Army suicides set another yearly record

The screaming fact is that while the numbers they report has gone up, they are not reporting all of them. Consider when a soldier is no longer active. The DOD will not track what happens to him or her. They may not be in the VA system, which reports 18 veteran suicides a day and another 10,000 a year attempting suicide. Still there are many more not bring tracked by the VA either. That's the thing we always need to remember. The numbers being reported are just the ones they are sure about. The rest, well, they just vanish from all records but not from the minds and hearts of the people who loved them.

Army suicides set another yearly record
By Mike Mount, CNN Senior Pentagon Producer
November 17, 2009 7:57 p.m. EST

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Officials say recent trend downward could mean Army is making headway in prevention
As of Tuesday, 211 active duty soldiers and reservists have killed themselves the year
In 2008, total was 197 suicides among active duty soldiers and reservists
Fort Campbell, Fort Stewart and Schofield Barracks singled out for special concern

Washington (CNN) -- Suicides among soldiers this year have topped last year's record-breaking numbers, but Army officials maintain a recent trend downward could mean the service is making headway on its programs designed to reduce the problem, Army officials said Tuesday.

Since January, 140 active-duty soldiers have killed themselves while another 71 Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers killed themselves in the same time period, totaling 211 as of Tuesday, Gen. Peter Chiarelli, U.S. Army vice chief of staff, told reporters at a briefing Tuesday. But he said the monthly numbers are starting to slow down as the year nears its end.

"This is horrible, and I do not want to downplay the significance of these numbers in any way," Chiarelli said.

For all of 2008, the Army said 140 active-duty soldiers killed themselves while 57 Guard and Reserve soldiers committed suicide, totaling 197, according to Army statistics.

The Army is still trying to tackle why soldiers are killing themselves.
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http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/11/17/army.suicides/index.html

This Emotional Life PBS looks at PTSD

PBS’s new documentary This Emotional Life and Blue Star Families sponsored an event at George Washington University to honor the 1.8 million men and women who have been deployed in America's Armed Services and their families. First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden spoke at the event, where dozens of volunteers from civilian and military organizations helped to prepare 500 care packages for military families

Bob, an Iraq War Veteran suffering from PTSD, five years after returning home,continues to be troubled by his combat experiences. Bob talks about his symptoms and the impact they are having on his life and the lives of his family. Bob’s wife, Lori also describes some of Bob’s challenges.

http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/video/lingering-war

Northrop Grumman supporting those who serve with jobs

This is posted with pleasure. I hardly ever get to do a positive post on a defense contractor but this time, what they are doing to accommodate PTSD combat veterans is nothing less than remarkable. These veterans are not "brain dead" suddenly and unable to use their talent or put their training to use. Put it this way. These are men and women who were willing to lay down their lives for this country, spent their years putting others first, mission focused and dedicated. Can you ask for a better employee than that? Ok, so yes they have some problems but at least unemployment won't add to the stress at the same time they are learning to heal. When they find jobs, it does them a lot of good to know they are still "useful" and someone values them. They also need to know that someone gives a damn.

The employer sets the tone of what will or will not be tolerated by other co-workers and this helps the veteran readjust in an atmosphere of a continuation of the "brotherhood" they just left when everyone is working together for a common goal. I think this is fabulous!

Army helps vets with `invisible wounds' find jobs
By MICHELLE ROBERTS (AP) – 4 hours ago

SAN ANTONIO — Richard Martin keeps a rearview mirror on his desk to prevent co-workers from startling him in his cubicle. The walls are papered with sticky notes to help him remember things, and he wears noise-canceling headphones to keep his easily distracted mind focused.

Martin, an Army veteran who was nearly blown up on three occasions in Iraq, once feared that post-traumatic stress disorder and a brain injury would keep him from holding down a civilian job, despite years of corporate experience and an MBA.

"Here I am with this background and I'm having problems with my memory," said Martin, a 48-year-old engineer and former National Guard major who now works for Northrop Grumman, helping to devise ways to thwart remote-detonated bombs.

The defense contractor recruited him through its hiring program for severely wounded veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. The company consulted occupational nurses on how to help him do his job without becoming overly nervous when someone, say, drops a heavy object. Martin figured out other tricks, like the headphones, on his own.

But Martin is one of the lucky ones.

Army officials say many new veterans suffering from PTSD and brain injuries struggle to find and keep a civilian job. Advocates say many employers don't know how to accommodate veterans with these "invisible wounds" and worry that they cannot do the job and might even "go postal" someday.
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Army helps vets with invisible wounds find jobs

Purple Hearts proposed for Fort Hood victims

Glad someone thinks they should get medals too! Not so sure I agree with what else he said, but glad he wants to give them the medals and benefits they should receive. It's not like this was something like an accident.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

13 premeditated murder charges for Hasan
What about charges for all the wounded? Don't they count? As for the wounded, will they get disability from the military for their wounds and have them treated as if they happened in war? This was an attack against them. What about medals? Do they get medals for being wounded like the Purple Heart or do they get medals for bravery when they cared more about their brothers and sisters even after they were wounded themselves? Will the families of the dead get the insurance money as if they died in war? What will happen to the families who lived on base and now their soldier is gone and they have to move off base, then get on with their lives? What happens to them? The kids? What happens to the kids when their parent was killed? Do these families get treated the same way a soldier's family is treated when they die in Iraq or Afghanistan?

Purple Hearts proposed for Fort Hood victims
November 17, 2009 2:34 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Texas congressman to introduce bill to grant Purple Hearts for Fort Hood victims
Troops wounded in combat eligible for Purple Hearts
Washington (CNN) -- Military victims of the Fort Hood massacre will be eligible to receive the Purple Heart if Congress passes a bill introduced Tuesday.

Non-military victims could receive the Secretary of Defense Medal of Freedom -- the civilian equivalent of the Purple Heart. Both military and civilian personnel killed or wounded in the November 5 attack would be granted the same legal status as combatant casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The bill was introduced by Texas GOP Rep. John Carter, who represents Fort Hood in the House of Representatives.

"As far as I'm concerned, this was an attack by an enemy upon American troops on American soil," Carter said Tuesday at a Capitol Hill news conference.

The bill "is about giving soldiers the benefits that other soldiers get when they are unfortunate enough to be killed or wounded in a combat zone."
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Purple Hearts proposed for Fort Hood victims

Suicides to top 2008, but progress reported

Suicides to top 2008, but progress reported

By Pauline Jelinek - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Nov 17, 2009 14:59:07 EST

WASHINGTON — Soldier suicides this year are almost sure to top last year’s grim totals, but a recent decline in the pace of such incidents could mean the Army is starting to make progress in stemming them, officials said Tuesday.

Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli said that as of Monday, 140 active duty soldiers were believed to have died of self-inflicted wounds so far in 2009. That’s the same as were confirmed for all of 2008.

“We are almost certainly going to end the year higher than last year ... this is horrible, and I do not want to downplay the significance of these numbers in any way,” he said.

But Chiarelli said there has been a tapering off in recent months from large surges in suspected suicides in January and February.

“Our goal since the beginning has been to reduce the overall incidence of suicide and I do believe we are finally beginning to see progress being made,” Chiarelli told a Pentagon press conference.

He attributed those hints of a turning to some unprecedented efforts the Army has made since February to educate soldiers and leaders about the issue.

Officials are still stumped about what is driving the historically high rates across the military force. When asked whether the rates reflect unprecedented high stress from long and repeated deployments to provide manpower for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Chiarelli said he didn’t know.
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Suicides to top 2008, but progress reported