“If we get the resources in a timely, predictable fashion, we believe we can fix ourselves over the next three to four years.”
Casey: Move to shorter tours ‘has to happen’
By Matthew Cox - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 27, 2008 17:41:55 EST
The Army’s chief of staff reiterated his commitment to shortening combat tours in Iraq to 12 months to a Senate panel Wednesday, stressing that current 15-month deployments are “just not sustainable.”
Echoing comments he made Tuesday to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. George Casey told Appropriations Committee members the Army is out of balance from more than six years of war and back-to-back deployments.
Casey told lawmakers that the service hopes to begin restoring that balance in July when he expects the demand for forces to decrease.
“That has to happen,” he said Wednesday at a fiscal 2009 budget overview hearing on Capital Hill. “Soldiers and leaders need to see that over time they won’t be deploying for 15 months and home for 12.”
Casey, who was the top U.S. commander in Iraq before taking the chief of staff job last spring, told lawmakers that cutting the time soldiers spend in combat is an integral part of reducing the stress on the force.
He said he anticipates the service can cut combat tours from 15 months to 12 months this summer, as long as the president reduces the number of active-duty Army brigades in Iraq and Afghanistan to 15 units by July, as planned.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/army_casey_budget_022708w/
God help the troops survive all this. The redeployments increase the risk of PTSD by 50%, yet they keep sending them back over and over again. Not enough time between deployments increases the risk and puts a bigger burden on the families. How long can this go on?
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Dr. James B. Peake doing what Nicholson should have done years ago
VA Has Added 20 New Vet Centers
Posted : Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:19:51 GMT
Author : U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake today said an expansion by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of its Vet Centers, which provide readjustment counseling and outreach services to returning combat veterans, is well ahead of schedule.
In February 2007, VA announced it would open 23 new centers during the next two years. Fifteen of those centers are already operational, and five others are seeing patients in temporary facilities while finalizing their leases. The other three facilities will begin operations later this year.
"Building on our past successes, 2008 will see a permanent increase in the number of Vet Centers, as we bring the remaining facilities on line to reach a record 232 Vet Centers by the end of the year," Peake said.
"To support this expansion and augment the staff at 61 existing Vet Centers, this year we are channeling a 44 percent increase in funding to the Readjustment Counseling Service, which operates the Vet Centers -- nearly $50 million more than last year's budget," he added.
The community-based Vet Centers are a key component of VA's mental health program, providing veterans with mental health screening and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) counseling, along with help for family members dealing with bereavement and loved ones with PTSD.
click post title for the rest
Posted : Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:19:51 GMT
Author : U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake today said an expansion by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of its Vet Centers, which provide readjustment counseling and outreach services to returning combat veterans, is well ahead of schedule.
In February 2007, VA announced it would open 23 new centers during the next two years. Fifteen of those centers are already operational, and five others are seeing patients in temporary facilities while finalizing their leases. The other three facilities will begin operations later this year.
"Building on our past successes, 2008 will see a permanent increase in the number of Vet Centers, as we bring the remaining facilities on line to reach a record 232 Vet Centers by the end of the year," Peake said.
"To support this expansion and augment the staff at 61 existing Vet Centers, this year we are channeling a 44 percent increase in funding to the Readjustment Counseling Service, which operates the Vet Centers -- nearly $50 million more than last year's budget," he added.
The community-based Vet Centers are a key component of VA's mental health program, providing veterans with mental health screening and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) counseling, along with help for family members dealing with bereavement and loved ones with PTSD.
click post title for the rest
PTSD WOUND OF LESSER VALUE?
Experts: VA disability system can be fixed
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 27, 2008 12:47:24 EST
Medical experts, advocacy groups and Veterans Affairs Department officials say VA’s disability rating schedule needs to be updated — continually — but they denied the system is so bad that it needs to be dumped completely.
A Tuesday hearing of the House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee on disability assistance and memorial affairs also focused on studies conducted over the past year that point toward needed improvements not only in the ratings schedule, but in VA’s disability retirement system itself.
Rep. John Hall, D-N.Y., chairman of the subcommittee, said VA needs to remove “archaic” criteria from the rating schedule; update psychiatric criteria to better reflect symptoms of troops diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder; find out why so many veterans with PTSD have been rated fully disabled; and update neurological criteria to include new research on traumatic brain injuries.
“The VA needs the right tools to do the right thing,” Hall said.
VA argued that it is already doing the right thing and has been updating the rating schedule, though officials acknowledged they could do better. From 1990 through 2007, VA had updated 47 percent of the ratings schedule, but 35 percent of the codes had not been touched since 1945. However, VA said it updated the codes for TBI in January and is working on an update for PTSD.
The Veterans’ Disability Benefits Commission began looking at how service members’ and veterans’ disability cases were being handled long before February 2007, when Military Times and the Washington Post featured stories highlighting problems in the system. Retired Vice Adm. Dennis McGinn, a member of the commission, said VA has made “very limited progress” since the group’s report came out in October.
“I believe the ratings schedule needs to be clarified so it has logic from the point of view of medicine and science,” McGinn said. “It has not progressed in the last five decades.”
The group found that VA compensates veterans according to the schedule in a way that is “generally adequate to offset average impairment” and that the schedule does “reasonably well.”
But there are specific areas where VA’s system does not serve troops and veterans well, McGinn said, including those with PTSD, those severely disabled at a young age and those granted maximum benefits because a disability makes them unemployable.
Veterans with PTSD, he noted, have “much greater loss of employment and earnings” than those with physical disabilities.
McGinn recommended separate criteria on the rating schedule for PTSD, as well as a way to compensate unemployable veterans for lost quality of life, not just their inability to work.
So-called “individual unemployability” veterans may have formal VA disability ratings of less than 100 percent, but are still rated fully disabled because of their inability to work. The commission found that almost half of the 223,000 IU veterans have primary diagnoses of PTSD or other mental disorders.
The problem is that if a veteran has physical disabilities that lead to a 100 percent disability rating, he can still work and keep his full compensation. But a veteran who has a 100 percent disability for a mental disorder tries to work, he loses his compensation.
go here for the rest
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/02/military_disabilityratings_022708w/
This last part is very important. My husband is 70% disabled for PTSD and 30% unemployable. Yet it is 100% of his life that has been touched. He can't work but he fought very hard to keep his job under Family and Medical Leave Act for as long as he could. His doctor told him that he was just making his PTSD worse with the stress. Every aspect of his life and mine are adapted to deal with his wound. There are conversations we cannot have.
There are times when we cannot communicate at all except to have a brief conversation about what to have for dinner. His decision making skills are virtually gone, paranoia consumes him to the point where I get so fed up I tell him "You get worried if you don't have something to worry about." The body wounded is terrible and the scars can be seen for a lifetime. When they mind is wounded the scars on the life are forever. Depending on when they get treated and begin to heal, their wound can be mild all the way to fully consuming every aspect of their life.
A while ago a reader wanted to know why I thought PTSD was worse than losing a limb. He wanted to know how I could compare the loss of a leg to PTSD. I told him it was easy. Had my husband lost a limb, I would still have a husband with the rest of his body, his mind and his heart. I have a husband who has had his mind wounded and his soul torn.
If we go to one of the parks on our Friday play day and his face begins to twitch or he begins to make involuntary mouth movements as if he is talking to himself, he gets stared at as if people are afraid of him. What most people do not fully understand is that many who have lost limbs also have PTSD and they are dealing with double the wounding but they get a Purple Heart for a body wound while their other wound, the one that inflicts the most pain on their lives as well as their family's lives, is something considered of lesser value.
With a physical wound that is not a back injury or a brain injury, they can be retrained to do something else for work. With a back injury, they cannot. With a brain injury, depending on how serious it is, they cannot work either. With PTSD they cannot work if they have high levels of test results. PTSD and TBI wounded need to be taken seriously enough to have their wounds categorized as enveloping not just their lives but the lives of their families as well. If we do not fully appreciate the role of the families in taking care of these veterans, then we will see a lot more homeless veterans because of PTSD.
Aside from providing support groups to help hold families together and proactive outreach to them, they also need to be provided for when it comes to the quality of their own lives being involved. My husband is one of the biggest reasons why I cannot work full time any longer. Doing this work at home on a volunteer basis, I can be here when he needs me and I don't have to answer to anyone as to why I have to take him to the doctors when he's having a bad day and cannot go alone. That's why working part time was perfect for me. He can be alone a few hours a day with no problem at all. This gets forgotten about when wives and husbands are unable to do the jobs they used to do in order to take care of their wounded warrior.
This hearing today was a step in the right direction.
Avoiding employment is not the problem. Being unable to be employed is. You cannot retrain a mind to work normally.
Again it needs to be noticed that there has to be other factors put in when considering steps to take in improving the treatment the veterans have by including their families.
The only thing that has kept my husband in treatment with the VA is the thought of getting as bad as he was without it. The idea of retesting what is already known to be a lifetime wound only causes more stress for the veteran. If they are in treatment, then there is no need to "retest" to make sure they are still wounded.
TBI and PTSD are not wounds of lesser value and they need to be treated differently than other wounds. If a soldier has TBI from a bullet wound, that is a wound from the bullet, the TBI and in most cases PTSD as well.
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 27, 2008 12:47:24 EST
Medical experts, advocacy groups and Veterans Affairs Department officials say VA’s disability rating schedule needs to be updated — continually — but they denied the system is so bad that it needs to be dumped completely.
A Tuesday hearing of the House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee on disability assistance and memorial affairs also focused on studies conducted over the past year that point toward needed improvements not only in the ratings schedule, but in VA’s disability retirement system itself.
Rep. John Hall, D-N.Y., chairman of the subcommittee, said VA needs to remove “archaic” criteria from the rating schedule; update psychiatric criteria to better reflect symptoms of troops diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder; find out why so many veterans with PTSD have been rated fully disabled; and update neurological criteria to include new research on traumatic brain injuries.
“The VA needs the right tools to do the right thing,” Hall said.
VA argued that it is already doing the right thing and has been updating the rating schedule, though officials acknowledged they could do better. From 1990 through 2007, VA had updated 47 percent of the ratings schedule, but 35 percent of the codes had not been touched since 1945. However, VA said it updated the codes for TBI in January and is working on an update for PTSD.
The Veterans’ Disability Benefits Commission began looking at how service members’ and veterans’ disability cases were being handled long before February 2007, when Military Times and the Washington Post featured stories highlighting problems in the system. Retired Vice Adm. Dennis McGinn, a member of the commission, said VA has made “very limited progress” since the group’s report came out in October.
“I believe the ratings schedule needs to be clarified so it has logic from the point of view of medicine and science,” McGinn said. “It has not progressed in the last five decades.”
The group found that VA compensates veterans according to the schedule in a way that is “generally adequate to offset average impairment” and that the schedule does “reasonably well.”
But there are specific areas where VA’s system does not serve troops and veterans well, McGinn said, including those with PTSD, those severely disabled at a young age and those granted maximum benefits because a disability makes them unemployable.
Veterans with PTSD, he noted, have “much greater loss of employment and earnings” than those with physical disabilities.
McGinn recommended separate criteria on the rating schedule for PTSD, as well as a way to compensate unemployable veterans for lost quality of life, not just their inability to work.
So-called “individual unemployability” veterans may have formal VA disability ratings of less than 100 percent, but are still rated fully disabled because of their inability to work. The commission found that almost half of the 223,000 IU veterans have primary diagnoses of PTSD or other mental disorders.
The problem is that if a veteran has physical disabilities that lead to a 100 percent disability rating, he can still work and keep his full compensation. But a veteran who has a 100 percent disability for a mental disorder tries to work, he loses his compensation.
go here for the rest
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/02/military_disabilityratings_022708w/
This last part is very important. My husband is 70% disabled for PTSD and 30% unemployable. Yet it is 100% of his life that has been touched. He can't work but he fought very hard to keep his job under Family and Medical Leave Act for as long as he could. His doctor told him that he was just making his PTSD worse with the stress. Every aspect of his life and mine are adapted to deal with his wound. There are conversations we cannot have.
There are times when we cannot communicate at all except to have a brief conversation about what to have for dinner. His decision making skills are virtually gone, paranoia consumes him to the point where I get so fed up I tell him "You get worried if you don't have something to worry about." The body wounded is terrible and the scars can be seen for a lifetime. When they mind is wounded the scars on the life are forever. Depending on when they get treated and begin to heal, their wound can be mild all the way to fully consuming every aspect of their life.
A while ago a reader wanted to know why I thought PTSD was worse than losing a limb. He wanted to know how I could compare the loss of a leg to PTSD. I told him it was easy. Had my husband lost a limb, I would still have a husband with the rest of his body, his mind and his heart. I have a husband who has had his mind wounded and his soul torn.
If we go to one of the parks on our Friday play day and his face begins to twitch or he begins to make involuntary mouth movements as if he is talking to himself, he gets stared at as if people are afraid of him. What most people do not fully understand is that many who have lost limbs also have PTSD and they are dealing with double the wounding but they get a Purple Heart for a body wound while their other wound, the one that inflicts the most pain on their lives as well as their family's lives, is something considered of lesser value.
With a physical wound that is not a back injury or a brain injury, they can be retrained to do something else for work. With a back injury, they cannot. With a brain injury, depending on how serious it is, they cannot work either. With PTSD they cannot work if they have high levels of test results. PTSD and TBI wounded need to be taken seriously enough to have their wounds categorized as enveloping not just their lives but the lives of their families as well. If we do not fully appreciate the role of the families in taking care of these veterans, then we will see a lot more homeless veterans because of PTSD.
Aside from providing support groups to help hold families together and proactive outreach to them, they also need to be provided for when it comes to the quality of their own lives being involved. My husband is one of the biggest reasons why I cannot work full time any longer. Doing this work at home on a volunteer basis, I can be here when he needs me and I don't have to answer to anyone as to why I have to take him to the doctors when he's having a bad day and cannot go alone. That's why working part time was perfect for me. He can be alone a few hours a day with no problem at all. This gets forgotten about when wives and husbands are unable to do the jobs they used to do in order to take care of their wounded warrior.
This hearing today was a step in the right direction.
This could inspire a veteran to avoid seeking out vocational rehabilitation or employment, and also implies something “suspect” about claiming PTSD — which only adds to the considerable stigma behind the disease, said Dean Kilpatrick, a member of the Committee on Veterans’ Compensation for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder at the Institute of Medicine.
Avoiding employment is not the problem. Being unable to be employed is. You cannot retrain a mind to work normally.
McGinn also requested couples therapy as part of treatment for PTSD. That is important because responding to a veteran’s anger with more anger can exacerbate the problem, while learning how to work with a spouse suffering PTSD can be part of a cure, he said. Also, many family members deal with their own mental health issues while living with someone with PTSD.
Again it needs to be noticed that there has to be other factors put in when considering steps to take in improving the treatment the veterans have by including their families.
McGinn’s group and Kilpatrick had different recommendations as far as follow-up evaluations for people with PTSD. Again, other disabilities are not re-examined, so an exam puts those with mental disabilities in a separate class. But McGinn’s group sees follow-ups as a way to encourage vets to seek further treatment.
The only thing that has kept my husband in treatment with the VA is the thought of getting as bad as he was without it. The idea of retesting what is already known to be a lifetime wound only causes more stress for the veteran. If they are in treatment, then there is no need to "retest" to make sure they are still wounded.
TBI and PTSD are not wounds of lesser value and they need to be treated differently than other wounds. If a soldier has TBI from a bullet wound, that is a wound from the bullet, the TBI and in most cases PTSD as well.
Verdict in electrocution of Pvt. Van Ryan Marcum Upheld
Verdict in electrocution of soldier upheld
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Feb 27, 2008 10:13:27 EST
LITTLE ROCK — A federal appeals panel on Tuesday upheld a $6.5 million verdict against a private contractor in the death of an Arkansas soldier who was electrocuted when he leaned back against the metal exterior wall of a latrine.
Pvt. Van Ryan Marcum died June 19, 2004, following an exercise at a firing range at Fort Benning, Ga. Marcum’s estate sued The Shaw Group Inc., which was under contract to demolish several abandoned metal latrines at the Army base. Marcum, 21, was from Prescott, Ark.
A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis turned away The Shaw Group’s requests for a new trial or a ruling that the company was not responsible.
The Shaw Group, based in Baton Rouge, La., argued that it had no duty to have demolished the latrine, noting that the Army had given it an extension for the demolition work.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/ap_electrocution_022608/
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Feb 27, 2008 10:13:27 EST
LITTLE ROCK — A federal appeals panel on Tuesday upheld a $6.5 million verdict against a private contractor in the death of an Arkansas soldier who was electrocuted when he leaned back against the metal exterior wall of a latrine.
Pvt. Van Ryan Marcum died June 19, 2004, following an exercise at a firing range at Fort Benning, Ga. Marcum’s estate sued The Shaw Group Inc., which was under contract to demolish several abandoned metal latrines at the Army base. Marcum, 21, was from Prescott, Ark.
A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis turned away The Shaw Group’s requests for a new trial or a ruling that the company was not responsible.
The Shaw Group, based in Baton Rouge, La., argued that it had no duty to have demolished the latrine, noting that the Army had given it an extension for the demolition work.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/ap_electrocution_022608/
Mental Health being withheld from Fort Drum Soldiers
Military Doctors Withholding Treatment from Soldiers with Mental Health Problems
By Maggie Mahar, Health Beat.
Posted February 27, 2008.
The military is denying crucial care to soldiers, making them vulnerable on the battlefield.
In recent months, VFA reports, it has been contacted by a number of soldiers based at Fort Drum who are concerned about their own mental health and the health of other members of their units. In response, VFA launched an investigation of conditions at Fort Drum, and what it found was shocking.
Soldiers told the VFA that "the leader of the mental health treatment clinic at Fort Drum asked soldiers not to discuss their mental health problems with people outside the base. Attempts to keep matters 'in house' foster an atmosphere of secrecy and shame," the report observed "that is not conducive to proper treatment for combat-related mental health injuries."
The investigators also discovered that "some military mental health providers have argued that a number of soldiers fake mental health injuries to increase the likelihood that they will be deemed unfit for combat and/or for further military service."
The report notes that a "conversation with a leading expert in treating combat psychological wounds" confirmed "that some military commanders at Fort Drum doubt the validity of mental health wounds in some soldiers, thereby undermining treatment prescribed by civilian psychiatrists" at the nearby Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, NY.
"In the estimation of this expert, military commanders have undue influence in the treatment of soldiers with psychological wounds," the report noted. "Another point of general concern for VFA is that Samaritan also has a strong financial incentive to maintain business ties with Fort Drum -- a dynamic [that] deserves greater scrutiny."
Because some soldiers do not trust Samaritan, the report reveals that a number of "soldiers have sought treatment after normal base business hours at a hospital in Syracuse, more than an hour's drive from Watertown ... because they feared that Samaritan would side with base leadership, which had, in some cases, cast doubt on the legitimacy of combat-related mental health wounds.
go here for the rest
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/77867/
It is almost impossible to get these men and women to admit they need help. They were trained to take care of themselves and watch out for the backs of their brothers and sisters. I've been dealing with them and their denials for 25 years. They don't want to admit they need help. Yet still, Fort Drum, and other bases, treat those who do as if they are slackers! Disgraceful! How can it be that such very smart, able, dedicated leaders can remain so uninformed and uneducated as to the tactics of the enemy the soldiers bring home with them? PTSD is an enemy. It attacks and it kills. There is only one thing PTSD fears and that is knowledge.
By Maggie Mahar, Health Beat.
Posted February 27, 2008.
The military is denying crucial care to soldiers, making them vulnerable on the battlefield.
In recent months, VFA reports, it has been contacted by a number of soldiers based at Fort Drum who are concerned about their own mental health and the health of other members of their units. In response, VFA launched an investigation of conditions at Fort Drum, and what it found was shocking.
Soldiers told the VFA that "the leader of the mental health treatment clinic at Fort Drum asked soldiers not to discuss their mental health problems with people outside the base. Attempts to keep matters 'in house' foster an atmosphere of secrecy and shame," the report observed "that is not conducive to proper treatment for combat-related mental health injuries."
The investigators also discovered that "some military mental health providers have argued that a number of soldiers fake mental health injuries to increase the likelihood that they will be deemed unfit for combat and/or for further military service."
The report notes that a "conversation with a leading expert in treating combat psychological wounds" confirmed "that some military commanders at Fort Drum doubt the validity of mental health wounds in some soldiers, thereby undermining treatment prescribed by civilian psychiatrists" at the nearby Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, NY.
"In the estimation of this expert, military commanders have undue influence in the treatment of soldiers with psychological wounds," the report noted. "Another point of general concern for VFA is that Samaritan also has a strong financial incentive to maintain business ties with Fort Drum -- a dynamic [that] deserves greater scrutiny."
Because some soldiers do not trust Samaritan, the report reveals that a number of "soldiers have sought treatment after normal base business hours at a hospital in Syracuse, more than an hour's drive from Watertown ... because they feared that Samaritan would side with base leadership, which had, in some cases, cast doubt on the legitimacy of combat-related mental health wounds.
go here for the rest
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/77867/
It is almost impossible to get these men and women to admit they need help. They were trained to take care of themselves and watch out for the backs of their brothers and sisters. I've been dealing with them and their denials for 25 years. They don't want to admit they need help. Yet still, Fort Drum, and other bases, treat those who do as if they are slackers! Disgraceful! How can it be that such very smart, able, dedicated leaders can remain so uninformed and uneducated as to the tactics of the enemy the soldiers bring home with them? PTSD is an enemy. It attacks and it kills. There is only one thing PTSD fears and that is knowledge.
Army Suicide Rates Go Up, Alarm Bells Don't
Army Suicide Rates ClimbingPosted: 10:27 PM Feb 26, 2008
Last Updated: 6:24 AM Feb 27, 2008
Reporter: David Nancarrow
Email Address: mailto:dnancarrow@kktv11news.com?subject=Army
Army Suicide Rates Climbing
The Colorado Springs community is constantly reminded of the men and women in uniform who are lost in combat. The Army is now reporting a dramatic rise in the number of soldiers taking their own lives.
There is a single diamond set in a black band on the finger where Mia Sagahon expected to wear her wedding ring.
She thought her fiancee, a veteran, Walter Padilla would be by her side forever.
"You wake up and see them daily and then they're just gone," she said.
Visions of the battlefield haunted the medically discharged Padilla. He tried to hide his pain and tormenting questions from the ones he loved. Mia now knows these questions all too well.
"Am I a weak person?" she believed he wondered. "Why is this happening to me? feeling alone, why am I having these dreams?"
Walter silenced the voices in 2007, taking his life with a single shot from his own gun.
"You can't say good-bye, or anything. It's horrible," Sagahon said.
The Army expects 2007 will have been one of the worst in years in terms of suicide among active soldiers. If 32 cases still under investigation add to the 89 confirmed, 121 suicides represent a 20% spike from 2006, more than twice the number reported in 2001, pushing the Army rate closer to that seen among the civilian community.
Even more alarming, according to Department of Defense sources, attempted suicides rose to more than 2,000, up from about 1400 in 2006.
It is an issue that hits close to home for Ft. Carson commanders. Commanding Officer, Major General Mark Graham, lost a son to suicide.
"In every case where there's a suicide, people will tell you I should have seen it coming. I should have seen it," Graham said.
Army investigators say motives are different, but common reasons include stress levels from time put in to the battle.
"The secretary of the Army says our Army is tired that is no secret. I think our nation is understanding that we are a nation at war now for 7 years in Afghanistan, six years in Iraq," said COL Kelly Wolgast, Director of Ft. Carson's Evans Army Hospital.
Investigators report many are linked to strained romantic relationships, or failed marriages. There's also the issue of fearing to admit to loved ones and superiors they need help.
go here for the rest
http://www.kktv.com/news/headlines/16012862.html
How much time will they talk about doing something? How much money will they throw at this without results that prove it's working? How many different "steps" will they take before they discover what they are doing is not working? When will they hear the alarm bells going off all around the country that when it comes to them coming home, the military sucks at taking care of them?
Senator Brownback showed disrespect to PTSD veterans
By the information on Brownback's site, it's clear that the impression Jay Harden, the author of the following letter, had was right on the mark.
Letter: Take care of veteransPublished Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Sen. Sam Brownback met with us on the PTSD ward at Colmery-O'Neil VA Medical Center on Feb. 11. I sincerely appreciate his time and good intentions, but the ultimate purpose of the uninvited intrusion escapes me. Perhaps a photo-op?
Sen. Brownback is a public servant, a U.S. senator. That is, he serves the public, and I am one of the public. Therefore, it is important to me (and possibly him) to provide the following feedback.
In my opinion, the entire PTSD patient population here didn't appreciate the senator's performance, nor did many of the professional staff. And I am being charitable here.
Some of us bared our souls, stories and traumas to a stranger and his entourage in the hope some greater good would come of it. At least one veteran walked out on Sen. Brownback, on the verge of tears because of his disrespect to Vietnam veterans. One had the foresight to decline his direct invitation to talk about his Iraq experience.
This is what I want from Sen. Brownback. Take on the task of getting the word out to veterans about the PTSD services of the VA. And do something to standardize the quality of VA care across the nation.
I was stunned to learn how VA services vary greatly in quality from one facility to another. For example, some VA facilities don't help PTSD veterans unless the PTSD is combat-related. This is unacceptable. All are equally worthy as we still relive our service traumas without choice.
I should be able to walk into any VA facility in the U.S. and get the same quality of care for the same services offered. Just because it has never been done doesn't mean it is impossible, right?
JAY HARDEN, Topeka
http://cjonline.com/stories/022708/opi_251511209.shtml
This is from Brownback's site
VETERANS
At a time when our government is asking thousands of military members to enter harm's way in our war against terrorism, the citizens of Kansas are seeing a dramatic decrease in the standard of care that our veterans are provided to help them with the lifelong physical and mental effects of these wars. I have long been a supporter of veterans and veterans' benefits. America's veterans have put their lives on the line to defend our country and we should honor their sacrifices and fulfill our commitments to them. Keeping our nation strong and keeping our promises to veterans should be among our top national priorities.
Brownback Visits Walter Reed
"The system that provides treatment for our soldiers must be improved, but I continue to be impressed with the commitment and dedication of the staff at Walter Reed and other military facilities. I offer my heartfelt thanks and prayers for those wounded while defending this nation and I want to thank all those currently serving in our Armed Forces. Their sacrifices make this nation great and we all owe them a debt of gratitude." Read More
Brownback Introduces Bill to Protect Veteran's Memorials
This important bill would prevent judicial activist groups from using a 1970s-era civil rights law to force taxpayers to pay their attorney's fees in cases related to public displays of religious faith. Read More Bill S.415: Veterans' Memorials, Boy Scouts, Public Seals, and Other Public Expressions of Religion Protection Act of 2007
http://brownback.senate.gov/english/legissues/veterans/index.cfm
Suicide matters to Michelle Malkin, but not when it involves the troops
When I received a heads up on a new article from Michelle Malkin I may be interested in, I paused before going to the link. What could she possibly say that would interest me? My gut instinct was right and should have just avoided it. I ended up very angry.
How is it that the "right" always seem to be so outraged when women have abortions but never, ever contemplate the suicides of our veterans. They never seem to be willing to acknowledge one single needles death when it comes to them.
This is just one more case of them not being willing to really stand up for the troops and our veterans. They could join in the effort to have all our veterans treated for PTSD and cared for in the manner this nation should finally be willing to do, but they don't. Yet Malkin managed to add in the terms AWOL and MIA. These are military terms for Absent Without Leave and Missing in Action. When it comes to our wounded warriors, she couldn't have picked better terms to describe their neglect.
I cannot remember a single time I visited any of their sites and found something worthy of posting. There has been virtually no information they provide that has any value to what should really matter to everyone in this country. Why is that? I keep asking and receive absolutely no explanation at all. Why can't they live up to their claims of being all about supporting the troops when the troops need them? Why can't they cross over the line of wanting to defend Bush when the troops suffer from his neglect? Does anyone have any thoughts on this at all?
We have thousands committing suicide because of PTSD, yet these "pro-life" people want to ignore the living, breathing, suffering so hopeless that they cannot find the strength to go on one more day without relief. All these veterans need is compassion enough to reach out a hand to help them heal, yet the "right" ignore them. Worse, they attack media reports regarding the needless suffering of our men and women in uniform serving this nation. What will it take to get them involved in any of this? What will it take people like O'Reilly and Hannity and Coulter to actually join the fight for the sake of the troops that has absolutely nothing to do with being for or against the occupation of Iraq? The troops will one day leave Iraq but they will not leave Iraq behind them. They will not leave Afghanistan behind them any more than they left Vietnam or the Gulf War behind them or any combat. This will take every ounce of dedication and courage the people of this nation can find to fight for them.
PTSD has nothing to do with a political affiliation, believing in the mission or not, being from a "blue state" or a "red state" or any type of religious institution. It has to do with being a human exposed to traumatic events. Combat is the form that cuts the deepest, but police and firefighters, emergency responders, crime victims, survivors of natures fury, all experience PTSD. What will it take for these people to actually start acting like members of the human family?
How is it that the "right" always seem to be so outraged when women have abortions but never, ever contemplate the suicides of our veterans. They never seem to be willing to acknowledge one single needles death when it comes to them.
This is just one more case of them not being willing to really stand up for the troops and our veterans. They could join in the effort to have all our veterans treated for PTSD and cared for in the manner this nation should finally be willing to do, but they don't. Yet Malkin managed to add in the terms AWOL and MIA. These are military terms for Absent Without Leave and Missing in Action. When it comes to our wounded warriors, she couldn't have picked better terms to describe their neglect.
I cannot remember a single time I visited any of their sites and found something worthy of posting. There has been virtually no information they provide that has any value to what should really matter to everyone in this country. Why is that? I keep asking and receive absolutely no explanation at all. Why can't they live up to their claims of being all about supporting the troops when the troops need them? Why can't they cross over the line of wanting to defend Bush when the troops suffer from his neglect? Does anyone have any thoughts on this at all?
February 27, 2008
The Suicide of Emma Beck and Silence No More
By Michelle Malkin
She didn't have to die. And neither did her unborn children. Over the weekend, London newspapers reported on the 2007 suicide of 30-year-old Emma Beck, a young British artist who hung herself after the abortion of her twin babies. Perhaps the retelling of her suffering can prevent more needless deaths.
The agony and loneliness in Emma Beck's suicide note resonate across the pond, across racial and class lines, across generations. She was distraught over a breakup with her boyfriend, who didn't want the children. She was suffering intense grief from her decision to end the lives inside her. And so she ended her own.
"I should never have had an abortion. I see now I would have been a good mum," Beck wrote. "I told everyone I didn't want to do it, even at the hospital. I was frightened, now it is too late. I died when my babies died. I want to be with my babies -- they need me, no one else does."But it's not just jaded abortion providers and medical assistants, AWOL counselors and MIA parents who need to look in the mirror.
go here for the rest
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/02/the_suicide_of_emma_beck_and_s.html
We have thousands committing suicide because of PTSD, yet these "pro-life" people want to ignore the living, breathing, suffering so hopeless that they cannot find the strength to go on one more day without relief. All these veterans need is compassion enough to reach out a hand to help them heal, yet the "right" ignore them. Worse, they attack media reports regarding the needless suffering of our men and women in uniform serving this nation. What will it take to get them involved in any of this? What will it take people like O'Reilly and Hannity and Coulter to actually join the fight for the sake of the troops that has absolutely nothing to do with being for or against the occupation of Iraq? The troops will one day leave Iraq but they will not leave Iraq behind them. They will not leave Afghanistan behind them any more than they left Vietnam or the Gulf War behind them or any combat. This will take every ounce of dedication and courage the people of this nation can find to fight for them.
PTSD has nothing to do with a political affiliation, believing in the mission or not, being from a "blue state" or a "red state" or any type of religious institution. It has to do with being a human exposed to traumatic events. Combat is the form that cuts the deepest, but police and firefighters, emergency responders, crime victims, survivors of natures fury, all experience PTSD. What will it take for these people to actually start acting like members of the human family?
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Too few seek help with PTSD in Coos Bay Oregon
This is not a good sign. PTSD rates are off the charts and seeing too few seeking help is not a good sign at all.
Local PTSD cases disturbingly low
By Tim Novotny
Video
COOS BAY - The numbers, or rather the lack of numbers, are concerning some mental health professionals on the South Coast. They say they are seeing too few veterans getting help for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. So Dr. Richard Staggenborg, of the Bandon VA Clinic, is trying to do what he can to get the word out by hosting talks like one recently held at Southwestern Oregon Community College.
Talking to veterans and their family members to show them help is available, and if you have PTSD, help is needed because the disorder won't go away on it's own.
His recent talk called "Identifying Signs and Talking to the Returning Service Member" also helped to shed light on the problems faced by all vets with PTSD.
Anyone wanting to find out more about PTSD can contact Staggenborg at 347-4736, or toll-free at 1-800-549-8387.He says he is also hoping to present more talks on the subject in the future.
http://www.kcby.com/news/local/16008597.html
Boston Red Sox Going To Walter Reed For Heroes
"A couple of guys I remember were 19, 20. They couldn't walk out of there — if they had something to walk on — and go to the local bar and have a beer," Mike Timlin said. "And yet, they've gone across the ocean to a strange land and got blown up, because that's what the country needed. And what makes it even more impressive is that to a man, if they could figure out some way to get a prosthetic on or repair what they've done, they'd go right back.
Fans For A Day
Red Sox To Visit Wounded Soldiers At Walter Reed
By JEFF GOLDBERG | Courant Staff Writer
February 26, 2008
FORT MYERS, Fla. - They still remember the horrible wounds. They remember the remarkable courage.
By the time the Red Sox ended their visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington three years ago — celebrating the 2004 World Series title and helping to boost veterans' spirits — it was impossible to tell which group was more in awe.
"Humbling is a very weak word," Curt Schilling said. "It was profound for me. For me, it was, 'Thank you.' You look them in the eye, take their hand and say, 'Thank you. Thank you.' Make sure they understand you truly mean it.
"You always hear hero or superstar, all those words people use for athletes, then you stand in a room of heroes and superstars. They're double-amputees, 19-, 20-year-old kids, and it's just another perspective-giving event in life that you never ever forget."
There will be another such event Wednesday. Like that day in March 2005, the Red Sox will fly to Washington in the late morning, pose with President Bush and the 2007 World Series trophy at the White House around 3 p.m., then head over to Walter Reed.
The visit to the veterans hospital was the most memorable aspect of that day three years ago.
click post title for the rest
Another soldier stages shooting to avoid being re-deployed
Soldier allegedly stages shooting to avoid Iraq
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Feb 26, 2008 17:22:07 EST
APPLE VALLEY, Calif. — A soldier trying to avoid redeployment to Iraq had a friend shoot him in the leg and then claimed he’d been wounded in a holdup, authorities said.
Army Pfc. Matthew John Myers, 20, of Apple Valley, limped into a convenience store about 9:30 p.m. Sunday and reported he had been walking on a golf course when a gunman stole his wallet and military identification and shot him in the right thigh, authorities said.
A helicopter search failed to find a robber, and San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies became suspicious of the story because they could not find a blood trail or any shell casings and Myers could not describe the attacker.
Also, Myers “had stated that he was walking alone when the suspect came up and shot him, then ran away,” sheriff’s Sgt. Todd Newton said. “But when deputies went back to investigate, they found two sets of footprints that had been walking side by side for some time.”
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/ap_soldiershot_022608/
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Feb 26, 2008 17:22:07 EST
APPLE VALLEY, Calif. — A soldier trying to avoid redeployment to Iraq had a friend shoot him in the leg and then claimed he’d been wounded in a holdup, authorities said.
Army Pfc. Matthew John Myers, 20, of Apple Valley, limped into a convenience store about 9:30 p.m. Sunday and reported he had been walking on a golf course when a gunman stole his wallet and military identification and shot him in the right thigh, authorities said.
A helicopter search failed to find a robber, and San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies became suspicious of the story because they could not find a blood trail or any shell casings and Myers could not describe the attacker.
Also, Myers “had stated that he was walking alone when the suspect came up and shot him, then ran away,” sheriff’s Sgt. Todd Newton said. “But when deputies went back to investigate, they found two sets of footprints that had been walking side by side for some time.”
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/ap_soldiershot_022608/
Army Spc. Kevin Mowl dies after feeding tube breaks
Soldier dies 6 months after being hurt in Iraq
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Feb 26, 2008 12:50:37 EST
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — A western New York soldier wounded six months ago in an explosion in Iraq has died in a military hospital in Maryland.
Army Spc. Kevin Mowl of the Rochester suburb of Pittsford was 22 when he died Monday at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda.
Mowl suffered multiple broken bones and a head injury Aug. 2 when a roadside bomb flipped his vehicle in Baghdad. Three others died, and 11 soldiers and an interpreter were injured.
President Bush presented Mowl with a Purple Heart and a Presidential Medallion at the hospital in December.
Mowl recently suffered a serious infection after part of his feeding tube broke and perforated his intestines.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/ap_6monthsafter_022608/
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Feb 26, 2008 12:50:37 EST
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — A western New York soldier wounded six months ago in an explosion in Iraq has died in a military hospital in Maryland.
Army Spc. Kevin Mowl of the Rochester suburb of Pittsford was 22 when he died Monday at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda.
Mowl suffered multiple broken bones and a head injury Aug. 2 when a roadside bomb flipped his vehicle in Baghdad. Three others died, and 11 soldiers and an interpreter were injured.
President Bush presented Mowl with a Purple Heart and a Presidential Medallion at the hospital in December.
Mowl recently suffered a serious infection after part of his feeding tube broke and perforated his intestines.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/ap_6monthsafter_022608/
Marines want probe into armored vehicle program
Marines want probe into armored vehicle program
delays
Story Highlights
Corps asks Pentagon to look into why specially armored vehicles were delayed
Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles arrived in large numbers in 2007
Internal report says earlier delivery could have prevented deaths, wounds
Suicide bomber kills 9 in northern Iraq, military says
From Barbara Starr
CNN
(CNN) -- Casualties could have been reduced by half among Marines in Iraq if specially armored vehicles had been deployed more quickly in some cases, a report to the Pentagon says.
Marine Corps spokesman Col. David Lapan said the Defense Department's inspector general wants to investigate the report's claims that bureaucratic delays undermined the program to develop the armored vehicles.
The program was designed to provide combat forces with Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles, known by the acronym MRAPs.
The Marine Corps requested an investigation last week after receiving Marine technology expert Franz Gayl's report.
"If the mass procurement and fielding of MRAPs had begun in 2005 in response to the known and acknowledged threats at that time, as the USMC is doing today, hundreds of deaths and injuries could have been prevented," Gayl wrote in the report.
go here for the rest
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/26/iraq.main/
How many lost their lives because of this? Got blown up? Ended up with TBI and PTSD?
delays
Story Highlights
Corps asks Pentagon to look into why specially armored vehicles were delayed
Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles arrived in large numbers in 2007
Internal report says earlier delivery could have prevented deaths, wounds
Suicide bomber kills 9 in northern Iraq, military says
From Barbara Starr
CNN
(CNN) -- Casualties could have been reduced by half among Marines in Iraq if specially armored vehicles had been deployed more quickly in some cases, a report to the Pentagon says.
Marine Corps spokesman Col. David Lapan said the Defense Department's inspector general wants to investigate the report's claims that bureaucratic delays undermined the program to develop the armored vehicles.
The program was designed to provide combat forces with Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles, known by the acronym MRAPs.
The Marine Corps requested an investigation last week after receiving Marine technology expert Franz Gayl's report.
"If the mass procurement and fielding of MRAPs had begun in 2005 in response to the known and acknowledged threats at that time, as the USMC is doing today, hundreds of deaths and injuries could have been prevented," Gayl wrote in the report.
go here for the rest
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/26/iraq.main/
How many lost their lives because of this? Got blown up? Ended up with TBI and PTSD?
Get involved when it matters to the wounded for a change
From A Soldier's Perspective
I will never understand comments like that last part posted. If you go there you can read the rest. What I don't understand and will never accept is that none of these people ever seem concerned with the way the veterans are really treated when they come home.
We can argue from coast to coast about Iraq and we can ignore the reality of what is happening to the wounded, but in doing so, it does a disservice to the men and women we spend the rest of the time arguing over.
I make no secret how I feel about Iraq but that is for my other blog. It has no place here. This blog is just for the way they are treated when they are wounded and need this entire nation standing up for their sake. Why doesn't the other side ever understand this?
I get hate mail from the other side. One commenter on this blog told me to take my bleeding heart liberal blah, blah, blah, as if that was supposed to make any sense at all. Since when was it considered wrong to care about the homeless veterans, the disabled veterans and PTSD veterans? Who decided that they should be exclusive rights of the right as if they ever even mention what is happening to the veterans?
Did they go ballistic over the conditions at Walter Reed or against the Washington Post reporting on it?
Did they go ballistic over the reports of suicides that didn't need to happen if the DOD and the VA were fully functional and geared up to deal with the wounded coming back or did they attack the reporters daring to report on this?
When I was working for the church, I hosted the showing of the documentary When I Came Home so that I could put a spotlight on PTSD and how many were ending up homeless, just like the Vietnam Veterans did. Back then, there was an excuse that no one really understood PTSD in the beginning, but now there really isn't an acceptable excuse for any of this to still be going on. Anyway, as the plans were coming together to show the documentary, some people at the church wanted to know why they were letting me show this when it was clearly political. Political? It was about our veterans coming back and being homeless because they were wounded by PTSD and could not support themselves.
How can anyone still say "support the troops" with a straight face when they clearly don't when it matters to them? Do they stop being worthy of support when they get wounded? Do they suddenly become less worthy of our attention when they are not deployed and risking their lives? What is wrong with these people who cannot or will not contact their Congressman or Senator to make sure all the wounded are cared for, the soldiers are paid enough their families don't have to go on food stamps or when they are last on the to do list of the President? Where is the outrage when the VA budget is cut back by Bush or in 2005 when he cut it back then with two active occupations producing more wounded? Where was the outrage when the DOD and the VA had to admit they had less doctors and nurses during these occupations than they did after the Gulf War in peacetime? Any clues? I don't have a single one.
Each time I get a heads up on some of these posts, I read them and wonder what exactly do these people think they are fighting for if they are not fighting for them when it matters to them?
I say "never again" should we allow any wounded veteran to come back to this country after fighting for this country and then have to fight the country to have their wounds taken care of!
Get Involved
February 25th, 2008 by CJ
Ladies and gentlemen, IVAW is working hard to revive the Winter Soldiers from the Vietnam era. The Vietnam Veterans Against War have started a new movement and recruited disaffected and sad excuses for veterans (I say that as a result of the number of "veterans" the organization claims that have been outed as fakes) to relive the glory days of spitting on the image of the honorable Soldier.
Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) has advertised widely that it will hold a public event it has entitled "Winter Soldier Investigation (WSI) - Iraq and Afghanistan" near Washington D.C. next month (Mar. 13-16). The event is self-consciously patterned after the 1971 Winter Soldier Investigation held in Detroit by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War(VVAW). During that event, over one hundred purported Vietnam veterans "testified" to widespread and horrific atrocities committed routinely by American forces in Vietnam. Now, they're trying to do it again. But, what can we do?
If you don't know what's going on your area because you're like most pro-troop people and you have a job, I highly encourage you to join the Gathering of Eagles. The motto of GOE is "Never Again". It's on their flag. It's in their blood. The Vietnam veterans in this country don't want a repeat of how they were treated when they returned. They want to put an end to the whitewash the media has bestowed on troop supporters' activities. You can read about my experience with the first ever Gathering of Eagles here, here, here, and here (preferably in that order).
go here for the rest
http://www.soldiersperspective.us/2008/02/25/get-involved/
I will never understand comments like that last part posted. If you go there you can read the rest. What I don't understand and will never accept is that none of these people ever seem concerned with the way the veterans are really treated when they come home.
We can argue from coast to coast about Iraq and we can ignore the reality of what is happening to the wounded, but in doing so, it does a disservice to the men and women we spend the rest of the time arguing over.
I make no secret how I feel about Iraq but that is for my other blog. It has no place here. This blog is just for the way they are treated when they are wounded and need this entire nation standing up for their sake. Why doesn't the other side ever understand this?
I get hate mail from the other side. One commenter on this blog told me to take my bleeding heart liberal blah, blah, blah, as if that was supposed to make any sense at all. Since when was it considered wrong to care about the homeless veterans, the disabled veterans and PTSD veterans? Who decided that they should be exclusive rights of the right as if they ever even mention what is happening to the veterans?
Did they go ballistic over the conditions at Walter Reed or against the Washington Post reporting on it?
Did they go ballistic over the reports of suicides that didn't need to happen if the DOD and the VA were fully functional and geared up to deal with the wounded coming back or did they attack the reporters daring to report on this?
When I was working for the church, I hosted the showing of the documentary When I Came Home so that I could put a spotlight on PTSD and how many were ending up homeless, just like the Vietnam Veterans did. Back then, there was an excuse that no one really understood PTSD in the beginning, but now there really isn't an acceptable excuse for any of this to still be going on. Anyway, as the plans were coming together to show the documentary, some people at the church wanted to know why they were letting me show this when it was clearly political. Political? It was about our veterans coming back and being homeless because they were wounded by PTSD and could not support themselves.
How can anyone still say "support the troops" with a straight face when they clearly don't when it matters to them? Do they stop being worthy of support when they get wounded? Do they suddenly become less worthy of our attention when they are not deployed and risking their lives? What is wrong with these people who cannot or will not contact their Congressman or Senator to make sure all the wounded are cared for, the soldiers are paid enough their families don't have to go on food stamps or when they are last on the to do list of the President? Where is the outrage when the VA budget is cut back by Bush or in 2005 when he cut it back then with two active occupations producing more wounded? Where was the outrage when the DOD and the VA had to admit they had less doctors and nurses during these occupations than they did after the Gulf War in peacetime? Any clues? I don't have a single one.
Each time I get a heads up on some of these posts, I read them and wonder what exactly do these people think they are fighting for if they are not fighting for them when it matters to them?
I say "never again" should we allow any wounded veteran to come back to this country after fighting for this country and then have to fight the country to have their wounds taken care of!
Veteran Bears Scars of Stateside Agent Orange
NewsChannel 5 Investigates:Veteran Bears Scars of Stateside Agent Orange
Feb 25, 2008 06:29 PM EST
Featured Videos
Veteran Bears Scars of Stateside Agent Orange
Footage showing the military spraying the toxic herbicide to thin out the jungles of Vietnam.
James Cripps, a Vietnam era veteran
Blackheads on Cripps' back contain poisonous residue from Agent Orange.
Dr. Dewey Dunn, an Agent Orange expert
About Agent Orange
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
When it comes to deadly poisons, few are better known. The military's use of Agent Orange is one of the dark chapters of the Vietnam War.
But NewsChannel 5 investigative reporter Ben Hall has found the military used Agent Orange here in the United States -- and one veteran says he has the health problems to prove it.
Agent Orange was a toxic herbicide used by the military to thin out the jungles of Vietnam. Soldiers sprayed millions of gallons, unaware how poisonous it was.
"There was a problem and the evidence is on my back and my chest and 40 years of my life," says James Cripps, a Vietnam era veteran.
He says he was poisoned by Agent Orange, but he never served in Vietnam.
"When I got wounded I didn't know it I had no reason to suspect there would have been no way to have proved it," Cripps says.
Cripps had what seemed like a dream job as game warden at Fort Gordon in Georgia.
"This is me in 1971 when I got out of the Army you can see all the marks on my face," he says, pointing to photos of himself.
Cripps says when he left the military he had already been exposed. He believes he sprayed Agent Orange in the lakes around Fort Gordon to kill weeds.
"I was ordered to spray that herbicide," Cripps says. And pictures show signs warning people about fishing in the lakes Cripps once cared for. "I know what's in those lakes, I put it there," adds Cripps.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates has uncovered defense department documents that prove the military sprayed Agent Orange at Fort Gordon during the time Cripps was there.
Documents detail more than 30 locations in the United States where Agent Orange was tested.
The documents show helicopters sprayed at least 95 gallons of Agent Orange at Fort Gordon in 1967. Cripps says that alone should prove he was exposed.
"A lot of them cause scars sometimes they go so sore he can't wear his shirt," his wife, Sandra Cripps, says.
But he and his wife say his body offers the greatest proof. The blackheads on his back contain the poisonous residue from Agent Orange which causes acne called ‘chloracne.'
"In some persons the skin legions persist," says Dr. Dewey Dunn, an Agent Orange expert.He says chloracne is a tell-tale sign of Agent Orange exposure. "It's just sort of a marker so its on the list and probably at the top of the list."
Dr. Dunn examined James Cripps but could not talk specifically about his case. Medical records show Dr. Dunn diagnosed Cripps with Chloracne and type-two diabetes, another sign of exposure.
Despite all the evidence, the VA will not approve James Cripps disability claim. "I'm being denied my medical care to this very day," says Cripps.
"From what I see it strictly gets down to money," says Donald Stephens, who is with the Disabled American Veterans. He's helped hundreds of veterans prepare their VA medical claims.
Ben Hall asks, "How strong is Mr. Cripps claim?"
"A ten," Stephens answers. "I would give it a ten."
He says there's plenty of help for veterans exposed in Vietnam, but he believes Cripps claim would open the floodgates for veterans exposed in the United States.
Meanwhile, James Cripps is on multiple medications and he's struggling to pay his medical bills. And now the VA is actually garnishing his Social Security checks.
"We have discussed of late, even yesterday, the thought of suicide," he confides.
After years of service, Cripps and his wife feel broken and betrayed.
"I can see why some veterans would give up," Sandra Cripps says. "It's not fair."
To whom it may concern at the VA Now I know how to beat you at your own game. I have discovered the perfect eye witness and he is the young guy in the picture above. He is my best friend and we are going to Washington together for the purpose of presenting my case to the Board of Veterans Appeals. My friend was there in 1968 you know. He knows how the whole thing went down. I can vouch for his honesty because I have known him all of my life, and I know him well. He is indeed the perfect witness as to the Agent Orange exposure. You will not give weight to my own testimony, and you seem to insinuate that my identity is questionable, and that I might have been somewhere else in the particular time frame of the actual toxic exposure! How can you say that? Then again, the VA has never taken my word for anything. I can't wait to see how the BVA in Washington will react to my introduction of this new witness. I suspect that they will just acuse me of trying to cover my own a!!!!???? Thanks for your tolerance, James & James
Jamescripps9@aol.com
PS. I would like to amend my original claim to add PTSD, my stressor is obvious.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Add your story, save a copy, and foward to another veteran and a Congressman or U S Senator, and the President, "George W. Bush" <" href="mailto:president@whitehouse.gov%3E">president@whitehouse.gov>This list is for agent Orange exposure outside Vietnam only, we will see where this goes.
Feb 25, 2008 06:29 PM EST
Featured Videos
Veteran Bears Scars of Stateside Agent Orange
Footage showing the military spraying the toxic herbicide to thin out the jungles of Vietnam.
James Cripps, a Vietnam era veteran
Blackheads on Cripps' back contain poisonous residue from Agent Orange.
Dr. Dewey Dunn, an Agent Orange expert
About Agent Orange
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
When it comes to deadly poisons, few are better known. The military's use of Agent Orange is one of the dark chapters of the Vietnam War.
But NewsChannel 5 investigative reporter Ben Hall has found the military used Agent Orange here in the United States -- and one veteran says he has the health problems to prove it.
Agent Orange was a toxic herbicide used by the military to thin out the jungles of Vietnam. Soldiers sprayed millions of gallons, unaware how poisonous it was.
"There was a problem and the evidence is on my back and my chest and 40 years of my life," says James Cripps, a Vietnam era veteran.
He says he was poisoned by Agent Orange, but he never served in Vietnam.
"When I got wounded I didn't know it I had no reason to suspect there would have been no way to have proved it," Cripps says.
Cripps had what seemed like a dream job as game warden at Fort Gordon in Georgia.
"This is me in 1971 when I got out of the Army you can see all the marks on my face," he says, pointing to photos of himself.
Cripps says when he left the military he had already been exposed. He believes he sprayed Agent Orange in the lakes around Fort Gordon to kill weeds.
"I was ordered to spray that herbicide," Cripps says. And pictures show signs warning people about fishing in the lakes Cripps once cared for. "I know what's in those lakes, I put it there," adds Cripps.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates has uncovered defense department documents that prove the military sprayed Agent Orange at Fort Gordon during the time Cripps was there.
Documents detail more than 30 locations in the United States where Agent Orange was tested.
The documents show helicopters sprayed at least 95 gallons of Agent Orange at Fort Gordon in 1967. Cripps says that alone should prove he was exposed.
"A lot of them cause scars sometimes they go so sore he can't wear his shirt," his wife, Sandra Cripps, says.
But he and his wife say his body offers the greatest proof. The blackheads on his back contain the poisonous residue from Agent Orange which causes acne called ‘chloracne.'
"In some persons the skin legions persist," says Dr. Dewey Dunn, an Agent Orange expert.He says chloracne is a tell-tale sign of Agent Orange exposure. "It's just sort of a marker so its on the list and probably at the top of the list."
Dr. Dunn examined James Cripps but could not talk specifically about his case. Medical records show Dr. Dunn diagnosed Cripps with Chloracne and type-two diabetes, another sign of exposure.
Despite all the evidence, the VA will not approve James Cripps disability claim. "I'm being denied my medical care to this very day," says Cripps.
"From what I see it strictly gets down to money," says Donald Stephens, who is with the Disabled American Veterans. He's helped hundreds of veterans prepare their VA medical claims.
Ben Hall asks, "How strong is Mr. Cripps claim?"
"A ten," Stephens answers. "I would give it a ten."
He says there's plenty of help for veterans exposed in Vietnam, but he believes Cripps claim would open the floodgates for veterans exposed in the United States.
Meanwhile, James Cripps is on multiple medications and he's struggling to pay his medical bills. And now the VA is actually garnishing his Social Security checks.
"We have discussed of late, even yesterday, the thought of suicide," he confides.
After years of service, Cripps and his wife feel broken and betrayed.
"I can see why some veterans would give up," Sandra Cripps says. "It's not fair."
To whom it may concern at the VA Now I know how to beat you at your own game. I have discovered the perfect eye witness and he is the young guy in the picture above. He is my best friend and we are going to Washington together for the purpose of presenting my case to the Board of Veterans Appeals. My friend was there in 1968 you know. He knows how the whole thing went down. I can vouch for his honesty because I have known him all of my life, and I know him well. He is indeed the perfect witness as to the Agent Orange exposure. You will not give weight to my own testimony, and you seem to insinuate that my identity is questionable, and that I might have been somewhere else in the particular time frame of the actual toxic exposure! How can you say that? Then again, the VA has never taken my word for anything. I can't wait to see how the BVA in Washington will react to my introduction of this new witness. I suspect that they will just acuse me of trying to cover my own a!!!!???? Thanks for your tolerance, James & James
Jamescripps9@aol.com
PS. I would like to amend my original claim to add PTSD, my stressor is obvious.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Add your story, save a copy, and foward to another veteran and a Congressman or U S Senator, and the President, "George W. Bush" <" href="mailto:president@whitehouse.gov%3E">president@whitehouse.gov>This list is for agent Orange exposure outside Vietnam only, we will see where this goes.
This is from a friend of mine who added her name to the list.
GOD BLESS YOU JAMES... TELL MY STORY AND SALLY'S THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND ME I WAS DIAGONISED ON ACTIVE DUTY... IRISH
37 YEARS OF MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR CHEMICAL EXPOSURE ONLY TO BE DEINED MY VA BENEFITS WELCOME HOME IRISH
I AM 100% CNS AT 60% 40 % FOR IU... I HAVE 22 OTHER ILLNESESS CLAIM DATE 11 JUN 1977
MY WRITTEN TESTIMONY BEFORE THE VA DISABILITY COMMISSION ON SEP 14, 2006 IS PUBLISHED IN MY AMERICAN LEGION DECEMBER NEWS LETTER. I HAVE ALSO RECENTLY BEEN CONTACTED BY TWO VETERANS WHO WERE AT FORT MCCLELLAN. THEY BOTH TALK ABOUT THE CHEMICAL SPRAYING BUT ALSO ABOUT A VIET CONG VILLAGE THAT WAS SET UP AT FORT MCCLELLAN. ONE VETERAN ACTUALLY DID THE SPRAYING. BOTH HAVE CANCERS AND WERE DENIED COMPENSATION. THIS IS THE FIRST THAT I HEARD ABOUT THIS BUT THREE OTHER FORT MCCLELLAN VETS CONFIRM THAT A VIET CONG VILLAGE WAS SET UP THERE FOR TRAINING ...
Spc. Richard Hanna Killed in accident gun fire
Friends recall, mourn soldier slain in shooting
By Noah Bierman
Globe Staff / February 25, 2008
Richard Gee Hanna enlisted in the Army to rebuild his life, after a tough upbringing in Leicester. After two years in Iraq, he returned to the United States last month, ready to complete his military career and move to Hawaii to start a life with his new wife and her 2-year-old daughter.
Instead, the 24-year-old Army specialist was shot to death earlier this month, in what friends in Massachusetts said may have been an accident during a party at a residence in Killeen, Texas, near the Fort Hood military post.
His death came just days before he was scheduled to return to Massachusetts and reconnect with close friends. He was planning to introduce them to his wife of about a year, and serve as best man in the wedding of a friend, Jason Avanecean, in Putnam, Conn.
"The kid was everything to me," said Avanecean, who has postponed his wedding.
Killeen police, Fort Hood public information officers, and the Bell County district attorney said the matter is under investigation, but declined to release more than spare details.
"All parties involved in the death have been identified," police said in a written statement earlier this month. No charges have been filed.
click post title for the rest
By Noah Bierman
Globe Staff / February 25, 2008
Richard Gee Hanna enlisted in the Army to rebuild his life, after a tough upbringing in Leicester. After two years in Iraq, he returned to the United States last month, ready to complete his military career and move to Hawaii to start a life with his new wife and her 2-year-old daughter.
Instead, the 24-year-old Army specialist was shot to death earlier this month, in what friends in Massachusetts said may have been an accident during a party at a residence in Killeen, Texas, near the Fort Hood military post.
His death came just days before he was scheduled to return to Massachusetts and reconnect with close friends. He was planning to introduce them to his wife of about a year, and serve as best man in the wedding of a friend, Jason Avanecean, in Putnam, Conn.
"The kid was everything to me," said Avanecean, who has postponed his wedding.
Killeen police, Fort Hood public information officers, and the Bell County district attorney said the matter is under investigation, but declined to release more than spare details.
"All parties involved in the death have been identified," police said in a written statement earlier this month. No charges have been filed.
click post title for the rest
Another Non-combat death in Iraq
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Keisha M. Morgan, 25, of Washington, D.C., died Feb. 22 in Baghdad, Iraq, of a non-combat related cause. She was assigned to the Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
The circumstances are under investigation.
Fort Hood soldier dies in Iraq
Posted on: Tuesday, February 26, 2008, 3:01 AM
From staff reports
The Defense Department announced Monday the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Keisha M. Morgan, 25, of Washington, D.C., died Friday in Baghdad, Iraq, of a non-combat related cause. She was assigned to the Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division.
The circumstances are under investigation.
Morgan entered the Army in September 2004. She was assigned to the Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, since May 2007, as a signal support systems specialist.
Morgan deployed to Iraq in November 2007.
Morgan’s awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.
http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=23341
Trinity United Methodist Church Seattle blessing for homeless
Homeless arrive here on Friday
By Dean Wong
Monday, February 25, 2008
Twenty new residents will be moving into Ballard on Feb. 29 and they won't be owners of the numerous condominiums overwhelming the area.
Trinity United Methodist Church will be a permanent host for a SHARE/WHEEL (Seattle Housing and Resource Effort/Women's Housing Equality and Enhancement League) shelter. The group's Veteran's Hall facility is closing and moving its operation to Trinity.
"We are getting a SHARE shelter that is up and running. We are getting an intact group (of residents)," said Trinity United Methodist Church pastor Rich Lang.
The residents will be a mix of men and women. Some are couples. They will sleep in the church gymnasium on mats.
Lang said the church's vision is to eventually provide storage units for their belongings. A shower room is now being remodeled.
Trinity may provide a breakfast at some point in the future. Currently the church only has a Saturday lunch program for the homeless. Lang said neighbors around the church have seen the soup kitchen in operation for a year without incident.
Lang has met with the residents who will be coming to Ballard. "Many have jobs or are looking for work. They are highly functional people," said Lang.
He said the people he has met are working hard to get off the streets and are a stable group. Residents will have access to the church gymnasium from 9 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.
go here for the rest
http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/articles/2008/02/25/news/local_news/news04.txt
Looks like this church is taking the message of Christ as a moral value. Bravo!
By Dean Wong
Monday, February 25, 2008
Twenty new residents will be moving into Ballard on Feb. 29 and they won't be owners of the numerous condominiums overwhelming the area.
Trinity United Methodist Church will be a permanent host for a SHARE/WHEEL (Seattle Housing and Resource Effort/Women's Housing Equality and Enhancement League) shelter. The group's Veteran's Hall facility is closing and moving its operation to Trinity.
"We are getting a SHARE shelter that is up and running. We are getting an intact group (of residents)," said Trinity United Methodist Church pastor Rich Lang.
The residents will be a mix of men and women. Some are couples. They will sleep in the church gymnasium on mats.
Lang said the church's vision is to eventually provide storage units for their belongings. A shower room is now being remodeled.
Trinity may provide a breakfast at some point in the future. Currently the church only has a Saturday lunch program for the homeless. Lang said neighbors around the church have seen the soup kitchen in operation for a year without incident.
Lang has met with the residents who will be coming to Ballard. "Many have jobs or are looking for work. They are highly functional people," said Lang.
He said the people he has met are working hard to get off the streets and are a stable group. Residents will have access to the church gymnasium from 9 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.
go here for the rest
http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/articles/2008/02/25/news/local_news/news04.txt
Looks like this church is taking the message of Christ as a moral value. Bravo!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Second Cherokee warrant issued for missing soldier Gary Chronister
Because I've been looking so much for reports on Eric Hill, the missing Marine, another missing soldier came into my mind. There were reports in November and December about Gary Chronister missing as well. I wanted to see if there were any updates. I was surprised with what came up in the search.
Is this why the stories about him have dried up? Are people still looking for him?
Second Cherokee warrant issued for missing soldier
By Erika Neldner
erikaneldner@ledgernews.com
A second arrest warrant has been issued in Cherokee County for a war veteran who has been missing from Macon since November.
Gary Chronister (Right), 33, is accused of molesting two children last year, police say.
The newest accusation was filed with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office in late January, said Sgt. Jay Baker, sheriff’s office spokesman.
Chronister knew his alleged victim, however, police would not say how old the child is or what relationship he or she had with Chronister.
Police said the allegations are similar to the first complaint filed against the missing war veteran.
In mid-January, the sheriff’s office issued the first arrest warrant on child molestation charges for Chronister.
The victim’s parents filed a police report in September, which said their daughter claimed that Chronister touched her inappropriately at locations in Cobb and Cherokee counties.
Chronister’s mother reported him missing on Nov. 10. He reportedly has a mental illness that causes memory loss and disorientation, according to recent news reports.
Chronister served in the United States Army in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs about 250 pounds. Anyone with any information about his whereabouts should call 911.
http://www.ledgernews.com/weeklynews.html
Is this why the stories about him have dried up? Are people still looking for him?
Army Vet Goes Missing, May Be in Cobb
Web Editor: Josh Roseman
Last Modified: 12/29/2007 10:41:48 AM
An army veteran from Bibb County who has been missing since November 10 may have been seen in Cobb County. His mother is organizing a search in the area.
Gary Chronister, 33, served two tours of duty, both in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was taking medication to help with disorientation and memory loss, but it was believed that he stopped taking it after his disappearance.
Chronister is 6-feet-1-inch tall, weighs 250 pounds, wears glasses, and may have a beard.
Chronister's mother, Sheryl Futrell, said her son left his Bibb County apartment on or around November 10, and has not been seen since. His vehicle was later found on November 19 at an Acworth gas station. He may have been seen this week on Stilesboro Road, near the Stilesboro Biscuits Restaurant, between 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Ms. Futrell and other volunteers organized a search for Chronister on December 22, but were unable to find him. Now Futrell and David Litts, a search organizer, have put together a second search for Chronister. The search will begin on Saturday December 29 at 10 a.m., and searchers will gather first at the Kroger shopping center at the corner of Cobb Parkway and Acworth Due West Road.
Any information regarding Chronister's whereabouts should be directed to local police by calling 911. You can also call Sheryl Brim Futrell at (478) 747-9488.
http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=108718
Bush wanted cuts in VA, Akaka wants more money
Sen. committee asks for changes in VA budget
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Feb 25, 2008 19:44:01 EST
A key Senate committee is asking for a $2.6 billion increase in veterans’ spending over the Bush administration’s budget out of concern the needs of combat veterans are not being met.
The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, chaired by Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, D-Hawaii, is asking for a fiscal 2009 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs that is $6.6 billion over the fiscal 2008 budget, with $4.6 billion of the additional money going for medical care operations.
Akaka said Congress “has an obligation to our troops returning from combat now” that cannot be met without more money. “Taking care of veterans is a cost of war and our recommendation would fill significant gaps in the president’s request,” Akaka said.
The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee is working on a similar budget proposal that it is expected to unveil Thursday.
Akaka’s committee said in a Feb. 22 letter to the Senate Budget Committee that it rejects cuts proposed by the Bush administration in construction, medical research and auditing. The letter also said the committee opposes an initiative to raise prescription drug fees and to impose enrollment fees for some moderate-income veterans enrolled in the VA health plan who do not have service-connected disabilities.
“These proposals are unacceptable,” Akaka said.
go here for the rest
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/02/military_vabudget_022508/
If Bush thinks cutting back on VA funding is supporting the troops, he is crazy! What kind of a man would do such a terrible thing with so many wounded and many, many more to come?
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Feb 25, 2008 19:44:01 EST
A key Senate committee is asking for a $2.6 billion increase in veterans’ spending over the Bush administration’s budget out of concern the needs of combat veterans are not being met.
The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, chaired by Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, D-Hawaii, is asking for a fiscal 2009 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs that is $6.6 billion over the fiscal 2008 budget, with $4.6 billion of the additional money going for medical care operations.
Akaka said Congress “has an obligation to our troops returning from combat now” that cannot be met without more money. “Taking care of veterans is a cost of war and our recommendation would fill significant gaps in the president’s request,” Akaka said.
The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee is working on a similar budget proposal that it is expected to unveil Thursday.
Akaka’s committee said in a Feb. 22 letter to the Senate Budget Committee that it rejects cuts proposed by the Bush administration in construction, medical research and auditing. The letter also said the committee opposes an initiative to raise prescription drug fees and to impose enrollment fees for some moderate-income veterans enrolled in the VA health plan who do not have service-connected disabilities.
“These proposals are unacceptable,” Akaka said.
go here for the rest
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/02/military_vabudget_022508/
If Bush thinks cutting back on VA funding is supporting the troops, he is crazy! What kind of a man would do such a terrible thing with so many wounded and many, many more to come?
TBI Struggle for Words Frustrates Woodruff
Woodruff interviews U.S. soldiers in Iraq on Jan. 29, 2006, just moments before a roadside bomb went off, ripping into his skull. His head was unprotected, and the explosion almost killed him. Doug Vogt, an ABC cameraman, was also seriously wounded in the blast.
Struggle for Words Frustrates Woodruff
By Christine Dugas,USA Today
Posted: 2008-02-25 15:56:25
Filed Under: Health News
(Feb. 25) -- One year after Bob Woodruff spoke about his brain concussion on an ABC documentary, he is busy flying around the world on assignments and continuing to draw attention to the signature injury of the war in Iraq: traumatic brain injury.
His recovery seems miraculous, considering how the shrapnel from a roadside bomb had ripped into his skull on Jan. 29, 2006. Woodruff, 46, is back at work at ABC news, although he does not have his previous job as a news anchor — at least not yet.
"I don't know if I could do that," he says. "I think it's possible. But one thing that I know for sure is that I'm going to remain as a journalist because I have always loved journalism."
Woodruff now works with a team to produce more in-depth assignments. He can better cope with longer projects because his traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused a language disorder that makes it hard for him to come up with words. And for a journalist, nothing could be more frustrating.
Woodruff continues to improve and often speaks with ease and confidence. But he still occasionally runs into a roadblock in his brain.
In a recent interview at his office, Woodruff described how reading and writing have helped his brain improve. After he got out of the hospital he was not willing to just sit at home, he said, "watching sports on TV all day long with a — what do you call the thing that controls the TV?" He couldn't come up with the term remote control.
Woodruff has a disorder called aphasia. It happens when a stroke or TBI affects the language side of the brain, usually the left side. The National Aphasia Association estimates that 1 million people in the USA have it.
click post title for the rest
Disney Pixie dust deployed to Walter Reed Hospital
Trying Some Disney Attitude to Help Cure Walter ReedBy Steve Vogel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 25, 2008; Page B01
Fifty medical workers -- doctors, nurses, therapists and administrators among them -- sat in a room at Walter Reed Army Medical Center gazing at a slide of Donald Duck on a screen.
The oft-cranky Disney cartoon character, wearing his blue sailor jacket and cap, was in a palpable rage. His webbed feet had lifted off the ground, his beak was gaping, and his white-gloved hands were tightly clutching an old-fashioned two-piece telephone.
"We can clearly see he's frustrated," said Kris Lafferty, a trainer for the Disney Institute who was leading workers at the Northwest Washington hospital last week in a four-hour seminar on customer service. "Why do we think he's frustrated?"
A year after a scandal erupted over the long-term treatment of soldiers at the hospital, the Army has turned to Disney for help. "Service, Disney Style" is newly required for all military and other government employees at Walter Reed.
Lafferty and her fellow Disney trainer, Mike Donnelly, handed out little plastic Goofy and Mickey Mouse figurines as they led Wednesday afternoon's discussion with the workers -- some in uniform, some in scrubs, some in civilian clothes.
Various theories were offered for Donald Duck's ire: He was getting the run-around. He could not get a question answered. He was flummoxed by his antique phone.
The lesson: Poor service equals frustration.
At the tables, heads nodded in agreement. It's a familiar story at Walter Reed, where wounded soldiers and their families often confront a numbing bureaucracy.
The Army is paying Disney $800,000 to help revamp attitudes at the hospital.
click post title for the rest
What kind of a stunt is this and how bad could it have been they had to hire Disney to train them on how to treat people?
"It sounds a little odd, but it's true," said Rear Adm. John Mateczun, commander of a joint task force overseeing military medicine in the Washington region.
So why didn't they just ask the people who run Fisher House how to treat the wounded better?
Col. Patricia D. Horoho, commander of the Walter Reed health-care system, said the goal is to change the culture there. "When you enter the hospital, we want it to be the best experience possible," she said. "Disney fits that.
The goal is to change the culture there? Are they serious? Can they have treated wounded veterans that badly they needed this for real?
Up until now I thought the problems at Walter Reed had more to do with being under funded. A lot of the problems came when Walter Reed was on the block to be shut down. As stupid as that was, that was the excuse behind the deplorable conditions there. Now I'm wondering how bad the attitude of the staff was toward the wounded they would need to pay out $800,000 to fix it?
If the DOD really wanted to change attitudes they need to begin with the units these wounded come from first. TBI and PTSD are still regarded as something to be ashamed of. Considering they used a cartoon to try to communicate the seriousness of PTSD while providing absolutely nothing substantial, they really should have hired Disney to provide a better one. If they are serious about changing attitudes then they should seek out the real professionals who have been taking care of the wounded with privately funded places like Fisher House. Needless to remind people that Fisher House wouldn't have to be there if the DOD and the VA had their own acts together to do it right in the first place.
Excuse me if this report makes me furious but considering when I read the title I thought it was about coming out with entertainment for the wounded instead of a training session on how to treat the wounded better. You would have thought they would have already known how to do that.
Justice Department Finds Veterans' Rights Violated in Tennessee
News: Justice Department Finds Veterans' Rights Violated
Posted on February 25, 2008 by editor
Tennessee has failed to care for its veterans and even contributed to some of their deaths
The federal government could be a step closer to suing the state of Tennessee. It all stems from problems at the Tennessee State Veterans Homes.
A NewsChannel 5 investigation first exposed problems at the state-run nursing homes.
And soon after, the U.S. Department of Justice opened its own investigation.
Investigative reporter Jennifer Kraus got a copy of the Justice Department's final report, which was just delivered to Gov. Phil Bredesen. It's filled with examples of how federal inspectors say the state has failed to care for its veterans and even contributed to some of their deaths.
The U.S. Justice Department lays it all out in its 43-page report, and it's not pretty...
go here for the rest
http://www.veteranstoday.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2884
Posted on February 25, 2008 by editor
Tennessee has failed to care for its veterans and even contributed to some of their deaths
The federal government could be a step closer to suing the state of Tennessee. It all stems from problems at the Tennessee State Veterans Homes.
A NewsChannel 5 investigation first exposed problems at the state-run nursing homes.
And soon after, the U.S. Department of Justice opened its own investigation.
Investigative reporter Jennifer Kraus got a copy of the Justice Department's final report, which was just delivered to Gov. Phil Bredesen. It's filled with examples of how federal inspectors say the state has failed to care for its veterans and even contributed to some of their deaths.
The U.S. Justice Department lays it all out in its 43-page report, and it's not pretty...
go here for the rest
http://www.veteranstoday.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2884
150 Fort Bliss Warrior Transition Wounded to join 4,000 in parade
Parade marks return of Fort Bliss units from Iraq
By Chris Roberts / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 02/25/2008 12:00:00 AM MST
When Mayor John Cook returned from the Vietnam War in early 1970, one of the protesters who greeted his bus pelted him with an egg.
"I just wanted to do a better job," Cook said, explaining why he decided to welcome Fort Bliss soldiers home from overseas with a parade. "The entire El Paso community has really stepped up to the plate and people have said that the (4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division) is symbolic of all the soldiers that have served."
On Wednesday, when thousands of 4-1 Cavalry soldiers march through El Paso's streets during the Welcome Home Heroes Parade, they will be accompanied by 31 riderless horses -- empty boots backward in the stirrups -- representing cavalry soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq. The horses are being provided by the El Paso County Sheriff's Posse, Cook said.
Also being honored are the air defenders of the 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery, 11th ADA Brigade, who also returned recently from the Middle East.
Most of the cavalry brigade was operating in Iraq's northwestern Nineveh Province. However, some of the soldiers also served in Baghdad. They left in late 2006 and, after 14 months, the last soldiers returned the day before Christmas. Some 150 wounded soldiers in the Fort Bliss Warrior Transition Unit also will participate in the parade.
The 3-43 ADA soldiers recently completed the longest tour of duty for a Patriot missile unit in the Army's history. Some of the air defenders spent 17 months in the Middle
East, including the countries of Kuwait and Qatar. The 3-43 ADA soldiers suffered no loss of life or serious injuries.
Details of the 3-43 ADA's mission have not been available due to the sensitivity of that information, but Patriot batteries generally protect ground assets that include troop concentrations, headquarters, motor pools and ammunition depots. Their deployment was moved up to coincide with President Bush's surge of troops into Baghdad.
About 4,000 soldiers will participate in the parade.
Col. Stephen M. Twitty, 4-1 Cavalry commander and Command Sgt. Maj. Stephan Frennier will lead the cavalry soldiers.
go here for the rest
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_8354981
By Chris Roberts / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 02/25/2008 12:00:00 AM MST
When Mayor John Cook returned from the Vietnam War in early 1970, one of the protesters who greeted his bus pelted him with an egg.
"I just wanted to do a better job," Cook said, explaining why he decided to welcome Fort Bliss soldiers home from overseas with a parade. "The entire El Paso community has really stepped up to the plate and people have said that the (4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division) is symbolic of all the soldiers that have served."
On Wednesday, when thousands of 4-1 Cavalry soldiers march through El Paso's streets during the Welcome Home Heroes Parade, they will be accompanied by 31 riderless horses -- empty boots backward in the stirrups -- representing cavalry soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq. The horses are being provided by the El Paso County Sheriff's Posse, Cook said.
Also being honored are the air defenders of the 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery, 11th ADA Brigade, who also returned recently from the Middle East.
Most of the cavalry brigade was operating in Iraq's northwestern Nineveh Province. However, some of the soldiers also served in Baghdad. They left in late 2006 and, after 14 months, the last soldiers returned the day before Christmas. Some 150 wounded soldiers in the Fort Bliss Warrior Transition Unit also will participate in the parade.
The 3-43 ADA soldiers recently completed the longest tour of duty for a Patriot missile unit in the Army's history. Some of the air defenders spent 17 months in the Middle
East, including the countries of Kuwait and Qatar. The 3-43 ADA soldiers suffered no loss of life or serious injuries.
Details of the 3-43 ADA's mission have not been available due to the sensitivity of that information, but Patriot batteries generally protect ground assets that include troop concentrations, headquarters, motor pools and ammunition depots. Their deployment was moved up to coincide with President Bush's surge of troops into Baghdad.
About 4,000 soldiers will participate in the parade.
Col. Stephen M. Twitty, 4-1 Cavalry commander and Command Sgt. Maj. Stephan Frennier will lead the cavalry soldiers.
go here for the rest
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_8354981
Thousands of veterans lose health benefits because of paperwork errors
Thousands of veterans lose health benefits because of paperwork errors
Correcting mistakes in discharge documents can be a bureaucratic nightmare
By Lou Michel NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Christopher M. Simmance helped keep the peace as an American soldier in the Middle East, but when he returned home and later suffered a breakdown, he was turned away from the VA hospital because the government didn’t acknowledge his overseas duty.
Dana Cushing as a Marine served two tours of duty in Iraq and a third in east Africa, but when she returned home, she found herself labeled a “conscientious objector” and also was denied medical care by the government.
Simmance is one local veteran among roughly 2,000 across the country trying to get corrected incomplete or inadequate discharge papers. Cushing only recently got hers corrected after trying for a year. The result is that many now face a bureaucratic nightmare that prevents them from getting the health benefits they are entitled to receive.
The Army alone has a backlog of 1,890 veterans seeking corrections on their discharge papers, and some have been waiting for three years, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Many other veterans probably have faulty discharge papers but don’t know it because they have not sought benefits.
Efforts are being made to speed up the corrections on faulty discharge papers, Army officials said.
But it can’t come quick enough for Simmance, the City of Tonawanda Army veteran who ended up broke and homeless late last year after he suffered service-related psychological problems and was unable to get help because of his faulty discharge paper.
go here for the rest
http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfFEB08/nf022508-3.htm
Sadly it's still happening. During Vietnam, they had the excuse of typed errors. My husband came home in 1971 with a Bronze Star Award. It had an error in his social security number. There were several documents he was given with the wrong number typed in. Most of the time they were not important documents but other times they were very important. Because his MOS had him listed as a clerk, his claim depended on the Bronze Star Award. With the wrong number on it and showing up as standing out on his DD214, it came into being questioned. While we were fighting the VA to have his claim approved, we lost our tax refunds and he felt as if he had a knife in his back because the VA doctor told him he needed the VA to treat him at the same time they were making him pay for it. Our private health insurance company would no longer cover mental health with private doctors because the VA doctor linked it to Vietnam. Once the award and orders were corrected, his claim was approved soon after.
The problem is that between the time he received it and the time they fixed it, he went through hell. I lost count how many people reminded us that once his claim was approved, we would get back the money they received along with retroactive pay, but they didn't tell us how to pay our bills while all of this was going on. This is also one of the biggest reasons I try to support the homeless veterans shelters as much as possible. He almost ended up homeless and I almost ended up living back home with my Mom with our daughter. Yes, it got that bad. We managed to make three forbearance agreements with the mortgage company in the six years we fought them. That saved our house from foreclosure.
If you have someone in the military right now, make sure they have all their paper work and keep it in a safe place. Make sure all the forms have the right social security number on it and if it doesn't make sure they fix it and hand back a corrected form. With computers, it shouldn't be that hard to do. Make sure they hang onto every document they are given and toss nothing out. You cannot trust that the DOD will keep every record and have them all right. There is human error. Don't go through what Vietnam veterans did. You cannot assume it will all work out fine.
DoD: Hot line calls rise 40 percent every year
DoD: Hot line calls rise 40 percent every year
By Gregg Zoroya - USA Today
Posted : Monday Feb 25, 2008 15:13:19 EST
Rows of hot line operators with muted voices mask the desperation of incoming calls on a recent afternoon: a soldier back from Iraq with a drinking problem and a broken marriage; an Army recruiter in the throes of depression; a Marine in Iraq eager to reach his wife after the birth of his son.
This warren of cubicles in a suburban Philadelphia office building — with two other call centers in Arlington, Va., and St. Petersburg, Fla. — are the Pentagon’s front line for fighting the strain of war.
A few years ago, Military OneSource consultants found a temporary home for a 15-foot pet boa constrictor while its owner, an Army National Guard soldier, went to Iraq. In 2005, U.S. military doctors at a combat hospital in Iraq used the hot line to find a translator who could help treat, by telephone conference call, a wounded Nepalese soldier.
But the calls that send consultants to the “serenity room” here to chill out, or to take a walk around the building, are pleas for help from war-weary troops or their relatives.
“There’s a lot of stress [for] a lot of service members who are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Amy DiMalanta, 34, who answers calls. “They’re having a lot of issues they’re facing at home like reintegration [with their family] or just the stress of, ‘Am I going to go back [to war]?’” she said. “A lot of them emphasize that they have a hard time sleeping ... having nightmares or they’re thinking that, ‘Oh, I’m still in Iraq,’ or ‘I’m thinking I’m going to hear a bomb go off.’”
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/gns_250208_hotline/
By Gregg Zoroya - USA Today
Posted : Monday Feb 25, 2008 15:13:19 EST
Rows of hot line operators with muted voices mask the desperation of incoming calls on a recent afternoon: a soldier back from Iraq with a drinking problem and a broken marriage; an Army recruiter in the throes of depression; a Marine in Iraq eager to reach his wife after the birth of his son.
This warren of cubicles in a suburban Philadelphia office building — with two other call centers in Arlington, Va., and St. Petersburg, Fla. — are the Pentagon’s front line for fighting the strain of war.
A few years ago, Military OneSource consultants found a temporary home for a 15-foot pet boa constrictor while its owner, an Army National Guard soldier, went to Iraq. In 2005, U.S. military doctors at a combat hospital in Iraq used the hot line to find a translator who could help treat, by telephone conference call, a wounded Nepalese soldier.
But the calls that send consultants to the “serenity room” here to chill out, or to take a walk around the building, are pleas for help from war-weary troops or their relatives.
“There’s a lot of stress [for] a lot of service members who are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Amy DiMalanta, 34, who answers calls. “They’re having a lot of issues they’re facing at home like reintegration [with their family] or just the stress of, ‘Am I going to go back [to war]?’” she said. “A lot of them emphasize that they have a hard time sleeping ... having nightmares or they’re thinking that, ‘Oh, I’m still in Iraq,’ or ‘I’m thinking I’m going to hear a bomb go off.’”
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/gns_250208_hotline/
Buried under backlogs
Buried under backlogs
By GREGG CARLSTROM
February 25, 2008
More than 400,000 veterans are awaiting decisions on disability claims they filed with the Veterans Affairs Department, and roughly one-quarter of those have waited more than half a year.
Social Security Administration staffs are grappling with more than 600,000 disability claims.
Regional service centers at the Homeland Security Department’s Citizenship and Immigration Services are buried under more than 1 million citizenship applications.
And the Food and Drug Administration is more than a decade from inspecting every foreign pharmaceutical plant it is obliged by law to inspect.
Poor planning by agency leaders and underfunding by Congress created these debilitating backlogs that may take years to resolve, according to federal officials, legislators and watchdog groups.
At the start of the Bush administration in 2001, VA had more than 400,000 pending claims for disability ratings, which determine a service-disabled veteran’s employability and disability benefits. The department made progress reducing that number: By 2003, the backlog was down to around 250,000.
But then the nation went to war.
“VA was kind of cruising right along with a certain volume of claims until the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Then the volume of claims increased,” said Belinda Finn, VA’s assistant inspector general for auditing. “We still had the same processes for handling a lower workload, and the system just hasn’t been able to handle the increase in claims.”
And so the backlog started creeping up. By 2008, VA once again has more than 400,000 pending claims for a disability rating. About 25 percent of those are officially considered backlogged, meaning they have been pending longer than six months.
“The number of claims that we receive each year has been going up pretty steadily,” said Michael Walcoff, VA’s associate deputy undersecretary for field operations. “In 2000, we got 578,000 claims, and last year got 838,000. That’s a pretty significant increase, and certainly some of that can be attributed to the soldiers coming back from [the wars].”
go here for the rest
http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=3387368
It's a great article but he's only half right on the backlog of claims numbers.
By GREGG CARLSTROM
February 25, 2008
More than 400,000 veterans are awaiting decisions on disability claims they filed with the Veterans Affairs Department, and roughly one-quarter of those have waited more than half a year.
Social Security Administration staffs are grappling with more than 600,000 disability claims.
Regional service centers at the Homeland Security Department’s Citizenship and Immigration Services are buried under more than 1 million citizenship applications.
And the Food and Drug Administration is more than a decade from inspecting every foreign pharmaceutical plant it is obliged by law to inspect.
Poor planning by agency leaders and underfunding by Congress created these debilitating backlogs that may take years to resolve, according to federal officials, legislators and watchdog groups.
At the start of the Bush administration in 2001, VA had more than 400,000 pending claims for disability ratings, which determine a service-disabled veteran’s employability and disability benefits. The department made progress reducing that number: By 2003, the backlog was down to around 250,000.
But then the nation went to war.
“VA was kind of cruising right along with a certain volume of claims until the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Then the volume of claims increased,” said Belinda Finn, VA’s assistant inspector general for auditing. “We still had the same processes for handling a lower workload, and the system just hasn’t been able to handle the increase in claims.”
And so the backlog started creeping up. By 2008, VA once again has more than 400,000 pending claims for a disability rating. About 25 percent of those are officially considered backlogged, meaning they have been pending longer than six months.
“The number of claims that we receive each year has been going up pretty steadily,” said Michael Walcoff, VA’s associate deputy undersecretary for field operations. “In 2000, we got 578,000 claims, and last year got 838,000. That’s a pretty significant increase, and certainly some of that can be attributed to the soldiers coming back from [the wars].”
go here for the rest
http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=3387368
It's a great article but he's only half right on the backlog of claims numbers.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
VA claim backlog at 816,211 but IT cut back? WTF
Vets' groups urge IT budget boost for benefits processingBy Bob Brewin bbrewin@govexec.com February 13, 2008 Veterans' services organizations have urged Congress to provide a sharp increase in the information technology budget of the agency that handles their compensation and pension claims.The fiscal 2009 IT budget request for the Veterans Benefits Administration is about 18 percent less than the fiscal 2008 proposal. The overall IT budget for the Veterans Affairs Department, VBA's parent agency, jumped 18 percent in President Bush's latest request.VBA's pending compensation and claims backlog stood at 816,211 as of January 2008, up 188,781 since 2004, said Kerry Baker, associate legislative director of the Disabled Veterans of America, during a Wednesday hearing of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
Franklin PA Countians seek to help veterans
Franklin Countians seek to help veterans
By VICKY TAYLOR Staff writer
Fred Bucci, retired Army, folds the flag with his son Staff Sgt. Michael Bucci at the group of local veterans are looking for a few good men -- and women, businesses and organizations -- to help them start and run an outreach program for area soldiers and their families.
The Franklin County Military Outreach Program will be designed to help military members, their spouse, children and parents.
"It will be the first of its kind in our area," said Fred Bucci, one of the veteran organizers.
The goal is to support military members and their families in any situation they may face, according to Bucci and fellow organizers Gary J. Stopyra and Bobby Rideout.
"Our organization needs to be so diverse that it's infrastructure can handle any situation that arises, whether it is just to answer a simple question, help a returning wounded soldier with their Veterans Association paperwork or provide moral, financial or any other kind of support for any crisis our military families face," Bucci said.
Bucci knows how difficult it can be for family members when a soldier is wounded or he and his family face personal crisis.
In 2003, the Bucci's son, Michael, was evacuated to Walter Reed Army Medical Center because of a blood-borne disease he contracted during his initial tour in Iraq. In 2006, Michael lost a son who lived only two weeks following a complicated birth.
"At no point was there anyone from the Army to assist us through these most trying times," Bucci said. "I want to make sure that never happens to another of our military families."
go here for the rest
http://www.publicopiniononline.com/localnews/ci_8355069
This needs to happen all over the country. We have a nation filled with advocates just waiting for someone to ask us to help. Put the word out and we'll be there.
By VICKY TAYLOR Staff writer
Fred Bucci, retired Army, folds the flag with his son Staff Sgt. Michael Bucci at the group of local veterans are looking for a few good men -- and women, businesses and organizations -- to help them start and run an outreach program for area soldiers and their families.
The Franklin County Military Outreach Program will be designed to help military members, their spouse, children and parents.
"It will be the first of its kind in our area," said Fred Bucci, one of the veteran organizers.
The goal is to support military members and their families in any situation they may face, according to Bucci and fellow organizers Gary J. Stopyra and Bobby Rideout.
"Our organization needs to be so diverse that it's infrastructure can handle any situation that arises, whether it is just to answer a simple question, help a returning wounded soldier with their Veterans Association paperwork or provide moral, financial or any other kind of support for any crisis our military families face," Bucci said.
Bucci knows how difficult it can be for family members when a soldier is wounded or he and his family face personal crisis.
In 2003, the Bucci's son, Michael, was evacuated to Walter Reed Army Medical Center because of a blood-borne disease he contracted during his initial tour in Iraq. In 2006, Michael lost a son who lived only two weeks following a complicated birth.
"At no point was there anyone from the Army to assist us through these most trying times," Bucci said. "I want to make sure that never happens to another of our military families."
go here for the rest
http://www.publicopiniononline.com/localnews/ci_8355069
This needs to happen all over the country. We have a nation filled with advocates just waiting for someone to ask us to help. Put the word out and we'll be there.
PTSD DVD sets available again soon
I received several donations and thank you for them. I just purchased a DVD drive that is supposed to be able to keep up with the load. The donations were not enough to cover a new PC. I will still need all the donations I can get to be able to keep sending the DVD's out, that is if I can get the drive to work right. Remember I'm no Bill Gates.
I was promised donations when requests came in for the DVD's but some people never sent in the donation. If you want one, I will send them out for free still but if you promise to make a donation, please make sure you do. I'm out of work now so I don't have extra money to cover the cost of doing them. Email me for a DVD at Namguardianangel@aol.com and if you can make a donation, use the PayPal button on the side bar. Even $10.00 helps a lot more than you think it does.
The DVD will now have Hero After War and you can pick one other video to go onto the DVD. If you don't request another video, then the Wounded Minds video will be included. These are the two top requested videos I've done.
Please also consider making a donation for the hours I spend doing this work. I do about 12 hours a day and seven days a week, except for play day on Friday with my husband, when I get mental health time away and act like a kid again. At least he knows he can get me away from the PC for 5 hours or so before I disappear back into the office.
If you want to write to me by snail mail send it here.
Nam Guardian Angel
5703 Red Bug Lake Road #154
Winter Springs, FL 32708-4969
Make sure the box number is there or the UPS store will send it back to you.
Thanks again and say a prayer I can figure out the new DVD drive.
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
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