Dr. Sally Satan, is the Bush administration's EXPERT on PTSD

New VA finding: No liberal biased news limits PTSD stressors!
by Robert L. Hanafin, SP/5, U.S. Army (69-76)

The Deportment of Veterans Affairs (VA) yep, I spelled it correctly) says that Military Families and Troops that watch or listen to less ‘bad’ news from sensationalized media programs about Iraq limit their exposure to PTSD stressors.


Say what? Let us get this straight. If my military family listens to or watches only good news (meaning positive or optimistic NOT necessarily accurate or GOOD quality news, because there is no such thing) the brilliant Shrinks and Mental Health professionals at the VA assure us that we will endure less PTSD stressors. Hum-O-Ky-dokey!.

One more time, because my military family doesn't quite grasp this new VA finding. As long as we, hear of negative news on Iraq, see no negative news on Iraq, and touch no negative news on Iraq, we won't need to seek Life Skills, (I meanMental Health) treatment. I'm sorry but I just have to put that in the same catagory as VA PTSD rap sessions for all Vets, not just Iraq and Afghanistan...



At the NEOCON run VA, the first rule of PTSD treatment is to not talk politics (meaning anything that is negative about the war is TABOO, however anything that is negative about your part in it, go for it.) Point: I've seen with my own eyes, and heard with my own ears what VA PTSD raps sessions are really about. Ensuring patients continue to support the Iraq War as they seek a PTSD cure. Wo-We could make that into a hit song or at least PTSD poetry.

I tend to agree with Mark Twain when it comes to ‘the media,’ either of his day or ours. Twain most likely knew PTSD as "irritable heart" during the 19th century following the War Between the States. During WWI symptoms and stigma associated with PTSD was called Soldier’s Heart.

“A private should preserve a respectful attitude toward his superiors, and should seldom or never proceed so far as to offer suggestions to his general in the field. By the etiquette of war, it is permitted to none below the rank of newspaper correspondent to dictate to the general in the field.” Mark Twain - "The Benefit of Judicious Training," 6/8/1881

"If you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed." Mark Twain on Newspapers.

“...one should be gentle with the ignorant, for they are the chosen of God.” Mark Twain - Letter to W. D. Howells, 5/12/1899

With the humor of Mark Twain in mind, that is about how serious I take it when the Department of Veterans Affairs says that Military, “Families should minimize exposure to anxiety-arousing media related to the war. News programs often emphasize fearful content and frightening images to create a "story." Watching a lot of TV news programs, for example, can create needless distress. When children worry about war, let them know that the war is far away. Acknowledge children's fears, and let them know that parents, teachers, and police are here to protect them.”

I personally believe that what ‘the management’ of the VA meant to say way, “Limit exposure to news media programs that are not screened, monitored, and controlled by AmericaSupportsBush.mil. If the media refuses to paint a rosy picture of Iraqinam, boycott it. IBEWARE the doom sayers of CBS, PBS, plus any other mainstream media outlet that does not enforce the Pentagon/VA picture of the war President Bush and enough members of Congress sent you to fight and die in and ‘maybe, just MAYBE’ you will limit your exposure to PTSD stressors.” COME ON NOW PEOPLE, the following had former House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Steve Buyers and American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Doctor Phil (oops I mean) Sally Satel's behind the scenes stench all over it.

EVERY American Veteran knows who Steve Buyer is, IF you are a Vet who does not know who Dr. Sally is or what the American Enterprise Institute is. The AEI for Public Policy Research is one of the oldest and most influential of the pro-business right-wing think tanks. It promotes the advancement of free enterprise capitalism, and has been extremely successful in placing its people in influential governmental positions, particularly in the Bush Administration. AEI has been described as one of the country's main bastions of neoconservatism.

Dr. Sally, is the Bush administration's EXPERT on PTSD, with 'too many' PTSD fraud 'conspiracy' theorys [She really sounds more like a UFO expert, EXCEPT UFO experts have more credibility.] She adores B.G. Burkett, the Texas associate of the Bush mob, and she TOO OFTEN quotes FACT from Burkett's fake Vet book, Stolen Valor. Dr. Sally looksdown on Vietnam Vets unless they fit Stolen Valor's criteria.

click post title for the rest

When it comes to PTSD, Sally Satel is really Satan. Look her up the next time you have a chance to see what I'm talking about. She and AEI have been talking up a storm on how PTSD is fake and all the veterans, at least most of them, are "out to suck off the system" instead of being wounded. How Satel would explain that PTSD has been documented before there was any kind of veterans care is never entering into their brain cells. The "expert" Satel seems to ignore all the evidence going back to Ancient Greek and Rome as well. If you want to know why the system sucks so bad for our veterans, start with Satel and go from there.

Iraq Vet "former" PTSD helps soldiers deal with screamers

Iraq vet, former post-traumatic stress sufferer helps returning soldiers deal with ‘the screamers’
By Amy Guckeen
1/4/2008
Catholic Herald (www.chnonline.org)

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Catholic Herald) - John Zemler had nightmares. For 23 years, suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, he awoke every night from the “screamers.”


Then one morning in January 2007, he realized, the screamers were gone.

“A lot of my anger and fear, God just took it away from me,” Zemler said. “He gave me my identity back.”

Zemler’s mission is to provide that same gift to other sufferers of PTSD.

As an assistant professor of theology at Marquette University, with his wife Wanda Zemler-Cizewski, an associate professor, Zemler is in a unique position to provide outreach to those with PTSD — as a veteran, theologian, and victim.

“I’m born into this job — theologian and as a veteran with PTSD,” Zemler said. “I’m called to it. You can get through this. A relationship with God will get you through it. It won’t defeat you.”
go here for the rest
http://www.catholic.org/diocese/diocese_story.php?id=26347

I do not like what is happening in the military today as Evangelical chaplains run around more interested in converts than saving minds. I figure if the soldier happens to be an Evangelical Christian, go for it but when it comes to a Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist or so on, it is not up to them to try to get anyone to change their faith. They cross the line.

I put the disclaimer in all the time when I do anything addressing spirituality that I work for a Presbyterian church as Administrator of Christian Education. I don't want anyone to accuse me of being bias. (Not that they could considering I'm Greek Orthodox.) What I've found over the years is that when the psychological is blended with the spiritual, the healing is much greater and deeper. I believe that both factors need to be addressed for the needs of the veterans, especially when you consider most veterans will tell you the same thing. They felt abandoned by God in the traumatic moment. Most of them hang onto that feeling thinking God just judged them. They do this because regular people do not fully understand the Bible or the history in the Bible.

The section called Judges, is filled with war stories. The Hebrew people would go through hand to hand combat and it was very horrific.

Bible Battles from the History Channel
In one of the most hostile lands on the planet, an ancient people called the Israelites forged an army and carved out an empire. Their ancient military exploits are described in one of history's most famous religious texts--the Old Testament of the Bible. But by reading between the religious lines, military historians unlock the soldiers' secrets of the Bible by examining the weapons, strategies, and the commanders, some of whom are not always thought of as warriors, like Abraham, Moses, and Deborah. In this 2-hour special, we explore the biblical world from a military perspective from the time of Abraham until David's ascension to the throne. Blood often flows more freely than holy water in the days of the Old Testament, and the military secrets of the Bible have yet to be revealed...until now!
Rating: TVPG V
Running Time: 120 minutes
Genre:Religion
http://www.history.com/shows.do?episodeId=173387&action=detail

This program takes a look at how wars were won and lost but also looks at those who fought in them. What we now call PTSD was addressed when the warriors would have to stay away from their homes for days to "cleanse" themselves. What this did was provide support for each other as they tried to recover from what they just had to do. This was also to address the spiritual condition.

Ancient Native American Indians carried on a practice of cleansing and still do to this day. Ancient Greek and Roman historians documented their own practices.

The spiritual and psychological have always been linked because face it, we are linked to both as humans.

In a few weeks I'll be addressing a group of pastors training as Chaplains who want to know more about PTSD. I jumped at the chance to do this because of how deeply I believe the members of the clergy are not fulfilling Christ's commission to "cast out demons" by ignoring PTSD. When they treat the veterans spiritual needs they are also treating the families they return home to.

As I said before, my only problem is that they also try to take advantage of hurting souls by having them convert. This should never be done in combat. All should be treated as if they were already a member of the brotherhood of humanity alone.

Operation Homefront comes through for Johnson Family

Army couple finds help after pain of Iraq, deaths of their 3 children
09:23 PM CST on Thursday, January 3, 2008
By DAVID McLEMORE / The Dallas Morning News
dmclemore@dallasnews.com

CIBOLO, Texas – In near-freezing temperatures Thursday, Spc. Austin Johnson and his wife, Lisa, cut through a yellow ribbon stretched across the porch of their new home and walked in to a house full of furniture.

The move into the new home – their first house since the couple married right out of high school – is bittersweet for the Johnsons.

Last August, Spc. Johnson, 27, received a traumatic brain injury from an improvised explosive device blast in Iraq, his fifth explosion in two tours.

Tragedy struck again in October, not long after he began rehabilitation at Brooke Army Medical Center. Their three children were killed after Mrs. Johnson's car was overturned by heavy winds in West Texas as she drove from El Paso to be with her husband.

"There are a lot of Johnsons out there," said Amy Palmer, co-founder of Operation Homefront, the nonprofit group that called on local businesses and dozens of donors to help the Johnsons.

More than 30,000 troops have been wounded in six years of war; and as many as 100,000 may experience post-traumatic stress disorder.Officials with Operation Homefront hope Thursday's event serves as a model to help other wounded service members whose lives have been disrupted by war.
click above for the rest

Army specialist Brian Gorham wounded in Iraq dies 18 days later

KY soldier dies

Updated: Jan 3, 2008 07:57 AM EST


New Media Producer: Amanda Lents

A Kentucky soldier dies from burns suffered when the humvee he was riding in rolled over a bomb in Afghanistan.

Twenty-three-year-old Army specialist Brian Gorham, of Woodburn died 18 days after the explosion.

Specialist Gorham was being treated at the Army hospital in San Antonio, Texas.

Governor Steve Beshear has directed that flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff in honor of Specialist Gorham.
http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=7571058&nav=menu54_3

His death has not been counted yet on CNN or ICasualties.org yet. How many others die and are not counted? They count with their families and friends. They count in their own community. We do a horrible job of making sure they count to the rest of the nation.

I found several non-combat deaths connected to their service in Iraq and Afghanistan who have not been counted in any of the figures. Why is this happening? All of them need to be counted. They paid the price in service to this nation as surely as those who were killed on the spot from a bullet or bomb. They should not be forgotten because their passing was after they came home. If we cannot even count those who died from obvious wounds from service, how can we come close to counting those who die because of wounds we cannot see?

Presidential Candidates On Veterans

I would be a lot more impressed if they took a look back on what candidates promised veterans and what they delivered on already. Take Bush for example. He had a long, long history of talking a good game and we saw what he did. Like Biden said his father told him "Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget and I'll know what you value." In this case, show us what they promised and what they did for veterans since all of them have a record to stand or fall on.

Posted Thursday, January 03, 2008 11:32 AM
Presidential Candidates On Veterans, Part II
David Botti
Yesterday we took at look at four presidential candidates and examples of how veterans issues factored into their campaigns. Today's post contains five more front-runners:


http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/soldiershome/
archive/2008/01/03/presidential-candidates-on-veterans-part-ii.aspx

As for politics right now I care more about what is being done today than what a bunch of people say they will do if they get the chance to do it. It matters more what they did do with the chances they already had.

Baylor researchers collaborate with rats for PTSD study

I found the following from Baylor Proud blog. Nice blog. Check it out when you get a chance here.

Baylor researchers working to treat PTSD
Researchers from Baylor, Texas A&M and the US Department of Veteran Affairs are working together to treat and possibly prevent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the collaborators recently received $2.7 million from the federal

I keep hoping to read something inventive, something promising, something that gives one single indication the "researchers" have a clue what PTSD is. Every time it turns out to be a waste of time to read it. They keep going over things that have been done over to death for over 30 years! When will they really start to take a look at the people who have PTSD and take it from there?

Endeavors

Searching For The Source

Baylor researchers collaborate to treat-and possibly prevent-post-traumatic stress disorder.

By Franci Rogers


As an intern at a Veterans Affairs hospital seven years ago, Matthew Schobert encountered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for the first time.

A Vietnam veteran had been admitted to the hospital for a routine medication adjustment. Schobert recalls that the man exhibited some of the classic symptoms of the disorder: he was distant and reserved, and he chose to remain silent most of the time, especially about his time in combat. His case made an impression on Schobert, who was then a graduate student at Baylor University's School of Social Work, and sparked an interest in the mental health issues of those who have served in the military.

Schobert earned his Master of Social Work degree in 2002, in addition to his Master of Divinity degree from Truett Seminary (1999), and now works at the Waco Veterans Affairs Medical Center as a licensed clinical social worker in the acute psychiatric unit. He continues to see PTSD patients, including a new influx from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

While Schobert sees veterans and active duty personnel with a variety of mental health issues, he often wonders about the causes of PTSD.

"I have some friends who have had three deployments, and they talk about the graphic and difficult things they've seen, but they are just fine," Schobert says. "And there are others who have been deployed once, but when they come back I see symptoms of PTSD and encourage them to talk to someone. It makes you wonder why."

Researchers at Baylor are hoping to help find that answer.


Investigating PTSD


Last fall, Baylor, Texas A&M University and the VA received a $2.8 million grant from the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materials Command to study PTSD. A portion of the three-year grant will fund research in neuroscience and computer science at Baylor.


PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can occur after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Although many people associate PTSD with military combat, any kind of life-threatening event can create the trauma. Survivors of natural disasters (such as Hurricane Katrina), terrorist attacks (such as 9/11), and physical or sexual assaults can experience PTSD. Even witnesses to such events, such as first responders or military personnel, can develop PTSD. While it is natural to be stressed and anxious after a traumatic event, people who develop PTSD exhibit chronic symptoms which don't subside and begin to interfere with day-to-day life.


Those suffering from the disorder can exhibit a variety of symptoms. They may have flashbacks of the incident, become hyper-vigilant, suffer from social anxiety, be prone to impulsive behavior, avoid normal activities, be unable to sleep or eat, and/or suffer from depression. They are more likely to abuse alcohol or drugs, become unemployed and have marital problems.


The treatment for the disorder, according to the National Center for PTSD, can include psychotherapy (or talk therapy), medication or both. But it can be difficult to treat.


That's why Baylor researchers are excited about their work. Not only could their research help those already living with PTSD, but it could also help prevent it.

go here for the rest
http://www.baylormag.com/dept.php?id=000686

The rates of PTSD have always been one out of three. At least that was the rate from the last thirty years. Doesn't matter the source of the trauma but one thing that comes out more often is that people who are exposed to it more get hit harder by it.

Combat is number one. That's because they not only participate in it, they are exposed to it over and over again. It's not just once during a deployment, but many times. Redeployments increase the risk by 50%. This is why we have such high numbers in combat veterans, plus you also have the survival rate keeping more severely wounded alive.

Down the list you find police, firefighters and other emergency responders. Think of the traumatic events they are exposed to, again more than once. Some have their entire careers with one traumatic event after another.

Researchers have to be serious about all of this. Rats do not try to save lives. Rats do not bond to others, yet rats and animals they have been studying for years show trauma symptoms. That does not mean it's PTSD but it does mean it's animal instinct. Remember the Christmas tsunami and the reports of animals heading up to higher ground before it hit? They had elephants picking people up with their trunks and taking them to safer ground. Dogs have saved people. They use dogs to sense when a seizure is coming in epileptic people. Animals experience trauma but trauma does not hit all animals turning them into timid creatures. It makes some of them angry enough to kill. The day they can study a rat having a flashback is the day I give them credit for trying.

I've talked to these guys for 25 years. It comes down to this. There are three types of basic personalities. Selfish, sensitive and a mix of both. As with anything it depends on the degrees of the personality. The selfish will survive trauma, feel lucky like they deserved to live because they were born untouchable mattering more in the grand program than others. The mixed ones feel that way too but see a purpose in their survival and they go off to help the others. That is their focus, not themselves as much as what they can do.

The really sensitive people take it all in. They don't feel lucky to be alive as much as they are sickened by what happened. They want to help and usually do, but they feel it all in the walls of their soul. They take in the sites, sounds, smells and all are born within them. You don't want this kind of "birth pang" that's for sure.

They say that no one comes back from combat the same way and everyone is changed. That's true but no on comes out of any kind of trauma the same way. Life changes people. The next time "researchers" try to tell you that they found the answer to PTSD in rats, then they can figure out how to send them into combat and let them prove it.


Here is a case to point to.

A Mother's Mission

While serving in Iraq, Noah Pierce survived the bombs, the snipers, and countless encounters with the enemy.

But his family and friends say it was the guilt that finally overcame him.

"The demons and the pain...he's too sensitive," said his mother, Cheryl Softich. "He couldn't handle the innocents that were killed, the kids he got attached to. He was a good boy, he had a heart."

When Noah came home from Iraq in April of 2006, he was 22. He had served two tours of duty there; two years of his young life. He tried to readjust to life back in Eveleth. He went hunting with his step-dad, and partied with friends.

But it was difficult. Noah was depressed, he suffered from nightmares, and drank to get through the days. Doctors diagnosed him with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. They recommended he get counseling. But he didn't go, instead spending much of his time convincing himself and others that he was getting better.

go here for the rest

http://www.wdio.com/article/stories/S302385.shtml?cat=10349

You can say that being sensitive makes them weak but it doesn't. It just makes them feel it all. They are not cowards or they wouldn't have joined. They are the kind of people who think they can make a difference and that's why they join. Talk about bravery! Wanting to change something like they are willing to go into takes either the most brave or the most foolish. The men and women who develop PTSD have it hit them because of what happened to them as well as what happened to others. Flashbacks when it is caused by combat trauma comes with the harm being done to others more often than the harm done to them.

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

Count all non-combat deaths part 4

Non-combat deaths K-L

Pfc. Douglas E. Kashmer, 27, of Sharon, Pa., died June 8 in Nippur, Iraq, when the wrecker in which he was a passenger was involved in a non-combat related rollover. Kashmer was assigned to the Army's 70th Transportation Company, Mannheim, Germany

ADAM KELLY LAS VEGAS, NV GUNSHOT 6/22/2004 Adam Kelley survived the Persian Gulf War but not the aftermath of his combat experience.For 13 years after the war, he suffered not only from physical problems but mental ones as well.His No. 1 enemy was post-traumatic stress disorder, the illness affecting thousands of veterans in Southern Nevada, including hundreds who have lived through the horrors of death and danger in Iraq and Afghanistan.His mother, Marsha Kelley, said he joined the Army at 21 because he liked being outdoors and he wanted to earn money for college. "He liked hunting, but he didn't like killing," she said in an interview last month.But in the end, he shot and killed himself last year while sitting in his truck behind a sandwich shop not far from his northwest Las Vegas home. His mother blames the Army and the Veterans Administration for not giving him the proper care soon enough.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Sep-25-Sun-2005/news/27253080.html

Spc. Mike N. Kenagy Feb. 20, 2005 The shooting happened Feb. 13 at a townhouse in Annandale, Va., the two soldiers shared with the victim’s wife, police and Army officials said. Spc. Wayne Grimm, 22, of D Company, was charged with manslaughter rather than murder because a preliminary investigation revealed Grimm apparently did not intend to kill his friend, said Fairfax County, Va., Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert Horan. Officer Bud Walker, a Fairfax Police spokesman, said Grimm fired a single shot from a handgun at roommate Spc. Mike N. Kenagy, 24, of B Company, as Kenagy stood on the other side of a closed door. Grimm has no bonds but is supposed to appear at a preliminary hearing April 5, Horan said.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-667464.php

Philip Kent South Carolina, gunshot Phillip Kent was down to 90 pounds when he returned to Columbia from Iraq. "It's screaming at me when he gets off that bus," Phillip's mother, Laura told WIS News. "He is not well - he's stressed, he's on edge, he's just a bundle of nerves. Besides that just his general appearance, any mother would pick up on that immediately." Laura says her son would not eat or sleep, had anxiety, and lost interest in doing all the things he loved growing up, like playing sports and making music. Laura believes Phillip was scared to ask for help. "If he were to admit it, i4 was a sign of weakness - and of course in the military you don't want to be weak," said Laura. So behind his back, Laura called a military chaplain. However, she says nobody followed up with her son. Two months later he was hospitalized. "For two days in the psychiatric unit - boy that was sure a long time for someone that - I just thought 'what a sham.' That was so ridiculous." Six months later, Phillip was honorably discharged from the military after being arrested but not charged for a fight he had with his wife. Laura says Phillip's mental health had strained his marriage and at this point his life began to really unravel. Then he threatened suicide..."He said 'I'm going to get a bottle of Jack [Daniel's Whiskey] and I got my pistol right here,'" Laura tearfully remembers, "and then I got the call that no human being wants to get ever." Phillip killed himself, exactly the way he said he would.

Lt Col Paul W Kimbrough 2003-10-03 44 Washington DC District of Columbia 415th Engineer Command, Team 28 Army Reserve Kimbrough died on October 3, 2003, in Incirlik, Turkey, of a non-combat related cause. He was medically evacuated from Bagram, Afghanistan, and was taken to the 39th Medical Squadron in Turkey, where he remained hospitalized until his death.
http://afghanistan.pigstye.net/wd.php?sort=unit

Levi B. Kinchen, 21, Tickfaw LA A specialist dies in his sleep, possibly from heat stress.
8/9/03
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/7/4000

Capt. Nathaniel L. King, 31, of Fishers, Ind., jumped Friday and died of his injuries the next day at Duke University Medical Center, said XVIII Airborne Corps spokesman Maj. Rich Patterson. King’s parachute didn’t malfunction, and it’s not yet clear what led to the injuries, said Patterson, who declined to describe the injuries. King was among about 140 jumpers Friday and the only one who suffered serious injury, Patterson said. The Fort Bragg Safety Office and the Army Criminal Investigation Division are investigating the death. King, a nine-year veteran of the Army, had deployed to Iraq twice, returning from his most recent one-year stint in January. His awards included a Bronze Star. April 12, 2006
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/1-292925-1682916.php

Spc. Tremayne King, 27. Man found guilty in stabbing soldier A Holyoke, Mass., man who said he was having an affair with a National Guard soldier’s wife was convicted May 24 of stabbing the soldier to death shortly before his scheduled deployment to Iraq, The Associated Press said. Pablo Vargas, 28, was found guilty of first-degree murder, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Vargas admitted he stabbed Spc. Tremayne King, 27. But Vargas claimed the stabbing was a desperate act of self-defense against an enraged soldier who found him with his wife.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-1829501.php

David M. Kirchhoff, 31, Anamosa IA 8/8/03 A private first class suffers a fatal heat stroke while driving a truck.
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/7/4000

John K. Klinesmith Jr., 25, Stockbridge GA 6/12/03
A specialist drowns while swimming in a lake in a palace compound. http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/7/4000

Floyd G. Knighten Jr., 55, Olla LA A sergeant dies from the heat. 8/9/03
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/7/4000

Spc. Allen J. Knop 22 Company C, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Willowick, Ohio Died of non-combat related injuries in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 23, 2005

Cpl. Alexander J. Kolasa 22 704th Main Support Battalion, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division White Lake, Michigan Died on non-combat related causes in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 31, 2006 Cpl.Alexander J. Kolasa 22 Army A soldier from suburban Detroit who died in Iraq served his country with the same pride he had in it while growing up, his mother said Thursday. Cpl. Alexander J. Kolasa, 22, of White Lake Township in Oakland County, died of noncombat causes, the Defense Department announced. Kolasa's mother, Kathy, said in a telephone interview that her son was manning a guard tower north of Baghdad on Wednesday when he suffered a heart attack. "It was very sudden," she said. "From the information I got, he collapsed, they performed CPR for 30 minutes, they electroshocked him. Then they helicoptered him out to a hospital, and that's where he died." Asked if family members had any idea that Kolasa had heart problems, Kathy Kolasa said "absolutely none."
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/external/fmmac2.mm.ap.org/

Capt. Edward J. Korn 31, of Savannah, Georgia U.S. soldier killed by possible "friendly fire" in central Iraq. It appears he was mistaken for an enemy soldier while investigating a destroyed Iraqi tank. (4/03/2003)
http://www.lunchwithgeorge.com/lwg_iraqwar.html

Sgt. Bradley S. Korthaus 28 Company C, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group Davenport, Iowa Drowned while crossing the Saddam Canal on March 24, 2003

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page4.html

Petty Officer 2nd Class Edward A. Koth 30 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Eight Towson, Maryland Died after ordnance exploded during a disposal operation at Camp Victory, Iraq, on July 26, 2006
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page4.html

Australia

Pvt. Jacob B. Kovco 25 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment Victoria, Australia Died when accidentally shot himself in the head while cleaning his gun in the Australian security detachment barracks in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 21, 2006

Lance Cpl. Jakub Henryk Kowalik 21 1st Maintenance Battalion, 1st Marine Force Service Support Group Schaumburg, Illinois Killed when the unexploded ordnance he was handling detonated near a Marine encampment in Iraq on May 12, 2003
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page4.html

Kreider, Dustin L. Private 19 Army 3/21/04 weapon discharge added 4/1/07 Pvt. Dustin L. Kreider, 19, of Riverton, Kan., died March 21 near Samarra, Iraq during a unit weapon test-firing incident. Kreider was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, based in Schweinfurt, Germany.
http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/mar2004/a032304a.html

Army Sgt. Reno S. Lacerna,
44, Waipahu, Hawaii; died Monday in Al Qayyarah of a non-combat related illness; assigned to the 87th Corps Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gqgQCcv26kB1dkgZRZNHmbn_1J8gD8TUNOC02

MARY GENTILE LACEY, WA HANGING 5/9/2006

Army Spc. Rachel Lacy Prior to deploying to the Persian Gulf in March 2003, she received these shots in a single day: anthrax, smallpox, hepatitis B, typhoid VI, and measles, mumps and rubella and died just 33 days later. She was 22 years old. Two expert panels one affiliated with the CDC, the other under the Department of Health and Human Services said one or more of the vaccines may have triggered an undiagnosed autoimmune disorder that killed her. But they could not pinpoint which ones. Her case was the only one of four cases of severe illness or death reviewed by the panel that found a link between vaccination and death. The coroner said in his official report that smallpox and anthrax vaccines may have contributed to Lacy’s death. Her father agrees, dismissing the theory that she had an underlying autoimmune disease. He questions giving numerous shots on the same day, saying it can only complicate learning which vaccine caused a problem.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-519369.php

Spc. Felicia LaDuke, 22, in October 2005 at Mokuleia Beach. SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii A Schofield Barracks soldier was convicted Tuesday of premeditated murder in the death of a fellow soldier. Spc. Jeffery White, 22, was found guilty by a court-martial panel of killing Spc. Felicia LaDuke, 22, in October 2005 at Mokuleia Beach. Officials had said LaDuke had been seeking child support from White for their son, who was 20 months old at the time. White was married and had another child with his wife, the officials said.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/com/1-comnews-2420672.php

Lance Cpl. Alan Dinh Lam, 19, of Snow Camp, N.C. He was assigned to the 8th Communication Battalion, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, N.C. WASHINGTON--The Department of Defense identified today three Marines killed in a non-hostile accident during Operation Iraqi Freedom. They were killed when a rocket-propelled grenade launcher they were firing for familiarization malfunctioned. The incident occurred April 22 (03)on a firing range near the city of Al Kut, Iraq.

James I. Lambert III, 22, Kenbridge VA 7/31/03 A specialist is shot in the head and killed by a stray bullet fired during a local Iraqi celebration.
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/7/4000

Robert Langley Miss. guardsman killed at work A 30-year-old Mississippi National Guard soldier who worked as a police officer at the University of Mississippi died Oct. 21 of head injuries after being dragged by a vehicle some 200 yards, officials said. Authorities have not clearly described how Robert Langley came to be dragged by the vehicle, which Langley had stopped for speeding, The Associated Press reported. A second-year freshman has been charged with capital murder of a police officer in the case. State Guard spokesman Maj. Danny Blanton said Langley returned in May from a tour in Afghanistan with 1st Battalion, 114th Artillery.

http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-2315510.php

Lt. Cmdr. Jane Elizabeth Lanham 43 Naval Branch Health Clinic, Naval Support Activity, Bahrain Owensboro, Kentucky Died of non-hostile causes in Manama, Bahrain, on September 19, 2006 Sunday, December 17 2006 http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/TafoyaJaneE

Sgt. Denise A. Lannaman 46 1569th Transportation Company, New York Army National Guard Bayside, New York Died of non-combat related incident at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, on October 1, 2006

Spc. Aaron P. Latimer 26 562nd Engineer Company, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team Ennis, Texas Died in Mosul, Iraq, on May 9, 2006 Alaska-based soldier who was found dead this week at his base in Iraq has been identified as Spc. Aaron P. Latimer, 26. Very few details about the soldier's death have been released. Military officials say Latimer, of Ennis, Texas, was found dead Tuesday at his forward operating base in Mosul around 5:30 a.m. Alaska time. His death was not combat related and is under investigation, according to U.S. Army Alaska spokesman Maj. Kirk Gohlke. http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/LatimerAaronP

Pfc. Arwana Lattimore-Oliver joined the Army Reserve in 1991, re-enlisted and was serving at Fort Riley, Kan., in March 1998. In April 1998, she got at least three shots, for yellow fever, typhoid, and diphtheria and tetanus, on the same day. Later that month, she got a hepatitis shot. In September, she went to the hospital with vomiting and low heart rate, according to a source familiar with her medical records. Her condition worsened over the following months, robbing her of her vision and sense of touch, her balance, and ability to walk or even feed herself. She also contracted multiple sclerosis and slowly faded away until she died May 24, 2002, at 28.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-519369.php

Pfc. Casey M. LaWare 19 Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment Redding, California Died April 9, 2005, at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, from non-combat related injuries sustained in Al Mahmudiyah, Iraq, on April 6, 2005

Sgt Marc D. Leger 2002-04-18 29 Lancaster Ontario 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia s Canadian Light Infantry Canadian Army Marc was one of four soldiers killed in a freindly fire accident near Kandahar when a bomb was dropped on their location. Canada
http://afghanistan.pigstye.net/wd.php?sort=unit

Spc. Samuel S. Lee 19 Company B, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division Anaheim, California "Died of non-combat related injuries in Ramadi, Iraq, on March 28, 2005 suicideIn the months before Army Pfc. Samuel Lee, of Anaheim, Calif., killed himself in March 2005, an investigative report says, the 19-year-old had talked to fellow soldiers about a dream in which he tried to kill his sergeant before taking his own life, and of kidnapping, raping and killing Iraqi children. Three times, a soldier recounted in a sworn statement, Lee had pointed his gun at himself and depressed the trigger, stopping just before a round fired.

JEFFREY LEHNER 40 CA GUNSHOT12/1/2005 In December 2005, Jeff Lehner, 40, a former Marine sergeant who served in Afghanistan, shot and killed his elderly father, then killed himself in Santa Barbara County. He had been in counseling for combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder.
http://www.startribune.com/484/story/1079473-p2.html

Staff Sgt. Jason A. Lehto 31 Detachment B, Marine Wing Support Group 47, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Forces Reserve Mount Clemens, Michigan Died from a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq, on December 28, 2004

Spc. Cedric L. Lennon 32 Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment West Blocton, Alabama Died of a non-combat related cause in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 24, 2003

Spc. Farao K. Letufuga 20 Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division Pago Pago, American Samoa Died when he fell from a building while performing guard duty in Mosul, Iraq on August 5, 2003

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page4.html

Staff Sgt. Brandon Lewis was involved in a single-vehicle wreck while driving near Dallesport, Wash., July 17. One passenger was treated and released on the scene and another was taken to a hospital, according to a base release. August 2, 2004
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/1-ARMYPAPER-275004.php

Cpl. Timothy D. Lewis 20 Combat Logistics Regiment 37, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force Lawrenceburg, Kentucky Died as a result of non-hostile action in Jolo, Republic of the Philippines, on February 15, 2007. His death is under investigation.

Liguori, Carlo Lieutenant Colonel 07/02/0641 Lt Col Carlo Liguori 41 2006-07-02 Gragnano Naples Italian General Staff Italian Army Suffered a heart attack in the morning while he was standing in line for breakfast
http://afghanistan.pigstye.net/wd.php?sort=unit

Romania

Dobre Lili Saturday, April 01 2006 BUCHAREST - A Romanian soldier in Iraq who tried to commit suicide ten days ago died in a Kuwaiti hospital late Saturday, the Romanian news agency reported Sunday The soldier, Dobre Lili, fired at his head in his tent on March 14 after finishing petrol around the area. He was in an immediate coma after the shot and was rushed to a nearby Kuwaiti hospital for treatment.The cause of suicide was unknown.A spokesman for the Romanian Defense Ministry told Xinhua that Lili is the first soldier dead in Iraq. So far, three Romanian soldiers died in Afghanistan, he added.Romania currently has more than 840 soldiers in Iraq.
http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/LiliDobre

Pvt. Philip Linden, 20, was involved in a domestic dispute. Linden then fled in his car with a loaded shotgun, pursued by Fort Drum police. Troopers pulled Linden over, but he sped off when they approached his car. About three miles down the road, he made a U-turn and crashed his vehicle. Linden was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment. Linden He had been based at Fort Drum since March 2003 and never deployed with the 10th Mountain Division. March 27, 2006
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-1606768.php

Capt. James Linton 43 40 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery England Collapsed and died on July 18, 2003, following a training run at a British base in Az Zubayr, Iraq

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page4.html

STEVEN MICHAEL LOGAN2/28/2005 26 DELAWARE SSgt. Steven Michael Logan memorial website STATESIDE INCIDENT: 1 suicide. A 26-year old Marine who’d personally been reenlisted by the Secretary of the Navy, Gordon R. England, at the peak of Mount Suribachi above Iwo Jima the year before, committed suicide. At the time of his reenlistment, the intelligence clerk in the 3rd Materiel Readiness Battalion said, “The experience was definitely a chance of a lifetime and a great feeling…Not many Marines or Sailors can say they were re-enlisted on top of Mount Suribachi by the Secretary of the Navy. Also, knowing who and what I was representing at such a level was a good feeling in itself. It was definitely an honor to be in that position.”
http://timelines.epluribusmedia.org/timelines/index.php?table_name=tl_ajax

Pfc. Duane E. Longstreth 19 Company B, 307th Engineer Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division Tacoma, Washington Died from noncombat-related injuries in Baghdad, Iraq, on August 7, 2003 A private first class who had survived being accidentally shot in the chest by a machine gun while riding in a truck in May shoots himself in the head with a confiscated revolver after loading it with one bullet and reportedly joking about playing Russian roulette.
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/7/4000

Steven D. Lopez.An active-duty sergeant in the U.S. Army, Lopez, 23, shot his wife, Brenda Lee Davila, 22, before turning the gun on himself Monday afternoon.

Lance Cpl. Timothy A. Lovett ARLINGTON, Va. — Investigators are looking into last week’s death of a young Marine at Camp Lejeune, N.C., a Camp Lejeune spokesman said. Lance Cpl. Timothy A. Lovett, 20, was found dead at 12:50 p.m. on Oct. 4 at the Stone Bay Rifle Range, Lt. Col. Curtis Hill said. “I will add that he was not on the firing line when he was found,” Hill wrote in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes on Wednesday. Lovett, of Los Angeles County, Calif., was assigned to the II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group for II MEF.

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=49437

David L. Loyd, 44, Jackson TN 8/5/03 A staff sergeant dies of a heart attack while on a mission in Kuwait.
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/7/4000

JEFFREY LUCEY 23 BELCHER, MA HANGING 6/22/2004 'Something happened to Jeff' Jeff Lucey returned from Iraq a changed man. Then he killed himself. By Irene Sege, Globe Staff March 1, 2005 BELCHERTOWN -- Less than three weeks before he committed suicide, Jeffrey Lucey, lance corporal in the Marine Reserves, veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, totaled his parents' Nissan Altima.
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/mental/articles/2005/03/01/jeff_lucey_returned_from _iraq_a_changed_man_then_he_killed_himself/
November 15, 2004
Family tries to come to terms with Iraq vet’s suicide By Adam Gorlick
Associated Press BELCHERTOWN, Mass. Jeffrey Lucey was just an ordinary kid from small-town America. He grew up loving his parents, his high school sweetheart and backyard ballgames in this quiet, picturesque community bordering the Quabbin Reservoir. Even his decision to enlist in the Marine Reserves two years before the burst of patriotism following the 2001 terrorist attacks was run-of-the-mill.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/com/1-comnews-505406.php

Pfc. Jason C. Ludlam 22 Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division Arlington, Texas Ludlam was electrocuted while laying telephone wires at Forward Operating Base Comanche north of Baquba, Iraq, on March 19, 2004.

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/page4.html

Pfc. Kevin M. Luna 26 Company B, 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 1st Infantry Division Oxnard, California Died of non-combat related injuries in Muqdadiya, Iraq, on January 27, 2005

Sgt. Robert D. Lund, recently returned from Iraq. Lund, 24, an aircraft armament system repairer assigned to the Army’s 1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), based at Fort Campbell, Ky., was participating in over-water aircraft training with his unit, said Maj. Robert Gowan, a spokesman. died during a water-training exercise off Key West was identified Monday as Sgt. Robert D. Lund, recently returned from Iraq. March 2004
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/1-292925-2783337.php

Capt. Joe F. Lusk II 25 Company A, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment Reedley, California Died of non-combat related injuries at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, on January 21, 2005

Second Wind Foundation out to de-stigmatize PTSD

New Recovery Program Created in Response to Epidemic Numbers of Vets Suffering Trauma, PTSD
Grassroots Non-profit's Goal to Provide Model for Recovery Centers Throughout the Nation
By Healing Those Who Serve

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 3 --With the unmet mental health needs of our military men and women reaching critical mass, The Second Wind Foundation, a 501c3, has created a publicly funded treatment program for returning military personnel suffering from trauma and PTSD called Healing Those Who Serve (HTWS). Funded through private and corporate donations, the Healing Those Who Serve pilot program is slated to launch at The Ranch, an internationally renowned recovery center set on 2,000-acres in rural Tennessee, in February 2008. The monies raised will create scholarships to fund Veterans in need of PTSD treatment for the recommended 60 to 90-day stay.

Second Wind Foundation co-founder Lee McCormick explains, "This program is designed to raise funds and awareness, de-stigmatize, and heal the minds and spirits of our warriors. It is unique in that we are experienced in concurrently treating related and often times recurrent disorders, such as alcohol and drug abuse, along with trauma, which has proven to be most effective."
go here for the rest
http://www.sunherald.com/447/story/275441.html

Where candidates put mental health on their to do list

NAMI sent out questions to all the candidates. You would think they would all take the mental health conditions of so many Americans important enough to stop and answer the questions, but you would be wrong. It appears that most of them think this is not worthy of their time to address.

Questionnaire View a copy of our candidate questionnaire.


Biden sent a letter instead of answers but at least he showed he does know some of the facts.

Sen. Joseph Biden of DelawareSenator Biden has provided NAMI with this

Mental Health Policy Statement in lieu of a response to our questionnaire.

Edwards addressed the questions.

John Edwards, former Senator from North Carolina
Questionnaire response

Obama answered the questions

Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois

Questionnaire response

Richardson responded

Gov. Bill Richardson of New MexicoGov. Richardson has provided NAMI with this
Mental Health Platform in lieu of a response to our questionnaire.


McCain did not address mental health other than fluff.



McCain, who you would think as a Vietnam vet and POW, would put this on the front of his to do list considering we are loosing more when they come home than we do when they are in Iraq or Afghanistan. You would think that with the track record of the government addressing PTSD in Vietnam veterans is so deplorable, McCain would be the first one screaming about his but I guess it doesn't fit in with his priorities.

Sen. John McCain of ArizonaSenator McCain has provided NAMI with this
Mental Health Statement in lieu of a response to our questionnaire. The Campaign has informed us that it is Senator McCain’s policy not to respond to questionnaires.

But at least he responded. The other Republican candidates didn't bother. But Romney offers something very interesting.

Mitt Romney, former Governor of MassachusettsThe Campaign has informed us that it is Governor Romney’s policy not to respond to questionnaires. As with all candidates, we have asked whether they have information that they would like to submit on their mental healthcare/healthcare positions and the response is pending.

http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=2008_Primaries_and_Elections&Template=/ContentManagement/
HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=55411

With two occupations still going on with no ending date, why is this not important to all of them? Why wouldn't they stop talking and start listening to veterans and their families? How many times have they showed up at VFW or American Legion halls looking for supporters without showing any real support when it mattered?

The next president will be the next Commander-in-Chief. They need to take all of this seriously or we will keep seeing mental health for all Americans suffer, crime rates go up and homelessness go up. We have thousands in New Orleans suffering from the trauma of Katrina. We have close to that figure in New York still suffering from the 2001 attacks. From coast to coast, police, firefighters and emergency responders suffer with PTSD. If we cannot manage to take care of the people we count on the most when they are wounded by their jobs, then where will that place the rest of the people suffering with the aftermath of trauma? kc

DOD three more non-combat deaths in Iraq

01/02/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Sgt. Reno S. Lacerna, 44, of Waipahu, Hawaii, died Dec. 31, 2007 in Al Qayyarah, Iraq, of a non-combat related illness. He was assigned to the 87th Corps Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

01/02/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Pfc. Joseph R. Berlin Jr., 21, of Chelsea, Ala., died Dec. 30 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

01/01/08 MNF: Soldier dies from non-combat-related injury (Qayyarah)
A U.S. Soldier died as a result of a non-combat related injury in the vicinity of Qayyarah Airfield West Dec. 31. The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin and release by the Department of Defense.

47% Warrior Transition Unit Positions not filled yet?

Critics blast shortages, turnover in Army care

By Laura Ungar - The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal
Posted : Wednesday Jan 2, 2008 11:55:02 EST

Injured in a roadside blast in Iraq, Sgt. Gerald Cassidy was assigned to a new medical unit at Fort Knox, Ky., devoted to healing the wounds of war.

But instead of getting better, the brain-injured soldier from Westfield, Ind., was found dead in his barracks Sept. 21. Preliminary reports show he may have been unconscious for days and dead for hours before someone checked on him.

Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., linked his death in part to inadequate staffing at the unit. Only about half of the positions there were filled at the time. The Army is still investigating the death and its cause, and three people in Cassidy’s chain of command have lost their jobs.

“By all indications, the enemy could not kill him, but our own government did,” Bayh told the Senate Armed Services Committee recently. “Not intentionally, to be sure, but the end result apparently was the same.”

Bayh pointed to a September report from the Government Accountability Office showing that more than half of the Warrior Transition Units nationwide had shortages in key positions at the time. Of 2,410 positions, 1,127 — or 47 percent — had not been filled.

go here for the rest

War weapon becomes life saver in TBI research

Other symptoms of TBI include headaches, difficulty remembering or concentrating, fatigue, mood changes, sadness or anger and dizziness. Many of these are also symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. But now, researchers say that some of those PTSD cases could be TBI.

TBI studied in lab equipped with cannon

By Jeff Seidel - Detroit Free Press
Posted : Wednesday Jan 2, 2008 11:34:45 EST

DETROIT — The doors are locked.

“Testing!” shouts Dr. Pamela VandeVord, an assistant professor at Wayne State University. She stands back, holding her hands over her ears, bracing for another explosion.

Brain research sounds like the height of academic aloofness, filled with arrogant intellectuals wearing white lab coats in a pristine environment, pondering the meaning of life while listening to Beethoven.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

At Wayne State University, in the biomedical engineering department, brain research is done by researchers wearing blue jeans and T-shirts, working in an old laboratory that looks like an auto shop. It’s more rock ‘n’ roll than classical music.

The research is loud, powerful and exciting — and the topic is relevant: Wayne State has been chosen to receive a $778,000 grant to figure out why so many troops are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan with brain injuries caused by roadside bombs.

go here for the rest

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/01/gns_tbistudy_080102/

Shock Wave: Troops who served in Iraq may have undiagnosed brain injuries

Shock Wave: Troops who served in Iraq may have undiagnosed brain injuries
Like many, Lacey man returns from war -- but not to himself
By CAROL SMITH
P-I REPORTER

LACEY -- The only outward sign of something amiss at Garry Naipo's household in this community of well-tended homes south of Fort Lewis is the ragged, yellowing lawn.


"It used to be like Safeco Field out there," Paoakalani "Paoa" Naipo said of the lawn his father no longer trims every three days. Before, Garry Naipo would forgo watching football on the weekend until the grass was cut. Once he started so early on a Saturday morning, his wife, Alii, rushed out, as she put it, "to save him from the neighbors."

Then Garry Naipo, a grandfather of three, went to Iraq -- boomeranging from cul-de-sac to combat and back in 15 months, a journey that would change his life -- and that of his family -- in subtle, corrosive ways.


Naipo, 51, is one of thousands of National Guard citizen soldiers who have left established jobs and families to answer a call and come back altered men and women. On the outside, they look fine, the same even. They blend in at work, in the grocery line, at their children's soccer games. People tell them they're lucky. They're not dead.
go here for the rest
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/345712_guardsmanmain02.html

What They Found in the Wastebasket

January 01, 2008
What They Found in the Wastebasket
The McClatchy newspapers continue their great series about whether and how the VA system is serving, or under-serving, returning combat veterans with PTSD.
In their recent story, "Suicide Shocks Montana into Assessing Veteran's Care," which by the way is an excellent fact-filled article, there is this troubling mention about what Chris Dana's dad found in his wastebasket, after Chris shot himself last March. Let's let the McClatchy papers tell the story:
HELENA, Mont. — Chris Dana came home from the war in Iraq in 2005 and slipped into a mental abyss so quietly that neither his family nor the Montana Army National Guard noticed.He returned to his former life: a job at a Target store, nights in a trailer across the road from his father's house. When he started to isolate himself, missing family events and football games, his father urged him to get counseling. When the National Guard called his father to say that he'd missed weekend duty, Gary Dana pushed his son to get in touch with his unit. "I can't go back. I can't do it," Chris Dana responded.

go here for the rest

http://www.healingcombattrauma.com/2008/01/the-increasing.html