Orlando Rocks For Veterans 5th Event for Inspirational Heroes

Today is the day to honor Sharona Young, Ret. Chief Petty Officer. 

She grew up in Minneapolis, MN. the youngest of 5 siblings. Joined the Navy when she was 17 years old on July 28, 1999. Sharona's first duty was station aboard the USS Bataan Wasp-class amphibious assault ship see above photo based out of Norfolk, VA. She spent 4 years on sea duty, loved the experience of being out to sea, meeting other people from different backgrounds and traveling the world. In 2003 she decided to leave active duty and join the Naval Reserves to pursue other goals. Upon completion of associates of science, in radiologic technology she got her FL basic x-ray license in 2005. She also completed a bachelors of science, in management in 2008 from the University of Phoenix. In 2012 while on an active duty assignment to US Africa Command in Molesworth, England she started experiencing a lot of problems with her left foot and left leg. She was also struggling with extreme fatigue and weakness that she could not explain. After a cervical MRI showed inflammation in her spinal cord she went through a series of extensive blood work, brain scans, and optical nerve studies. Sharona was eventually diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and medically retired as Chief Petty Officer in June 2014.

Currently she lives in Orlando, FL with her daughter Taylor. As she fights through the challenges of PTSD and coping with this invisible disease she has found relief from the daily stressors by participating in adaptive sports and getting involved in the community to assist fellow veterans with transitioning and recovering. These types of activities allow Sharona to meet with fellow veterans that can relate to her situation and understand some of the challenges she faces everyday. Being able to connect with people that can truly understand some of what she is going through, interacting with people who share their personal stories and how they cope is far more therapeutic than going to any therapy sessions she has attended. Sharona looks forward to finding new opportunities and adventures with fellow veterans going forward with her healing process.

This is the 5th one for Semper Fidelis America and VFW Post 4287 in Orlando

Orlando Rocks SFC. Josh Burnette 2013


Bo Reichenbach 2014


Cpl. Adam Devine 2015


Air Force Master Sgt. Joe Deslauriers 2016

Super Hero Tiny Marine Takes Tears Away

Face of Defense: Marine Helps Families of Fallen Service Members
Department of Defense
By Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Cody Lemons
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
March 3, 2017

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C., March 3, 2017 — Superheroes come in all sizes and all kinds of disguises -- Marine Corps Sgt. Alicia Hojara is living proof of that.

Sgt. Alicia Hojara Superhero Unmasked Marine Corps Sgt. Alicia Hojara, center, an instructor at the Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., holds the flag she received as the Carteret County Chamber of Commerce’s Service Person of the Quarter, Feb. 10, 2017. Master Sgt. Christopher McGuire, left, and Lt. Col. Garrett Randel, right, nominated Hojara for her dedication to giving back to the local community. Randel is the school’s commander and McGuire is the aviation ordnance chief. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Cody Lemons

In mid-December, the diminutive Marine was surrounded by a theater full of children and their families, their expressions changing from anticipation to hope to laughter in the flickering glow of the big screen. The movie, a new animated feature with comical animal characters and lots of hopeful vocals, seemed to be just what some of these families need at the moment: an escape from real-world worries to a place where they could just relax.

Hojara had left her uniform home, replaced by a different kind of camouflage -- casual clothes, hair at ease, and a gentle expression that put her young charges at ease when they need it the most.

Most other days, you can find Hojara at the front of a classroom of young Marines as they navigate their way through the intricate details of aviation ordnance handling at the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit here. There's no kid's play here; this is serious work that will prepare the next batch of aviation ordnance Marines to load teeth onto the modern-day dragons that squat across Marine Corps flight lines around the world.

But, from time to time, Hojara slips away like Clark Kent to take on another heroic mission, volunteering her time to help families who have lost an active-duty loved one. Hojara routinely makes time to volunteer for different organizations, such as local humane societies for the protection of animals; Snowball Express, which provides support to families of deceased service members; and her favorite, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, otherwise known as TAPS.

As Hojara sat in the shadowy theater on a mission with Snowball Express, draped in her invisible cape of good will, she feels the kind of satisfaction that superheroes must experience every time they swoop down and pull a victim a little further from despair. Chalk up one more for the good guys.
read more here

Connecticut PTSD Bill to Study What They Already Know?

Committee changes bill that would expand benefits to vets with PTSD, brain injuries
The Day
By Julia Bergman Day staff writer
March 03. 2017

"We have enough knowledge to know that there is a problem here and generally I don't think a study is going to be helpful. A study is going to simply flesh out what we already know." Rep. Stephen Harding

Hartford — Supporters of a proposal, which would enable certain veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder or a traumatic brain injury to receive state benefits, are discouraged by changes made to the proposed bill that, they say, effectively kill the bill's chances of being passed this session.

House Bill 5580, introduced by state Rep. Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, in its originally proposed form, would've allowed vets, who received an "other than honorable discharge" as a result of being diagnosed with PTSD or TBI, to qualify for state veterans' benefits.

The Veterans Affairs' Committee, to which the bill was assigned, changed the language so that it now calls for a study of how many of these vets exist, how much it would cost to provide benefits to them and how that process would be executed. Rep. Jack Hennessy, D-Bridgeport, co-chair of the veterans committee, said members were concerned that the original proposal would've put the state in a position of making a connection between a vets' diagnosis of PTSD or TBI and his or her so-called "bad paper" discharge.
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When Homecoming Euphoria Wears Off PTSD Awakens

Scars of War Set In
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
March 4, 2017

The thing you missed is that when the euphoria wears off, you came back with a different "you" inside. Homecoming feels great and folks are really happy to see you. You get to eat what you want, go where you want and do what you want to. It feels good to get into your own bed. All of a sudden, nothing feels "normal" to you. That is because PTSD came home with you.

Coming home doesn't have to be filled with heartache and hardships. It all depends on what you are willing to do with what you know how to do.

You left your civilian family to deploy with your military family. It doesn't matter where you were heading, which war or decade. It is always the same story. You get trained to be able to fight the battles and protect the others you are with. 

Sure, you're told about the reasons used to send you, as if you'll get the message it is for the sake of our nation, but the truth is, it is always about the family you risked your life with.

You became attached to them. Shared your meals with them. Experienced the same dangers and fears as they did. You endured all the same hardships. They became a part of you and you would have died for them. They would have died for you.

When you come home, that detachment from that family, hurts. No one back home can understand what it was like. Too few want to understand and they seem to want you to just go back to the way you were before. Some want to understand but they can't until you explain it to them.

If you hold it all in, you push them away. If you do, then they will become more and more distant emotionally. Sooner or later, you figure out that you are alone in your own hell. A hell, partly built by your own actions.

The thing is, in combat, you do everything you can to stay alive. So why not do the same when you come home? Why give up so easily? Is it because you think others will judge you for not being tough enough to just deal with it? Is it because you are supposed to be the strong one and never in need of anything from anyone? How is that supposed to work?

No one is ever in any kind of position they need nothing from anyone. You needed your brothers and sisters to watch your back in combat. You needed someone to take care of your meals and clothing. Someone else had to supply your weapons. Someone else had to find you to bring your mail. Someone else had to take care of the vehicles you rode in. Someone else had to make the plans for where you were going and when you were going back to the place someone else figured out you needed to be in.

Do you see where this is going?

Back home, no one is ever really alone no matter how much you want to pretend you are. How close you feel to someone depends entirely on you. You decide who you share your life with and how much you share with them. If you share your pain, then you share your healing. Same as being in combat, you have someone to share healing the scars created by it.

The only people able to really understand what it was like for you are other veterans. Sure, it is better to have members of your own unit to fight with you again, but if not, then try to find a combat veteran from your own generation. Then learn from older veterans how they took back control over their home-life after military-life. 

This is the battle you are in control of. Do you surrender to the enemy inside of you or do you do whatever you have to do to defeat it?

Florida First Responders May Get PTSD Justice

Bill to help first responders fight PTSD moves forward in Florida Legislature
WFTV 9 News
Updated: Mar 3, 2017

Mental health workers now believe more law enforcement officers die from PTSD-related suicide than violent crime,

ORLANDO, Fla. - A bill filed two weeks ago in the Florida Senate now has a companion bill in the House, bringing help for first responders dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder a step closer in the state.

First responders have to deal with situations and see things that most people never will, Dr. Deborah Beidel, a University of Central Florida psychology professor, said.

Tragedies like the Pulse nightclub massacre have a lasting effect on first responders and it is important to treat psychological trauma as you would physical injuries, she said.

“Just as physical injuries may affect the body, having to witness some of the events that happen in these types of trauma certainly create psychological stress,” Beidel said. “We like to think of it as a stress injury.”

The bills making their way through the legislature would make it easier for first responders to get time off and get mental health treatment.

Currently, state law does not require workers’ compensation cover PTSD issues because it’s not a physical injury.
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Fort Bragg Soldier Shot in Back by Soldier Wife

Fort Bragg soldier shot by wife during dispute, police say
Fay Observer
By Nancy McCleary, Staff writer
March 2, 2017

HOPE MILLS — A Fort Bragg soldier was shot in the back Wednesday evening during a domestic dispute with his wife, who also is an active-duty soldier, Hope Mills police said Thursday.

Officers responding to a reported shooting on the 4100 block of Edward E. Maynor Drive found Jonathan Coleman, 39, with a gunshot wound to his upper left back, Chief Joel Acciardo said in an email Thursday morning.
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Marine Afghanistan Veteran Went from Combat, to Car, to College?

This veteran went from living in his car to graduating college
USA Today
Brooke Metz
March 2, 2017

Zack Cleghorn with his diploma from East Carolina University. (Photo: provided by Zack Cleghorn)

Four years ago, Zack Cleghorn was living in his car.

After returning home from a seven-year tour as a Marine in Japan, Afghanistan and the U.S., Cleghorn worked as a car salesman for several months to make ends meet. But he struggled with PTSD and depression.

“There was a time I didn’t want to wake up in the morning,” says Cleghorn, 28.

College, which no one in his family had attended, seemed like the best way to move forward. So he moved in with a friend and enrolled at Pitt Community College in Winterville, North Carolina, on a scholarship. Thanks to his financial aid package, he was able to pay for an apartment while he took classes.

Two years later, Cleghorn transferred to East Carolina University to finish his degree in industrial engineering technology. He graduated in December and, last week, received his diploma.
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Iraq Veteran's Son Dying of Cancer Has Precious Moments

Army veteran dad making 10-year-old son's final months memorable
FOX News
March 3, 2017

Ayden Zeigler-Kohler was diagnosed with DIPG after collapsing during a football practice. (Ayden Zeigler-Kohler Fund by Shay Weber - GoFundMe)

Seven months ago, 10-year-old Ayden Zeigler-Kohler was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor and given between eight and 12 months to live. His Pennsylvania-based family spent the first few months frantically searching for a clinical trial aimed at beating diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), but has since decided to focus on helping Ayden enjoy the time he has left.

DIPG brain tumors are highly aggressive and notoriously difficult to treat, and, due to their placement on the brain stem, affect breathing, blood pressure and heart rate.

Kohler, who struggled after returning from Iraq, told the news outlet that Ayden’s birth saved his life, and that the two are inseparable, often finding solace in the woods while hunting.

“I was a medic in the war, you know, and you fix things,” Kohler told the Statesman Journal. “And this was something I couldn’t even touch.”
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US Navy PTSD Research Shows Women's Risk Higher Than Males

Study of U.S. Navy healthcare personnel finds higher PTSD risk among women than men
News Medical Life Sciences
March 2, 2017

The researchers reviewed gathered data from the deployment records and post-deployment health assessments of more than 4,200 men and women who served in the U.S. Navy and supported military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A study of U.S. Navy healthcare personnel has shown that when comparing the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among women and men who had similar deployment experiences, and especially combat experience, the risk of PTSD was significantly higher among women. 

PTSD risk rose for both men and women with an increasing number of combat exposures, as reported in Journal of Women's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Women's Health website until April 1, 2017.
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Veteran Learns to Overcome PTSD and Heal

Not new, so, not "groundbreaking" plus, there is no cure, but as this does show, there is real healing going on, and that is the most important thing to take away from all of this. No one is stuck the way you are. You can change again for the better and take away the power PTSD has over you.

Groundbreaking Fort Hood Study On PTSD Gives Hope For A Permanent Cure
NBC 6 News
Doug Currin

RETIRED SERGEANT FIRST CLASS SEAN BRACK - WHO - WITH SEVERAL SYMPTOMS OF THE STRESS, KNEW HE NEEDED HELP. SOON AFTERWARDS, MR. BRACK HEARD OF AN EXPERIMENTAL THERAPY HAPPENING ON POST DONE BY THE STRONG STAR CONSORTIUM AND THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH AND SCIENCE CENTER OF SAN ANTONIO.

Brack sums up his takeaway: “the simple act of telling someone is an amazing release. Literally like a weight off the chest. You realize I’m not the only one who feels this way – I’m not crazy for feeling this way.”

Retired sergeant first class Sean Brack - who - with several symptoms of the stress, knew he needed help. Soon afterwards, Mr. Brack heard of an experimental therapy happening on post done by the Strong Star consortium and the University of Texas Health and Science Center of San Antonio.

He soon realized he could overcome and move forward with his life.

When P.T.S.D. takes over, it's coming out of a dark place, that can take a long time. Sean's experience was just that.

“When I did feel something it would be rage.”

His quality of life was suffering. and medications were not helping.

“I couldn't keep my eyes open during the day but I couldn't sleep at night. it was like looking through a vail of gauze. Everything was dull. I just didn't care,” he said.

Sean was already in an altered sense of reality - so his rational thinking was in question.

One thing in particular he remembers - walking in the war zone in Afghanistan, and what it was like to walk among those who were killed and left for dead.
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VA Study: Aspirin May Help Prevent Some Cancers

VA study highlights benefits of enhanced aspirin in preventing certain cancers

WASHINGTON — Researchers know of aspirin’s benefits in preventing certain ailments — from cardiovascular disease to most recently colorectal cancer. But while the link to those two conditions was made, researchers also questioned how and if this “wonder drug” could work to ward off other types of cancers. 

Thanks to a team led by Dr. Vinod Vijayan at the DeBakey Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Houston and Dr. Lenard Lichtenberger of the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, new studies verify their theory of cancer-prevention benefits based on aspirin’s effects on platelets—blood cells that form clots to stop bleeding. The findings appear in the February 2017 issue of Cancer Prevention Research journal.

“Along with clotting, platelets also play a role in forming new blood vessels,” Vijayan said. “That action is normally beneficial, such as when a new clot forms after a wound, and new vessels are needed to redirect blood flow. But the same action can help tumors grow. It’s this process that aspirin can interrupt.”

Their lab tests showed how aspirin blocked the interaction between platelets and cancer cells by shutting down the enzyme COX-1, thereby curbing the number of circulating platelets and their level of activity.

Some of their experiments used regular aspirin from a local drug store. In another phase, the researchers used a special preparation of aspirin combined with phosphatidylcholine, a type of lipid, or fat molecule. The molecule is a main ingredient in soy lecithin. The product, known as Aspirin-PC/PL2200, is designed to ease the gastrointestinal risk associated with standard aspirin.

The enhanced aspirin complex was even stronger against cancer than the regular aspirin. Summarizing their findings, the researchers wrote: “These results suggest that aspirin’s chemopreventive effects may be due, in part, to the drug blocking the proneoplastic [supporting new, abnormal growth, as in cancer] action of platelets and [they support] the potential use of Aspirin-PC/PL2200 as an effective and safer chemopreventive agent for colorectal cancer and possibly other cancers.”

In collaboration with researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, the group said they plan to test the lipid-aspirin complex for safety and efficacy in people at high risk for colorectal cancer. Meanwhile, they said their results, so far, “support the use of low-dose aspirin for chemoprevention.” They added that Aspirin-PC/PL2200 has “similar chemopreventive actions to low-dose aspirin and may be more effective.”

The research study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.  For more information about VA research on cancer, visit www.research.va.gov/topics/cancer.

Lichtenberger is a professor of integrative biology and pharmacology at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center. Vijayan, an expert in platelet biology, is with the Center for Translational Research on Inflammatory Diseases at the DeBakey VA Medical Center. He is also an associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine.

Death of Airman Under Investigation in North Carolina

Air Force investigating death at Goldsboro home 
WRAL News 
February 28, 2017 

GOLDSBORO, N.C. — The Air Force was investigating the death of an airman Tuesday afternoon at a home on Brantwood Drive in Goldsboro. 

Special agents from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations were on scene, and neighbors said a body was removed from the home sometime around noon. read more here

Suicide Suspected in Death of Missouri Sailor

Submarine sailor dies on watch in port in suspected suicide
Navy Times
By: David B. Larter
February 28, 2017

A junior sailor on board the attack submarine Missouri died during an overnight watch in a suspected suicide early Monday morning.

The third-class petty officer, whose name is being withheld for privacy concerns, is believed to have died from a gunshot wound from his issued 9mm pistol while standing a quarterdeck watch on Missouri, which is stationed at Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut, according to an internal memo on the incident obtained by Navy Times.

The incident occurred at about 1:30 in the morning.

A statement from Naval Submarine Support Center New London acknowledged the death, but declined to cite a cause of death citing an ongoing investigation.
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Ex-Homeless Veteran Enters Ms. Veteran America Contest

From Combat Boots to High Heels: Grand Forks woman enters pageant to shine light on veteran homeless
Grand Folks Herald
By Pamela Knudson
Feb 28, 2017

"It's one of those things you never imagine yourself doing. I've never been a 'girly girl.' I didn't wear high heels; I wore a uniform and combat boots." 

Sandy Gessler

Sandy Gessler never imagined herself as a beauty pageant contestant.

But, at age 60, she's entering the Ms. Veteran America contest to focus attention on the plight of homeless veterans—something she has experienced.

The Grand Forks woman plans to compete in the Ms. Veteran America regional pageant May 27 in Las Vegas. If she's one of the 25 contestants who wins there, she'll go on to the final competition in October in Washington, D.C.
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Marine-Afghanistan Amputee Gets Wheels

Custom-ordered Harley brings ‘freedom’ to disabled St. Augustine veteran
Florida Times Union
By Beth Reese Cravey
Posted February 27, 2017

Brandon Long had wanted a motorcycle since he was a kid.

Salesman John Armstrong hands Brandon Long the keys to his new motorcycle as he walks him through the features of the custom Harley-Davidson the Adamec dealership on Baymeadows Road in Jacksonville created for him. Long, 26, a Marine veteran who lives in St. Augustine, ordered a three wheeler configured with hand control to cover the functions normally controlled by the rider's feet.
Photo Bob Self Florida Times Union.

Long thought that dream would go unfulfilled after stepping on an improvised explosive device while on Marine Corps deployment in Afghanistan in December 2010. He said he died — and was resuscitated — eight times, lost both legs and spent two years in physical therapy.

“When I came back injured, I didn’t think I would be able to ride,” Long said.

Still, the dream persisted.

So Long and John Armstrong, a salesman at Adamec Harley-Davidson dealership on Baymeadows Road, spent about a year studying the motorcycle options for a double amputee in a wheelchair. And on Feb. 16, Long, now 26, arrived at the Jacksonville dealership to meet his brand-new Freewheeler, a three-wheeled motorcycle with all custom hand controls.

Long, who had waited a long “two months and two days” for the bike to arrive, was ecstatic.

“It was amazing,” he said last week. “Just absolutely amazing.”
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Fort Hood Soldier Found Dead at Fort Rucker Hotel

Soldier found dead at Fort Rucker hotel identified
WTVY.com
By April Davis
Feb 28, 2017

FORT RUCKER, Ala. (WTVY) – [UPDATE: February 28, 2017]
The soldier found deceased yesterday on Fort Rucker has been identified as Chief Warrant Officer Two Andre G. Nance.

Nance was 34 years of age and was previously stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. He was at Fort Rucker for the Warrant Officer Advance Course with onward orders to his next duty station at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

At approximately 7:42 a.m. yesterday, an IHG employee called 911 after discovering Nance unresponsive in lodging on post. Upon examination, an Army flight surgeon declared him deceased.

The cause of death is currently under investigation by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.
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US Military Vets Motorcycle Club Lost Home to Fire

Veterans biker club headquarters burns down
WCJB ABC News
Published February 27th, 2017

"Our home burnt down. We know our community is behind us and we know the brotherhood doesn't go with the ashes of the house, because that's in here (points to heart) and we will grow here," Reeve said. 

MARION COUNTY, Fla -- A veteran group in Marion Country is recovering from the shock of losing their headquarters in a massive fire.

The building was located near the intersection of SE 135th Ave. and SE 114th St. Rd. in Ocklawaha. The US Military Vets Motorcycle Club Marion County Chapter used this home as their headquarters since 2001.

The century-old home full of memories was left a pile of burnt wood and ashes Monday afternoon. Marion County Fire Rescue responded around 6:30 AM. Monday. HAZMAT teams members responded to the scene to mitigate propane tank hazards.

"You can't replace the items we had in the house that reflects our entire history. All the photos from our community involvement, the appreciative certificates and plaques that we had from our community," said David Reeve, a spokesperson for the club.

It was a gathering place for a brotherhood formed through years of sacrifice and service.

"Our brothers who are fallen; their memorials are in there," Reeve said.
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Fort Bragg Soldier's Death Under Investigation

82nd Airborne paratrooper dies near Fort Bragg
Army Times
By: Charlsy Panzino
February 27, 2017

A paratrooper from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, died Thursday in an off-post incident, according to an Army news release.

Spc. Johnathon D. Poole, of Oxford, Iowa, was assigned to Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.

The Fayetteville Police Department is investigating the incident, according to a spokesman with the 82nd Airborne Division. The nature of the incident was not announced as of mid-day Monday, and the police department did not respond immediately to Army Times' request for comment.

The 26-year-old infantryman joined the Army in February 2012 and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division in February 2013.
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Veteran Left on Floor in North Carolina VA?

COUPLE DEPLORES HEARTBREAKING SCENE AT DURHAM VA HOSPITAL
ABC 11 News
John Camp
February 27, 2017

"He was visibly in pain," said Hanna. "And I think the thing with that that disturbed me so much was that there were people just sitting there acting like nothing was happening and he was sitting right in front of them and they were not even acknowledging that it was happening."

DURHAM, North Carolina (WTVD) -- It's not hard to find stories of headaches -- and heartache -- when it comes to the VA. What makes this one different is it has pictures to go with it.

Marine veteran Stephen McMenamin and his wife, Hanna, moved to Raleigh from their home in Milwaukee a few months ago and already have amassed an armload of personal stories about long wait times at the Durham VA hospital -- both to get appointments in the first place and in the waiting room once at the hospital.

But they said it was what they saw Friday that moved them to take pictures and post them to Facebook.

"It was very upsetting," Stephen McMenamin said. He and his wife said they saw a handful of older veterans mistreated and ignored during the seven hours they were at the hospital, including an aged-veteran in a wheelchair.
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Fort Hood Tries Something New Against Suicides...Talking and Listening

Soldiers take fresh approach in discussing feelings that could lead to suicide
Killeen Daily Herald
Capt. Kevin Sandell
504 Military Intelligence Brigade
February 27, 2017

Maj. Chuck Lowman, the 504th’s brigade chaplain, said the initial planning process brought together representatives from the Army’s Family Advocacy Program, Army Community Services, the Fort Hood Suicide Prevention Office, the Behavioral Health Department at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, and unit chaplains to discuss the event. He said the group consensus was “to get at the heart of what would create such despair within a person.

Col. Laura Knapp, far right, commander of the 504th Military Intelligence Brigade at Fort Hood, discusses the concepts of vulnerability and shame with soldiers and leaders Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, at the Resiliency Leaders Development Forum at the West Fort Hood gym. The event was designed to get soldiers discussing factors towards suicide, and how to leverage camaraderie and team-spirit to defeat suicide.

FORT HOOD — Soldiers in military intelligence units on post recently took a fresh approach to talking openly about shame, vulnerability and similar feelings, including some that are known to lead to suicide.

The Feb. 16 event, known as resiliency training in the Army, touched on weighty concepts not often seen in traditional Army training, but allowed soldiers to open a dialogue about difficult but universal emotions.

Modeled after the brigade’s internal Leaders Professional Development program on the book, “Daring Greatly,” by Dr. Brene Brown, the forum took soldiers out of their comfort zones to discuss perceptions about vulnerability and shame. Both factors are leading contributors to behavioral health concerns, including suicide.

During the forum’s opening comments, Command Sgt. Maj. Ryan Hipsley, the highest-ranking enlisted soldier for Fort Hood’s 504th Military Intelligence Brigade, said the purpose of the day was to get people talking about an uncomfortable topic in an unfamiliar setting. In the end, however, he said the experience would benefit soldiers and their units.
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Air Force Gives Assaulter Slap for 8 Victims?

Air Force officer's sexual assault sentence called lenient
Associated Press
February 26, 2017 SAN ANTONIO

Military prosecutors originally lodged seven charges and 17 specifications of misconduct against him. Conviction on all those charges could have resulted in more than 87 years in prison.

An Air Force noncommissioned officer convicted of misconduct with eight women, including three who accused him of sexually assaulting them, was sentenced to three months confinement and another month of hard labor, a punishment a victims' rights advocate called "shockingly light."

Tech. Sgt. Anthony Lizana, 35, also was reduced in rank to airman first class and was given a dishonorable discharge Saturday night at his trial at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.
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Sailor Shot and Killed at Oceana Naval Air Station Was Volunteer Firefighter

Navy identifies sailor shot and killed at Oceana Naval Air Station
The Virginian-Pilot
By Courtney Mabeus
17 hrs ago

Before entering the Navy, Wright, who was believed to be in his early 20s, was a volunteer firefighter with the Franktown Fire Protection District, about 35 miles southeast of Denver.

A sailor who crashed through Gate 2 of Oceana Naval Air Station late Friday made it all the way to the hangar for the squadron he worked for before he was shot and killed by a master at arms, U.S. Navy Fleet Forces Command said Sunday night.

Seaman Robert Colton Wright enlisted in the Navy in May 2016 and was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 81, based at Oceana, since Dec. 27, according to a Navy biography. He worked as an information systems technician for the squadron, which flies F/A-18E Super Hornets, according to the unit’s website.

Wright’s death occurred after a string of events that began with a hit-and-run about a mile from Oceana at the intersection of Dam Neck and Drakesmile roads just before 10 p.m. Friday.
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First Responders Need to Learn PTSD is a Survivor Thing

PTSD Hits First Responders Harder
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 26, 2017

Suicide numbers edging up in Mass. on the Daily News out of Newburyport focused on a lot of details behind suicides. Within the article are the usual statistics, gender, age and means by which they ended their lives. 

PTSD is a survivor thing

"One thing, if anything, taken away from this article is this part. “They feel like they’ve lost all hope and they don’t have options. Sometimes just having someone on the phone to listen and talk to is enough to turn them around.” Sen. Barbara L’Italien.

When I trained as a Chaplain with the IFOC I focused on First Responders simply because, while civilians can be hit by PTSD from one event, they face it on a daily basis, actually subjecting themselves to what the rest of us avoid.

There are not enough people trying to take care of them. They get hit harder because they feel they are the ones who are supposed to be stronger, tougher than the rest of us, but what they do not realize is that at their core, they care more than the rest of us. 

Think about it. They are willing to die for each other and total strangers on a daily basis. When they are not facing the events that could end their lives, they are thinking about the ones that may come as much as they are remembering the ones that already happened.

Massachusetts is trying to do something about that.

One proposal, by Sen. Barbara L’Italien, D-Andover, focuses on law enforcement officers who, according to statistics, are more likely to commit suicide than be killed in the line of duty. The bill was filed on behalf of Janice McCarthy, an Andover women whose husband, Paul, a former state police captain, died from suicide in 2006. The bill would create a new training program for police to recognize signs of post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal behavior.

One thing they can try to do is have more folks trained in helping the responders. It has to be specialized training and sanctioned by the Police and Fire Departments, because they are closed off to the rest of the population, wanting to take care of their own. This, most of the time, is beneficial, but when you are too close to those you need to help, that emotional connection tends to get in the way and adds a heavier burden to the caregivers.

As more and more people understand what PTSD is, more and more people are talking openly about it. There is power in the numbers but there is also a downside to it. Talking about it without investing the time in learning about it, has done more harm than good. It is great to care but when you don't care enough to learn first and act afterwards, you are part of the problem and one of the reasons they lose hope.

I hope this helps you understand what they need to be reminded of.

PTSD First Responder Carries Heavy Burden "When Those Sirens Are Gone"

Kevin Davison, Nova Scotia First Responder, Writes Song About 'Heavy Burden' Of The Job
Huffington Post Canada
Maham Abedi
Posted: 02/25/2017

"You can't unsee the things you've seen. It keeps going on, when those sirens are gone." Kevin Davison

Kevin Davison is a volunteer firefighter.

First responders are ordinary people, but they're faced with the extraordinary challenges everyday.

Nova Scotia firefighter and paramedic Kevin Davison knows exactly what it's like — he has spent decades rescuing people, but also faced tragic loses. The gruesome scenes from his job often keep him awake at night, and at times he can't shake them off during the day. Though he's never been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Davison says he identifies with many of the symptoms.

"There have been times I've been to a major accident on the highway and it's taken me days to get my sleep back in order," Davison told The Huffington Post Canada. "Some of the things that you experience kind of stay with you."

After decades as a paramedic, Davison now focuses on his music career and volunteers as a firefighter in New Minas, N.S. He says music can be an escape during stressful times.

"I can forget about all the bad things that have happened, and just do music. I find it very therapeutic."
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When Those Sirens Are Gone Official Music Video
Kevin Davison

Aussie Diggers Deal With PTSD Horsing Around

How horses are helping Aussie diggers deal with post-traumatic stress disorder
Daily Telegraph
EXCLUSIVE, Jordan Baker
The Sunday Telegraph
February 25, 2017

“Even in times of high stress, ­afterwards you can think back and know there is another side, that you don’t always have to be hyper-vigilant or stressed or angry.” Ben Tyne

EVER since he returned from his army tour of Afghanistan, Ben Tyne has lived with the mental torture that is post-traumatic stress disorder. The rage, depression and loneliness are relentless, so any escape is precious.

There are currently limited services to assist servicemen and women who return from service. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

To that end, Mr Tyne spends as much time as he can with horses.

“It’s very honest,” he said. “There is no judgment and no ridicule.”

Equine-assisted therapy is rapidly growing in popularity as a way to calm and treat people with ­addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The theory is that horses are ­socially sophisticated animals, and deeply responsive to emotional cues. In order to successfully interact with the horses, patients must work on regulating their own emotions, and keep their anger in check.
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Soldier standoffs: Police Responding to Crisis After Combat

Soldier standoffs: Police, community respond to scars of war
Killeen Daily Herald
By Josh Sullivan and David Bryant | Herald staff writers
February 25, 2017

“It’s a case where the individual has bad PTSD, so confrontations bring back previous confrontations with the enemy, and there are proponents of a flashback that drives back their current behavior. Those are the sad ones.” Dr. Thomas Newton

Eric J. Shelton | Herald Soldier standoffs: Police, community respond to scars of war
FILE — Police officers draw their weapons during a crisis response after residents reported a man threatened others with a gun. Police have to deal with a medley of factors, from post-traumatic stress disorder to how long a veteran served, is taken into account in an effort to preserve life.

About 6:15 p.m. on a Friday, police responded to a call that a 30-year-old man had barricaded himself in his southwest Killeen home. The Killeen Police Department and the special weapons and tactics team engaged the man for nearly 10 hours before the standoff ended around 4:30 a.m.

While Army officials confirmed the man in the Feb. 10 standoff with Killeen police was a former Fort Hood soldier, information regarding the mental health status of individuals involved in similar incidents cannot be released, as it is protected health information, Fort Hood spokesman Christopher Haug said.

The man was taken into custody for evaluation after the standoff ended, according to Killeen Police Department spokeswoman Ofelia Miramontez. That’s not an unusual outcome for people who threaten self-harm, as long as there is no one else involved in the incident, she said.

Standoffs with police that involve either active-duty soldiers or veterans are nothing new. On Aug. 3, police shot a man in Copperas Cove after he aimed a rifle at them. On May 2, 2016, KPD was involved in a standoff from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with an armed and suicidal active-duty soldier about 4 miles north of the Feb. 10 standoff. On March 23, 2015, KPD responded to a standoff in northwest Killeen with a man who neighbors said was a veteran. KPD handled these situations without incident.

That’s not as simple as it may seem, because police have to deal with a medley of factors. Everything from post-traumatic stress disorder to how long a veteran served is taken into account in an effort to carry out the preservation of life.
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UK Amputee Forced to Wait For Limbs--Third Time

Fury as MoD scheme to give disabled war veterans hi-tech limbs is cancelled THREE times
MIRROR UK
BY MARTYN HALLEDAN WARBURTON
25 FEB 2017

Officials at the Ministry of Defence say they are unable to say when the trial – which fuses bones with titanium rods – will start again

A scheme that could give dozens of limbless war veterans new legs on the NHS has been cancelled three times, the Sunday People can reveal.

Defence chiefs admitted a 27-patient surgical programme has been delayed due to issues with the “equipment supply chain”.

It is a blow to brave veterans who have suffered devastating injuries in conflict zones across the world including Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Sailor Arrest for Being AWOL Needed Breast Pump For New Baby?

Navy: Arrest of AWOL sailor and new mother was 'last resort'
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.
Feb 24, 2017

Later, the judge told the newspaper his assistant bought a breast pump for $42.39 and gave it to Gnecco.

A 24-year-old U.S. Navy sailor who had a baby in August was arrested and remains on a military hold after being accused of deserting her post, court records show.

Ana Lucia Gnecco was arrested Wednesday at her parents' home in Hollywood, Florida, after failing to report on Jan. 14 to her base in Portsmouth, Virginia, where she is a seaman quartermaster and worked in the reception and medical support at the Naval Medical Center.

Her father, Armando Rodriguez, told the SunSentinel he didn't know she left the Navy earlier than she should have.

"She basically went AWOL; that's what the Navy is claiming," he told the newspaper.

The arrest was the last resort, said Christina Johnson, a Navy public affairs officer for the medical center. "She was in contact with her command and with the Navy's arm that would bring her back to duty. All efforts were made to get her back to work, but she chose to stay there."

When someone misses a return day by 30 days, "it's considered desertion," Johnson said.
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Missouri Firefighter’s Suicide Highlights PTSD

Missouri Firefighter’s Suicide Highlights PTSD 
Death of firefighter raises attention towards awareness and treatment 02/23/2017

ST. LOUIS (KSDK) - Beth McMullin never imagined that someday, she would be married to a firefighter.

Veteran's Wife Gets Justice When He Couldn't Fight for Himself

VA awards full benefits to veteran with Alzheimer's and PTSD after wife shares his story
WITN News
By CB Cotton/Lindsay Oliver
Feb 23, 2017

"We had to have one of our examiners review that medical report, review the other evidence that they may have had, and really render an opinion that the veteran had PTSD," says Mark Bilosz, the director. "They were not able to disassociate the symptoms between the PTSD and the Alzheimer's, but basically once they diagnosed PTSD, we rated that and were able to grant 100 percent disability based on all the veteran's symptoms."

ONSLOW COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - A local woman is facing a difficult battle - she is losing the man she loves. He's a man who served our country for more than 20 years in the Marines and now he's battling Alzheimer's disease.

After fighting to get benefits for her husband's care from the VA, things changed for the better after sharing her story with WITN.

"I asked him, 'Is my name Jeanette' and he said 'No' and I said, 'Well, am I your wife?' and he said 'Yes'," Jeanette Martinez says.

She says she and William were a happy family, raising two daughters, one adopted and one biological with Down syndrome. They've been married for 43 years.

She says in 2006, William, who served more than 20 years in the Marines, was starting to forget.

"We got the diagnosis in the 2008 that he had early onset dementia," Jeanette says. "It was devastating to both of us. It was the first time I saw my husband cry."

William was just 55 years old when diagnosed and was put on memory medications, medications that Jeanette says bought them time.

"As it progressed, the bad days were getting longer, but you could see the frustration, it's like he knew he didn't know and it frustrated him terribly," she explains.
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One of a Kind Iraq Veteran's Love Story Strange Twist of Fate

From A World Away: A Female Veteran Finds Understanding From An Unexpected Person 
Greeneville Sun
By Kristen Early Associate Editor
February 24, 2017

Now, she’s found peace in their quiet property — 11 acres of wooded land where they are building a log home. And having a husband who has been in battle, someone who understands her post-war demons more than most, has brought her some peace. Hayel served two mandatory years in the Iranian Air Force during Iran’s war against Iraq.

The story of how a U.S. Army veteran of the war in Iraq became the wife of a man born in Iran is complicated, to say the least.

How that same man came to the United States for the right to help others — and found God in the process — is powerful. When he met his future wife, she was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and the stigmas of being a female veteran.

Her first reaction to him: “He looked like a total terrorist to me.”

But her tone and the loving gaze the Mosheim couple shared as she said it proves how far Cindy Castle and Dr. Kamran Hayel have come since they first met while working at Johnson City’s Woodridge Hospital in 2006.

Castle hadn’t been home long from spending 18 months in Iraq, where she only felt safe when she was in a turret with a companion she called “Frank” — an M240 Bravo machine gun.

She was the only female in a 24-member Civil Affairs division and achieved the rank of sergeant; she’s proud of her service. Castle says she knew she wanted to enter as soon as she left high school. From there, she went to basic training, entered the Army Reserves and got her undergraduate degree in psychology at East Tennessee State University.
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