Will Trump's Bigger Army Mean More Suicides?

Will Trump's Bigger Army Mean More Suicides?
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
January 21, 2017

I thought that reading Trump’s bigger Army could cost $12B by official’s math would be informative, however, it offered a lot more than math on the budget.

The Army hit a high of 566,000 active-duty troops in 2011 to sustain the American troop surge in Iraq along with the continuing war in Afghanistan. The number has steadily dropped since the U.S. pullout from Iraq in December 2011. The debate since then has been about the pace of a planned draw-down to 450,000 by the end of fiscal 2018. This year’s defense policy bill mandated that the Army not be reduced to fewer than 476,000.

When you read this about the numbers, consider the simple fact that when there are so many fewer serving, the actual outcomes of military suicides is even more frightening. This is from a report about 2015 Army suicides.

The Pentagon reported Friday that 265 active-duty service members killed themselves last year, continuing a trend of unusually high suicide rates that have plagued the U.S. military for at least seven years.

The actual percentage went up.

The number of suicides among troops was 145 in 2001 and began a steady increase until more than doubling to 321 in 2012, the worst year in recent history for servicemembers killing themselves.

The suicide rate for the Army that year was nearly 30 suicides per 100,000 soldiers, well above the national rate of 12.5 per 100,000 for 2012.

Military suicides dropped 20% the year after that, and then held roughly steady at numbers significantly higher than during the early 2000s. The 265 suicides last year compares with 273 in 2014 and 254 in 2013. By contrast, from 2001 through 2007, suicides never exceeded 197.

We don't know what the number was for 2016, because they have not released their data. We only know about the 1st and 2nd quarters.

In the first quarter of 2016, the military services reported the following:
 58 deaths by suicide in the Active Component
 18 deaths by suicide in the Reserves
 34 deaths by suicide in the National Guard
Please refer to Appendix A for a detailed breakdown of the number of deaths by suicide within each Service and Component.

And Army Suicides for the second quarter of 2016 In the second quarter of 2016, the military services reported the following:

 57 deaths by suicide in the Active Component
 23 deaths by suicide in the Reserves
 23 deaths by suicide in the National Guard

On veterans committing suicide, we need to look at a report from Idaho

Just between 2012 and 2014, there were more than 3,000 suicides in Washington, and 700 of them were past or current military.

In Washington, more than half of those veterans who committed suicide were over the age of 65, while in Idaho, it was a full 65 percent.

This is from Arizona

Men commit suicide more often (nearly 81 per 100,000) than women (25 per 100,000). Veterans outnumber non-veteran suicide rates 80 to 29 percent. 

Operation Stand Down-Central Texas Honored At Ball

Local nonprofit honored at Texas ball in D.C.
Killeen Daily Herald
By David A. Bryant
Herald staff write
Posted: Friday, January 20, 2017

What the Copperas Cove resident and former Army warrant officer didn’t know, however, was her organization was in for a treat. Toyota of Texas had a surprise in store for her — a brand-new custom Toyota Tundra pickup truck to help haul much-needed donations and provide rides for poor and homeless veterans to appointments at the Temple Veterans Affairs hospital.

Photo courtesy of Jack Barcroft
U.S. Rep. Roger Williams (R-Austin) introduces Joann Courtland, director of Operation Stand Down-Central Texas, during the Texas State Society Black Tie and Boots ball Thursday in Washington, D.C. The nonprofit was presented a brand new Toyota Tacoma pickup truck by Toyota of Texas to honor the nonprofit's work in helping homeless veterans.

WASHINGTON — When Joann Courtland, director of the Copperas Cove-based Operation Stand Down-Central Texas, was told to pack her bags Wednesday for a trip to the nation’s capital, she wasn’t quite sure what was going on.

She was told that U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Austin, was flying her out to attend the Texas State Society Black Tie and Boots ball to bring attention to the work the nonprofit does to help homeless veterans and bring them back into society. So she packed her bags, hopped on a plane Thursday morning and flew to Washington, D.C.

“I just thought he would talk about our organization in front of fellow Texans and allow for people who wanted to sponsor or donate to do so,” Courtland said. “It was full of 10,000-plus folks from all over the state.”
read more here

Iraq Veteran Released from Hospital Sent to Jail

Man shot by local officer jailed after release from hospital
KWTX News
January 20, 2017

Meyers spent a little more than six years in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of sergeant, according to records obtained by KWTX.

He joined the Army in April 2001 and served at Fort Hood from October 2003 to June 2007, when he left the service.

He deployed to Iraq from September 2003 to September 2004, and received a Purple Heart medal, the records show.

Thomas Eugene Meyers. (Jail photo)

KILLEEN, Texas (KWTX) A man whom a Killeen police officer shot after responding to a disturbance call was in the Bell County Jail Friday facing a list of charges after his release from the hospital.

Thomas Eugene Meyers, 35, of Killeen, is charged with possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and assault with bodily injury on a family member.v read more here

We probably have the idiotic report of the week on Combat PTSD

Ladies and Gentlemen, we probably have the idiotic report of the week. Then again, the week isn't over yet. "Mindset of charged Iraqi War vets questioned" By Jim Holt on the Santa Clarita Valley January 20, 2017,

"The actual condition, however, has yet to receive the attention it demands from the Veterans Administration where psychologically wounded soldiers – as Andersen is convinced applies to Ditch – go for help."

I know it is very hard for some younger folks to comprehend the simple fact that something isn't all about them, but involves far too many other waiting even longer for what they claim they lack, but that is bull. Bull at least for this generation considering Vietnam veterans are the ones who came home and pushed for all the funding and research.

This is part from the Department of Veterans Affairs History of PTSD.

"In 1980, APA added PTSD to DSM-III, which stemmed from research involving returning Vietnam War Veterans, Holocaust survivors, sexual trauma victims, and others. Links between the trauma of war and post-military civilian life were established."

And this is how long researchers have been trying to understand it.

Early attempts at a medical diagnosis Accounts of psychological symptoms following military trauma date back to ancient times. The American Civil War (1861-1865) and the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) mark the start of formal medical attempts to address the problems of military Veterans exposed to combat. European descriptions of the psychological impact of railroad accidents also added to early understanding of trauma-related conditions.

The subject of the report are two veterans. The report added this.

In a letter dated July 10, 2013, addressed to Ditch from the Department of Veterans Affairs, a copy of which was obtained by The Signal, shows Ditch being compensated as of February 2011. The claim, according to Andersen, was for injuries Ditch suffered which include PTSD and traumatic brain injury, TBI. According to Andersen, he and Ditch – age 20 and 22 – when they were deployed to Iraq with the 27th Infantry, were not the same people that returned to America.“Ditch had a buddy that was shot right next to him in a tower,” Andersen said. “He also saw lot of other friends shot and killed; some blown up.“He was a good kid,” he said. “There are hundreds of guys, including high-ranking guys, ready to support him.”

There is only so much the VA can do. Consider the fact there are now over 400,000 veterans charities set up across the country to "support" and help veterans. Countless folks are doing pushups and taking walks so they raise awareness about the problems veterans have, without doing anything about the "problem" itself.

They get away with all of it because the press never holds any of them accountable. Are they afraid to actually go after a feel good story they jumped to share more than they are afraid of the outcomes they did nothing to change?

They have made the VA an enemy instead of covering what they have gotten right, plus all the different things they are doing to treat PTSD. The VA saved more veterans than you will ever hear about but the veteran has a responsibility in all of this too. They need to do the work to heal and take advantage of what had been in place for them since the 80's. PTSD Suicide Survivor New Year's Message of Hope

Iraq Veteran Has Big Case of Puppy Love

Palm Harbor veteran, puppies take care of one another
WTSP
Bobby Lewis
January 18, 2017

Will Blanchard whipped out a pet carrier and a smile and chuckle.

“This is my new army,” he said with a group of adorable puppies yapping in the background.

The Palm Harbor transplant, by way of Chicago, is happy to have a purpose again. It took a while to find it, but his volunteer role at the Suncoast Animal League has become his calling.

“His work ethic has not changed,” said SAL executive director Rick Chaboudy. “He’s one of the hardest working.”

It’s Blanchard's nature.

His great-grandfather served in WWI. Both of his grandfathers fought in the Korean War. When he graduated from Palm Harbor University High in 2003 he, naturally, entered the military, too.

It just didn’t end well.

“I was in the Army and over in Iraq from November ‘06 to January ’08,” he recalled. “I lost a lot of buddies. Saw the terrors of war and it messed with me quite a bit.”

Since becoming retired from the military, Blanchard searched for activities to fill his day and keep his mind off his service experiences. His body is a living memorial to the friends he’s lost - his back is covered with tattooed names of 11 friends who died alongside him in service.

He needed a distraction and found it in four-legged friends.
read more here