Soldier stays sober with 12 steps Fort Campbell Courier by Leejay Lockhart, Courier staff Dec 8, 2016
“Soldiers who go to treatment they’ll clean up. They’ll be stellar, but as soon as you step out of treatment, you have no tools to use to keep you sober in the real world. That’s what recovery is. There is a difference and a lot of people don’t understand.” Sgt. Kristin Cloyd
When Sgt. Kristin Cloyd, a motor transport operator, assigned to A Company, 526th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, was in high school she started drinking at parties.
It did not take long before she started increasing the amount of alcohol she drank.
“My junior year of high school I started drinking a whole lot more,” Cloyd said. “Instead of every weekend, it was lets try to see if I can drink at school. Let me try to see if I can drink on weeknights before school.”
Before long her drinking caused the high school athlete to give up both basketball and volleyball, but because she maintained her grades, her life might have seemed normal to many of those people around her.
When she was still 17 she met an Army recruiter who convinced her to join the Reserves as a motor transport operator. Cloyd committed to becoming a Soldier in 2009 with the primary job duty of driving military vehicles over a variety of roads and terrain. Yet before she left for basic training, the police in California charged her with driving under the influence as a minor.
She was in the beginning stages of alcoholism and her life began to spin out of control. During basic training, she hurt her leg and ended up on pain medication. This added to her substance abuse problems.
At advanced individual training, the cadre discovered alcohol in her wall locker, which was a violation of her AIT’s zero tolerance policy. Part of her punishment included meeting with her commander who asked Cloyd if she wanted to remain in the Reserves. read more here
Holidays and PTSD National Center For PTSD
The holiday season is often difficult for people with PTSD, but there are healthy ways to cope and manage stress.
Here are some tips from our clinicians that can help you manage your PTSD symptoms over this holiday season:
Don't overschedule. Leave time for yourself. Make a plan to get things done. Set small, doable goals. When stressed, remind yourself of what has helped in the past. Use the tools from PTSD Coach app or PTSD Coach Online to help you manage stress. Reach out for support if you need it. Know you can rely on for help. If your symptoms are getting worse or you feel down, reach out to your provider or
Call the Crisis Line. If you know someone with PTSD, there are things you can do to make sure the holiday season is pleasant and enjoyable for everyone.
Educate yourself: Download and read Understand PTSD and PTSD Treatment (PDF), to learn more about how PTSD affects your loved one. Talk to your family member about what they need to feel comfortable during the holidays. If your loved one needs services, call Coaching into Care for advice in talking to them about treatment. Keep important resources at hand, such as the Veterans Crisis Line, a confidential toll-free hotline, online chat, or text. Veterans and their loved ones can call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, chat online, or send a text message to 838255 to receive confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Family seeks missing U.S. Marine who served in Middle East NJ.com By Greg Adomaitis December 09, 2016
James enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2007 and served one year in Iraq and another year Afghanistan before getting out of the service in 2012. He returned home to Clementon after his tours of duty, with family saying Friday that James suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
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CLEMENTON -- A borough man and former U.S. Marine who completed tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan hasn't been seen in nearly a week and his family is hoping to find him before his birthday on Saturday.
Lance James, who will be turning 29, was last heard from on Dec. 3, family said, adding that attempts to contact him via cell phone and social media have been unsuccessful.
"No one has seen or heard from him since Saturday. It is not like him to go this long without checking in," sister Jessica Hassan said Friday. "He is a local in the area and hangs out locally. He has not shown up to work and did not call out -- again very unusual for him."
Family said James -- who doesn't own a vehicle and has a 5-year-old daughter who lives with her mother -- went to the Hide-A-Way Tavern, in Clementon, Friday night and returned home afterward. read more here
Cities to get plaques with names of Vietnam War dead Orlando Sentinel Amy Rippel December 7, 2016
"It left a big hole in my heart. I want to let the veterans know we have not forgotten what they mean to the country." Ron Putnam
Vietnam veteran Don WIlson helps set up the traveling half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Lake Eola Park on January 16, 2012. The traveling exhibit also features a museum with information about the war. The Wall That Heals will be at the park today through January 22. (Jacob Langston/Orlando Sentinel) (Jacob Langston / Orlando Sentinel)
GROVELAND — Ron Putnam wants Vietnam War veterans to feel welcomed and honored. On Friday, he plans to do just that.
Putnam, 69, purchased seven personalized plaques to be presented to Lake County cities that were home to Vietnam veterans who died during the war. Each plaque is engraved with the hometowns and names of those who died. It's his way of showing respect and encouragement to Vietnam veterans who died in the war and others who were scorned when they returned home.
"I feel as though it's time to give something back to the Vietnam veterans, to let them know we support them and we are behind them," he said.
Putnam, who served at Luke Air Force base in Arizona from 1966 to 1970, said he started thinking about a dedication specific to local Vietnam vets shortly after he learned "The Wall That Heals," a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., was visiting Groveland. The Wall will remain in place until 2 p.m. Sunday. read more here
Orlando is now a four-star, while the hospitals in Lake City and Gainesville have been elevated to three-star status, according to spokesmen for those medical centers.
And this part, you need to remember that this part of the Lake Nona VA opened recently.
Michael Strickler, a spokesman for the Orlando VA Medical Center, said the hospital has taken numerous steps to improve service in recent months such as faster scheduling for and access to audiology, optometry and Urgent Care Center treatment.
I was there Monday with my husband. Like most emergency rooms, there was a wait time for tests. They got those done after a fairly short wait. The doctors and nurses were wonderful, as always, but few people know how good they are. After all, beating up on the VA instead of fighting for them is a lot easier on us, but not our veterans. Here's a simple reminder of who is responsible for what veterans have to go through when things do go wrong.
