MyHuggy on Montel Williams
Thursday, March 26, 2009
DOD: Non combat death in Iraq
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Jose R. Escobedo Jr., 32, of Albuquerque, N.M., died March 20 in Baghdad, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident the night before at Forward Operating Base Kalsu in Iskandariyah, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment in Schweinfurt, Germany.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
linked from ICasualties.org
Army vet billed $3,000 for war wounds
He served the nation but his private health insurance took care of most of the bill instead of the VA. Think about that as you remember that President Obama was thinking of having private insurance pay for care. The VA wasn't paying and if he did not have a private insurance company pay, he would have had to pay the bill and then fight the VA. Think about that. While President Obama dropped thinking of private insurance getting involved, in this case they did what the government should have done.
You can close your eyes all you want about what is going on but since the VA is backlogged of claims, according to Veterans for Common Sense 900,000 claims, you would also be ignoring the fact they need treatment even while the claim is tied up. Their wounds do not fall asleep while they wait. Their PTSD does not hibernate while they wait to have the "service connected" stamp of approval from the VA on their claim. Either they are having to pay for their treatment or they are seeking private health providers to take care of them. In most cases, if it has to do with service to this nation, private insurance companies can refuse to pay stating it is the responsibility of the government. None of this is new.
In the 90's while my husband's claim was being denied and appealed he needed treatment for PTSD. Until the VA doctor put in his file it was because of Vietnam, the private insurance we had covered treatment in private practice but that stopped as soon as the VA doctor said it was service connected. The claim was denied and he needed help so the VA took our tax refund year after year to pay for his treatment. Why? Because we couldn't afford to pay because he had PTSD and because we were paying for private health insurance!
This is still happening to them when claims are denied that should have been approved and the VA takes care of their wounds as well as compensating them for lost incomes. If no one is taking responsibility for any of this, they have to. Can't you image how you would feel knowing you were wounded while serving your country and then forced to pay for it?
You can close your eyes all you want about what is going on but since the VA is backlogged of claims, according to Veterans for Common Sense 900,000 claims, you would also be ignoring the fact they need treatment even while the claim is tied up. Their wounds do not fall asleep while they wait. Their PTSD does not hibernate while they wait to have the "service connected" stamp of approval from the VA on their claim. Either they are having to pay for their treatment or they are seeking private health providers to take care of them. In most cases, if it has to do with service to this nation, private insurance companies can refuse to pay stating it is the responsibility of the government. None of this is new.
In the 90's while my husband's claim was being denied and appealed he needed treatment for PTSD. Until the VA doctor put in his file it was because of Vietnam, the private insurance we had covered treatment in private practice but that stopped as soon as the VA doctor said it was service connected. The claim was denied and he needed help so the VA took our tax refund year after year to pay for his treatment. Why? Because we couldn't afford to pay because he had PTSD and because we were paying for private health insurance!
This is still happening to them when claims are denied that should have been approved and the VA takes care of their wounds as well as compensating them for lost incomes. If no one is taking responsibility for any of this, they have to. Can't you image how you would feel knowing you were wounded while serving your country and then forced to pay for it?
Army vet billed $3,000 for war wounds
Story Highlights
Wounded soldier gets billed $3,000 for wounds suffered in Iraq
"I put my life on the line ... and they're not going to take care of my medical bills?"
Army Sgt. Erik Roberts was wounded in April 2006; he's had 13 surgeries on his leg
Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio urged the VA to act; VA agrees to pay bill
by Wayne Drash
CNN
(CNN) -- Erik Roberts, an Army sergeant who was wounded in Iraq, underwent his 13th surgery recently to save his right leg from amputation. Imagine his shock when he got a bill for $3,000 for his treatment.But in December, he says, a golf ball-sized lump appeared on his wounded leg. He says he went to a Veterans Affairs hospital and was told not to worry about it.
A few days later, he says, he went to the emergency room after the lump flared up more. A doctor there, he says, told him that the leg was badly infected and that it might have to be amputated.
Desperate for help, his mother contacted the Army surgeon who had saved her son's life two years earlier. That doctor referred him to Obremskey, the Vanderbilt surgeon.
The Robertses say the VA did not approve of them going outside the system. Erik Roberts says he had no choice -- it was have surgery or potentially lose his leg.
"I thought my leg was more important than the usual bureaucratic mess," he said.
His leg was saved. The $3,000 billed to Roberts wasn't for the surgery itself. It's a portion of the bill for six weeks of daily antibiotics to prevent the infection from coming back. His private insurance plan picked up the majority of the $90,000 in costs. click link for more
Fort Wainwright soldiers want congress to stop unfit soldiers being deployed
Soldiers say unfit troops being deployed
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Mar 26, 2009 12:19:14 EDT
FAIRBANKS, Alaska — A group of active-duty soldiers at Fort Wainwright is accusing commanders of forcing medically unfit soldiers to deploy to Iraq.
The soldiers are gathering signatures to send a petition to Congress calling for a full investigation.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/03/ap_deployment_complaint_032609/
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Mar 26, 2009 12:19:14 EDT
FAIRBANKS, Alaska — A group of active-duty soldiers at Fort Wainwright is accusing commanders of forcing medically unfit soldiers to deploy to Iraq.
The soldiers are gathering signatures to send a petition to Congress calling for a full investigation.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/03/ap_deployment_complaint_032609/
Lance Cpl. Sean Michael Mitchell, home on leave dies in crash
It must be very hard for the family that he was on leave after Iraq but was killed back home. Please pray for them.
Marine on leave dies in truck crashBy Earl Holland • Staff Writer • March 26, 2009
SALISBURY -- Friends and family continue to deal with the loss of a U.S. Marine who died while on leave.
Lance Cpl. Sean Michael Mitchell, 21, of Salisbury was killed Tuesday after his truck hit a tree on Route 13 near Route 413 in Westover as he was heading back to Camp LeJeune, N.C., where he was stationed.
Mitchell, who attended James M. Bennett High School, had taken a two-week leave to spend time with his family after recently returning from a tour in Ramadi, Iraq in February. He had been in the Marines since December 2006.
go here for more
Marine on leave dies in truck crash
Marine on leave dies in truck crashBy Earl Holland • Staff Writer • March 26, 2009
SALISBURY -- Friends and family continue to deal with the loss of a U.S. Marine who died while on leave.
Lance Cpl. Sean Michael Mitchell, 21, of Salisbury was killed Tuesday after his truck hit a tree on Route 13 near Route 413 in Westover as he was heading back to Camp LeJeune, N.C., where he was stationed.
Mitchell, who attended James M. Bennett High School, had taken a two-week leave to spend time with his family after recently returning from a tour in Ramadi, Iraq in February. He had been in the Marines since December 2006.
go here for more
Marine on leave dies in truck crash
The Death of Marine Carmelo Rodriguez could change law
Sister of deceased marine implores Congress to reverse military medical malpractice ban
Rodriguez: "I speak for the countless ..."
WASHINGTON – Marine Sgt. Carmelo Rodriguez of Ellenville died in 2007 at the age of 29 from a melanoma on his buttocks that was misdiagnosed by military doctors while he served in Iraq.
Congressman Maurice Hinchey has introduced legislation that would reverse a current 50 year old federal law that prohibits lawsuits and he testified about it before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law.
go here for more
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2009/March09/25/mil_malprac-25Mar09.html
For his story go here
Rodriguez: "I speak for the countless ..."
WASHINGTON – Marine Sgt. Carmelo Rodriguez of Ellenville died in 2007 at the age of 29 from a melanoma on his buttocks that was misdiagnosed by military doctors while he served in Iraq.
Congressman Maurice Hinchey has introduced legislation that would reverse a current 50 year old federal law that prohibits lawsuits and he testified about it before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law.
go here for more
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2009/March09/25/mil_malprac-25Mar09.html
For his story go here
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Soon, The Name "Carmelo Rodriguez" Will Be Heard In Congress
Case Sheds Light On Military LawSoon, The Name "Carmelo Rodriguez" Will Be Heard In Congress
Soon, The Name "Carmelo Rodriguez" Will Be Heard In Congress
Case Sheds Light On Military LawSoon, The Name "Carmelo Rodriguez" Will Be Heard In Congress
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Legislator pushing bill to overturn Feres Doctrine
Law prevents troops’ malpractice lawsuitsLegislator pushing bill to overturn Feres DoctrineBy Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Legislator pushing bill to overturn Feres Doctrine
Law prevents troops’ malpractice lawsuitsLegislator pushing bill to overturn Feres DoctrineBy Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
When you need to beat PTSD and addictions
There is a very complicated problem with PTSD that does not get discussed enough. While most PTSD veterans rely on drugs and alcohol to kill off feelings they do not want to feel, calm jumping nerves, among other relief of symptoms, they are not addicted to the chemicals themselves. They are seeking relief. When they are treated by programs like AA, or rehabs, these programs my offer temporary sobriety, but soon the veteran is turning back to self-medication.
The problem comes when they are also addicted as alcoholics and drug addicts. If the program they enter into is only focusing on treating the addiction and not PTSD, again, these programs fail more often than not. The proper diagnosis needs to be done in order to provide the proper treatment. When PTSD and addictions are both addressed, there is a higher success rate.
There is no shame in being an alcoholic or addicted to drugs any more than there should be shame in being wounded by PTSD. My father was a disabled Korean veteran, but he was also an alcoholic. He joined AA when I was 13 and spent the rest of his life sober. He became a sponsor of many other alcoholics. My father was amazing. He knew his heart was very ill as he suffered many heart attacks and strokes, but he would not reach for alcohol even knowing he was, as the doctors phrased it "on borrowed time" and was facing the possibility the next heart attack could be his last. He passed away in 1987 at the age of 58.
Treatment works if they know exactly what they are treating but support is also vital in getting thru the worst times, finding someone you can talk to wearing the same shoes you are. There is a site you should check out to see if you can find support there to stand stronger than you can alone.
I had a long talk with Alexander Kintis yesterday. This is his site and his effort to supply a support network to help people dealing with addictions. It has a lot of information and links to help you.
The problem comes when they are also addicted as alcoholics and drug addicts. If the program they enter into is only focusing on treating the addiction and not PTSD, again, these programs fail more often than not. The proper diagnosis needs to be done in order to provide the proper treatment. When PTSD and addictions are both addressed, there is a higher success rate.
There is no shame in being an alcoholic or addicted to drugs any more than there should be shame in being wounded by PTSD. My father was a disabled Korean veteran, but he was also an alcoholic. He joined AA when I was 13 and spent the rest of his life sober. He became a sponsor of many other alcoholics. My father was amazing. He knew his heart was very ill as he suffered many heart attacks and strokes, but he would not reach for alcohol even knowing he was, as the doctors phrased it "on borrowed time" and was facing the possibility the next heart attack could be his last. He passed away in 1987 at the age of 58.
Treatment works if they know exactly what they are treating but support is also vital in getting thru the worst times, finding someone you can talk to wearing the same shoes you are. There is a site you should check out to see if you can find support there to stand stronger than you can alone.
About Beating Addiction
About
Originally made available to users in early 2006 and then completely rebuilt throughout 2008, Beating Addiction aims to be the leading online social-networking site that helps users overcome their addiction(s), mainly, by talking and communicating with others.
We know many people are interested in recovering but, for the more serious addictions, are afraid of joining a "real-life" support group because of various different reasons. Beating Addiction makes an effort to solve this problem by, indirectly, connecting people with one another. As a result, people will be more inclined to seek help and in doing so, they are taking the first step(s) toward recovery.
Users do not have to register with Beating Addiction to view the majority of the site however we do encourage registration so one may be may be more proactive in their pursuit of recovery. Additionally, the premise is users helping users so we need you!
Whether a person is in a "real-life" support group, a support group on a different web site, or is willing to try something a bit different, Beating Addiction can offer a new experience which, we feel, will help a user be well on their way to the road to recovery.
I had a long talk with Alexander Kintis yesterday. This is his site and his effort to supply a support network to help people dealing with addictions. It has a lot of information and links to help you.
Fantasy of Flight Honors Female Pilots From World War II
Fantasy of Flight Honors Female Pilots From World War II
The Ledger - Lakeland,FL,USA
By Gary White
THE LEDGER
Published: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at 10:05 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at 10:05 p.m.
Even at age 90, Helen Wyatt Snapp will travel hundreds of miles to discuss her contribution to the World War II effort.
Perhaps she's still making up for lost time. Snapp and her fellow Women Airforce Service Pilots originally were told to keep quiet about their role in the war, and the details of their service remained classified for decades.
Snapp and two other WASP veterans visit Fantasy of Flight on Friday and Saturday as part of the Auburndale aviation attraction's Living History Symposium Series.
"So many people even today have never even heard of us," said Snapp, a resident of Pembroke Pines in Broward County. "When we were discharged we kind of went back to civilian life. A lot of people didn't believe that I even flew, so I learned to just keep quiet and didn't even talk about it unless somebody brought it up."
The three women - Betty Blake, Bernice "Bee" Falk Haydu and Snapp - will take part in panel discussions Friday and Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. They are scheduled to meet guests each day at 3 p.m.
The WASP program arose after the start of World War II to supply pilots for non-combat and training duties and free up male pilots to be deployed overseas. The Army Air Forces, predecessor of the Air Force, first began training female pilots at a Houston base in 1942, and the program continued through 1944.
click link for more
The Ledger - Lakeland,FL,USA
PROVIDED TO THE LEDGER ABOUT 1,100 WOMEN graduated as Women Airforce Service Pilots during World War II. Three of those women will take part in a panel discussion Friday and Saturday at Fantasy of Flight in Auburndale.
By Gary White
THE LEDGER
Published: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at 10:05 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at 10:05 p.m.
Even at age 90, Helen Wyatt Snapp will travel hundreds of miles to discuss her contribution to the World War II effort.
Perhaps she's still making up for lost time. Snapp and her fellow Women Airforce Service Pilots originally were told to keep quiet about their role in the war, and the details of their service remained classified for decades.
Snapp and two other WASP veterans visit Fantasy of Flight on Friday and Saturday as part of the Auburndale aviation attraction's Living History Symposium Series.
"So many people even today have never even heard of us," said Snapp, a resident of Pembroke Pines in Broward County. "When we were discharged we kind of went back to civilian life. A lot of people didn't believe that I even flew, so I learned to just keep quiet and didn't even talk about it unless somebody brought it up."
The three women - Betty Blake, Bernice "Bee" Falk Haydu and Snapp - will take part in panel discussions Friday and Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. They are scheduled to meet guests each day at 3 p.m.
The WASP program arose after the start of World War II to supply pilots for non-combat and training duties and free up male pilots to be deployed overseas. The Army Air Forces, predecessor of the Air Force, first began training female pilots at a Houston base in 1942, and the program continued through 1944.
click link for more
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Vietnam War Soldier Shares Remarkable Story On Medal Of Honor Day
Unsung War Hero Gets Recognition
CBS Evening News: Vietnam War Soldier Shares Remarkable Story On Medal Of Honor Day
WASHINGTON, March 25, 2009 by David Martin
(CBS) Robert Howard was the toughest, bravest cat in the jungle, but he deserved a better war than Vietnam. He was nominated for the Medal of Honor three times for three separate operations behind enemy lines.
But, as CBS News correspondent David Martin reports, when President Nixon finally awarded him the nation’s highest honor, the ceremony was actually delayed by anti-war protests. He was a war hero at a time when Americans didn’t believe in either the war or its heroes. He was wounded 14 times and has no business being alive.
“Here I come face-to-face with a platoon of enemy soldiers and so I’m standing with my weapon like this, and they fire directly at me and I fell backwards like this, and I didn’t get killed,” Howard explained.
That was just the beginning of the fire fight for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. It ended when, out of ammunition, he called in a 2,000-pound bomb.
go here for more
Unsung War Hero Gets Recognition
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_____________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 25, 2009
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT ON NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR DAY
We are grateful to all those who wear the uniform of our Armed Forces and serve and sacrifice on behalf of our great nation. Members of our Armed Forces hold themselves to the highest standards and set an example of responsibility to one another and to the country that should inspire all Americans to serve a purpose greater than themselves. Today we pay our respect to those who distinguished themselves conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty - the recipients of the Medal of Honor.
Since it was first awarded during the Civil War to the current battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, Medal of Honor recipients have displayed tremendous courage, an unfailing determination to succeed, and a humbling willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice. It is telling that so many Medal of Honor recipients received the award posthumously. These soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsman embody the best of American values and ideals.
Medal of Honor recipients are the foremost example of greatness in service and sacrifice. Their bravery and humble strength continues to reassure our nation of the strength of its character and ideals even in these difficult times. We owe these heroes a debt of gratitude that our nation can never fully repay. So, it is on this day that we salute that fact and celebrate their lives and heroic actions that have placed them amongst the "bravest of the brave." We must never forget their sacrifice and will always keep the Fallen and their families in our thoughts and prayers.
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT ON NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR DAY
CBS Evening News: Vietnam War Soldier Shares Remarkable Story On Medal Of Honor Day
WASHINGTON, March 25, 2009 by David Martin
(CBS) Robert Howard was the toughest, bravest cat in the jungle, but he deserved a better war than Vietnam. He was nominated for the Medal of Honor three times for three separate operations behind enemy lines.
But, as CBS News correspondent David Martin reports, when President Nixon finally awarded him the nation’s highest honor, the ceremony was actually delayed by anti-war protests. He was a war hero at a time when Americans didn’t believe in either the war or its heroes. He was wounded 14 times and has no business being alive.
“Here I come face-to-face with a platoon of enemy soldiers and so I’m standing with my weapon like this, and they fire directly at me and I fell backwards like this, and I didn’t get killed,” Howard explained.
That was just the beginning of the fire fight for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. It ended when, out of ammunition, he called in a 2,000-pound bomb.
go here for more
Unsung War Hero Gets Recognition
38 of the soldiers who have received the nation`s highest military honor attended a special ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, including one with a remarkable story. David Martin reports.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_____________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 25, 2009
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT ON NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR DAY
We are grateful to all those who wear the uniform of our Armed Forces and serve and sacrifice on behalf of our great nation. Members of our Armed Forces hold themselves to the highest standards and set an example of responsibility to one another and to the country that should inspire all Americans to serve a purpose greater than themselves. Today we pay our respect to those who distinguished themselves conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty - the recipients of the Medal of Honor.
Since it was first awarded during the Civil War to the current battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, Medal of Honor recipients have displayed tremendous courage, an unfailing determination to succeed, and a humbling willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice. It is telling that so many Medal of Honor recipients received the award posthumously. These soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsman embody the best of American values and ideals.
Medal of Honor recipients are the foremost example of greatness in service and sacrifice. Their bravery and humble strength continues to reassure our nation of the strength of its character and ideals even in these difficult times. We owe these heroes a debt of gratitude that our nation can never fully repay. So, it is on this day that we salute that fact and celebrate their lives and heroic actions that have placed them amongst the "bravest of the brave." We must never forget their sacrifice and will always keep the Fallen and their families in our thoughts and prayers.
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT ON NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR DAY
Pilot in F-22 crash worked for Lockheed Martin
Pilot killed in F-22 crash in California desert
The Air Force's $140 million supersonic jet was on test mission
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - An F-22A Raptor, the Air Force's top-of-the line fighter jet, crashed Wednesday in a remote area of the Mojave Desert, killing a test pilot for prime contractor Lockheed Martin Corp.
The jet crashed at 10 a.m. about 35 miles northeast of Edwards, a vast unpopulated area of flat desert.
The pilot was David Cooley, 49, a 21-year Air Force veteran who joined Lockheed Martin in 2003, the company said in a statement. The company did not release any details of the accident or say whether or not Cooley attempted to eject.
go here for more
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29881713/
Fighter Jet Crashes Near Edwards Air Force Base
Fighter jet crashes near Edwards Air Force Base
11:55 AM March 25, 2009
An F-22-A fighter jet crashed near Edwards Air Force Base this morning, and the condition of the pilot is unclear
click link for more and for updates
11:55 AM March 25, 2009
An F-22-A fighter jet crashed near Edwards Air Force Base this morning, and the condition of the pilot is unclear
click link for more and for updates
Orlando police review handling of 911 calls before murder-suicide
Orlando police review handling of 911 calls before murder-suicide
Willoughby Mariano Sentinel Staff Writer
March 25, 2009
Orlando police are investigating how a 911 dispatcher handled calls asking police to help a woman who was kidnapped and later found murdered, a department spokeswoman said Tuesday.
It took police almost four hours to find Loyta Sloley, 34, who called co-workers hours before her Jan. 27 death and told them that she was being held against her will by her ex-boyfriend. By the time police arrived, she was dead on the floor of a downtown Orlando hotel, shot at least four times by ex-boyfriend James Clayton, according to a police report.
Police found Clayton, 46, collapsed on top of Sloley, dead. He killed himself with a single gunshot wound to the head.
The internal investigation started after a complaint from within the department, said Sgt. Barbara Jones, an Orlando police spokeswoman. She said department policy prevented her from giving the name of the dispatcher and other details, but a police report shows there was a 16-minute delay before an officer was dispatched to find Sloley.
Attempts to reach Sloley's family by telephone were unsuccessful.
Clayton was arrested in March 1989 in Alachua County in the killing of his live-in girlfriend. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was released on probation after eight years, according to a police report.
go here for more
Orlando police review handling of 911 calls before murder-suicide
Willoughby Mariano Sentinel Staff Writer
March 25, 2009
Orlando police are investigating how a 911 dispatcher handled calls asking police to help a woman who was kidnapped and later found murdered, a department spokeswoman said Tuesday.
It took police almost four hours to find Loyta Sloley, 34, who called co-workers hours before her Jan. 27 death and told them that she was being held against her will by her ex-boyfriend. By the time police arrived, she was dead on the floor of a downtown Orlando hotel, shot at least four times by ex-boyfriend James Clayton, according to a police report.
Police found Clayton, 46, collapsed on top of Sloley, dead. He killed himself with a single gunshot wound to the head.
The internal investigation started after a complaint from within the department, said Sgt. Barbara Jones, an Orlando police spokeswoman. She said department policy prevented her from giving the name of the dispatcher and other details, but a police report shows there was a 16-minute delay before an officer was dispatched to find Sloley.
Attempts to reach Sloley's family by telephone were unsuccessful.
Clayton was arrested in March 1989 in Alachua County in the killing of his live-in girlfriend. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was released on probation after eight years, according to a police report.
go here for more
Orlando police review handling of 911 calls before murder-suicide
Money for vets on the way
Money for vets on the way
by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor
March 24, 2009 02:09 PM
Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry announced this afternoon that federal economic stimulus money will provide nearly $25 million for veterans facilities in Massachusetts, along with a $250 one-time payment to qualifying vets.
The tax-free grant will go to residents of the United States and its territories who received veterans payments at any time between November and January. The money is part of $1.4 billion that the Veterans Administration is receiving from the stimulus package to assist veterans, hospitals, and care centers nationwide.
go here for more
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/03/money_for_vets.html
by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor
March 24, 2009 02:09 PM
Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry announced this afternoon that federal economic stimulus money will provide nearly $25 million for veterans facilities in Massachusetts, along with a $250 one-time payment to qualifying vets.
The tax-free grant will go to residents of the United States and its territories who received veterans payments at any time between November and January. The money is part of $1.4 billion that the Veterans Administration is receiving from the stimulus package to assist veterans, hospitals, and care centers nationwide.
go here for more
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/03/money_for_vets.html
Has PTSD evolved or have we?
by Chaplain Kathie
The following is a good article but it implies that PTSD has evolved instead of the fact we have evolved regarding knowledge, no longer dismissing what traumatic events can do to humans. If you go back in the historical records of battles throughout time, you will discover exactly how horrific warfare was and what it did to the warriors. Many accounts are within the Bible itself. Reading the words in most books of the Bible along with the discarded books eliminated from what we read today, you can find the trauma of war deeply changed the participants. David's accounts are one of many. Judges and Kings addresses warfare. When Joshua took Jericho, everyone was slaughtered by hand to hand combat. As for noise, screams would have filled every ear as the sound of the swords slashed thru skin and bones. Body parts and heads went flying thru the air. Ancient weaponry flung fire and burning oils onto the enemy forces on both sides. In many cases helpless captives were slaughtered after the battles were over.
In ancient times, the suffering of the warriors was treated as a judgment of God and hidden from others so they would not be ostracized. Even the ancients had ways of "healing" the warrior with cleansing rituals, spending time away from home to "purify" the warrior. Ancient Native Americans had sweat lodges and cleansing ceremonies as well.
When you read the accounts of the Spartans, the females, also trained in warfare to protect the homeland as the males were doing battles away, sent their sons with the warning "come back with your shield as a hero or carried on it" in other words, come back with your honor or dead. No one wanted to hear complaining of what combat did to them even though they were just as deeply wounded as the modern soldiers are today. The wounded were regarded as cowards.
This attitude was carried over into our own Revolutionary and Civil War where affected soldiers were shot for being cowards instead of treated as a casualty of war. It is not that the wound we call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder did not exist in history. It's more the fact we did not know what it was.
With science and technology, there is long distance warfare coupled with close range. The carnage remains. The death and destruction remains. Civilians are still killed in the process including children, women and old men. Comrades still lay dead on the battlefield and they have to be recovered. The wounded still have to be transported. The trauma wounded still return home to family and friends with a questionable futures as PTSD infects every part of their lives, yet science has also provided us with a better understanding of what makes humans work.
People tend to forget that up until Vietnam, PTSD wounded, were virtually ignored. After WWII, the "shell shocked" were sent to live on farms to be taken care of or sent to mental intuitions. The functionally shell shocked were left to fend for themselves. Vietnam veterans came home, much like all other generations but they fought to make sure this wound of war was treated and they were compensated for their wound. With all we know about Vietnam veterans, there is much that is not reported on. The families destroyed by it are not counted. The suicides we discuss today with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans were hidden from the public because shame forced the families into silence along with lack of knowledge. The incarcerated Vietnam veterans convicted of crimes that should have been related to PTSD were ignored and justice denied. Homeless veterans walked the streets of cities and towns depending on alcohol and drugs to kill off feelings and cope with the jumping nerves, nightmares and flashbacks.
Because of the Vietnam veterans, we are as far as we are with PTSD. It is not that warfare has evolved. It is that we have evolved because of them. Think of them when Vietnam Veterans day comes again on March 29th and thank them for what they did for all veterans and their families.
The problem is too many thinking they are helping are causing more damage. When you tell warriors they can "train" themselves to overcome the wound of PTSD, you are telling them they are to blame when they cannot. This is not a wound of the mind,although it's easier to explain that way, but a wound to the soul, the heart of the warrior. The vast majority of veterans I've been in contact with during 27 years, along with my own husband, are sensitive humans. Courage often comes with sensitivity in their core. It is was causes them to act on behalf of others, putting themselves aside for the sake of someone else.
The warriors have within them the same foundation, or core, as people going into law enforcement. They have within them the ability to take a life in order to save a life. This they are prepared to do, trained to do, but too often when there have been one too many traumatic events, they are also wounded.
The National Guards have within their core the same foundation as the people entering into fire departments and emergency responders. That is the ability to risk their lives for the sake of saving someone else. This is one of the biggest factors in the National Guards and Reservists rates of PTSD coming in higher than the military forces. It is also one of the reasons the military forces are now presenting in at higher rates every year. Each redeployment increases the risk of PTSD striking by 50%. Again, one too many traumatic events will produce more and more PTSD wounded.
The military will not understand that there are different types of people any more than they will understand this is not a mental wound that they can train themselves to avoid, but a wound to the foundation of the individual. This is why civilians are also wounded by traumatic events they survive. To ignore the human condition is to keep ignoring what needs to be done for the warriors. If they keep misunderstanding what is at the root of PTSD, they will keep making the same mistakes they have been making for 30 years and we will keep losing them, burying more after war than we do during it.
The following is a good article but it implies that PTSD has evolved instead of the fact we have evolved regarding knowledge, no longer dismissing what traumatic events can do to humans. If you go back in the historical records of battles throughout time, you will discover exactly how horrific warfare was and what it did to the warriors. Many accounts are within the Bible itself. Reading the words in most books of the Bible along with the discarded books eliminated from what we read today, you can find the trauma of war deeply changed the participants. David's accounts are one of many. Judges and Kings addresses warfare. When Joshua took Jericho, everyone was slaughtered by hand to hand combat. As for noise, screams would have filled every ear as the sound of the swords slashed thru skin and bones. Body parts and heads went flying thru the air. Ancient weaponry flung fire and burning oils onto the enemy forces on both sides. In many cases helpless captives were slaughtered after the battles were over.
In ancient times, the suffering of the warriors was treated as a judgment of God and hidden from others so they would not be ostracized. Even the ancients had ways of "healing" the warrior with cleansing rituals, spending time away from home to "purify" the warrior. Ancient Native Americans had sweat lodges and cleansing ceremonies as well.
When you read the accounts of the Spartans, the females, also trained in warfare to protect the homeland as the males were doing battles away, sent their sons with the warning "come back with your shield as a hero or carried on it" in other words, come back with your honor or dead. No one wanted to hear complaining of what combat did to them even though they were just as deeply wounded as the modern soldiers are today. The wounded were regarded as cowards.
This attitude was carried over into our own Revolutionary and Civil War where affected soldiers were shot for being cowards instead of treated as a casualty of war. It is not that the wound we call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder did not exist in history. It's more the fact we did not know what it was.
With science and technology, there is long distance warfare coupled with close range. The carnage remains. The death and destruction remains. Civilians are still killed in the process including children, women and old men. Comrades still lay dead on the battlefield and they have to be recovered. The wounded still have to be transported. The trauma wounded still return home to family and friends with a questionable futures as PTSD infects every part of their lives, yet science has also provided us with a better understanding of what makes humans work.
People tend to forget that up until Vietnam, PTSD wounded, were virtually ignored. After WWII, the "shell shocked" were sent to live on farms to be taken care of or sent to mental intuitions. The functionally shell shocked were left to fend for themselves. Vietnam veterans came home, much like all other generations but they fought to make sure this wound of war was treated and they were compensated for their wound. With all we know about Vietnam veterans, there is much that is not reported on. The families destroyed by it are not counted. The suicides we discuss today with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans were hidden from the public because shame forced the families into silence along with lack of knowledge. The incarcerated Vietnam veterans convicted of crimes that should have been related to PTSD were ignored and justice denied. Homeless veterans walked the streets of cities and towns depending on alcohol and drugs to kill off feelings and cope with the jumping nerves, nightmares and flashbacks.
Because of the Vietnam veterans, we are as far as we are with PTSD. It is not that warfare has evolved. It is that we have evolved because of them. Think of them when Vietnam Veterans day comes again on March 29th and thank them for what they did for all veterans and their families.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder has evolved with war
By Chris Roberts / El Paso Times
Posted: 03/24/2009 12:00:00 AM MDT
EL PASO -- During the Civil War, infantrymen who had a difficult time coping with the carnage they witnessed were said to have "soldier's heart."
In World War I, it was "shell shock," and in World War II, it was "battle fatigue."
Although post-traumatic stress disorder finally was diagnosed in Vietnam War veterans, little treatment was provided to them when they first returned.
"They didn't do anything when we came back," said Jeri Elena Mark, who suffers from the disorder.
She served on a Hawk missile crew in a Vietnam War combat zone.
"In 1985, they (Veterans Affairs) started giving me something to control the anxiety," she said of her wartime service.
Mark says she still has night panics, which she calms by checking the backyard and making sure the house alarms are set.
In 1989, Congress directed the VA to create the National Center for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder to research the problem.
go here for more
http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_11980973?source=most_emailed
Military puts focus on epidemic of suicides
By Alan Gomez, USA TODAY
BAGHDAD — In Maj. Thomas Jarrett's stress management class surrounded by concrete blast walls, American troops are urged not to accept post-traumatic stress disorder as an inevitable consequence of war.
Instead, Jarrett tells them to strive for "post-traumatic growth."
During a 90-minute presentation entitled "Warrior Resilience and Thriving," Jarrett, a former corporate coach, offers this and other unconventional tips on how troops can stay mentally healthy once they return home. He quotes Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Paradise Lost author John Milton and German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, among others.
Walking through the crowd of young GIs in the makeshift classroom, Jarrett urges them to fight their "internal insurgents."
The overriding theme of the course: Troops have the power to determine how they react to the horrors they may experience in Iraq. They can either accept them as traumatizing events, or transform them into learning — even empowering — experiences.
go here for more
http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2009-03-24-iraqsuicides_N.htm
The problem is too many thinking they are helping are causing more damage. When you tell warriors they can "train" themselves to overcome the wound of PTSD, you are telling them they are to blame when they cannot. This is not a wound of the mind,although it's easier to explain that way, but a wound to the soul, the heart of the warrior. The vast majority of veterans I've been in contact with during 27 years, along with my own husband, are sensitive humans. Courage often comes with sensitivity in their core. It is was causes them to act on behalf of others, putting themselves aside for the sake of someone else.
The warriors have within them the same foundation, or core, as people going into law enforcement. They have within them the ability to take a life in order to save a life. This they are prepared to do, trained to do, but too often when there have been one too many traumatic events, they are also wounded.
The National Guards have within their core the same foundation as the people entering into fire departments and emergency responders. That is the ability to risk their lives for the sake of saving someone else. This is one of the biggest factors in the National Guards and Reservists rates of PTSD coming in higher than the military forces. It is also one of the reasons the military forces are now presenting in at higher rates every year. Each redeployment increases the risk of PTSD striking by 50%. Again, one too many traumatic events will produce more and more PTSD wounded.
The military will not understand that there are different types of people any more than they will understand this is not a mental wound that they can train themselves to avoid, but a wound to the foundation of the individual. This is why civilians are also wounded by traumatic events they survive. To ignore the human condition is to keep ignoring what needs to be done for the warriors. If they keep misunderstanding what is at the root of PTSD, they will keep making the same mistakes they have been making for 30 years and we will keep losing them, burying more after war than we do during it.
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