Vet Suicides Underestimated, Skewed by State Data
Feb 01, 2013
Military.com
by Bryant Jordan
A just-released Department of Veterans Affairs analysis of suicide among veterans indicates that the number of vets taking their own lives may be higher than the VA has previously estimated, and this may be particularly true among women vets.
According to the 59-page "Suicide Data Report, 2012," suicide statistics utilizing veteran data gleaned from state death certificates may prove too unreliable
That means the number of vets that officials believe have been killing themselves every day over the past dozen years is likely higher than the 18-to-22 they have estimated. A glaring flaw in the numbers is that state death certificates, used as an identifier when compiling suicide stats for veterans, are less accurate in noting the veteran status of women, younger and unmarried vets and those with lower education levels.
"The ability of death certificates to fully capture female Veterans was particularly low; only 67 percent of true female Veterans were identified," the report states. "Younger or unmarried Veterans and those with lower levels of education were also more likely to be missed on the death certificate."
The findings demonstrate the value of linking information from state death records to VA and DoD records through data sharing agreements, the report states.
read more here
Saturday, February 2, 2013
516 suicides across all branches for 2012
While Col. Carl Castro was quoted in this article, he was not asked why his programs have failed and what is being done to correct this less than honorable outcome. Why isn't anyone asking him about Battlemind? Why isn't anyone asking him about Resilience Training? Why isn't anyone asking who is being held accountable for any of this?
By Sig Christenson
Updated 11:01 pm, Friday, February 1, 2013
The Army, by far the largest branch of the armed forces, set a record for suicides last year with 325, almost two-thirds of all military suicides.
It also was a record year throughout the military, with 516 suicides across all branches.
Suicides have bedeviled the military for years, with deaths rising after the U.S. went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq. But the Army, which has borne the brunt of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, has suffered the most.
Posts most involved in those wars reflect the problem, and none has more suicides than Fort Hood.
The Central Texas installation, which sent two divisions to Iraq three times, has had 129 suicides since 2003, including 19 last year.
The Army's Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention Office has found that suicides are driven by a complex set of factors ranging from deployment time and relationship problems to substance abuse and money woes.
read more here
Army Col. Carl Castro, director of the Military Operational Medicine Research Program, said that while much is known about factors involved suicides, the Pentagon is playing catch-up.and then he said
“And I think that's sort of where we're at and why this is such a difficult problem to get a hold of,” Castro said. “They're all fully engaged, so I think until we can sort of turn that corner and get that sort of maximum involvement, it's always just going to be a real tough nut to crack, but we are committed to solving this problem.”Most suicides ever for Army, military
By Sig Christenson
Updated 11:01 pm, Friday, February 1, 2013
The Army, by far the largest branch of the armed forces, set a record for suicides last year with 325, almost two-thirds of all military suicides.
It also was a record year throughout the military, with 516 suicides across all branches.
Suicides have bedeviled the military for years, with deaths rising after the U.S. went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq. But the Army, which has borne the brunt of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, has suffered the most.
Posts most involved in those wars reflect the problem, and none has more suicides than Fort Hood.
The Central Texas installation, which sent two divisions to Iraq three times, has had 129 suicides since 2003, including 19 last year.
The Army's Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention Office has found that suicides are driven by a complex set of factors ranging from deployment time and relationship problems to substance abuse and money woes.
A plague of military suicides
The Army has tried to curb the number of soldiers killing themselves amid repeated tours to war zones, but so far it's found no solutions. The number of suicides since 2003 reported at some of the Army's largest posts:
Fort Hood: 129
Fort Bragg, N.C. : 101
Fort Campbell, Ky.: 92
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.: 81
Fort Carson, Colo.: 59
Fort Stewart, Ga.: 57
SOURCE: U.S. Army
read more here
Army suicides at all time record high, no one held accountable
They are still pushing "Resilience Training" and it appears no one has been removed from duty after this outcome. The Senate has not held anyone accountable. The Pentagon has not held anyone accountable. No one is accountable and all we get are excuses and claims every year they "get it" when families still have to stand at graves that did not have to be filled!
325 Army suicides in 2012 a record
By Tom Watkins and Maggie Schneider
CNN
Sat February 2, 2013
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The Army reports 325 suicides last year among active and non-active military personnel
"Our highest on record," says Lt. Gen. Howard Bromberg
The total for 2011 was 283
(CNN) -- The U.S. Army reported Thursday that there were 325 confirmed or potential suicides last year among active and nonactive military personnel.
"Our highest on record," said Lt. Gen. Howard Bromberg, deputy chief of staff, manpower and personnel for the Army.
The grim total exceeds the number of total U.S. Army deaths (219) and total military deaths (313) in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, according to figures published by the military's Defense Casualty Analysis System.
For all of last year, 182 potential active-duty suicides were reported, 130 of which have been confirmed and 52 of which remain under investigation, it said.
And 143 potential not-on-active-duty suicides were reported (96 Army National Guard and 47 Army Reserve), 117 of which have been confirmed and 26 remain under investigation.
The total for 2011 was 283 -- 165 confirmed active-duty suicides and 118 confirmed not-on-active-duty suicides (82 Army National Guard and 36 Army Reserve). No cases were under investigation.
The toll comes despite what the military touts as extensive support and counseling programs.
"The Army continues to take aggressive measures head-on to meet the challenge of suicides as every loss of life impacts our family," said Bromberg. "In spite of the increased loss of life to suicide, with calendar year 2012 being our highest on record, the Army is confident that through our continued emphasis in the services, programs, policies and training that support our Army family, we will overcome this threat to our Force."
read more here
Care for him who shall have borne the battle
Care for him who shall have borne the battle
by Kathie Costos
Wounded Times Blog
February 2, 2013
This morning I opened an email about the number of military suicides and in the email a friend named Les added the thoughts that it is our job to "care for him who shall have borne the battle" and I responded adding in that while we talk about those numbers, we never seem to talk about the families left behind.
Did you know that a lot of family members end up with PTSD because of veterans coming home from combat? Did you know that family members suffer from the trauma, not from war, but from what the war did? Don't feel ashamed you didn't know. As bad as it is that we don't talk about our veterans or the troops, we talk about the families even less. Veterans are committing suicide with an average of almost one every hour.
Why? Because politicians and political zealots have taken sides and neither side is standing by the side of those who risk their lives.
Some want to blame President Obama while some still blame President Bush. The truth is, while the person in the Oval Office sets the agenda, it is members of congress writing and funding the bills including the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs.
The other ugly truth is, while Republicans claim to be pro-military, they are pro-military-contrators and have done a lousy job of taking care of the men and women serving in the military. The Democrats have been more pro-servicemen and women and less pro-contractos, but even with that, they have not been much better at doing things that will come close to getting this right for the sake of those who serve.
VA won't say how many veterans die waiting for disability benefits
President Lincoln said on March 4, 1865
In 2007 I put up this video onto YouTube. In 2009, I moved it onto Great Americans. I want you to watch it for a very important reason. The numbers. What we knew they were dealing with and then compare those numbers to what has been released recently as if any of his was new.
The truth is, many want to pretend this is all new. That way they can think something will actually be done to help all our veterans. The ugly truth is, nothing will really change until the Congress stops pretending they are doing something about all of this.
What did the news report on last month as if it was really "news" and new?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder cases overwhelm Veteran Affairs
There is yet another ugly truth no one seems to be tracking. When PTSD veterans are shot and killed by police. These are just some of the reports from January on Wounded Times.
Navy Medic Iraq veteran with PTSD shot by police in Arizona
Police shooting of PTSD soldier captured on video in Honolulu
While some get reported in newspapers around the country, some are kept quiet. That is the biggest thing we need to remember. For all the stories you read on Wounded Times, there are many, many more we do not read about. More suffering than you will ever know. Congress however knows more than any of us will know. After all, it is their job to know. The committees in the House and Senate cannot use the excuse they didn't know because it is their jobs to find out what is going on and figure out what to do about it.
These are the members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee right now.
House Veterans Affairs Committee
They are the people in charge during the 113th Congress and we need to hold them accountable because we didn't hold anyone accountable before this and that is how we ended up where we are when it comes to taking "care of of him who shall have borne the battle."
by Kathie Costos
Wounded Times Blog
February 2, 2013
This morning I opened an email about the number of military suicides and in the email a friend named Les added the thoughts that it is our job to "care for him who shall have borne the battle" and I responded adding in that while we talk about those numbers, we never seem to talk about the families left behind.
Did you know that a lot of family members end up with PTSD because of veterans coming home from combat? Did you know that family members suffer from the trauma, not from war, but from what the war did? Don't feel ashamed you didn't know. As bad as it is that we don't talk about our veterans or the troops, we talk about the families even less. Veterans are committing suicide with an average of almost one every hour.
Why? Because politicians and political zealots have taken sides and neither side is standing by the side of those who risk their lives.
Some want to blame President Obama while some still blame President Bush. The truth is, while the person in the Oval Office sets the agenda, it is members of congress writing and funding the bills including the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs.
The other ugly truth is, while Republicans claim to be pro-military, they are pro-military-contrators and have done a lousy job of taking care of the men and women serving in the military. The Democrats have been more pro-servicemen and women and less pro-contractos, but even with that, they have not been much better at doing things that will come close to getting this right for the sake of those who serve.
VA won't say how many veterans die waiting for disability benefits
President Lincoln said on March 4, 1865
“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”
In 2007 I put up this video onto YouTube. In 2009, I moved it onto Great Americans. I want you to watch it for a very important reason. The numbers. What we knew they were dealing with and then compare those numbers to what has been released recently as if any of his was new.
The truth is, many want to pretend this is all new. That way they can think something will actually be done to help all our veterans. The ugly truth is, nothing will really change until the Congress stops pretending they are doing something about all of this.
What did the news report on last month as if it was really "news" and new?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder cases overwhelm Veteran Affairs
There is yet another ugly truth no one seems to be tracking. When PTSD veterans are shot and killed by police. These are just some of the reports from January on Wounded Times.
Navy Medic Iraq veteran with PTSD shot by police in Arizona
Police shooting of PTSD soldier captured on video in Honolulu
While some get reported in newspapers around the country, some are kept quiet. That is the biggest thing we need to remember. For all the stories you read on Wounded Times, there are many, many more we do not read about. More suffering than you will ever know. Congress however knows more than any of us will know. After all, it is their job to know. The committees in the House and Senate cannot use the excuse they didn't know because it is their jobs to find out what is going on and figure out what to do about it.
These are the members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee right now.
Independent
Bernard Sanders, VT
Chairman
Democrat
John D. Rockefeller IV, WV
Patty Murray, WA
Sherrod Brown, OH
Jon Tester, MT
Mark Begich, AK
Richard Blumenthal, CT
Mazie Hirono, HI
Republican
Richard Burr, NC
Ranking Member
Johnny Isakson, GA
Mike Johanns, NE
Jerry Moran, KS
John Boozman, AR
Dean Heller, NV
House Veterans Affairs Committee
Republicans
Jeff Miller (FL), Chairman
Doug Lamborn (CO)
Gus M. Bilirakis (FL), Vice Chairman
David P. Roe (TN)
Bill Flores (TX)
Jeff Denham (CA)
Jon Runyan (NJ)
Dan Benishek (MI)
Tim Huelskamp (KS)
Mike Coffman (CO)
Mark E. Amodei (NV)
Brad Wenstrup (OH)
Paul Cook (CA)
Jackie Walorski (IN)
Democrats
Michael H. Michaud (ME), Democratic Ranking Member
Corrine Brown ( FL)
Mark Takano (CA)
Julia Brownley (CA)
Dina Titus (NV)
Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ)
Raul Ruiz (CA)
Gloria Negrete McLeod (CA)
Ann McLane Kuster (NH)
Beto O'Rourke (TX)
Tim Walz (MN)
They are the people in charge during the 113th Congress and we need to hold them accountable because we didn't hold anyone accountable before this and that is how we ended up where we are when it comes to taking "care of of him who shall have borne the battle."
Friday, February 1, 2013
Soldiers try to regain sleep patterns after return from combat zones
Soldiers try to regain sleep patterns after return from combat zones
By ADAM ASHTON
The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.)
Published: February 1, 2013
TACOMA, Wash. — Army Capt. David Raines is home in Lacey, Wash., with his family, but he sleeps like he’s still deployed in Afghanistan. The 35-year-old officer manages only a few hours of rest each night.
That sleep pattern worked for him during the three years he spent in combat zones, where it paid to be alert around the clock.
It’s not as productive when he’s helping raise his three young children and juggling his stateside assignment supervising ill and injured soldiers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
“I just want to sleep,” he said.
His experience struggling to find a healthy sleep routine at home is increasingly common for service members after a decade of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, said Lt. Col. Vincent Mysliwiec, Madigan Army Medical Center’s chief of sleep medicine.
Mysliwiec is the author of a study published today in the journal Sleep that breaks down ways that combat tours impact the rest service members are able to get when they return home.
read more here
By ADAM ASHTON
The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.)
Published: February 1, 2013
TACOMA, Wash. — Army Capt. David Raines is home in Lacey, Wash., with his family, but he sleeps like he’s still deployed in Afghanistan. The 35-year-old officer manages only a few hours of rest each night.
That sleep pattern worked for him during the three years he spent in combat zones, where it paid to be alert around the clock.
It’s not as productive when he’s helping raise his three young children and juggling his stateside assignment supervising ill and injured soldiers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
“I just want to sleep,” he said.
His experience struggling to find a healthy sleep routine at home is increasingly common for service members after a decade of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, said Lt. Col. Vincent Mysliwiec, Madigan Army Medical Center’s chief of sleep medicine.
Mysliwiec is the author of a study published today in the journal Sleep that breaks down ways that combat tours impact the rest service members are able to get when they return home.
read more here
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