New Breed Of Counselors Deals With Veterans' PTSD
Hartford Courant - United States
By RINKER BUCK The Hartford Courant
February 22, 2009
Jay White spent his first day in Baghdad in 2003 camping beside a dead U.S. Army soldier in a body bag.
In a very real sense, this would determine his career, an increasingly important one as the United States sends more troops to Afghanistan.
Trained as a mental health specialist at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, White has experienced the horrors of war during two tours in Iraq. This has prepared him to counsel soldiers who can't forget, or cope with, their own horrific experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq.
White, 37, of Cromwell, is an outreach counselor at the Hartford Vet Center in Rocky Hill. He is a member of a new breed of counselors hired by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in an attempt to avoid the Vietnam-era mistake of ignoring post-traumatic stress disorder and other readjustment problems experienced by soldiers returning from war zones. He was hired in 2004, one of about 50 counselors recruited because they had served in Iraq.
In addition to counseling sessions, White has inspired the formation of a unique group of veterans. These men tour the state addressing police departments, college administrators and social service agencies on the hazards of post-traumatic stress disorder, and what can happen when society fails to recognize the symptoms of soldiers returning from combat with hair-trigger emotions and an inability to cope with the everyday challenges of civilian life.
But even as he maintained a busy schedule of counseling veterans in one-on-one sessions in his office, White became aware that many soldiers were falling through the cracks, reluctant, for various reasons, to seek traditional counseling.
click link for more
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Heartless thugs take clothes intended for homeless veterans
Group that helps veterans reports $200000 burglary
MSNBC - USA
Enterprise-Record
updated 8:59 p.m. ET, Sat., Feb. 21, 2009
CHICO -- Burglaries on two successive nights have left Caring Veterans Inc., a group that aids homeless veterans, missing about $200,000 in cold weather gear and clothing.
Large storage containers outside the organization's office on Rio Lindo Avenue were broken into Sunday and Monday, with thieves using bolt cutters on loading door locks.
Caring Veterans spokesman Hennie Van De Velde said cold weather gear including jackets, sweaters, boots and about 40 sleeping bags were taken from a container Sunday night.
click link for more
MSNBC - USA
Enterprise-Record
updated 8:59 p.m. ET, Sat., Feb. 21, 2009
CHICO -- Burglaries on two successive nights have left Caring Veterans Inc., a group that aids homeless veterans, missing about $200,000 in cold weather gear and clothing.
Large storage containers outside the organization's office on Rio Lindo Avenue were broken into Sunday and Monday, with thieves using bolt cutters on loading door locks.
Caring Veterans spokesman Hennie Van De Velde said cold weather gear including jackets, sweaters, boots and about 40 sleeping bags were taken from a container Sunday night.
click link for more
Army Emergency Relief charity hoards millions
AP INVESTIGATION: Army charity hoards millions
Dallas Morning News - Dallas,TX,USA
02/22/2009
By JEFF DONN / Associated Press
As soldiers stream home from Iraq and Afghanistan, the biggest charity inside the U.S. military has been stockpiling tens of millions of dollars meant to help put returning fighters back on their feet, an Associated Press investigation shows.
Between 2003 and 2007 — as many military families dealt with long war deployments and increased numbers of home foreclosures — Army Emergency Relief grew into a $345 million behemoth. During those years, the charity packed away $117 million into its own reserves while spending just $64 million on direct aid, according to an AP analysis of its tax records.
Tax-exempt and legally separate from the military, AER projects a facade of independence but really operates under close Army control. The massive nonprofit — funded predominantly by troops — allows superiors to squeeze soldiers for contributions; forces struggling soldiers to repay loans — sometimes delaying transfers and promotions; and too often violates its own rules by rewarding donors, such as giving free passes from physical training, the AP found.
AER was founded in 1942 to soften the personal financial hardships on soldiers and their families as the country ramped up its fight in World War II.
click link for more
Dallas Morning News - Dallas,TX,USA
02/22/2009
By JEFF DONN / Associated Press
As soldiers stream home from Iraq and Afghanistan, the biggest charity inside the U.S. military has been stockpiling tens of millions of dollars meant to help put returning fighters back on their feet, an Associated Press investigation shows.
Between 2003 and 2007 — as many military families dealt with long war deployments and increased numbers of home foreclosures — Army Emergency Relief grew into a $345 million behemoth. During those years, the charity packed away $117 million into its own reserves while spending just $64 million on direct aid, according to an AP analysis of its tax records.
Tax-exempt and legally separate from the military, AER projects a facade of independence but really operates under close Army control. The massive nonprofit — funded predominantly by troops — allows superiors to squeeze soldiers for contributions; forces struggling soldiers to repay loans — sometimes delaying transfers and promotions; and too often violates its own rules by rewarding donors, such as giving free passes from physical training, the AP found.
AER was founded in 1942 to soften the personal financial hardships on soldiers and their families as the country ramped up its fight in World War II.
click link for more
Jason Cooper's life honored after suicide
Soldier who took own life receives honors posthumously
DesMoinesRegister.com - Des Moines,IA,USA
By JASON PULLIAM • jpulliam@dmreg.com • February 21, 2009
Friends and loved ones of the late Jason Cooper honored his memory in a ceremony Saturday by accepting the military commendations he earned on the battlefield.
“It feels like we’re finally receiving what Jason earned in life,” said Terri Jones, Cooper’s mother.
Jones accepted the medals and ribbons at the Fort Des Moines Museum and Education Center on Des Moines’ south side.
In recognition of Cooper’s service, Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Ia., gave Jones her son’s Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon and Army Service Ribbon.
click link for more
DesMoinesRegister.com - Des Moines,IA,USA
By JASON PULLIAM • jpulliam@dmreg.com • February 21, 2009
Friends and loved ones of the late Jason Cooper honored his memory in a ceremony Saturday by accepting the military commendations he earned on the battlefield.
“It feels like we’re finally receiving what Jason earned in life,” said Terri Jones, Cooper’s mother.
Jones accepted the medals and ribbons at the Fort Des Moines Museum and Education Center on Des Moines’ south side.
In recognition of Cooper’s service, Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Ia., gave Jones her son’s Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon and Army Service Ribbon.
click link for more
POSSIBLE MURDER-SUICIDE: Airman, wife die in shooting
This story wasn't sad enough until I read the names. This is after the reporter said authorities have not released the names, which usually means a family member picked up the paper and found out about this tragedy by reading it. Why was there a rush in reporting the names? Wasn't it bad enough they reported the address? What harm would it have done to have waited until the police said they contacted the families?
In the past, I've been part of this kind of mess without intending it. I simply assume that police have notified family members before reporters release the names. It's very hard on them to find out someone they love died but especially hard when it involves suspected murder-suicide.
In the past, I've been part of this kind of mess without intending it. I simply assume that police have notified family members before reporters release the names. It's very hard on them to find out someone they love died but especially hard when it involves suspected murder-suicide.
POSSIBLE MURDER-SUICIDE: Airman, wife die in shooting
Las Vegas Review - Journal - Las Vegas,NV,USA
SWAT officers find couple dead after standoff in North Las Vegas
By MAGGIE LILLIS, LAWRENCE MOWER and KEITH ROGERS
A Nellis Air Force Base airman and his wife died in what is believed to be a murder-suicide Friday in a North Las Vegas apartment.
The deaths ended a roughly two-hour standoff with North Las Vegas police, during which the airman, an Iraq war veteran who might have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, shot at police.
Police said a third party, a friend of the wife's, called police about 5:30 a.m. claiming that the gunman was holding a gun to his wife's head inside the apartment, Sgt. Tim Bedwell said.
Officers made contact with the man at a ground-level unit at the Craig Ranch Villas apartments, 370 Casa Norte Drive, near Commerce Street and Lone Mountain Road. He retreated into the apartment and fired shots through a window at police, Bedwell said.
When SWAT officers entered the apartment about 8 a.m., they found the two people dead from gunshot wounds. click link for more
"Any "moron" can see faking vets"
This is more proof I get way too much email. This one came from a friend after receiving it from a very long list of forwards. Most of the time when I get emails like this, I simply delete it with pleasure but after reading this one, I couldn't stop my blood pressure from boiling no matter how much I tried to calm my soul down.
Ed and Lacy are correct. Any "moron" can see all of what they see because it requires uninformed morons to see what they see. These are the same type of people that denied PTSD was real while veterans were coming back from every war since the beginning of time and ended up taking their own lives, seeing their families fall apart as hope of healing slips through their grasp. When the term used to describe this devastating wound was changed to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, this type of moron blamed the veteran, called them fakes, said they were trying to suck off the system, looking for a free ride, and when none of that worked, they turned around and called them drug addicts and alcoholic lowlifes.
People like Ed and Lacy were standing in the way while Vietnam veterans saw what was wrong, saw what happened to them and all combat veterans before them, had to endure and ended up saying "enough" suffering in silence. They raised holy hell with the government until PTSD was recognized and compensated for, not just for them but for all generations to come after them. It's one of the biggest reasons I say the Vietnam veterans are the greatest generation. The didn't just decide to take care of themselves but adopted the slogan, “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.”
In 1982 when I started all of this with veterans, it always amazed me how people could be so uninformed about history. When the Gulf War came, as yellow ribbon stickers showed up on every business, flags flew from doorways and parades welcomed them home, I wondered how fast the appreciation would end and ambivalence would resume. Back then we had our own problems with the economy and then President Bush 41 showing up on our TV sets telling us there was "no recession" and the economy was fine. Much like we've had over the last few years with two military campaigns going on. As fast as the yellow ribbon stickers were pealed off the windows, Gulf war veterans were looking for jobs and trying to figure out why so many of them were sick. America, well, we didn't pay attention any more than we paid attention to the illnesses caused by Agent Orange with Vietnam veterans. Once wars end, we tend to what to hear no more about any of it. At the same time Gulf War veterans were seeking help and compensation for Gulf War Syndrome, Vietnam veterans were still fighting to have the illnesses connected to Agent Orange, but they also took on the cause of the Gulf War veterans simultaneously fighting for PTSD to be understood.
Older veterans, well they understood what the Vietnam veterans dared to talk about and fight for. After all, they had it too. The difference was the older generations came home and suffered in silence, getting jobs, married and raising kids while hell took control over their household, families suffered secondary PTSD living with all the traumatic events caused by untreated PTSD and the delusion of self-medications not "hurting anyone else" as a piece of them died everyday. They sent their sons off to Vietnam and when they returned changed, these same combat veterans told their kids to "suck it up" and "get over it" the way they did. That was the biggest problem of all. None of the Vietnam veterans wanted to "get over it" the way their fathers did because they knew too well what that kind of getting over it did to their families. While older veterans were slamming doors shut to these "not even real veterans" the Vietnam veterans dug in their heals and said, never again. They embraced the same veterans that turned their backs on them. Then they reached back to make sure the veterans or WWI, WWII, and Korea were treated with the dignity they deserved and their wounds taken care of instead of being accepted as their inability to "get over it" after their combat ended.
After all these years of fighting people like Ed and Lacy, I've stopped tying to get them to understand how very real PTSD or the fact that too many of our veterans never seek help because they've heard words like Ed's and Lacy's too many times before. While advocates fight to bring honor to the honorable, Ed and Lacy's tiny fraction of the American population have been fighting to keep them away from being treated and compensated for what came home with them. You'd think they would have the ability to learn that we continue to lose more after combat than we do during combat to PTSD and suicides, but then you'd also have to managed somehow to think they have the ability to learn anything. I've stopped trying and simply regard these people as "morons" unable to see anything no matter how much proof is offered.
Usually people like them are not worth the time it takes to type on the keyboard. I'd rather spend my time helping the veterans people like them want to dishonor. I would really like to see the people denying PTSD is real spend one day living with a PTSD veteran, or the family of one that took their own life because the help they needed to heal was nowhere to be found. They won't because they are too afraid to face the truth and fully understand all these years they've not only been wrong, they may have added to the suffering.
These people remind me of St. Paul. He was not always named Paul but came into the world as Saul. He was privileged and considered himself devoted to God. After Christ was crucified, Saul decided that it was his job to hunt down Christians and turn them over for execution. He was convinced he was right and doing the right thing for the right reason. He was so proud of himself every time he found a Christian and got rid of one more until he was traveling to Damascus. He heard a voice call down from heaven asking why he was persecuting "me" and the voice turned out to be that of Christ Himself. It was at that moment, this pride filled, deluded fool, understood that all he had done was not only wrong but done for the wrong reason and people suffered because of what he had in his own brain. It would change his life forever after that but he would have to live with the memories of all he did to other people instead of helping other people.
It would be a wonderful sight to behold when people like Ed and Lacy have their Damascus moment after denying the suffering of millions of our veterans, but it will be too late for too many. People like them, along with the military brass still denying the reality of PTSD are the morons now but they are just too incapable of opening their own eyes. The only fools in this are the people lacking knowledge along with compassion for others. It will be very hard on them when after all their efforts slamming veterans turns out to be years of people laughing at them they were just too ignorant to notice.
My husband is just one Vietnam veteran that would still stop to help people like Ed and Lacy if they were in trouble no matter what they say. It's just the way they are. This email I read was not worth the time it took to read it, but responding was because the veterans are worthy of every second I spend fighting for them.
Dear Lacy,
Thanks for the support. You might want to know that what you said
yesterday in this group was echoed today by another person in a news
article published in Illinois.
Yesterday you said the following: "Geeziz! Any moron can see that as
Vietnam vets get older the ones who are short on money are trying to
make up for lost wages by milking the VA for PTSD money. And any moron
can see that as the economy gets bad more and more of these thieves
are coming out of the cracks in the floor to rip off the VA. And when
they rip off the VA they steal money from the vets who really need and
deserve VA help."
The following article that I am sending the link to (below) was
published today by someone named Mary Schantag who is an archivist
with the P.O.W. Network. Schantag said: "2009 could finish as the
worst year for military fraud cases because of a failing economy that
has kept millions of people out of work."
Lacy, you can find the full article here:
Military archivist says 2009 could be worst for military fraudDaily Egyptian
You, me and others know well that a lot of criminal vets have been
getting PTSD money fraudulently. I have warned that these vets will
soon be facing prosecution and jail time. The smart ones will go
immediately to their nearest VA and end their bogus PTSD payments. But
the idiots will continue to rip off the VA until they find themselves
in jail.
You, me and others who fight corruption and theft from our truly
disabled vets will always be slandered and lied about by the criminals
who try to portray themselves as heroes and portray us as
anti-American. But the real, honest and intelligent vets will know
that we were right and what we are doing is in the best interest of
vets who are truly deserving of their benefits.
Read the Schantag article. It's as if she read your mind... or read
your piece in this group yesterday... but we all know that Schantag
simply see's -- just as you and I see -- what is going on in our VA
offices everyday of the week.
Ed
Ed and Lacy are correct. Any "moron" can see all of what they see because it requires uninformed morons to see what they see. These are the same type of people that denied PTSD was real while veterans were coming back from every war since the beginning of time and ended up taking their own lives, seeing their families fall apart as hope of healing slips through their grasp. When the term used to describe this devastating wound was changed to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, this type of moron blamed the veteran, called them fakes, said they were trying to suck off the system, looking for a free ride, and when none of that worked, they turned around and called them drug addicts and alcoholic lowlifes.
People like Ed and Lacy were standing in the way while Vietnam veterans saw what was wrong, saw what happened to them and all combat veterans before them, had to endure and ended up saying "enough" suffering in silence. They raised holy hell with the government until PTSD was recognized and compensated for, not just for them but for all generations to come after them. It's one of the biggest reasons I say the Vietnam veterans are the greatest generation. The didn't just decide to take care of themselves but adopted the slogan, “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.”
In 1982 when I started all of this with veterans, it always amazed me how people could be so uninformed about history. When the Gulf War came, as yellow ribbon stickers showed up on every business, flags flew from doorways and parades welcomed them home, I wondered how fast the appreciation would end and ambivalence would resume. Back then we had our own problems with the economy and then President Bush 41 showing up on our TV sets telling us there was "no recession" and the economy was fine. Much like we've had over the last few years with two military campaigns going on. As fast as the yellow ribbon stickers were pealed off the windows, Gulf war veterans were looking for jobs and trying to figure out why so many of them were sick. America, well, we didn't pay attention any more than we paid attention to the illnesses caused by Agent Orange with Vietnam veterans. Once wars end, we tend to what to hear no more about any of it. At the same time Gulf War veterans were seeking help and compensation for Gulf War Syndrome, Vietnam veterans were still fighting to have the illnesses connected to Agent Orange, but they also took on the cause of the Gulf War veterans simultaneously fighting for PTSD to be understood.
Older veterans, well they understood what the Vietnam veterans dared to talk about and fight for. After all, they had it too. The difference was the older generations came home and suffered in silence, getting jobs, married and raising kids while hell took control over their household, families suffered secondary PTSD living with all the traumatic events caused by untreated PTSD and the delusion of self-medications not "hurting anyone else" as a piece of them died everyday. They sent their sons off to Vietnam and when they returned changed, these same combat veterans told their kids to "suck it up" and "get over it" the way they did. That was the biggest problem of all. None of the Vietnam veterans wanted to "get over it" the way their fathers did because they knew too well what that kind of getting over it did to their families. While older veterans were slamming doors shut to these "not even real veterans" the Vietnam veterans dug in their heals and said, never again. They embraced the same veterans that turned their backs on them. Then they reached back to make sure the veterans or WWI, WWII, and Korea were treated with the dignity they deserved and their wounds taken care of instead of being accepted as their inability to "get over it" after their combat ended.
After all these years of fighting people like Ed and Lacy, I've stopped tying to get them to understand how very real PTSD or the fact that too many of our veterans never seek help because they've heard words like Ed's and Lacy's too many times before. While advocates fight to bring honor to the honorable, Ed and Lacy's tiny fraction of the American population have been fighting to keep them away from being treated and compensated for what came home with them. You'd think they would have the ability to learn that we continue to lose more after combat than we do during combat to PTSD and suicides, but then you'd also have to managed somehow to think they have the ability to learn anything. I've stopped trying and simply regard these people as "morons" unable to see anything no matter how much proof is offered.
Usually people like them are not worth the time it takes to type on the keyboard. I'd rather spend my time helping the veterans people like them want to dishonor. I would really like to see the people denying PTSD is real spend one day living with a PTSD veteran, or the family of one that took their own life because the help they needed to heal was nowhere to be found. They won't because they are too afraid to face the truth and fully understand all these years they've not only been wrong, they may have added to the suffering.
These people remind me of St. Paul. He was not always named Paul but came into the world as Saul. He was privileged and considered himself devoted to God. After Christ was crucified, Saul decided that it was his job to hunt down Christians and turn them over for execution. He was convinced he was right and doing the right thing for the right reason. He was so proud of himself every time he found a Christian and got rid of one more until he was traveling to Damascus. He heard a voice call down from heaven asking why he was persecuting "me" and the voice turned out to be that of Christ Himself. It was at that moment, this pride filled, deluded fool, understood that all he had done was not only wrong but done for the wrong reason and people suffered because of what he had in his own brain. It would change his life forever after that but he would have to live with the memories of all he did to other people instead of helping other people.
It would be a wonderful sight to behold when people like Ed and Lacy have their Damascus moment after denying the suffering of millions of our veterans, but it will be too late for too many. People like them, along with the military brass still denying the reality of PTSD are the morons now but they are just too incapable of opening their own eyes. The only fools in this are the people lacking knowledge along with compassion for others. It will be very hard on them when after all their efforts slamming veterans turns out to be years of people laughing at them they were just too ignorant to notice.
My husband is just one Vietnam veteran that would still stop to help people like Ed and Lacy if they were in trouble no matter what they say. It's just the way they are. This email I read was not worth the time it took to read it, but responding was because the veterans are worthy of every second I spend fighting for them.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
DOD reports female soliders death in Kuwait
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
PFC Cwislyn K. Walter, 19, of Honolulu died Feb. 19 in Kuwait City, Kuwait, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. She was assigned to the 29th Special Troops Battalion, 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Hawaii National Guard.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
Veterans blame war and military culture for increased suicides
Western Mass. veterans blame war, military culture on increasing number of suicides
The Republican - MassLive.com - Springfield,MA,USA
Saturday February 21, 2009, 2:00 PM
By FRED CONTRADA
fcontrada@repub.com
When Jeffrey M. Lucey returned from Iraq in 2003, he had a T-shirt from his stint with the Marine Corps that bore this message: "Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body."
The 23-year-old wasn't home long before he plunged into emotional turmoil. At first he tried to medicate himself with alcohol. When the pain became too acute, his family brought him to the U.S. Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Northampton. He was diagnosed with mood swings and alcoholism and discharged after four days.
A month later, on June 22, 2004, Lucey hanged himself in the basement of his parents' home in Belchertown.
Last month, the U.S. government agreed to pay Lucey's family $350,000 to settle a wrongful death suit and promised to make "important changes" in the VA system to help veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Also in January, the Army announced it would hold a "stand down" to address the skyrocketing number of suicides by active duty troops.
In January alone, according to the government's figures, there were 24 suspected suicides in Iraq and Afghanistan, a number that exceeded combat deaths in those theaters. The number of confirmed suicides in 2008 reached 128, a jump from the previous record year of 2007.
click link for more
The Republican - MassLive.com - Springfield,MA,USA
Saturday February 21, 2009, 2:00 PM
By FRED CONTRADA
fcontrada@repub.com
When Jeffrey M. Lucey returned from Iraq in 2003, he had a T-shirt from his stint with the Marine Corps that bore this message: "Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body."
The 23-year-old wasn't home long before he plunged into emotional turmoil. At first he tried to medicate himself with alcohol. When the pain became too acute, his family brought him to the U.S. Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Northampton. He was diagnosed with mood swings and alcoholism and discharged after four days.
A month later, on June 22, 2004, Lucey hanged himself in the basement of his parents' home in Belchertown.
Last month, the U.S. government agreed to pay Lucey's family $350,000 to settle a wrongful death suit and promised to make "important changes" in the VA system to help veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Also in January, the Army announced it would hold a "stand down" to address the skyrocketing number of suicides by active duty troops.
In January alone, according to the government's figures, there were 24 suspected suicides in Iraq and Afghanistan, a number that exceeded combat deaths in those theaters. The number of confirmed suicides in 2008 reached 128, a jump from the previous record year of 2007.
click link for more
TAPS:Group helps families of suicide victims
Group helps families of suicide victims
Advocates offer free peer-to-peer support, crisis line, case assistance
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Feb 21, 2009 10:10:11 EST
After Pvt. Paul Bridges saw his buddies die in Iraq in a Humvee in February 2006, his mental state began going downhill, said his father, Terry Bridges.
Three months later, a mental health counselor told his chain of command that Bridges needed to leave the theater immediately. His weapon was taken away.
But nearly six months later, on Nov. 2, 2006, still in Iraq and working 12-hour days, Bridges shot himself with his roommate’s weapon.
“His command let him down,” said Terry Bridges, who has received no answers about why his son remained in Iraq. “It was something that could have been prevented.”
He said the military needs to train noncommissioned officers not to treat troops as malingerers when they exhibit mental health problems, and also train troops in how to react and protect their comrades who might be contemplating suicide.
“We can’t do anything for Paul. But if we can help change the culture to understand that just because a soldier doesn’t have an arm blown off, or a hole in the stomach, it doesn’t mean soldiers aren’t wounded ... maybe it will prevent this from happening to others,” he said.
Bridges and his wife, Sherryl Marsh, are joining forces with other families of suicide victims in the military through the nonprofit Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors to help prevent suicide in the ranks and assist families of suicide victims.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/02/army_suicide_022109w/
Advocates offer free peer-to-peer support, crisis line, case assistance
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Feb 21, 2009 10:10:11 EST
After Pvt. Paul Bridges saw his buddies die in Iraq in a Humvee in February 2006, his mental state began going downhill, said his father, Terry Bridges.
Three months later, a mental health counselor told his chain of command that Bridges needed to leave the theater immediately. His weapon was taken away.
But nearly six months later, on Nov. 2, 2006, still in Iraq and working 12-hour days, Bridges shot himself with his roommate’s weapon.
“His command let him down,” said Terry Bridges, who has received no answers about why his son remained in Iraq. “It was something that could have been prevented.”
He said the military needs to train noncommissioned officers not to treat troops as malingerers when they exhibit mental health problems, and also train troops in how to react and protect their comrades who might be contemplating suicide.
“We can’t do anything for Paul. But if we can help change the culture to understand that just because a soldier doesn’t have an arm blown off, or a hole in the stomach, it doesn’t mean soldiers aren’t wounded ... maybe it will prevent this from happening to others,” he said.
Bridges and his wife, Sherryl Marsh, are joining forces with other families of suicide victims in the military through the nonprofit Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors to help prevent suicide in the ranks and assist families of suicide victims.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/02/army_suicide_022109w/
Ft. McClellan Veteran Takes Case to Washington
Whatever comes into our lives, it leaves us with choices. Do we pick ourselves up and move on, or do we reach back after others and help them? Most of the people involved with fighting for veterans are either veterans themselves or personally connected to them. In my case, I was born into it and married into it. In the case of Captain Agnes “Irish” Bresnahan, in her own struggle for justice, she reached back to help other veterans.
Captain Agnes M Bresnahan I came here today to a...
source of exposure identified as Fort McClellan, Alabama. Fort Ritchie,. Maryland and Fort Drum, NY have also been identified as Agent Orange
It began with Fort McClellan veterans, then female veterans leading into all veterans. She has been a tireless fighter for their rights even while she has been seeking justice for herself. Irish has traveled to Washington several times and testified before Congress, but now she will be traveling for her own hearing on her claim that has been tied up for years. It's been one thing after another, one excuse after another for what was caused by her willingness to serve the country.
There are many times when our elected representatives go to Washington, get their names in the news for what they do, but hardly ever have what they do not do publicized. Ignorance may be bliss, but in the cases of our veterans and the way they get treated, it's also deadly. I can't remember how many times I was on the phone with Irish and she was telling me about one more knife in her back regarding her claim or the countless other cases of other veterans seeking justice.
When we hear the word "justice" that is really all these veterans want. They don't want handouts. They don't want free rides and they don't want to take anything they is not required because whatever is wrong with them has been caused by their service to the nation. It's as simple as that. I'm not talking about the frauds running around managing to get what they did not earn. Thankfully those cases are very few while the vast majority are veterans forced by circumstances to begin to regret they served. Even with that regret, these men and women would do it all over again no matter how they were treated.
Washington's quote about how we treat veterans was also a warning.
We do not treat them right. We train them to do their "jobs" and give them what they need to do those jobs. In the civilian world, workers are trained, but if they end up getting hurt on the job, workman's compensation reimburses them for lost income. In the military world, the DOD and the VA are supposed to reimburse them for lost income if they are hurt because they served. That's what too many people miss.
If we are placed in dangerous situations, OSHA steps in to make sure employers are doing the right thing. If servicemen are placed in dangerous situations, it's just taken for granted. Doesn't matter that chemicals they are exposed to destroy the rest of their lives as well as their family members. They have to take their cases one by one to the DOD and the VA as if they are the only one affected instead of the DOD contacting all veterans they know were exposed. They have records of who was exposed and should automatically compensate them the way justice demands.
If we are exposed to sexual assaults, law enforcement steps in and the perpetrator goes on trial and then jail. In the military, the victim is blamed and the perpetrator is transferred, much like the Catholic priest accused of sexual assaults on children were simply transferred from one parish to another.
If we are exposed to sexual harassment, again it is considered illegal and the perpetrators are punished. Yet again in the military it happens all the time and is viewed as just part of the culture.
If we are injured on the job because it's part of our job to be in dangerous positions, such as law enforcement or fire departments, we are compensated for the incomes we can no longer earn. Yet if servicemen are injured on their jobs, they have to fight longer and harder to have their cases resolved.
When it comes to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, civilians are taken care of a lot faster with Social Security Disability, private disability insurance, workman's compensation and their medical insurance pays to have them treated. When it comes to the DOD and the VA, they are required to not only prove they were where the traumatic events happened, they were injured by the event, they also have to prove it couldn't have occurred for any other reason. When they finally do have their case approved for compensation, they are hardly ever presented with the full compensation they should received and then must fight all over again to prove they should receive more.
Supposedly the DOD and the VA are so appreciative of the men and women willing to serve this nation, they "take care of their own" but if "their own" end up disabled, they are no longer one of them but belong to someone else and become the "issue" of someone else. In other words, someone else's problem.
Rank and file become veterans and end up taking care of their own against the leaders they thought they could trust with their lives once their lives were no longer of service to them. It's wrong and has been wrong for too many generations. Washington would have never accepted any of the conditions the rest of us expect the members of the military to tolerate. After all, we don't when it comes to civilian life but we expect them to tolerate it when they return to civilian life no matter what they carry with them.
Pray for Irish that justice for her will lead to justice for all Fort McClellan veterans and every other veteran forced to fight the nation they risked their lives for.
Captain Agnes M Bresnahan I came here today to a...
source of exposure identified as Fort McClellan, Alabama. Fort Ritchie,. Maryland and Fort Drum, NY have also been identified as Agent Orange
It began with Fort McClellan veterans, then female veterans leading into all veterans. She has been a tireless fighter for their rights even while she has been seeking justice for herself. Irish has traveled to Washington several times and testified before Congress, but now she will be traveling for her own hearing on her claim that has been tied up for years. It's been one thing after another, one excuse after another for what was caused by her willingness to serve the country.
February 20, 2009
On behalf of Captain “Irish” Agnes Bresnahan I made my personal journey to Washington DC today to hand deliver the video DVD historical story of Captain Bresnahan; Her chemical exposure service related illness to herbicides – Agent Orange.
DVD copies were delivered to Members of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, Chairman – Congressman Bob Filner, California.
Subcommittee for the House on Veterans Affairs, Chairman,
Congressman John Hall, NY - Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick, Arizona.
Also to Congressman Steve Kagen M.D.
These congressional representatives in Washington are the first ever to have the opportunity to know this historical case of Captain Bresnahan’s exposure to chemical herbicides on U.S soil at Ft. McClellan Alabama 1971 – 1977.
It is now up to these congressional representatives to respond and take an action to correct the injustices exposed in this story to Captain Bresnahan for her and for all Vietnam Veterans exposed to chemical herbicides, state-side, in the Republic of Vietnam, or any other place while in military service serving the United States of America.
Do we get a response?
Best,
Carlo Albanese
There are many times when our elected representatives go to Washington, get their names in the news for what they do, but hardly ever have what they do not do publicized. Ignorance may be bliss, but in the cases of our veterans and the way they get treated, it's also deadly. I can't remember how many times I was on the phone with Irish and she was telling me about one more knife in her back regarding her claim or the countless other cases of other veterans seeking justice.
When we hear the word "justice" that is really all these veterans want. They don't want handouts. They don't want free rides and they don't want to take anything they is not required because whatever is wrong with them has been caused by their service to the nation. It's as simple as that. I'm not talking about the frauds running around managing to get what they did not earn. Thankfully those cases are very few while the vast majority are veterans forced by circumstances to begin to regret they served. Even with that regret, these men and women would do it all over again no matter how they were treated.
Washington's quote about how we treat veterans was also a warning.
"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
We do not treat them right. We train them to do their "jobs" and give them what they need to do those jobs. In the civilian world, workers are trained, but if they end up getting hurt on the job, workman's compensation reimburses them for lost income. In the military world, the DOD and the VA are supposed to reimburse them for lost income if they are hurt because they served. That's what too many people miss.
If we are placed in dangerous situations, OSHA steps in to make sure employers are doing the right thing. If servicemen are placed in dangerous situations, it's just taken for granted. Doesn't matter that chemicals they are exposed to destroy the rest of their lives as well as their family members. They have to take their cases one by one to the DOD and the VA as if they are the only one affected instead of the DOD contacting all veterans they know were exposed. They have records of who was exposed and should automatically compensate them the way justice demands.
If we are exposed to sexual assaults, law enforcement steps in and the perpetrator goes on trial and then jail. In the military, the victim is blamed and the perpetrator is transferred, much like the Catholic priest accused of sexual assaults on children were simply transferred from one parish to another.
If we are exposed to sexual harassment, again it is considered illegal and the perpetrators are punished. Yet again in the military it happens all the time and is viewed as just part of the culture.
If we are injured on the job because it's part of our job to be in dangerous positions, such as law enforcement or fire departments, we are compensated for the incomes we can no longer earn. Yet if servicemen are injured on their jobs, they have to fight longer and harder to have their cases resolved.
When it comes to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, civilians are taken care of a lot faster with Social Security Disability, private disability insurance, workman's compensation and their medical insurance pays to have them treated. When it comes to the DOD and the VA, they are required to not only prove they were where the traumatic events happened, they were injured by the event, they also have to prove it couldn't have occurred for any other reason. When they finally do have their case approved for compensation, they are hardly ever presented with the full compensation they should received and then must fight all over again to prove they should receive more.
Supposedly the DOD and the VA are so appreciative of the men and women willing to serve this nation, they "take care of their own" but if "their own" end up disabled, they are no longer one of them but belong to someone else and become the "issue" of someone else. In other words, someone else's problem.
Rank and file become veterans and end up taking care of their own against the leaders they thought they could trust with their lives once their lives were no longer of service to them. It's wrong and has been wrong for too many generations. Washington would have never accepted any of the conditions the rest of us expect the members of the military to tolerate. After all, we don't when it comes to civilian life but we expect them to tolerate it when they return to civilian life no matter what they carry with them.
Pray for Irish that justice for her will lead to justice for all Fort McClellan veterans and every other veteran forced to fight the nation they risked their lives for.
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