UK Armed Forces Suicides Every Two Weeks

Armed forces suicide every 2 WEEKS - the shocking mental toll affecting our young men and women 
Mirror UK
BY DAN WARBURTON , SEAN RAYMENT , ALAN SELBY 
5 MAR 2016

Allan Arnold, 20, was found hanged two years after seeing five comrades killed in an explosion in Afghanistan in 2009.

Nearly 400 troops killed themselves between 1995 and 2014 and victims’ families have blasted defence chiefs for failing them

One of our servicemen or ­women commits suicide almost every two weeks, figures obtained by the Sunday People reveal.

Nearly 400 troops killed themselves between 1995 and 2014.

Hundreds ended their misery on military bases over a 20-year period in which we fought battles in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now victims’ families have blasted defence chiefs, accusing them of failing Our Boys.

Karen Bonsall, whose son Private Lee Bonsall, 24, was found hanged in woods near home in Tenby, Pembrokshire, four years ago, said the figures were the tip of the iceberg.

“The real number is much higher,” she said.

“When you start counting ­veterans who have left the forces, the figure is huge.”

Lance Sergeant Dan Collins hanged himself after twice surviving being shot, plus being blown off his feet by a roadside bomb.

Welsh Guardsman L/Sgt Collins, 29, who fought in Operation Panther’s Claw in Helmand Province, was traumatised by his great friend L/Cpl Dane Elson being blown to pieces yards from him.

He began suffering nightmares as soon as he returned to Pembrokeshire from the hell of Afghanistan.

He was diagnosed with PTSD but after ten months of treatment the Army allegedly said he had recovered and would soon be ready to return to duty.

Over the next three months, he twice tried to kill himself.

He finally hanged himself in his uniform on January 1, 2012.
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Female Veterans VA Health Moves Up From Basement

For female veterans, West Haven VA hospital provides visible space, more support
New Haven Register Veterans
Mark Zaretsky
March 5, 2016

Nearly 8 percent of the state’s veterans are women — and the numbers are growing larger.

WEST HAVEN
For years, the VA Connecticut Women’s Health Center was hidden in a basement of the Veterans Affairs medical center, its presence often known only to its staff and the women who used and depended on it.

Just like the clinic that provided for their health needs, Connecticut’s women veterans, themselves — a fraction of the overall veteran population of 200,000-plus in the state — were largely invisible.

These days, with more women serving in the military in more capacities, including on the battlefield, the needs are changing along with the numbers.

Nationally, about 10 percent of active armed forces are now women, the fastest-growing demographic within the military. Connecticut, as of the end of 2015, was home to 213,000 of the nation’s 22 million veterans — of which 17,000 (of 2.2 million nationally) were women, according to VA figures.

The VA has 4,300 female patients registered, of which 3,160 are active patients, said Vasquez, who works with VA Connecticut Women’s Program Manager Dr. Lynette Adams.
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Orlando Rocks for Air Force Master Sgt. Joe Deslauriers

Today at the VFW Post 4287 in Orlando, Semper Fidelis America Orlando Rocks for Air Force Master Sgt. Joe Deslauriers. This is the 4th Annual event for Orlando Rocks begun by one woman with a passion and vision for our veterans, Mary Louise and you can see past events below but for now, this is Joe's day.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jeremiah Jackson, left, Air Force Master Sgt. Joe Deslauriers, center, and Army Master Sgt. Guertin, rear, begin the procession for a wreath laying ceremony at the Bellingham, Mass., war memorial, May 19, 2013. Master Sgt. Deslauriers, an explosive ordnance disposal technician assigned to the 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron and Bellingham, Mass., native, received a Silver Star for gallantry in action.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Belena S. Marquez/Released)

September 2012 Warrior in the Spotlight - MSGT Joe Deslauriers

Technical Sergeant Joseph R. Deslauriers was born in Bellingham, Massachusetts, a small town southwest of Boston. He is the son of Joseph and Muriel Deslauriers, and brother to Celeste. Joe attended Bellingham Junior as well as Bellingham Senior High Schools where he lettered in football and baseball. He graduated from high school on June 6th, 1996 and was accepted to Framingham State College (Mass) where he continued to play football.

After attending Framingham State College for one year, Joe returned back to Bellingham and decided to join the United States Air Force. His desire was to serve his country and to travel and so he joined the Air Force on February 18, 1998. After graduating basic training Joe attended technical training at Eglin Air Force Base Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) phase one and then went on to phase two of training at Indian Head, Maryland. Upon graduation of EOD technical training school, Joe was stationed at Spangdahlem Air Force Base, Germany. While stationed there, Joe deployed to Gioia de Colle, Italy for Operation Allied Force during the Kosovo campaign. He then returned to Germany for three more months where he then deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Southern Watch. After returning from Kuwait, he PCS’d to Osan Air Force Base, Republic of Korea where he served as an EOD technician. From Korea, Joe was transferred to Hurlburt Field, FL home of the US Air Force Special Operations Command where he is currently stationed. While stationed there, he has deployed to Iraq in support of OIF and to Afghanistan three times in support of OEF. Joe also has also deployed to Africa in support of AFSOC operations as well. Joe married his sweetheart Lisa on 13 Nov 2010 and deployed to his last OEF tour a few months later

While on his last deployment in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan, Joe was conducting route clearance operations for a US Marine Combat Engineer Battalion when 3 IED blasts occurred. During the post blast investigation, Joe stepped on a pressure plate in an area which had already been swept and deemed clear. He had walked over the area on four different occasions and was returning to his vehicle when the blast occurred. His injuries were catastrophic Joe received an amputation of both legs above the knees and an amputation of his left arm below the elbow. Additionally, Joe also suffered from a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and is now suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Jan 14, 2013

On Saturday Semper Fidelis held a fundraiser for a Green Beret, double amputee at the VFW Post 4287 in Orlando. Mary Ingrassia arranged the event and all of her hard work paid off. Everyone had a great time and over $10,000 was raised for Josh's recovery. 

Jan 19, 2014

Last night proved beyond a doubt that when people come together for a common cause, mountains are moved out of the way!

Last year, Mary Ingrassia heard about a Green Beret double amputee Josh Burnette and decided to do something to help him. Semper Fidelis America President John Murphy has always been about team work. Just ask any of the veterans groups in Central Florida and they will tell you how active he and his wife Teresa are. Doug Pattelena, Commander VFW Post 4287 also knows this. Because they worked together, Josh knew how much he was loved with a fabulous night of appreciation, fun and over $10,000 in donations for his future.

Durning the event Mary heard about another young combat wounded hero, Bo Reichenbach. Bo, a Navy SEAL, lost both of his legs in 2012 while serving in Afghanistan. It was his time to be star of the show at the VFW.

Even Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer sent a proclamation declaring Bo Reichenbach Day!

       Jan. 18, 2015

Marine Cpl. Adam Devine was honored by a huge crowd on January 17th at the VFW Post 4287 in Orlando, sponsored by Semper Fidelis America. Adam was wounded in Afghanistan. This is from the motorcycle escort thru the streets of Orlando.

Why Do Reporters Forget Other Veterans?

Veterans VA "Minefield" Nothing New
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
March 5, 2016

Davich: Veterans new battlefield – VA's healthcare minefield is the headline on the Chicago Tribune from Jerry Davich. The trouble is, there isn't anything "new" about any of this! Go the VA someday and see what I mean. 

The majority of the veterans there are from all the other wars that left disabled veteran feeling unable to contemplate what the words "grateful nation" really mean. 

The story is about the new generation of veterans coming home, facing what hasn't been fixed for all the other veterans before them.

Carlos Villarreal did his best to curb his frustration while talking on the phone with the representative from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

"Sir, I've already had this same conversation with five million other VA reps," Villarreal said as politely as possible. "Yes, sir, I've already had this talk for my consultation and I'm still waiting and waiting for my appointment."

Villarreal, 31, of Hobart, is a former U.S. Marines sergeant who was seriously wounded in combat while serving in Iraq in 2005. Mortar fire caused severe hearing loss, lingering wounds to his mouth and, later, post-traumatic stress disorder.

Nothing new about any of this, but why bother to actually report what has been going on all along? Here's some history reporters don't bother with. Until they do, nothing will change.

Department of Veterans Affairs

The United States has the most comprehensive system of assistance for Veterans of any nation in the world, with roots that can be traced back to 1636, when the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony were at war with the Pequot Indians. The Pilgrims passed a law that stated that disabled soldiers would be supported by the colony.

Later, the Continental Congress of 1776 encouraged enlistments during the Revolutionary War, providing pensions to disabled soldiers. In the early days of the Republic, individual states and communities provided direct medical and hospital care to Veterans. In 1811, the federal government authorized the first domiciliary and medical facility for Veterans. Also in the 19th century, the nation's Veterans assistance program was expanded to include benefits and pensions not only for Veterans, but for their widows and dependents. Following the Civil War, many state Veterans homes were established. Since domiciliary care was available at all state Veterans homes, incidental medical and hospital treatment was provided for all injuries and diseases, whether or not of service origin. Indigent and disabled Veterans of the Civil War, Indian Wars, Spanish-American War, and Mexican Border period, as well as the discharged regular members of the Armed Forces, received care at these homes.

As the U.S. entered World War I in 1917, Congress established a new system of Veterans benefits, including programs for disability compensation, insurance for service personnel and Veterans, and vocational rehabilitation for the disabled. By the 1920s, three different federal agencies administered the various benefits: the Veterans Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions of the Interior Department, and the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers.

The first consolidation of federal Veterans programs took place August 9, 1921, when Congress combined all World War I Veterans programs to create the Veterans Bureau. Public Health Service Veterans’ hospitals were transferred to the bureau, and an ambitious hospital construction program for World War I Veterans commenced.

Oh, but why remember all of those generations since they're all dead now? Because what they went through mattered enough to the rest of this country and the government promised to take care of them. 

House Veterans Affairs Committee, seated in 1946 and given jurisdiction over everything veterans were promised for risking their lives for the rest of this "grateful nation" they returned to.

This was reported by Gregg Carlstom for Federal Times on February 25, 2008 showing the years of veterans waiting for members of Congress to do their jobs.

Poor planning by agency leaders and underfunding by Congress created these debilitating backlogs that may take years to resolve, according to federal officials, legislators and watchdog groups.
At the start of the Bush administration in 2001, VA had more than 400,000 pending claims for disability ratings, which determine a service-disabled veteran’s employability and disability benefits. The department made progress reducing that number: By 2003, the backlog was down to around 250,000.

But then the nation went to war.

“VA was kind of cruising right along with a certain volume of claims until the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Then the volume of claims increased,” said Belinda Finn, VA’s assistant inspector general for auditing. “We still had the same processes for handling a lower workload, and the system just hasn’t been able to handle the increase in claims.”

And so the backlog started creeping up. By 2008, VA once again has more than 400,000 pending claims for a disability rating. About 25 percent of those are officially considered backlogged, meaning they have been pending longer than six months.


“The number of claims that we receive each year has been going up pretty steadily,” said Michael Walcoff, VA’s associate deputy undersecretary for field operations. “In 2000, we got 578,000 claims, and last year got 838,000. That’s a pretty significant increase, and certainly some of that can be attributed to the soldiers coming back from [the wars].”

In June of 2008 the VA claim backlog stood at 879,291 within President Bush's second term.

President Obama took office with a backlog of claims at 803,000 on January 5, 2009.  By May it was 915,000.

So if reporters keep trying to pretend that any of this is new, it will keep getting worse for older veterans after they waited longer, suffered longer and have been forgotten about.

Kansas Veteran Get Second Chance to Heal From Court

Kansas' First Veterans Treatment Court Convenes In Johnson County 
KCUR News
By KYLE J SMITH
March 4, 2016

“This is not the easy path out. The person is supervised in some instances more heavily than they would be if they were on probation.” Dion Sankar with Jackson County's veteran court

The first Veterans Treatment Court is now in session in

Johnson County giving veterans options other than incarceration.

WIKIPEDIA -- CREATIVE COMMONS

Kansas’ first Veterans Treatment Court went into session in the Johnson County Courthouse on January 13, making the state the 41st in the nation to start such a program.

The court provides veteran offenders a diversion track through the Johnson County District Attorney’s office and a probation track offered through Johnson County District Court Services. They also link veterans with programs, benefits and services for which they are eligible.

Court officials pay special attention to conditions that may have risen as a result of active military service, including post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, depression, and substance abuse.

The Veteran’s Treatment Court was spearheaded by Judge Timothy McCarthy of the 10th Judicial District of Kansas. In order for a veteran to be eligible for the court, their felony must be a level 4 or lower.
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