Rep. John Murtha, how many times do you have to hear before you listen?

Dear Congressman Murtha,
With all do respect, because I do believe you really care about the veterans, it's time to stop hearing the problems and start listening to the solutions.

I've heard enough testimonies in the last few years to know there isn't anything new. I've been doing outreach work with veterans since 1982, plus living with it everyday. I've research the data and talked with them, emailed them, held their hands and hugged them more times than I can count. Going over and over to the same group of people will provide you with the same information. What the DOD and the VA have does not work and they've had over 30 years to get this right. The troops and our veterans keep killing themselves waiting for Congress to get their act together and come up with programs that work. Families are falling apart while Congress keeps asking the same questions over and over again.

We can save their lives, heal marriages and families if we do what they need instead of what Congress wants to do. If you want to know exactly what has to be done, just ask. I've given up on emailing Congressmen and Senators because none of them have wanted to listen. If you do, just email me at Namguardianangel@aol.com.

Hearing to focus on mental health of troops
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 6:28:59 EST

WASHINGTON — A House subcommittee on Tuesday will take a look at military programs targeting mental health.

The Army has been investigating an unexplained spike in suicides in January. Last year, the Army had its highest suicide rate on record.

Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., will chair the hearing before the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, which will also examine programs for soldiers with traumatic brain injuries.

PA. group to help vets with post-traumatic stress

Pa. group to help vets with post-traumatic stress
(AP)
An Allentown nonprofit is converting a vacant 90-year-old church school into a residential "veterans sanctuary" to specialize in treating post-traumatic stress disorder.
New Treatment Trends will create a short-term therapeutic home for 60 veterans, with room for counseling, training and group therapy.
Executive director Robert Csandl (SAN'-del) says veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder often turn to drugs or alcohol.
City Councilman Mike Donovan says the center will be downtown, close to key government and health care services. Council president Michael D'Amore says it will provide needed services for veterans returning from war.
New Treatment Trends hopes to open the center in the spring of 2010.


UPDATE
I found this video online

When a veteran suffers, the family suffers

by
Chaplain Kathie

Reading the headline of the following story, along with stories like this from across the country, the first thought is in the direction of another parent having no self control and terrorizing a child with abuse. If we walk away with that and only that thought, we're missing the point and letting down children across the country, but it doesn't end there. It goes into the next generation as well.

Domestic violence and verbal abuse go hand in hand with PTSD but most of these incidences can be avoided if the knowledge is there first. While every domestic issue cannot be prevented, many can. I do not know the whole story of Evonne Schneider but I know the stories of too many of our veterans.

A wife snaps from being woken up too many nights by her husband having nightmares. She yells and shakes him. He punches her. She has been given no way of knowing that in that nightmare, her husband in not in that bed with her, but somewhere back in combat and that punch was for the enemy he was fighting. If she knew what she needed to know, she would have removed herself from the bed without anger and gently said his name to wake him up calmly. It would have avoided the animosity in their relationship, avoided the assault and the call to 911 to have him arrested. It would have avoided the kids being woken up yet again by their parents yelling at each other.

A husband infuriated with his wife not listening to a word he says while she's having a flashback reaches for her shoulders to get her to pay attention to him. She reacts with a move Jackie Chan would be proud of and knocks her husband out. He decides that he's had enough and files for divorce. What he did not know is that in that moment when she was zoned out, not listening, she was not in that room but thousands of miles away being sexually assaulted by a soldier in Vietnam after the base had been under attack and treating other wounded soldiers. If he knew what she brought back home with her along with commendation awards, this never would have happened.

A child cries because she fells her father does not love her, that everything she does is wrong and nothing will please her Dad. She knows he's been drinking again but Mom walked out on them and isn't there to do anything about any of it. Had the daughter and Mom known what was behind the way he was acting, they would have never blamed themselves for causing any of what they were being blamed for and the veteran would know it isn't his fault either. He came home wounded.

In the following story a 10 year old was a child abused by her Mom being treated by the VA for mental health. Is it PTSD she's being treated for? More likely than not. What's this child's life and future worth? Is it worth simply taking her to a foster home, away from her Mom and leaving her to think that it was her fault all the rest of her life? Or is her life worth taking care of her Mom so they can live together healing? When it comes to PTSD, healing the veteran is healing generations but we have not even really started to do either.

NH mother arrested in daughter's beating
The Union Leader - Manchester,NH,USA

By DALE VINCENT
New Hampshire Union Leader Staff
Monday, Mar. 2, 2009

In court, Schneider said: “I’m already being punished.” She said she is receiving mental health care from the Veterans Administration.

MANCHESTER – Police said Evonne Schneider slapped and punched her 10-year-old daughter, kicked the girl as she lay on the floor and then pushed her outside without a coat or shoes after accusing the girl of taking a bracelet that was a sibling’s birthday present.

Court documents show the child told police her mother then pulled her back inside the residence at 1143 Mammoth Road and told her to go upstairs and wash her face. The child had bruising around both eyes and a bloody lip, according to Detective Sgt. John Patti.

According to police, Schneider, 35, said: “There has always been a problem with (the girl) her whole life. ... I’m at my boiling point with her and I’m ready to snap.”

3 dead in apparent Wilmette murder-suicide

3 dead in apparent Wilmette murder-suicide

A man, a woman and a teenage boy were found dead inside a North Shore home today. Records show the man had been convicted more than 20 years ago of a fatal stabbing.
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West Virginia National Guards need to know now!

If you served in Iraq or know someone that did, you need to pay attention to this.

W. Va. seeks ex-guardsmen for health screening
By John Raby - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Mar 2, 2009 17:11:21 EST

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia National Guard is still trying to locate about 25 troops who may have been exposed six years ago to a toxic chemical at an Iraqi water treatment plant, a Guard spokesman said Monday.

The Guard was notified in November that as many as 150 members were in the Basra area and were potentially exposed to hexavalent chromium in 2003. Lt. Col. Mike Cadle said that number has since been narrowed to about 125.

About one-third of the troops are still with the Guard and contacting them was simple. But those no longer active members aren’t required to maintain contact and Cadle says efforts to reach them have proven difficult.

The Guard wants the soldiers to get health screenings through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“We want people to know. That’s the goal, whether they were exposed long term, short term,” Cadle said. “We just want people to know there’s a potential and that they should get the appropriate assessment at the VA. Whether the outcome is somebody has an illness related to this or not, it’s not the point.”
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U.S. Army honors service of women for military and civilian service

Women’s History Month: U.S. Army honors service of women for military and civilian service

SENIOR LEADERS ARE SAYING
"I have never considered myself anything but a Soldier. I recognize that with this selection, some will view me as a trailblazer, but it’s important that we remember the generations of women, whose dedication, commitment and quality of service helped open the doors of opportunity for us today. There are so many talented women in our Army today … you would be impressed."- Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, then Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, who became the first female four-star general in U.S. Military historyDunwoody confirmed as first female four-star

TODAY'S FOCUS
Women’s History Month: U.S. Army honors service of women for military and civilian service
What is it? March is Women’s History Month, a time during which we honor the many invaluable contributions and accomplishments made to our country by women.

Women play a vital role in the Army of today; they are leaders, officers, non-commissioned officers and outstanding enlisted Soldiers who contribute to our Army’s and nation’s rich history. They are valuable civilian employees, administrators, analysts, managers, scientists and technicians. They are doctors, pilots, mechanics, military police officers and engineers. We honor all women for their military and civil service, for their strength and for their willingness to sacrifice everything for the freedom and liberty cherished by all Americans.

Why is it important this to the Army?
Throughout our history, from the Revolutionary War to the current conflicts, women have made sacrifices for our nation: our females in uniform and civilian service – mothers, sisters, daughters and wives- have placed the needs of our nation above their own. Women, uniform and civilian service, in today’s Army experience a level of equality and opportunities that exceed those available in the larger civilian community.

Opportunities for career advancement are plentiful for women in the Army family.In celebrating Women’s History Month, we emphasize the value the Army places on diversity. We know there is strength in diversity. We are “Army Strong” because we embrace the strengths of diverse people in an inclusive environment.What is the Army doing? During the period from Mar.1 through Mar. 31, the Army will highlight and honor Women, military and civil service, at all levels by telling their story in command information products at all levels.

Public affairs guidance is available at Army Public Affairs Portal (AKO registration required). Installations and Forces Command Public Affairs Officers are asked to highlight these stories and share them with Army.Mil in print and video via the web. Resources:
Army Heritage and History Web site
Army G-1 Women in the Army Web site
Army Women’s Museum Web site
U.S Army Center for Military History/Women in Army History Web site
POC: For more information or to submit stories Mr. Philip Jones

Libby Montana gets day in court over asbestos

Asbestos-ravaged town gets its day in court
For much of the last century, people in the small town of Libby, Montana, were surrounded by toxic asbestos. It covered patches of grass, dusted the tops of cars and drifted through the air in a hazy smoke that became a part of their daily lives. Now, federal prosecutors have begun a trial of the mining company they blame for the pollution, which some doctors say left more than 1,000 people ill and more than 200 others dead. full story

Post-Traumatic Stress Tied to Increased Suicide Risk

While this study is new, doing studies like this is not new at all. I'm still glad they did it but we've been hearing studies like this since the 70's. What good do these studies do if no one ever does anything with the data? The DOD and the VA dropped the ball when it came to Iraq and Afghanistan because they didn't look back to see what happened to Vietnam veterans. It's not as if they would have a hard time finding the research papers since the DOD and the VA did most of the studies after they were forced to by the DAV. Now this study comes out but one thing to keep in mind is that the troops end up going through traumatic event after event after event. This does not give them very good odds at all.
Post-Traumatic Stress Tied to Increased Suicide Risk
U.S. News & World Report - Washington,DC,USA
How young adults respond to early trauma seems to play a role, study finds
Posted March 2, 2009

MONDAY, March 2 (HealthDay News) -- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increases the risk of suicide in young adults, says a U.S. study of 1,698 participants who were tracked for 15 years after they started first grade in Baltimore public schools.

Interviews were conducted with the participants when they were young adults (average age 21) to assess the incidence of traumatic events, suicide attempts and the development of PTSD. Of the group, 1,273 had experienced a traumatic event, and 100 of those exposed to trauma (8 percent) developed PTSD.
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Suicide had been attempted by 10 percent of those with PTSD, compared with 2 percent of the youths who experienced trauma but did not develop PTSD and 5 percent of those never exposed to a traumatic event.

The study was published in the March issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Military mom reports to duty with her kids

Military mom reports to duty with her kids
By Tom Foreman Jr. - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Mar 2, 2009 9:28:05 EST

DAVIDSON, N.C. — A North Carolina mother who reported for Army duty with her two young children in tow is waiting to see what happens next.

Lisa Pagan, who was recalled to the Army four years after being honorably discharged, drove nearly 400 miles and braved a Southeastern winter storm to report for duty Sunday at Fort Benning, Ga.

She says she has no one to take care of son Eric and daughter Elizabeth, so she brought them with her. She has reserved a motel room for a week and doesn’t plan to stay in the barracks.

“Them being away from me is not an option,” she said.

Pagan is among thousands of former service members who have left active duty since the Sept. 11 attacks, only to be recalled to service. They’re not in training, they’re not getting a Defense Department salary, but as long as they have time left on their original enlistment contracts, they’re on “individual ready reserve” status — eligible to be recalled at any time.
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UPDATE
March 2nd, 2009
Soldier reports for duty — with kids
http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/
Posted: 04:39 PM ET
By Eric Marrapodi and Chris Lawrence
CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) — A soldier who reported for duty with her children in tow has been granted her request for a discharge, her lawyer said Monday.

Lisa Pagan reported for duty Monday morning at Fort Benning, Georgia, with her two pre-school children. She had been honorably discharged from active duty four years ago but was recalled as part of the Individual Ready Reserve program.

The former Army truck driver asked for a reprieve from deployment because her husband travels for business and they would have no one to care for their children if she was sent overseas. Until Monday, her request had been denied.

Late Monday afternoon, Pagan’s lawyer told CNN the Army would grant her request and begin the process of discharge again, this time for good.

Since September 11, 2001, the Army has recalled about 25,000 soldiers. Nearly half requested a delay or a full exemption, and the Army says it granted nearly nine out of 10 delays and six out of 10 requests for exemption.

Don't abandon the mentally ill or their caregivers

Don't abandon the mentally ill or their caregivers
Deseret News - Salt Lake City,UT,USA

The billboard reads something like, "If you have cancer, nobody tells you to just get over it," and then lists a Web site to learn about depression, a mental illness about which well-meaning people might say, "Just get over it, exercise more, and eat right."

I recently attended a National Alliance on Mental Illness of Utah press conference asking legislators to maintain funding for the mentally ill. Those who spoke had been touched by the illness — individuals, fathers, mothers, siblings, loved ones. Mental illness had a human face, a community face. As I listened to their stories, they could have been the families of patients suffering from a physical disease, cancer, diabetes or other illnesses. Their responses were the same — they hurt and stand by helplessly wishing they could take away the pain. But unlike a physical illness that may be visible, mental illness is not, and those suffering often do so in silence; not to mention the stigma and stereotypes our society still has about it.

It's a growing problem, exacerbated by our modern society, where we are now more mobile and transient, unlike previous times when parents and family were geographically close by and could help out. The social and emotional ties important for the development and sustenance of meaningful life are vanishing. More people are homeless and jails are overcrowded. At a time when we have become increasingly sophisticated in our ability to diagnose and treat people, resources remain inadequate and many who are ill are left to the street or prisons.
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