Monday, September 10, 2018

Miramar Marine Sgt. Killed in Lemon Grove

Man Killed in Lemon Grove Shooting ID'd as Miramar Marine
NBC 7 News San Diego
By Alexander Nguyen
Sep 9, 2018

A man shot and killed early Friday morning in Lemon Grove was identified Sunday as a Marine sergeant stationed at Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said.
Sheriff's deputies spotted a car parked in the middle of the street on Pacific Avenue, near the Lemon Grove Square Shopping Center shortly after midnight Friday, sheriff's Lt. Rich Williams said.

Inside, they found Sgt. Christopher Truax Jr., 21, bleeding from a gunshot wound, and a woman. Truax soon stopped breathing and despite CPR efforts from first responders, he was pronounced dead around 12:39 a.m., Williams said.
read more here

Over half of the suicides worldwide are in America?

Well this is shocking!
Every year, almost 80,000 people across the world take their own lives. In the UK alone, more than 6,000 people commit suicide each year - an average of 18 per day. Today marks World Suicide Prevention Day, an annual event designed to raise awareness of suicide and reach out to those who are struggling to cope.
No, not because the number of known suicides is so high. 

It is shocking because according to the CDC, the US is more than half of them!
Suicide rates have been rising in nearly every state, according to the latest Vital Signs report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2016, nearly 45,000 Americans age 10 or older died by suicide. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death and is one of just three leading causes that are on the rise.
And now that you know that, still willing to settle for "suicide awareness" instead of letting them know how they can heal and find hope again?


Sunday, September 9, 2018

Most veterans in Florida are over 50---but not worth mentioning?

Will Florida ever get it right on taking care of our veterans? You know, all our veterans and not just the ones groups want to limit care to.

First the rate of "post 9-11" veterans with PTSD is one out of five. One out of three would be Vietnam veterans! You know, the ones groups like this will not even mention. The ones who waited longer for the same care. Oh, well, what could they expect? After all, it isn't as if the Vietnam veterans started all the research and making sure help was there....oh, wait...they did make it all happen.

"There are more than 76,000 post-Sept. 11 veterans living in Central Florida, Rodriguez estimates, and about a third of them experience some kind of cognitive or mental-health readjustment issue when returning from deployment."
Florida has about 1.5 million veterans and most are over the age of 50! They are also the majority of the known suicides.
While this was one of the pieces of information on this article,
The majority of veterans committing suicide are over the age of 50~It must have not dawned on the reporter to ask why older veterans are not among those who deserve the same camaraderie!

Group raising $2 million to fund counseling for post-Sept. 11 veterans
Orlando Sentinel
Kate Santich
September 8, 2018

At the Camaraderie Foundation in Orlando, the calls and emails come from veterans across the nation — some suicidal, some traumatized, some haunted by their own thoughts.

“We had five more last night,” said executive director Neftali Rodriguez, shaking his head. “You can raise a million dollars to save the whales. But what about these guys? They’re in pain.”

This weekend, the foundation launches a campaign to raise $2 million by the end of next year — enough to provide free counseling to 1,000 post-Sept. 11 veterans and their families on top of the charity’s current caseload.

It’s an ambitious goal for a still-young nonprofit, which operates with a staff of six out of crowded rented office space off East Michigan Street. Started in 2009 by a local veteran and his wife, the foundation gives counseling “scholarships” to veterans struggling to readjust to civilian life — or the families struggling to help them.
read more here

PTSD Patrol: You can get there from here

PTSD Patrol, directions to hope
Kathie Costos
September 9, 2018

This morning on PTSD Patrol, the topic was listening to your guide, in this case, a GPS trying to get you on the best road. 

That is, after all, what we are doing here every week.

PTSD is not new. It is as old as biblical days when the anguished cried out to God for either mercy or forgiveness. Anything had to be better than what they were going through.

It is the same way with you. When you are struggling to find hope, you need to know how to get there.

It is almost like saying you are going to drive out west. If you live in Florida, that can get tricky on your own. Out west is Tampa and the the Gulf of Mexico. You need to find out how to get out of Florida first.

If you are smart enough to figure out you need directions for a road trip, then why don't you use that same intelligence to know when to ask for directions to heal?

This is from PTSD Patrol

Whenever you want to go to a place you have never been before, you have to find out how to get there.

In my case, my daughter bought me a GPS after I got lost in Tiffin Ohio...for two hours circling corn fields. (Don't ask, long story) She said I get lost getting out of a paper bag!

Everyone can get lost but the folks who planned the road and loaded directions must have gotten lost too. 

When everything is going to hell, it is hard to believe in a place you have never been to. You are used to being stuck, most of the time feeling alone, and always being just too depressed to do much at all. 

But even though you may feel as if you are stuck, there is something inside of you trying to get you to notice you are the only one keeping you from getting to where it is so much better. You can live a better life if you look for directions how to find it.

This video is for anyone who is lost but refuses to pay attention to the easiest way to get to hope. No one is so lost they cannot be found and get your life turned around from grave to Hope Road.
go here for more hope

“It’s okay to not be okay…”

I'm Listening
EXCLUSIVE: Michael Phelps’ Full #ImListening Interview
“It’s okay to not be okay…”
LAUREN HOFFMAN
SEPTEMBER 9, 2018

The world’s most decorated Olympian, Michael Phelps, opens up about his vulnerability, swimming as an escape, and how therapy changed his life - in this exclusive interview:
“While I had a lot of success in the swimming pool, I also struggled with anxiety and depression so I understand how difficult it can be for people to address mental health challenges,” says Phelps. “In sharing my own journey, I would like to help people understand that it’s okay to not be okay, and that asking for help isn’t a sign a weakness but rather a sign of strength and courage.”

Phelps recently announced a partnership with Talkspace, which helps connect anyone with therapists through a computer, tablet or smartphone. “I was scared to go in somewhere and be judged,” says Michael. Talkspace helps break the barriers – especially for those who are reluctant to seek-out help in person, or may not have the financial means. “Every day is not going to be perfect,” he explains, “but it gives me tools to help work through things.”

“Saving a life is much more important to me than winning a gold medal,” Michael concludes. “You are not alone.”

For more positive strokes, check out the Michael Phelps Foundation: https://michaelphelpsfoundation.org.
read more here