Another Non-combat death

DoD Identifies Army Casualty


The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Melvin L. Henley Jr., 26, of Jackson, Miss., died at Camp Striker in Baghdad on Nov. 21 of injuries suffered from non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 603rd Aviation Support Battalion, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

The incident is under investigation.
It would be great if this family finds out what happened unlike so many other families. That won't happen unless the media in Jackson stay on the investigation. Again do not assume this was a suicide. We just don't know until reports come out. Check back for updates on this.

Pain from a roadside bomb pierces soldier's life

Pain from a roadside bomb pierces soldier's life
He and his wife endure long recovery at Wright-Pat and Georgia base that takes two years, 40 surgeries.

By Margo Rutledge Kissell

Staff Writer

Sunday, November 25, 2007

For two years Elizabeth Bowen watched her husband, Ryan, endure more than 40 surgeries, frequent nightmares and the devastating effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Two years of a recovery that never seemed to follow a straight line.


So when her husband called distraught from a hotel room near Fort Stewart, Ga., she knew what to tell him: Go to the base hospital.

It was Oct. 26 and Ryan already had been in Georgia for six weeks, much of it spent waiting for word from the Army medical board that would determine his level of disability for injuries he received when a roadside bomb exploded under his tank in Baghdad during his second tour.

The 24-year-old Army specialist had just said goodbye to friends heading to Iraq for a third tour. "Some of these guys I've known since the first time," he said.

Back in his hotel room, his mind began racing. He started pacing, hyperventilating. Then he began to cry.

After talking to Elizabeth, he called a friend. The soldier, just days away from leaving the Army, gave him a choice. He could go to the hospital — or go to the bar.

There were countless nights over the past two years when that choice was no choice at all. Alcohol was his great escape.

But this time was different. This time Ryan Bowen chose the hospital.

"I didn't want one of those nights where I broke everything in the hotel or hurt myself," he said.
click post title for the rest

You really need to read the rest especially if your spouse is going through any of these kind of nights. The nights are the worst for them.

In the 23 years we've been married, my husband and I have never slept in the same bed all night together. It was either he was on the couch, or I was. A couple of hours was just about all we could take before the tension made both of us uneasy. He couldn't stand anyone near him at night. This, I discovered on our honeymoon, would be a problem in our marriage unless we found a happy medium. We did. As a result there were many nights when I would hear more than the TV on all night long. I would wake to a loud noise, only to find something else had been broken. A remote control was usually the fatality. I eventually learned to not place any real attachment to things in our house. Jack would always try to go out and replace whatever it was or come close to it,but it was never the same.

Nightmares are just a part of all this. One of my first lessons in waking him up from a nightmare came from a fist clinched and another hand reaching out for my throat. He stopped himself in time and figured out where he was as it dawned on him who I was. (Not the enemy.) We all learn to adjust to things that are just not possible to have in this kind of marriage. Some have it a little better. They get to sleep in the same bed as their spouse. To them I strongly suggest you do not touch them if they are in the middle of a nightmare, because they are not really next to you. They are back there. Get out of bed so that they can't reach you. Go to the foot of the bed and gently call out their name. If that fails, gently touch their foot as you say their name. Do not shout. Black eyes happen too often and there have also been many broken noses.

When their nerves are on edge, so are your's. If you know where all of this is coming from, it's easier to get out of the way of it and not blame yourself. You have absolutely nothing to do with what they are going through but you have everything to do with how well they heal from it. Until they are ready, it is a daily prayer and finding the patience and strength to get through it all. I had to keep reminding myself what he was like in the beginning when PTSD was mild. Keep reassuring yourself that he or she, is still in there beneath the pain.

One other thing is that no matter how much you know, no matter how much knowledge you have on this subject, you will not be perfect in any of this. I still blow up as if I'm dealing with a person who is "normal" even though I know there is absolutely nothing "normal" about a combat veteran. Even the ones who come home seemingly fine without PTSD have their share of issues to overcome. We are a nation of over 300 million people yet we only have about 17 million combat veterans. They are in now way "normal" because war is not part of normal life. You will never understand them totally. After 25 years, I'm still learning things about them and there is still much more I will never know. When you put yourself in their place, you understand that what they are going through is a normal reaction to a series of very abnormal events. We can understand people dealing with PTSD when it is a one shot deal like a tornado or hurricane but we fail to understand when it happens to them day in and day out.


It still amazes me when Jack finally notices something that is obviously different. I've cut my hair a hundred times and drastically changed the style. Usually he notices about a month later when he looks at me and wonders when I did it. I've lost and gained a lot of weight only to lose it again and he never notices. At least he doesn't until I have to go out and buy new clothes.

I'm still not quite sure if it's mostly anger or defense that makes him crash things in the middle of the night. Sometimes it's both. It gets very frustrating for them to not be able to sleep all the way through the night peacefully. Even medications have Jack waking up every night but he is glad he can at least go back to sleep a lot sooner now with them.

If your husband or wife is going through this, it is extremely important that you are able to talk about it with someone who will understand. Holding it in isn't good for you because you begin to think there is something wrong with you. Find groups or a trusted friend to talk about it with. They don't need to give you advice because as much as they care about you, unless they are going through it, their advice is usually wrong. They tend to blame them instead of trying to understand. That's people in general. You're much better off with some with an open mind or experience. As the DOD and the VA ramp up help for them, they should also be setting up support groups and counseling for spouses. We need it as badly as they do.

Russian Roulette with vaccines

WorldNetDaily: Government: Vaccines threaten up to 44000 sol...
Government: Vaccines threaten up to 44000 soldiers 'This really is like Russian roulette. Spin the chamber and take your shot'
WorldNetDaily

A U.S. soldier in Iraq is being punished for refusing an anthrax vaccine that has a questionable safety record and apparently will be drummed out of the service.

But such punishments may be of no avail to the military; the word already is out in a government report that up to an estimated 44,000 service members could end up with "severe adverse events (including) disability or death" from such mandatory medicines.

The recent case involves Pfc. Leif Hamre, 22, who reports he's been subjected to threats and intimidation after refusing to take the controversial anthrax vaccine and was given a variety of punishments, including 18-hour work days.

Hamre reports he was given an ultimatum in June to take the vaccine or be punished but couldn't accept the medication, especially after he discovered the military wasn't even handling the vaccines under the rules for storing it at the correct temperature...


In an open letter to friends and family members, he said, "The tactics they have used to coerce me into taking the shot are unregulated, unscrupulous and downright un-American."

He reported he then was given an Article 15 – a non-judicial punishment in the military – and his mother reported he was taken off missions, assigned extra duty and had his pay scale lowered.

The controversial shots first were mandated for U.S. military troops heading to the Middle East for the Gulf War in 1991, then required in the late 1990s and again for the Iraq War in 2003.

But the vaccine has been linked by investigative journalist Gary Matsumoto in his book, "Vaccine-A," to the Gulf War Syndrome, and a recent report from the General Accounting Office even confirmed that tens of thousands of soldiers are expected to suffer significant health threats from the mandatory vaccinations.
go above for the rest

If you go over to Screaming In An Empty Room, you will see a lot of posts on non-combat deaths linked to this.

Soldier son's death prompts minister to examine his faith in 'Rest in Peace'

Goldberg's suspicions that his son was murdered center on a cryptic call from a fellow soldier, the fact that his son kept a journal of "bad things" that had happened to him in the Army - which the Army apparently destroyed - and an incomplete and contradictory medical report. Yet he knows his son was impulsive.

"If he did [kill himself], I'm willing to accept he did. But I'm not 100 percent sure that's the case."

Soldier son's death prompts minister to examine his faith in 'Rest in Peace'
By Kristen Moulton
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 11/23/2007 03:55:03 PM MST
When the news of his soldier son's death in Iraq was raw, Chuck Goldberg marveled at his own composure, at the soft cushion that seemed to hold his heart.

He knew then the source of his "undergirding," as he calls it, was his relationship with Jesus Christ.

But in the four years since two Army officers knocked on the Goldberg family door, Goldberg has learned something more about the demands of that relationship. He must forgive.

Whom Goldberg forgives is not entirely clear.

It may be his eldest son, David Goldberg, who the Army insists took his own life in his barracks. It may be the real shooter, if the Army is wrong. It may be the Army, which destroyed the son's journal and stopped answering the father's questions.

"It's one of these stories with alternate endings. It doesn't add up and I'm not getting anywhere," Goldberg says. "I reached a point where I had to forgive . . . and just move on because God ties my ability to forgive to his ability to forgive me."

Goldberg, a former journalist and minister ordained by the Assemblies of God, turned from pursuing the truth of his son's death to documenting his own truth.

The result is the book "Rest in Peace," a self-published testimony Goldberg hopes will encourage others to turn to Christ.
go here for the rest
http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_7541888

Spc. David J. Goldberg 20 52nd Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy), 43rd Area Support Group, U.S. Army Reserve Layton, Utah Died of a non-combat injury in Qayyarah, Iraq, on November 26, 2003
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page3.html

It's a heart breaking story. A father left to cope with the unanswered loss of a son in the military. So heart broken, his faith as minister was rocked. Yet there are countless other families left behind and still not knowing how their son, daughter, husband, or wife died. In huge cities and tiny towns all across this country, there are notices of "under investigation" given to the families and media releases. Is anyone really investigating or are they hoping it just goes away, chocked off as yet just part of the price of being in the military? If you go into military web sites and do a search for "non-combat" or "under investigation" there are links to many of these deaths.

Earlier in the year when I was searching for suicide stories for the video Death Because They Served, I came across too many I could not use simply because the final answer I found was still listed as "under investigation" and many of these deaths were not recorded on sites attempting to list the deaths of the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. How is it that the investigators can show so little compassion for the families left behind that they are left wondering for years what happened to take their family member from this earth when it was not the enemy?

Seems to be that other than having a body to bury it is as if the soldier was MIA because there is no closure, just a closed casket and a tomb stone to visit. Knowing what happened with a convincing investigation brings the families peace enough that they find that closure enough to say goodbye.

Army Sergeant missing in Oregon

Sgt. reported missing along Oregon coast

The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Nov 23, 2007 16:48:38 EST

LINCOLN CITY, Ore. — An Army sergeant who was supposed to be in Iraq is missing along the Oregon coast under what authorities say are suspicious circumstances.

The Lincoln City police say Julie Ann Stendahl was to be deployed to Iraq at the end of October.

But they say she hasn’t been seen or heard from in about two weeks, and her black Mazda pickup was abandoned in a public parking lot.

Inside, police say, were state park receipts, the last dated Nov. 3.

An Army spokesman says Stendahl is assigned to 62nd Medical Brigade.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/11/ap_missingsoldier_071123/

If you live in the Oregon area, pass this on.

Military Nurse and GIVING THANKS

GIVING THANKS
Name: RN Clara Hart
Posting date: 11/22/07
Stationed at: a military hospital in the U.S.
Email: clarahart2@yahoo.com


I held the hand of a soldier today and watched helplessly as he sobbed uncontrollably. I held the hand of a soldier and listened with growing horror to the litany of complaints; not sleeping, having nightmares, anxiety, dreading report for duty, uncontrolled crying, feeling irritable, not eating. I held the hand of a soldier and listened to him say, “I may not have been shot at or blown up but I also serve!”

As I looked into his red rimmed, tear filled eyes I thought, “You are a wounded soldier too." Because, you see, this wounded soldier is a United States Army Nurse.

This wounded soldier cares not only for other wounded soldiers but their families and their friends. This wounded soldier cares for not only the physical injuries but also the emotional injuries and social fallout that soon accompany. This wounded soldier sees the others being recognized for their injuries and is quick to say, “I don’t want to be given anything, the quilts, the coins, the clothes, the meals, the trips. I don’t want any of that."
go here for the rest
http://gocomics.typepad.com/the_sandbox/2007/11/this-wounded-so.html

After reading this, I feel really, really bad about not paying enough attention to the nurses and medics in combat. I include them in my thoughts and prayers, but honestly, I do not separate them the way I really should. This article offers a glimpse at the inclusion of nurses when we think about combat roles. I, among many, feel they should not be lumped in. To me, they are a truly special breed of individuals. They risk their lives just by being in the combat zones but they also have to try to take care of all the wounded brought to them. We need to remember, aside from the technological advances in medical care, without them, the survival rate would not be historically high.

I've seen many horrific images of the wounded. I cannot imagine seeing such suffering face to face. We need to remember how much they go through and why so many suffer after. Yes, even they get PTSD and yes even they get killed and wounded.

TBI five times greater than Pentagon listed

Data: Thousands of TBI cases off the record

By Gregg Zoroya - USA Today
Posted : Friday Nov 23, 2007 8:32:20 EST

Along with 20,000 other veterans, Marine Lance Cpl. Gene Landrus is not included in the Pentagon’s official count of U.S. troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. That’s because his wound was to his brain and hidden from view.

Landrus — who faces medical separation from the Corps and is up for the Purple Heart for wounds sustained in a May 2006 roadside bomb attack outside Abu Ghraib, Iraq — said he did not realize the nausea, dizziness, memory loss and headaches he suffered after the blast were signs of a lasting brain injury.

Army medics who examined him in the field didn’t find the wound either.

“They wanted to know if we had any holes in us, or if we were bleeding. We were in and out of [the aid station] in 10 to 15 minutes,” said Landrus, 24, of Clarkston, Wash.

For the balance of his combat tour, he tried to shake off the blast’s effects and keep going. Now, “my goal is to get back to a normal life,” he said.

A USA Today survey of four military installations and the Department of Veterans Affairs, where combat veterans are routinely screened for brain injury, has found that about 20,000 people show signs of damage. That’s nearly five times the number officially listed by the Pentagon — 4,471.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/11/gns_tbi_071123/

Why aren't the wounded with PTSD or TBI given Purple Hearts? Why are they not counted as wounded? Why are the soldiers who commit suicide because of PTSD not counted in with the death counts? Why is it that when history lists the numbers connected to any war, all the prices paid are not all there? Someone should change this. Someone in Congress should get on this and correct this injustice. By neglecting this, they are saying all of them do not matter as much as some of them.

Scotland Community schemes to help veterans with PTSD

Community schemes to help veterans with mental health problems
The Herald - Glasgow,Scotland,UK

The UK Government will today announce measures to help Armed Forces' veterans recover from mental health problems caused by their active service.

The move comes just weeks after a review of mental health among the military, which showed veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were suffering a mounting toll of post-traumatic stress, alcoholism and family breakdown.

Derek Twigg, the Veterans Minister, is due to announce six pilot community health schemes, one in Scotland, tailored specifically to help veterans. They will run for two years and, if successful, will be rolled out across the UK.

click post title for the rest

American Legion praises Democrats for leadership on Veteran's Health

Democrats turn on money tap to help veterans
By Tom Philpott, Special to Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, November 24, 2007



Veterans service organizations are thrilled with a $43.1 billion appropriations bill that Congress is set to pass next month for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The funding level for veterans programs and facilities is almost 20 percent higher than demoralized Republican leaders left behind a year ago. The $6.9 billion increase will allow VA to hire 1,800 more claim processors, beef up medical staffs and modernize long-neglected hospitals and clinics.

“I can’t praise the Democratic leadership enough for what they’ve done with addressing the budget that was handed to them the day they took office,” said Steve Robertson, legislative director for the American Legion.
go here for the rest
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=50481


Why anyone would not vote to fully fund the VA in this time of greater need, is beyond excuses.

Tom Shroder wants questions from you on ecstasy trials for PTSD

Tom Shroder
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 26, 2007; 12:00 PM
After decades of wariness about hallucinogenic drugs, researchers are now measuring the therapeutic effects of MDMA, or ecstasy, in a federal clinical study. In this week's issue of Washington Post Magazine, Tom Shroder explores the drug's scientific potential in treating post-traumatic stress disorder.
Submit your questions and comments before or during today's discussion.
Tom Shroder is the editor of the Magazine . He can be reached at shrodert@washpost.com.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2007/11/21/DI2007112101072.html

A while ago, I can't remember which blog it was on, I posted a story of a woman who had been brutally raped. They tried everything to ease her PTSD but nothing worked. They tried ecstasy. It helped her a great deal. Don't laugh at this study. There are many drugs being used today that were forbidden many years ago and some regarded as illegal now were used then, like marijuana. A lot of people are being helped using pot. Ask Willy Nelson.