Multiple deployments take toll on military families, experts say
By MICHAEL E. YOUNG / The Dallas Morning News
myoung@dallasnews.com
One day back from a year's tour in Iraq, Army Capt. Nick Jefferson had just come home after running errands when he flipped on the TV and heard about the shootings at Fort Hood, where his wife, Erica, was working.
"She had called and left a message while I was out, telling me about it and saying that everything was OK," Jefferson said by phone from Killeen. "But you sure don't expect something like this to happen here, after you've come back from Iraq."
No one knows for certain what led to the mass shootings at the Soldier Readiness Center, where troops about to be deployed and others returning from overseas are processed. The suspect, Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, was reportedly about to be deployed to Iraq.
But mental health experts and those who work with military families say the multiple deployments today's soldiers face lead to stresses that are different than those in past wars.
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Multiple deployments take toll on military families
Friday, November 6, 2009
2 coalition service members missing in Afghanistan
2 coalition service members missing in Afghanistan
(AP) – 1 hour ago
KABUL — Two NATO soldiers are missing in western Afghanistan from a routine resupply mission, the alliance said Friday.
The two were reported missing on Wednesday, NATO forces headquarters in Afghanistan said in a statement. It did not specify their nationality or which province they had been in, or provide any details of the resupply mission.
"We continue exhaustive search and rescue operations to locate our missing service members," spokeswoman Navy Capt. Jane Campbell said in the statement. "We are doing everything we can to find them."
read more here
2 coalition service members missing in Afghanistan
(AP) – 1 hour ago
KABUL — Two NATO soldiers are missing in western Afghanistan from a routine resupply mission, the alliance said Friday.
The two were reported missing on Wednesday, NATO forces headquarters in Afghanistan said in a statement. It did not specify their nationality or which province they had been in, or provide any details of the resupply mission.
"We continue exhaustive search and rescue operations to locate our missing service members," spokeswoman Navy Capt. Jane Campbell said in the statement. "We are doing everything we can to find them."
read more here
2 coalition service members missing in Afghanistan
American Legion ups pressure on Coburn
American Legion ups pressure on Coburn
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Nov 5, 2009 13:39:38 EST
The American Legion is organizing a grassroots campaign in Oklahoma to try to persuade Republican Sen. Tom Coburn to lift his hold on S 1963, an omnibus veterans bill, so it can be approved and enacted.
“We are contacting Legionnaires in Oklahoma to inform them about how their senator is delaying the bill and what that means for veterans, especially seriously injured veterans and their families,” said Steve Robertson, the Legion’s national legislative director.
The idea is that Legionnaires in Oklahoma would be able to spread the word to bring pressure on Coburn to change his mind, Robertson said.
Coburn is using Senate procedures to delay a vote on the Veterans’ Caregiver and Omnibus Health Benefits Act because he wants to be able to offer an amendment that would pay for the new caregiver benefits, which would include monthly stipends, health care, counseling and other services.
Senate leaders do not want to allow the amendments, hoping to pass the bill quickly before Veterans Day, but Coburn — using rights available to every senator — has been able to prevent this from happening.
read more here
American Legion ups pressure on Coburn
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Nov 5, 2009 13:39:38 EST
The American Legion is organizing a grassroots campaign in Oklahoma to try to persuade Republican Sen. Tom Coburn to lift his hold on S 1963, an omnibus veterans bill, so it can be approved and enacted.
“We are contacting Legionnaires in Oklahoma to inform them about how their senator is delaying the bill and what that means for veterans, especially seriously injured veterans and their families,” said Steve Robertson, the Legion’s national legislative director.
The idea is that Legionnaires in Oklahoma would be able to spread the word to bring pressure on Coburn to change his mind, Robertson said.
Coburn is using Senate procedures to delay a vote on the Veterans’ Caregiver and Omnibus Health Benefits Act because he wants to be able to offer an amendment that would pay for the new caregiver benefits, which would include monthly stipends, health care, counseling and other services.
Senate leaders do not want to allow the amendments, hoping to pass the bill quickly before Veterans Day, but Coburn — using rights available to every senator — has been able to prevent this from happening.
read more here
American Legion ups pressure on Coburn
Fort Hood:He swore an oath of loyalty to the military
One of the questions that needs to be asked over the terror Maj. Hasan inflicted on the troops he was supposed to be taking care of, is what was he telling them? He was their psychologist! What did he tell them when they went to him for help with combat trauma? Did he end up with secondary PTSD from hearing their stories and seeing the wounded at Walter Reed?
Families have been wounded by secondary PTSD from living with PTSD veterans. Mental healthcare providers have been wounded by it because of all they have to hear and the repeated stress. Burnouts happen all the time. This has happened to me more times than I can remember and readers of this blog have witnessed it in me when it has gotten too much for me. But all of this leads to even more questions.
Did he make things worse for them? According to news reports, he was not that great at his job in the first place. What kind of training did he have on PTSD? Was he just what the DOD had their hands on to use to take care of the increased need of our troops to heal from all the traumatic events they were exposed to, especially with these multiple deployments? The Army study a few years ago stated clearly the redeployments increased the risk of PTSD by 50%. Didn't the troops deserve experts on PTSD instead? Don't they still deserve it?
This Major was supposed to be loyal to the troops like they were his own family because it is a military family. They are supposed to be willing to die for the sake of their brothers and sisters. We saw examples of this yesterday when they were pulling off their uniforms to bandage the wounded while waiting for help. This is as if it were domestic violence because a trusted member of the family killed others. I fear not many are taking yesterday's events seriously enough.
Over the years I've heard all kinds of statements that cause me to fear what is coming. I heard a Chaplain say that he does not know anything about PTSD but was sent to be counseling Marines in Iraq. While Chaplains are supposed to be taking care of the spiritual needs of the troops, this is a concern because PTSD is an emotional wound, caused by an outside force with one of the biggest issues is spiritual. They question their lifetime of understanding their faith, remembering a loving God, then wonder where God was with all of the horror they saw. They wonder how a loving God could allow all of that. They wonder if they were judged or abandoned by God. They need someone who not only knows God but what PTSD is as well. The other factor is that with the lack of trained psychologist, the chaplains are the next best thing for them to turn to, but over 60% seem to more interested in proselytizing than ministering to their needs.
Some psychologists and therapist believe that telling the troops they can prevent PTSD by training their minds is the answer, but it's not. They cannot stop being human. Scientists found the region of the brain where emotions live. They have seen the changes after trauma. PTSD is not a mental illness the way many think it is but an anxiety disorder caused by an outside force and it attacks the compassionate because they carry away the pain of others as well as their own pain. If they simply tell them they can train their brains, they are missing what PTSD is.
Are any of the troops prepared with what they really need to hear? Do they know how to heal? Do family members know what to do? After what I've seen in news reports, the answer is doubtful. With the increase of suicides and attempted suicides, that answer is supported by the results of the attempts they've come up with to address this.
With what happened at Fort Hood, there are many things they are missing. Now the biggest one after yesterday is the fact they were attacked by one of their own on their base where they are supposed to be safe. The "secondary stressor" of yesterday piled onto what they've already been exposed to will cause many to experience a full blown assault of PTSD without warning. Many think that their mild PTSD is as bad as it can be and they have not been given the proper treatment to begin to really heal. With this striking, there will be many in crisis and shocked over the sudden changes in themselves. The military has proven they were ill prepared for all of this and now it is very doubtful they will be prepared for what is to come.
Calling in crisis teams is the best thing they can do to take care of people who need to talk. Who will call in crisis teams for the already wounded now exposed to trauma at home? This was a man trusted to take care of them instead of trying to kill them and now there are 13 of their own they will have to grive for along with 30 more wounded. They will be looking for answers and wondering who they can trust. Aside from this, they will also be wondering who the miltiary decided was worthy of trusting with their care.
Families have been wounded by secondary PTSD from living with PTSD veterans. Mental healthcare providers have been wounded by it because of all they have to hear and the repeated stress. Burnouts happen all the time. This has happened to me more times than I can remember and readers of this blog have witnessed it in me when it has gotten too much for me. But all of this leads to even more questions.
Did he make things worse for them? According to news reports, he was not that great at his job in the first place. What kind of training did he have on PTSD? Was he just what the DOD had their hands on to use to take care of the increased need of our troops to heal from all the traumatic events they were exposed to, especially with these multiple deployments? The Army study a few years ago stated clearly the redeployments increased the risk of PTSD by 50%. Didn't the troops deserve experts on PTSD instead? Don't they still deserve it?
Details Emerge on Hood Rampage Suspect
November 06, 2009
Associated Press"He swore an oath of loyalty to the military," Grieger said. "I didn't hear anything contrary to those oaths."
WASHINGTON - His name appears on radical Internet postings. A fellow officer says he fought his deployment to Iraq and argued with Soldiers who supported U.S. wars. He required counseling as a medical student because of problems with patients.
There are many unknowns about Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the man authorities say is responsible for the worst mass killing on a U.S. military base. As of this morning 13 people are dead and 30 wounded following his alleged shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas.For six years before reporting for duty at Fort Hood, Texas, in July, the 39-year-old Army major worked at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center pursuing his career in psychiatry, as an intern, a resident and, last year, a fellow in disaster and preventive psychiatry. He received his medical degree from the military's Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., in 2001.
While an intern at Walter Reed, Hasan had some "difficulties" that required counseling and extra supervision, said Dr. Thomas Grieger, who was the training director at the time.
read more here
http://www.military.com/news/article/details-emerge-on-hood-rampage-suspect.html?ESRC=eb.nl
This Major was supposed to be loyal to the troops like they were his own family because it is a military family. They are supposed to be willing to die for the sake of their brothers and sisters. We saw examples of this yesterday when they were pulling off their uniforms to bandage the wounded while waiting for help. This is as if it were domestic violence because a trusted member of the family killed others. I fear not many are taking yesterday's events seriously enough.
Over the years I've heard all kinds of statements that cause me to fear what is coming. I heard a Chaplain say that he does not know anything about PTSD but was sent to be counseling Marines in Iraq. While Chaplains are supposed to be taking care of the spiritual needs of the troops, this is a concern because PTSD is an emotional wound, caused by an outside force with one of the biggest issues is spiritual. They question their lifetime of understanding their faith, remembering a loving God, then wonder where God was with all of the horror they saw. They wonder how a loving God could allow all of that. They wonder if they were judged or abandoned by God. They need someone who not only knows God but what PTSD is as well. The other factor is that with the lack of trained psychologist, the chaplains are the next best thing for them to turn to, but over 60% seem to more interested in proselytizing than ministering to their needs.
Some psychologists and therapist believe that telling the troops they can prevent PTSD by training their minds is the answer, but it's not. They cannot stop being human. Scientists found the region of the brain where emotions live. They have seen the changes after trauma. PTSD is not a mental illness the way many think it is but an anxiety disorder caused by an outside force and it attacks the compassionate because they carry away the pain of others as well as their own pain. If they simply tell them they can train their brains, they are missing what PTSD is.
Are any of the troops prepared with what they really need to hear? Do they know how to heal? Do family members know what to do? After what I've seen in news reports, the answer is doubtful. With the increase of suicides and attempted suicides, that answer is supported by the results of the attempts they've come up with to address this.
With what happened at Fort Hood, there are many things they are missing. Now the biggest one after yesterday is the fact they were attacked by one of their own on their base where they are supposed to be safe. The "secondary stressor" of yesterday piled onto what they've already been exposed to will cause many to experience a full blown assault of PTSD without warning. Many think that their mild PTSD is as bad as it can be and they have not been given the proper treatment to begin to really heal. With this striking, there will be many in crisis and shocked over the sudden changes in themselves. The military has proven they were ill prepared for all of this and now it is very doubtful they will be prepared for what is to come.
Calling in crisis teams is the best thing they can do to take care of people who need to talk. Who will call in crisis teams for the already wounded now exposed to trauma at home? This was a man trusted to take care of them instead of trying to kill them and now there are 13 of their own they will have to grive for along with 30 more wounded. They will be looking for answers and wondering who they can trust. Aside from this, they will also be wondering who the miltiary decided was worthy of trusting with their care.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Report: Vets need drug treatment, not jail
Report: Vets need drug treatment, not jail
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Nov 5, 2009 14:25:31 EST
Treatment, not incarceration, should be the first option for veterans who commit nonviolent drug-related offenses, a group advocating alternatives to the nation’s “war on drugs” said Wednesday in a new report.
The Drug Policy Alliance report also called on government agencies to adopt overdose prevention programs and policies for vets who misuse substances or take prescription medicines, and urged “significantly expanded” access to medication-assisted therapies, such as methadone and buprenorphine, for the treatment of dependence on opioid drugs used to treat pain and mood disorders.
During a conference call with a Drug Policy Alliance representative and seven other advocates for change in the treatment of veterans, the military’s Tricare health benefits program came under fire for what a New York-based physician and specialist in drug addiction treatment called its failure to pay for veterans’ and family members’ opioid dependence treatments.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/11/military_veterans_drug_treatment_110509w/
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Nov 5, 2009 14:25:31 EST
Treatment, not incarceration, should be the first option for veterans who commit nonviolent drug-related offenses, a group advocating alternatives to the nation’s “war on drugs” said Wednesday in a new report.
The Drug Policy Alliance report also called on government agencies to adopt overdose prevention programs and policies for vets who misuse substances or take prescription medicines, and urged “significantly expanded” access to medication-assisted therapies, such as methadone and buprenorphine, for the treatment of dependence on opioid drugs used to treat pain and mood disorders.
During a conference call with a Drug Policy Alliance representative and seven other advocates for change in the treatment of veterans, the military’s Tricare health benefits program came under fire for what a New York-based physician and specialist in drug addiction treatment called its failure to pay for veterans’ and family members’ opioid dependence treatments.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/11/military_veterans_drug_treatment_110509w/
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