PTSD? Why be afraid if you're not alone?

Cpl. Brent Phillips
Wounded marine helps other vets get benefits
Bert SassSpecial Projects Producer12 NewsFeb. 24, 2008 09:47 PM
War Stories: Corporal Brent Phillips


Nearly five years after he was wounded, it has taken Phillips a long time to adjust to civilian life. He says he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which affects many combat veterans.


Phillips tells about flashbacks




Phillips is determined to manage his PTSD and not let it control his life. He says, "I pretty much deal with it by telling my parents about it...both sheriff's officers (in California). Both of them have been in different firefights." Phillips also finds his wife and three small children help relieve the tension. He also is taking a proactive role in helping vets, like himself, get the VA benefits they deserve. He organized a recent information meeting to help vets learn about benefits and get VA appointments. Some Valley veterans with PTSD attend regular meetings that were started by case manager Patricia Tuli at the Carl T. Hayden Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Phoenix. Tuli works with many veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.


dealings with POWs surprised Phillips


Phillips describes firefight


go here for the rest


http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/052007warstorywebbonus-CR-CP.html

From the University of Virginia

Mental Health Disorders
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Statistics related to PTSD
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH):

Nearly 7.7 million Americans have PTSD at any given time.

About 30 percent of men and women who have spent time in war zones experience PTSD.

What is post-traumatic stress disorder?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition that often follows a terrifying physical or emotional event - causing the person who survived the event to have persistent, frightening thoughts and memories, or flashbacks, of the ordeal. Persons with PTSD often feel chronically, emotionally numb.

PTSD was first brought to public attention by war veterans and was once referred to as "shell shock" or "battle fatigue." The likelihood of developing PTSD depends on the severity and duration of the event, as well as the person's nearness to it.

What triggers PTSD to develop?
The event(s) that triggers PTSD may be:

something that occurred in the person's life.
something that occurred in the life of someone close to him or her.
something the person witnessed.
Examples include:

serious accidents (such as car or train wrecks)
natural disasters (such as floods or earthquakes)
man-made tragedies (such as bombings, a plane crash)
violent personal attacks (such as a mugging, rape, torture, being held captive, or kidnapping)
military combat
abuse in childhood

http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/UVAHealth/adult_mentalhealth/anptsd.cfm

If PTSD wound becomes part of you, why would you be afraid to talk about it? You're not alone suffering from it. Your family is not alone coping with it. All you have to do is look over the last few years of news reports to know how large the world's population has been wounded by trauma.

Thirty years ago, it was America's secret. It was trapped in whispers and silence. Hidden under shame with the thought this wound was a character defect of those who suffered from it. They would look at others who lived through the exact same event appearing to be untouched. The thought of being weaker than others caused them to suffer in secret. It was not a well kept secret because others could see the changes in them.

Families began to keep the secret as well. They would find excuses why a combat veteran would not go to family functions. They would find excuses to provide bosses when they could not go to work because of yet another night of terrifying nightmares.

I found myself making excuse as well. Even though I knew what PTSD was from the beginning, it was hard to protect my husband from judgmental attitudes that PTSD meant Jack was crazy. Working in offices, and most of the time surrounded by men, it was hard to hear them talk about normal life. They would talk about taking their wives to movies. I would tell them I wasn't interested in going to movies, when the truth was, I loved to go to them. I couldn't tell them my husband couldn't tolerate them anymore. He couldn't handle being in a crowd, in the dark and feeling vulnerable especially if he had a flashback, feeling as if the enemy was right behind his seat.

They would complain their wife stole the covers at night or how she would stick her cold feet on their warm leg. I couldn't do anything more than laugh while I wanted to cry. My husband and I never spent an entire night in the same bed during our 23 years of marriage. I doubt we ever will.

The church I attended back home in Massachusetts, the same one I attended since birth, where everyone knew me, hardly knew what my husband looked like. Some wondered if we were still married.

I would go shopping by myself because he couldn't stand the malls and hated to be in crowds.

The list goes on of how what we found to be normal for us, was abnormal to the rest of the world. Years later it was easier to talk about it because I had come into contact with so many others going through the same things. Once someone spoke of it, or I indicated something about it, then the communication opened up. It was never racking every time I did because I wondered what they were thinking about me and especially about Jack.

To this day, knowing what I know, knowing the stories of others, knowing that we are not alone with this, I still feel the need to protect him. I don't even use my married name when I write. Often I wonder why I would still feel this need of protecting him considering to me there is no reason the stigma lives on and that there is no shame in being human, no shame in being wounded by tragedy and trauma and there is nothing about him to be ashamed of. To me, he is an amazing man, filled with kindness and gentleness as well as strength. His character lives on beneath the dark days of flashbacks and drained days following nightmares. Still in my mind I know the attitude of too many in this country and around the world. It is one of the reasons I work so hard to provide information and stories of others going through all of this. Sooner or later there will be no more stigma to overcome.

There are some people who can speak openly about the ravages of PTSD on their lives. I admire them greatly. It's very hard to have all of this going on in your life and be able to talk about it. It takes a lot of courage to be able to look at your life and see the need to open up about it. Jack can't. I walk a very thin line on what I feel free to speak out about and what remains in the shadow of the work I do.

When I did the video Coming Out Of The Dark, the song by Gloria Estefan was perfect.

COMING OUT OF THE DARK (Gloria Estefan)

Why be afraid if I'm not alone?
Though life is never easy, the rest is unknown
Up to now, for me, it's been hands against stone
Spent each and ev'ry moment
Searching for what to believe


Coming out of the dark
I finally see the light now
And it's shining on me
Coming out of the dark
I know the love that saved me
You're sharing with me

Starting again is part of the plan
And I'll be so much stronger holding your hand
Step by step, I'll make it through; I know I can
It may not make it easier
But I have felt you near all the way


Forever and ever, I stand on the rock of your love
Forever and ever, I'll stand on the rock
Forever and ever, I stand on the rock of your love
Love is all it takes, no matter what we face

Why is it that we still feel the need to be ashamed and afraid? What is there to be afraid of? The thoughts of others who would not have those ignorant thoughts if we all spoke out about it? The more people talk about being human, surviving a traumatic event, overcoming it and still stand, the weaker the stigma will become. It takes a greatness of character to survive the carnage of combat, the violence of police work, the tragedy of a firefighter and emergency responder, the terror of crime and the wrath of nature. Yet we look at the survivors as damaged instead of wounded.

When we look at the veterans who have committed suicide, we fail to see how they not only carried on when their lives were in danger, as well as their military brothers and sisters, they acted with bravery and courage. It was not until they were no longer in danger from the human enemy, but when they were back home with the enemy in their mind that they felt they could no longer go on. When they commit suicide while deployed, they don't do it while the fight is going on, but in the quiet of their barracks or the silence of the night.

Family Thinks PTSD Drove Veteran to Suicide

Dylan Darling


Redding Record Searchlight

Feb 24, 2008


February 24, 2008 - During Michael Sherriff's nine-month tour in the battlefields of Iraq, his mother worried that one day a pair of Army officers in full dress would come to her door with terrible news.

"You're just on edge every single minute," Jennifer Cass said.

She didn't dream her son would become a victim of the war the way he did -- not on a faraway battlefield like she feared, but like a growing number of veterans -- by his own hand once he made it home.

Of 807,694 veterans diagnosed with depression and treated at a Department of Veterans Affairs facility nationwide between 1999 and 2004, 1,683 committed suicide, according to a study released in October 2007 by the University of Michigan Depression Center.

After her son safely returned stateside in April 2004, Cass dealt with a new set of worries. She said she began experiencing stress and anxiety as her Mikey had an increasingly difficult time adjusting to civilian life.

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/9410

Information, sharing and caring will erode the stigma and replace it with hope. Hope that they will be able to speak of what is happening inside of them and be embraced instead of embarrassed. Hope that once they say they need help, the help they need to heal will be there waiting for them. Hope that as soon as they know the trauma was too strong for them, they will be supported by those who care about them. Hope that life can regain a quality of what it once was. Hope that compassion will rap arms around them instead of point fingers at them.

So why be afraid if you're not alone? 7.7 million Americans are in the same company of wounded. We are not the only nation with PTSD. Every nation has a population of people wounded by it as long as they have humans in it.





Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.namguardianangel.blogspot.com/
http://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

Homeless man committed suicide in hospital

Hospital cited in patient suicide
ER fell short in monitoring a homeless man who hanged himself in Douglasville, according to a federal report.

By ANDY MILLER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 02/25/08

A Douglasville hospital failed to meet patient safety standards when a homeless man committed suicide in its emergency department, federal regulators have found.

The patient, evaluated as a suicide risk by WellStar Douglas Hospital staff, was not properly monitored for two hours and was then found hanging in his seclusion room, said a federal investigative report. The death occurred Oct. 31.

under the Freedom of Information Act.

Douglas Wayne Brown, 45, was in a seclusion room — typically used to manage a very agitated patient — a total of 22 hours, waiting for a transfer to another facility for treatment of alcohol and psychiatric problems, according to the report from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The report, based on an inspection by state surveyors in mid-November, does not describe whether the WellStar Douglas emergency room was crowded when the patient died.

A suicide in a hospital emergency department is extremely rare, health care officials said. Brown's death also renews questions about the capacity of general hospitals and psychiatric facilities in Georgia to handle the rising demand for mental health services.
go here for the rest
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/02/24/ersuicide_0225.html

Brig. Gen. Mike Tucker A Man On A Mission To Heal

“What’s their job? To heal,” Tucker said. “If they’re not healing, they’re not doing their job.”

General: Army still facing Warrior Transition Unit challenges
Tucker lauds progress but says more ‘hard thinking’ necessary
By John Vandiver, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Monday, February 25, 2008

BAUMHOLDER, Germany — Nearly a year ago, Col. Robert P. White was catching up on old times with his old boss, Brig. Gen. Mike Tucker, when the phone rang.

White was in a pre-command course at Fort Knox, Ky., where Tucker was serving as deputy commanding general.

“I’m sitting there having a beer with him and he gets a call. He walks out of the room and comes back in and his face, his jaw just dropped,” White told a group of 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division commanders.

On the phone was the chief staff of the Army, who had a special assignment, one that would place Tucker in the eye of the storm. Revelations about shoddy outpatient care at Walter Reed Medical Center had just burst into the national consciousness. Tucker’s task was to make things right.

Tucker, now the Army’s assistant surgeon general for warrior care and transition, was in Baumholder last week to talk with commanders about the progress made so far and the challenges ahead.

“We have transformed the way we care for warriors in our Army and we will never go back to the way it was,” Tucker said during the presentation Thursday.
go here for the rest
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52803

Vets don't need health battle

Vets don't need health battle

February 24, 2008 6:00 AM
Editor's note: Chellie Pingree, from North Haven, is a Democratic candidate for Congress in Maine's First Congressional District. James E. N. Bachelder from Acton is Maine state commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

By Chellie Pingree and James E. N. Bachelder

It was just about a year ago that the nation was shocked by a Washington Post story that revealed the dismal conditions inside the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Over 700 active duty soldiers with serious physical and psychological issues were being warehoused in rundown buildings, neglected and lost in a tangle of bureaucracy without access to the care they desperately needed.

Once again, America was caught not living up to the promise we have made to the men and women who serve — that we will take care of you when you come home.

Some progress has been made, but there is much more that needs to be done, especially for veterans who have completed their service and are ready to come home. They've fought for us; now it's our turn to stand up and fight for them.

Maine has one of the highest percentages of veterans of any state in the country. Over 140,000 Mainers have worn a uniform. Nearly 90 percent of the Maine National Guard has been deployed to Iraq, and too many of them have come home bearing the scars of combat.

According to a new government study, the rate of suicide among those returning from Iraq or Afghanistan has increased substantially. And over half of those who took their own lives were members of the Guard or Reserves.

Better and faster emergency care on the battlefield means more and more servicemen and servicewomen are surviving, but improvements in the availability of mental health treatment have not kept pace.

It's estimated that 30 percent to 40 percent of all Iraq veterans will face some sort of mental health issue when they come home, and although the VA provides some of the best care in the world, it simply doesn't have the resources to adequately address those problems. In the current system, less than 40 percent of vets with psychological conditions are getting the treatment they need.

The first step to address this need is a thorough and confidential health-care assessment for all returning veterans. And those who need help making the transition back home should get it. The Maine National Guard has taken this step, but the VA should be able to make it available to all returning servicemen and women. Too often the health care and benefits that veterans have earned are buried under a mountain of paperwork and kept out of reach by bureaucratic delays. Too often, when a vet comes home from war unable to work because of disabilities, a long delay in awarding disability leads to homelessness.

Sometimes the wounds inflicted in a combat zone aren't very visible. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are real injuries that affect tens of thousands of veterans. The diagnosis isn't always easy, but rules and regulations shouldn't make it more difficult.

Congressman Tom Allen has introduced a bill that would remove certain requirements that have been keeping veterans suffering from PTSD from getting the treatment they needed. Simply put, if a health-care professional determines a veteran returning from war is suffering from PTSD, that diagnosis will be enough, without requiring documentation that is often difficult or impossible to obtain.

Because the VA budget is discretionary, not mandatory, reliable funding is hard to come by, which leads to delays and cutbacks. Injured veterans are denied the benefits they deserve and they end up paying the price. Complicated forms and a difficult-to-navigate application and appeals process make it worse. The VA budget should be made mandatory and the treatment and benefits process streamlined. Veterans should be able get the help they need without having to fight for it.

Congressman Mike Michaud has been an effective and outspoken advocate for veterans and in addition to cosponsoring Congressman Allen's proposal. Last summer, he introduced a bill that would start to fix some of the problems that vets face. The Veterans Health Care Improvement Act would not only improve access to care and benefits, but it would also commit significant resources to helping those who have slipped through the cracks — like the 200,000 veterans around this country who will sleep on the street tonight.

Both of us have friends and neighbors who have come home from war only to find they have to fight another battle to get the care and benefits they need. We can and must do a better job taking care of these men and women. They deserve it.

http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
article?AID=/20080224/OPINION/802240333&sfad=1

Great report and Maine should be proud they are standing up for those who stood up for us. Isn't that what it all should be about? Does everything in this country have to be a battle of "with us or against us" or "pro-war or anti-war" when there are some things that should only be about them? When it comes to point of view, the men and women who serve, are really no different than the rest of us. Military presidential contributions are being distributed between Ron Paul with the lion's share and Senator Obama. All of them were willing to lay down their lives for the sake of this nation and while me may disagree on if willingness was appreciated or not, the rest of us can see that part clearly. We all need to stand up for them, especially the members of the groups who find time to march either protesting or supporting the occupation of Iraq. The men and women we fight over, need all of us coming together to really fight for their sake when they need us.

Help for the homeless Tony finds his way home

Help for the homeless Tony finds his way home
An innovative program is getting many of the city’s mentally ill off the streets and into a new life
By DAWN HINSHAW - dhinshaw@thestate.com
When Jeremy McCleery took a job 1½ years ago doing outreach at the Homeless Recovery Center, his mission was to help Tony.

Among the hundreds of anonymous homeless people who wander Columbia’s streets, Tony was different.

A slight Vietnamese man with a broad brown face, Tony slumbered on benches along Devine Street or walked the streets downtown with his clothes bundled under his shirt, his long matted hair stuffed into a stocking cap.

Many people came to recognize Tony during his 15 years on the streets, but no one knew him.

He was calm and silent, never asking for anything, often refusing the money or food that well-meaning people held out to him, saying, “I’m OK, I’m OK.”

Because of his silence, stories grew up around Tony — legends, really — that he was royalty, that he fled his homeland in fear for his life.

As a social work student at USC, McCleery saw Tony around town and wondered about him, too.

“He’d been around for so long, and no one had helped him,” he said. “Our program was made for people like Tony.”
go here for the rest
http://www.thestate.com/local/story/326053.html

It's a heart warming story of what a difference one person can make.

Fort Knox:"We're soldiers caring for our own"

"We're soldiers caring for our own," said Lt. Col. Gary Travis, the unit commander at Fort Knox.

Fort Knox improves treatments
BOOSTS DISCHARGE PREPARATION, AID FOR WOUNDED
By Bruce Schreiner
ASSOCIATED PRESS

FORT KNOX --Staff Sgt. Gerald Gonzalez has seen plenty of changes in a special unit for wounded soldiers since arriving at Fort Knox last summer with injuries from a roadside bomb in Iraq.

Barracks at the Army post in Central Kentucky are being renovated for soldiers placed in the "warrior transition unit." Staffing has been beefed up to help soldiers heal. And an assistance center geared toward the wounded troops and their families has opened.

"It's a lot better now," said Gonzalez, who suffers from a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder since being wounded last May while helping escort a military convoy.

Still, he said, Army efforts to specially tend to the wounded soldiers remain "a work in progress."
go here for the rest
http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/327283.html

Veterans help veterans readjust to civilian life

Veterans help veterans readjust to civilian life
Posted online: February 23, 2008 11:43 PM
Print publication date: 2/24/2008

By Brandy Donaldson , bdonaldson@qconline.com

Many veterans agree that readjusting to civilian life after serving in a foreign land can be like a brand new battle.

Davenport native Jim Gall was 18 when he was drafted into the Army and thrust into combat in Vietnam. Davenport's Wayne Hogard entered the Navy as a teenager during the Korean War. The plight of today's soldier is much the same as it was when they served, and, fortunately, there's more support available for those who need it, they said.

"I didn't have any trouble, but I'm sure there were some who experienced combat who had trouble readjusting after Korea. There's some who still experience that to this day," said Mr. Hogard, who, as an aviation electrician, never entered combat.

"Many boys come back today and don't really have the education they need about their own physical or mental health."

According to a recent Army study, an all-time high 121 active-duty soldiers committed suicide and at least 2,100 injured themselves or attempted suicide last year. The Department of Veterans Affairs reported 144 veterans committed suicide between 2001 and 2005, and thousands more suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

"I would imagine the high suicide rate is a result of boys not being treated when they get home and no one recognizing they're having problems," Mr. Hogard said.

Indicators of PTSD include incessant fear, hopelessness, isolation, memory loss, difficulty sleeping and concentrating, nightmares, flashbacks, erratic emotions, uncontrollable anger, paranoia, unexplainable outbursts and other symptoms.

Most troops can't recognize these things in themselves and those who do may have a difficult time admitting it, said Ron Milburn, junior vice commander at VFW Post 9128 in Bettendorf. He served in the Marines and Navy during peacetime. He later joined the National Guard and was sent to Iraq in 2003.
go here for the rest
http://qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=375938

Families Catch Fallout From PTSD

Spouse Calls Column: Families Catch Fallout From PTSD

February 24, 2008

Of all the subjects covered on the Spouse Calls blog, none is more heartbreaking than post- traumatic stress disorder and its effects on military spouses and families.

An upcoming column will feature resources and counseling for those affected by PTSD. These blog excerpts will explain why:

I live in New Jersey. I have searched endlessly, to no avail for a support group for the loved ones of PTSD veterans. I even tried starting one of my own. The vet centers, and the VA clinics and hospitals say they are including family members and loved ones, but I have not found that to be true.

Many of the veterans’ wives and significant others that I know are left without a support group. Does anyone else have live support in your area?
go here for the rest

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ArticleID/9405

If anyone is in the Orlando Florida area, I'd be happy to begin a support group. I believe it is vital having support to get through all of this. Vietnam veterans and their families didn't have it and it cost too many marriages as well as lives .

Sgt. John Osmolski's funeral peaceful due to flu

Stomach Flu Keeps Protesters Away From Soldier’s Funeral

Sunday, February 24, 2008 12:19:56 AM

Fallen Soldier Remembered video

EUSTIS -- Hundreds of people showed up to honor the memory of a local soldier who was killed while fighting in Iraq.

Dozens of flags waved outside of Bay Street Baptist Church in honor of Sgt. John Osmolski.

The 23-year-old was killed by a bomb six days before he was supposed to come back home.

Protestors from Kansas that lead a campaign called “God Hates America” were scheduled to picket the service. However, they canceled at the last minute, saying the group came down with the stomach flu.

Friends, family and former military men and women said it allowed them to focus on what was really important.

The men and women who held up flags at the church are part of a statewide organization called the Patriot Guard. The group travels to more than 50 memorial services, funerals and welcome home celebrations of soldiers each year.

Why would anyone would want to protest at a funeral for a soldier? They do it though. Whatever they hope to prove by doing it must be more about proving they are hateful people.

Senator Tester, fix Montana's VA problem sooner

Tester, VA chief hear from veterans
Agency chief says help is on way; senator, vets tell of inadequate services
By TOM LUTEY
Of The Gazette Staff

Limited by staff and space, veterans' health care services in Montana fall short, said U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who brought U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake to Billings to meet with local veterans.

"What I'm getting at is the staff and the square footage is a big issue," Tester said Wednesday. "That's not just here. It's the same in Great Falls and other places."

Tester and Peake got a firsthand look at the tight cramped quarters of the Veterans Affairs Primary Care Center in Billings. Roughly a decade old, the facility at 2345 King Ave. W. is no longer big enough to accommodate services for Billings-area veterans. Plans to relocate to a larger facility are in the works, but the VA Primary Care Center is also short on staff members.

Veterans speaking to Tester and Peake said phone calls to the VA Primary Care Center sometimes go unanswered for half an hour. Getting in to see a counselor about war-related stress can take days.

There's a debate about how many claims will still be made by veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The Bush administration estimates that 33,690 new veterans will enter the system, but the majority of staff for the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, on which Tester serves, expects 200,000 claims by veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

If the committee is correct, the president's budgeted amount for new claims could leave funding short for about 150,000 veterans.
go here for the rest
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/02/21/news/local/18-va.txt

With the problem veterans are having trying to get fit into the VA, buying land and building new hospitals and clinics will help, but that fix is years away. They need help today.

A quick search of commercial property in Billings Montana showed they not only have land that could be used in the future, but they also have buildings already available. Some of them seem to be a great deal. These are just a few of them.




Property Description:
Prime West End Office Building
2 story building with approx. 26,000 SQFT. Brick construction complex built in 1986 and remodeled in 1999. Located in approx. 66,000 SQFT landscaped and paved lot. The building has 25,825 SQFT. Excellent exposure to one of busiest avenues in Billings - King Avenue.

Location Description:
Located in the Homestead Business Park - Billings MT. A block from King Ave. on Grant Rd.
Property Use Type: Investment
Primary Type: Office
Office-Business Park
Building Size: 26,000 SF
Lot Size: 66,000 SF
Price: $3,200,000
Price/SF: $123.08
Cap Rate: 7.25%
Net Lease Investment: Yes
Years left on Lease: 2
Date Last Verified: 2/22/2008
Property ID: 15530183



Special Purpose Property
In or near Billings, MontanaVery solid 5,040 sq. ft. Commercial Construction. Scenic Spring Creek runs through property, mature trees, an oasis in the middle of Billings. Pe...
Status:Price:Bldg. Size:Cap Rate:Primary Type:Sub-Type:
Active$425,0005,040 SFN/ASpecial PurposeSpecial Purpose (Other)

Special Purpose Property
In or near Billings, MontanaSignificant, historical, brick building, with 7,025 sq. ft. on main level. Structurally astute, constructed of high quaility building materials, 7...
Status:Price:Bldg. Size:Cap Rate:Primary Type:Sub-Type:
Active$385,00014,050 SFN/ASpecial PurposeSpecial Purpose (Other)

Office Property
In or near Billings, Montana
Two 9,000 square foot buildings. Upscale Medical or office complex. 13,300 ADT's Per Day. Billings Highest Per Capita Income. Now Under Constru...
Status:No. Spaces:Rental Rate:Space Available:Bldg. Size:Primary Type:Sub-Type:
Active1$.012,800 SF9,000 SFOfficeMedical Office

Now, picture these buildings being used for veterans clinics and Vet's Centers. They seem to be just what the doctor ordered to take care of the veterans today and not just years from now. They could open up Vet Centers tomorrow. They could begin support groups for veterans and their families. If not then they will need to build a lot more homeless veterans shelters a couple of years from now. It's time to get serious about all of this and stop ringing their hands with the monumental task ahead. There is no time to play catch up when veterans are suffering because no one planned for them.

Spc. Brenden Teetsell ended his life leaving questions and heartache

Soldier’s lies unravel after he kills himself
By Nancy Montgomery, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, February 24, 2008


HEIDELBERG, Germany — Spc. Brenden Teetsell stood out. He was 6-foot-6 — but it was more than that. He was talkative, enthusiastic, smart and likable.

But Teetsell, it turned out, was also deeply troubled.

The 20-year-old satellite operator with the 5th Signal Command hanged himself Feb. 7 in his Mannheim barracks. He used bedsheets and a stairwell to end his life, just after Criminal Investigation Command investigators had spent the morning questioning him for apparently impersonating an officer.

He had been claiming to be a captain and that he’d been shot in the leg in Iraq, pastors at a California church told CID after the pastors decided to check up on him.

That long-distance telephone call was to be the first thread in the rapid unraveling of Teetsell’s life.

“It went from zero to 60 that morning,” said Lt. Col. Jay Chapman, commander of the 72nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion.

“We didn’t see symptoms. We’re really upset with ourselves. Nobody would have considered him to be feeling the way he was inside.”

Teetsell, who enlisted in 2006, had never been to Iraq. He hurt his knee before his unit deployed last fall and was reassigned to a different unit.

His death comes at a time when Army officials are grappling with a record number of suicides, even as they’ve stepped up suicide prevention efforts.

One major contributor to the increase in soldier suicides is thought to be the disruption to intimate and family relationships caused by long, repeated deployments.

But Teetsell had never deployed. He did not appear depressed, Chapman said his commanders told him. He was not aware he was being investigated until the day he died, Chapman said.
go here for the rest
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52770
Teetsell was not deployed, not wounded in combat and seemed to have been troubled by many accounts. Why didn't anyone do anything when they seemed to have thougth he was troubled? Why was he able to get into the military if he was already troubled? There are so many questions to this sad story of a life ended too soon.

Master Sgt. Woodrow Keeble Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor going to Native American soldier
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, February 23, 2008


WASHINGTON — A Native American soldier who fought in World War II and the Korean War will be posthumously honored with the Medal of Honor next month, White House officials announced Friday.

Retired Master Sgt. Woodrow Keeble, a South Dakota native who died in 1984, will be recognized for actions in North Korea in October 1951. According to Army records, he ignored life-threatening wounds to take out three mountainside enemy pillboxes which had pinned down a U.S. platoon.

Keeble was initially awarded a Distinguished Service Cross, a Silver Star and a Purple Heart for those actions, but members of his state’s congressional delegation have pushed for Medal of Honor recognition for him for years.

Army records say Keeble displayed “extraordinary heroism and completely selfless devotion to duty” during his assault on enemy troops in Korea.

After seeing an advance platoon was pinned down by gunfire, Keeble rushed from his support unit to the front line. He then crawled ahead to take out three enemy positions with grenades, despite intense fire trained on him as he moved along the mountainside.

go here for the rest
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52728

Renewed Hope Eric Hall Is Still Alive

Missing Marine may have called again
Eric Hall, 24, is believed to have placed another phone call to a friend
CAROLYN QUINN, Charlotte Sun Staff Writer
7:27 p.m., Friday, February 22, 2008


The former Marine who vanished over two weeks ago during a flashback to his service in Iraq may have called an old friend a second time.

Eric Hall, 24, who left his aunt's house in Deep Creek on Feb. 3 and has not been seen since, is believed to have called a childhood friend and former girlfriend in his native Indiana after 6 p.m. Thursday. It is the second call he is believed to have made to the friend, although he did not identify himself either time.

"He is reaching out, and it just renews my efforts," said Becky Hall, Eric's mother, who came to Florida from Indiana shortly after his disappearance.
go here for the rest

linked from ICasualties.org

Former Army Chaplain Chiefs Confer on Current Issues

Former Army Chaplain Chiefs Confer on Current Issues
Feb 21, 2008
BY Elizabeth M. Lorge
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Feb. 21, 2008) - As the Army's chaplaincy focuses on expanding services to wounded warriors and redeploying Soldiers, 15 former chiefs of chaplains gathered in Arlington, Va., for a "Graybeard Conference" Feb. 15 to discuss lessons learned from their tenures and relate them to the biggest concerns for today's Army.

Maj. Gen. Douglas L. Carver, the Army's current chief of chaplains, invited the former chaplains from the active Army, National Guard and Army Reserve in order to learn from their 40 years of combined experience at the helm of the chaplaincy and update them on the Army's current goals, priorities and challenges.
'
"There's a scripture in the bible that says there's nothing new under the sun, so I know that what I'm experiencing today as a leader is something that I can learn from those who have gone before me -- similar challenges that they've faced during the life and the history of the Army and the nation. I think it's also important for us to hear the collective wisdom of those who have been in this leadership position before, to hear their thoughts, their ideas, just to ensure we're doing the best we can to support our Soldiers and Families during a time of war."
click post title for the rest

A Local Soldier's Long Road Home: Dealing With PTSD

A Local Soldier's Long Road Home: Dealing With PTSD

POSTED: 10:38 pm EST February 22, 2008

WHEELING, W.Va. -- A local Iraq war veteran opened up to NEWS9 about the daily struggles of living with post traumatic stress disorder.

When soldiers leave the war zone, it’s not always a happy homecoming.

"When I came home the first time,” said Ryan Flowers, 25, of Moundsville, “I thought something wasn't right. I felt out of place."

Flowers is one of thousands of Iraq veterans dealing with PTSD.

He served two tours in Iraq, and his jobs included being a heavy wheel mechanic and convoy security.

Flowers’ job in convoy security required him to protect groups of civilians and war supplies.

“Making sure we could get supplies from one camp to another to support the ongoing war effort,” said Flowers.

While Flowers worked at night, his visions are clear as day.

“A night in December, we were leaving Mosul, and there was an explosion on the horizon," said Flowers. “To see an explosion come up over the horizon from that distance, it was my best friend who was in that explosion. He's OK, as OK as you can be."
go here for the rest
http://www.wtov9.com/news/15384598/detail.html

Frank Discussion About PTSD and War Trauma

Frank Discussion About PTSD and War Trauma (VIDEO)
Tim King and Dr. Phil Leveque Salem-News.com
Two men with experience in war; one a combat soldier and physician, and one who is a present day war reporter, attempt to spread light on facts surrounding PTSD.

(SALEM, Ore.) - As increasing numbers of veterans are returning from war where they experienced direct combat situations, the number of questions about what that trauma will bring them later in life is growing too.

Dr. Phil Leveque is a WWII veteran and a physician. When he speaks about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, he does so from what may be one of the most unique and qualified perspectives possible.

First he survived combat and battle injuries fighting Hitler's Nazi soldiers while the world raged at war, then he endured the hardships of the government VA healthcare system where he spent several months recovering from combat related injuries.

After that Phillip Leveque, already a college graduate, completed his master's program and attended medical school. He became a doctor who specialized in the treatment of people who had endured similar horrors of war.

Tim King joined the Marine Corps after high school, and then began a career in news broadcasting in the late 1980's. Today in addition to writing and reporting for Salem-News.com full time, he also serves as a War Correspondent.

Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 in Afghanistan embedded with the 41st Brigade Combat Team of the U.S. Army which was under the control of the Oregon Guard.

In late March, Tim will head to Baghdad, Iraq to cover the actions of Oregon National Guard soldiers on the ground.
click post title for the rest and video

I will embed the video soon.

Minnesota Marine veteran Jonathan Schulze suicide back in news

Minnesota Marine's case is part of lawsuit against VA
The suicide of Jonathan Schulze is cited in the class-action suit filed by two national veterans groups.

By KEVIN GILES, Star Tribune

Last update: February 22, 2008 - 9:23 PM
A class-action lawsuit filed by two national veterans organizations accusing the U.S. Veterans Administration of neglecting psychological fallout from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars cites the suicide of Minnesota Marine veteran Jonathan Schulze.

Schulze is one of several deceased veterans named in the suit, which a judge last month allowed to proceed and is headed for a hearing in U.S. District Court in San Francisco in March. Schulze, 25, committed suicide in January 2007 in New Prague, Minn., five days after he allegedly was turned away from the VA hospital in St. Cloud when seeking psychiatric help.

He had fought in Iraq. Medical records showed that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

His father, Jim Schulze of the Stewart, Minn., area, said Friday that attorneys for Veterans for Common Sense and a second group, Veterans United for Truth, asked his wife, Marianne, to file a declaration in support of the case.

go here for the rest

http://www.startribune.com/local/15895127.html

These are just a few of the names from B. There are over 100 of their stories in my video Death Because They Served. If you want to read more about some of the lives lost you can go to my other blog, Screaming In An Empty Room and look for non-combat deaths. Go to www.namguardianangel.blogspot.com

PTSD:Problems should be anticipated

Our country owes it to its returning combat veterans to do all we know to help them move into an effective survivor mode. Failure to do so will be predictable! Headlines of homeless problems, domestic assaults, alcohol/drug epidemics, and legal problems for combat vets will again catch the nation's attention. Vietnam anyone?

Problems should be anticipated
February 22, 2008
By William Weitz



Recent readings of a Department of the Army news release and an editorial in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported significant increases in the suicide rate of active duty Army soldiers. The numbers showed a 20 percent increase over the prior year, despite efforts to include "more training and education programs, the hiring of more mental health professionals, and the addition of screening programs."

While acknowledging the impact of combat stress and the multiple tours of duty faced by these soldiers, there was also a shift to focusing on other issues such as financial stressors, family discord, and employment concerns as contributing to the suicide rate for these troops.

How little we have learned!

Having worked for 30 years as a military psychologist and a VA Vet Center Team Leader, it is critical not to separate environmental stressors from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. War veterans in intense combat environments develop PTSD at exceeding high rates. In Vietnam, the estimate was generally in the 30 to 40 percent range for developing combat stress and for Iraq, given the multiple tours, the rates should be much higher.
click post title for the rest

Hundreds of acinetobacter infections a year with wounded soldiers

Insurgents in the Bloodstream
Proceedings Capt. Chas Henry (Ret.) February 22, 2008
"It's why I lost my leg, so it sucks."

The assessment, from a 22-year-old Marine toughing out physical therapy on two prosthetic limbs, is laconic, matter-of-fact. Sgt. David Emery lost one leg in February 2007 when a suicide bomber assaulted the checkpoint near Haditha, Iraq, where he and fellow Marines stood guard. Military surgeons were forced to remove his remaining leg when it became infected with acinetobacter baumannii-a strain of highly resistant bacteria that since U.S. forces began fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan has threatened the lives, limbs, and organs of hundreds wounded in combat.

"They could have saved it," says Emery. "They had a rod in it, but then the bacteria was in too bad and my white blood cell count was up to 89,000-and they told my mom on a Friday that they had to take it."

Emery's mother recalls that the hazard was not confined to her son's limbs.

"He ended up getting it in his stomach," says Connie Emery, "and they tried to close his stomach back up, but when they did, the stitches ended up pulling away because the infection was taking over."

An Army infectious disease physician says the germ has spread rapidly since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began. "Prior to the war, we were seeing one to two cases of acinetobacter infection per year," remembers Lt. Col. Kimberly Moran, deputy director for tropical public health at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.

"Now that's much different. We've had hundreds of positive cultures over the last four years."

And the toll has been serious, observes Army Col. Glenn Wortmann, acting chief of infectious disease at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. "Of the infectious disease problems that have come out of the conflict," notes Dr. Wortmann, "it is the most important complication we've seen."
go here for the rest
http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,162552,00.html

Edward Robinson tells Maryland lawmakers what it's like to want to die

This is from the post I did earlier today. This is what some of the legislative people think about the veterans.

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Gov. Martin O’Malley’s administration wants $3.5 million to provide short-term mental health services for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

But legislative analysts recommend the funding be cut in half because the services are fundamentally a federal responsibility and the estimates of the veterans needing the treatment are too high.

Now here is from the Washington Post about Maryland and the way we as a nation treat our veterans.

Veterans Share Stories as Work Starts on Mental Health Bills

By Philip Rucker
Friday, February 22, 2008; Page B06


For two years, Edward Robinson was stationed at a Navy hospital in Portsmouth, Va., helping treat wounded troops returning from battle in Iraq. The experience was so emotionally taxing that when Robinson moved home to Annapolis in 2006, his life started unraveling.

Robinson tried to kill himself four times, he said in emotional testimony before a panel of Maryland legislators yesterday. The 35-year-old told lawmakers that he was hospitalized five times, and his mental illnesses grew so bad that his wife recently left him.

"The stigma of having a mental illness . . . people look at you differently. People don't want to hire you," Robinson said. The problem, he said, is that the federal government is not providing adequate care.

Thousands of veterans like Robinson live in Maryland, and state officials say the federal government is failing to connect them to mental health-care providers, a void that became clear last year amid the scandal at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) has proposed legislation to close gaps in federal care for returning service members. The measures would establish a $3.5 million pilot program to help veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan navigate the federal system to obtain care for mental and behavioral health problems.

At the start of this week, O'Malley and the General Assembly paid tribute to the 20 Maryland troops who died in Iraq and Afghanistan last year.

"Our hearts go out to them and to our families," O'Malley said in a short speech. "Our promise goes out to them that we will stand by their comrades."

During a poignant ceremony Monday night on the floor of the House of Delegates, each fallen service member was honored. A delegate representing the service member's county read his or her name and date of death into the record. Then on the wooden dais, a bell tolled for each.

Lawmakers began work on the bills this week by hearing testimony from veterans such as Robinson, Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D), Health and Mental Hygiene Secretary John M. Colmers and Veterans Affairs Secretary James A. Adkins.

Brown, who served as an Army reservist in Iraq, said the state government should fill the gaps to help a "very fragile cohort of veterans" in Maryland.

"In a perfect world, the federal government would help ensure the welfare and care of veterans," Brown said. But "we don't live in a perfect world."

click post title for the rest

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Gov. Martin O’Malley’s administration wants $3.5 million to provide short-term mental health services for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

But legislative analysts recommend the funding be cut in half because the services are fundamentally a federal responsibility and the estimates of the veterans needing the treatment are too high.

Florida Guard has sent about 9,000 troops to Iraq and Afghanistan

The Florida Guard has sent about 9,000 troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, many on repeated and ever longer deployments. They include Brevard County men and women who serve in such Central Florida-based units as the 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment and 164th Air Defense Artillery Brigade.

Our view: Preventing GI suicides

National Guard program badly needed step to stop tragic trend of Iraq-Afghanistan wars

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are bloody, brutal and have no end in sight.

The brave troops who continue fighting them have gone back on repeated combat tours, facing roadside bombs, heavily armed insurgents and terrorists.

More than 4,000 have died and 30,000 have been wounded with tens of thousands more coming home emotionally traumatized to face failed relationships, divorce, financial troubles and unemployment.

For a growing number, it's too much.
click post title for the rest

Invasion of Panama Veteran Still Has To Fight VA

Another Veteran Screwed and this Time a Kossack: Me
by Jeffersonian Democrat
Fri Feb 22, 2008 at 05:01:11 AM PST
It has taken me a few days to come to grips enough to write this up as a diary as some have suggested. I apologize upfront if my rage comes through in any way whether it is whining or hyperbole as that is not my intent and I will do my best to objectively relate the narrative of events and opinion.

First of all, let me explain how the VA determines PTSD claims:

The formula for a successful PTSD claim is simple. You need three things:

Evidence of an in-service stressor (the Combat Infantryman's Badge, combat Military Occupational Specialty, Combat awards and medals, etc. , for example, is presumptive of that)
A DIAGNOSIS of PTSD (a VA directed Compensation & Pension exam is where that will come from, based upon the records and the exam)

A "nexus" tying 1 and 2 together, for example orders placing one in combat operations and documented problems resulting from that experience
Jeffersonian Democrat's diary :: ::
Ok, quick relevant military bio. I joined the Army in 1984 and became an Airborne Infantryman, a Paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. Although I had fantasies of film school in Paris or becoming a diplomat, after I attended SERE school I reenlisted to attend the Special Forces Qualification Course at Ft. Bragg. I successfully completed the course but not without gut-wrenching hardship and sheer iron will power. I am small in stature and only 5'6, but my heart and desire were much bigger at that time. I became a weapons and tactics specialist and Special Forces soldier, commonly known as a Green Beret. I was assigned to 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) immediately after an intensive Spanish course and assigned to an ODA, which is commonly known as an "A-Team". Irrelevant to this case, I also served in the Navy after my education at University of Michigan in Russian and Eastern European Studies as a Naval Intelligence Officer, but that is another can of worms.

Now, I am not going to go into personal stressors and events here, but my little conflict was the Invasion of Panama in 1989-1990. That conflict affected me in ways I had no idea of then. They really came to full force, drastically surfacing, when the Iraq war began. Not that they were there all along, there were things I should have taken notice of. But like a good soldier, I sucked it up and suppressed it. I self-medicated with alcohol for strange feelings that I later learned were panic attacks until I became a full fledged alcoholic. At first, the VA was denying my initial claim because they said that I didn't have the stressor event, however:what the VA does in fact have, in addition to statements, is my DD214 with MOS: 18B Special Forces Weapons Sergeant, and my CIB/SSI and Expeditionary medal awarded through 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) for combat operations in Panama.

And that is a presumptive stressor, so they back-off on that. Yet I had to appeal and file a Notice of Disagreement that I filed in 2005. I had not heard back from the VA until December of 2006, when they finally asked for, and sent me the paperwork for, a VA C&P exam.

Now I had already been hospitalized three times at this point. The first time was the morning that I woke up on my balcony from being passed out, surrounded by beer bottles, and a noose around my neck tied to the railing. I thought, "Jeff Dem, maybe you need some help, hmmm?" I was a kossack also at this point.
go here for the rest
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/2/22/6057/91498

This is the comment I just left at the Daily Kos.
It was the same problem with Vietnam vets. My husband came home in 1971, not diagnosed until 1990, couldn't get him to go to the VA until 1993 and his claim took six years. His best friend's claim took 19 years and he was multiple tour Green Beret. My husband's nephew had a claim after coming home addicted to heroin, busted for drug deal gone bad, got his life together, had his claim approved and then committed suicide when the DOD told him his unit never existed. Veterans are dying for attention everyday. Maybe that's what they want when they turn down claims? In 1996, we were told by a VA doctor that for every 10 claims with the VA, 8 drop out because of the frustration. That means 8 less wounded veterans they have to support. Claims get tied up for years and veterans die off or fade away. You'd think we would be able to take care of the veterans if we were ever serious about being a "grateful nation" but then you'd also have to believe that fighting for the country, then being forced to fight the country would be wrong. Don't give up! You paid them up front when you were willing to lay down your life. They owe you! So do the rest of us and we had better all start acting like it by telling the government we will not stand for any of you to be treated like this any longer.

Police Link Takes A Look At Suicide By Cop

Suicide by Cop: Why?
Definition: Suicide-by-cop is a colloquial term used to describe an incident in which a suicidal individual consciously engages in life-threatening behavior(s) to the degree that it compels a police officer to respond with deadly force. In a suicide-by-cop scenario the cop is the methodology of the suicide. If it hadn't been an officer it could have been a rope, sleeping pills, a train, a knife or a handgun. If you can't kill yourself, and you really, really, really want to die, who are you going to call?

Researchers have concluded that suicides-by-cop are surprisingly more common than initially thought, and that the number of incidents is rising. The most comprehensive study to date on the incidence of suicide-by-cop, from 1987 through 1997, found that 11 percent of officer-involved shootings were suicide-by-cop incidents. In 1997, the last year of the study, the percentage of shootings identified as suicide-by-cop jumped to 25%. One researcher, in his analysis of current available literature, has suggested that the true figure may be as high as 46%. The discrepancy in these statistics may be the result of hidden suicidal ideation by the victim of any officer involved shooting. Researchers have long suspected that single-occupant car crashes, some airplane crashes and workplace fatalities involved suicidal motivation. Engaging in criminal acts may in fact involve suicidal ideation.
go here for the rest
http://www.policelink.com/training/articles/11074-suicide-by-cop-why

WWII veteran passes away with homeless veterans in his heart

Donations may be made in his name to the New England Shelter for Homeless Veteran’s, 17 Court Street, Boston, MA 02108 or to the All Saints Church, 44 Park Ave., Whitman, MA 02382.

Herbert G. "Herb", II Corliss
Whitman, Mass
Friday, February 22, 2008
Herbert G. “Herb” Corliss, II, 85 died Wednesday, February 20th after a period failing health. He was the husband of the late Eleanor G. (Morgan) Corliss. Born and raised in Rockland he was the son of the late Levi J. and Effie (Duffett) Corliss and attended Rockland schools. Herb was a veteran of the United States Army from 1943 to 1945 and served as a Sergeant during World War II. He was awarded a Victory Medal, and a European-African Middle Eastern Theater Campaign Ribbon.
click post title for the rest to read a tiny bit about what this man accomplished in his life. He will accomplish even more for homeless veterans because of his life.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Brown fights for Vets because he is one

Analysts propose trimming veterans mental health initiative
Feb 22, 2008 3:00 AM (15 hrs ago) by Len Lazarick, The Examiner
BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Gov. Martin O’Malley’s administration wants $3.5 million to provide short-term mental health services for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

But legislative analysts recommend the funding be cut in half because the services are fundamentally a federal responsibility and the estimates of the veterans needing the treatment are too high.

“We still have some work to do” to get the money, said Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, an Iraq war veteran who is the administration’s point man on the veterans mental health initiative. “We’re going to work with the appropriations committees.”



The state health department estimates that there are about 15,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan living in Maryland, and about a third of them could use mental health and substance abuse services. There is a particularly high incidence of post-traumatic stress syndrome.

The Maryland Department of Veteran Affairs said there are about 4,300 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans enrolled with the federal VA health system, and there is no waiting list for services at the VA.

click post title for the rest

My guess is there is more that has to be done and until the federal government gets their act in gear, the problem will get worse. Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and Gov. Martin O’Malley want to act now because the federal government did not act in the beginning.


From Maryland Homeless Veterans services

The HVRP program has become an integral part of the continuum of services provided by MCVET. The fundamental approach to homeless services is to provide assistance through a continuum of incremental steps that enable students to rejoin their communities as productive citizens. For the first three months, homeless veterans are placed in emergency housing where case managers help determine their needs and challenges, ensure that all benefit resources are accessed, and help them set education and employment goals. Students who suffer from mental illness or substance abuse issues begin receiving treatment. This is a critical component of the enrollment process because more than 98% of homeless veterans who enter the MCVET program have addiction problems, and more than 80% have mental disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
http://www.nchv.org/hvrp_article.cfm?id=42

Oceanside CA military not interested in PTSD forum?

San Diego County has the second largest veteran population in the nation, with approximately 252,000 former service members as well as roughly 125,000 active-duty Marines, sailors and National Guard troops, according to Tom Splitberger, the county's veterans service officer.

Forum misses intended targets

By: MARK WALKER - Staff Writer
County session on how to help military and their families doesn't include them

OCEANSIDE ---- There was a glaring element missing in action at a Tuesday forum on how to better serve the mental health needs of active and former members of the military and their families ---- the intended targets.

The forum sponsored by the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency was one of a series agency officials are conducting to determine how best to spend the $16 million they expect to receive from the state next year for new mental health efforts.

County officials maintained that they had notified area military bases and groups about the forum. They couldn't explain why none of the people they are aiming to serve were present at the four-hour session at the Oceanside Civic Center.


"This is an opportunity to focus specific resources for this (military) population," Alfredo Aguirre, director of the county's adult and children's mental health department, said during opening remarks.

The more than three dozen people in attendance were primarily mental health counselors and specialists, as well as veteran's advocates and people who work for agencies dealing directly with current and former service members.

The absence of military families was discussed by one of three groups that ended the day by brainstorming ways to better serve that large component of the county population. When reporting its conclusions, the group said spending some of the money to reach out to service members and their families should be considered.
click post title for the rest

Speechless!

RESPECT-Mil program used to defeat stigma of PTSD

Army Hopes Program Makes Soldiers More Apt to Get Mental Health Care

Aaron Levin


Psychiatric News

Feb 21, 2008
February 11, 2008 Issue

Psychiatrists are consulting on a plan by the U.S. Army to screen and treat soldiers for depression and PTSD in primary care settings.

The U.S. Army hopes to encourage more soldiers to seek care for mental health problems by expanding a program to detect and treat soldiers with depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in primary care clinics, backed up by consultations with psychiatrists.

The staged rollout of the program, known as RESPECT-Mil, began one year ago at the direction of the Army surgeon general and will spread to 43 clinics on 15 military bases in the U.S., Germany, and Italy over 24 months. Program leaders from 13 of the 15 bases have been trained in its function so far, and about 10 clinics have it in operation. Congress recently increased funding to expand the program further.

The service hopes to undercut the effects of stigma by providing an entry point and screening for soldiers in a setting they find more comfortable.
go here for the rest
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/9394

PTSD:Returning Home Homeless

Matt Renner: Returning Home Homeless
Friday, 22 February 2008, 2:14 pm
Article: Matt Renner



Returning Home Homeless

By Matt Renner
t r u t h o u t Report
Thursday 21 February 2008
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022108R.shtml


Former Hospital Corpsman Kevin Bartolata spent four years and eight months in the military. When he decided to leave, he found himself alone and with few options. He soon became hopeless and homeless, sleeping in a park in San Francisco. Through sheer persistence and help from veterans organizations, he was able to pull himself out of his desperate situation and find his way.

Around July 2004, Bartolata was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), an anxiety ailment common to military veterans that can manifest in different ways. Bartolata's condition resulted in insomnia and depression. However, the "military mentality" kept him from seeking treatment for nearly three years.

"It was like being labeled a shit bag in the military. If you went to the psychiatric ward, people said 'oh wow ... why couldn't I think of that? That would have gotten me out of work too.' It was viewed as a cop out."

Bartolata returned from Iraq in October 2004. After one month of leave, he was assigned to a medical surgical ward at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, California, a placement usually reserved for inexperienced corpsmen and those in training. Bartolata said the assignment felt like a "slap in the face," after his assignment in Iraq. He felt prepared for the responsibility of a leadership position where he could better share his experience and help train fellow corpsmen for deployment.

While he grew to value working with the Vietnam veterans he attended to at the facility, he was somewhat demoralized by the bad placement. "It was a step backwards. I didn't enjoy my time like I thought I would. I had clashes with the leadership." Bartolata began to look forward to leaving the Navy and rejoining the civilian world. He began moonlighting at a private hospital, working twelve-hour shifts on his days off from the naval hospital to save money and to prepare himself for his transition.

During his service, Bartolata earned enough money to put a down payment on a new Acura sports car. He had solid credit and his military paycheck covered the monthly payments.

He officially left the Navy on August 25, 2005. Six years after joining at the age of eighteen, Bartolata was excited about celebrating his upcoming twenty-fourth birthday with friends in Los Angeles. However, this celebration was tainted by the beginning of what would become a downward spiral.
click above for the rest

What is the new rule going to do for veterans like Bartolata? Yesterday I posted the story about Spc. Benjamin Stewart, who must have PTSD based on what he was going through. Stewart is going to spend six months locked up for not wanting to go back to Iraq. This is what he was told when he said he couldn't go back. He will receive a dishonorable discharge.

Lt. Col. Thomas Rickard told Stewart that: "Twenty years ago in Panama we would have stripped a soldier naked, beat him up, thrown him in a van and dumped him for not deploying."

The new rule of not having to prove a traumatic event happened, will not help him because the DOD did not diagnose him and sought to punish him instead. What will happen to him and what kind of justice is he getting?

More and more they go to risk their lives, have their minds traumatized in the process and then are abused by their commanders who still refuse to acknowledge PTSD is a wound. More and more they are treated like a "shit bag" because ignorance overrules facts. Shouldn't it matter that these men and women were willing to serve the nation, lay down their lives for the nation, served the nation and then were wounded for doing it?

I take great pleasure in posting the advances the DOD and the VA are making but stories like these prove they both have a lot more work ahead of them. The people of this nation cannot abandon them thinking all is well because it isn't. If we don't keep the pressure on the Congress to take action and enforce the rules of conduct, more will end up homeless, hopeless and more will take their own lives.

Death of Sgt. Gerald Cassidy caused changes at Fort Knox

Fort Knox touts improvements at unit for wounded warriors
By BRUCE SCHREINER, Associated Press Writer

Story Created: Feb 21, 2008 at 6:30 PM EST



FORT KNOX, Ky. (AP) — Staff Sgt. Gerald Gonzalez has seen plenty of changes in a special unit for wounded soldiers since arriving at Fort Knox last summer with wounds from a roadside bomb in Iraq.


Barracks at the Army post in central Kentucky are being renovated for soldiers placed in the "warrior transition unit." Staffing has been beefed up. An assistance center geared toward the wounded troops and their families has opened.

"It's a lot better now," said Gonzalez, who suffers from a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder since being wounded last May while helping escort a military convoy. "Overall, the way that we receive care has gotten better."

Still, he said, Army efforts to specially tend to the wounded soldiers remain "a work in progress."

The Army initiative has come under scrutiny following the death of Sgt. Gerald Cassidy, a member of the Indiana National Guard. Cassidy, who was in a transition unit, was found dead in his room at Fort Knox on Sept. 21, about 15 months after he was wounded by a roadside bomb in Iraq.
go here for the rest
http://www.wsbt.com/news/indiana/15853057.html

Spc. Benjamin Stewart gets 6 months for refusing to deploy to Iraq

Soldier gets 6-month sentence for refusing to deploy to Iraq
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, February 22, 2008
VILSECK, Germany — A soldier who refused to deploy with his unit to Iraq because of a “deeply held personal belief” that he should not take a human life will spend the next six months in jail before being thrown out of the Army.

Spc. Benjamin Stewart, 25, of the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, pleaded guilty Wednesday to missing movement on Jan. 7, 2008, when he was scheduled to deploy to Iraq. Stewart had already been convicted — and reduced in rank from sergeant to specialist — of being absent without leave when the bulk of the regiment deployed last summer.

Stewart told the court that he refused to deploy because of what he experienced during his last deployment to Mosul, Iraq, from 2004 to 2005.

“I saw a mother and her infant child get killed in crossfire. I saw children lose their limbs in a car bomb. One boy lost an arm and another lost both legs,” he said.
go here for the rest
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52686

This is what still happens when the military is supposed to be enlightened finally.

Lt. Col. Thomas Rickard told Stewart that: “Twenty years ago in Panama we would have stripped a soldier naked, beat him up, thrown him in a van and dumped him for not deploying.”

The piece also states that he will be given a dishonorable discharge. If this does not all sound like classic PTSD, then nothing does. Why wasn't he seen by a psychiatrist? He showed the symptoms of PTSD. Then again given what Lt. Col. Thomas Rickard had to say to him, that apparently wouldn't do much good.

Why is this still happening in the military? Why are they still thinking with dark ages mentalities? What does Rickard want to do? Go back to the time when they used to shoot PTSD soldiers for being cowards? He was close enough to that on what he said alone.

They can claim they are now doing the right thing for our wounded soldiers but this is still going on. If you want to know why so many are still not seeking help for PTSD, ask Rickard. I'm sure you'll get an ear full. I wonder how many under his command committed suicide because he is such a narrow minded fool?

Healing the psychological wounds of war

Healing the psychological wounds of war
By Andrew J. Weaver
21 Feb 2008
What must [hu]mankind be, before such a thing as war could ever be known or thought of upon earth? How shocking, how inconceivable a want must there have been of common understanding, as well as common humanity, before any two Governors, or any two nations in the universe, could once think of such a method of decision? If, then, all nations, Pagan, Mahometan [sic], and Christian, do, in fact, make this their last resort, what farther proof do we need of the utter degeneracy of all nations from the plainest principles of reason and virtue? (Doctrine of Original Sin, John Wesley, 1757).

----------

Imagine that you are driving home after church one Sunday. On the way, you witness a terrible train crash involving hundreds of victims. Bodies litter the field, blood and gore are everywhere, and you instinctively stop to help. You apply your Red Cross training and attempt to stop the bleeding. There is moaning, dying, screaming, moments out of hell. Mercifully, it ends. You get back in your car and drive home as though nothing unusual occurred. You do not talk about what happened because everyone wants to forget that it occurred. That is analogous to the experience of many Iraq combat veterans who are returning home.

As of 10 February 2008, there have been 174 British and 3,952 American soldiers killed in Iraq with an additional 29,092 Americans wounded. Whatever we think of the wars they have fought and the policies of the government that has fought them (like many church people, I have been a critic, and I have been actively opposing a Bush library at Southern Methodist University), the duty of deep pastoral and psychological concern remains.

The saying, "war is hell," only begins to describe how horrible it has been for tens of thousands in the military. War is a life-threatening experience that involves witnessing and sometimes engaging in terrifying and gruesome acts of violence. It also is, for most service personnel, a patriotic response to protect and defend their country, loved ones, values, and way of life. War is a shocking confrontation with death, devastation, and violence. It is normal for human beings to react to war's psychic trauma with profound feelings of fear, anger, grief, repulsion, helplessness, and horror, as well as with emotional numbness and disbelief.

Many soldiers are psychologically unable to leave behind the trauma of war when they return home. They struggle with a variety of severe problems that neither they nor their families, friends, or communities know how to address or understand. Even experienced military personnel may never become fully desensitized to exposure to violent death, and they remain particularly vulnerable when victims include children.

Because many veterans have not been taught how surviving trauma can affect persons, they may have trouble understanding what is happening to them. They may think it is their fault that the trauma occurred, that they are going crazy, or that there is something wrong with them, since others who were at the same place do not seem to have the same problems. They may use drugs or alcohol to escape from their feelings. They may turn away from friends and family who seem not to understand. Because thinking about a trauma and feeling endangered is upsetting, people who have experienced combat generally want to avoid all reminders. Sometimes survivors are aware of this and avoid such triggers intentionally, but many do so without realizing it. Survivors may not know what to do to get better.

Clergy and churches are in a valuable position to help with these problems. In psychological trauma, an individual's sense of order and continuity of life is shattered and questions of meaning and purpose abound. Studies have shown that religious faith is a primary coping strategy for many people, including recovering combat veterans suffering from psychological trauma. In addition to offering the natural social support of community, faith can provide a suffering person with a framework for finding meaning and perspective through a source greater than self, and it can give a sense of control over feelings of helplessness. Research has found that nurturing, non-punitive faith can enhance well-being and facilitate faster emotional recovery for many traumatized individuals.

Clergy are called upon to play a variety of roles as they help trauma survivors move through the healing process. Pastors are accessible and trusted, and through wise counsel they can aid in taking the sigma out of mental health care. Clergy are often in long-term relationships with individuals and their families, providing ongoing contacts in which they can observe changes in behavior that can assist in the assessment and treatment of veterans with PTSD. Pastors are also in a position in which they can refer veterans to mental health professionals and other support systems available through their faith communities.

go here for the rest
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/6805

Does this sound like what I've been talking about all this time?

Only comment I'll make on McCain story

Whoops! McCain fails to collect enough signatures for Indiana primary ballot
Michael Roston


Over the last month, Sen. John McCain has been steamrolling his way towards the Republican presidential nomination. But the Straight Talk Express appears to have hit a speed bump in Indiana after the senator's campaign failed to collect enough signatures to get on the state's ballot for a May 4 primary. And as the state's Republican Party and government officials fight off a challenge to McCain's placement on the ballot, the Democratic Party is accusing them of corruption.

"Despite the fact that the McCain campaign clearly failed to qualify for the ballot, Republican Attorney General Steve Carter and Republican Secretary of State Todd Rokita (who recently endorsed McCain) rubberstamped it anyway, trying to sneak McCain onto the ballot. Clearly, the Republican Culture of Corruption is alive and well within the McCain campaign," said a statement released by the DNC.
click post title for the rest

Ok this is fair game.

The thing about if he had a crush on someone 8 years ago is nothing and none of our business, just like it was none of our business with Clinton. With McCain the only thing we should care about with this story is if she got special favors because he had an interest in her. The rest is a non-story and I won't touch it.

Don't ask me if I think he has PTSD or not, because even though he may, that does not make him "nuts" as some people have put it. His temper on the other hand is an issue. We've already had one hot head and we know where that leads to. The other thing is keeping the troops in Iraq for a hundred years is no good. We can't even take care of the wounded we have now and he has yet to seriously address any of this.

This is the only thing I have to say about McCain for now and no, I don't think he'd make a good president. He may have been up for the job 8 years ago but now he doesn't seen to be the same person.

That's my take on this and I'm sticking to it. Please stop emailing me about this.

Troops in Hawaii Tell Adm. Mullen what's on their minds

Hawaii troops grill Mullen

The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted : Thursday Feb 21, 2008 10:13:23 EST

HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii — The top-ranking official in the U.S. military held an "all hands call" at the Hickam officers club Wednesday to take service members' questions, and he got an earful.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is visiting commanders here and making a stop at Tripler Army Medical Center to see recovering troops before heading to Australia.

Many of the questions from the approximately 200 service members in attendance Wednesday had to do with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mullen was asked about short deployment notices for sailors who deploy as individual augmentees to other units, and regulations against Marines using after-market gear in place of items the Corps can't deliver on time.

A Hawaii Marine with the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment asked why some deployed Marines are stuck with older M16 rifles, while officers are issued new M4 carbines.

"Marines are stuck with what's left over," the Marine said.

Mullen replied, "That's a great question, and I also got this question yesterday at [Camp] Pendleton. I haven't got a good answer yet, but I'll get you one, and I'll get this question, quite frankly, very quickly to the commandant."

A soldier asked about private contractors who are making six-figure salaries in a combat zone, and the disparity in pay received by U.S. service members.

Mullen said re-enlistment money available to the Army is hundreds of millions of dollars more than it was just a few years ago.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/gns_mullenhawaii_080221/

Thus proving what we talk about, they talk about.

North Bend Oregon Homeless Vets Need Coats

Veterans helping veterans stay warm during cold days
By Azenith Smith

NORTH BEND - Local veteran groups are working together to help other area veterans, who may be down on their luck, keep warm during these chilly, end of winter days.From now until the end of February, organizations like the Southern Oregon Veterans Outreach or SOVO are collecting used warm jackets to give to veterans in need at the VA Clinic in Roseburg that serves veterans in Coos, Curry and Douglas counties.

Coos Bay resident Jeanne Rugh, who's husband is a veteran, started the drive after learning that the clinic had many requests for them.

"Because it's been such a cold winter, the coats have been depleted," says Rugh. "That's why they need more. We are supposed to get another cold spell here."She adds, statistics show veterans make up one in four homeless people nationwide. Often times, they don't ask for help, but can always use a giving hand.

"These men and women put their life on the line for us so the least we can do is to help them where they need help," says Rugh. "If it weren't for all these veterans, where would we be? This wouldn't be America."Jackets can be dropped off at the SOVO office in Pony Village Mall as well as the Eagles Club and Driftwood Barber Shop in Coos Bay.

The plan is to deliver the jackets in March. Their goal is to collect 100 and so far, they've received about 60 jackets.

For more information or to help, call (541) 269-7922.

http://www.kcby.com/news/15821242.html

PTSD and women prisoners

How Much Progress Can We Make with Our Mothers in Prison?
Posted February 20, 2008 10:25 PM (EST)

Last month, the Department of Justice released an alarming and little known statistic: the population of women prisoners has been growing at twice the rate of men since 1980, and in 2006 it increased at its fastest clip in five years. Because women are often the bedrock of their families and neighborhoods, this trend is damaging to entire communities. We must take immediate steps not only to curb women's rising incarceration rates but also to make sure that once they are released, women have the resources they need so they don't end up back in prison

Histories of sexual and physical abuse. Forty-eight to 88 percent of women inmates suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder due to prior physical or sexual abuse. Many women also are sexually abused during their incarceration by male prison guards. Not only can these traumas lead to or worsen drug and alcohol dependencies, they can also make holding down a steady job even more difficult than it is for male ex-prisoners, due to memory problems, depression and anxiety disorders.

As of 2004, more than 300,000 children had mothers who were incarcerated. These children are six times more likely to be incarcerated at some point in their lives. If we want to decrease the number of prisoners tomorrow, we have to help the mothers of today.

click above for the rest

Ranch helps vets with post-traumatic stress get back in the saddle

Wildcatter Ranch helps war veterans ease post-traumatic pains

Ranch helps vets with post-traumatic stress get back in the saddle


09:01 PM CST on Wednesday, February 20, 2008
By MICHAEL E. YOUNG / The Dallas Morning News
myoung@dallasnews.com

GRAHAM, Texas – For Ian Anderson, a few seconds on the back of a startled cow on Wednesday summed up three days of a special gathering for U.S. veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.

"We'd never ridden a cow before," said the fresh-faced 27-year-old from Spokane, Wash., who was shot five times in combat in Iraq. "So I rode a cow. And it was fun."

And that was one of the key points of Project Odyssey, a fledgling program organized by the Wounded Warrior Project in association with the Department of Veterans Affairs and other veterans organizations.

Twenty-one vets from around the country came together this week at the Wildcatter Ranch, a spectacular resort atop a ridge overlooking the Brazos River in Young County, about 120 miles northwest of Dallas.

The ranch's owners, Anne and Mike Skipper, closed their business for four days to cater to the visitors.

click post title for the rest

PTSD Vet: "I was questioning God why I was alive."

Disability claims pose long wait for veterans
Wednesday, February 20, 2008 7:59 PM
By Vic LeeThere's a huge backlog of claims among returning veterans affected with brain injuries. (KGO) -- Since 2001, post-traumatic stress disorders, or PTSDs, may have tripled among U.S. combat troops. That is according to a report by the Naval Health Research Center. PTSDs and brain injuries have become signature wounds of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and now there's a huge backlog of claims among returning veterans.

"I don't care if someone just went into war for a day, if they saw combat, been around it, it's going to affect them," says Guido Gualco, a Gulf War veteran.

Former Marine Corporal Guido Gualco served in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia during the late 80s in Operation Desert Storm. He says they were under constant fire.

"We were receiving scuds, cluster bombs, going across mine fields, tank rounds," says Gualco.

Gualco enlisted when he was 19. He was discharged four years later in 1991. However, he was still fighting the war at home in Stanislaus County. First came anxiety attacks, then the nightmares.

"I'd be going to the local shopping center and then coming under attack. So even places that were safe in reality, but in dreams they would come under fire," says Gualco. "Doing perimeter checks around your apartment or your house. I've talked to vets and even myself, I've set up boobie traps around my windows, whatever, just to give a sense of security."

He turned to alcohol and drugs.

"You use meth to stay awake so you didn't dream or I would drink enough to be passed out where I wouldn't dream," says Gualco.

Gualco was suffering from PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, but he didn't know it. Nor he says did VA doctors who didn't diagnose his condition until 2005 -- 14 years after he was discharged. By then he was suicidal, even begging his friend to kill him.

"I was questioning God why I was alive. I didn't want to live," says Gualco.
go here for the rest and watch video too.
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/assignment_7&id=5969958

Paul Sullivan of Veterans For Common Sense is part of the report.

F-15 pilots rescued in Gulf of Mexico dies

1 of 2 F-15 pilots rescued in Gulf of Mexico dies
Pair of single-seat fighters likely collided during training, Air Force says

BREAKING NEWS

updated 23 minutes ago
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - One of the two pilots rescued from the Gulf of Mexico after their fighter jets crashed Wednesday has died, the Air Force said.

The two jets likely collided during a training exercise, but the pilots ejected and were rescued after their single-seat F-15C Eagles disappeared Wednesday afternoon off the Florida Panhandle, Eglin Air Force Base spokeswoman Shirley Pigott said.

The other pilot was reported to be in good condition.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23262052/

VA expects to see 5.8 million needing care by 2009

Peake: Rural health problems to be addressed

By Matthew Brown - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Feb 20, 2008 18:51:02 EST

BILLINGS, Mont. — Facing a barrage of complaints about veterans’ health care in rural America, the incoming secretary of Veteran Affairs pledged Wednesday to address “systemic” issues that hobble the quality and accessibility of care.

Secretary James Peake heard from a group of about 100 Montana veterans who described the Department of Veterans Affairs as a sometimes dysfunctional bureaucracy — and one particularly slow to address mental health issues.

Veterans told him they face months-long waits for appointments, arbitrary rejections of claims and 500-mile trips to receive care. Those who spoke spanned generations, including veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War and peacetime service.

“We need more doctors. And it would be nice if we could keep them for a while,” said Ernest LaFountain, who did three tours in Vietnam and now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Peake, also a Vietnam combat veteran, took the helm of the scandal-battered VA in December. He said Wednesday he wanted to “reach out to rural America” and help those veterans not getting adequate care.

“The notion that the VA is uncaring, if we have pockets of that we’re going to find it and root it out,” he said.

Peake was appointed by President Bush in the wake of widespread reports of dismal care received by troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan — problems for which Bush later apologized. The secretary was in Montana at the invitation of Sen. Jon Tester, a Democratic member of the Veterans Affairs Committee.

The number of veterans under VA’s care is expected to hit 5.8 million by 2009.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/ap_ruralhealth_080220/

Looks like the line is going to get a lot longer!

Officials: F-15s collide over Gulf of Mexico

Officials: F-15s collide over Gulf of Mexico
Story Highlights
Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard crews searching the Gulf for the pilots

F15Cs collided during training exercise, officials say

Planes were part of the 33rd Fighter Wing based at Eglin Air Force Base

Crash happened at 3 p.m. ET, about 50 miles south of Panama City, Florida

(CNN) -- A pair of F-15C fighter jets collided during a training exercise over the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, according to Air Force officials.


Two F-15 fighter jets, like the one pictured, collided over the Gulf of Mexico, the Air Force says.

Air Force search and rescue and U.S. Coast Guard crews were searching the Gulf for the pilots Wednesday afternoon. The planes were part of the 33rd Fighter Wing, a combat-flying unit based at Eglin Air Force Base.

The crash happened at about 3 p.m. ET and about 50 miles south of Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Florida.

The Pentagon said it was not immediately known how many crew members were missing -- although F-15Cs are single-seat jets.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/20/jetcrash/index.html

Keep them and their families in your prayers