Lawyer: Law-enforcement saved George Anthony's life
Watch video from OrlandoSentinel.com about George Anthony's medical evaluation
Amy L. Edwards, Bianca Prieto and Henry Pierson Curtis Sentinel Staff Writers
5:06 PM EST, January 23, 2009
Law-enforcement's rapid response and search for a despondent George Anthony early this morning saved his life, his lawyer told the Orlando Sentinel.
Anthony, who reportedly sent several text messages to relatives suggesting that he wanted to end his life, was found alive in a Daytona Beach motel with what appeared to be a suicide note after his family reported him missing late Thursday.
"Had it not been for (law-enforcement), this might have been a different outcome," lawyer Brad Conway said. "They deserve a huge thank you."
Conway said he wanted to acknowledge the "outstanding" actions of Orange County Sheriff's Sgt. John Allen, the lead detective on the murder case involving Anthony's granddaughter Caylee Marie; Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood; and the deputies and officers who helped track Anthony down.
"They went above and beyond, and they saved this guy's life," Conway said.
This afternoon Conway held a press conference outside of the Orange County courthouse on Orange Avenue just after 3 p.m. to publicly thank Sgt. John Allen and law enforcement for their rapid response.
"If they had waited, there would have been a different outcome," Conway said. "George had been pushed to the brink of what may have been another tragedy in this case."
Conway also commented on other subjects regarding the Anthonys. He told reporters that George and Cindy Anthony have not profited off of the case and did not ask for immunity. click link for more
Friday, January 23, 2009
Caylee Antony's Grandfather saved by law enforcement quick action
When you read the following I want you to think about something. Caylee is gone and her mother is accused. As news comes out about the way Caylee died, it is more and more weight on her grandparents. The same grand parents that loved this little girl and the same parents that loved their daughter now accused of this evil act. Would you be able to wake up every morning knowing the person you raised, wanted to believe in at the same time your granddaughter was missing, turned out to be the person charged with this child's death? Could any parent deal with any of this easily?
Can we bind up the wounds of those who served the nation?
by
Chaplain Kathie
Gettysburg_Address
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Yet after this, Lincoln was not done addressing the people who were willing to die for the sake of the nation and what they believed in. This is from the second inagural address he gave. The rest of his speech was wonderful but this came at the end.
Lincoln Second Inagural Address
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
Since the day brother raised arms against brother, men and women from every state in the union have been serving together. North, south, east and west, people of every race, religion, social class, political affiliation and education have joined together to serve this one nation. They come from the Army, Marines, Air Force and Navy, from the Coast Guard to the National Guards and Reservists, they are ready to defend this nation and ready to come to the aid of its citizens. Men and women leaving the military once again put on the uniform of service as police officers and firefighters, of emergency responders and entering into service organizations.
What are the rest of us doing for them? We know where they are when we need them but why do they have to wonder where the nation's heart is when they need us?
We hear about the backlog of claims in the VA but do we raise our voices about this? It is our money that sends them into battle and our money the government uses to take care of the wounded warriors. We have a vital interest in how they use it. Why do we allow this to continue? Does it ever occur to us that a claim tied up or denied erroneously is a veteran waiting for the care he or she was assured would be there if they needed it? It is a veteran, usually along with a family, forced to fight to have their wounds bound as their bills pile up and the notion of a grateful nation slips into the abyss.
When the wound can be seen with our eyes, this cannot be allow to stand, but when it is wounds we cannot see with our eyes but within their own eyes, it has far more ramifications on the families and the communities they return to. We have no excuse for allowing any of this to go un- addressed.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was a wound in the time of George Washington leading the charge against the British forces, but while the name was different, the wound was still the same. It wounded again when Lincoln addressed those standing at Gettysburg and again at his second inauguration. Each and every president that followed lead a wounded nation unable to uphold the claim of leading a grateful nation. Truman was the last friend of veterans. His budget reflected this.
Stunning statement of devaluing
Truman (1946-52)Veterans Benefits 9.6%
Eisenhower (1953-60)Veterans Benefits 4.7%
Kennedy (1961-63)Veterans Benefits 3.6%
Johnson (1964-68)Veterans Benefits 2.9%
Nixon (1969-74)Veterans Benefits 2.9%
Ford (1975-76)Veterans Benefits 2.9%
Carter (1977-80)Veterans Benefits 2.4%
Reagan (1981-88)Veterans Benefits 1.9%
G.H. Bush (1989-92)Veterans Benefits 1.6%
Clinton (1993-2000)Veterans Benefits 1.6%
George W. Bush (2001-08)Veterans Benefits 1.6%
1.6% with two active occupations, veterans of WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Bosnia, Somalia, all needing help to bind their wounds yet not enough money to begin to do it.
PTSD and TBI wounds are real. Just as real as a limb gone from a bomb blast or skin healing from a bullet or burn wound, but PTSD can keep killing long after the uniforms have been packed away. It can kill many months and many years later along with health problems from chemical exposures.
Agent Orange was followed by depleted uranium and white phosphorous. Burn pits across Iraq and Afghanistan bring lung cancer and other illnesses. Contaminated water brings disease. All of this will cause the ranks of the wounded needing the VA to swell far beyond what the doors can hold.
Over and over again men and women return to their communities as members of the National Guards and Reserves only to find time has passed them by and they return to a home town they do not feel they still belong in. They find they cannot get the help they need to bind their wounds or find an understanding ear. Even when they do manage to get to the VA, usually too far away to travel to on a regular basis, they are forced to fight for the benefits their wounds caused by service inflicted upon them.
Our voices do not speak eloquently as Washington or Lincoln did regarding the need to care for them. Our voices are too busy squeaking about our own needs. We are an ungrateful bunch. They suffer in this bad economy the same as we do but there is a huge difference. While we were seeking our own support and our own desires being met, they were thinking of us. While we were complaining about the price of food and gas, so were their families but they couldn't do anything about it from Iraq and Afghanistan. While we lost our jobs, they were busy doing their's and then came home to see their own civilian job vanished while they were away.
What would it cost you to do something to take care of them and begin to live up to what we all claim? Would it cost you the time it takes to make a phone call? Send an email? That's all it really would cost you to change their lives. It's not as if you can solve their problems on your own but you can be an answer to their prayers and the wishes of all the generations that came before them. Our elected have a responsibility to do what it takes to take care of all of them. We need to make them live up to their end of the responsibility chain for a change. We have a much better chance of this now than we did over the last eight years.
GAO says VA still underestimating costs
By Hope Yen - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jan 23, 2009 13:10:41 EST
WASHINGTON — Two years after a politically embarrassing $1 billion shortfall that imperiled veterans health care, the Veterans Affairs Department is still lowballing budget estimates to Congress to keep its spending down, government investigators say.
The report by the Government Accountability Office, set to be released later Friday, highlights the Bush administration’s problems in planning for the treatment of veterans that President Barack Obama has pledged to fix. It found the VA’s long-term budget plan for the rehabilitation of veterans in nursing homes, hospices and community centers to be flawed, failing to account for tens of thousands of patients and understating costs by millions of dollars.
In its strategic plan covering 2007 to 2013, the VA inflated the number of veterans it would treat at hospices and community centers based on a questionably low budget, the investigators concluded. At the same time, they said, the VA didn’t account for roughly 25,000 — or nearly three-quarters — of its patients who receive treatment at nursing homes operated by the VA and state governments each year.
“VA’s use, without explanation, of cost assumptions and a workload projection that appear unrealistic raises questions about both the reliability of VA’s spending estimates and the extent to which VA is closing previously identified gaps in noninstitutional long-term care services,” according to the 34-page draft report obtained by The Associated Press.
Lawmakers expressed anger, saying they will be watching for new VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to provide a more honest accounting.
“The problems at the VA have been caused by years of mismanagement and putting the bottom line above the needs of our veterans,” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. “While we won’t fix everything overnight, Secretary Shinseki has pledged honesty and accurate accounting which are key to realistic budgets and providing the services our veterans have earned.”
According to latest GAO report, the VA is believed to have:
• Undercut its 2009 budget estimate for nursing home care by roughly $112 million. It noted the VA planned for $4 billion in spending, up $108 million from the previous year, based largely on a projected 2.5 percent increase in costs. But previously, the VA had seen an annual cost increase of 5.5 percent.
• Underestimated costs of care in noninstitutional settings such as hospices by up to $144 million. The VA assumed costs would not increase in 2009, even though in recent years the cost of providing a day of noninstitutional care increased by 19 percent.
• Overstated the amount of noninstitutional care. The VA projected a 38 percent increase in patient workload in 2009, partly in response to previous GAO and inspector general reports that found widespread gaps in services and urged greater use of the facilities. But for unknown reasons, veterans served in recent years actually decreased slightly, and the VA offered no explanation as to how it planned to get higher enrollment. click link for the rest of this.
With President Obama saying his heart is with the veterans and the Democratic Party leading the committees they used to complain about how they were failing the veterans, it's time to get all of them to prove it. Contact your elected and tell them Lincoln sent you!
The Double-Edged Sword Called "HOPE"
January 22, 2009
The Double-Edged Sword Called "HOPE"
by Lily Casura
Healing Combat Trauma
"Got hope?" the Obama bumper sticker asked. (Hey, we're non-partisan here, it's just an illustration to make a point.)
The reality is, hope turns out to be VITAL, not optional, in someone's struggle to "heal." And "healing," of course, is not specifically an end-result, a "one and done" event -- but a progress along a continuum.
Even the Bible talks about how, "without vision, the people perish." Emily Dickinson, who it's easy to imagine as a profoundly depressed, but nevertheless highly imaginative New England poet, referred in one of her more famous poems to hope "as a thing with feathers." Meaning, pretty airy, light-weight, and able to fly away. Hard to trap and catch, hard to hang onto. If you put the two concepts together, though, hope is both necessary AND hard to hard to hang onto. No wonder it's so important.
Over the last few months, I've been watching as a hardened combat veteran, with severe PTSD, has stepped out of his comfort zone, and put his "hope" to the test: Hope that there was a life for him outside the realms of severe combat trauma. It's been incredibly interesting and refreshing to see what's happened to him since. And hope shows up at every turn. Without going into it in much depth here -- there'll be another time and place for that -- I've been able to see his physiology as well as his psychology change, in just a few short months -- and I've seen the renewal of "hope" this has caused within him. For one thing, hope to be considered more than just another "crazy, effed-up combat veteran" -- the mask he's apparently worn for society for years (decades, in his case). Hope that he can have an actual life and happiness beyond what he had been reconciled to, by virtue of "throwing off" some of what's hindered him (the Biblical wording here is purely incidental.)
The deal about having a mask that you wear, as a combat vet, because it's what society expects of you -- and it's also what allows you to keep other people at bay -- is a very interesting concept in its own right. It helps, but it also hinders. It frees, but it also constrains. And suddenly, with better health, comes the realization that it may be time to consider laying that mask down, at least part-time.
Whoa. Strangely...that turns out to be a tad problematic.
click link for more
The Double-Edged Sword Called "HOPE"
by Lily Casura
Healing Combat Trauma
"Got hope?" the Obama bumper sticker asked. (Hey, we're non-partisan here, it's just an illustration to make a point.)
The reality is, hope turns out to be VITAL, not optional, in someone's struggle to "heal." And "healing," of course, is not specifically an end-result, a "one and done" event -- but a progress along a continuum.
Even the Bible talks about how, "without vision, the people perish." Emily Dickinson, who it's easy to imagine as a profoundly depressed, but nevertheless highly imaginative New England poet, referred in one of her more famous poems to hope "as a thing with feathers." Meaning, pretty airy, light-weight, and able to fly away. Hard to trap and catch, hard to hang onto. If you put the two concepts together, though, hope is both necessary AND hard to hard to hang onto. No wonder it's so important.
Over the last few months, I've been watching as a hardened combat veteran, with severe PTSD, has stepped out of his comfort zone, and put his "hope" to the test: Hope that there was a life for him outside the realms of severe combat trauma. It's been incredibly interesting and refreshing to see what's happened to him since. And hope shows up at every turn. Without going into it in much depth here -- there'll be another time and place for that -- I've been able to see his physiology as well as his psychology change, in just a few short months -- and I've seen the renewal of "hope" this has caused within him. For one thing, hope to be considered more than just another "crazy, effed-up combat veteran" -- the mask he's apparently worn for society for years (decades, in his case). Hope that he can have an actual life and happiness beyond what he had been reconciled to, by virtue of "throwing off" some of what's hindered him (the Biblical wording here is purely incidental.)
The deal about having a mask that you wear, as a combat vet, because it's what society expects of you -- and it's also what allows you to keep other people at bay -- is a very interesting concept in its own right. It helps, but it also hinders. It frees, but it also constrains. And suddenly, with better health, comes the realization that it may be time to consider laying that mask down, at least part-time.
Whoa. Strangely...that turns out to be a tad problematic.
click link for more
Therapists seeing more 'collateral damage' from economy
As most of my readers know, I lost my job a year ago. No unemployment for me because I worked for a church that did not have to pay into the system. As of today, I have part time work starting to come in. (More on this later) It is very stressful to see your job and paycheck go when you did nothing wrong. It was so stressful for my brother that less than a week after he lost his job, he had a massive heart attack and died. He was only 56!
When it comes to stress, having something happen that is out of your control or has nothing to do with you, it leaves you doubting everything. We question right and wrong. We question what's wrong with us that we lost our job but people we know did not. More and more layoffs are coming. More and more businesses are closing their doors. There will be a lot more people needing help but without insurance and without incomes to pay for therapy, how will they get the help they need to recover?
When it comes to stress, having something happen that is out of your control or has nothing to do with you, it leaves you doubting everything. We question right and wrong. We question what's wrong with us that we lost our job but people we know did not. More and more layoffs are coming. More and more businesses are closing their doors. There will be a lot more people needing help but without insurance and without incomes to pay for therapy, how will they get the help they need to recover?
Therapists seeing more 'collateral damage' from economy
Story Highlights
Psychologists say referrals are up during this economically turbulent time
Therapy helps to "bear witness" to the troubles people are having, doctor says
Tips for therapy seekers: Check out that therapist is licensed, negotiate fee
By John Bonifield
CNN Medical Producer
(CNN) -- Stacey Rosenberg, a former marketing manger in Boston, knows the catastrophic feeling of a layoff. She has lost her job twice in the midst of the recession.
"When I first got laid off, I sort of had a mission. I wanted to get a new job as quickly as possible, and when it became apparent that that was not going to happen very quickly, it was very upsetting for me," Rosenberg says.
Unemployed for months, Rosenberg started retreating from friends and family, spending more time by herself. Since early summer, she's sought help inside a psychotherapist's office.
"I had to figure out how to deal with it the second time around, because I did so poorly the first time around," she says.
No formal data exist on the number of Americans who are turning to therapy during the recession, but most clinical psychologists say that referrals are up.
"This is really unprecedented," says Nancy Molitor, a clinical psychologist in Chicago, Illinois. "I've been practicing for 20 years, and I'm seeing just an unprecedented amount of anxiety, as are most of my colleagues."
Rick Weinberg, a clinical psychologist in Tampa, Florida, says that in one recent week 80 percent of his patients were discussing the pain inflicted on them in the economy. His patients included a small business owner who was forced to lay off longtime staff, a family of four evicted from their home and moving into a rental, and a family with two teenagers that was down to a one-parent income and experiencing frequent spending arguments and acting out by the teens.
click link for more
Capt. Roselle M. Hoffmaster investigation into her death closed
Army report released to newspaper says Smith College graduate shot herself in Iraq
by The Republican Newsroom
Wednesday January 21, 2009, 5:53 PM
By FRED CONTRADA
fcontrada@repub.com
A U.S. Army investigation has concluded that Capt. Roselle M. Hoffmaster, a 2000 graduate of Smith College in Northampton, took her own life by shooting herself in the head while alone in her room in Iraq.
The voluminous report was released to The Republican this week, 16 months after the Army announced that the 32-year-old Hoffmaster, an Army surgeon, had died while on deployment in Kirkuk on Sept. 20, 2007. The investigation includes numerous interviews with military colleagues and family members, many of whom attested to Hoffmaster's positive attitude and expressed disbelief that she would commit suicide.
As the report describes it, Hoffmaster was found dead on her cot by one of her roommates, the M9 Beretta pistol that delivered the fatal shot still in her hand. The highly redacted report deleted the names of virtually everyone involved in the investigation, but several witnesses said that Hoffmaster had broken down in tears previously that day after being berated by a supervisor for failing to carry out one of her medical duties.
One officer told investigators that Hoffmaster was "swamped from the day she arrived at the unit" and "had about four of five months of catching up to do with a new Army program that she was completely unfamiliar with." Because Hoffmaster was a last minute replacement for another surgeon who left the unit, she was not able to attend a joint readiness training center in Louisiana, the officer said, or to get acclimated to her new unit. The officer told investigators he felt the Army did Hoffmaster a disservice and called the situation "a 'perfect storm' to create tension and anxiety."
Despite her distress that day, Hoffmaster was by all accounts a strong, positive, focused person who worked hard to achieve her goals and put the needs of others before her own. At Smith, she is remembered as a top student who was not easily frustrated. Because of her ethical concerns about doing laboratory experiments on live animals, Hoffmaster chose to work with frozen cells, according to her faculty adviser Mary E. Harrington, a professor of psychology.
Carla M. Coffey, Hoffmaster's track coach at Smith, called her "the total package."
"She had the smile," Coffey said. "You just don't find people like that."
click link for more
linked from RawStory
Finding what works for you with PTSD
Over the years there have been a lot of "treatments" people have regarded as the miracle we've all been waiting for to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. There have been drugs used to treat Epilepsy as anti-convulsion. Ecstasy and marijuana have been used in trials. Rapid eye movement, re-exposure and the list goes on. When I meet people some of these treatments have worked on, they try to sell it as the cure for all, but there is no such thing. While some of these things work for them, which is wonderful, it may not work at all on someone else.
The key here is patience. Understanding that your body chemistry is not the same as your best friend's leads to knowing why he's doing better and you're not. Humans are unique. While no one looks the same as you do, no one heals the same way you do. You may have been wounded the same way but your mind, your body and your soul are as different as they come.
First piece of advice when you're being treated for PTSD is talk to your doctor. You need to be totally honest and open about what you are experiencing. If medication is not working or you're having side affects, tell them so they can change the medication. They may have to change the dose or find something else or combine it with another medication.
If they tell you to go into group therapy and you don't feel as if you can talk in front of a bunch of strangers, try it. If it does not help after a few times, tell your doctor. It's not a failure if you can't do it. It just means you need more one on one in private until you are ready for group. People have a hard time trusting others even when they do not have PTSD, but PTSD adds in the paranoia factor making it virtually impossible to trust strangers. It's also one of the biggest reasons many veterans have temporary set backs when their doctors change. The trust between you and your doctor didn't happen over night but often they are transferred or in some cases, they are deployed, leaving you with someone totally new asking you the same questions you addressed with your original doctor.
Trusting your doctor, liking them, is very important. If you don't trust them, tell the VA to find you another doctor. They cannot help you if you are unable to open up without hesitation. Ask them questions. As they get to know you, make sure you get to know them as well. Give them a chance.
If you hear about a treatment that holds some promise for you, talk to your doctor about it. If they have not heard of it, ask them to check it out and tell you what they think.
Make sure as you address the medical treatments, you are also addressing the other parts of you needing healing. Talk to a spiritual leader of your own faith or find one you are comfortable with. There are many other things you can do to take care of your spirit from yoga, to meditation, to martial arts, taking a walk, listening to relaxing music. There are also combinations of all of the above but again, it depends on what works best for you. Keep trying until you find something that helps you.
Eat properly. With depression comes poor eating habits. Try to keep a well balanced diet.
DO NOT DRINK! Alcohol, especially when you're on medication does more harm than good. Talk to a PTSD veteran healing and you'll find they gave up drinking and self-medicating. The combination of alcohol and medications will depress you even more than you already were.
Remember that above all of this, no treatment works for everyone. Once you know what PTSD is, you're able to find some patience with yourself and the other people in your life as well. Try to get them to understand what's going on with you. Most of the time they love you and are more than willing to help you. When they know what PTSD is, it avoids a lot of problems that can do you more harm than good. Their reaction to you depends on what they understand and are aware of.
Don't fight this alone thinking that you'll just get over it and get back to "normal" once you're home. There is nothing normal about combat. It's not part of a normal daily life and each experience humans have change them for better or worse. It's what you do with the changes that determines your future.
You can find your own kind of normal that works for you and your family. The person you were before PTSD is still in there but it's trapped behind a wall of pain. Once the wall begins to come down after reaching out for help, you will find a flood of emotions coming out. Often veterans cry as the pain is released from inside of them. They fear they are getting worse but I can assure you that the healing has begun. PTSD trapped it all and help opens what has been bottled up. Crying is not a setback or a sign of weakness. It's simply a sign of "humanness"
The key here is patience. Understanding that your body chemistry is not the same as your best friend's leads to knowing why he's doing better and you're not. Humans are unique. While no one looks the same as you do, no one heals the same way you do. You may have been wounded the same way but your mind, your body and your soul are as different as they come.
First piece of advice when you're being treated for PTSD is talk to your doctor. You need to be totally honest and open about what you are experiencing. If medication is not working or you're having side affects, tell them so they can change the medication. They may have to change the dose or find something else or combine it with another medication.
If they tell you to go into group therapy and you don't feel as if you can talk in front of a bunch of strangers, try it. If it does not help after a few times, tell your doctor. It's not a failure if you can't do it. It just means you need more one on one in private until you are ready for group. People have a hard time trusting others even when they do not have PTSD, but PTSD adds in the paranoia factor making it virtually impossible to trust strangers. It's also one of the biggest reasons many veterans have temporary set backs when their doctors change. The trust between you and your doctor didn't happen over night but often they are transferred or in some cases, they are deployed, leaving you with someone totally new asking you the same questions you addressed with your original doctor.
Trusting your doctor, liking them, is very important. If you don't trust them, tell the VA to find you another doctor. They cannot help you if you are unable to open up without hesitation. Ask them questions. As they get to know you, make sure you get to know them as well. Give them a chance.
If you hear about a treatment that holds some promise for you, talk to your doctor about it. If they have not heard of it, ask them to check it out and tell you what they think.
Make sure as you address the medical treatments, you are also addressing the other parts of you needing healing. Talk to a spiritual leader of your own faith or find one you are comfortable with. There are many other things you can do to take care of your spirit from yoga, to meditation, to martial arts, taking a walk, listening to relaxing music. There are also combinations of all of the above but again, it depends on what works best for you. Keep trying until you find something that helps you.
Eat properly. With depression comes poor eating habits. Try to keep a well balanced diet.
DO NOT DRINK! Alcohol, especially when you're on medication does more harm than good. Talk to a PTSD veteran healing and you'll find they gave up drinking and self-medicating. The combination of alcohol and medications will depress you even more than you already were.
Remember that above all of this, no treatment works for everyone. Once you know what PTSD is, you're able to find some patience with yourself and the other people in your life as well. Try to get them to understand what's going on with you. Most of the time they love you and are more than willing to help you. When they know what PTSD is, it avoids a lot of problems that can do you more harm than good. Their reaction to you depends on what they understand and are aware of.
Don't fight this alone thinking that you'll just get over it and get back to "normal" once you're home. There is nothing normal about combat. It's not part of a normal daily life and each experience humans have change them for better or worse. It's what you do with the changes that determines your future.
You can find your own kind of normal that works for you and your family. The person you were before PTSD is still in there but it's trapped behind a wall of pain. Once the wall begins to come down after reaching out for help, you will find a flood of emotions coming out. Often veterans cry as the pain is released from inside of them. They fear they are getting worse but I can assure you that the healing has begun. PTSD trapped it all and help opens what has been bottled up. Crying is not a setback or a sign of weakness. It's simply a sign of "humanness"
Fighting the war within
Thursday, January 22, 2009 11:08 PM
By Sylvia Perez and Christine TresselJanuary 22, 2009 (WLS) -- Post traumatic stress disorder is a psychological health crisis usually associated with veterans. But it can be triggered by any traumatic event such as a car accident or physical assault.
Some people don't get better with conventional treatments.
Now, an area doctor says an injection commonly used to control pain, can also help a traumatized brain.
The sights and sounds of war. For some veterans the images and feelings don't go away.
"A lot of dead bodies, the destruction. Telling people to do things that could get them killed. That weighs a lot on my mind," said Shane Wheeler, veteran.
After two separate tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, 35-year-old Shane Wheeler made it home with no physical wounds. He thought he left the war behind but the memories of what he experienced in combat wouldn't go away.
"Seeing a few of my friends died in front of me," said Wheeler. "I think that put me over the edge."
Shane now suffers from post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Symptoms vary but for many it involves re-living traumatic episodes. Researchers believe part of the brain becomes stuck in an overactive state.And that's why Shane has traveled from Radford , Virginia to Hoffman Estates. He's hoping an experimental procedure involving an injection in his neck will work. It's called a stellate ganglion block.
"It's to reset the area of the brain that has become abnormal where they have this heightened sense of excitement," said Dr. Jay Joshi, anesthesiologist, Advanced Pain Centers.
Dr. Eugene Lipov and his team have been doing this procedure for years to treat severe hot flashes. And now they say it appears to work on PTSD patients.
Shane is the second veteran to give it a try. click link for more
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Father and son, both veterans, share insights on service-related stress
Father, Son Share Insights On Service-related Stress
Australia TO - Sydney,NSW,Australia
Written by Linda Hosek
WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2009 - Rich Glasgow and his son, Robert, served in different military services at different times, but they know what it's like to deal with the same psychological enemy. And both have recommendations for the military.
Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer 4 Rich Glasgow directed search and recovery operations out of New York in the 1990s, overseeing boating accidents, airplane crashes and even Fourth of July events. But the post he really wanted was commanding officer of Station Golden Gate in San Francisco, not for its beauty, but for a grim reality.
"It was known throughout the Coast Guard as the station where you pick up bodies," he said, referring to people who commit suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. "I was going to figure out the trend."
Glasgow got that job in 2000. But as he immersed himself in efforts to lessen the number of suicides and ease the burden on his Coast Guard crew, he began his own psychological struggle against post-traumatic stress disorder, an anxiety disorder caused by witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event.
"I thought I was prepared," Glasgow said, but the vivid sights and sounds of people falling and hitting the water replayed over and over in his mind and affected his behavior.
Glasgow, now a civilian, came to see that his son, Robert, a high school graduate who enlisted in the Marines before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, also was afflicted with PTSD.
"This was a kid, just a loving kid who'd do anything to please people," Glasgow said.
Cpl. Robert Glasgow was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division's 1st Battalion, 8th Regiment, serving as a rifleman in the infantry. He was deployed to Iraq in 2004 and fought in Fallujah in Operation Phantom Fury, a U.S.-Iraqi military offensive that involved intense urban combat.
"It was up-front and in-your-face action," he said of the operation that lasted for weeks.
Based on his own experiences, Rich Glasgow said he saw numerous signs of PTSD in his son when he was out on leave and after he left the Marines in 2005.
"There was sleeplessness, active aggression and zero tolerance for the Arab community," he said.
click link for more
Australia TO - Sydney,NSW,Australia
Written by Linda Hosek
WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2009 - Rich Glasgow and his son, Robert, served in different military services at different times, but they know what it's like to deal with the same psychological enemy. And both have recommendations for the military.
Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer 4 Rich Glasgow directed search and recovery operations out of New York in the 1990s, overseeing boating accidents, airplane crashes and even Fourth of July events. But the post he really wanted was commanding officer of Station Golden Gate in San Francisco, not for its beauty, but for a grim reality.
"It was known throughout the Coast Guard as the station where you pick up bodies," he said, referring to people who commit suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. "I was going to figure out the trend."
Glasgow got that job in 2000. But as he immersed himself in efforts to lessen the number of suicides and ease the burden on his Coast Guard crew, he began his own psychological struggle against post-traumatic stress disorder, an anxiety disorder caused by witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event.
"I thought I was prepared," Glasgow said, but the vivid sights and sounds of people falling and hitting the water replayed over and over in his mind and affected his behavior.
Glasgow, now a civilian, came to see that his son, Robert, a high school graduate who enlisted in the Marines before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, also was afflicted with PTSD.
"This was a kid, just a loving kid who'd do anything to please people," Glasgow said.
Cpl. Robert Glasgow was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division's 1st Battalion, 8th Regiment, serving as a rifleman in the infantry. He was deployed to Iraq in 2004 and fought in Fallujah in Operation Phantom Fury, a U.S.-Iraqi military offensive that involved intense urban combat.
"It was up-front and in-your-face action," he said of the operation that lasted for weeks.
Based on his own experiences, Rich Glasgow said he saw numerous signs of PTSD in his son when he was out on leave and after he left the Marines in 2005.
"There was sleeplessness, active aggression and zero tolerance for the Arab community," he said.
click link for more
Investigator: Soldier's electrocution 'negligent homicide'
Investigator: Soldier's electrocution 'negligent homicide'
Story Highlights
Manner of death should be changed from "accidental," Army investigator writes
U.S. soldier electrocuted while showering at his base in Iraq in 2008
Investigator: Contractor didn't ensure electricians, plumbers were qualified
No charges have been filed; soldier's family is suing contractor
From Scott Bronstein and Abbie Boudreau
CNN Special Investigations Unit
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division investigator has recommended changing the official manner of death for a soldier electrocuted while showering at his base in Iraq from "accidental" to "negligent homicide," according to an e-mail from the investigator obtained by CNN.
The investigator blames KBR, the largest U.S. contractor in Iraq, and two KBR supervisors for the incident, saying there is "credible information ... they failed to ensure that work was being done by qualified electricians and plumbers, and to inspect the work that was being conducted."
The e-mail, written late last year, says the investigation report was being reviewed by CID headquarters for a legal opinion to determine probable cause before the case could be referred to the military court system or the Department of Justice for possible action. No charges have been filed.
Sgt. Ryan Maseth's manner of death has not officially been changed, CID spokesman Christopher Grey told CNN.
click link for more
Story Highlights
Manner of death should be changed from "accidental," Army investigator writes
U.S. soldier electrocuted while showering at his base in Iraq in 2008
Investigator: Contractor didn't ensure electricians, plumbers were qualified
No charges have been filed; soldier's family is suing contractor
From Scott Bronstein and Abbie Boudreau
CNN Special Investigations Unit
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division investigator has recommended changing the official manner of death for a soldier electrocuted while showering at his base in Iraq from "accidental" to "negligent homicide," according to an e-mail from the investigator obtained by CNN.
The investigator blames KBR, the largest U.S. contractor in Iraq, and two KBR supervisors for the incident, saying there is "credible information ... they failed to ensure that work was being done by qualified electricians and plumbers, and to inspect the work that was being conducted."
The e-mail, written late last year, says the investigation report was being reviewed by CID headquarters for a legal opinion to determine probable cause before the case could be referred to the military court system or the Department of Justice for possible action. No charges have been filed.
Sgt. Ryan Maseth's manner of death has not officially been changed, CID spokesman Christopher Grey told CNN.
click link for more
Tragedy hits Virginia Tech again, student decapitated
Killer decapitates Va. Tech student, police say
Story Highlights
Killing was first on campus since gunman killed 32 on April 16, 2007
Victim Xin Yang, a graduate student from Beijing, knew accused killer, police say
Haiyang Zhu, 25, taken into custody; he is charged with first-degree murder
Attack took place at restaurant in Graduate Life Center
(CNN) -- A female graduate student at Virginia Tech was killed Wednesday night when a man she knew attacked her with a knife and decapitated her, a school spokesman said.
Virginia Tech spokesman Mark Owczarski said Thursday that Xin Yang's killing was the first on the campus since April 16, 2007, when a shooter killed 32 people before turning a gun on himself.
Yang, 22, from Beijing, China, was killed at the Au Bon Pain restaurant in the Graduate Life Center at around 7 p.m., school spokesman Larry Hincker said in a written statement.
Campus police took Haiyang Zhu, 25, into custody at the scene. The Ningbo, China, native has been charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bail at a local jail, Hincker said.
Zhu did not say anything to the arresting officers, said campus police Chief Wendell Flinchum.
click link for more
Donations to veterans groups doubted after donations vanish
The American people do care about veterans. This is obvious every time they read a report on how the VA fails veterans. It's obvious when group after group steps up to pick up where the VA fails. This happens all across the nation. What the American people cannot tolerate more than the failure of the VA is organizations claiming to put veterans first but end up just using veterans for personal gain. This angers them more than anything else but it's not just about the group that did the swindle. Oh no, it hurts the donations for all groups. It makes people think twice about trusting anyone with their donations.
Dante Hayes raised a lot of money when he claimed to be putting on the Veterans Ball. The money vanished and so did he. We don't know what happened but according to this report, he was claiming all systems go up until people were waiting to hear about travel arrangements to the ball. The hotel had not been paid, so they naturally canceled the event. How do you cancel a reputation? How do you cancel the connect the American people have to veterans? How do you cancel the emotional cost this placed on veterans? Can we ever come close to making any of this up to them above all? Hayes did a lot more damage than to the people who donated money to him and paid for tickets. He did damage to every organizations out there that really does put veterans first.
Dante Hayes raised a lot of money when he claimed to be putting on the Veterans Ball. The money vanished and so did he. We don't know what happened but according to this report, he was claiming all systems go up until people were waiting to hear about travel arrangements to the ball. The hotel had not been paid, so they naturally canceled the event. How do you cancel a reputation? How do you cancel the connect the American people have to veterans? How do you cancel the emotional cost this placed on veterans? Can we ever come close to making any of this up to them above all? Hayes did a lot more damage than to the people who donated money to him and paid for tickets. He did damage to every organizations out there that really does put veterans first.
Missing promoter leaves ball sponsors angry
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jan 22, 2009 15:20:46 EST
The promoter who failed to hold a promised Veterans Inaugural Ball on Tuesday has left behind a trail of angry corporate sponsors and charities who contributed to the event, disappointed performers who were booked for entertainment, and 17 to 25 beauty queens who were told they would be ambassadors for their states at the ball and help raise up to $10 million for veterans’ causes.
Debbie Slater, mother of 17-year-old Miss Teen Montana Galaxy Nikki Slater, said in a Wednesday interview that her daughter had told all of her friends she was coming to Washington for the inaugural, and there even was an article about the trip in a local newspaper.
In e-mails, promoter Dante Hayes promised three or four “action-filled” days highlighted by the black-tie ball that Obama supposedly would visit because veterans were such an important cause.
“Honestly, if a veterans’ organization contacted me right now asking for my support, I wouldn’t trust them because of this experience,” Slater said, adding that her family had spent money buying gowns and tuxedos for the many events and had even made a contribution to the cause because they were such big believers. click link for more
USA Together lets you directly help a veteran, one at a time
USA Together/
You've served your country well, now allow your country to give back to you.
At USA Together, our mission is to use the power of the Internet to help the men and women of the US military who have suffered life-altering injuries in service to their country.
By publishing specific needs for goods, financial assistance and services, we hope to connect injured service members and their families with those who are willing and able to assist them.
We are a group of people, some with military background, others without, that have come together to help this amazing group of Americans.
We are based in Silicon Valley and think that there is a power that the internet can bring to solving this problem.
We have no political, religious or other affiliation or agenda and represent a variety of backgrounds.
We believe that all who have served our country in the military have shown a level of care and commitment to America that is to be respected and commended. Those who have gotten injured during that service deserve a corresponding level of care and commitment from their fellow citizens. That is the social contract that we all have with those who serve. This is our way to support the troops.
We believe that there is a desire on the part of many Americans to help, but they just don't know how. This project is designed to allow each person to find someone they can help in a way that suits them. We think that people helping each other directly has a power and sense of community that is unique.
We think this is the right thing to do.
The USAtogether team
Dave Mahler - Founder and President of USA Together
Dave has been involved in high technology business in silicon valley since 1978. Dave was most recently a venture consultant for Accel Partners, where he spent 4 years evaluating and working with startups and has been a Board Director on a number of them. He has served as Interim CEO at several startups during their venture investment period. Prior to joining Accel, Dave co-founded Remedy Corporation (acquired by BMC), where he served in several executive posts, including: VP of Marketing and Sales. Prior to co-founding Remedy, Dave spent 13 years at Hewlett Packard, where he held a variety of management positions in R&D and Marketing. He holds a B.S.E.E. degree from Case Western Reserve University. Dave has also been on the Board of Directors for various non-profits in the education and Search and Rescue fields.
Dave can be reached at dave@usatogether.org.
Eric Bergan - Founder
Most recently, Eric has been an angel investor, consultant to startups, and Tech Partner at El Dorado Ventures. Eric held several positions at Remedy Corporation, including VP of Engineering, VP of Strategic ISVs, and CIO. Previously, Eric was Director of Engineering at NetLabs, a network management software company, and Director of Databases, Applications Engineering and Software Quality Assurance for Pyramid Technology. Eric has also worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and CDC. Eric received a BS in Computer Science and a BA in Philosophy from the University of Kansas and an MS in Computer Science from The John Hopkins University.
Eric can be reached at eric@usatogether.org.
Beth Braun - Founder, VP, Service Member Support
Beth has over 20 years in the customer service field, most recently as the VP Customer Service at Centerbeam, Inc. Prior to that, she held various positions in the customer service area at Remedy Corp. as well as at Hewlett Packard and Lockheed. Beth has a father in law who is a former Marine and brings that sensitivity to her work at USA Together. She is also on the Board for several local sports organizations in the Bay Area. Beth received a BS in Computer Engineering from Boston University.
linked from the previous story from NPR
You've served your country well, now allow your country to give back to you.
At USA Together, our mission is to use the power of the Internet to help the men and women of the US military who have suffered life-altering injuries in service to their country.
By publishing specific needs for goods, financial assistance and services, we hope to connect injured service members and their families with those who are willing and able to assist them.
We are a group of people, some with military background, others without, that have come together to help this amazing group of Americans.
We are based in Silicon Valley and think that there is a power that the internet can bring to solving this problem.
We have no political, religious or other affiliation or agenda and represent a variety of backgrounds.
We believe that all who have served our country in the military have shown a level of care and commitment to America that is to be respected and commended. Those who have gotten injured during that service deserve a corresponding level of care and commitment from their fellow citizens. That is the social contract that we all have with those who serve. This is our way to support the troops.
We believe that there is a desire on the part of many Americans to help, but they just don't know how. This project is designed to allow each person to find someone they can help in a way that suits them. We think that people helping each other directly has a power and sense of community that is unique.
We think this is the right thing to do.
The USAtogether team
Dave Mahler - Founder and President of USA Together
Dave has been involved in high technology business in silicon valley since 1978. Dave was most recently a venture consultant for Accel Partners, where he spent 4 years evaluating and working with startups and has been a Board Director on a number of them. He has served as Interim CEO at several startups during their venture investment period. Prior to joining Accel, Dave co-founded Remedy Corporation (acquired by BMC), where he served in several executive posts, including: VP of Marketing and Sales. Prior to co-founding Remedy, Dave spent 13 years at Hewlett Packard, where he held a variety of management positions in R&D and Marketing. He holds a B.S.E.E. degree from Case Western Reserve University. Dave has also been on the Board of Directors for various non-profits in the education and Search and Rescue fields.
Dave can be reached at dave@usatogether.org.
Eric Bergan - Founder
Most recently, Eric has been an angel investor, consultant to startups, and Tech Partner at El Dorado Ventures. Eric held several positions at Remedy Corporation, including VP of Engineering, VP of Strategic ISVs, and CIO. Previously, Eric was Director of Engineering at NetLabs, a network management software company, and Director of Databases, Applications Engineering and Software Quality Assurance for Pyramid Technology. Eric has also worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and CDC. Eric received a BS in Computer Science and a BA in Philosophy from the University of Kansas and an MS in Computer Science from The John Hopkins University.
Eric can be reached at eric@usatogether.org.
Beth Braun - Founder, VP, Service Member Support
Beth has over 20 years in the customer service field, most recently as the VP Customer Service at Centerbeam, Inc. Prior to that, she held various positions in the customer service area at Remedy Corp. as well as at Hewlett Packard and Lockheed. Beth has a father in law who is a former Marine and brings that sensitivity to her work at USA Together. She is also on the Board for several local sports organizations in the Bay Area. Beth received a BS in Computer Engineering from Boston University.
linked from the previous story from NPR
Veterans Turn To Online Strangers For Financial Help
If you've been paying attention, a report like this will not surprise you. The problem is, most people, well, they haven't paid attention at all. This is what happens when the government does not think "have they done enough" instead of just doing what they are forced to do.
Veterans Turn To Online Strangers For Financial Help
NPR - USA
by Daniel Zwerdling
Listen Now
Morning Edition, January 22, 2009 · When Robert Sprenger's Humvee blew up in Iraq, the Army specialist was burned black over large swatches of his body.
After the Army transported him to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, Sprenger spent months lying in his bed, wrapped in gauze, almost like a mummy.
When he was released, he moved back home with his mother to the farm town of Sleepy Eye, Minn., where they made a troubling discovery.
The government compensated him, but his mother says the money wasn't anywhere near enough to cover his family's expenses. So Sprenger and his family swallowed their pride, as a growing number of veterans have done, and went cyberbegging: They posted their story on a Web site and asked strangers to help.
"That was the most horrible-est thing," says Robert's mother, Vicky Sprenger. But she says they had no choice. "I wouldn't ever cut the Army down for any reason whatsoever," she says. "I just think ... it kind of stinks, you know, that we do have to struggle the way we do."
“If the VA is meeting [its] obligations to America's veterans, why is there a need for any other nongovernmental organizations or veterans service organizations to provide any level of assistance?”
Peter Gaytan, director of national veterans affairs, the American Legion
click link for more
Epilepsy drugs to treat PTSD
Epilepsy drugs to treat PTSD
guardian.co.uk - UKBMJ Group, Friday 7 November 2008 Article history
Do they work?
We don't know. Some doctors have tried using drugs for epilepsy as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But this treatment is still experimental. There's no good-quality research yet to say whether drugs for epilepsy can help people with PTSD.
What are they?
There are several drugs that doctors use to treat epilepsy. Some of the ones that have been tried for PTSD are:
carbamazepine (brand name Tegretol)
tiagabine (Gabitril)
topiramate (Topamax)
valproate (Epilim).
You usually take these drugs as tablets.
Drugs have been available to treat epilepsy for years, but they have only just started to be used for PTSD. There's still not much information on how well they work, so they're not used very often. Your doctor might suggest you take an epilepsy drug if you've tried other treatments and they haven't helped.
How can they help?
We don't know if they can help. There hasn't been any good-quality research looking at whether epilepsy drugs can help people with PTSD. A few small, lower-quality studies have had promising results.[1] [2] But we need more research before we can say what the benefits and risks of these drugs are for people with PTSD.
Why should they work?
Epilepsy drugs seem to help stabilise people's moods. This may mean you get fewer symptoms of PTSD. Or, if you're less agitated and irritable, you might find your other symptoms easier to cope with.
click link for more
guardian.co.uk - UKBMJ Group, Friday 7 November 2008 Article history
Do they work?
We don't know. Some doctors have tried using drugs for epilepsy as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But this treatment is still experimental. There's no good-quality research yet to say whether drugs for epilepsy can help people with PTSD.
What are they?
There are several drugs that doctors use to treat epilepsy. Some of the ones that have been tried for PTSD are:
carbamazepine (brand name Tegretol)
tiagabine (Gabitril)
topiramate (Topamax)
valproate (Epilim).
You usually take these drugs as tablets.
Drugs have been available to treat epilepsy for years, but they have only just started to be used for PTSD. There's still not much information on how well they work, so they're not used very often. Your doctor might suggest you take an epilepsy drug if you've tried other treatments and they haven't helped.
How can they help?
We don't know if they can help. There hasn't been any good-quality research looking at whether epilepsy drugs can help people with PTSD. A few small, lower-quality studies have had promising results.[1] [2] But we need more research before we can say what the benefits and risks of these drugs are for people with PTSD.
Why should they work?
Epilepsy drugs seem to help stabilise people's moods. This may mean you get fewer symptoms of PTSD. Or, if you're less agitated and irritable, you might find your other symptoms easier to cope with.
click link for more
Army recruiter suicides finding, nope, no PTSD connection
The Army claims that none of the soldiers were diagnosed with PTSD. The key word here is "diagnosed" and we need to keep in mind that this does not mean they did not have PTSD. Sgt. Henderson did not have flashbacks because of "other issues" but had them from combat.
Do people commit suicide when they do not have PTSD? Regular people commit suicide for all kinds of reasons but these are not "regular people" they are a rarity. It's time for the military to acknowledge the difference between those willing to lay down their lives in defense of this nation, serving this nation and what it asks of them and the majority of the American people who depend on them. They do not take their personal lives above everything else. For them, their families, their friends, their outside lives come secondary to service. They know they can be deployed, sent away from their families and their "regular lives" at a moments notice. It doesn't matter if their wife is pregnant and they will miss the birth because they have to go. It doesn't stop them from going when adult children get married and they will not be able to walk their daughter down the isle because they are deployed into combat. This is their life and it's high time the military acknowledges that fact and pays tribute to it. They fail the men and women willing to lay down their lives if they do not understand the basis of these lives.
The DOD and the VA cannot keep denying the connection between known symptoms of PTSD because their is not an approved claim for it. Flashbacks of combat do not come from anything other than being in combat!
Recruiter Suicides Lead To Army Probe
Sgt. 1st Class Patrick Henderson in her home in Henderson, Texas, Nov. 20, 2008. Patrick Henderson, afflicted by flashbacks and sleeplessness after a tour in Iraq, hanged himself in a shed behind his house as his wife and her son slept.
He became, at age 35, the fourth member of the Army's Houston Recruiting Battalion to commit suicide in the past three years — something Henderson's widow and others blame on the psychological scars of combat, combined with the pressure-cooker job of trying to sell the war. click link for more
Do people commit suicide when they do not have PTSD? Regular people commit suicide for all kinds of reasons but these are not "regular people" they are a rarity. It's time for the military to acknowledge the difference between those willing to lay down their lives in defense of this nation, serving this nation and what it asks of them and the majority of the American people who depend on them. They do not take their personal lives above everything else. For them, their families, their friends, their outside lives come secondary to service. They know they can be deployed, sent away from their families and their "regular lives" at a moments notice. It doesn't matter if their wife is pregnant and they will miss the birth because they have to go. It doesn't stop them from going when adult children get married and they will not be able to walk their daughter down the isle because they are deployed into combat. This is their life and it's high time the military acknowledges that fact and pays tribute to it. They fail the men and women willing to lay down their lives if they do not understand the basis of these lives.
Army completes recruiter suicide investigation
Jan 21
By Catherine Abbott (Media Relations Division, OCPA)
The U.S. Army concluded a two and a half month investigation into the suicides of four Soldiers assigned to the Houston Recruiting Battalion.
Lt. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, commander, U.S. Army Accessions Command, directed Brig. Gen. Frank D. Turner III, deputy commanding general and chief of staff for the U.S. Army Accessions Command, to investigate the unit that experienced the four suicides that occurred between January 2005 and September 2008.
"Each of these deaths is an absolute tragedy and our sympathies and prayers go out to their families and friends, as well as their fellow brothers and sisters with whom they served so honorably," said Freakley. "Every leader, every Soldier, at every level of our Army, must help our institution reduce the stigma associated with seeking mental health care and raise the level of awareness of suicide risk factors. Neither our nation nor our Army can accept another needless loss of life."
The investigation concluded that there was no single cause for these deaths. Relevant factors included the command climate, stress, personal matters, and medical problems. None were diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
As a result of the findings, Secretary of the Army directed a USAREC command-wide "stand down" day focused on leadership training, suicide prevention / resiliency training and recruiter wellness. Additionally, the Commanding General of Army Accessions Command has requested that the Army's Inspector General lead an external assessment of the command climate across the U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USAREC), to which the Houston Recruiting Battalion belongs.
The Army is also reviewing recruiter screening and selection processes, the provisions of care for Soldiers who need mental health care, Army-wide suicide prevention training, and access to care and peer support networks for geographically dispersed Soldiers. It will review the current policy that allows Soldiers to waive their mandatory 90 days of stabilization after returning from deployment to ensure any personal or professional concerns are addressed prior to the recently redeployed Soldier moving into new and different work environments.
The Army will continue to focus its efforts on helping Soldiers get the assistance they need wherever they serve. For more information contact COL Michael Negard at TRADOC Public Affairs, (757) 788-3385; michael.negard@us.army.mil
The DOD and the VA cannot keep denying the connection between known symptoms of PTSD because their is not an approved claim for it. Flashbacks of combat do not come from anything other than being in combat!
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