Why do protestors pick on veterans?

If this banner read "Take care of our veterans" I would be delighted. If it read "We owe them" or anything along those lines, I'd be clapping my hands this man pulled off a stunt like this. The problem is, he hung the sign against war on the building for veterans!

Iraq was unnecessary and cost this nation hundreds of billions of dollars but above all too many lives and far too many wounded. Most agree Afghanistan was necessary, but again, has been mismanaged and poorly planned. I support Schmidt's right to protest what he believes is wrong but when he decided that he had to pick on veterans to do it, he crossed the line. While it is true a lot of veterans are against the occupation in Iraq and even some against Afghanistan, something like this end up insulting the veterans that do support what is being done. I've had enough of protests on both sides because they do not do it for the sake of the troops coming home wounded and lacking care. They do not protest over the suicide deaths. They do not protest over the fact military families and National Guard families are suffering financially. Those are the kinds of protests I want to see. Those are the kinds of protests I would join in on. Those are also the kinds of protests that could actually do some good.

Protester scales VA building to hang sign
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Mar 19, 2009 14:39:46 EDT

WASHINGTON — An Army veteran has been arrested after climbing up the Veterans Affairs Department building in downtown Washington to hang a sign protesting the Iraq war.

Forrest Schmidt was arrested Thursday outside the building, which is less than a block from the White House.

click link for more

Man charged in Stolen Valor case

Man indicted on charges of faking service

The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Mar 19, 2009 6:48:35 EDT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A Ketchikan man has been indicted on charges of lying about his military record.

U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler says 53-year-old Thomas A. Dye is charged with two counts of violating the Stolen Valor Act, which criminalizes false claims to military medals.

He’s also charged with two counts of misusing federal documents, including use of an altered military discharge certificate and the false use of Coast Guard Merchant Mariner license.

Loeffler says Dye lied about his military service for financial gain and posed as a decorated member of the armed forces, wearing medals and decorations he was not entitled to, including the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Combat Action Ribbon.

The indictment was handed down Wednesday.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/03/ap_faking_service_charges_031909/

Army pledges more work to lower suicide numbers

Army pledges more work to lower suicide numbers
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Friday, March 20, 2009
WASHINGTON — Military officials promised to conduct more suicide prevention education and hire more psychiatrists to stem an alarming rise in the number of servicemembers who have killed themselves in recent years.

In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. Peter Chiarelli, vice chief of staff for the Army, called the suicide figures for his service "unacceptable" and fixing them "the most difficult and critical mission" of his military career.

"The reality is, there is no simple solution," he said. "It is going to require a multi-disciplinary approach, and a team effort at every level of command."

According to the Army, there were 140 confirmed suicides last year and another seven probable suicides still under investigation. That’s up from 115 in 2007, and 101 in 2006.
click link for more

Outrage! Chaplain at Hospice by the Sea in Boca Raton resigns over ban on word 'God'

Soon after I became a Chaplain, a dear friend of mine was dying in a hospice. The family wanted me to be there for her and for them. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I wanted to be there for her, but the family was in need. I had to force myself to forget that Jen was my friend. My husband's father died in a hospice. I have been aware of how rare the people are working in hospice for a very long time and I know I would never be able to do what they do no matter how deep my own faith is. It takes a very special person to do what they do. To read this, fills me with a sense of outrage! It would be one thing to feel uncomfortable in a staff meeting hearing of God but then why have a prayer during one if the staff is unable to tolerate the use of God? Who do they think they are praying to? To say that the Chaplain cannot refer to God is like saying there is no point in them being there at all, that hope of an afterlife is a waste of time. If a Chaplain cannot acknowledge God then they should hire a clown instead to offer comedy relief instead of delivering God's Grace.
Chaplain at Hospice by the Sea in Boca Raton resigns over ban on word 'God'
Ban on word 'God' at meetings has chilling effect, she says
By Howard Goodman South Florida Sun-Sentinel
March 18, 2009
A chaplain at Hospice by the Sea in Boca Raton has resigned, she says, over a ban on use of the words "God" or "Lord" in public settings.

Chaplains still speak freely of the Almighty in private sessions with patients or families but, the Rev. Mirta Signorelli said: "I can't do chaplain's work if I can't say 'God' — if I'm scripted."

Hospice CEO Paula Alderson said the ban on religious references applies only to the inspirational messages that chaplains deliver in staff meetings. The hospice remains fully comfortable with ministers, priests and rabbis offering religious counsel to the dying and grieving.

"I was sensitive to the fact that we don't impose religion on our staff, and that it is not appropriate in the context of a staff meeting to use certain phrases or 'God' or 'Holy Father,' because some of our staff don't believe at all," Alderson said.


Signorelli, of Royal Palm Beach, said the hospice policy has a chilling effect that goes beyond the monthly staff meetings. She would have to watch her language, she said, when leading a prayer in the hospice chapel, when meeting patients in the public setting of a nursing home and in weekly patient conferences with doctors, nurses and social workers.

"If you take God away from me," she said, "it's like taking a medical tool away from a nurse."

A devout Christian who acquired a master's degree in theology after a career as a psychologist, running a program for abused and neglected children, Signorelli has been ministering to the dying for 13 years. She worked at the Hospice of Palm Beach County before moving seven years ago to Hospice by the Sea, a community-based nonprofit organization that cares for terminally ill patients in Palm Beach and Broward counties.

Signorelli said that she and other chaplains were told Feb. 23 to "cease and desist from using God in prayers."

PTSD:God's Grace Can Heal The Scar

by
Chaplain Kathie
IFOC Senior Chaplain

I've talked a lot about the importance of faith/spirituality in healing PTSD. While PTSD cannot be cured, the wounded can heal. Much like an infection, it gets worse without treatment but with it, depending on how soon the treatment begins, determines the depth of the scar left behind. When the connection to God is restored healing is deeper and faster.

One of the common factors in the PTSD wounded is that they had always been sensitive people. They cared about others deeply. Some confuse being sensitive with being weak but they miss the point that it requires courage to act as a sensitive person. It allows people to be able to set themselves aside for the sake of someone else, rush into danger when others run away and to be able to risk their lives for the sake of their friends. Who wouldn't want someone like that on their side?

John 15;
9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.
11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
14 You are my friends if you do what I command.
15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
17 This is my command: Love each other.

When people have a misconception of what Jesus said and taught, it's easy to confuse right from wrong. It's easy to feel as if God has abandoned them or judged them but they forget that God knows the hearts and minds of His children. He knows what was in their heart when they were willing to lay down their lives for the sake of their friends and to rise about the sense of self. God will not condemn someone with that sense in their hearts. If they do not understand this, then they feel as if they are being punished by PTSD. It makes it all worse because it removes the hope of prayers being answered.

When we do something for the right reason and end up suffering for it, thinking God is making us suffer removes hope of justice, of healing and better days ahead. It also makes us regret doing the right thing. We end up blaming God for the wrong others do, for rewarding the unjust and believing that God created the evil we had to endure. We forget about freewill as easily as we tend to forget that many decide they would rather serve Satin than Christ, evil over good. It is a cycle that ends up taking control over every aspect of the wounded lives, wounding the family and friends. It begins to change the way people act. Yet knowing God as a loving God restores hope, love, patience, compassion, mercy and joy by His grace.

This is something I hear from wounded warriors the most often. Aside from a history of being compassionate people throughout their lives, they feel as if they have been punished by God because they are suffering. I created the following video in response to that.

PTSD Not God's Judgment - watch more videos

In this news story, you'll hear how Military Chaplains helped this veteran heal. We have not heard it often enough on the news. Restoring faith, whatever faith, whatever denomination a veteran belonged to, is vital in assisting the healing of the scar PTSD leaves behind on the soul.

More soldiers returning from Iraq, Afghanistan with PTSD, experts say


By Andrea Calcagno

March 18, 2009

MEDFORD, Ore. -- Experts say exposure to combat violence in Iraq and Afghanistan is causing more soldiers to experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when they return home.

Military representatives say this may be one factor contributing to a recent increase in the army suicide rate.

When soldiers return home from war, they go through a series of reintegration classes. Psychiatric services are made readily available, but it is left to the soldier to seek help.

After returning from war, it took two years for Alexander Akers to get the help he needed.

"If I had pushed it at the beginning when I got home, instead of trying to put it all behind me, and trying to get away from the military, I probably would have been not going through what I did," says Akers.

Akers served in combat arms in Iraq and suffered from PTSD upon returning home.

"I was jumpy all the time. I was extremely violent, getting in fights, non stop paranoid, you name it. The only thing, I was lucky enough that I didn't get into was drug use. And I think some of the guys have gotten into that, and I just turned to alcohol instead," says Akers.

"A lot of times when they come back, they are using alcohol, they are using drugs, they are using other things, and I wouldn't be surprised that many of them are resorting to taking their own lives rather dealing with what they're dealing with. Whether its undiagnosed PTSD or even if it is diagnosed, they may not feel they can get relief from that," says Steve Fogelman with Kolpia Counseling Services..."They're in an environment where literally anybody can be the enemy. And there's really no barriers for them, no safety or security for them. And they end up getting this very hyper-vigilant kind of attitude, and that's literally how they get through."
go here for the rest and for video
http://kdrv.com/news/local/99452

Nancy Pelosi announces end of private insurance talk for wounded warriors

Pelosi: Administration Will Not Force Veterans to Use Private Insurance to Pay for Treatment of Combat-Related Injuries

Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced this afternoon that the Obama Administration would not proceed with a proposal that could have forced veterans to use their private insurance to pay for the treatment of combat-related injuries.


Pelosi made the announcement at a meeting she and House Democrats hosted this afternoon in the Capitol with leaders of veterans' service organizations, who greeted the news with a standing ovation. Below are the Speaker's remarks.


"Good afternoon and thank you all very much for coming. Thank you for your leadership, for your service to our country, for your generosity of spirit to America's heroes, for helping us make better policy to honor the service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, both when they are in active duty and when they come home. As you know, in the military, the expression is: 'On the battlefield, we leave no soldier behind.' And when they come home, working with you, we will leave no veteran behind.


"Particular to today's meeting and a subject of some conversation, I'm pleased to announce that we have some good news. Over the past several days, President Obama has listened to the genuine concerns expressed by veterans' leaders and veterans' service organizations regarding the option of billing service connected to veterans' insurance companies.


"Based on the respect that President Obama has for our nation's veterans and the principled concerns expressed by veterans' leaders, the President has made the decision that the combat-wounded veterans should not be billed through their insurance policies for combat-related injuries. [Applause.]


"I want to thank all of you, our friends came to me from the American Legion and many of you expressed your views on this subject. You had a great champion, of course, in Chet Edwards, who is Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on veterans; the Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee, Bob Filner; the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Mr. Skelton, who is here; and the man who writes the budget, and he was never going to put this in the budget, I know, John Spratt.


"I want to thank them and you for making this important change. But it wasn't just the Chairmen inside the Congress, it was our Members as well. Mr. Brad Ellsworth is here, John Hall, Tim Walz, Jim Marshall, Glenn Nye, Vic Snyder; they and so many other Members, Gene Taylor. They -- and many members of the Armed Services and Veterans' Affairs Committees and Mr. Edwards, Appropriations Committee on Veterans Issues -- worked hard to make this clear so that this issue is now behind us.


"We have important work to do. Because of you, we have been able to have the biggest increases in veterans' benefits in the history of the VA. We did that a couple years ago as soon as we took the majority. And last year, we even did one better and now, working together under the leadership of President Obama, in the budget we have even more dramatic increases to meet the needs of America's heroes.


"So thank you all for the role that you are playing in this, and we look forward to this discussion today. Thank you all very much for joining us."





SOURCE Office of the Speaker of the House

Operation Open Arms Helps PTSD Wounded Warriors

Helping heroes: Southwest Florida steps up
By WINK News

Story Created: Mar 18, 2009 at 10:26 PM EDT

Story Updated: Mar 18, 2009 at 10:41 PM EDT

On this eve of the sixth anniversary of the Iraq War, an alarming number of U.S. soldiers returning home say they cannot get the medical treatment they need fast enough.

It's gotten so bad, two veteran's groups have filed a lawsuit against the Veterans Administration to try and speed up the process.

Now one Southwest Florida man is helping to fix the problem.

Operation Open Arms has been giving soldiers free vacations here in Southwest Florida for four years, but founder John Bunch is now extending its services for something much more serious. He has taken more than 200 calls from soldiers seeking mental health care, and he's found a way to help.

"You can never feel secure. Everyday is a constant battle, and the battle you're fighting is against yourself," Junior Nicholsen, Iraq War Veteran Marine, says.

When the heroic come home, soldiers like 25-year-old Nicholsen often wait and wait for treatment. Nicholsen went two years without a diagnosis for post traumatic stress disorder -- images and feelings he can't seem to leave behind on the Iraq battlefield.
go here for more
http://www.winknews.com/news/local/41470842.html


More about Operation Open Arms

Operation Open Arms

So many of us wonder how we can support the brave men and women of the military who are deployed to overseas locations like Iraq and Afghanistan.

The people of Southwest Florida have found one way to express their support. Operation Open Arms makes it possible in a unique way. Our goal is to make a difference in the lives of our troops and their families.
http://www.operationopenarms.com/index.html

Republicans suddenly propose big jump in VA spending

I am still asking God to help me forgive the Republicans that were in office when all the problems with the VA were being responded to by them with whining about the budget and not having enough money to go around. Because CSPAN was covering most of the speeches during the 8 years of the Bush administrations "leadership" I was able to sit listening to them say there simply wasn't enough money for what the Democrats said needed to be done. I heard the opposition to wanting to fix what was wrong by some Republicans. I am grateful calmer, more caring heads have begun to notice the VA is part of the debt the American people owe the men and women serving in the military. One day I'm sure God's grace will allow me to forgive them. This may end up being the first step toward it.

Republicans propose big jump in VA spending

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Mar 18, 2009 14:26:09 EDT

Republicans on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee are proposing a $1.9 billion increase to the Obama administration’s veterans budget request for 2010, a jump twice as large as the one proposed by Democrats on the same panel.

About $550 million of the increase in the Republican plan would be in discretionary programs, which include health care and administrative costs and money to run the national veterans cemetery system. The remaining $1.36 billion would be in direct spending, which covers benefits, employment and training programs.

Democrats, who proposed an $800 million increase on March 13, would use $200 million of the total for operating expenses and $600 million for medical expenses.

Republican priorities include trying to improve the benefits claims process. A $2.5 million increase would be used to hire 30 more people to train claims processors; $170 million would speed deployment of a paperless claims adjudication system; and $5 million would fund a two-year pilot program in which veterans could pick the regional office they want to process their claim based on a performance report.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/03/military_republicans_vaspending_031809w/

Leaders testify in D.C. on high suicide rates in military

Leaders testify in D.C. on high suicide rates

By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Mar 18, 2009 19:17:51 EDT

The suicide rates in all four services last year were higher than the national civilian average, significantly higher in the Army and Marines and rose overall in the two ground services, uniformed witnesses told the Senate Armed Services military personnel subcommittee Wednesday.

But calls by troops and former troops to a Veterans Affairs help line indicate that the problem may be even larger that the alarming statistics provided at the hearing.

In calendar year 2008, the Army reported 140 confirmed or suspected suicides. That’s 20.2 suicides per 100,000 troops — an all-time high that is nearly twice the national average of 11.0 suicides per 100,000. The service’s suicide rate has more than doubled since 2004.

The Navy reported 41 suicides in 2008, a rate of 11.6 per 100,000. The Marine Corps lost 41 Marines last year to confirmed or suspected suicides — up from 25 two years earlier — a rate of 19.0 suicides per 100,000. The Air Force lost 38 airmen in 2008, a rate of 11.5 suicides per 100,000.

More ominously, 780 callers to a national Veterans Affairs suicide prevention hotline in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2008, identified themselves as active-duty troops, said Kathryn Power, director of the Center for Mental Health Services in the Department of Health and Human Services.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/03/military_suicide_rates_congress_031809/

President Obama listened to veterans voices

Dear Chaplain Kathie,

I'm on the road in Washington, DC, but I wanted to send you a quick update on two big breaking news stories.

First, just a few minutes ago, the Pentagon officially announced they will be phasing out involuntary enlistment extensions, otherwise known as "stop-loss."

The Pentagon also agreed to pay $500 per month to servicemembers forced to stay beyond their original enlistment term, which is a policy that IAVA has been supporting for a long time.

Stop-loss has had an enormous impact on the lives of many of our nation's troops, veterans, and military families. As I mentioned last week, tonight's episode of MTV's The Real World, which features IAVA prominently, focuses on cast-member Ryan, an Iraq veteran who was stop-lossed. The information about that episode, which airs tonight at 10pm on MTV, is in the forwarded email below.

Second, on what has proven to be a huge day for veterans, there has been another major development in Washington, DC. President Obama listened to IAVA and the other major veterans organizations, and made a critical decision to not move forward with a proposal to bill a veteran's private insurance for the cost of caring for a service-connected injury.

Today, President Obama showed that he understands and respects our nation's veterans.


Later this week, I'll have much more to report about this whirlwind week in Washington, DC, which included meetings with the President, Speaker Pelosi and VA Secretary Shinseki.

In the meantime, be sure to tune in tonight at 10pm on MTV, and keep an eye on your inbox for more breaking news from the nation's capitol.

Thank you for standing with us.

Sincerely,

Paul

Paul Rieckhoff
Iraq Veteran
Executive Director & Founder
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)

Four female ministers - an Episcopalian, a Unitarian Universalist, a Southern Baptist and an African Methodist Episcopal

Female Chaplains Serve God and Country


Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Sherri Wheeler, the deputy chaplain for the Air National Guard.
It sounds like the start of a joke.
Four female ministers - an Episcopalian, a Unitarian Universalist, a Southern Baptist and an African Methodist Episcopal – all join the military ….
But there’s no punch line here, just four strong-willed pioneers working in a career field with few others of the female persuasion.
During women’s history month this year, these new chaplains at the National Guard Bureau are using their varied religious backgrounds to cater to the needs of Guard members.
Air Force Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Sherri Wheeler, Air Force Chap. (Maj.) Sarah Shirley, Air Force Chap. (1st Lt.) Janice Tubman-Pettigrew, and Army Chap. (Capt.) Rebekah Montgomery all have different stories on how they pinned on the chaplain’s badge.
Shirley, an Episcopalian minister, joined the military when she was 40 years old, the culmination of a lifelong dream that started, ironically enough, with her reaction to her fellow Vietnam War protestors.
“I was ashamed of how some of the antiwar activists had treated military members and treated veterans. It’s clear [service members] don’t make defense policy, we just carry it out.”
click link for more

Inouye questions treatment, rehab of war vets

Inouye questions treatment, rehab of war vets

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Mar 18, 2009 13:57:46 EDT

The powerful chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee said March 18 that he is not convinced the treatment and rehabilitation being given to injured Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans is significantly better than the help he received in World War II.

Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, who received the Medal of Honor for his World War II service, spent 22 months in military and veterans hospitals undergoing treatment and rehabilitation for the loss of an arm. He said he is concerned that while medical care may have made great advances in the 64 years that passed since his combat injury, rehabilitation and preparing veterans to return to civilian life has not improved.

At a hearing of the Senate defense appropriations subcommittee where the service surgeons general talked about preparations for a troop increase in Afghanistan and continuing efforts to ease the transition out of the military for wounded veterans, Inouye said he doesn’t see the same type of help available today that he received and suspects someone with his type of injury would be released after just six months of treatment and rehabilitation.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/03/military_inouyeveterans_healthcare_031809w/

Schumer backs Hall's bill for PTSD Veterans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 18, 2009

SCHUMER INTRODUCES GROUNDBREAKING VETERAN'S HEALTH BILL; WILL AFFECT OVER 150,000 IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN VETERANS WHO HAVE YET TO BE TREATED FOR POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER


Study Finds One In Five Of Our Nation's Veterans Suffer From PTSD And Over Half Of Current Iraq And Afghanistan Soldiers Afflicted Have Gone Without Treatment

Stringent VA Policies Require Vets to Tie Post Traumatic Stress Disorder To Specific Incident Before Receiving Treatment

Schumer Introduces Legislation That Will Free Vets From Onerous "Burden Of Proof" Regulations, Help Treat the 1.8 Million Service Members Deployed Since 2001


U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that he is introducing legislation that will lower the burdensome threshold that veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have to meet to receive treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Current regulations set by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) require that veterans pinpoint the stressor that triggered their PTSD, even if they have already been diagnosed. Stringent policies require that veterans track down incident reports, buddy statements, present medals, and overcome other hurdles to meet the threshold that VA mandates in order to receive desperately needed treatment and support. Schumer’s legislation will help simplify the process for the hundreds of thousands of veterans needing treatment. The legislation will apply to veterans of all previous United States Conflicts. Companion legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman John Hall.

“We need to remove the barriers that prevent our soldiers and veterans from receiving care,” said Schumer. “In an era where mental injuries are stigmatized and in a war where danger can strike in any place, it is clear that the current VA regulations are in need of change. This legislation will help our brave men and women access the treatment and support they need.”

Currently, a veteran diagnosed with PTSD must prove that the stressor triggering the PTSD occurred during “combat with the enemy”. This means that the service member must prove that the trigger for PTSD occurred during personal participation in a fight with a military adversary or hostile unit force in order to receive care from the Veteran’s Health Administration. If the veteran cannot meet this burden of proof, or suffers from PTSD triggered by service in a combat zone but not in direct combat with the enemy, they must pay for their own care out-of-pocket or through private insurance. This stringent requirement prevents many service members from receiving care because their injuries were sustained during service in a combat zone but not during direct engagement with the enemy. This is especially true for women, who are prohibited from serving in combat roles and therefore have a difficult time meeting the burden of proof.

The stringent regulations and burden-of-proof requirements present a significant barrier to treatment for service members suffering from mental health disorders that already carry a great stigma. Since October 2001, about 1.8 million U.S. troops nationally, and 66,000 from Upstate New York, have deployed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with many exposed to prolonged periods of combat-related stress or traumatic events. Early evidence suggests that the psychological toll of the deployments may be disproportionately high compared with physical injuries. According to a study from the RAND corporation, the nation's largest independent health policy research program, nearly 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)or major depression, and only half of those afflicted have sought treatment. Among those who do seek help for PTSD or major depression, only about half receive treatment because of the many barriers preventing them from getting the treatment and support they need.

Because of these stringent regulations, the disability claims backlog at the VA tops 800,000, a great majority of which are Vietnam Veterans seeking compensation for PTSD. These facts are a clear indication that current regulations at the VA are too strict for veterans, past and present, who are seeking disability benefits. In an effort to ensure that veterans suffering from PTSD have greater access to the critical care they need, Senator Schumer today introduced legislation that lowers the burdensome threshold that veterans have to meet to receive compensation.

The Compensation Owed for Mental Health Based on Activities in Theater Act, or the COMBAT PTSD Act, would expand the definition of ‘combat with the enemy” in Title 38, USC to include active service in a theater of combat. This would essentially establish service in combat as the presumptive stressor for the incurrence of PTSD. The veteran would still need to be clinically diagnosed with PTSD, but, he or she would no longer need to “prove” that a specific event caused this diagnosis or that the specific trigger was an event during direct combat with the enemy.

According to the Rand study, unless treated, PTSD, depression, and TBI can have far-reaching and damaging consequences. Individuals afflicted with these conditions face higher risks for other psychological problems and for attempting suicide. They have higher rates of unhealthy behaviors — such as smoking, overeating, and unsafe sex — and higher rates of physical health problems and mortality. Individuals with these conditions also tend to miss more work or report being less productive. These conditions can impair relationships, disrupt marriages, aggravate the difficulties of parenting, and cause problems in children that may extend the consequences of combat trauma across generations. There is also a possible link between these conditions and homelessness. The damaging consequences from lack of treatment or under-treatment suggest that those afflicted, as well as society at large, stand to gain substantially if more have access to effective care.

The COMBAT PTSD Act would ensure that more service members afflicted with PTSD would be able to receive treatment. This is especially relevant in New York. In total, New York has the fourth largest veteran population in the country and has sent over 70,000 troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. There are almost 12,000 New York service members currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan theatres of combat.

Here is how the numbers break down across the state:

· There are 82,250 veterans living in the Capital Region, approximately 5,700 of which served in Iraq or Afghanistan. There are 900 Capital Region service members currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
· There are 79,200 veterans living in Central New York, approximately 5,500 of which served in Iraq or Afghanistan. There are 900 Central New York service members currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
· There are 140,810 veterans living in the Hudson Valley, approximately 9,800 of which served in Iraq or Afghanistan. There are 1,600 Hudson Valley service members currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
· There are 386,670 veterans living in the North Country, approximately 26,900 of which served in Iraq or Afghanistan. There are 4,400 North Country service members currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
· There are 84,600 veterans living in the Rochester-Finger Lakes Region, approximately 5,900 of which served in Iraq or Afghanistan. There are 960 Rochester-Finger Lakes Region service members currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
· There are 57,030 veterans living in the Southern Tier, approximately 4,000 of which served in Iraq or Afghanistan. There are 650 Southern Tier service members currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
· There are 125,270 veterans living in the Western New York, approximately 8,700 of which served in Iraq or Afghanistan. There are 1,400 Western New York service members currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In addition to the obvious obligations we have to our veterans, this legislation makes fiscal sense. According to the study, if 50 percent of those needing care for PTSD and depression received treatment and all care was evidence-based, this larger investment in treatment would result in cost savings overall. If 100 percent of those needing care for PTSD and depression received treatment and all care was evidence-based, there would be even larger cost savings. The cost of depression, PTSD, or co-morbid PTSD and depression could be reduced by as much as $1.7 billion, or $1,063 per returning veteran. These savings come from increases in productivity, as well as from reductions in the expected number of suicides.
Given these estimates, evidence-based treatment for PTSD and major depression would pay for itself within two years. No reliable data are available on the costs related to substance abuse, homelessness, family strain, and other indirect consequences of mental health conditions. If these costs were included, savings resulting from effective treatment would be higher, according to the study.
Senator Schumer introduced the COMBAT PTSD Act in the Senate today. The legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman John Hall. The legislation has been endorsed by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), The American Legion, Veterans for Common Sense (VCS), National Guard Association of the US (NGAUS), National Legal Veterans Services Program (NVLSP), Ex Prisoners of War, and Disabled American Veterans (DAV).

http://schumer.senate.gov/new_website/record.cfm?id=309985

This version: Referred in Senate. This is the text of the bill after moving from the House to the Senate before being considered by Senate committees. This is the latest version of the bill available on this website.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-5892
Text:
Summary Full Text
Cost:
less than $1 per American in 2009.
This is computed from a Congressional Budget Office report, merely by dividing the estimated cost of $60,000,000 by the U.S. population. The figure is extracted from the report automatically and may be incorrect. See the report for details.
Status:
Introduced
Apr 24, 2008
Reported by Committee
Apr 30, 2008
Passed House
Jul 30, 2008



This bill never became law. This bill was proposed in a previous session of Congress. Sessions of Congress last two years, and at the end of each session all proposed bills and resolutions that haven't passed are cleared from the books. Members often reintroduce bills that did not come up for debate under a new number in the next session.
Last Action:
Jul 31, 2008: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Related:
See the Related Legislation page for other bills related to this one and a list of subject terms that have been applied to this bill. Sometimes the text of one bill or resolution is incorporated into another, and in those cases the original bill or resolution, as it would appear here, would seem to be abandoned.
Rep. John Hall [D-NY]show cosponsors (78)
Cosponsors [as of 2009-01-09]
Rep. Grace Napolitano [D-CA]
Rep. Gwen Moore [D-WI]
Del. Madeleine Bordallo [D-GU]
Rep. Bob Filner [D-CA]
Del. Eni Faleomavaega [D-AS]
Rep. John Salazar [D-CO]
Rep. Timothy Bishop [D-NY]
Rep. Zachary Space [D-OH]
Del. Donna Christensen [D-VI]
Rep. Barton Gordon [D-TN]
Rep. James McGovern [D-MA]
Rep. John Tierney [D-MA]
Rep. John Conyers [D-MI]
Rep. Henry Cuellar [D-TX]
Rep. Raul Grijalva [D-AZ]
Rep. William Delahunt [D-MA]
Rep. Michael Arcuri [D-NY]
Rep. Eliot Engel [D-NY]
Rep. Michael Thompson [D-CA]
Rep. Nita Lowey [D-NY]
Rep. Charles Rangel [D-NY]
Rep. Robert Wexler [D-FL]
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin [D-SD]
Rep. Robert Goodlatte [R-VA]
Rep. Keith Ellison [D-MN]
Rep. Nancy Boyda [D-KS]
Rep. Jason Altmire [D-PA]
Rep. Tim Murphy [R-PA]
Rep. Charles Gonzalez [D-TX]
Rep. Dale Kildee [D-MI]
Rep. James McDermott [D-WA]
Rep. Ron Klein [D-FL]
Rep. Collin Peterson [D-MN]
Rep. Thomas Allen [D-ME]
Rep. Zoe Lofgren [D-CA]
Rep. Ciro Rodriguez [D-TX]
Rep. Jim Gerlach [R-PA]
Rep. Jerry Costello [D-IL]
Rep. Harry Mitchell [D-AZ]
Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand [D-NY]
Rep. Joe Courtney [D-CT]
Rep. Joe Donnelly [D-IN]
Rep. Henry Johnson [D-GA]
Rep. Melissa Bean [D-IL]
Rep. Joseph Crowley [D-NY]
Rep. Betty McCollum [D-MN]
Rep. Lynn Woolsey [D-CA]
Rep. Barney Frank [D-MA]
Rep. Steve Kagen [D-WI]
Rep. Phil Hare [D-IL]
Rep. Anthony Weiner [D-NY]
Rep. Maurice Hinchey [D-NY]
Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick [D-MI]
Rep. Janice Schakowsky [D-IL]
Rep. José Serrano [D-NY]
Rep. Peter Welch [D-VT]
Rep. Virgil Goode [R-VA]
Rep. William Clay [D-MO]
Rep. Russ Carnahan [D-MO]
Rep. Mike McIntyre [D-NC]
Rep. Bob Etheridge [D-NC]
Rep. Christopher Van Hollen [D-MD]
Rep. Joe Baca [D-CA]
Rep. Betty Sutton [D-OH]
Rep. William Jefferson [D-LA]
Rep. Bill Foster [D-IL]
Rep. Robert Brady [D-PA]
Rep. Paul Hodes [D-NH]
Rep. John Murtha [D-PA]
Rep. Elijah Cummings [D-MD]
Rep. Earl Blumenauer [D-OR]
Rep. John Lewis [D-GA]
Rep. Patrick Kennedy [D-RI]
Rep. Brad Ellsworth [D-IN]
Rep. Mike Ross [D-AR]
Rep. Rubén Hinojosa [D-TX]
Rep. Peter DeFazio [D-OR]
Rep. Doug Lamborn [R-CO]

'The Real World': Ryan Conklin talks about getting called back to Iraq"

'The Real World': Ryan Conklin talks about getting called back to Iraq
07:46 AM PT, Mar 18 2009
"The Real World: Brooklyn's" Ryan Conklin is only 23, but he's preparing to serve his second tour of duty in Iraq. He first enlisted after 9/11, when he was just 17, and several times since has narrowly escaped with his life. He also experienced the death of a close friend.
On tonight's episode, Conklin will get the call back into action, which he describes as devastating. (He's scheduled to go back on April 15.) Last week, he phoned in from Camp Shelby, Miss., where he's training with other military members of the Individual Ready Reserve, to explain how he's adjusted to the unexpected situation and why he feels lucky to have been selected to be on the umpteenth iteration of an MTV reality show.

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DoD: Sexual assault reports increased in 2008

DoD: Sexual assault reports increased in 2008
Reports of sexual assaults involving military victims or perpetrators are on the rise — more than 8 percent over the previous fiscal year — and increased more than three times as much in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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VA to Build Stand-Alone Replacement Hospital in Denver

http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel

VA to Build Stand-Alone Replacement Hospital in Denver



WASHINGTON (March 18, 2009) - Fulfilling President Obama's pledge to
"stand with our veterans as they face new challenges," Secretary of
Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced today that the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) will build a stand-alone replacement hospital for
its existing facility in Denver. The new facility will be located on
the grounds of the Army's former Fitzsimons hospital in Aurora.



The new medical center will provide Denver-area Veterans with a full
range of medical, laboratory, research and counseling services,
including services for Veterans with spinal cord injuries (SCI) and
other disabilities.



VA will also create new Health Care Centers, which provide ambulatory
care and same-day surgical services, in Colorado Springs, Colo., and
Billings, Mont. The Colorado Springs facility will be managed in
collaboration with the Department of Defense. VA also plans to add
eight new health care facilities in rural areas throughout the region.



The new medical center in Denver will include a 30-bed, state-of-the-art
SCI center providing services to Veterans throughout VA's Rocky Mountain
Network, which includes Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado, plus parts
of five other states.



In Denver, 78 SCI Veterans who now receive inpatient hospital care at
other VA facilities will be able to receive their care locally, and 984
other SCI patients will no longer have to travel elsewhere for
outpatient services.



Once the new facilities are operational, 92 percent of all Colorado
Veterans will live within a 60-minute drive of a VA primary care
provider, and 81 percent of those Veterans will live within 120 minutes
of either a VA Medical Center or a VA Health Care Center.



This year, VA expects to spend about $2.3 billion on behalf of
Colorado's 426,000 Veterans. VA operates major medical centers in
Denver and Grand Junction. Additionally, it has more than a dozen
community-based outpatient clinics throughout the state, plus four Vet
Centers and two national cemeteries.

Veterans court endorsed by Nevada Assembly

Veterans court endorsed by Nevada Assembly

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CARSON CITY — The Nevada Assembly voted unanimously Tuesday for a plan to set up a specialized court for military veterans charged with nonviolent crimes while struggling to readjust to civilian life.

AB187, sent by the Judiciary Committee to the full Assembly, would authorize a specialty court that would handle cases of veterans charged with such crimes and who suffer from mental or substance abuse problems stemming from their military service.
go here for more
http://www.lvrj.com/news/breaking_news/41382727.html

Army: AWOL Fort Jackson Soldier Spotted, Safe

Army: AWOL Upstate Soldier Spotted, Safe
POSTED: 10:18 am EDT March 17, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- A U.S. Army spokeswoman said Tuesday afternoon that a 39-year-old soldier at Fort Jackson who has been away without leave for more than a week has been spotted around Columbia and appears to be safe.

Fort Jackson spokeswoman Karen Soule said that Pvt. Danielle Williams of Spartanburg was absent without leave from her basic training unit on March 7.

Williams was identified on security video withdrawing money from her bank account at a local store adjacent to Fort Jackson on March 9 and from a local bank on March 10.

Soule said that Williams failed to return to her unit after being treated at a medical clinic at Fort Jackson the afternoon of March 7.
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When frauds swoop in

There are some people in this world I will never understand. Lately I've heard to many stories of people being used and taken advantage of. You'd think that people wanting to "serve" others, they would be doing it for the most noble of reasons but that is all too often not the case. Some embezzle funds meant to help people in need and not simply people living with greed. Some use others for the power and publicity they think they can take advantage of. While I am confident these people are discovered sooner or later, behind them they leave a lot of good people felling a lot of pain when they were just doing what they could to help others and the people the "organization" was supposed to be helping feeling more alone than they felt already.

There are a lot of good organizations out there with dedicated people in them working for the greater good and not their own earthly glorification. They see their reward in the feeling they get helping others and waiting for them when they return home to God. Still there are far too many in this line of work wanting to take what they can get for themselves. Ego plays a huge role in most of this because financially they know it takes many years to begin to break even. Because of this, here is some advice for organizations looking to add people on when frauds are waiting to swoop in.

First, what is the reason they want to help? Is it because they have a personal relationship to the cause you are dealing with? What is their personal story? Can you verify it? Usually if someone has "skin in the game" they are doing it for the right reasons but if someone says they just want to help or they believe in the organization, beware. Ask them why not some other organization instead of your's. Most of the time, they don't have an answer because most of the time, these people want in for their own reasons and they are usually not for the sake of the people you are trying to help.

Too many good people doing very hard work for the right reasons have been taken advantage of because they trusted the wrong people. Being hurt by the fakes, they then turn around and are unwilling to trust others. Imagine you had dedicated your life to a cause and then had someone take your hard work as their own. How would that make you feel? What if you spent years building a reputation and received grants only to find people you thought you could trust were stealing the funds? This has happened too many times to good friends of mine. When problems like this get reported on, great organizations will end up falling apart because no one wants to support them after. Charities are destroyed, good people regret wanting to help and the people they wanted to help are left without the help they could have been receiving. I think there is a special place in hell for the greedy or ego driven frauds because behind them they leave too many hurting.

Marines investigate non-combat death in Afghanistan

Corps investigates E-6 death in Afghanistan
Staff report
Posted : Tuesday Mar 17, 2009 19:18:56 EDT

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — A North Carolina-based Marine died in a non-hostile incident in Afghanistan on Saturday, Defense Department officials said.

The death of Staff Sgt. Archie A. Taylor, 37, of Tomball, Texas is under investigation. The incident occurred in Kabul province.

Taylor was a counter-intelligence specialist with Camp Lejeune-based 2nd Intelligence Battalion, according to a statement released by II MEF. He joined the Corps on Dec. 9, 1989, and served two tours in Iraq.