Suicide death of friend leads journalist to understand PTSD

We must help our returning warriors
By Scott Krahling
For the Sun-News
Posted: 04/28/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT



My friend Kyle was a colleague at work and a neighbor, as well. For over a year, I considered him one of my closest friends, and the time I spent with him helped me realize many things. His death — by suicide — helped me realize many more.

Unlike Kyle, I am not a veteran of military service. Even so, I always assumed I understood veterans' issues and that I could empathize with their experiences by extrapolating from my own. I was wrong.

Nothing I have done in my life could have helped me understand how being in battle changed Kyle emotionally and psychologically. After his death, I delved further into the topic of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I wanted to know what killed a man who survived service in the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division.

Part of my research led me to the Las Cruces Vet Center, where Guy McCommon and his staff work daily with warriors who have served our country and have come back changed by the experience. Changed by the reality of killing. Changed by the reality of being hunted. Changed by the memories of blood, bone and bodies — men, women and children. Changed by ghosts. Changed by nightmares that we who have not been to war cannot imagine.

Kyle tried his best to come back home and fit in, but his personal universe was so manifestly altered by his experiences that what we call "society" was chimera to him. He knew how thin the veil of civilization is, and he knew the savagery of which humans are capable toward one another. There was no going back. There was only slogging forward, trying to adapt alone to a new reality that even his closest friends could not grasp. Empathy is an empty word for a warrior amid civilians.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It sounds clinical and clean to those of us who are uninitiated. This is not the stress of a job lost or even the funeral for a friend.

It is a messy, complicated, jagged and relentless reality for those who experience traumatic events in war or in life. It is shards of glass on the nerves. It is live electricity against bare flesh. It is savage enough to drive a good man to a silent, peaceful grave.
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http://www.scsun-news.com/ci_12239846

CT: Fresh Strategies Recommended for PTSD

"That guy has shell shock!" Those were the words my father used when I asked him what he thought about Jack. My father was a disabled Korean veteran. Back then I was just learning about PTSD and while research had been going on since the 70's, in 1982 there was not that much known. I had no idea PTSD in my husband would get worse. I thought it was as bad as it could get and we tried to just deal with it. Back then we had plenty of excuses because addressing it was all knew. The wound itself was as ancient as mankind but all generations before never did anything about it. It was because of Vietnam veterans coming back and forcing the nation to treat it, acknowledge it as a service connected disability and take care of all generations wounded by it.

People like me have lived with it for over 30 years, researched it, learned about it and decided that with our expertise others could benefit by our own heartache. The problem is, no one would listen. Being "alone" with no one understanding what PTSD was lead to well meaning people offering one piece of advice, "Walk away and get on with your own life." when it came to my marriage. They couldn't understand anyone causing that much pain to someone else. My view was that had it been cancer instead of PTSD, I doubt they would have given the same advice. There was an awareness of what cancer was and most people understood the changes in a patient facing a deadly illness. What they didn't understand was that PTSD was a deadly wound leaving the veterans dying a very slow death.

Too many years have passed by and very little has been done on educating people about PTSD. This is what I've been trying to do since 1982 because I knew it had to be done. Not just for the veterans and their families to understand it, but to give them the tools they needed to live with it and find their own kind of "normal" living with it. This is not all bad as long as you know where it all comes from. As a matter of fact, there are parts of PTSD that can be quiet amusing instead of causing anger when there is awareness of where it is coming from.

My heartache comes from the fact all these years of experience I and other spouses have is all there for the newest generation to learn from, well within their reach so they can learn from us as easily as possible but they are not asking. They lack the basic knowledge to even know what to ask for. As communities around the nation face a tsunami of wounded veterans needing help and support, they are also reluctant to even begin to face it leaving veterans and their families to suffer needlessly in isolation while they scream for help.

The other issue is that mental health professionals able to treat the veterans will not listen either. While they have experience in addressing it from a professional standpoint, they do not know what it is like to live with it and we have great insight on what they can never see.

What Connecticut is doing with this is a good step in the right direction and is desperately needed.

New Research Identifies PTSD, Other Problems for Returning Veterans; Fresh Strategies Recommended

New research for veterans identifying significant rates of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and other compelling problems for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan has been released by the Center for Public Policy & Social Research (CPPSR) at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). Based on the data, CPPSR has made policy recommendations to help these veterans better readjust to civilian life and stands ready to assist other states in doing the same.

New Britain, CT (PRWEB) April 28, 2009 -- New research has identified significant rates of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and other compelling needs of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The Center for Public Policy & Social Research (CPPSR) at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) and the Connecticut Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) recently released their needs assessment of returning Connecticut veterans. Based on the data, CPPSR has recommended fresh strategies to help veterans readjust to civilian life, and hopes to share its new research model with other VA departments nationwide.

The report, authorized by Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell and DVA

Commissioner Linda Spoonster Schwartz, explored the significant medical, psychosocial and economic needs of these veterans, as well as the existing barriers veterans face in meeting those needs. It concluded with a series of recommendations, based on the research data, to optimize readjustment to civilian life for these veterans.

DVA Commissioner Schwartz said, "We relied on the expertise of the Center for design, data collection and analysis of the first ever Connecticut Veterans Needs Assessment… which serves as a guide for the development of legislation, programs and services." By doing this, she said, "CPPSR has improved our responsiveness to the needs of veterans…"

Conducted by Dr. Marc Goldstein and Dr. Jim Malley of CCSU, the assessment integrated data from meetings with veterans' service providers, focus groups with veterans, and a survey mailed to 2,050 veterans.

Some of the key findings include: almost 22% of veterans screening positive for PTSD; nearly 20% reporting difficulty in relating to their civilian friends; and over 10% reporting difficulty in connecting emotionally with family members. Additionally, veterans most in need of support are the least likely to seek it out. This reflected either distrust of the VA establishment or concerns about being stigmatized or de-normalized by seeking mental health treatment. These veterans are at particular risk of slipping into a downward spiral of marital and family problems, employment problems, substance abuse and problems with the law.

Among the primary recommendations are: to initiate a public awareness campaign to inform and educate on these issues, targeting the veterans and their families, the general public and non-military caregivers; to develop an early identification and outreach system for those returning veterans most at-risk for serious readjustment difficulties, who may need assistance; and to avoid stigma for veterans seeking help by creating an integrated network of mental health support services in non-clinical sites that veterans find comfortable, such as Vet Centers and veteran support programs.
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http://www.prweb.com/releases/PTSD/new_research/prweb2349904.htm

Vietnam MIA's family given medal for his heroism

Family given soldier's medal for heroism
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., April 27 (UPI) -- It took 42 years, but the family of a U.S. Army Green Beret major missing in action in Vietnam has been given the Distinguished Service Cross he earned.

At a ceremony in Fayetteville, N.C., last Wednesday, the story was told how on March 24, 1967, Maj. Jack T. Stewart was last seen providing cover fire for his comrades as they evacuated their position at Bu Dop in Phuoc Long province near the Cambodian border while under attack from an overwhelming North Vietnamese force, American Forces Press Services said Monday.
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Family given soldier's medal for heroism/

Approximately 4,000 Florida Army National Guard soldiers could be deploying

Army National Guard Prepares Soldiers and Families For Upcoming Deployment

Posted: 8:41 PM Apr 27, 2009
Last Updated: 8:41 PM Apr 27, 2009
Reporter: Vanessa Nguyen
Email Address: vanessa.nguyen



Approximately 4,000 Florida Army National Guard soldiers could be deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan during the next twelve months.

Military officials say it will be the largest mobilization in state history.
The deployment could include a majority of Panama City's 153rd Calvary Regiment.

For the last several months, commanders of the 153rd Calvary Regiment have been preparing their soldiers and their families for possible deployment.

Army National Guard Major Joseph Lyon says, "you don't mobilize any soldier. You mobilize their family. Now when I say that, you have to prepare the family to be able to stand alone on their own two feet."
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http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/43834087.html

Lightning Strike Kills Man on Motorcycle

Lightning Strike Kills Man on Motorcycle
Lawrence Journal-World
Troy Gentzler, 45, was volunteering for Bikers Against Child Abuse when he died.
(April 27) -- A Lawrence, Kan., man died Saturday after he was struck by a bolt of lightning as he and six companions rode their motorcycles through a rainstorm, the Lawrence Journal-World reported.
Troy Gentzler, 45, was killed shortly after visiting an abuse victim for the northeast Kansas chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse.
The bolt struck as the group was traveling between the towns of Grantville and Perry.
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Lightning Strike Kills Man on Motorcycle

Command Sgt. Major Benjamin Moore Jr passes away in Iraq

Decorated Scofield soldier dies in Iraq

The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Apr 27, 2009 11:38:11 EDT

ALBANY, Ga. — A decorated Army soldier from south Georgia has died in Iraq.

The Department of Defense said Command Sgt. Major Benjamin Moore Jr. of Waycross died Friday of injuries that were not combat-related.

He was 43.

Moore was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Combat Brigade Team, 25th Infantry Division, based at Scofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Moore earned 55 medals and had served in the Army since June 1983.

Funeral arrangements are pending.
Decorated Scofield soldier dies in Iraq

Del. Guardsman charged with raping soldier

Del. Guardsman charged with raping soldier
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Apr 27, 2009 12:47:12 EDT

GEORGETOWN, Del. — A member of the Delaware Army National Guard has been charged with raping a fellow soldier at the Georgetown Armory and sexual extortion.

Georgetown police say Staff Sgt. Theodoric Dixon, 36, was arrested Friday and charged with first-degree rape, unlawful imprisonment, sexual extortion, coercion and official misconduct. He has since been released.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/04/ap_del_guard_rape_charge_042709/

Second suicide at Shoot Straight in Casselberry FL

Report: Person shoots, kills self at Casselberry gun range
Apr 27, 2009 06:17 PM
A person has fatally shot him self at Shoot Straight, the same Casselberry gun range where a murder-suicide took place earlier this month, according to WFTV.com.

UPDATE April 28, 2009

Winter Springs man killed himself on second trip to gun range
Gary Taylor Sentinel Staff Writer
1:08 PM EDT, April 28, 2009

CASSELBERRY - Jason Kevin McCarthy, 26, was at Shoot Straight on U.S. Highway 17-92 about 11 a.m. Monday and asked about renting a gun, Casselberry police Officer Joseph Nas said in a report that has just been released. McCarthy was handed paperwork to fill out, "but he stated he had something to do first and left the store," Nas wrote.

He came back about 5:40 p.m. and that time he filled out the paperwork and rented a 9mm handgun.

No one saw McCarthy shoot himself, but the suicide was verified by a surveillance video, police said. Employee Adam Schulman told police he instructed McCarthy on how to safely use the gun and watched him shoot at his target on a monitor for about five minutes before turning to wait on a customer.

He said he realized something was wrong when another customer pounded on the glass and told him McCarthy had shot himself.
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Winter Springs man killed himself on second trip to gun range

Bill aims to protect vets’ gun rights

They don't want to hear they have nothing to fear when it comes to having to turn in their guns for PTSD treatment. It's as simple as that. They know how screwed up the system can be and they don't want to trust it. This bill needs to be passed so that I don't have to hear more veterans asking more about losing their right to have a gun than they do about PTSD itself.

As I've stated many times before, I do not own a gun and have no plans of getting one but I do not judge others or question their rights as long as they are responsible gun owners. The only thing I care about is that there are many veterans who will not go to the VA out of fear of having to give up their guns.

Bill aims to protect vets’ gun rights

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Apr 27, 2009 14:06:49 EDT

A bill aimed at protecting the gun rights of some veterans is under Senate consideration.

The Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act, pending before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, would limit the circumstances in which a veteran’s name could be added to a federal database used to do instant background checks for gun purchases.

By law, anyone “adjudicated as a mental defective,” such as people found to be a danger to themselves or others or who lack the mental capacity to manage their affairs, must be registered in the database.

The bill, S 669, which has 15 co-sponsors, would prohibit VA from submitting names to the National Instant Criminal Background Check database unless a judicial authority finds the individuals to be a danger to themselves or others.

VA has been turning over the names of veterans who have had someone else appointed to handle their financial affairs. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., ranking Republican on the veterans committee and sponsor of the bill, said VA has sent names of more than 117,000 veterans to the Justice Department since 1998 under the policy.

“Although there is still no danger a veteran will lose their right to carry a firearm for seeking treatment for [post-traumatic stress disorder], we offer our support for this legislation in the hopes it will quell any fears veterans might have about seeking treatment for mental health injuries,” said Patrick Campbell, IAVA’s chief legislative counsel.

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Bill aims to protect vets’ gun rights

Media interest in covering return of fallen soldiers drops

Media interest has fallen off sharply since almost 40 reporters, photographers and camera operators turned out to document the arrival of Myers’ body. At a more recent casualty arrivals, the only media representative was a lone photographer from The Associated Press.

This is really sad! All the complaints from the media about being banned from Dover, stopped from taking pictures of the flag covered caskets coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan and now this is the result? How can they possibly lose interest? Isn't it bad enough that they no longer cover what is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan? Good Lord, too many people in this country have no clue what is happening in either country and they don't bother to find out. The media buries the stories in local papers and the national media seems more interested in President Obama's picture on a magazine with different colored swimming shorts!

Most families OK coverage of fallen soldiers

By Randall Chase - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Apr 27, 2009 11:28:13 EDT

DOVER, Del. — In the weeks since the Pentagon ended an 18-year ban on media coverage of fallen soldiers returning to the U.S., most families given the option have allowed reporters and photographers to witness the solemn ceremonies that mark the arrival of flag-draped transfer cases.

Critics had warned that military families needed privacy and peace activists might exploit the images, but so far the coverage has not caused problems.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Myers of Hopewell, Va., who died April 4 in Afghanistan, was the first combat casualty whose return to American soil was witnessed by the media. He was to be buried with full military honors Monday afternoon at Arlington National Cemetery.

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Most families OK coverage of fallen soldiers

Veterans are backing Jones' bill

U.S. Rep. Walter B. Jones deserves a medal for this! Over 22,000 of our men and women in the military have received dishonorable, or less than honorable discharges that should have been honored when they clearly had PTSD. Too many reports came out on how the DOD and the VA were not being honest with diagnosing and treating PTSD. Too many commanders still have not come to terms with this war born wound and act as if the men and women they command suffering from this wound are not worthy of anything, including treatment and compensation, but above all, the respect of an honorable discharge. It has all been less than honorable treatment for them. Without an honorable discharge and the erroneous outrage diagnosis of a "pre-existing" mental health illness, they receive nothing. No treatment. No compensation. Most of the time, no jobs after they served. This betrayal should not be tolerated and they should be compensated if they are found to have PTSD or TBI but on top of it, compensated with retroactive payments and a public apology from the DOD for the suffering they had to go thru. They were betrayed and so were their families.

Veterans are backing Jones' bill

WILSON - Veterans groups are rallying behind U.S. Rep. Walter B. Jones' bill designed to help service members suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injuries.

Jones, a Republican from Farmville, was joined this week at a press conference by representatives from the National Association for Uniformed Services, the National Military Family Association, Military Officers Association of America and Air Force Sergeants Association. All are supporting House Resolution 1701: PTSD/TBI Guaranteed Review for Heroes Act

The bill would create a special review board at the Department of Defense for service members who were less than honorably discharged. The board would be allowed to change the characterization of discharge to honorable if PTSD or TBI are found to have been contributing factors.

Also, it would mandate a physical examination board before an administrative separation proceeding for active duty service members if the service member has been diagnosed with PTSD or TBI by a medical authority.

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Veterans are backing Jones' bill

Answers sought after Guardsman kills police officers

This is not a case of a combat veteran coming back from Iraq or Afghanistan. It's a case of domestic violence turning deadly for police officers responding. Is there anything that could have warned them of what they were facing when trying to arrest Cartwright? Is there anything that could warn them when they face anyone armed, trained and ready to kill?

Investigators said Cartwright was not a war veteran, but Spooner said the Florida National Guard soldier was interested in militia movements and weapons training.

Answers sought after Guardsman kills officers

By Melissa Nelson - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Apr 27, 2009 8:54:57 EDT

NICEVILLE, Fla. — Two deputies from a troubled sheriff’s office in Florida had no warning a confrontation with a National Guard soldier accused of beating his wife would turn deadly, the sheriff said.

Deputies Burt Lopez and Warren “Skip” York used a stun gun to subdue Joshua Cartwright, but he was able to start shooting at them from the ground. Both Lopez and York died.

“Within seconds he sat up and began firing a weapon that came out of nowhere, it was somewhere on his body we assume,” Okaloosa County’s Interim Sheriff Ed Spooner told more than 300 sheriff’s office employees who gathered Sunday night to pray and hear an explanation of the shootings.

Cartwright was killed in a shootout at a roadblock after a car chase into a neighboring county. The deputies had gone to a shooting range to arrest him after his wife sought treatment for domestic abuse injures at an area hospital.

Spooner said the deputies had no information to make them think Cartwright would turn his weapons on them.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/04/ap_fla_guardsman_shooting_042709/

SpecOps soldier dies while running marathon

SpecOps soldier dies while running marathon

The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Apr 27, 2009 7:03:11 EDT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Army officials say a runner who collapsed and died after at the Country Music Marathon was a special operations aviation soldier based at Fort Campbell, Ky.

The army said in news release Sunday the runner was Staff Sgt. Benjamin “Levi” Pigman, a 25-year-old native of Hamilton, Mont.

Pigman collapsed Saturday after he completed the half-marathon at the event. He was treated at the scene and then transported to Nashville General Hospital, where he died, the release said.
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SpecOps soldier dies while running marathon

Fallujah was not a game. Video game is wrong

To say they want to show the realities of war in a video game is ridiculous! If they want to show the "reality" of war, then why turn it into a video game? They would have turned it into a documentary showing respect for the men and women serving, risking their lives, getting wounded and killed in the line of duty. A game? That is supposed to show the reality of what they went thru? There are too many video games where keyboard warriors do battle with the bad guys making all of it unreal. These real warriors deserve to have their stories told with care, respect and honor.

Support, criticism greet Fallujah video game

By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Apr 27, 2009 5:10:22 EDT

A video game based on a real battle in Iraq is drawing volleys of criticism — and it won’t even be released until next year.

But it was Marines from 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, at Camp Pendleton, Calif., who came up with the idea for a historically accurate video game based on their experiences fighting in Fallujah in November 2004.

“They want to tell their story. Video games are their medium,” said Peter Tamte, president of Atomic Games, the developer of “Six Days in Fallujah.”

But before anybody has fired a shot in the game’s battles, “Six Days in Fallujah” is facing controversy.

Gold Star Families Speak Out, an organization of families with loved ones who died in Iraq and Afghanistan, say they are outraged that a video game will graphically recreate the Fallujah battle. They are part of the larger Military Families Speak Out, which opposes the war in Iraq.

Gold Star mother Tracy Miller said she was “stunned” when she heard about the video game. Her son, sniper Cpl. Nicholas L. “Nick” Ziolkowski, was killed by a sniper Nov. 14, 2004, in Fallujah.

“This is not a game. His life wasn’t a game, and the fact that he died wasn’t a game.

“I think [the game] trivializes it. And so many of these games dull sensibilities to violence,” she said.

“For every Gold Star parent, no matter how we feel about the war, what we want is that our kids be remembered. I haven’t seen this game, but I suspect they’re not going to be remembering our kids or even what happened historically.”

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Support, criticism greet Fallujah video game