Fort Hood Shooting: A Closer Look at Soldiers and PTSD
Fort Hood, the site of Thursday's horrific attack on U.S. soldiers, was the focus of a NOW on PBS report about American troops suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Many of the thousands of U.S. troops discharged from the Army each year suffer from PTSD and say they lack the vital care they need. The Army claimed these soldiers were let go due to pre-existing mental illnesses or because they were guilty of misconduct. But advocates argue this was a way for the Army to get rid of "problem" soldiers quickly, without giving them the treatment and benefits to which they're entitled.
In our online coverage, NOW interviewed two Fort Hood soldiers about the personal trauma they experienced while fighting in Iraq.
NOW will air a new report about caring for injured veterans, including those suffering from PTSD, on November 20.
Posted by Joel Schwartzberg on November 5, 2009 5:37 PM
http://www.pbs.org/now/blog/2009/11/fort_hood_shooting_a_closer_lo.html
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Fort Hood Resident: Incident "Disturbing"
Fort Hood Resident: Incident "Disturbing"
Katie Couric Speaks with Advocate for Soldiers Suffering from PTSD Whose Husband is Based at Fort Hood
By Katie Couric
Fort Hood is the largest U.S. military base - home to more than 53,000 active duty soldiers, many of whom have served multiple times in Iraq and Afghanistan. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a major concern there as at any base.
CBS News Anchor Katie Couric spoke via Skype with Carissa Picard, an advocate for soldiers suffering from PTSD. Her husband is a soldier based at Fort Hood.
Katie Couric: Can you tell me what was going on when all of this was unfolding?
Carissa Picard: It was a little bit disturbing, for those of us here in the military housing community. We had these tornado sirens, and those started going off and telling us that we needed to seek shelter immediately, close and lock our doors and windows.
It also said that we needed to turn off our ventilation system.
So that last part had us wondering what is going on? At that point we didn't know that there had been this mass shooting.
Couric: And we understood from a spokesman at Ft. Hood, General Cone, it took place in the building where soldiers are processed before they go off on their deployments?
Picard:In fact, it's also the building where when you come back from a deployment, you actually go through you're first PTSD screening, or your screening to see if you're at risk for that.
It's the first place that when a unit returns in mass, they would have to go individually into this building, and this is their first contact with a social worker or a counselor.
read more here
Fort Hood Resident: Incident Disturbing
Katie Couric Speaks with Advocate for Soldiers Suffering from PTSD Whose Husband is Based at Fort Hood
By Katie Couric
Fort Hood is the largest U.S. military base - home to more than 53,000 active duty soldiers, many of whom have served multiple times in Iraq and Afghanistan. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a major concern there as at any base.
CBS News Anchor Katie Couric spoke via Skype with Carissa Picard, an advocate for soldiers suffering from PTSD. Her husband is a soldier based at Fort Hood.
Katie Couric: Can you tell me what was going on when all of this was unfolding?
Carissa Picard: It was a little bit disturbing, for those of us here in the military housing community. We had these tornado sirens, and those started going off and telling us that we needed to seek shelter immediately, close and lock our doors and windows.
It also said that we needed to turn off our ventilation system.
So that last part had us wondering what is going on? At that point we didn't know that there had been this mass shooting.
Couric: And we understood from a spokesman at Ft. Hood, General Cone, it took place in the building where soldiers are processed before they go off on their deployments?
Picard:In fact, it's also the building where when you come back from a deployment, you actually go through you're first PTSD screening, or your screening to see if you're at risk for that.
It's the first place that when a unit returns in mass, they would have to go individually into this building, and this is their first contact with a social worker or a counselor.
read more here
Fort Hood Resident: Incident Disturbing
Fort Hood gunman identified as Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan
UPDATE 9:31est
Officials: 12 killed in Fort Hood shootings; suspect alive
November 5, 2009 9:24 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Suepect in shootings wounded but alive, Army official says
Source: Gunman identified as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a psychiatrist
Senator: Hasan was "upset" about scheduled deployment to Iraq
Shooting happened in building that is one of last stops before soldiers deploy
(CNN) -- At least one soldier opened fire on a military processing center at Fort Hood in Texas on Thursday, killing 12 and wounding 31 others, officials at the Army base said.
The gunman, who officials initially said was killed, is wounded but alive, Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said.
Cone said that man is believed to be the only shooter. Two other soldiers briefly taken into custody after the incident were later released, a spokesman said.
The gunman, who officials said was wounded by emergency personnel, was identified as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, a law enforcement source told CNN.
A graduate of Virginia Tech, Hasan was a psychiatrist who was licensed in Virginia and was practicing at Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, according to professional records. Previously, he worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
go here for more
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/11/05/texas.fort.hood.shootings/index.html
UPDATE
Officials: 11 killed, plus gunman, in Fort Hood shootings
November 5, 2009 6:14 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Source: Slain gunman identified as Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan
NEW: One of the dead was a civilian police officer, official says
NEW: Senator says she was told soldiersere filling out paperwork to go overseas
More than one shooter may have been involved, Fort Hood spokesman says
(CNN) -- Eleven people plus a gunman were dead and 31 wounded after the gunman opened fire Thursday on a soldier-processing center at Fort Hood, Texas, officials said.
The gunman was a soldier, and two other soldiers have been detained as suspects, Army Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said.
The slain gunman was identified as Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan, according to a law enforcement source. The source believes he is 39 or 40 years old.
Ten of the other dead also were soldiers, while the remaining one was a civilian police officer who was working as a contractor on the base, Cone said.
Two of the injured were in "very serious" condition, Fort Hood spokesman Christopher Hogue said.
go here for more
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/11/05/texas.fort.hood.shootings/index.html
Officials: 12 killed in Fort Hood shootings; suspect alive
November 5, 2009 9:24 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Suepect in shootings wounded but alive, Army official says
Source: Gunman identified as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a psychiatrist
Senator: Hasan was "upset" about scheduled deployment to Iraq
Shooting happened in building that is one of last stops before soldiers deploy
(CNN) -- At least one soldier opened fire on a military processing center at Fort Hood in Texas on Thursday, killing 12 and wounding 31 others, officials at the Army base said.
The gunman, who officials initially said was killed, is wounded but alive, Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said.
Cone said that man is believed to be the only shooter. Two other soldiers briefly taken into custody after the incident were later released, a spokesman said.
The gunman, who officials said was wounded by emergency personnel, was identified as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, a law enforcement source told CNN.
A graduate of Virginia Tech, Hasan was a psychiatrist who was licensed in Virginia and was practicing at Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, according to professional records. Previously, he worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
go here for more
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/11/05/texas.fort.hood.shootings/index.html
UPDATE
Officials: 11 killed, plus gunman, in Fort Hood shootings
November 5, 2009 6:14 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Source: Slain gunman identified as Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan
NEW: One of the dead was a civilian police officer, official says
NEW: Senator says she was told soldiersere filling out paperwork to go overseas
More than one shooter may have been involved, Fort Hood spokesman says
(CNN) -- Eleven people plus a gunman were dead and 31 wounded after the gunman opened fire Thursday on a soldier-processing center at Fort Hood, Texas, officials said.
The gunman was a soldier, and two other soldiers have been detained as suspects, Army Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said.
The slain gunman was identified as Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan, according to a law enforcement source. The source believes he is 39 or 40 years old.
Ten of the other dead also were soldiers, while the remaining one was a civilian police officer who was working as a contractor on the base, Cone said.
Two of the injured were in "very serious" condition, Fort Hood spokesman Christopher Hogue said.
go here for more
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/11/05/texas.fort.hood.shootings/index.html
• Army official: As many as 9 shot dead at Fort Hood
• Texas senator informed 30 people were wounded
• Spokesman: One shooter held, another at large
• President Obama informed of shooting FULL STORY
This is a developing story PLEASE PRAY FOR THE TROOPS AND THE FAMILIES AT FORT HOOD
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: President informed of incident, press secretary says
NEW: Attackers were in military uniform, Sen. Hutchison says
NEW: Two shooters involved, Fort Hood spokesman says
(CNN) -- Two gunmen in military uniforms shot and killed as many as nine people and wounded as many as 20 at Fort Hood in Texas on Thursday, officials said.
One of the shooters has been apprehended, Fort Hood spokesman Sgt. Maj. Jamie Posten told CNN.
"At this point we're looking for the other shooter," Posten said. Asked for a description, he said, "we're trying to develop that information."
The shooters were wearing military uniforms, but it was unclear whether they were soldiers, said U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas
President Obama has been informed of the incident, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters.
Watch developments live
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/11/05/texas.fort.hood.shootings/index.html
Operation Warrior Support puts out call to America
One of the groups I belong to working on taking care of veterans is Operation Warrior Support/Brave Aid. I've taken part on many conference calls and last night was no exception. I informed the callers how there was another veteran no longer alive due to combat. No, he did not die in battle but he did die because of it.
The story came out of Seattle. A three tour Iraq veteran was shot by police due to a domestic dispute. At least that is what the headlines said when it added the words "angry man" trying to describe this veteran.
His father said John LaBossiere joined the Marines after high school and after September 11th, so this proved he was patriotic as well as willing to give up his life for the sake of the country. He was deployed twice with the Marines. He was not done yet. John ended up going into the National Guards after. Imagine that! He had a wife and three children but his marriage fell apart. The article went on to say his family said "turned into someone his family hardly recognized." This is all too common because they didn't understand PTSD or what to do to help.
You can read more of this here
Man shot by police a Iraq three tour veteran
The problem is not that his family didn't care, they didn't know. No one told them. This is not just about one veteran, but thousands of veterans across the country needing help from the people of this country. It's about stepping up to fill in the gaps.
For every claim tied up in the VA backlog, there is a veteran and a family waiting for the wounds created by service to be taken care of as well as compensated for in far too many cases when the veteran is unable to earn a living to pay their bills.
While some groups only seem interested in the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, Brave Aid wants to care for all veterans.
Operation Warrior support is about raising funds to do this. Much like many charities and foundations are funded by business ends, this group is funded by cause marketing. Members make a tax deductible donation of $20.00 a month and then the membership is grown by caring people. These funds support Brave Aid. Brave Aid supports veterans in need. The really great thing is that members also gain by being fundraising donors. You can go here for more information about it.
http://www.braveaid.org/
http://chaplainkathie.warriorsupport.us/
There is a lot to learn about this group and here is a start. There are many who will read this and think it's a scam but I know it isn't. I've met most of the people in this out of Florida. They have already cut checks to help veterans, gotten me involved in helping and this group has not even had the offical kick off yet which will happen on Veterans day. This is all about veterans and for veterans we are all supposed to care about.
The story came out of Seattle. A three tour Iraq veteran was shot by police due to a domestic dispute. At least that is what the headlines said when it added the words "angry man" trying to describe this veteran.
His father said John LaBossiere joined the Marines after high school and after September 11th, so this proved he was patriotic as well as willing to give up his life for the sake of the country. He was deployed twice with the Marines. He was not done yet. John ended up going into the National Guards after. Imagine that! He had a wife and three children but his marriage fell apart. The article went on to say his family said "turned into someone his family hardly recognized." This is all too common because they didn't understand PTSD or what to do to help.
You can read more of this here
Man shot by police a Iraq three tour veteran
The problem is not that his family didn't care, they didn't know. No one told them. This is not just about one veteran, but thousands of veterans across the country needing help from the people of this country. It's about stepping up to fill in the gaps.
For every claim tied up in the VA backlog, there is a veteran and a family waiting for the wounds created by service to be taken care of as well as compensated for in far too many cases when the veteran is unable to earn a living to pay their bills.
While some groups only seem interested in the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, Brave Aid wants to care for all veterans.
Operation Warrior support is about raising funds to do this. Much like many charities and foundations are funded by business ends, this group is funded by cause marketing. Members make a tax deductible donation of $20.00 a month and then the membership is grown by caring people. These funds support Brave Aid. Brave Aid supports veterans in need. The really great thing is that members also gain by being fundraising donors. You can go here for more information about it.
http://www.braveaid.org/
http://chaplainkathie.warriorsupport.us/
There is a lot to learn about this group and here is a start. There are many who will read this and think it's a scam but I know it isn't. I've met most of the people in this out of Florida. They have already cut checks to help veterans, gotten me involved in helping and this group has not even had the offical kick off yet which will happen on Veterans day. This is all about veterans and for veterans we are all supposed to care about.
Convention Tickets Are Free!
In keeping with the “donation” concept of Operation Warrior Support’s program, we have decided not to charge for attendance.
However, due to limited seating, you should still reserve seating early.
This will be such a terrific event, so plan on being there, let’s show the world who we are and what we stand for, so please invite everyone you know
Click Here To Reserve Seating Now!Please click the above link to send a reservation email to:jborger@warriorsupport.us
Remember!
You don't want to miss tonights conference call. You will hear a special preview of our introduction of"Operation Warrior Support's Lead Management System"
Guest speaker will be Gale Farup, consultant for PM Marketing. Join us and invite guests, this system will become a tremendous sales tool in promoting the simplicity of building your business.
The call WILL START promptly at 9:00 PM (EST)
"Call To America"
Phone Blitz
(712) 432-1699 Access Code: 1078608 #
Mullen calls for better PTSD care
Mullen calls for better PTSD care
By Hugh Lessig
247-7821
11:42 p.m. EST, November 4, 2009
NORFOLK — As a combat medic in Iraq, Megan Krause had seen plenty.
When she came home, she thought her mental state was fine.
"We're medics," she said. "We're supposed to know the signs and symptoms of depression."
She misdiagnosed this case.
The reason for that failure — and her subsequent success — provided a real-life lesson for attendees of a Pentagon-sponsored conference on improving the resiliency of today's warfighter.
The two-day conference, which ended Wednesday, featured an address by the nation's top military officer, who called for better coordination of mental health services as individuals move from active-duty to veteran status.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, weighed in via audio link to address the conference and take questions.
"Our problem is stove-piped," he said.
He called for better coordination of services between the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs and the general public.
"We're not very well-connected across these three areas," he said.
Many discharged veterans know little about VA services, and many groups across the country "would go out of their way to help their veterans" if they knew how and where to help.
read more here
http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_ptsd_1105nov05,0,7842432.story
By Hugh Lessig
247-7821
11:42 p.m. EST, November 4, 2009
NORFOLK — As a combat medic in Iraq, Megan Krause had seen plenty.
When she came home, she thought her mental state was fine.
"We're medics," she said. "We're supposed to know the signs and symptoms of depression."
She misdiagnosed this case.
The reason for that failure — and her subsequent success — provided a real-life lesson for attendees of a Pentagon-sponsored conference on improving the resiliency of today's warfighter.
The two-day conference, which ended Wednesday, featured an address by the nation's top military officer, who called for better coordination of mental health services as individuals move from active-duty to veteran status.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, weighed in via audio link to address the conference and take questions.
"Our problem is stove-piped," he said.
He called for better coordination of services between the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs and the general public.
"We're not very well-connected across these three areas," he said.
Many discharged veterans know little about VA services, and many groups across the country "would go out of their way to help their veterans" if they knew how and where to help.
read more here
http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_ptsd_1105nov05,0,7842432.story
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