Army Spc. Russell Johnson Bronze Star V

As with other soldiers in Iraq and other wars, Johnson still had some intangible reminders of the trauma of war. A soldier may leave the war, but the war does not always leave the soldier.

"When he first came home, he was having nightmares," said Harold Johnson, Russell's father. "He was taking medication."

Deltona soldier decorated for saving comrade

BEACON PHOTO COURTESY SPC. RUSSELL JOHNSON

Honored for heroism —U.S. Army Spc. Russell Johnson receives the Bronze Star with a V for valor, along with a certificate for his heroic service in rescuing a fellow soldier from a burning vehicle during an attack in Iraq last spring. He was decorated Jan. 19 at Fort Hood, Texas, home of the 1st Cavalry Division. Johnson's family lives in Deltona.

Published 2-29-2008

By Al Everson
BEACON STAFF WRITER

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

— John 15:13


June 3, 2007, is a day Army Spc. Russell Johnson will never forget.

While Americans at home were enjoying their Sunday, Johnson had to act quickly to save a fellow soldier when their Bradley fighting vehicle was heavily damaged by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.

For that act of gallantry, the Deltona GI would win the Bronze Star, one of America's highest honors for bravery in battle. His Bronze Star also has a "V" for valor.

"We were out on our second patrol of the day, and we kept passing this one checkpoint. My Bradley was hit by an IED [improvised explosive device]. The Bradley was burning. I drove the Bradley about 100 meters outside the kill zone," Johnson told The DeLand-Deltona Beacon.

He was serving in the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, and the division was about halfway through its 15-month deployment in Iraq.

Of the three soldiers in the flaming vehicle, Johnson was the only one not hurt. The machine-gunner was injured by the blast that had killed their commander.

Johnson had to act quickly amid multiple dangers: The Bradley fighting vehicle was ablaze, and the machine-gun ammunition was "cooking off" as the flames came into contact with the bullets. There was also hostile fire from Iraqi insurgents.

To save the gunner, Spc. Robert Cresanto, Johnson lifted the body of his dead commander, Sgt. Caleb Christopher, off Cresanto, and pulled Cresanto out of the Bradley.

go here for the rest
http://www.beacononlinenews.com/dailyitem.php?itemnum=643

Veteran sues VA so they will get it right for others

Cancer-fighting vet sues the VA after failing to ID tumor
Darryl E. Owens | Sentinel Staff Writer
March 1, 2008
An Ormond Beach veteran faces an uncertain future after doctors at the Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Daytona Beach missed a cancerous tumor on his chest X-ray, a mistake for which military officials have apologized.

Ted Schrolucke, 63, who served in Germany for the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1967, has filed a $200,000 claim against the VA. The complaint says doctors at the William V. Chappell Jr. VA Outpatient Clinic failed to diagnose a late-stage mass in his right lung that had developed from a previous bout he had with colon cancer.

VA officials earlier this month admitted the error and offered its apologies in a memo it sent to Schrolucke.

But he wanted more than a concession and a mea culpa. He wanted to give other vets a warning that an incorrect diagnosis could happen to them. But the VA handles such matters internally, he was told, so he went public.

"Veterans are walking in there every day getting X-rays and sitting down with doctors and are told everything is OK," he said. "I want them to fix this."

Schrolucke's problems began in August 2005, when he turned to the VA to cover his medications and care until his wife could add him to her insurance plan. His own private policy had become too expensive, he said.

In his VA paperwork, he noted his 2002 colon-cancer diagnosis. Doctors took X-rays, and Schrolucke "walked out of there feeling cancer-free."

In March 2006, under his wife's insurance plan, he visited a non-VA doctor. A blood test suggested cancer, and a repeat of the test six weeks later proved more telling. Scans showed "a big tumor on my right lung," Schrolucke said.
click post title for the rest

Bill to highlight female veterans

Bill to spotlight issues for female veterans

By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Mar 1, 2008 8:11:43 EST

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is expected to announce legislation next week aimed at increasing the focus on female veterans at Department of Veterans Affairs facilities.

Since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, Murray has spent many hearings questioning VA officials about female veterans with histories of sexual trauma, whether research has been done to determine their health needs and whether VA hospitals are so focused on men’s health issues that women get left behind.

Though VA officials say they are conducting a survey on women’s experiences at their facilities, as well as offering programs specifically for women, proponents of the proposed bill say it would target areas VA has not addressed. It follows a similar House bill proposed by Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., and Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Fla.

Murray’s bill will ask for:

• Assessment and treatment of women who have suffered sexual trauma in the military.

• More use of evidence-based treatment for women — particularly in areas such as post-traumatic stress disorder, where responses may be different or involve different issues than it does for men.

• A long-term study on gender-specific health issues of female veterans.

“One of the things we started to see early on is that there’s a lot we don’t know,” said Joy Ilem, assistant national legislative director for Disabled American Veterans.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/03/military_femalevets_health_022908w/

VAWatchdog takes on Sally Satel and AEI over PTSD

THINK-TANKER SATEL PUSHES "TREATMENT FIRST"
LEGISLATION FOR PTSD VETS -- "Treatment First Act"
would urge vets with mental health issues not to file
for VA disability but seek treatment instead.

Dr. Sally Satel of the American Enterprise Institute

by Larry Scott

Dr. Sally Satel is a psychiatrist, paid mouthpiece and think-tanker for the American Enterprise Institute. And, she's back in the news pushing her agenda to marginalize PTSD veterans.
This time she's joined by two old friends, Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) and Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID). Burr is the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Craig was the Ranking Member until the Republican party removed him after he got caught playing tappy-toes with an undercover cop in an airport men's room.

Burr has introduced a bill (S. 2573) titled Veterans Mental Health Treatment First Act. Craig is the only cosponsor of the bill.

Now, Satel, who is not known for her love of veterans or her ability for rational thought, has decided that "Treatment First" is a must for veterans with mental health issues. (For background on Sally Satel, use the VA Watchdog search engine...click here... http://www.yourvabenefits.org/sessearch.php?q=satel&op=and )

Satel's basic premise is: Work will set you free. Seems to me I've heard that someplace. Satel says, "By abandoning work, the veteran deprives himself of its therapeutic value: a sense of purpose..."
Satel's web site is here... http://www.sallysatelmd.com/

Satel's email is... satel@sallysatelmd.com

The "Treatment First Act" will give a small allowance to vets with mental health problems who forego filing a VA disability compensation claim and enter treatment.

The "Treatment First Act" is just a way for the VA to save money by conning veterans into delaying filing a claim. Even if the veteran goes into treatment, and then a year later files a claim, a lot of money has been saved.

Also, this program would cause a shift in attitude at the Veterans' Benefits Administration (VBA) that handles claims. If a vet does not go into the program and just files a claim, it would be easy for a claims person at VBA to feel that the vet doesn't want to "get better" and then deliberately mishandle the claim, causing delays in compensation.

Below you will find two pieces of information. First is the Sally Satel opinion piece from The Wall Street Journal. Second is the Veterans Mental Health Treatment First Act as posted on Thomas.
Satel opinion here...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120399050749092455.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

go here back to VAWatchdog

http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfFEB08/nf022708-1.htm

Empty Casing, Testament of a soldier with PTSD

Testament of 'an honest man and a soldier'
PATRICK RENGGER

March 1, 2008

EMPTY CASING

By Fred Doucette

Douglas & McIntyre,

256 pages, $34.95

It has been said with some truth that in war there are no unwounded soldiers. Yet the nature of those wounds, particularly the psychological ones, and their effect on the lives of the men (and increasingly, the women) involved are as different and multitudinous as the individuals.

Whether you call it battle fatigue, shell shock, PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) or OSI (operational stress injury), the mental trauma that can occur in conflict areas is still barely understood. It is often governed, particularly in the military, by ignorance and hidden by a culture of macho denial. Why some are affected, while others remain apparently uninjured, by the same circumstances remains largely a mystery. In Empty Casing, Fred Doucette tells the story of one soldier, Doucette himself, who rises through the ranks of the Canadian army until, faced with the extraordinary stresses and particular viciousness of the Bosnian conflict, he finally succumbs to mental injury and is ultimately medically discharged from the army.

The story Doucette tells is, in many ways, a quite ordinary soldier's tale, filled with the small struggles and triumphs of life in the military and family life, and the business and boredom of professional soldiering. And yet, its very ordinariness is partly what makes it compelling. When Doucette is finally posted to Bosnia as a United Nations Monitoring Officer, everything changes. In Bosnia, Doucette is sent to Sarajevo in the midst of the siege, a posting that Doucette, whose previous UN tours of Cyprus were his only experience of war, didn't really want. He comforts himself with the thought that it couldn't be that bad, adding, "I could not figure out why all the military observers who had been 'in country' kept wishing me luck."
go here for the rest

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=4742487410373715914

Is one week in Iraq worth a year of veterans care?

It is the Least We Can Do for Their Sacrifice: One Week of War Spending
Posted February 29, 2008 10:13 AM (EST)


Senator Jim Webb has reintroduced an updated version of what he has dubbed "21st Century GI Bill" framed on the wildly successful GI Bill from World War II. With this war dragging on for six and one half years and our troops involuntary serving tour after tour, it is the least we can do for them. There are many other issues that we need to address to help our returning troops but this is a broad based program that will give a hand to all the troops who have served since 9/11.




Webb is co-sponsoring this bill with Senator Hagel and Senator Lautenberg and yesterday they got the important support of moderate Republican John Warner. His support will hopefully give cover for other Republicans to vote for this measure. For any of those who claim that it is too expensive, consider this: The estimated yearly cost for this program is $2 billion -- equivalent to one week of spending on this war.

Long established veteran groups, such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and new veteran groups such as Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) have endorsed this legislation.

Many of us have fathers who took advantage of the World War II GI bill. My father did and has told me stories of how crowded the universities were after World War II with veterans, many who may not have otherwise gone to college, taking advantage of a program that they earned. According to Senator Webb's research, out of a war time veteran population of 15 million, approximately 7.8 million took advantage of the program. Webb also claims that for every dollar invested in the WWII program, seven dollars were generated. This was a program that educated that greatest generation and helped build the base for the country we live in today. It was the WWII GI bill generation of engineers and scientists that built our space program, put men on the moon, developed the transistor and laid the basis for the digital computer.
click above for the rest

16,269 exposed to chemicals not notified of health issues?

The Pentagon hired a contractor to try to identify more veterans, but GAO found the project lacked sufficient oversight. For example, in 2007, a contractor identified 2,300 people exposed to biological tests at Fort Detrick, Md., in “Operation Whitecoat,” which ran from the early 1950s to the early 1970s.

VA, DoD urged to find chemical-exposed vets

By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Mar 1, 2008 7:56:47 EST

The Pentagon and Veterans Affairs Department must work harder to find tens of thousands of veterans involved in military chemical and biological weapons tests since World War II, the Government Accountability Office said in a new report.

“As this population becomes older, it will become more imperative for DoD and VA to identify and notify these individuals in a timely manner because they might be eligible for health care or other benefits,” according to the GAO report.

The classified tests exposed people to various agents. Some were simulated, but many were not. The list included blister and nerve agents, biological agents, PCP and LSD, in a series of tests over several decades known as “Project 112.”

According to the GAO, the military also exposed healthy adults, psychiatric patients and prison inmates in the experiments.

In some cases, service members volunteered for the tests but were misled about what they would be asked to do.

“Precise information on the number of tests, experiments and participants is not available, and the exact numbers will never be known,” the GAO report states.

Still, in 1993, the Defense Department began trying to find as many as it could. They identified almost 6,000 veterans and 350 civilians who may have been exposed. That search effort ended in 2003.

But in a 2004 study, GAO said the Pentagon should review further data and see if it would be feasible to find more people who may have been exposed.

Defense officials decided that looking further would not yield significant results, but GAO said that decision was “not supported by an objective analysis of the potential costs and benefits,” and that the Pentagon had not documented the criteria for its decision.

Since 2003, the Institutes of Medicine as well as other non-military agencies have found 600 more people.

GAO found that the Defense Department efforts in this area lack consistent objectives and adequate oversight, and officials have not used information gained from previous research that identified exposed people. GAO also aid the process lacks transparency because it has not kept Congress and veterans groups informed of its progress.

VA officials sent letters to only 48 percent of the names provided by the Pentagon because those were the only ones for whom they could find addresses. At least 16,269 known to be living still need to be notified.

Some records have been lost or destroyed, but GAO said VA does not work with the Social Security Administration or the Internal Revenue Service to obtain contact information for veterans.

go here for the rest

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/03/military_chemicalweapons_tests_022908w/

A couple of things really wrong with this aside from the obvious. The VA can and does work with the IRS and Social Security when it involves the ability to collect for treatment classified as "non-service connected" and they did this in the 90's at least because they kept taking our tax refund until my husband's claim was approved. The Pentagon also must work with the IRS and Social Security because they managed to track down the National Guardsman they are sending to jail because he had income from a private job while part of the time he was deployed to Iraq. In other words, when they want to find you, they do.

PTSD:Some Returning Troops Rely on Local Services, Not Military

MENTAL HEALTH CARE
Va. Braces for Veterans' Needs
Some Returning Troops Rely on Local Services, Not Military
By Chris L. Jenkins
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, March 1, 2008; Page B10

Virginia officials are preparing for a sharp increase in requests for community mental health services from troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, and they are concerned that the system will be overwhelmed.

Mental health experts and officials said they are seeing a growing number of recently returned military personnel with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other ailments seeking services from behavioral health clinics.

But with a waiting list of about 5,700 for community mental health services, many officials are concerned that the state will not be able to adequately serve the veterans and family members going to these clinics, operated by what are known as community services boards.

State officials said they are preparing for a 15 percent increase over the next decade in people seeking services from the state's mental health network, especially in emergency situations. That does not include family members who might need counseling. The issue is of particular concern in Virginia because the state has the third highest number of military service members in the country, behind California and Texas.

"This is a population that we're going to have to think about for some time," said James Reinhard, commissioner of the state Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services. "We're concerned and believe that [the population] is going to clearly have an impact on our services."
click post title for the rest

Staff Sgt. Steven Vickerman died of wounds but won't be counted

How many more will it take before all of them get help? How many more will die because this nation decided they could wait before help was available for all who needed it?

Carole and Richard Vickerman visit their son's grave Feb. 28, 2008 at the Rockland Cemetery in Sparkill, two days after his funeral. Their son, Staff Sgt. Steven Vickerman, who suffered from post traumatic stress disorder

For Palisades native, war trauma ends in suicide
Video by Angela Gaul
“We’re still in shock. Our son was a proud Marine. He served his country honorably and we don’t know what happened to him,” said Carole Vickerman, who buried her son Feb. 26, 2008 at Rockland Cemetery.

Video

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080229/VIDEO01/80229043/0/rss01

For Palisades native, war trauma ends in suicide
By Hannan Adely • The Journal News • March 1, 2008



PALISADES - After two tours in Iraq with the Marine Corps Reserve, Steven Vickerman tried to resume a normal life at home with his wife, but he could not shake a feeling of despair.

His parents, Richard and Carole Vickerman of Palisades, went to visit him at a veterans hospital after he suffered a mental breakdown; they were in disbelief. The funny and adventurous baby brother had become sullen, withdrawn and full of anxiety. Vickerman, who was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, killed himself Feb. 19.


"We're still in shock. Our son was a proud Marine. He served his country honorably, and we don't know what happened to him," said Carole Vickerman, who buried her son Tuesday at Rockland Cemetery in Sparkill.

As soldiers return from service in Iraq and Afghanistan, many are unprepared to deal with the anxiety and depression stemming from their experiences in war. Some seek help from the Veterans Health Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, but become frustrated by paperwork and long waits for counseling and care. Others feel too proud or embarrassed to seek help at all, or believe they can tough it out with time. Despair drives many to take their own lives, according to reports and experts.

The Veterans Health Administration estimated in a May 2007 report that 1,000 suicides occurred per year among veterans who received care within the VHA and as many as 5,000 per year among all veterans. At the same time, the number of returning veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder is surging, according to studies and veterans advocacy groups.

Families like the Vickermans often feel overwhelmed by the guilt and helplessness that surrounds post-traumatic stress disorder. The Vickermans wanted to help their son but did not know where to look for support services or how to deal with the effects of the illness.

The VA, they believed, had failed their son. The services available, they said, were insufficient, and the government should do more to address the issue for returning war vets.

"There should be something that can be done, not only for the proud soldiers but also for their families," Carole Vickerman said. "When you hear the word 'stress,' it sounds so innocuous. It's not stress; it's a killer."

Steven Vickerman, a Tappan Zee High School graduate, enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1998. A whiz at technical jobs and an electrician by trade, the staff sergeant served as a small arms technician with Marine Aircraft Group 49, Detachment B, at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh.

His first tour in Iraq was interrupted when he returned home to be with his older brother, who was dying of a brain tumor. Robert died at age 35. Vickerman served a second tour and was honorably discharged in 2005.

About two weeks ago, Vickerman's wife went on a business trip in New York City and could not reach her husband by phone. The Vickermans also could not reach him.

They called his therapist, who was scheduled to see him on a Wednesday, but Vickerman missed his appointment. The therapist called police, who found Vickerman dead at his home, where he had hanged himself.
http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008803010370

Staff Sgt. Steven Vickerman died of a combat wound. Yet his death will not be counted as a price paid by those we send. None of the thousands of others wounded will be counted when this nation let them down and they lost their battle with the enemy that followed them home.

While they are deployed with the rest of their unit, they have the men and women they serve with watching their backs. If they are wounded by a bullet, the others try to rescue them. If they are blown up, the rest of their unit using everything they have to save their lives. Yet when they are wounded by PTSD, all the rules are broken, the sense of urgency to act to save their lives is ignored and some are even attacked for being wounded in this way.

When they come home, their military family is no where to be found as they return to their families back home. They try to cope, adjust, get on with their lives, but for some it is impossible when they try to seek help with the DOD or the VA. They feel they are battling this enemy alone.

Vickerman will be added as a number but not part of the honorably deceased names when monuments of the sacrifice are built. His wound did not come with a Purple Heart. Vickerman is just one more of the thousands of others who died because they were wounded.

There is a great debate going on that you do not hear about within the units of those who commit suicide while deployed. Some feel as if the suicide is nothing to honor while others see it as a true wound and the death should be just as honored as the life lived. Those who want to honor it as equally as a bullet or bomb death, see PTSD as another wound. Why can't the rest of them?

What will it take for this nation to add these names, these lives, these stories into the history books of war? What will it take this nation to stop separating PTSD wounds from the rest of the wounds the men and women serving this nation suffer from?

If they really wanted to end the stigma of PTSD the best place to start is to fully acknowledge PTSD for what it is and that's a combat wound.

My husband will be wounded for the rest of his life and his service, his acknowledged risk of life ended in 1971, but the real risk to his life is an ongoing battle. He fights to stay alive everyday by taking his medication and going for therapy. It all works to keep him stabilized. He is not alone. There are hundreds of thousands of other Vietnam veterans like him, Korean veterans, Gulf War veterans and now this new generation of Afghanistan and Iraq veterans. Our family is not alone and neither are the rest of the families like Vickerman's family. We all care for the wounded as if their lives depended on it because they do. To us, they are wounded by combat, wounded by their service to this nation and they should be regarded as what they are. The time to stop separating this wound from all the other wounds should have ended as soon as we understood what PTSD was. A wounded caused by trauma.

There is nothing more traumatic than combat or the events involved with combat operations. They would not have been wounded if they did not go. They would not have nightmares and flashbacks of the horror if they were not sent. We need to acknowledge this and honor 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

Herseth Sandlin discusses mental health issues for vets

Herseth Sandlin discusses mental health issues for vets
By Peter Harriman
pharrima@argusleader.com
PUBLISHED: February 29, 2008

The U.S. faces a looming mental health crisis associated with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to comments made during a roundtable discussion with Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin today.

Herseth Sandlin says she is frustrated that Congress and high ranking veterans health officials are not doing more creative thinking to deal with it.

In a 90-minute session covering education benefits, timely payments and various other issues for recent military veterans, more than an hour was devoted to anecdotes about shortcomings in the delivery of mental health services, suggestions how to improve it, and Herseth Sandlin’s inquiries to participants.

Afterwards she said “the focus needs to be on the vet not on the system.” While a veterans health care system concentrated in VA facilities works well for things like getting veterans access to prescription drugs, “with mental health we’ve got to think outside the box and utilize the resources we’re going to make available in Washington to greatest effect,” she said.
click post title for the rest

Walz works to ensure quality oversight at VA

February 29, 2008
Walz works to ensure quality oversight at VA
While the three Republican candidates have been squabbling in their quest to be able to be their party's nominee, Representative Walz has been in Washington D.C. doing his job. One of his committee assignments is on the House Veterans Affairs committee.

Here's a press release from his office about the congressman's efforts to adequately fund VA'swatchdog agency, the Office of the Inspector General:

This week, Congressman Walz continued the fight to ensure quality care and oversight at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by pushing to adequately fund the VA's watchdog agency known as the Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

Walz, who organized the effort with the support of several of his House colleagues, said that the VA OIG monitors VA spending and contracts to make sure the taxpayers' money is being spent wisely. The OIG also evaluates VA clinics and reports any substandard care.

Walz and his colleagues sent a bipartisan letter to the Chairman of the Budget Committee, asking him to reject the budget cuts requested by the Bush Administration for the VA OIG.

"Last year, the Democratic-led Congress increased the budget for the VA's watchdog and in doing so, expanded its oversight and ability to protect our veterans," said Walz, a 24 year veteran of the National Guard. "This year, the President's budget request asked Congress to cut employees from the VA's watchdog office and reduce its ability to stop fraud and waste at the VA. That's unacceptable."

Walz said that the VA OIG provides a return of $11 for every $1 invested. By reviewing contracts between the VA and private businesses hired to assist our veterans, the OIG ensures that veterans are receiving the highest level of care from these contractors.

At a Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee hearing on January 29, representatives from the VA OIG testified that with more funding, their office would be able to more effectively evaluate the quality of care at VA facilities across the country. In short, the experts said, increased funding for the OIG would improve care at the VA, which all veterans deserve.

Walz concluded, "It makes no sense to cut funds from an office that both saves the government money and protects America's veterans. Our soldiers served this country with honor and distinction. We owe them nothing less than the highest quality care and the Office of the Inspector General is a key player in making sure that happens."


Posted by Ollie Ox on February 29, 2008
http://www.bluestemprairie.com/a_bluestem_prairie/2008/02/walz-works-to-e.html

Training reflects reality for combat vets

Training reflects reality for combat vets
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, February 29, 2008


HOHENFELS, Germany — A training scenario in which a “car bomb” blew up a bus load of Iraqi civilians was nothing new to some of the 18th Engineer Brigade soldiers involved in cleaning up the mess.

Many of the soldiers participating in the training at Hohenfels Joint Multinational Readiness Center are combat veterans who have responded to real mass casualty events in Iraq.

“I can’t count how many times I’ve seen it,” said 370th Engineer Company soldier Spc. Merit Draven, 28, of Sonora, Calif.

During this predeployment training, Draven helped treat simulated wounds that ranged from mutilating blast injuries to amputations and abdominal wounds. But, he added, he’s seen worse.

“I have seen 40 or 50 people (injured) at a time from suicide bombers and IEDs (improvised explosive devices),” he said.

Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Mann, of the 54th Engineer Battalion, said his unit took 14 casualties in a rocket attack on Camp Ramadi in March 2006.

“I was one of them. I had shrapnel wounds,” said the 40-year-old Camarillo, Calif., native, adding that soldiers who helped him and other victims did an outstanding job and everyone who got hurt in the blast survived.

Maj. Damon Knarr, 32, of Merritt Island, Fla., a JMRC observer controller training the engineers, said the car-bomb scenario was a surprise thrown into a route-clearance training mission.

“The VBIED (vehicle borne improvised explosive device) went off in front of their convoy while they were doing route clearance. There were four civilians killed and 10 wounded,” he said.
go here for the rest
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52942

PTSD support for spouses

PTSD support for spouses
By Terri Barns, Special to Stars and Stripes
Scene, Sunday, March 2, 2008



In Spouse Calls blogger comments, one issue comes up more often than any other: Post traumatic stress disorder. Last week’s column included some of those comments from spouses with first- hand experience on the subject.

These messages are significant, both for their individuality and their similarities. Each spouse who watches a loved one suffer through the after- effects of combat has a unique experience, but there are also common feelings and frustrations:

• “This is not the person I married.”

• “He says he doesn’t want to be married any more.”

• “There is so much anger.”

• “Why is he kind to everyone but me?”

• “Am I the only one?”

I point out these similarities not to minimize the individuality of each experience, but to offer an answer to the last question: You are not alone.

There are so many questions I cannot answer, but I can point out resources for help and encouragement.

Operation Homefront is an organization created to meet needs within the military community. Meredith Leyva, a military spouse who founded the organization in 2001, recently announced an Operation Homefront program for spouses of wounded veterans.
go here for the rest
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=140&article=52956&source=rss

Boston Red Sox at Walter Reed

New perspective: Sox shortstop Julio Lugo chats with retired Sgt. 1st Class Roland Paquette during Wednesday’s visit to Washington’s Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Hospital visit good for Sox’ health
FORT MYERS - Though flying to Washington to meet with President Bush on Wednesday and then heading back to Florida the same day was a grind, the trip gave the Red Sox [team stats] valuable perspective on their place in the grand scheme of things.

All it took was a visit to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and speaking with wounded veterans of the United States’ war in Iraq.

“I think the most important part of the trip - you can ask anyone who went on it - was visiting the hospital,” said Josh Beckett [stats] yesterday. “I got to hear several stories, and as terrible as those stories are, it’s something like that that you get to hear that puts everything in perspective for you and makes you realize how fortunate we are to have people like that who are willing to do stuff like that. Those are heroes.”

click post title for the rest

Spc. Gavin Sibayan, Hero, Purple Heart and PTSD along with TBI

When you read stories about heroes, you usually hear of their bravery, their dedication to the country and the men and women they serve with. You usually also hear about awards they are given in recognition of their extraordinary actions. What we do not hear often enough is the word "hero" put with PTSD. We never hear of PTSD in a story associated with the Purple Heart. PTSD is a wound the military does not like to associate with the other wounds. You know the kind of wounds they like. Bullet wounds, bomb wounds, head injuries they can see with their eyes, but they don't like to acknowledge TBI or PTSD. In this story, you have all of this.

Soldier Receives Purple Heart

Updated: Feb 29, 2008 05:40 PM EST

By Samantha Anderson
s.anderson@krdo.com

FORT CARSON - It's one of the most recognized and respected medals awarded to members of the U.S. Armed forces. It's also one, that more often than not, is given to a soldier's family and rarely gets pinned on the soldiers themselves.

27-year-old Specialist Gavin Sibayan received a Purple Heart medal Friday morning.

He was honored for his bravery in Iraq. He was deployed in 2006 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In September of 2007, the convoy he was on was hit by an explosive device. "I got hit with shrapnel, I was in the gun, got knocked out for 30 minutes, woke up covered in blood," describes Specialist Sibayan. When he awoke, he got right back up and continued fighting.

Specialist Sibayan now suffers from TBI, PTSD and hip dislocation. He returned home to his wife Stephanie and his son at the end of September and has been in recovery every since.

Specialist Sibayan is currently assigned to the Warrior Transition Battalion at Fort Carson.

http://www.krdo.com/Global/story.asp?S=7948236

Specialist Sibayan, showed great courage by coming out of being unconscious and continuing to fight. He was wounded and deserves the Purple Heart but he should probably receive a Silver Star along with it or at least a Bronze Star for this kind of action.

What I believe he should get is a medal for bravery speaking out on the fact he's also been diagnosed with PTSD. So many, especially the attitude reported from Fort Carson in the past, want to pass off the PTSD wounded as being anything other than brave. They fail to see the courage these men and women exhibit when they continue to fight battles while already wounded by PTSD. Imagine the kind of courage that takes to be willing to keep doing their jobs knowing what doing their jobs are doing to their minds.

They keep going although they know each day, each new traumatic event will increase the hell already waging a battle in their minds. When they are able to sleep, they know they will find no peace in their dreams when sleep only allows the enemy to awaken in the darkness of their dreams.

Most of them will never speak of the wound eating away at them until they are out of danger and not necessary for the rest of the unit. They will seek help, if they seek it at all, when they are home. Why can't the military command see the kind of courage that takes? Why can't they see that if they get these men and women into treatment as soon as possible, they will be able to retain that kind of hero? There is nothing to be ashamed of. They are nothing to be ashamed of. They are a rarity. What will it take for the commanders to figure out that when they commit suicide, they do it when they are not fighting a battle with the rest of their brothers, but fighting a private battle by themselves?

Stoughton Fire Capt. Doug Campbell in Iraq and shafted by town

"I went on active duty in 2001 and served overseas -- same scenario. The town did zero for me. They said they did something -- they did zero," said firefighter Joe Vister.


Firefighters Say Town Being Unpatriotic
Captain's Benefits Altered While Serving Overseas

POSTED: 5:47 pm EST February 29, 2008

STOUGHTON, Mass. -- More than 100 firefighters from across the state protested Friday in Stoughton on behalf of Fire Capt. Doug Campbell, who is serving in Iraq.

NewsCenter 5's Jack Harper reported that the union says the town is being cheap and unpatriotic in regard to Campbell's pay while he's away, but town officials say that couldn't be further from the truth.
go here for the rest

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/15453839/detail.html

Vietnam Vet finally gets paid what he was owed, thanks to a reporter

Vietnam vet finally gets benefits

HALFMOON - More than four years of delay and red tape has finally been cut for a Halfmoon veteran facing foreclosure.

Joseph Tannenbaum has been paid more than $60,000 in back benefits.

There doesn't seem to be any question the Vietnam vet deserved the increased benefits. But for nearly five years the Veterans Administration wasn't paying them.

The health battles began for Army PFC Tannenbaum in Vietnam where he lost his left leg. Then it was 15 months recovery in Valley Forge Army Hospital.

As he aged health problems developed. A stroke in 1999 paralyzed his left side. His $1,700 monthly disability check covered less and less.

Tannenbaum was entitled to double that amount, but from 2003 until just a few weeks ago the federal government was not paying.

Tannenbaum says the problem was the bureaucracy of the VA's regional office.

Finally, after help from a newspaper reporter and Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, Tannenbaum got his back benefits.

"A lot of our veterans, both from these wars, Iraq and Afghanistan and previous wars, have been having trouble with the VA system. Because the VA system is backlogged. There's extraordinary amounts of paperwork, long waits and inefficiencies in the system," Gillibrand said.

The congresswoman believes there are other vets in the area with similar problems not receiving the benefits they're entitled to. She urges them to contact her office.
http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S363603.shtml?cat=300

The reporter is a hero in this but they don't say who it was. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand was too.

Frankie Duzant Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity

Franklyn "Frankie" Duzant, 42, was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the slayings of his wife and son in June 2006.

(RED HUBER, ORLANDO SENTINEL / February 27, 2008)

Seminole man who hacked wife, son to death with sword found not guilty by reason of insanity

Amy L. Edwards Sentinel Staff Writer
February 28, 2008

SANFORD - The Seminole County man who hacked his 11-year-old son and wife to death with a sword was declared not guilty by reason of insanity on Wednesday and ordered to be sent to a secure mental hospital.

Circuit Judge Donna McIntosh ruled that Franklyn "Frankie" Duzant, 42, must be confined for public safety but is too mentally ill to be held legally responsible for the killings in 2006. She described him as "manifestly dangerous to himself and to others."Duzant, who had agreed to forgo a jury trial, was expressionless during the hourlong hearing, wearing a jumpsuit and handcuffs. Other than answering the judge's questions with a "Yes, ma'am," he said nothing.

The disabled Army veteran beheaded wife Evangeline "Gigi" Duzant inside their Lake Mary-area home on June 16, 2006. Neighbors then watched in horror as Duzant's son, Nico, ran frantically out of the house to escape his father.

As Nico ran across the street toward neighbors, Duzant caught up with the boy and slashed him to death with a sword. It was Nico's birthday.

Four mental-health experts -- two hired by the state and two for the defense -- agreed that Duzant was hallucinating and insane when he killed his family.

After his arrest, Duzant told psychologists and psychiatrists he thought his wife was going to be kidnapped, taken to West Virginia and raped. Duzant also thought attackers planned to abduct and torture Nico.

click post title for the rest

Readers of my other blog, Screaming In An Empty Room at www.namguardianangel.blogspot.com are aware of this story. This is justice. He is a Gulf War vet and yes, they developed PTSD along with a lot of other issues you never seem to hear about. For more on this story, go to the other blog and search his name. There's about four other stories on this there.

Case of puppy love for Marines

Captain Jamisen Fox with the puppies. They look a lot different today. They are mostly white.

Seven Pendleton Marines to be reunited with Iraq canines

By Susan Shroder
UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM

2:04 p.m. February 29, 2008




SAN DIEGO – Call it another case of canine crush in Iraq.
Seven mixed-breed puppies who won the hearts of Camp Pendleton Marines deployed in Iraq are headed to San Diego and will be reunited with their in-love leathernecks in mid-March.

The puppies were on a United Airlines flight that landed in Washington, D.C., at 6:40 a.m. Thursday. They're spending some time on the ground with a caregiver before being flown to Lindbergh Field, where they are expected to arrive Saturday or Sunday, said Patty Brooks, spokeswoman for the Rancho Coastal Humane Society.

The Encinitas-based humane society is assisting the Marines in bringing the 14-week-old puppies to San Diego.

But don't think about adopting one. They're already spoken for by the Marines, who are part of a team training Iraqis to protect that country's borders.
go here for the rest
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20080229-1404-bn29pups.html

Since when did Sally Satel care about PTSD veterans?

Since when did Sally Satel care about PTSD veterans?

A Helping Hand for Vets With PTSD

Sally Satel


The Wall Street Journal

Feb 29, 2008


February 26, 2008 - Imagine you are a young soldier wounded in Iraq. Your physical injuries heal, but your mind remains tormented. You are flooded with memories of the bloody firefight you survived, you can't concentrate, and sudden noise makes you jump out of your skin. At 23 years old, you are about to be discharged from the military, afraid you'll never again be able to hold a job or fully function in society.

For the thousands of young men and women who apply for disability benefits upon return from Iraq and Afghanistan, these fears are becoming a reality.

When a veteran files a psychiatric disability claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), an examiner is assigned to determine the extent of incapacitation. As part of the assessment, the examiner requests a psychiatric evaluation to obtain the veteran's diagnosis. Once the veteran is diagnosed with a service-related mental condition (typically depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or another anxiety disorder) the claims examiner assigns a disability rating.

The most severe level for a veteran leaving service is 100%. But even a 50% rating denotes significant impairment (e.g., "difficulty in understanding complex commands"), according to the Veterans Benefits Administration.
click post title for the rest


http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/9456

From Aug. 15, 2006
BRAVO LARRY SCOTT,,,,FROM VA WATCHDOGDISSING PTSD VETERANS HAS BECOME A LIFESTYLE FOR DR. SALLYSATEL -- And, she's at it again in her latest "think-tank" article --"...new compensation awards will coincide with the retirement years..." --"...how to distinguish between...those who are seeking a free ride..." --"...some veterans' advocates...remain too ready...[for the] quickreach for the disability claims form..."Dr. Sally is on a roll again!In her latest article for the American Enterprise Institute "think-tank" she uses innuendo and negative buzz words to paint veterans with PTSD as losers, liars or both.Background here...


http://www.vawatchdog.org/old%20newsflashes%20MAR%2006/
newsflash03-19-2006-4.htm
MAR%2006/newsflash03-19-2006-4.htm

Latest story here... http://www.aei.org/publications/filter.all,pubID.24781/pub_detail.aspfilter.all,pubID.24781/pub_detail.asp

Stressed out VetsBelieving the Worst about Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
By Sally Satel, M.D.
"Dear Dr. Satel: You are an ideologically constipated coward." So begins one of several dyspeptic communications I've received recently from Vietnam veterans and others.

What provoked their ire was a remark of mine quoted in the Washington Post on June 20.

Under the headline "Iraq War May Add Stress for Past Vets; Trauma Disorder Claims at New High," the article suggested that the current war is responsible for a surge in disability compensation among veterans' ranks.While I do agree that current news coverage may prompt anxiety, sleeplessness, and distressing memories among veterans who have led productive lives since leaving Vietnam, I told the Post I was "skeptical" that veterans who had functioned well for three decades would now be permanently incapacitated.

My sentiments are unpopular--you "right-wing, bloviating [expletive deleted] pseudo-psychiatrist," wrote another reader on his blog--but my point is actually an encouraging one. That is, even if veterans are undone by news and footage of fighting in Iraq, few are likely to endure a subsequent lifetime of chronic anguish or dysfunction of the kind that requires long-term disability entitlement............
http://www.vawatchdog.org/old%20newsflashes%20AUG%2006/newsflash08-15-2006-4.htm

Aug. 31, 2006
RIDE, SALLY, RIDE -- Dr. Sally Satel continues to ride PTSD veterans.From Slate.com: "Once a [veteran] receives a monthly check...hismotivation to hold a job wanes." --- "...a lingering threat areclinicians who are too quick...to reach for thepermanent disability claims form."go to VA Watchdog and read the rest of what this witch says.
http://www.vawatchdog.org/old%20newsflashes%20AUG%2006/newsflash08-30-2006-1.htm

For her information, as if she wants any real information when she can just keep claiming what she has in her own mind, no matter if it is based in fact or not. Let me tell you the story of a man named Jack who came home from Vietnam and went to work while his father told him to get over the clear signs of PTSD.He came home in 1971. He went to work, got married and separated more times than he can remember by the time we met. He still worked, off and on, as much as he could. Each job he applied for he looked for one thing, if he would have to spend his work time with anyone or not. He only applied when he would be able to be alone.In 1990 he was diagnosed by a private psychologist, who apparently was well informed regarding PTSD unlike Satel. The days of being unable to get off the couch because of nightmares hitting too hard followed by flashbacks were not enough to cause him to want to stop working. He wanted to work. He felt he was doing something with his life.

Finally in 1993, he agreed to go to the VA since they were the experts in PTSD. He was again diagnosed with PTSD and in the 98% range. He still wanted to work. This was followed by six years of claims and appeals. Once the VA diagnosed him with service connected PTSD, our private health insurance would no longer cover him for any mental health treatment. He was told it was the responsibility of the government.He was finally awarded disability from the VA for PTSD in 1999. Once this was finally given, he was able to file for protection from losing his job under Family and Medical Leave Act. He kept trying while his condition got worse. He still wanted to work no matter what his VA doctors told him about the added stress level to his condition. He kept trying. He ended up taking early retirement because of his disability.Jack is not unique, except to me, and like all others in the VA system, they make treatment impossible without an approved service connected disability rating. He made a lot more money working than he is on VA disability.

Now Satel can make any kind of outrageous claim she wants but we know what is reality. We know what it is when we live with it everyday of our lives. For her to claim this is an easy thing for any veteran proves she knows nothing about those who suffer with PTSD. One of the biggest things to these veterans is denial. They would rather do anything other than to admit they have PTSD. For her to slander any veteran claiming they get a free ride is beyond incompetence. She needs to have her credentials revoked. Satel should be brought before a committee to answer for the damage she has done to those with PTSD.I am sick and tired of fighting to get our veterans into treatment while Satel gets to harm them. There are too many Satels in positions supposedly seeking to help veterans and doing nothing but harm to them instead. These people need to be forced out the jobs they clearly have no business being in.