Nightmares, horrors of war follow Bryan man home from Iraq
KVIA - El Paso,TX,USA
09.15.07
Nightmares, horrors of war follow Bryan man home from Iraq
BRYAN, TX. (AP) - For six days, Sgt. Byron Hancock hunched on his belly, motionless in the shallow, soggy trench he and his partner spent eight hours digging under the cover of night - surviving with little food and almost no sleep as he directed his focus through the high-powered scope of his M40A3 sniper rifle.
He tried not to think about the surprisingly cold winter that had hit Iraq's Al Anbar province - a dangerous region teeming with insurgents who had fled the hellish urban warfare of Fallujah a month earlier. At night, it would be cold enough to freeze the rain that seeped into his hole. Go figure, the lifelong hunter thought when he allowed his mind to wander: Stuck in the middle of a desert with water up to my neck and experiencing the most bone-chilling weather of my life.
The decorated police officer had fought in Fallujah, too, scared out of his mind but earning a war hero's reputation when he made a 1,050-yard kill - touted by the military as the longest successful sniper shot of the Iraq war. Now it was the Marine reservist's duty to patrol the countryside, finding suspected insurgents and gathering probable cause just like his days back home on the Bryan police force.
But this was different. It wasn't Texas. The stakes were higher and the judgment - whether someone deserved to live or die - needed to be lightning quick. If he didn't strike, it could mean his own life or the lives of other troops. He'd seen it happen before. It gets to the point where, faced with constant danger, you accept your own potential death. But you never accept letting your fellow troops down. In this case, the suspect was a teenager - 14, 15, 16 ... who knows - who had ridden his motorcycle day after day down a road commonly used by U.S. forces, always pausing suspiciously for a moment at the same spot before moving on.........................
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Friday, September 14, 2007
Patriot Guard at service for sailor in Oregon
Phillip Leveque has spent his life as a Combat Infantryman, Physician, Pharmacologist and Toxicologist.Patriot Guard at a service for a fallen sailor in Oregon
Photo by: Tim King
(MOLALLA, Ore.) - Margie Boulé authored an article in the September 9th edition of the Oregonian about the Patriot Guard and PTSD. She unknowingly pushed the button of PTSD and inadvertently touched the tip of the PTSD iceberg.
The Patriot Guard is a nationwide group of 110,000 “bikers” who ride, some in groups as large as 200 riders, as “Honor Guards” for their dead war comrades and heroes returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. This is a noble tribute by many who have “been there, seen that, done that”. However, when many of them came home, a large portion from Viet Nam, they were spit on and reviled.
The only mission of a soldier, or Marine, in the service is to “kill or be killed”. If anyone thinks their mission is otherwise or that the rifleman has any control what-so-ever as to what happens to him or what he has to do to survive doesn’t know or understand anything about battle.
go here for the rest
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/september142007/leveque_ptsd_91407.php
Patriot Guard Riders Mission Statement
The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse amalgamation of riders from across the nation. We have one thing in common besides motorcycles. We have an unwavering respect for those who risk their very lives for America’s freedom and security. If you share this respect, please join us.We don’t care what you ride or if you ride, what your political views are, or whether you’re a hawk or a dove. It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn't matter where you’re from or what your income is; you don’t even have to ride. The only prerequisite is Respect.Our main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family. Each mission we undertake has two basic objectives.
1. Show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities.
2. Shield the mourning family and their friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors.We accomplish the latter through strictly legal and non-violent means.
To those of you who are currently serving and fighting for the freedoms of others, at home and abroad, please know that we are backing you. We honor and support you with every mission we carry out, and we are praying for a safe return home for all.
Lineage of the Patriot Guard Riders.
Updated
Several people have asked how the Patriot Guard Riders got started. Here’s what we’ve been able to piece together. If anyone can give us more details, it would be greatly appreciated.It all started back in early August of 2005 with the American Legion Riders chapter 136 from Kansas. They were appalled to hear that a fallen hero’s memory was being tarnished by misguided religious zealots who were protesting at funerals.
They decided to do something about it. At the ALR 136 August meeting, Director: Chuck " Pappy " Barshney appointed members, Terry “Darkhorse” Houck, Cregg “Bronco 6” Hansen, Steve “McDaddy” McDonald, and Bill ”Wild Bill” Logan to form a committee to strategize and form a battle plan to combat Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church.When they heard that the WBC was going to protest at the Funeral of Sgt. John Doles in Chelsea, Oklahoma, they established a Mission Statement, which included getting the families permission and contacting Law Enforcement and other Motorcycle Groups in Oklahoma.
They agreed that their ultimate goal was to get veterans and motorcycle organizations involved in every state so that each state could handle the situation internally and not rely on other states to do the job. They were very successful in mustering riders to honor Sgt. Doles and limiting the intrusion by the WBC.
After the Chelsea Mission the Kansas American Legion Riders wanted all Motorcycle Groups/ Organizations to be recognized. On the 18th of October 2005 the Patriot Guard name was established and was announced on the 27th of October 2005 to the 100 + motorcyclists present at the Tonganoxie Mission to Honor Spc Lucas Frantz.Following the missions in South Haven, KS and a later ride in Edmond, OK, Jeff “Twister” Brown, from Broken Arrow, OK, decided to do more than just ride.
He saw a need to get a strong nation-wide communications and recruiting program in place. He contacted the original AL riders in Kansas and told them of his plans. They openly shared their experiences, suggestions, and encouragement. Within a matter of days, Brown had formed the Patriot Guard Riders and began a nation-wide campaign to garner support.Similarly, after a mission ride in Greeley, CO, Hugh Knaus and Jason “Waldo” Wallin answered the call of the newly formed Patriot Guard Riders, becoming the national webmaster and communications director, respectively. Within a matter of days, a mission statement was refined and a website was built, rebuilt, and launched.
A call immediately went out to individual riders and groups across the nation to join and ride with the PGR. State Captains were recruited to work more closely with the members in their area.The growth has been phenomenal. Within a week their membership included many riders from associations like the VFW, American Legion, Rolling Thunder, ABATE, Combat Vets Motorcycle Association, Intruder Alert, Leathernecks Motorcycle Club, and almost five hundred individual riders. To the credit of Hugh and “Waldo”, the PGR website had received almost 566,000 hits in the first two weeks! Patriots from all over America and several foreign countries responded. Emails were pouring in from people wanting to support and join the newly formed PGR.So, that’s a pretty concise picture of where we came from and where we are today.
A great deal of credit goes to that small group of Kansas American Legion Riders, but none of this could have ever been accomplished without the patriot member who takes time out of their life to honor a fallen soldier and their family.
http://www.patriotguard.org/Home/tabid/53/Default.aspx
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Beyond Walter Reed Hospital
The Wounded Warrior at Home: Walter Reed and Beyond
The Washington Post's ongoing investigation of the state of medical care and facilities at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the overall military and VA health care systems.
Casualties Without a Scratch
Living with PTSD
The Invisibly Wounded
The Washington Post's ongoing investigation of the state of medical care and facilities at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the overall military and VA health care systems.
Casualties Without a Scratch
Living with PTSD
The Invisibly Wounded
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Support the troops? Then why aren't we taking care of the wounded?
When I hear people on both sides of the debate say "support the troops" I want to scream "THEN DAMN IT TAKE CARE OF THEM WHEN THEY GET WOUNDED" because if we don't we are just a bunch of frauds!
Wounded Soldier's Family Feels Forgotten
NPR - USA
by Howard Berkes
This is the first of a two-part report.
All Things Considered, September 12, 2007 · Two years ago, Army Specialist Ronald Hinkle left a good trucking job, a working ranch, a wife and two daughters in Byers, Colo., to serve in Iraq.
Now Hinkle is one of more than 13,000 American service men and women who have suffered serious wounds in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hinkle survived an IED blast but festering wounds nearly killed him.
He and his family are struggling to rebuild lives completely transformed by that explosion in Iraq.
Hinkle was diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI, as a result of the IED explosion. He suffers from sudden seizures. He tires quickly. He doesn't think clearly, and he cannot be left alone.
Hinkle was honored for his service in November when Vice President Dick Cheney pinned a Purple Heart to his desert fatigues, but his family feels otherwise deserted by the Army.
The U.S. Army failed to provide all the benefits and support for which the family is entitled. Now the Hinkles are tens of thousands of dollars in debt, and they may lose their ranch. Ron's wife, Reece, gave up her lucrative income as a corporate accountant to take care of him.
Reece now finds herself as more of a caretaker than wife, and she laments that Ron has lost the ability to be a father, a son and a husband because "he is living his life being injured."
"Just trying to just figure out how to deal with that is enough," Reece said. "What people don't realize is it's not the injury that destroys families. It's the aftermath. It's how you reconstruct your life, how you physically regroup, emotionally, financially. It will never be the same."
The Strength Within: One NCO's Experience with Suicide and PTSD
The Strength Within: One NCO's Experience with Suicide and PTSD
Sep 12, 2007
BY Elizabeth M. Lorge
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Sept. 12, 2007) - In the face of rising suicide rates among Soldiers, the Army is making a renewed effort to help Soldiers at risk and educate Soldiers and leaders about the signs to look for in their battle buddies and subordinates. That education is crucial in saving Soldiers' lives, said retired 1st Sgt. Cornell Swanier.
He has first-hand experience with suicide - as a prevention-education coordinator, as a noncommissioned officer who lost a Soldier and as a combat veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder who has thought about killing himself. On Thanksgiving Day, 2002, he got the call every leader dreads. One of the Soldiers he had brought safely through a deployment to Kuwait for Operation Enduring Freedom was dead by his own hand, an event 1st Sgt. Swanier is still trying to comprehend. "I really got close to my Soldiers," he said. "I really tried to know the Soldiers, know their families, from top to bottom. It was tough on me. It's still tough on me to this day to walk in the barracks room and to see a dead Soldier. When Thanksgiving comes around, I think about that Soldier."
go here for the rest
http://www.army.mil/-news/2007/09/12/4829-
the-strength-within-one-ncos-experience-with-suicide-and-ptsd/
also
Suicide Prevention: Watch Out for Your Buddy
Sep 10, 2007
BY J.D. Leipold
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Sep. 10, 2007) - In conjunction with National Suicide Prevention Week Sep. 9-15, the Army wants Soldiers and their Families to know help is available to those struggling with issues that sometimes bring about suicide.
"This year's strategy focuses on three key points - training the Army Family in positive life skills, buddy care and counseling through a variety of ways," said Army Chief of Chaplains Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Douglas L. Carver. "I think educating our leaders, Soldiers and Families on what to look for in suicidal behaviors has made our people more sensitive and aware."
Soldiers who commit suicide usually do so because they can't see another way out of a painful situation Chaplain Carver said. Frequent and longer deployments add yet more burden, especially on relationships, he said.
"We've looked pretty closely at all the various factors involved in Soldier suicide - failed relationships, this long war," said Chaplain Carver, "yet the morale of our Soldiers is as high as it's ever been because they sense the importance of their mission down-range and they look out for one another."
go here for the rest
http://www.army.mil/-news/2007/09/10/4765-
suicide-prevention-watch-out-for-your-buddy/
Sep 12, 2007
BY Elizabeth M. Lorge
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Sept. 12, 2007) - In the face of rising suicide rates among Soldiers, the Army is making a renewed effort to help Soldiers at risk and educate Soldiers and leaders about the signs to look for in their battle buddies and subordinates. That education is crucial in saving Soldiers' lives, said retired 1st Sgt. Cornell Swanier.
He has first-hand experience with suicide - as a prevention-education coordinator, as a noncommissioned officer who lost a Soldier and as a combat veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder who has thought about killing himself. On Thanksgiving Day, 2002, he got the call every leader dreads. One of the Soldiers he had brought safely through a deployment to Kuwait for Operation Enduring Freedom was dead by his own hand, an event 1st Sgt. Swanier is still trying to comprehend. "I really got close to my Soldiers," he said. "I really tried to know the Soldiers, know their families, from top to bottom. It was tough on me. It's still tough on me to this day to walk in the barracks room and to see a dead Soldier. When Thanksgiving comes around, I think about that Soldier."
go here for the rest
http://www.army.mil/-news/2007/09/12/4829-
the-strength-within-one-ncos-experience-with-suicide-and-ptsd/
also
Suicide Prevention: Watch Out for Your Buddy
Sep 10, 2007
BY J.D. Leipold
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Sep. 10, 2007) - In conjunction with National Suicide Prevention Week Sep. 9-15, the Army wants Soldiers and their Families to know help is available to those struggling with issues that sometimes bring about suicide.
"This year's strategy focuses on three key points - training the Army Family in positive life skills, buddy care and counseling through a variety of ways," said Army Chief of Chaplains Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Douglas L. Carver. "I think educating our leaders, Soldiers and Families on what to look for in suicidal behaviors has made our people more sensitive and aware."
Soldiers who commit suicide usually do so because they can't see another way out of a painful situation Chaplain Carver said. Frequent and longer deployments add yet more burden, especially on relationships, he said.
"We've looked pretty closely at all the various factors involved in Soldier suicide - failed relationships, this long war," said Chaplain Carver, "yet the morale of our Soldiers is as high as it's ever been because they sense the importance of their mission down-range and they look out for one another."
go here for the rest
http://www.army.mil/-news/2007/09/10/4765-
suicide-prevention-watch-out-for-your-buddy/
Tennessee Gulf War Vet put to death with PTSD
Gulf War veteran who killed his four children CHOOSES to go to the electric chair
Last updated at 20:00pm on 12th September 2007
Murderer: Daryl Holton
A Quadruple killer went to the electric chair yesterday after choosing to be electrocuted rather than receive a lethal injection.
Daryl Holton, 45, a Gulf war veteran who murdered his three sons and their half-sister with an assault rifle after promising them a Christmas surprise, was the first inmate to be electrocuted in the state of Tennessee since 1960.
When prison warden Ricky Bell asked Holton if he had any last words, he replied only 'Yeah, I do,' but said nothing further.
Officials at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution then placed a wet sponge and metal plate on Holton's head.
Holton kept his eyes closed.
As a towel was used to wipe away water from the sponge, he said: "Don't worry about it."
A black shroud was placed over his head.
Then a 20-second shock was administered. Holton's back straightened and his hips moved up out of the chair before he slumped back.
After a 15 second pause, Holton was given a second shock that lasted 15 seconds.
He was pronounced dead moments later.
Tennessee law states the voltage used must be at least 1,750 volts.
Electrocution was first introaduced in New York in 1888 as a more humane method of execution than hanging, but there have been horrific instances of inmates catching on fire, multiple jolts being needed to kill, and bones being broken by convulsing limbs.
Holton had methodically killed his children and their half-sister in Shelbyville, Tennessee, garage in 1997, following a lengthy custody battle with his ex-wife.
Lined up on the promise of a Christmas surprise, the youngsters - Steven, 12, Brent, ten, Eric, six, and their four-year-old half-sister Kayla - were shot in the back.
Holton told police he killed the children because his ex-wife had not let him see them for months.
Holton said he was suffering from severe depression at the time. His lawyers maintain he had a long history of mental illness and may have suffered post traumatic stress disorder following the 1991 Gulf War.
click post title for the rest
When I was researching the suicide deaths of our veterans, I came across more stories like Holton's and their families. The percentages of murder-suicides is low. There were other crimes committed but most of the ones I found had suspicions of links to inoculations and drugs given before deployments. The majority of the PTSD findings I came across were suicide.
Too many of these men and women have the mind-set that people with PTSD are defects, useless or even deserve what they're going through. Others around them don't want PTSD talked about because they feel it will make them look bad.
Although I am grateful the media began to pay attention to PTSD, they still have fallen short of removing the stupidity from the minds of those in the military and eliminating the stigma attached to having it. What will it take for everyone to finally and fully understand that PTSD is a wound. It is caused by trauma. It has nothing to do with being "bad" or "evil" or their courage or their patriotism but has everything to do with getting help to heal.
The dangerous ones are rare with PTSD. Most are just trying to spend one night without having a nightmare, without having a flashback, without forgetting what happened ten minutes ago because of short term memory loss.
There are different degrees of PTSD and it is about time for us to understand this. It is not a one size fits all diagnosis. Some have mild PTSD that if they get treated early on, it does not develop into full blown life altering PTSD for the rest of their lives. Others develop it stronger from trauma upon trauma piling up until they can no longer see themselves when they look in the mirror. Until the sickening, judgmental response of those around these wounded warriors develops into positive support, more will end up suffering needlessly. More families will fall apart and more people will blame themselves instead of the trauma.
Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
www.Namguardianangel.blogspot.com
www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
Last updated at 20:00pm on 12th September 2007
Murderer: Daryl Holton
A Quadruple killer went to the electric chair yesterday after choosing to be electrocuted rather than receive a lethal injection.
Daryl Holton, 45, a Gulf war veteran who murdered his three sons and their half-sister with an assault rifle after promising them a Christmas surprise, was the first inmate to be electrocuted in the state of Tennessee since 1960.
When prison warden Ricky Bell asked Holton if he had any last words, he replied only 'Yeah, I do,' but said nothing further.
Officials at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution then placed a wet sponge and metal plate on Holton's head.
Holton kept his eyes closed.
As a towel was used to wipe away water from the sponge, he said: "Don't worry about it."
A black shroud was placed over his head.
Then a 20-second shock was administered. Holton's back straightened and his hips moved up out of the chair before he slumped back.
After a 15 second pause, Holton was given a second shock that lasted 15 seconds.
He was pronounced dead moments later.
Tennessee law states the voltage used must be at least 1,750 volts.
Electrocution was first introaduced in New York in 1888 as a more humane method of execution than hanging, but there have been horrific instances of inmates catching on fire, multiple jolts being needed to kill, and bones being broken by convulsing limbs.
Holton had methodically killed his children and their half-sister in Shelbyville, Tennessee, garage in 1997, following a lengthy custody battle with his ex-wife.
Lined up on the promise of a Christmas surprise, the youngsters - Steven, 12, Brent, ten, Eric, six, and their four-year-old half-sister Kayla - were shot in the back.
Holton told police he killed the children because his ex-wife had not let him see them for months.
Holton said he was suffering from severe depression at the time. His lawyers maintain he had a long history of mental illness and may have suffered post traumatic stress disorder following the 1991 Gulf War.
click post title for the rest
When I was researching the suicide deaths of our veterans, I came across more stories like Holton's and their families. The percentages of murder-suicides is low. There were other crimes committed but most of the ones I found had suspicions of links to inoculations and drugs given before deployments. The majority of the PTSD findings I came across were suicide.
Too many of these men and women have the mind-set that people with PTSD are defects, useless or even deserve what they're going through. Others around them don't want PTSD talked about because they feel it will make them look bad.
Although I am grateful the media began to pay attention to PTSD, they still have fallen short of removing the stupidity from the minds of those in the military and eliminating the stigma attached to having it. What will it take for everyone to finally and fully understand that PTSD is a wound. It is caused by trauma. It has nothing to do with being "bad" or "evil" or their courage or their patriotism but has everything to do with getting help to heal.
The dangerous ones are rare with PTSD. Most are just trying to spend one night without having a nightmare, without having a flashback, without forgetting what happened ten minutes ago because of short term memory loss.
There are different degrees of PTSD and it is about time for us to understand this. It is not a one size fits all diagnosis. Some have mild PTSD that if they get treated early on, it does not develop into full blown life altering PTSD for the rest of their lives. Others develop it stronger from trauma upon trauma piling up until they can no longer see themselves when they look in the mirror. Until the sickening, judgmental response of those around these wounded warriors develops into positive support, more will end up suffering needlessly. More families will fall apart and more people will blame themselves instead of the trauma.
Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
www.Namguardianangel.blogspot.com
www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
Cleansing Wounded Warriors
Federal government taps ancient healing methods to treat native American soldiers
The veterans administration teams up with medicine men to use sweat lodges and talking circles to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder.
By JENnifer miller Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
from the September 13, 2007 edition
Page 1 of 3
Rock Spring, N.M. - In a dusty lot on the Navajo reservation, a cleansing ceremony is about to take place. Women sit on rickety chairs outside a hogan, (a circular, squat Navajo home with a dirt floor). A line of parked cars sizzle in the Southwestern sun. Suddenly, a pack of horses rushes into view. They stop just short of the hogan, their hooves beating up a cloud of dust.
A man appears in the doorway – an unassuming figure, dressed in a work shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots. He is a medicine man who has spent decades learning ancient Navajo healing techniques. He waits for the lead rider – the patient – to dismount and then ushers him inside.
For the next hour, the spiritual leader, Alfred Gibson, conducts an "enemy way" ceremony, a form of Navajo therapy that cleanses physically and mentally ill individuals by forcing them to confront their pain.
The technique is increasingly being used across the American West to help native American soldiers deal with the traumas of war..................
The veterans administration teams up with medicine men to use sweat lodges and talking circles to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder.
By JENnifer miller Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
from the September 13, 2007 edition
Page 1 of 3
Rock Spring, N.M. - In a dusty lot on the Navajo reservation, a cleansing ceremony is about to take place. Women sit on rickety chairs outside a hogan, (a circular, squat Navajo home with a dirt floor). A line of parked cars sizzle in the Southwestern sun. Suddenly, a pack of horses rushes into view. They stop just short of the hogan, their hooves beating up a cloud of dust.
A man appears in the doorway – an unassuming figure, dressed in a work shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots. He is a medicine man who has spent decades learning ancient Navajo healing techniques. He waits for the lead rider – the patient – to dismount and then ushers him inside.
For the next hour, the spiritual leader, Alfred Gibson, conducts an "enemy way" ceremony, a form of Navajo therapy that cleanses physically and mentally ill individuals by forcing them to confront their pain.
The technique is increasingly being used across the American West to help native American soldiers deal with the traumas of war..................
Ex-soldier faces charges after standoff with police
Ex-soldier faces charges after standoff with police
Phil Couvrette, CanWest News Service
Published: Tuesday, September 11, 2007
A former member of the Canadian Forces accused of blindly firing weapons through the wall of his trailer home, hitting his neighbours' property, and engaged in a standoff with authorities last week was in court Tuesday facing over half a dozen charges.
They include mischief, production and possession of cannabis, possession of explosives, negligent use of firearms as well as improper storage of weapons, said his attorney, Luc Tourangeau, who described his client as "not fit to stand trial" and asked for a psychiatric evaluation. Tourangeau said Daniel Maltais, 41, formerly of the Valcartier military base, did not have a police record and didn't know whether Maltais had a history of mental troubles.
Maltais' home was cordoned off and surrounded by authorities Friday after police investigating the source of bullet holes appearing on nearby homes turned to his Chicoutimi home, some 200 kilometres north of Quebec City.
A man who had barricaded himself in his home "spoke very incoherently" when finally reached by phone after hours of trying to contact him and ultimately turned himself in during the evening, said Bruno Cormier, spokesman for the Saguenay police...............
Phil Couvrette, CanWest News Service
Published: Tuesday, September 11, 2007
A former member of the Canadian Forces accused of blindly firing weapons through the wall of his trailer home, hitting his neighbours' property, and engaged in a standoff with authorities last week was in court Tuesday facing over half a dozen charges.
They include mischief, production and possession of cannabis, possession of explosives, negligent use of firearms as well as improper storage of weapons, said his attorney, Luc Tourangeau, who described his client as "not fit to stand trial" and asked for a psychiatric evaluation. Tourangeau said Daniel Maltais, 41, formerly of the Valcartier military base, did not have a police record and didn't know whether Maltais had a history of mental troubles.
Maltais' home was cordoned off and surrounded by authorities Friday after police investigating the source of bullet holes appearing on nearby homes turned to his Chicoutimi home, some 200 kilometres north of Quebec City.
A man who had barricaded himself in his home "spoke very incoherently" when finally reached by phone after hours of trying to contact him and ultimately turned himself in during the evening, said Bruno Cormier, spokesman for the Saguenay police...............
HEALTH-US: Soldier's Tragic Suicide Just One of Dozens
HEALTH-US: Soldier's Tragic Suicide Just One of Dozens
By Aaron Glantz
Brian Rand
SAN FRANCISCO, Sep 10 (IPS) - Dane and April Somdahl own the Alien Art tattoo parlor on Camp Lejeune Boulevard -- just outside the sprawling Marine Corps base of the same name in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
In an interview from the back of her shop, April talked about how her customers' tastes have changed since George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
As the war approached, she said, "The most popular tattoos were eagles and United States flags. Those were coming in so often and, you know, everybody was like 'I gotta get my flag.'"
Then, a year into the war, the Somdahls noticed a new wave of Marines coming in to get information from their military dog tags tattooed onto their bodies. Most said they wanted so called "meat tags" so their bodies could be identified when they die.
"We went through over a year of meat tags, but then that passed too," she said. "Now we are seeing a lot of memorial tattoos. Even the wives are getting memorial tattoos -- moms and dads in their fifties too. And in a lot of cases they're getting their first tattoos. And they're saying 'We didn't think we would ever get a tattoo, but this one is to remember my son.'"
Because of the changing needs of their clientele, the Somdahls no longer blast rock and roll music inside the shop. Instead, the artists work in silence.
"The mood has died," April told IPS.
go here for the rest
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39203
By Aaron Glantz
Brian Rand
SAN FRANCISCO, Sep 10 (IPS) - Dane and April Somdahl own the Alien Art tattoo parlor on Camp Lejeune Boulevard -- just outside the sprawling Marine Corps base of the same name in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
In an interview from the back of her shop, April talked about how her customers' tastes have changed since George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
As the war approached, she said, "The most popular tattoos were eagles and United States flags. Those were coming in so often and, you know, everybody was like 'I gotta get my flag.'"
Then, a year into the war, the Somdahls noticed a new wave of Marines coming in to get information from their military dog tags tattooed onto their bodies. Most said they wanted so called "meat tags" so their bodies could be identified when they die.
"We went through over a year of meat tags, but then that passed too," she said. "Now we are seeing a lot of memorial tattoos. Even the wives are getting memorial tattoos -- moms and dads in their fifties too. And in a lot of cases they're getting their first tattoos. And they're saying 'We didn't think we would ever get a tattoo, but this one is to remember my son.'"
Because of the changing needs of their clientele, the Somdahls no longer blast rock and roll music inside the shop. Instead, the artists work in silence.
"The mood has died," April told IPS.
go here for the rest
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39203
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
When they come home, why do they have to wait?
WHEN I CAME HOME....
Posted By Ex SSG Michael J Goss at 6:40 PM
Monday, 10 September 2007
Statistics are one way to tell the story of the approximately 1.4 million servicemen and women who've been to Iraq and Afghanistan. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2004, 86 percent of soldiers in Iraq reported knowing someone who was seriously injured or killed there. Some 77 percent reported shooting at the enemy; 75 percent reported seeing women or children in imminent peril and being unable to help. Fifty-one percent reported handling or uncovering human remains; 28 percent were responsible for the death of a noncombatant. One in five Iraq veterans returns home seriously impaired by post-traumatic stress disorder.
Words are another way. Below are the stories of three veterans of this war, told in their voices, edited for flow and efficiency but otherwise unchanged. They bear out the statistics and suggest that even those who are not diagnosably impaired return burdened by experiences they can neither forget nor integrate into their postwar lives. They speak of the inadequacy of what the military calls reintegration counseling, of the immediacy of their worst memories, of their helplessness in battle, of the struggle to rejoin a society that seems unwilling or unable to comprehend the price of their service.
Strangers to one another and to me, they nevertheless tried, sometimes through tears, to communicate what the intensity of an ambiguous war has done to them. One veteran, Sue Randolph, put it this way: "People walk up to me and say, 'Thank you for your service.' And I know they mean well, but I want to ask, 'Do you know what you're thanking me for?'" She, Rocky, and Michael Goss offer their stories here in the hope that citizens will begin to know.
go here to read their stories
Veterans For America
Posted By Ex SSG Michael J Goss at 6:40 PM
Monday, 10 September 2007
Statistics are one way to tell the story of the approximately 1.4 million servicemen and women who've been to Iraq and Afghanistan. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2004, 86 percent of soldiers in Iraq reported knowing someone who was seriously injured or killed there. Some 77 percent reported shooting at the enemy; 75 percent reported seeing women or children in imminent peril and being unable to help. Fifty-one percent reported handling or uncovering human remains; 28 percent were responsible for the death of a noncombatant. One in five Iraq veterans returns home seriously impaired by post-traumatic stress disorder.
Words are another way. Below are the stories of three veterans of this war, told in their voices, edited for flow and efficiency but otherwise unchanged. They bear out the statistics and suggest that even those who are not diagnosably impaired return burdened by experiences they can neither forget nor integrate into their postwar lives. They speak of the inadequacy of what the military calls reintegration counseling, of the immediacy of their worst memories, of their helplessness in battle, of the struggle to rejoin a society that seems unwilling or unable to comprehend the price of their service.
Strangers to one another and to me, they nevertheless tried, sometimes through tears, to communicate what the intensity of an ambiguous war has done to them. One veteran, Sue Randolph, put it this way: "People walk up to me and say, 'Thank you for your service.' And I know they mean well, but I want to ask, 'Do you know what you're thanking me for?'" She, Rocky, and Michael Goss offer their stories here in the hope that citizens will begin to know.
go here to read their stories
Veterans For America
Monday, September 10, 2007
Bill O'Reilly slapped down
Mark Cuban and Bill O'Reilly Throw Down
By Tim Swanson "You have PTSD and you need help. We're gonna get you the right help." He said, "Thank you." And then the Army put him in the brig in a straight jacket in solitary confinement with a helmet on for three months and that's the help he got ...
Portfolio.com: The Hollywood Deal - http://feeds.portfolio.com/portfolio/thehollywooddeal
O'Reilly is at it again!
I have no clue what this man's problem is but he has a habit of making life harder on veterans with PTSD. Case in point:
By Tim Swanson "You have PTSD and you need help. We're gonna get you the right help." He said, "Thank you." And then the Army put him in the brig in a straight jacket in solitary confinement with a helmet on for three months and that's the help he got ...
Portfolio.com: The Hollywood Deal - http://feeds.portfolio.com/portfolio/thehollywooddeal
O'Reilly is at it again!
I have no clue what this man's problem is but he has a habit of making life harder on veterans with PTSD. Case in point:
News HoundsWe watch FOX so you don't have to.
Bill O'Reilly's false accusations du jour a trifecta of smears
Reported by Chrish - July 11, 2006 - 69 comments
Bill O'Reilly was back on The Factor tonight 7/10/06, more shrill than ever. The lies were fast and furious, beginning with his claim to be hosting a "no-spin zone." At issue were comments about the mental health of our troops in Iraq and recent recruiting numbers. Colonel David Hunt and Lt. General Thomas McInerney were on hand to triple-team the absent victims.
The introductory teasers at the top of the hour included a clip of Senator Barbara Boxer on CNN's Late Edition, saying that one in three troops are suffering Post-Traumatic Stress and many are being sent into battle while using anti-depressants. Off camera O'Reilly asks incredulously "Is that true?!? The far-left is saying the military in Iraq is falling apart. Also, charges that white supremacists have infiltrated the military."
A few minutes later, for the "top story", he repeated the charge to introduce the segment : "The far-left believes the US military is falling apart in Iraq." Cut to video of Boxer, who says "They are in deep trouble over there - our troops are. And many of them are being sent onto the battlefield with anti-depressants. I really feel that the whole issue here is getting out of there. "
Also, according to O'Reilly, "New York Times columnist Bob Herbert wrote today that the military is 'infested with Nazis and morale is akin to Viet Nam. But is all this true?" (Comment: NO. O'Reilly is spinning Herbert's words.) He is joined by the two hard-right military guys, Col. David Hunt and Lt. General Thomas McInerney.
McInerney is FOX's dream military commentator - all hawk, all flag, no patience for Americans with different viewpoints from his.
O'Reilly quoted Herbert, whom they all know is very anti-Bush, as saying
"The Army has had to lower its standards because most young Americans want no part of George Bush's war in Iraq. Recruiters, desperate to meet their quotas, are sifting for warm bodies among those who are less talented, less disciplined, and in some cases repellant. John Kifner reported in the Times last week that a study by a watchdog group that showed recruiting shortfalls caused by the war in Iraq have allowed quote 'large numbers of neo-Nazis (his emphasis) and skinhead extremists to infiltrate the military unquote.''"
What's left out (c'mon, you knew there was something pertinent left out) is the following paragraph:
"The study, by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks racist groups, was titled "A Few Bad Men." It said that recruiters and base commanders, under intense pressure to fill the thinning ranks, "often look the other way" as militant white supremacists and anti-Semites make their way into the armed forces.
The center quoted a Defense Department investigator as saying: "We've got Aryan Nations graffiti in Baghdad. That's a problem."
Unaware of the DoD concern, McInerney voiced his indignation and denial first, and in true FOX fashion smears the New York Times: "All the trash that's fit to print, Bill" and proceeds to defend and glorify the military, calling it the best ever. He is pleased that the reserves and the National Guard, for the first time in history, are integrated with the active force and have combat experience. He asserts that the re-enlistment rate is about 2/3 and claims that recruiters are more than making their goals for thirteen months in a row now. (That's more than a year, he tells the math-impaired in the audience.) But according to ABCNews.com, "This June marked the ninth month in a row that the Army has met or exceeded its monthly recruiting goal." After finding numerous articles on the shortfalls of last year, figures for the current year are strangely hard to come by. The shortfall last year, the largest margin since 1979 according to Military.com, was attributed to potential recruits shying away from Irag and Afghanistan.
As McInerney continues to defend the military, O'Reilly asks then why would Herbert write that? Is he just misinformed? O'Reilly says "He's basically saying flat out the military's taking Nazis because they can't fill the ranks."
McInerney smears the messenger again, saying "Jason Blair wrote better stuff than this guy. ... I'd can him...He has an agenda, like the New York Times....Let's go after Bush...." and accuses Herbert of going after the troops, absolutely disgraceful. He's the perfect straight man to answer O'Reilly's falsehoods.
Herbert's opinion piece was based on the report from The Southern Poverty Law Center, which in part said
"Ten years after a scandal over neo-Nazis in the armed forces, extremists are once again worming their way into a recruit-starved military. The Intelligence Project uncovers how white supremacists are using military training to prepare for their own wars at home.
Under pressure to meet wartime manpower goals, the U.S. military has relaxed standards designed to weed out racist extremists. Large numbers of potentially violent neo-Nazis, skinheads and other white supremacists are now learning the art of warfare in the armed forces.Department of Defense investigators estimate thousands of soldiers in the Army alone are involved in extremist or gang activity. "We've got Aryan Nations graffiti in Baghdad," said one investigator. "That's a problem."
Hm, Herbert is opining on an earlier Times report that refers to a SPLC report that quotes the DoD, yet somehow O'Reilly is telling his viewers that the "far-left" Herbert at the treasonous New York Times is the source of these unpatriotic (and probably treasonous too, why not) statements. No, no spin there!
O'Reilly turns to Hunt and changes the subject to Boxer's comments and asks if they're true? Hunt acknowledges that returning from a deployment usually requires an adjustment, and that there are doctors better equipped to help those who need it, but denies that the numbers are 30%. He states that we're not sending kids who are on depressants into combat; in fact, he says, "if a soldier is taking a depressant he can't go into combat." O'Reilly lets the mistake go, which leaves viewers with the impression that the Colonel just completely refuted what Senator Boxer said early in the segment. He too defends the soldiers working in 125 degree heat, and then says "I'm afraid there's some lying going on. Boxer knows better. She took a statistic and embellished and once again used soldiers for her political purpose, and that's just wrong. Herbert is either lying or doesn't know what the truth is." He agrees with McKinerney - imagine that - and says there might be one or two neo-nazis - there were two cops working for the Mafia in NYC; does that mean all the NC cops are working for the Mafia? He is making no sense and O'Reilly butts in to prevent him from going any farther afield. Loon.
Maybe Boxer got her numbers from FOXNews.com, which reports that
"Steve Robinson, director of the National Gulf War Resource Center, a veterans advocacy organization.... and other critics point to recent Army statistics indicating that 35 percent of soldiers and Marines returning from Iraq sought mental health care and 19 percent were diagnosed with a mental disorder like post traumatic stress disorder, depression or anxiety within a year of coming home.
"The high rate of using mental health services among Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans after deployment highlights challenges in ensuring that there are adequate resources to meet the mental health needs of returning veterans," reads the study, published by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in the March 1 Journal of the American Medical Association.
The numbers were based on screening and follow-ups of more than 300,000 troops returning from Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia from May 2003 to April 2004, leading many to surmise that the number with mental health problems has increased since then, since the rate of battlefield casualties among U.S. service members has also risen.
"[The study] is only marginally relevant to what condition our troops currently find themselves in," said I.L. Meagher, editor of PTSD Combat: Winning the War Within. "A lot has changed since that time, including increased number of troop deployments ... and an escalation in [improvised explosive device] attacks."
go here for the rest of this
http://www.newshounds.us/2006/07/11/bill_oreillys_false_accusations_du_jour_a_trifecta_of_smears.php
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Nicholson to veterans, you're no different than the rest of the citizens
Nearly $2 billion has been budgeted for homeless veterans’ health care, but $1 billion is earmarked for faith-based programs, such as that operated by the Volunteers of America, to provide per-diem assistance to veterans suffering from addiction and mental disease, Nicholson said.Half the money went to "faith base" programs instead of the VA programs and shelters already operating for all veterans without any strings attached.
“We’re aware of the influx of homeless veterans here and (are aware of the need for) making more resources available for medical and grant per-diem programs,” Nicholson said. “And we’re constantly looking for good, faith-based sponsors here like the VOA.”And are they supporting the shelters that operated all over the country? No they are looking for more "faith based" ones to give money to. Nicholson seems proud of this instead of ashamed that the money has not gone to fund the VA but faith base groups.
Veterans vent to VA leader
Homelessness, few resources are big issues
By SAMUEL IRWIN
Special to The Advocate
Published: Sep 9, 2007 - Page: 5B
Page 1 of 2 SINGLE PAGE VIEW
U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson heard praise, complaints and suggestions Saturday from homeless military veterans while touring the Baton Rouge Volunteers of America nine-bed transitional housing facility on West Garfield Avenue.
Nicholson visited with the veterans in the parlor of the old Odd Fellows Lodge a few blocks away from Magnolia Mound Plantation and the LSU campus.
“We (the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) are the agents of a grateful society grateful for people who put on the uniform,” Nicholson said. “But we have challenges to take care of the many living veterans who are no different from the rest of the citizens of our country. We have veterans who have problems.”
This is the other part that made me lose my dinner. Nicholson told this group of homeless veterans, they are no different than that rest of the citizens in this country. No different! No different! Is he out of his mind? I wonder how they avoided beating the crap out of him to show him how very different they are?
go here for the rest
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/9669677.html
Friday, September 7, 2007
Over 500 mental health pros GIVE AN HOUR to veterans
Mental health experts agree to ‘Give an Hour’
By Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, September 7, 2007
ARLINGTON, Va. — Mental-health professionals from across the United States are offering free services to military personnel and their families struggling to cope with the effects of deployment and combat.
More than 550 licensed providers have joined Give an Hour, according to its founder and executive director, Barbara Romberg.
The program’s name comes from its basic commitment: Each volunteer agrees to provide at least one hour per week of mental-health support or treatment at no charge, and to participate in the network for at least a year.
Current or former members of the military are a large part of Give an Hour’s target audience, but “we are offering the services to anyone who is affected” by deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan, Romberg said on Wednesday.
click post title for the rest
We do have some heroes here. This needs to be talked about more because a lot of people want to help, they just don't know how. Do you know how much money these people make? This is a real gift to the wounded veterans coming home and much needed.
By Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, September 7, 2007
ARLINGTON, Va. — Mental-health professionals from across the United States are offering free services to military personnel and their families struggling to cope with the effects of deployment and combat.
More than 550 licensed providers have joined Give an Hour, according to its founder and executive director, Barbara Romberg.
The program’s name comes from its basic commitment: Each volunteer agrees to provide at least one hour per week of mental-health support or treatment at no charge, and to participate in the network for at least a year.
Current or former members of the military are a large part of Give an Hour’s target audience, but “we are offering the services to anyone who is affected” by deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan, Romberg said on Wednesday.
click post title for the rest
We do have some heroes here. This needs to be talked about more because a lot of people want to help, they just don't know how. Do you know how much money these people make? This is a real gift to the wounded veterans coming home and much needed.
36 percent of veterans have at least one mental health issue
VA to spend $6.5M reviewing mental health care
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Sep 7, 2007 15:52:32 EDT
The Department of Veterans Affairs awarded a $6.5 million contract to evaluate its mental health services to Altarum Institute and The Rand/University of Pittsburgh Health Institute.
The two institutes will look at Veterans Health Administration services throughout the country, concentrating on services to veterans with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major-depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance-abuse issues.
The group will conduct surveys, review medical charts and interview patients to determine what works well and what could be done better — including making sure veterans have timely access to care.
VHA officials say 36 percent of the 1.5 million veterans enrolled in the VA health system have at least one mental health issue. Demands upon the mental health care system have increased greatly as troops have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan, overwhelming the administrative system used to process claims as well as the medical staff that provides care.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/09/military_va_mentalhealth_070907w/
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Sep 7, 2007 15:52:32 EDT
The Department of Veterans Affairs awarded a $6.5 million contract to evaluate its mental health services to Altarum Institute and The Rand/University of Pittsburgh Health Institute.
The two institutes will look at Veterans Health Administration services throughout the country, concentrating on services to veterans with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major-depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance-abuse issues.
The group will conduct surveys, review medical charts and interview patients to determine what works well and what could be done better — including making sure veterans have timely access to care.
VHA officials say 36 percent of the 1.5 million veterans enrolled in the VA health system have at least one mental health issue. Demands upon the mental health care system have increased greatly as troops have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan, overwhelming the administrative system used to process claims as well as the medical staff that provides care.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/09/military_va_mentalhealth_070907w/
Ohio Cop arrested for shooting himself?
Petition asks court to free officer
By Kelli Wynn
Dayton Daily News
The family of Donald Fink, the Dayton, Ohio, police officer accused of stealing a gun from the department's property room and using it to shoot himself March 13, is asking the community to sign a petition to help get him out of jail.
A Montgomery County grand jury indicted Fink, 32, on charges of grand theft, theft in office, tampering with evidence, inducing panic, making false alarms and misdemeanor falsification. At the time of the incident, Fink was being treated for depression, panic disorder and anxiety disorder, according to attorney Jon Paul Rion.
click post title for the rest
Are they more upset he stole the gun or that he stole it to use it on himself? Guess they never heard of PTSD in Ohio. If they did they would know all it takes is trauma and police are one of its targets.
By Kelli Wynn
Dayton Daily News
The family of Donald Fink, the Dayton, Ohio, police officer accused of stealing a gun from the department's property room and using it to shoot himself March 13, is asking the community to sign a petition to help get him out of jail.
A Montgomery County grand jury indicted Fink, 32, on charges of grand theft, theft in office, tampering with evidence, inducing panic, making false alarms and misdemeanor falsification. At the time of the incident, Fink was being treated for depression, panic disorder and anxiety disorder, according to attorney Jon Paul Rion.
click post title for the rest
Are they more upset he stole the gun or that he stole it to use it on himself? Guess they never heard of PTSD in Ohio. If they did they would know all it takes is trauma and police are one of its targets.
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