Against the Odds, Injured Soldier Returning to Duty

Joseph Shapiro/NPR
Army Spc. Freddy Meyers wants to return to active duty after sustaining a head injury from sniper fire in active combat.

Iraq
Against the Odds, Injured Soldier Returning to Duty
by Joseph Shapiro
Listen Now [5 min 22 sec] add to playlist

All Things Considered, June 24, 2008 · Army Spc. Freddy Meyers wants to return to active duty. The 21-year-old has been living in the outpatient barracks at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., since this May. And he's about to go to a meeting that will determine his future in the Army.
Generally, it isn't even remotely possible for someone who suffered a penetrating head injury to stay on active duty. Last year, while on patrol in Iraq, Freddy Meyers was shot in the head.
He pulls out the PDA he keeps in a pocket on the pant leg of his uniform. Meyers still has problems with his short-term memory. To compensate, he has had to learn to be very organized and write down the things he needs to remember — like questions for the doctor. He reads them from his Palm Pilot: "I'm going to ask him about my physical limitations, protective profile, my jump status, my deployability, what the effect of multiple concussions will be, Ranger school, duty restrictions, Zyrtec and my Red Cross volunteer letter."
click above for more

also on wounded going back


Q and A: Returning to Combat

In June 2003, Army Maj. David Rozelle was leading a convoy west of Baghdad when his vehicle hit a land mine. His right foot had to be amputated. Two years later, with a prosthetic foot, he returned to Iraq as a cavalry troop commander — the first amputee in this war to return to combat.

Henderson, Kentucky Plant shooter kills 5 co-workers, then self

Police: Plant shooter kills 5 co-workers, then self
Story Highlights
NEW: Two people die at scene, four pass away at nearby hospitals, police say

Police say worker "had words" with supervisor before leaving on a break

It's unclear whether the supervisor was among those killed, police say

About 35 people were working overnight shift at plastic plant in Henderson, Kentucky

(CNN) -- A worker at a plastics plant in Henderson, Kentucky, allegedly shot and killed five co-workers, then himself, after an argument with a supervisor Wednesday, police said.

The worker "had words with a supervisor" before going on a half-hour break Tuesday night, Henderson police Sgt. John Nevels said.

"He came back," Nevels said. "Witnesses saw the supervisor and the shooter walk outside together. They heard a gunshot and the shooter come back inside the plant, and he shot numerous people."

Two people died at the scene and four others died at hospitals in Henderson and nearby Evansville, Indiana, said Janet Campbell of the Henderson Police Department.

Another victim is hospitalized and is expected to survive, she said.

It is unclear if the supervisor was among those killed.
Watch authorities respond to the scene »

About 35 people were inside the Atlantis Molded Plastics Inc. plant working the overnight shift when the shooting happened, Nevels said.

Investigators were interviewing witnesses to determine the motive of the shooting and the identity of the victims, another police officer said.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/25/plant.shooting/index.html

Enterprise Rent-A-Car refused to help find hit and run killer of Marine

Troopers seize car suspected in Marine's death
By Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writer
In print: Wednesday, June 25, 2008



PORT RICHEY — The Florida Highway Patrol trooper at the door was looking for a car that killed a motorcyclist on U.S. 19.

The first clue the trooper might be at the right place: Two small children came up and asked him, are you here to see the car that hit the motorcycle?

That's what happened on Saturday, according to an FHP search warrant, before troopers got a court order to seize the vehicle they think was involved in the June 18 hit-and-run crash that killed Nicholas Burns Jr.

The 22-year-old Marine reservist and Citrus County resident was set to deploy to Iraq in December. His funeral was on Tuesday.

After last week's crash, the FHP asked for help in finding the vehicle, described as a gray sedan with a spoiler on the back.
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Orlando mayor defends regulations for feeding the homeless

Orlando mayor defends regulations for feeding the homeless
Mark Schlueb Sentinel Staff Writer
June 25, 2008
A confident Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer took the stand in federal court Tuesday, defending the city's regulations on feeding the homeless in public parks.

It was the final day of a trial that pitted the rights of the homeless against the city's responsibility to protect its parks and citizens.The homeless advocates who are suing the city over the 2006 rules are the ones who called Dyer to testify. But that decision may have hurt their case.

Attorneys for Orlando Food Not Bombs and First Vagabonds Church of God questioned Dyer for less than five minutes, and he had no problem coming up with answers.

The city's lawyers then questioned the mayor for 20 minutes, discussing his administration's programs to help the homeless and the complaints the city had received about feedings that regularly drew dozens of transients to Lake Eola Park.

16-year-old boy, mother shot in Volusia County FL

16-year-old boy, mother shot in Volusia County
Jun 25, 2008 10:28 -0400


Updated: 10:28 a.m.
Sheriff's deputies are searching for the person who shot a 16-year-old Deltona boy in the chest and his mother in the leg this morning.
16-year-old boy, mother shot in Deltona Photos

NH VA hospital unlikely to be made full-service

NH VA hospital unlikely to be made full-service
By Clare Trapasso
Associated Press Writer / June 24, 2008
MANCHESTER, N.H.—Despite requests from members of the congressional delegation, the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs said Tuesday he does not foresee returning the state's VA hospital to full service.

After touring the Manchester VA Medical Center, VA Secretary James Peake also said he is against giving veterans cards to let them receive treatment at non-VA facilities.

"That's called Yellow-Page medicine," Peake said. "I think that potentially is dangerous, because I'm not sure the individual is necessarily the best consumer. It's hard to be an educated consumer of health care."

He said keeping veterans in the system improves care by keeping it coordinated.

Peake commented hours after being asked by Sen. John Sununu, who invited him on the tour, to return the hospital to full service.

"When Granite State veterans are forced to travel out of the state to receive medical care, it can be a hardship for them and their families," Sununu said in a statement.

Reps. Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes also support making the hospital full-service, and Sununu said veterans should be able to use local non-VA hospitals.
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VA Can Help Veterans Avoid Foreclosure

VA Can Help Veterans Avoid Foreclosure
Wednesday June 25, 2008
The Veterans Administration (VA) is making a special effort to assist veterans who are having trouble making their home mortgage payments.

"VA is reaching out to veterans -- both those who use our home-loan guaranty program and those who don’t take advantage of our guaranties -- to keep people in their homes," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake in a press release. "I’m proud of our solid record of success in helping veterans and active-duty personnel deal with financial crises."

By beefing up the staff at its regional loan centers, VA can now provide financial counselors to personally offer advice and even work out special financing arrangements to help veterans and active duty personnel with VA-guarantied loans avoid foreclosure.

The VA can work directly with the lenders on the veteran’s behalf to establish repayment plans, forbearance, and loan modifications that can help veterans keep their homes.

To obtain help from a VA financial counselor, veterans can call VA toll-free at 1-877-827-3702 or visit the VA's home loan guaranty program Web site.
Also See:
VA Releases 2008 Veterans Benefits Booklet
Veteran's Suicide Prevention Hotline Begins Operation
http://usgovinfo.about.com/b/2008/06/25/va-can-help-veterans-avoid-foreclosure.htm

UK: Train crash killer wins compensation case

June 25, 2008

Train crash killer wins compensation case

Hannah Strange
A Paddington train crash survivor who claimed he was turned into a killer by post-traumatic stress disorder stands to receive thousands in compensation after a landmark Appeal Court ruling today.

Judges ruled that Kerrie Gray, 48, is due damages from rail firms after he was incarcarated in a mental hospital for stabbing a pedestrian to death with a kitchen knife in August 2001, two years after the horrific crash in which 31 people died.

The High Court, which had previously rejected the claim, must now decide the level of his payout.

The court heard that Gray was "perfectly normal" until the Ladbroke Grove crash in October 1999 but afterwards underwent a significant personality change, suffering depression, anxiety and uncontrollable anger.
go here for more
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4210869.ece

Fort Bragg pregnant solider found dead

Police: Death of pregnant soldier suspicious

The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jun 24, 2008 19:08:37 EDT

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Authorities are investigating the “suspicious” death of a pregnant soldier after her body was found at a Fayetteville motel just days after she arrived at Fort Bragg from Germany, officials said.

Spc. Megan Lynn Touma was identified Tuesday, two days after her body was found in a motel room identified by an odor. The 23-year-old dental specialist with the 19th Replacement Company was from Cold Springs, Ky., and was born in Seoul, South Korea.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/06/ap_pregnant_soldier_062408/

Woman Who Shot Cop Struggled With Mental Illness

Woman Who Shot Cop Struggled With Mental Illness, Family Says
KUTV - Salt Lake City,UT,USA
Written by: Doug G. Ware
Email: dware@kutv2.com
Last Update: 6/24 11:50 pm

SALT LAKE CITY - The woman who shot a Lehi police captain twice in the head during a traffic stop Monday struggled with mental illness over the past year, and was working toward a new life, family members said.

According to a report in Tuesday's Salt Lake Tribune, Kelly Wark suffered from "severe" mental illness -- which might have included post-traumatic stress disorder and paranoia.

Wark, 34, of Gig Harbor, Wash., was shot to death in Lehi on Monday following a traffic stop -- during which she pulled a handgun and shot Lehi Police Capt. Harold Terry twice in the head. (Click for photos of Kelly Wark)

A gas station clerk nearby called police and claimed Wark seemed a bit unstable and was driving erratically. The shootout occurred when Capt. Terry stopped her less than a mile away.

Terry was hospitalized with critical injuries, but was expected to survive.

An investigation into the shooting continued Tuesday, as officials try to determine what led a troubled young woman to turn to violence during a seemingly minor offense.
click above for more

Death of Spc. Ciara Durkin ruled suicide

Death of Quincy soldier in Afghanistan ruled a suicide

By Sue Scheible
GateHouse News Service
Posted Jun 24, 2008 @ 11:20 AM
Last update Jun 24, 2008 @ 11:00 PM


QUINCY — The Army has ruled that Ciara Durkin, a 30-year-old National Guard corporal who died in mysterious circumstances last fall in Afghanistan, killed herself.

Her body was found on Sept. 28 near a church at Bagram Air Base with a single bullet wound to the head, her M-16 rifle nearby.

Durkin’s family, aided by U.S. Sen. John Kerry, has been pushing for almost nine months for answers regarding the soldier’s death.

The family posted the following on their web site early Tuesday morning:
“The Durkin family has received the Army's final report into Ciara's death with their conclusion that she took her own life. We are very upset and saddened by their conclusion.

“We have borne an extraordinary amount of pain over the past nine months, compounded by a protracted and at times ambiguous investigation. We now need time and privacy to grieve, and let our Ciara finally rest in peace. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam.”

The Gaelic expression means, “May her noble soul be at the right hand of God.”

The Boston Globe reported in November that a friend said Durkin had several years prior been taking medication for depression, but she stopped because she found it made her manic.
go here for more
http://www.enterprisenews.com/news/x222994713/Death-of-Quincy-soldier-in-Afghanistan-ruled-a-suicide-family-says

UK:Homeless veterans still sleeping rough

Homeless veterans still sleeping rough

Alexandra Topping
The Guardian,
Wednesday June 25, 2008
The number of homeless ex-forces veterans in London has dropped dramatically, but the group remains vulnerable and hard to reach, according to new research. The percentage of former service personnel in London's homeless population has dropped from 22% in 1997 to 6% in 2007, according to a study by York University. The number of homeless veterans remained significant, however, with an estimated 1,100 non-statutory homeless ex-service personnel living in London on any given night.

Only one in six homeless veterans cited problems adjusting to civilian life as the cause of their difficulties, and only a small minority suffered from military-related problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder. But a military background had an impact on how veterans experience homelessness, with many considering themselves better equipped to deal with the hardships of street life and less inclined to seek help.
go here for more
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jun/25/housing.communities?commentpage=1

Shelter Plus Care caring for disabled and homeless

Shelter Plus Care Program helps the homeless

Updated: June 23, 2008 06:13 PM EDT

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Chronically homeless people who also have disabilities have a new opportunity to get housing. Shelter Plus Care is part of the Weed and Seed initiative and will be funded through state agencies. For the next 6 years, the program will receive $700,000 to help those in need with rental assistance. The first recipients will be two grateful men. Frederick Clark became homeless several years ago after he suffered a hip injury and lost his job.

"It started through an injury I had, where I finally had to have a hip replacement, and through drug addictions, and chronic depression and through those situations I became homeless," Clark said.

Clark said ever since times have been tough.

" It's been a battle and a struggle," Clark said.

Dennis McKim, a lifelong resident of Lafayette and a Military Veteran said being homeless is like wearing your house on your back.
go here for more
http://www.wlfi.com/Global/story.asp?S=8543232&nav=menu591_3

Soldier who beat infant sons spared jail time

Soldier who beat infant sons spared jail time
Mike McIntyre, Winnipeg Free Press
Published: Tuesday, June 24, 2008
WINNIPEG -- He's lost his children -- but regained his freedom.

A Canadian soldier who repeatedly assaulted his six-month-old triplets walked out of jail Tuesday after a judge ruled he doesn't have to serve more time behind bars.

The 25-year-old father -- who can't be named to protect the identity of his children -- broke down in tears after being given an 18-month conditional sentence that allows him to remain free in the community.

The disturbing case has raised the issue of post-traumatic stress disorder for soldiers.

The court heard this week the Winnipeg-based soldier was suffering from a serious mental disorder caused by several factors -- including his time spent in Afghanistan -- when he repeatedly assaulted his children.

The tiny victims were suffering from a total of 19 broken bones when they were taken to hospital last summer. They have since recovered.

The man will be under a curfew and must attend therapy and counselling. He is also banned from having any unsupervised contact with his children or any children under the age of 18.

go here for more
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=610824

Update on the sham for SHAD vets

Lily over at Healing Combat Trauma sent me an update on SHAD. This is a sham and a shame our veterans are still being treated as if their lives just didn't matter.

June 24, 2008
Needless Trauma: What Vietnam Vets Still Don't Know about Their Service Could Hurt Them
Saw this recent press release from a California congressman, who himself is a decorated Vietnam vet, and wondered about the pain that comes from NOT knowing the full extent of what you've been exposed to, as you were serving your country. For the particulars, keep on reading:

– Today (June 12), Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) took another step toward helping veterans who were unknowingly tested with chemical and biological weapons in the 1960s and 70s.

The House Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs held a hearing on a Thompson-authored bill that would give these veterans health benefits and compensation for illnesses resulting from “Project 112” weapons tests. Thompson hopes this hearing will ultimately push his bill toward consideration by the House.

Project 112, which included ship-based Project SHAD, was conducted between 1963 and 1973 by the Department of Defense (DoD) and other federal agencies. The DoD now admits that during these projects, unknowing military personnel were involved a number of chemical weapon tests such as VX nerve gas and Sarin nerve gas and were exposed to biological weapons such as E. Coli, Tularemia (Rabbit Fever) and Q fever.

“First the government denied the tests existed. Then they said the tests happened but were harmless. Now they admit dangerous substances were used on our military personnel, yet they still refuse to give them care for their illnesses,” said Thompson. “We can’t change the past, but we can begin to right this wrong by giving these men the proper healthcare and compensation they earned.”

HR 5954, introduced by Thompson and Congressman Denny Rehberg (R-MT) in May, provides veterans of Project 112 a “Presumption of Service Connection.” This means the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) presumes the relationship between service and a health condition, making the veterans involved eligible for medical benefits and/or compensation for their conditions. For example, veterans exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War are already given a “Presumption of Service Connection.”
go here for more

http://www.healingcombattrauma.com/2008/06/what-vietnam
-vets-dont-know-could-still-hurt-them.html

Homer's epic is finally pinned down

The end of an odyssey - Homer's epic is finally pinned down

For years, debate has raged over Homer's epic. Now research on astronomical detail in the story of Odysseus dates its dramatic climax to one particular day...

By Steve Connor
Tuesday, 24 June 2008



The Odyssey is one of the great works of ancient Western literature, written eight centuries before the birth of Christ and four centuries after the fall of Troy. Generations of classicists have pored over the many lines of Homer's epic description of the long journey taken by the hero Odysseus to his home island of Ithaca. Now two scholars have found evidence to support the idea that one line, in the poem's 20th book, refers to a total solar eclipse that occurred on 16 April 1178 BC – the day when Odysseus returned home to kill his wife's suitors. If true, this would date the fall of Troy itself to precisely 1188 BC.
click post title for more

If you want to know how old PTSD is, you can begin with this or pick up your Bible someday and begin with King David.

Pressing fight spurs more OEF deaths

Pressing fight spurs more OEF deaths

By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jun 24, 2008 19:01:30 EDT

The recent spike in U.S. troop deaths in Afghanistan is the result of greater contact with enemy insurgents, a growth in the complexity of their attacks and, in the east, their ability to slip away into a safe haven across the Pakistani border, the senior U.S. troop commander in that region said Tuesday.

At least 25 U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan since May 25, nine of them in NATO’s Regional Command East. The total exceeds the number of troops killed over the same period in neighboring Iraq, where far more U.S. troops are deployed. 22 troops have lost their lives in Iraq over the past four weeks.

According to the independent Web site icasualties.org, which tracks coalition deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq, 110 coalition troops, 57 of them U.S., have been killed in Afghanistan so far this year.

The figures include four soldiers — three of them New York National Guardsmen — killed June 21 in Kandahar. Those deaths were announced by the Pentagon late Tuesday afternoon.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/06/military_afghanistan_casualties_062408w/

These are the deaths.
887 06/21/08 Walton, James J. Lieutenant Colonel 41 US U.S. Army Military Transition Team, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division Hostile - hostile fire - IED, small arms fire Kandahar Afghanistan Rockville Maryland

886 06/21/08 Mangano, Anthony L. Specialist 36 US U.S. Army National Guard 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition) Hostile - hostile fire - IED, small arms fire Kandahar Afghanistan Greenlawn New York

885 06/21/08 Ramirez, Nelson D. Rodriguez Sergeant 22 US U.S. Army National Guard 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition) Hostile - hostile fire - IED, small arms fire Kandahar Afghanistan Revere Massachusetts

884 06/21/08 Seabrooks, Andrew Sergeant 36 US U.S. Army National Guard 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition) Hostile - hostile fire - IED, small arms fire Kandahar province Afghanistan Queens New York

890 06/20/08 Mendoza, Matthew E. Sergeant 24 US U.S. Marine 2nd BN, 7th Marine Reg, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force Hostile - hostile fire Helmand Province Afghanistan San Antonio Texas

889 06/20/08 Burnett, Dustin Kelby Hospitalman 19 US U.S. Navy
http://icasualties.org/OEF/Afghanistan.aspx

Why do we forget about Afghanistan? Why do we never seem to hear the reporters even ask about Afghanistan after all these years? Wasn't Afghanistan supposed to be about 9-11? Then why have we forgotten?

We argue about Iraq and ignore Afghanistan. In doing so, we fail to even attempt to witness the events the troops are going through simply because they are sent into both occupations. Some here in the US feel that there is nothing going on in Afghanistan but they are wrong. There is a lot being accomplished there, but one can't help but wonder what could have been accomplished had Iraq never been invaded? The men and women we send are worn out and the redeployments increase the risk of PTSD by 50% for each time sent back. Some thought the rates would remain low for PTSD with the lower rate of violence but they ignore the news coming out of Afghanistan and the tactics the Afghan Taliban have adopted with the suicide bombings and roadside bombs. The increase in violence there has allowed no time for rest for any of the troops. Being sent into Afghanistan is no longer an easier deployment. We need to pay attention to both occupations if we are ever really going to get prepared for what the troops will have to face when they come home. We are no where close to being able to take care of the wounded we have thus far. Where are we going to be a year from now, two years or ten years from now? Are we even worried enough to make sure we have it all in place for them?

Who are you really supporting? The Troops or Bush?

This has been bothering me for a long time. While I read what the pro-war bloggers seem to find oh so important to spread all over the net, there is very little they do post about the troops, other than what they believe will "support" Bush. While I do see their point that good news does not get reported on the nightly news, apparently they didn't notice the bad news does not get reported either.

Consider this from the GAO

GAO Report Faults Post-'Surge' Planning
Lack of Comprehensive Strategy Cited, but Pentagon Study Sees Gains in Iraq

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 24, 2008; A14



The administration lacks an updated and comprehensive Iraq strategy to move beyond the "surge" of combat troops President Bush launched in January 2007 as an 18-month effort to curtail violence and build Iraqi democracy, government investigators said yesterday.

While agreeing with the administration that violence has decreased sharply, a report released yesterday by the Government Accountability Office concluded that many other goals Bush outlined a year and a half ago in the "New Way Forward" strategy remain unmet.

The report, after a bleak GAO assessment last summer, cited little improvement in the ability of the Iraqi security forces to act independently of the U.S. military, and noted that key legislation passed by the Iraqi parliament had not been implemented while other crucial laws had not been passed. The report also judged that key Iraqi ministries spent less of their allocated budgets last year than in previous years, and said that oil and electricity production had repeatedly not met U.S. targets.
go here for more
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/23/AR2008062302050_pf.html

Since the surge, we've heard the surge is working even while the death count of US forces reached an all time yearly high. In April when the death count of US forces increased to over 50, not one word was said yet as soon as the death count dropped, it was all over the pro-war blog sites. Had they really supported the troops they would post the bad with the good because both parts of events in Iraq involve them.

When they come home wounded and not taken care of properly, they are again ignored by the pro-war bloggers. The media was attacked for reporting on the bad conditions. All in all, when they claim to be supporting the troops, they are really supporting Bush and don't care how he treats them. Wounds not taken care of are no problem to them. Backlogged claims, no problem. Food stamps and unemployment lines and homelessness, no problem for the pro-war bloggers. Very, very sad. I'd like to say at least they are paying attention to the troops, Iraq and Afghanistan, but they aren't. If they were, they would post whatever news they could find since very little is coming out on either occupation.

Wounds You Can’t See

Wounds You Can’t See
By BOB HERBERT
Published: June 24, 2008
The U.S. has been at war for years now, but ordinary Americans have never been asked to step up and make the kind of sacrifices that wars have historically required.

There is no draft. There are no shortages of food, consumer items or gasoline. We’re not even paying for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That multitrillion-dollar obligation has been shoved off to future generations. Incredibly, taxes have been lowered, not raised, since the wars began.

On the home front, this is as pleasant a wartime environment as one could imagine.

That’s actually an added danger for the young men and women who have volunteered to fight in those far-off lands. It’s too easy for the larger society to put them out of sight and out of mind. I asked a college student in Bridgeport, Conn., the other night if she or her friends ever talked about the war in Iraq. She said no.

Studies have shown that fewer than half of the G.I.’s with psychological wounds of one sort or another are receiving treatment. And according to the RAND study, “Even when individuals receive care, too few receive quality care.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/opinion/24herbert.html?hp

National Guard at work to save Clarksville MO

Guard soldiers fight to save MO town from flood
Soldiers bulk up a sandbag levy to help fight encroaching floodwaters in Clarksville, MO.
http://www.militarytimes.com/multimedia/video/062008_clark_flood/

The United Female Veterans of America convention is this weekend in St. Louis. Thanks National Guards! With you there saving the towns, I'm not worried about going there now.

Soldier, found unconscious, dies at Schofield

Soldier, found unconscious, dies at Schofield

The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jun 24, 2008 8:59:15 EDT

HONOLULU — A 25th Infantry Division soldier died after being found unconscious and not breathing at Schofield Barracks, the Army said.

The Army says the incident is under investigation and is withholding the soldier’s name until it notifies the soldier’s next of kin.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/06/ap_schofield_062408/

Mental Health.net takes on Perez email

When it's used to address the need for further testing then it's an appropriate diagnosis. But if it's used for political purposes - like to save the VA from having to pay out money to a disabled veteran - then that amounts to malpractice.

Mental Health Web Site Addresses Differences in Diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder and PTSD in Veterans Mental Health
MentalHelp.Net addresses the controversial email from Dr. Norma Perez and urges better care for soldiers at VA Hospitals.

(PRWEB) June 24, 2008 -- On March 20th Dr. Norma Perez, mental health specialist and coordinator of her hospital's Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) clinical team, sent a startling email to her staff.

"Given that we are having more and more compensation seeking veterans," she wrote. "I'd like to suggest that you refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD straight out. Consider a diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder."

click post title for more

Homeless veterans important issue to Adm. Mike Mullen

Chairman Calls Homeless Veterans ‘Hugely Important Issue’

By AmericasNewsToday.Org staff



Calling the issue "hugely important," the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff today said the nation must fully integrate efforts to help homeless veterans.

"How do we reach out to them, and how do we create opportunities?" Navy Adm. Mike Mullen asked an audience of about 200 members of various organizations that make up the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans in a speech at the Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C.

"I consider [homeless veterans] to be a hugely important issue," Mullen said. "We need to do everything we can, as a country, to fully integrate our efforts to understand and help those – our veterans – who have given so much."

The coalition, which is holding its annual convention this week, is dedicated to strengthening and increasing funding for homeless veteran assistance programs, ranging from employment to housing issues. It provides information about program development and administration, as well as governance and funding guidance to all of the nation’s homeless veteran service providers, according to the organization’s Web site.

Mullen shared his appreciation for the coalition and its work.

"I am incredibly grateful for what you do and keeping [homeless veteran] issues bubbling; not just based on homeless veterans of [the war on terror], but of the entire population and past wars," he said.
click post title for more

White River Junction:Peake answers questions at town hall

Home / News / Local / N.H.
In Vermont, new VA chief hears complaints from veterans

By John Curran
Associated Press Writer / June 23, 2008
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt.—Some had beefs about their medical care. Some came to say how great their doctors and nurses were.

Some wanted an answer about a claim, or to find out what Uncle Sam was doing for homeless veterans. One wanted to know where his military records were.

U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Peake got an earful Monday as about 250 people -- aging veterans, spouses, VA employees -- turned out for the second of two Town Hall-style meetings organized by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. About 175 turned out for an earlier one in South Burlington.

Peake, a West Point graduate and former military surgeon who took the job six months ago, opened the 90-minute meeting at the White River Junction VA Medical Center by telling those gathered for the meeting that his priorities are making the soldier-to-civilian transition a smoother one.

The VA, which employs about 250,000 people and has an annual budget of $80 billion, must improve its "outmoded" system of processing claims and go to a paperless system, he said.

When he opened the room up for a question-and-answer session, no one was shy about calling him on the carpet.

click post title for more

You have to give Peake some credit because he is trying a lot harder than Nicholson ever did.

Homeless woman killed by hit and run driver in Vegas

“The next time you see a homeless person,” she said, “I'd like for you to remember me and know that person probably has a family member somewhere who loves them.”

Dead Vegas homeless woman's family tells sad tale

LAS VEGAS – When Karin Solomonson saw the 702 area code on her telephone, the North Carolina resident assumed it was her beloved Aunt BeBe calling from the streets of Las Vegas.

Instead, it was the Clark County coroner's office, calling to notify Solomonson about the death of her 65-year-old aunt, Cora Angie Law.

Police said they were still looking for the large gray or burgundy sport utility vehicle with chrome rims and large tires that hit Law, who investigators think was in a crosswalk.

click post title for more

If anyone saw this or knows who did it, remember, this woman had people who loved her, but she didn't have a place to call her home. Call the police and let them know what you know. Her life had meaning and her death should not be seen as "no big deal" just because she was homeless.

Canadian Soldier who beat babies blames war zone stress

Soldier who beat babies blames war zone stress
Mike McIntyre, Winnipeg Free Press
Published: Monday, June 23
WINNIPEG - A Canadian soldier was suffering from a serious mental disorder caused by several factors - including his time spent in Afghanistan - when he repeatedly assaulted his six-month-old triplet sons, a Winnipeg court heard Monday.

Psychologist David Kolton submitted a 21-page report to the court providing a detailed look into the mind of the 25-year-old father, who has pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm.

Provincial court Judge Marvin Garfinkel is expected to sentence the man Tuesday afternoon. He is seeking time served - nine months - plus probation, while the Crown wants him to serve an additional 18 months behind bars.


Defence lawyer Rod Brecht told the court Monday his client didn't intend to inflict pain on his baby boys and was actually stunned to see the extent of their injuries.

The tiny victims were suffering from a total of 19 broken bones when they were taken to hospital last September. They have since recovered.

The father - a Winnipeg-based soldier who can't be named to protect the children's identities - was already dealing with a number of difficult personal issues when he joined the military in 2001, including being abandoned by his own father at a young age, court was told.

He was deployed to Kandahar in 2006 for a 3 1/2-month tour and came back a much different person, said Kolton, psychologist.

The soldier's job was to load equipment on to military planes and trucks and he became extremely frustrated by the lack of front-line action he saw.

That resulted in various run-ins with authority during which his explosive temper quickly took over.

"I wanted to get out there and do something. I knew many of the infantry . . . I could see it in their eyes that they expected more from me. I felt helpless," he told Kolton.

He also got into trouble during a sidetrip to Budapest in which he claims to have been drugged in a bar, beaten and robbed.
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PTSD Is Normal

Opinion piece on Chattanoogan.com
Denny Haldeman
Soddy Daisy

PTSD Is Normal
posted June 23, 2008

The recent coverage of Post Traumatic Stress "Disorder" in veterans is long overdue and brings out important aspects of this affliction that affects millions of veterans, their families and friends, as well as others in our society. I am compelled to ponder this in honor of yet another brother who finally succumbed to a war wound of the soul long ago, who found final peace by his own hand.

By calling post traumatic stress, this natural response to the fight or flight chemistry of our brains, a "disorder," it automatically stigmatizes those who are affected by PTSD. It's no wonder that half of our recent veterans affected by PTSD will not seek help for now, in large part because of that stigma of a "disorder" or a weakness, and the implications that go with it professionally and personally. The psychological/emotion/physical response to the horrors of war are every bit as much a wound to be expected, as the bullet or bomb that mangle the physical bodies of those thrust into harm's way.
go here for more
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_130325.asp

Disgruntled Official kills 2 US wounds 4

UPDATE from earlier post

Disgruntled official kills 2 soldiers in Iraq

By Robert H. Reid - The Associated PressPosted : Monday Jun 23, 2008 16:58:14 EDT

BAGHDAD — A disgruntled local official opened fire Monday on U.S. soldiers attending a municipal council meeting southeast of Baghdad, killing two of them and wounding four other Americans, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

The assailant died in a hail of gunfire after the attack, which occurred in the town of Madain, also known as Salman Pak, about 15 miles south of Baghdad in an area with a history of Sunni-Shiite tension.

U.S. officials confirmed two American soldiers died and that four Americans, including a civilian interpreter, were wounded. However, the U.S. officials released no further details except that the assailant was killed.

Iraqi police and witnesses said the attack took place in front of the Madain municipal building where the Americans had come to confer with local authorities.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/06/ap_iraq_062308/

When drinking is a symptom and not the problem with PTSD

Triple threat: Young macho men with serious injuries often abuse alcohol
Men with serious injuries, such as traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury, must deal with a range of emotions. If these men have strong traditional masculine ideas and abuse alcohol, it becomes even more difficult to help them heal and come to terms with their emotions and situations. A University of Missouri psychology researcher studied these challenging factors to find better ways to understand and treat men who fit this mold, such as the injured soldiers coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Alcohol Intervention - Effective Alcohol Intervention. Inpatient Rehab Program Available.
www.DrugRehabCenter.com

“It is really a triple whammy,” said Glenn Good, professor of educational, school and counseling psychology in the MU College of Education. “Counselors face many challenges when it comes to helping men deal with emotions surrounding serious injuries. Newly injured men often face adjustments in the level of personal assistance they require, and this may result in struggles with some aspect of the traditional masculine role, such as a ‘go it alone’ mentality. When three factors - injury, traditional male role and alcohol abuse - occur together, the rehabilitation process may be a challenge. In this study, we examined the combination of all three factors with the aim of better understanding how to treat men with several challenges.”
go here for more
http://www.physorg.com/news127057610.html

When drinking is a symptom and not the problem with PTSD


This article is very good but it misses something that really gets forgotten when the problem is actually PTSD and not an addiction.

Vietnam veterans went in and out of drug and alcohol rehabs in droves for years. None of the programs worked and they went right back to their drug of choice all over again. In this case, the drug of choice is actually a replacement for the medication they need. This is called self-medicating. Most think that if they drink to get drunk, they're drunks or if they use drugs, they're drug addicts. When they also happen to have PTSD, they are addicted to the relief they get by killing off feelings and calming down jumping nerves.

Culture, especially in this age group, does in fact leave them feeling indestructible, especially when they have just survived combat in Iraq or Afghanistan. Additional problems not addressed nearly enough is reckless driving, endangering others as well as their own lives. Speeding in a car and on motorcycles have lead to many deaths yet very few are looking at the cause behind these kinds of impaired decisions. Part of it could be the age but part of it could be PTSD when decision making skills are lost in translation.

If a combat veteran with PTSD is not treated for PTSD, then this leads to all kinds of additional problems as well as medical attention that will not work properly. AA works great for people addicted to alcohol and there have been reports through the years that this kind of approach also works with PTSD veterans but these are reports and very little controlled studies have been done on relief that comes without the traditional treatments for PTSD. What really needs to be known first is what the mental health of the individual is to know if there are other problems other than just being reckless, irresponsible and lacking self control.

Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, First female nominated to become 4 star

First female nominated to become four-star

Staff report
Posted : Monday Jun 23, 2008 16:55:05 EDT

Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, deputy commander and chief of staff of U.S. Army Material Command, is poised to become the first female four-star general in the U.S. military, according to an Army press release.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Monday that the White House has nominated Dunwoody for appointment to the grade of general and assignment as commanding general of AMC at Fort Belvoir, Va.

“This is an important day for the Dunwoody family, the military and the Nation,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey said in the release. “Lt. Gen. Dunwoody’s nomination not only underscores her significant contributions and success throughout 33 years of service, but also shows the level of possible opportunity in our Army’s diverse, quality all-volunteer force.”

Approximately five percent of general officers in the Army are women, which includes mobilized Army Reserve and Army National Guard general officers, the Army release said.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/06/army_dunwoody_062308w/

LA needs to find a place for homeless to park

L.A. seeing more people living out of their cars
By CHRISTINA HOAG, Associated Press Writer

Monday, June 23, 2008

(06-23) 12:24 PDT LOS ANGELES, (AP) --

Having lost her job and her three-bedroom house, Darlene Knoll has joined the legions of downwardly mobile who are four wheels away from homelessness.

She is living out of her shabby 1978 RV, and every night she has to look for a place to park where she won't get hassled by the cops or insulted by residents.

"I'm not a piece of trash," the former home health care aide said as she stroked one of five dogs in her cramped quarters parked in the waterfront community of Marina del Rey.

Amid the foreclosure crisis and the shaky economy, some California cities are seeing an increase in the number of people living out of their cars, vans or RVs.

Acting on complaints from homeowners, the Los Angeles City Council got tough earlier this year by forbidding nearly all overnight parking in residential neighborhoods such as South Brentwood.

But some people are just crowding into other parts of the city, including the seaside community of Venice, where dozens of rusty, dilapidated campers can be seen lined up outside neat single-family homes. The stench of urine emanates from a few of the vehicles, and some residents say they have seen human waste left behind.

click post title for more

They can complain all they want but it won't solve the problem as long as people keep losing their homes and have no place else to go. The residents have a right to be upset but if they were unlucky enough to lose their house, it's very doubtful they would have the same opinion on the homeless.

There has to be some empty parking lots these people can go to at night with some facilities to take care of their personal needs. What's so hard about doing something like that? It would cost the city a lot less time and money having them park on a lot than in front of someone's house who is likely to complain. How about a little human kindness and a whole lot of common sense on this one?

Summer camps for veterans' kids help ease strains

Summer camps for veterans' kids help ease strains
By MARY HUDETZ
The Associated Press
Monday, June 23, 2008; 4:19 AM

LARKSPUR, Colo. -- At a dining hall filled with the chatter of summer campers eating lunch, the photos on one wall bear witness that this is no ordinary camp.

Pictures of mothers and fathers in uniform are adorned with notes in the bubbly penmanship of youngsters whose parents have or will serve in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"My dad," reads a note taped to the photo of a man in Air Force uniform. Another, written in thick, red marker: "So me and my brother all have to be strong and make sacrifices for my dad because we all want him to come back."

About 100 youths are attending this free, weeklong camp in the tiny Rocky Mountain town of Larkspur organized by the National Military Family Association. The association is hosting 10,000 campers in 37 states this summer _ up from 1,000 youths at 12 camps when the program began in 2004.
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PTSD Drugs: Better Living through Chemistry

My friend Lily over at Healing Combat Trauma just did a great piece on medications you really should read.

PTSD Drugs: Better Living through Chemistry, or Purely Popping Pills for PTSD's Psychological Ills?

There was a story in the news recently about four young combat veterans in West Virginia, all seemingly in decent physical condition beforehand, who nevertheless all died in their sleep recently. Besides combat PTSD, one thing the vets all had in common was the cocktail of drugs they were taking: Paxil, Klonopin and Seroquel. (The Charleston, West Virginia Gazette-Mail reported this story on May 24, 2008 - it's linked here.) An investigation is pending, but the story obviously raises the question: what are vets with PTSD being prescribed, and is it really working, or what's best? (Continue reading, and you'll learn more about those specific medications as well.)
---
Where to go for information about PTSD medications? Here are a few, carefully-chosen selections, and their pros and cons - as appropriate:

go here for more

http://www.healingcombattrauma.com/2008/06/ptsd-drugs-better-living-through-chemistry.html

Karl D. Chapin Vietnam Vet, guardian angel and donor

War hero with kidney to spare finds donor recipient on Web
By Eva Wolchover
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Arlington restaurant owner Ricardo Mermet saw more than a hero in Vietnam vet and war amputee Karl D. Chapin of Grafton. He saw his guardian angel.

Until Tuesday, Mermet, a native of Argentina who co-owns Tango restaurant with his wife, Nancy, was in desperate need of a new kidney. Years of diabetes and hypertension had taken their toll, and Mermet had spent the last 18 months undergoing thrice-weekly sessions of dialysis while his name sat unmoved on the national organ donation list (UNOS).

Chapin, 59 is a decorated amputee who lost his right hand at Hamburger Hill in Vietnam. He came across Mermet’s plea for a kidney on matchingdonors.com, a Canton-based Web site that matches donors with patients in need of transplants.

When asked which kidney he’d like to donate, he said, “Doc, you gotta take the left, because that’s the one I’ve been teaching Spanish to.’ ” he joked.

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UK:More than 10,000 troops unfit for frontline: report

More than 10,000 troops unfit for frontline: report

Mon Jun 23, 3:24 AM ET



LONDON (AFP) - More than 10,000 British soldiers are unfit for frontline duty as the pressure of supplying troops for years of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan takes its toll on the army, the Sunday Telegraph reported.


The newspaper said the Ministry of Defence admits that 8,500 soldiers from the 59,000-strong "Field Army" -- units such as tank, artillery and infantry regiments --- are classified as unfit to serve at the front.

When other soldiers classified as unfit from the overall 101,800-strong army are taken into account, the total figure is likely to exceed 10,000, said the newspaper, which is traditionally close to the armed forces.

The figure of one in 10 soldiers classified as unfit for operations is the highest since the start of the Iraq war in 2003. Britain has been Washington's staunchest ally in Iraq and about 4,000 British troops are currently based there.
go here for more
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080623/wl_uk_afp/britainmilitaryafghanistaniraq

Iraqi official kills one US soldier, wounds 5 others

Iraqi official opens fire on visiting U.S. troops, killing one
By Hannah Allam McClatchy Newspapers
BAGHDAD, Iraq — One U.S. soldier was killed and five others were wounded today in a bizarre shooting incident near the town of Salman Pak, south of Baghdad, according to U.S. and Iraqi authorities.

Iraqi authorities said a member of the town council, which is part of the U.S.-allied Iraqi government, carried out the shootings,

An Iraqi police captain, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the incident, said local council member Raed Hmood Ajil opened fire on the U.S. troops for unknown reasons and was killed at the scene by American forces. The account could not immediately be verified.

The U.S. military could confirm only that "initial reports indicate one Coalition forces (soldier) killed in action, five Coalition forces soldiers wounded in action and one enemy killed in action" at 1 p.m. today in the Salman Pak area.

U.S. and Iraqi authorities are investigating.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/41895.html
Linked from ICasualties.org

PTSD: Private battle of Capt. Nate Self made public

A private battle made public
Veteran hopes account of war, PTSD struggle helps other troops
By Sean D. Naylor - Staff writerPosted : Monday Jun 23, 2008 6:31:13 EDT

After surviving one of the most vicious firefights in the war in Afghanistan, Capt. Nate Self knew he had to write about it.

Self led a Ranger platoon in a daylong battle on Takur Ghar mountain that claimed the lives of seven U.S. servicemen on March 4, 2002.

Self said that “as soon as we came off the mountain,” he felt there was a message he had to spread. “There was kind of a personal side of the story and what the Rangers had experienced leading up to it that needed to be told,” he said in an interview with Army Times.

What he could not have guessed was that by the time he finished writing his story, it would have expanded to encompass the tale of another tough battle — his own with post-traumatic stress disorder, which continues to plague him.

Now 32, Self, who left the Army in 2004, gives his account of both battles in “Two Wars,” a book published this month by Tyndale House Publishers Inc.

Although others, including this writer, have written detailed accounts of the Takur Ghar battle, Self is the first combatant to publish his version of events. His tale of the battle is searing, but for many military readers, Self’s description of how PTSD almost destroyed his life and his family will make an even deeper impression.

As Self recounts in the book, the PTSD sneaked up on him over the months and years following the hellish battle on Takur Ghar’s frozen mountaintop.

go here for more

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/06/army_nate_self_062308w/

Six months of TV news and only 181 minutes of war news

June 23, 2008
Reporters Say Networks Put Wars on Back Burner
By BRIAN STELTER
Getting a story on the evening news isn’t easy for any correspondent. And for reporters in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is especially hard, according to Lara Logan, the chief foreign correspondent for CBS News. So she has devised a solution when she is talking to the network.

“Generally what I say is, ‘I’m holding the armor-piercing R.P.G.,’ ” she said last week in an appearance on “The Daily Show,” referring to the initials for rocket-propelled grenade. “ ‘It’s aimed at the bureau chief, and if you don’t put my story on the air, I’m going to pull the trigger.’ ”

Ms. Logan let a sly just-kidding smile sneak through as she spoke, but her point was serious. Five years into the war in Iraq and nearly seven years into the war in Afghanistan, getting news of the conflicts onto television is harder than ever.

“If I were to watch the news that you hear here in the United States, I would just blow my brains out because it would drive me nuts,” Ms. Logan said.

According to data compiled by Andrew Tyndall, a television consultant who monitors the three network evening newscasts, coverage of Iraq has been “massively scaled back this year.” Almost halfway into 2008, the three newscasts have shown 181 weekday minutes of Iraq coverage, compared with 1,157 minutes for all of 2007. The “CBS Evening News” has devoted the fewest minutes to Iraq, 51, versus 55 minutes on ABC’s “World News” and 74 minutes on “NBC Nightly News.” (The average evening newscast is 22 minutes long.)
go here for more
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/business/media/23logan.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1214202979-IKPzwPHPth4O%20XkM/q3e8w&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

When will military brass stop malingering on PTSD?

When I see videos done by the military interviewing commanders who get it, there is so much hope that this wound will finally be treated for what it is. Yet while the vast majority of the military leaders are educated, care about their soldiers and use intelligence, some report comes out about another uneducated, closed minded leader that find no shame in being out of the loop.

Army's battle: Mental illness
Military tries to balance caring for true PTSD patients, keeping eye out for malingering soldiers
By Aamer Madhani Tribune correspondent
2:30 AM CDT, June 23, 2008

BELLMORE, N.Y. — Kristofer Goldsmith was so distressed about the prospect of returning to Iraq that he decided he was willing to kill himself to avoid serving a second tour.

Just as Goldsmith's three-year Army contract was to expire, it was extended under the military's "stop loss" program, and his unit was set to deploy to Baghdad to take part in the troop surge. On the day before he was to ship out in May 2007, he took a dozen Percocet painkillers, washed down with more than a liter of vodka.

Soon after Goldsmith was admitted to Winn Army Community Hospital at Ft. Stewart, Ga., a senior non-commissioned officer from his brigade visited the young sergeant, along with an Army psychologist, to discuss discharging him from the military."We all agreed that it was for the best that my Army career come to an end then," said Goldsmith, 22, who added that he'd scrawled the words "stop loss killed me" in marker on his body before his suicide attempt. "It was a few days later when they told me that they were going to come at me for faking a mental lapse."

Malingering
The rear detachment commander of Goldsmith's unit, Maj. Douglas Wesner of the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, quickly initiated an administrative punishment known as an Article 15 against Goldsmith for malingering—that is, feigning a mental lapse or derangement or purposely injuring oneself—to avoid being deployed to Iraq.

Eventually his commanders dropped the Article 15, but not before removing Goldsmith from the service on a general discharge. Because he did not receive an honorable discharge, Goldsmith was stripped of his Montgomery GI Bill benefits, which he'd been counting on to help pay for college.

Goldsmith's tough treatment is not unheard of.

Twenty-one soldiers in Iraq have been punitively discharged since 2003 after being convicted of malingering, according to the Army.

Goldsmith remains adamant that he did not fake a mental illness. After Goldsmith's discharge, a psychologist with the Department of Veterans Affairs diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress disorder.

go here for more
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-gi_suicidejun23,0,5414569.story

Maj. Douglas Wesner apparently remains unable to understand what has been known since the time of King David in the Bible. While every organization in the military, serving the military and every veterans organization is stepping up, he remains sitting in the back of the room with his fingers in his ears. Over and over again we see leaders taking time to understand the men and women they command, yet others like Wesner cannot even understand their lack of knowledge is not a badge of honor but something to be ashamed of.

Ignorance is nothing to be proud of in the military or any walk of life. Malingering? What would he do if one of his soldiers had lost his legs and could not rise to do a proper salute? Just because he is unable to use his mind to understand this wound is a wound, why should he be allowed to make the wounded suffer under his command? The evidence is in. The facts are in. This wound has a long, long history but so have leaders like Wesner with the mentality that caused PTSD soldiers to be shot as cowards instead of treated with the dignity they deserved. Every leader needs to stop malingering when it comes to getting their act in gear and catching up to the rest of their counterparts who do get it! PTSD is nothing to be ashamed of but ignorance of what PTSD is a thing to be ashamed of. Had Goldsmith been in someone else's unit, he would have received better care and treatment because he deserved it. Too many have been forced out of the military when they were willling to stay in even after being wounded by PTSD. All they needed was the help to do it.

For Heaven's sake, we deal with PTSD in police departments across the country, fire departments across the country and all other walks of life. It's as if those who still want to treat PTSD like some "thing" of shame is insulting every other person in the country who has been wounded by trauma. Would Wesner have insulted Audie Murphy too? Maybe Wesner is a fine military man otherwise but until someone explains what PTSD is to him, he will never be all he can be and his troops will suffer for it. Time for some lessons to the others like Wesner. It's like leaving a commander still using a flint lock rifle while everyone else moved on to machine guns.

Intervention takes on PTSD and Iraq

Intervention®
“Brad”
Rated: TV14 L Running Time: 60 Minutes Genre: Real Life Series Closed Captions: Yes
Upcoming Airings: Monday, June 23 @ 8pm/7C Tuesday, June 24 @ 12am/11C
Search for other upcoming episodesThe chaos and bloodshed that Brad witnessed as a young soldier in Iraq, including the death of a close friend, left him emotionally damaged. He now suffers post-traumatic stress disorder and uses alcohol and marijuana to quell the endless nightmares and flashbacks that haunt him. Brad's temper also flares and he's had several incidents of blackout drinking which have led to two car accidents. His parents and sisters are terrified that Brad will kill himself or someone else in a drunken stupor. An intervention is their final attempt to save his life.

http://www.aetv.com/listings/episode_details.do?episodeid=324352

Army Wives and Forgotten Families

'Army Wives': I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV
Zap2it.com - USA

Roland Burton is an excellent doctor. We know this because they told us so throughout the entire first season of Army Wives. This is a man who has received national acclaim for his work counseling patients through post-traumatic stress disorder. He's a man who, as soon as he decided at the end of the first season to look for a job elsewhere, was instantly offered a new job at Northwestern and presumably could have had his pick of places to go. In short, this is a guy who knows what he's doing.

So what exactly does it say when one of Roland's best friends is suddenly dealing with some post-traumatic stress, but abjectly refuses to seek counsel from him? Strange, right? But that's exactly the case we've got on our hands. Claudia Joy is hurting, badly, but rather than seek help from a respected and trained professional who also happens to be a great friend, Claudia Joy would apparently rather seek support from a mysterious stranger.

As it happens, Roland isn't even the only medical professional here whose professional expertise is falling by the wayside as somebody else assumes that role instead. Denise is a registered nurse, but you wouldn't know it from her behavior in this episode, in which flirting rather than nursing seems to be her priority. In the meantime, Roxy ends up acting like more of a nurse than Denise does. Roxy takes care of Betty, dishes out medical advice on Betty's fight with cancer, and ends up bedside looking after Betty as she prepares for chemotherapy. So to recap, in this series there's both a doctor and a nurse, but others are taking over the roles of doctor and nurse instead.

The case of Claudia Joy refusing to turn to Roland for support is especially interesting. Is she operating under the presumption that everybody on post is sure to gossip about her, and so even though she should theoretically trust Roland she still worries that if she talks to him, people will undoubtedly in turn begin to talk about her? Or is it simply a matter of pride, in that Claudia Joy still believes that she should present an invincible face to the rest of the post community, that she should be strong because that's what everybody else needs?
click above for more

This is a great piece on a show I really like. If you missed Army Wives last summer, turn on Lifetime next Sunday night and watch a good show. You can catch a repeat of yesterday's show on Saturday.

The point of posting this is that TV is being played out all across the nation on a daily basis. The suicide bomber is not on a base here, but is in Iraq and Afghanistan. The family torn apart is not just on TV but right here in our own neighborhood. They do not all live on bases with other military families to turn to for understanding. They are surrounded by people without the slightest clue what they're going through. These families are National Guards and Reservists families living right in our own communities. As bad as it is for regular military families, it's worse for the "part timers" who are expected to just be like the rest of us, act like the rest of us and deal with the same problems the rest of us do. But they are not like us.

Think of what the families of National Guards and Reservists go through. They face the same problems the regular military does, except they did not expect their husbands and wives to be sent to Iraq and Afghanistan over and over again. They did not expect to have to do without the kind of income they based their budgets on. They may have expect their spouse to have to respond to national security problems here on US soil, respond to natural disasters, but to be sent over and over again away from home is not what they planned on.

When members of the "part time" weekend warriors come home, they are expected to just go back to work, if they can, picking up where they left off. Their families are expected to just go on with life between deployment and homecoming. We expect much of them but no one is really talking about what they expect from us.

When they sacrifice their incomes to live on military pay, who makes up the difference? They do. When they have to leave their own businesses, who pays their bills? They are expected to. When they come home wounded and need to be taken care of, they are on their own until their claim is finally approved to deal with the injury as well as the loss of income. But there is a catch to that too. When they have a job making a certain income, that is what they base their budget on paying for mortgages, car payments and other issues in the lifestyle they planned on. The money in compensation, is not determined on what they make in their private lives. Most of them make a lot more money working than they can ever hope to receive as a disabled veteran. Who pays the difference?

We ask a lot of our military and their families but we expect even more sacrifice out of the National Guardsmen and Reservists. We've all heard "they knew they could be sent" when they signed up, comments along that line, but when you really understand what these families expected, being totally disregarded in the process was not part of the deal.

As great as Army Wives is, there should be a program on the National Guards and Reservist families because these people are our neighbors and we've let them all down expecting them to just deal with it all. The local communities do not understand what they are going through and have been reluctant to step up to help them. Local pastors are ambivalent when it comes to the stresses and strains on families and hardly none of them want to even hear the term PTSD, yet they are supposed to be their for their congregations. They need help to heal that wound and their families need help to cope with the changes. The spiritual needs are not being filled either.

When it comes to these citizen soldiers, we have a lot to catch up on and make up for but we won't unless the media sticks their stories in our face on a daily basis and humiliates us into paying attention. They have the same problems the regular military familes do but they also have the same problems the rest of us do. The military has bases and gain support from other families but who do the citizen soldiers have? Us and we are not there for them.





Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
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

Ecstasy for PTSD in Australia battle for minds

Pro drug trial

Ecstasy to relieve war stress

THE drug ecstasy could be used by war veterans to alleviate stress, says an Australian Democrats MP.

South Australian Democrat Sandra Kanck says the drug's key ingredient, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), could be used to alleviate post-traumatic stress disorders.

"This is not a new idea, it is being trialled in the United States and Israel for war veterans and in Spain for rape victims," she said in a statement.

"It's not a frivolous idea.

"Studies by the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2003 and 2007 have shown that post-traumatic stress is a real issue for veterans of the Gulf and Vietnam wars.

"Veterans, like other Australians, are already being prescribed powerful drugs like highly addictive morphine for pain relief and benzodiazepines for post traumatic stress disorder - both are potentially addictive and dangerous drugs.

"Most drugs can be dangerous but if they are used in a controlled way they can be medically beneficial."
go here for more of this
http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,23907284-921,00.html

The really interesting part of this, is that two different Australian papers reported the same story with two totally different headlines but basically the same reporting done. A clear indication there is bias in both papers. So what's behind this? Is it what's in the best interest of the PTSD wounded Australian solders or what's in the best interest of the reporter's views?



Con drug trial

RSL rejects calls to use ecstasy on stressed war veterans
Steve Larkin
June 23, 2008 03:25pm

PROPOSALS to use the drug ecstasy on war veterans to alleviate stress have drawn a lukewarm response from the Returned Services League.

RSL national president Bill Crews said he was reluctant to support a call from an Australian Democrats MP to investigate using the drug on war veterans.
Major General Crews said the proposal was problematic.

"When you are talking about ingredients of illegal drugs in the process of mental health treatment, you are starting to raise quite some issues. Even if it was proven to be beneficial in some areas, how do you actually control it?" he said.

"It's a matter that would be best examined by those qualified to make a decision about its validity or otherwise.

"And until I heard the advice of those specialists and the reasons for that advice, certainly I would be somewhat reluctant to support it.

"We would not agree with a proposal until such time as it was thoroughly investigated scientifically and the specialists in this field, particularly psychiatrists, were confident that there was a case."
go here for more of this
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23908072-953,00.html

Military vets and families need to know your rights with PTSD

STATEMENT OF
STEPHEN T. MOLNAR, MSW, MA
TEAM LEADER,
HONOLULU VET CENTER
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
BEFORE THE
UNITED STATES
SENATE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
AT THE OAHU, HAWAII FIELD HEARING

January 10, 2006

Aloha Senator Akaka and other members of Congress. It is an honor to have this opportunity today to testify at these important congressional hearings on "The State of VA Care in Hawaii." I still vividly recall when I had testified before you at the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee hearings in Washington, DC in 1993 to address concerns about "VA Mental Health Programs."

As a result of those hearings, Public Law 104-262 was passed in 1996, thereby expanding eligibility for Vet Centers and authorizing the extension of readjustment counseling to all combat veterans and their families. This landmark legislation made it possible for combat veterans, and their families, to receive free counseling in convenient locations at 207 Vet Centers nationwide. More importantly though, it helped to eliminate the stigma often associated with mental health care. Public Law 104-262 was a critical step towards the development of seamless and comprehensive care for our returned war veterans.

At Vet Centers, veterans receive counseling for war-related issues, including Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), in a comfortable community-based setting that is confidential, private, and without stigma or embarrassment.

The law authorized the Vet Centers to provide family therapy as a core component of readjustment counseling. As provided at Vet Centers, family counseling is available as necessary in connection with any psychological, social, or other military-related readjustment problem, whether service-connected or not.

As a special authority in the law, veterans' eligibility for readjustment counseling is determined by military service in a combat theater and does not require the veteran to go through the enrollment procedure. Additionally, providing family services at Vet Centers is not time limited, but rather available as necessary for the veteran's readjustment throughout the life of the veteran. Veterans' family members are included in the counseling process as necessary to address the whole range of family adjustment issues stemming from the veterans' military experience and post-military readjustment.

Early intervention via outreach and preventive family counseling services help returning veterans stabilize their post-military family and work lives, thereby reducing the risk of subsequently developing more chronic forms of PTSD and associated family problems.

As you know Senator, I am one of the original hires in the Vet Center program. For over 25 years, I have had the opportunity and unique privilege of serving Hawaii's combat veterans, and their families, in the sometime difficult readjustment process. The Honolulu Vet Center has served over 10,000 veterans and their families since opening in 1980. Our clients range in ages from 19 to 90 and reflect the diversity that distinguishes Hawaii from any other place in the world. For example, 47% of our caseload is composed of Asian Pacific Islander veterans and a full two-thirds of our caseload lists their ethnicity as "other than Caucasian."

In addition to readjustment counseling for combat-related issues, the Honolulu Vet Center provides assessment and counseling for PTSD, sexual trauma, family counseling and employment. The Vet Center provides services and referral to homeless veterans and does extensive outreach, education and networking to ensure that veterans have access to comprehensive care and assistance within their community.

In 2003, the Secretary directed that Vet Centers be the focal point for delivery of bereavement counseling to families who lost a service member while on active duty. To date, we have provided 11 families with bereavement counseling and support. As you can imagine, these have been amongst our most difficult cases. The pain of these families runs deep. However, I know that our efforts have made a difference.

Our most recent annual workload data reflects that we have served 628 unique veterans, recorded 5500 visits and opened 250 new cases. At present, the approximate breakdown of new clients who have served in a combat theater are 40% for Vietnam, 30% for WWII, 15% for OIF/OEF and 15% for Other Combat Ops. With the anticipated return of soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan, and the recent hiring of our OIF/OEF outreach worker, we expect our proportion of OIF/OEF clients to rise accordingly.

While all clients are offered individual counseling, we also provide group counseling. Group counseling is an extremely effective therapeutic modality as well as an efficient one. At present, the Honolulu Vet Center offers 10 different groups. These include groups focusing on combat, sexual trauma, bereavement, family members, life skills, meditation, and POWs. Many of these groups are held in the evenings to better accommodate our veterans and their families.

As you know Senator, Vet Centers are community-based counseling centers with a small core staff of 3 or 4 employees. At the Honolulu Vet Center, we have four full-time staff: a team leader, two counselors (a social worker and psychologist) and an office manager. In addition, we have a part-time sexual trauma social worker. In November we hired a recently returned Iraqi veteran to serve as our outreach worker. His role is to be the bridge for our returned OIF-OEF veterans and their access to Vet Centers, the VA and other community resources. In addition, we have augmented our Vet Center with a comprehensive employment program through the State of Hawaii Department of Labor Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP). A full-time DVOP counselor out stationed on site provides veterans with immediate access to a full-range of computerized job listings and placement services geared to the needs of veterans.

I am deeply proud of our dedicated and committed staff, Senator. Through their efforts in serving Hawaii's veterans, the Honolulu Vet Center has received both local and national recognition. Two of our counselors have been awarded the VA Secretary's prestigious "Hands and Heart Award" that is presented annually to an employee involved in direct patient care who does the most to exercise professional expertise, to provide emotional support, help and guidance to patients. I have no doubt that the staff will continue to provide the same level of dedication and commitment to ensuring that our returning OIF-OEF veterans receive the best possible care and support.

As you know, the 1996 legislation (Public Law 104-262) expanded eligibility from a single group of war veterans (Vietnam) to all war zone veterans. This resulted in a significant increase in eligible veterans without increasing staffing, and, recently, VHA authorized 100 additional outreach specialists, themselves veterans of OEF/OIF, to enhance the Vet Center program's ability to extend timely services to this new era of war veterans. The dedication and can do attitude of the Vet Center staff ensured that combat veterans of all wars received complete and comprehensive care and services. Similarly, the recent addition of bereavement services required a deep commitment of the staff to ensure that families were provided with immediate and sensitive assistance as well as a full-range of comprehensive services and care which the staff undertook willingly in a professional and compassionate manner. As already noted, with the increased success of our OIF-OEF outreach worker, we anticipate added demands will be placed upon our current counseling staff.

The additional number of veterans who we anticipate may reside in Hawaii after discharge from their OIF-OEF service will add to the Vet Center's demand. As a result, the role of the Vet Center will likely continue to be significant in providing for their readjustment needs.

In closing, I would like to thank you for this opportunity, Senator Akaka, to be able to address those issues facing Hawaii's veterans; particularly those who have served in combat, as well as those still deployed in combat areas. Your willingness to identify the problems facing our veterans, and your commitment to finding appropriate solutions is deeply appreciated.

Senator Akaka, this concludes my statement. I will be glad to answer any questions that you or other members of the Committee may have.

http://www.va.gov/OCA/testimony/svac/060111SM.asp


If they tell you that they do not have to take care of the whole family as well as all veterans, copy and print the above and hand it to them. See what excuse you get after that. If there are not enough mental health providers, get it in writing and pass it onto Senator Akaka.

Give An Hour making news again

DoD: America Supports You: Group Offers Free Mental Health Counseling

By AmericasNewsToday.Org staff



Mental Health practitioners nationwide are donating their time and services to provide free, confidential counseling to military people and their families.

"Combat affects everyone in one way or another," explained Dr. Barbara Romberg in an "ASY Live" interview on BlogTalkRadio. "Most people react when exposed to a situation where there are extreme or horrific events; it is a human reaction to abnormal situations."

ASY Live is part of the Defense Department’s America Supports You program, which connects citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.

Romberg, founder and president of "Give an Hour," said she started her nonprofit organization to educate servicemembers and their families about the seriousness of post-traumatic stress disorder and the importance of taking steps to combat it.

"When we set up the organization a few years ago, the concept was very simple, she said. "We asked mental health professionals across the country to give an hour of their time."

When one of the program’s providers was asked why she joined, Romberg said, her answer was equally simple. "How could I not? It’s so little that they are asking of me to give," the practitioner said.

Romberg said a broad spectrum of mental health practitioners participated in Give an Hour. "We have mental health professionals of all kinds -- psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, licensed marriage and family counselors, substance abuse counselors and pastors," she explained. "One size doesn’t fit all; people need different things."

Raising awareness about PTSD is as important to the group as providing help to people who need it, she said.

"We are really launching a public education campaign to make sure our entire country understands post-traumatic stress -- what it is and why it’s so important to address," she said. "Post-traumatic stress is a condition that will affect most people."

Romberg said there are important signs that a family member can identify that may be an indication that professional help may be a necessary part of the recovery process.
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Orlando Mayor to take stand in homeless feeding trial

Orlando's mayor expected to take stand in homeless-feeding trial
Mark Schlueb Sentinel Staff Writer
June 22, 2008

When Orlando's controversial rules on feeding the homeless go on trial in federal court this week, Mayor Buddy Dyer likely will have to answer some tough questions.

The advocates for the homeless who sued for the right to feed the hungry plan to call Dyer to the witness stand.

"He was the guy in charge when this ordinance was proposed and written and enacted," said Jacqueline Dowd, one of the attorneys for the feeding groups. "He's been somewhat vocal about the issue of homelessness in Orlando, and I think some of his public statements are going to be at issue."

Dyer is the most high-profile person on a list of possible witnesses that includes Orlando's police chief, city clerk and economic-development director, homeless advocates, police officers, Lake Eola-area business owners and even a homeless man.
click above for more

Subject: Wanted: church staff proof readers

I don't know who started this email but I'm glad they did. We all need a good laugh!

Subject: Wanted: church staff proof readers
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:18:52 -0500




Thank God for church staff with typewriters. These sentences actually
appeared in church bulletins or
were announced in church services:

1. Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa, will be speaking tonight at
Calvary Methodist. Come hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.

2. Announcement in a church bulletin for a national PRAYER & FASTING
Conference: The cost for attending the Fasting and Prayer conference includes meals.

3. The sermon this morning: Jesus Walks on the Water. The sermon tonight:
Searching for Jesus.

4. Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the
recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.

5. Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of
those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands.

6. The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a
conflict.

7. Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community.

8. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say hell to someone who doesn't
care much about you.

9. Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.

10. Miss Charlene Mason sang I will not pass this way again, giving
obvious pleasure to the congregation.

11. For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a
nursery downstairs.

12. Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the
help they can get.

13. Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more
transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack's sermons.

14. During the absence of our Pastor, we enjoyed the rare privilege of
hearing a good sermon when J.F. Stubbs supplied our pulpit.

15. The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will
sing Break Forth into Joy.

16. Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the
church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

17. A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall.
Music will follow.

18. At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is
Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.

19. Eight new choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of
several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

20. Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles, and other items to be
recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

21. The Lutheran men's group will meet at 6 P.M.. Steak, mashed potatoes,
green beans, bread and dessert will be served for a nominal feel.

22. Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased
person you want remembered.

23. Attend and you will hear an excellent speaker and heave a healthy
lunch.

24. The church will host an evening of fine dining, superb entertainment,
and gracious hostility.

25. Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 P.M. - prayer and medication to follow.

26. The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind.
They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.

27. This evening at 7 P.M. there will be a hymn sing in the park across
from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.

28. Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10. All ladies are
invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.

29. Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use
the back door.

30. The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the
Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The Congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.

31. Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church.
Please use large double door at the side entrance.

32. Mrs. Johnson will be entering the hospital this week for testes.

33. The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would
lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.

34. The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign
slogan last Sunday: I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours.

35. Our next song is Angels We Have Heard Get High.

Now That We’ve ‘Won,’ Let’s Come Home

Now That We’ve ‘Won,’ Let’s Come Home
By FRANK RICH
Published: June 22, 2008

THE Iraq war’s defenders like to bash the press for pushing the bad news and ignoring the good. Maybe they’ll be happy to hear that the bad news doesn’t rate anymore. When a bomb killed at least 51 Iraqis at a Baghdad market on Tuesday, ending an extended run of relative calm, only one of the three network newscasts (NBC’s) even bothered to mention it.

The only problem is that no news from Iraq isn’t good news — it’s no news. The night of the Baghdad bombing the CBS war correspondent Lara Logan appeared as Jon Stewart’s guest on “The Daily Show” to lament the vanishing television coverage and the even steeper falloff in viewer interest. “Tell me the last time you saw the body of a dead American soldier,” she said. After pointing out that more soldiers died in Afghanistan than Iraq last month, she asked, “Who’s paying attention to that?”

Her question was rhetorical, but there is an answer: Virtually no one. If you follow the nation’s op-ed pages and the presidential campaign, Iraq seems as contentious an issue as Vietnam was in 1968. But in the country itself, Cindy vs. Michelle, not Shiites vs. Sunnis, is the hotter battle. This isn’t the press’s fault, and it isn’t the public’s fault. It’s merely the way things are.
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Nothing really gets covered about Iraq on the TV and even less than nothing on Afghanistan. No one noticed the death count in Afghanistan has gone up and we lost more there than we did in Iraq. No one notice the five killed just the other day or the other deaths there this year.

It's easy for the backers of the Iraq fiasco to claim victory when they don't know what's happening behind hearing there are less attacks now and less deaths of American forces, when every other indication leads to even more violence around the corner. It's easy for them to ignore the rise and fall in deaths over the years and even easier to ignore that the Iraqi people are pretty much fed up with all of it. None of the backers noticed the fact that troops have been treated to contaminated water by KBR. The billions of funds missing and unaccounted for. The other pieces of news coming out pointing fingers all at this are easy to ignore when they have their fingers in their ears.

Everyone agrees that the occupation of Iraq will not end unless Obama becomes the President. We know where McCain will take this and it is not to the end as soon as possible but more of the same "whenever" it happens and screw over those sent to finish it out. There is nothing we can do now about any of this until the election is over. It's obvious that Bush has managed to trap the Democrats leaving them no room to end this because the fact is their slim majority is not enough to end it no matter how badly they want to.

What the American people right now can do is put the pressure on Congress to take care of the wounded right now and those who will come until this is finally over. Take care of the families who have been living on food stamps while their husband or wife has been deployed yet again on the meager pay they receive at the same time the cost of living is leaving them out. Yes, the troops worry about their families with the price of food going up along with everything else and gas at over $4.00 a gallon. If you don't think the thought of their families suffering while they are deployed is hurting their morale, you better think again.

Over 800,000 claims backlogged is also damaging their morale when they know the next one added to the pile of claims could be their own claim if they get wounded.

It's not bad enough the people in this country pay so little attention to Iraq and even less to Afghanistan, it's the fact we don't pay attention to the troops either.
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos