The Southland Times on Anzac Day that he volunteered for Vietnam in 1968.

Veteran changes Vietnam story
JARED MORGAN
A man masquerading as a Vietnam veteran has confessed to a military record that shows he never served in the conflict after a genuine ex-serviceman paid him a house call today.

The Southland Times tagged along this morning as Graeme Henderson, who served as a warrant officer with 161 Battery in South Vietnam in 1971, knocked on Geoff Bateman's door and asked for an explanation.

Geoff Bateman told the Times on Anzac Day that he volunteered for Vietnam in 1968, the height of the conflict and the peak of anti-war protests.

When pressed for details of his service, he said he would not talk about it the memories were painful and he had "lost mates".

Yesterday he maintained the story when questioned, saying: "Yeah, I was in Vietnam.''

Today, he recanted that, claimed he had never served in the conflict and that he never said he did.

However, his confused wife Urmilla Wati demanded to know why her husband was being questioned.

Her husband had told her throughout their relationship and two-year marriage he had served in the war, she said.
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Veteran changes Vietnam story

72 year young Vietnam era-veteran walking 2,300 miles for others

Vietnam veteran walking 2,300 miles to thank comrades in arms

Written by
DON WALKER
FLORIDA TODAY

Those who say they support American troops and the sacrifices they make for country should walk a mile in Al Slusser's shoes.

Since April 4, the Vietnam War-era Navy veteran has treaded 260-plus miles of U.S. 1, walking north from Key West and bound for Fort Kent, Maine. That might seem an impossible 2,300 miles, but the former principal, who was happily retired in Cottonwood, Ariz., already has completed a cross-country trek that spanned from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts.

Tuesday afternoon, Slusser gave his feet a rest just outside Cocoa, where he planned to stay the night. He'll head out again this morning on his Great America Walk, dedicated to the honor of all U.S. veterans.

"I just want to thank veterans for their service and show respect to them I think they deserve," the 72-year-old Slusser said. "I'm not raising money, just recognition for their service, what they've done and what they do. They put their lives on hold, their families and dreams, and put their lives on the line for this country."
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Vietnam veteran walking 2,300 miles to thank comrades in arms

San Diego Naval Hospital Treats 15 for ‘Spice’

San Diego Naval Hospital Treats 15 for ‘Spice’

April 27, 2011
Associated Press
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Naval Medical Center says it admitted 15 sailors over a five-month period last year for use of a synthetic drug that mimics marijuana.

Doctors say side effects of the drug often known as Spice include hallucinations, paranoia and confusion that can become debilitating. The symptoms can often last days.
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San Diego Naval Hospital Treats 15 for ‘Spice’

Post-Vietnam-Era Vets Have Highest Substance Use Rate

Post-Vietnam-Era Vets Have Highest Substance Use Rate

Last Updated: April 27, 2011.


Veterans diagnosed with serious mental illness more likely to have substance use disorder


Substance use rates are highest in war veterans who served in the post-Vietnam era, and in those who served in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan and have comorbid diagnoses of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, according to a study published in the May-June issue of the American Journal on Addictions.

WEDNESDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- Substance use rates are highest in war veterans who served in the post-Vietnam era (VET), and in those who served in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) in Iraq and Afghanistan and have comorbid diagnoses of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, according to a study published in the May-June issue of the American Journal on Addictions.
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Post-Vietnam-Era Vets Have Highest Substance Use Rate

Nonprofit putting wounded from Fort Meade to work

Nonprofit to hire 48 wounded vets
By BEN WEATHERS Staff Writer
Published 04/27/11
The nonprofit group that takes over a multimillion-dollar contract for maintenance services at Fort George G. Meade this summer expects to hire up to 170 people.

While Upper Marlboro-based Melwood may hire many of the men and woman now working for the outgoing contractor, it is looking to add 48 people with special qualifications - veterans wounded in the service of their country.

Melwood CEO Janice Frey-Angel said her group is working with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Maryland Center for Veteran Education and Training to identify potential candidates. Candidates may have cognitive, mental health and physical disabilities, as well as brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The group also is recruiting the 200 soldiers in Fort Meade's Warrior in Transition unit, which helps servicemen and women return to civilian life, said Fort Meade spokeswoman Mary Doyle.

"Being able to provide veterans with jobs has been one of Melwood's missions," Frey-Angel said. "Being on base, it's a familiar (environment for them) - it's not like taking them out of their comfort zone. In many ways, it gives us the opportunity … to do our job, meet our mission and also help the country."

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Nonprofit to hire 48 wounded vets

173 dead after tornadoes, media spends day on one birth certificate

UPDATE 6:30

Southern storms: 'I don't know how anyone survived'
By the CNN Wire Staff
April 28, 2011 5:59 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Nearly 1 million customers without power
Death toll nears 200 in Alabama
President Obama calls storms "heartbreaking," will travel to Alabama on Friday
More than 1,100 are people treated at hospitals
Read more about this story from CNN affiliates WBMA-TV and WIAT-TV. Is severe weather affecting you? Share stories, photos and video with iReport.
Tuscaloosa, Alabama (CNN) -- Public and private assistance -- in the form of food, tarps and hugs -- began arriving Thursday in storm-battered Southern communities that lost nearly 300 people and saw once-familiar neighborhoods reduced to piles of debris.
The grim death toll continued to rise across the region, with 284 counted in six states. Nearly 1 million customers were without electricity in seven states.
The vast majority of fatalities occurred in Alabama, where at least 195 people perished, said Gov. Robert Bentley.
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I don't know how anyone survived

Update 3:05

250 die as storms carve up South
More victims are being found after a tornado outbreak that leveled entire neighborhoods and crippled towns in six Southern states. Alabama was hardest hit with 162 dead.
FULL STORY

UPDATE

Violent Storms Rip Through 6 Southern States, Kill at Least 200

Storms rip across the South, killing at least 173
By the CNN Wire Staff
April 28, 2011 8:01 a.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Alabama governor: Some University of Alabama students died
The death toll in Alabama skyrockets to 128
Birmingham's mayor says many people are missing and hundreds are injured
"My bathroom is across the street," a resident says

(CNN) -- Daylight illuminated a scene of utter devastation across many areas of the South Thursday, following storms of near-epic proportions that killed as many as 173 people in five states.

The vast majority of fatalities occurred in Alabama, where at least 128 people perished, Jennifer Ardis, a spokeswoman for Gov. Robert Bentley, told CNN Thursday. A breakdown provided by Ardis showed that violent weather claimed lives in 16 Alabama counties. The hardest hit was DeKalb County, where 30 people perished.

Before dawn Thursday, Mississippi emergency management officials also added 14 previously unreported fatalities to the count, increasing the death toll in that state to 32, officials said. At least one person died in both Arkansas and Tennessee and 11 died in Georgia.

Entire neighborhoods were leveled and hundreds of thousands of people were without power.

"This could be one of the most devastating tornado outbreaks in the nation's history by the time it's over," CNN Meteorologist Sean Morris said.
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Storms rip across the South, killing at least 173

It is silly season after all when the media has been following around Donald Trump and giving the "birth issue" coverage instead of covering a massive story like this. As Jon Stewart pointed out last night, Trump was taking credit for Obama releasing the "long form" birth certificate and felt as if he had done "something really important" by causing the release when if Trump really cared about this country, he'd take that helicopter to some of these areas hit by tornadoes and actually do something to be proud of since it is because of him no one is giving these states the attention they deserve. These are real lives but Trump turned a non-story into every cable station covering it. They even had to waste time talking about if the coverage is over or not!

Wednesday April 27, 2011

Believe It or Believe It
Obama Releases Long-Form Birth Certificate
Barack Obama expresses his sad disappointment in Americans, and Donald Trump proudly takes credit. (07:18)

Ohio veterans have money waiting for them while they count pocket change

Many Ohio veterans aren't applying for benefits


Posted: Apr 27, 2011
By Dave Dykema - email
By Jonathan Walsh, Reporter


Toledo, OH -
TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Tens-of-thousands of veterans in Ohio are supposed to be getting some money from the state, but so far they haven't applied.

Anyone who served in the Persian Gulf War or Iraq or Afghanistan is eligible for up to $1,500. Families of fallen soldiers could get up to $6,500.

Former Marine Brad Luderman says, "I'm sure there are a lot of people who don't know about it."

Luderman served in Iraq in 2003, 2004, 2005. When he got back he applied for the Ohio Veterans bonus money last October.

"When they first came out with it they said it would be within 8 weeks and here it is 5-6 months later and I still haven't got it," Luderman said. "But I'll get it eventually."

He says he just talked to program reps Tuesday and was told some more paperwork is needed. Despite the delay, he says the application is not hard.
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Many Ohio veterans aren't applying for benefits