Stephon Marbury blames 'posttraumatic stress' from dad's death for woes with Knicks
BY Samuel Goldsmith
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Sunday, May 3rd 2009, 1:18 AM
Stephon Marbury has finally revealed the cause of his tumultuous tenure with the Knicks - posttraumatic stress disorder following his father's sudden death.
The embattled former All-Star told his sob story to ESPN last week, saying it wasn't just clashes with team coaches that plagued his time in New York - it was the same clinically diagnosed illness that haunts many Iraq war vets.
"I had posttraumatic stress from different things going on," Marbury told ESPN. "\[My psychiatrist\] told me, 'You're a mess, basically.' "
"Everything that I went through this \[season\], it was tough," he said.
But less than three months after leaving New York for the Boston Celtics, Marbury said many of his demons are behind him.
"To end up in this situation, it's like you go from hell to being in heaven," he said.
Marbury discussed at length the despair he suffered after his father died during a Dec 2, 2007, game between the Knicks and the Phoenix Suns.
"I basically lost my mind when my father died," he said. "I was in shock. Going to a psychiatrist was the best thing I ever did."
Read more: "Stephon Marbury blames 'posttraumatic stress' from dad's death for woes with Knicks" Stephon Marbury
Sunday, May 3, 2009
PTSD:Mental health professionals need to listen
by
Chaplain Kathie
When a choir sits listening to the sermon each and every week, they are often surprised when they hear something new but often they hear something they had not thought of before. The saying "you're preaching to the choir" comes from this experience.
When it comes to mental health professionals it's time they began actually listening to the choir and stopped being offended by what they could learn if they got their egos out of the way. Advocates are not your enemy. We cannot diagnose conditions and we cannot treat psychological illnesses. We can however assist you in doing both. Most of us live with what you are trying to take care of.
When it comes to PTSD you can study all of it until you believe there is nothing more you need to know but unless you are living with it on a daily basis, there is much you will never learn in a book.
Often veterans are stunned by what I have to tell them and they will respond with "My psychologist never told me that." leaving me to respond with "They don't know because they don't live with it." but personally I want to add in "they will not listen either."
What you miss is that most of the veterans with PTSD were always sensitive people, caring about others more than themselves. They walk away from horrific events in combat taking away the pain of others along with their own. You need to treat them for the pain they feel inside but first you need to understand them and what made them different. This answers their most usual question of "Why me?"
What you fail to point out to them is that they showed great bravery when they kept on doing their duty, facing more and more traumatic events after they were wounded by PTSD and kept on doing it until they and their friends were out of danger or back home and then collapsed. They feel as if they are weak or cowards because the military tells them they can prepare their minds to be "tough" enough to take it.
What you fail to address is their soul. PTSD did not attack their mind first. It attacked their soul. It is an emotional wound setting off changes to the rest of the warrior. You need to find out if they believe God is judging them or they believe God abandoned them. This weighs heavily on their lives and cannot be dismissed. When they survive the horrors of war wondering where God was is often eating away at them and research has shown the faith of the "patient" does have a lot to do with the healing of that patient. Reconnecting them with their faith and God offers one more thing science cannot deliver on and that is hope. The loss of hope is one of the primary reasons many veterans commit suicide.
What also fail to understand is often they are not addicted to the chemicals alcohol and drugs offer but are seeking to kill off feelings, good and bad, they do not want to feel. There are times however you are dealing with both PTSD and addiction. If you misdiagnose either, the treatment will not work. If they have both then both need to be addressed. Ask if there is a history in the family of addiction and then take it from there. Do not assume it is an "either or" when it very well could be both.
What many of you are doing is talking to the family members to have a better understanding of what is going on. They know the history of your patient but they will not often know how things connect. Listen to key words like "suddenly changed" and then find out what happened before they "changed" to know what you are dealing with. Remember that family members are not mental health experts and will not think of things you need to know unless you ask them and listen carefully to what they do say. You also need to acknowledge that often the veteran will hide facts you need to know because they are either in denial or afraid to admit it. The spouse often can supply what they are not telling you.
In the process you also need to inform the spouse of things they can avoid to keep confrontation at a minimum. Often family troubles escalate because of their reactions to the veteran. If they do not understand what PTSD is and what it does, they will react as if they are dealing with the same person instead of a changed person. They react out of frustration and anger instead of reacting with knowledge. All the knowledge you give them will not only help them cope but will assist in treating the veteran as well.
Advocates can help you to help them. We are not in competition with you and we are not trying to take away your jobs. We're trying to make you better at doing your jobs so that you send back our warriors to us in the best possible condition so that we can live with them as well as possible.
And yes, you guessed right. I had another argument with another "expert" pointing out that they have a "Masters degree" but I pointed out I live with what they had to go to college to learn. Big difference.
Chaplain Kathie
When a choir sits listening to the sermon each and every week, they are often surprised when they hear something new but often they hear something they had not thought of before. The saying "you're preaching to the choir" comes from this experience.
When it comes to mental health professionals it's time they began actually listening to the choir and stopped being offended by what they could learn if they got their egos out of the way. Advocates are not your enemy. We cannot diagnose conditions and we cannot treat psychological illnesses. We can however assist you in doing both. Most of us live with what you are trying to take care of.
When it comes to PTSD you can study all of it until you believe there is nothing more you need to know but unless you are living with it on a daily basis, there is much you will never learn in a book.
Often veterans are stunned by what I have to tell them and they will respond with "My psychologist never told me that." leaving me to respond with "They don't know because they don't live with it." but personally I want to add in "they will not listen either."
What you miss is that most of the veterans with PTSD were always sensitive people, caring about others more than themselves. They walk away from horrific events in combat taking away the pain of others along with their own. You need to treat them for the pain they feel inside but first you need to understand them and what made them different. This answers their most usual question of "Why me?"
What you fail to point out to them is that they showed great bravery when they kept on doing their duty, facing more and more traumatic events after they were wounded by PTSD and kept on doing it until they and their friends were out of danger or back home and then collapsed. They feel as if they are weak or cowards because the military tells them they can prepare their minds to be "tough" enough to take it.
What you fail to address is their soul. PTSD did not attack their mind first. It attacked their soul. It is an emotional wound setting off changes to the rest of the warrior. You need to find out if they believe God is judging them or they believe God abandoned them. This weighs heavily on their lives and cannot be dismissed. When they survive the horrors of war wondering where God was is often eating away at them and research has shown the faith of the "patient" does have a lot to do with the healing of that patient. Reconnecting them with their faith and God offers one more thing science cannot deliver on and that is hope. The loss of hope is one of the primary reasons many veterans commit suicide.
What also fail to understand is often they are not addicted to the chemicals alcohol and drugs offer but are seeking to kill off feelings, good and bad, they do not want to feel. There are times however you are dealing with both PTSD and addiction. If you misdiagnose either, the treatment will not work. If they have both then both need to be addressed. Ask if there is a history in the family of addiction and then take it from there. Do not assume it is an "either or" when it very well could be both.
What many of you are doing is talking to the family members to have a better understanding of what is going on. They know the history of your patient but they will not often know how things connect. Listen to key words like "suddenly changed" and then find out what happened before they "changed" to know what you are dealing with. Remember that family members are not mental health experts and will not think of things you need to know unless you ask them and listen carefully to what they do say. You also need to acknowledge that often the veteran will hide facts you need to know because they are either in denial or afraid to admit it. The spouse often can supply what they are not telling you.
In the process you also need to inform the spouse of things they can avoid to keep confrontation at a minimum. Often family troubles escalate because of their reactions to the veteran. If they do not understand what PTSD is and what it does, they will react as if they are dealing with the same person instead of a changed person. They react out of frustration and anger instead of reacting with knowledge. All the knowledge you give them will not only help them cope but will assist in treating the veteran as well.
Advocates can help you to help them. We are not in competition with you and we are not trying to take away your jobs. We're trying to make you better at doing your jobs so that you send back our warriors to us in the best possible condition so that we can live with them as well as possible.
And yes, you guessed right. I had another argument with another "expert" pointing out that they have a "Masters degree" but I pointed out I live with what they had to go to college to learn. Big difference.
Borrowed Trauma
Borrowed Trauma
Why we relive our patient’s pain & how to avoid it
By Judith Acosta, LISW, CHT
May 2009 JEMS Vol. 34 No. 5
2009 May 1
A patient I had been treating for trauma for about six months sat before me, his hands moving restlessly as he talked, his legs spasmodically bouncing up and down. It had been more than 15 years since J.J. had been a young firefighter, and he was recalling one of his first calls as if it happened yesterday. His anxiety and discomfort were palpable.
He had been barely 20, inexperienced, anxious to do everything right on one of his first major calls. It was a two-story clapboard house with old wiring and pre-code construction. The crew knew an older woman was inside but didn’t know where. The neighbors had seen her before the engines pulled up: She was leaning out of her upstairs bedroom in a blue robe, waving her arms frantically, screaming, but then she disappeared suddenly.
J.J. was one of the first inside. Moving through the still-rising smoke with a limited range of vision through his mask, he walked through the hallway slowly, his eyes focused on the ceiling overhead, a part of which had already fallen. There were piles of smoldering beams, ash and the remains of a table. He stepped to his left around the banister and ... crunch .
He looked down and nearly vomited.
"Don’t move!" his chief, who had been keeping an eye on the rookie, yelled from down the hall. J.J. froze until he got the sign that he should lift his foot back up—slowly—and then step to the right. The chief lifted a charred two-by-four to reveal a small piece of blue robe. It was the only color left in the room besides the yellow stripe along their coats. She had tried to get downstairs herself when the ceiling collapsed on top of her.
As J.J. spoke, I found my posture mirroring his own, my heart rate slightly elevated, and my hands and feet fidgeting more than usual. By the end of the story, I felt as if I had stepped on the woman myself.
I sat still, facing him, and took a deep breath. He had stopped fidgeting. Once again, I saw the pain in his eyes and considered the importance of what had happened. It was the same process that storytellers and listeners have experienced for centuries. The words we use—even in the most ordinary conversations—move us. Not just metaphorically. Literally . The stories we hear don’t just make us frown; they don’t just elicit a good laugh from time to time. They impact us physically. They touch us where we feel it most deeply, sometimes without our permission. It was his trauma, but for a few moments I had all the symptoms of having undergone it myself.
go here for more
Borrowed Trauma
Why we relive our patient’s pain & how to avoid it
By Judith Acosta, LISW, CHT
May 2009 JEMS Vol. 34 No. 5
2009 May 1
A patient I had been treating for trauma for about six months sat before me, his hands moving restlessly as he talked, his legs spasmodically bouncing up and down. It had been more than 15 years since J.J. had been a young firefighter, and he was recalling one of his first calls as if it happened yesterday. His anxiety and discomfort were palpable.
He had been barely 20, inexperienced, anxious to do everything right on one of his first major calls. It was a two-story clapboard house with old wiring and pre-code construction. The crew knew an older woman was inside but didn’t know where. The neighbors had seen her before the engines pulled up: She was leaning out of her upstairs bedroom in a blue robe, waving her arms frantically, screaming, but then she disappeared suddenly.
J.J. was one of the first inside. Moving through the still-rising smoke with a limited range of vision through his mask, he walked through the hallway slowly, his eyes focused on the ceiling overhead, a part of which had already fallen. There were piles of smoldering beams, ash and the remains of a table. He stepped to his left around the banister and ... crunch .
He looked down and nearly vomited.
"Don’t move!" his chief, who had been keeping an eye on the rookie, yelled from down the hall. J.J. froze until he got the sign that he should lift his foot back up—slowly—and then step to the right. The chief lifted a charred two-by-four to reveal a small piece of blue robe. It was the only color left in the room besides the yellow stripe along their coats. She had tried to get downstairs herself when the ceiling collapsed on top of her.
As J.J. spoke, I found my posture mirroring his own, my heart rate slightly elevated, and my hands and feet fidgeting more than usual. By the end of the story, I felt as if I had stepped on the woman myself.
I sat still, facing him, and took a deep breath. He had stopped fidgeting. Once again, I saw the pain in his eyes and considered the importance of what had happened. It was the same process that storytellers and listeners have experienced for centuries. The words we use—even in the most ordinary conversations—move us. Not just metaphorically. Literally . The stories we hear don’t just make us frown; they don’t just elicit a good laugh from time to time. They impact us physically. They touch us where we feel it most deeply, sometimes without our permission. It was his trauma, but for a few moments I had all the symptoms of having undergone it myself.
go here for more
Borrowed Trauma
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Ill soldier from Texas dies at Walter Reed
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Christopher D. Loza, 24, of Abilene, Texas, died Apr. 10, 2009, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., of a non-combat related illness after becoming ill 17 March in Radwaniyah, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 124th Cavalry Regiment, 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 36th Infantry Division, Waco, Texas.
12 injured in Dallas Cowboys practice arena collapse
12 injured in Dallas Cowboys practice arena collapse
Story Highlights
NEW: None of the injuries appears to be life-threatening, says county EMS chief
About 70 people were inside the facility when it fell, fire official says
Video footage showed roof caving in during storm in Irving, Texas
About 27 Dallas Cowboys rookies were practicing at the time, team's owner says
(CNN) -- An air-supported roof over the Dallas Cowboys' practice field collapsed during a heavy thunderstorm Saturday afternoon, leaving 12 people injured, authorities said.
A photojournalist from CNN affiliate WFAA captured the collapse of the practice facility on Saturday.
About 70 people, including more than two dozen of the team's rookies, were in the facility when it was blown down shortly before 3:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET), team officials said.
Two or three suffered serious injuries, but none were believed to be in life-threatening condition Saturday night, said Dr. Paul Pepe, Dallas County's emergency medical services chief.
go here for more
12 injured in Dallas Cowboys practice arena collapse
Story Highlights
NEW: None of the injuries appears to be life-threatening, says county EMS chief
About 70 people were inside the facility when it fell, fire official says
Video footage showed roof caving in during storm in Irving, Texas
About 27 Dallas Cowboys rookies were practicing at the time, team's owner says
(CNN) -- An air-supported roof over the Dallas Cowboys' practice field collapsed during a heavy thunderstorm Saturday afternoon, leaving 12 people injured, authorities said.
A photojournalist from CNN affiliate WFAA captured the collapse of the practice facility on Saturday.
About 70 people, including more than two dozen of the team's rookies, were in the facility when it was blown down shortly before 3:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET), team officials said.
Two or three suffered serious injuries, but none were believed to be in life-threatening condition Saturday night, said Dr. Paul Pepe, Dallas County's emergency medical services chief.
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12 injured in Dallas Cowboys practice arena collapse
Gunman in Iraqi uniform kills 2 U.S. soldiers, 3 wounded
Gunman in Iraqi uniform kills 2 U.S. soldiers
By Brian Murphy - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday May 2, 2009 14:49:46 EDT
BAGHDAD — A gunman wearing an Iraqi army uniform opened fire on a U.S. military team Saturday, killing two American soldiers and wounding three others at a combat outpost in northern Iraq, the military said.
A military statement said the attacker was killed after the ambush-style assault 12 miles south of Mosul, which is one of the last urban strongholds for Sunni insurgents.
In the past, attackers have used military and police uniforms to bypass checkpoints and gain access to heavily guarded bases. But Iraqi military officials said the gunman was an Iraqi soldier who also served as a Sunni Muslim preacher for an army unit.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
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Gunman in Iraqi uniform kills 2 U.S. soldiers
By Brian Murphy - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday May 2, 2009 14:49:46 EDT
BAGHDAD — A gunman wearing an Iraqi army uniform opened fire on a U.S. military team Saturday, killing two American soldiers and wounding three others at a combat outpost in northern Iraq, the military said.
A military statement said the attacker was killed after the ambush-style assault 12 miles south of Mosul, which is one of the last urban strongholds for Sunni insurgents.
In the past, attackers have used military and police uniforms to bypass checkpoints and gain access to heavily guarded bases. But Iraqi military officials said the gunman was an Iraqi soldier who also served as a Sunni Muslim preacher for an army unit.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
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Gunman in Iraqi uniform kills 2 U.S. soldiers
Two Medal of Honor Heroes from Vietnam visit new generation in Iraq
This is post 6,000 on this blog. Very fitting that it links two of our heroes from Vietnam, both Medal of Honor Recipients paying a visit to our newer generation. Can't think of a better way to celebrate 6,000 posts!
3IBCT Soldiers inspired by visit from heroes
By Staff Sgt. Tim Meyer, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs, 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - North PAO
May 1, 2009 - 6:46:03 PM
Blackanthem Military News
Sgt. 1st Class Justin Walker, battle captain, Headquarters and Headquarters Co., 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, explains procedures in the brigade’s tactical operations center to Medal of Honor recipients retired Col. Robert Howard and retired Command Sgt. Maj. Gary L. Littrell. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Tim Meyer.)
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, TIKRIT, Iraq - When the two old men arrived their appearance personified a leadership trait that no one could ignore.
The Vietnam veterans were humbly dressed in civilian clothes, but still had a core of military bearing, despite having been retired for many years.
Each retired Soldier wore around their neck a gold medal attached to a sky blue ribbon adorned with 13 white stars -- an image that speaks volumes and the Army condenses into two words: Personal Courage.
Retired Col. Robert Howard and retired Command Sgt. Maj. Gary L. Littrell both received the Congressional Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry under fire, without regard to their own safety, during the Vietnam War, and are among the lucky few who lived to tell about it.
Thirty six years later the Soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division were lucky enough to meet them April 13 during their tour of Iraq.
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3IBCT Soldiers inspired by visit from heroes
Fort Drum leaders look at history of ancient wound
by
Chaplain Kathie
A rather ornery man said to me, "What do you know? I can track my ancestors back to the Revolutionary war!" as if telling me I didn't know what I was talking about. I smiled and stated, "Young roots. I can track mine back to the Trojan war. So what's your point?" War did not begin when the Patriots decided to get the British out of control. It didn't start when the Romans decided to conquer the world. It's started as soon as Cain killed Able.
Taking a look at the past generations of warfare in history is a great start to supporting the fact that what we now call PTSD has been around as long as man has. The only thing that really bothers me about this is too many people act as if they just began to study it. This is what I've been reading since I was handed a copy of it, now so old, it's yellowed and fragile.
As you can see the term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was already being used and it can be tied into the Greek language. Trauma is Greek for "wound." You can also see that we knew there were 500,000 veterans of the Vietnam war wounded by it. It also warned the numbers would go up and they did. We knew a lot for over 30 years but some people are acting as if the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are the only ones suffering with it. The truth is that they are only the latest in a very long list of combat actions throughout history. It's just that no one did anything about it until the Vietnam veterans fought for it.
One of the little secrets about WWII is that there were many with PTSD and one of them was my husband's uncle. He was a Merchant Marine and his ship was hit by a Kamikaze pilot. He ended up with "shell shock" and spent the rest of his life living on a farm where he could be taken care of. Yes, PTSD can get that bad.
We have a friend, another Vietnam vet that came back home, worked up until last year even with PTSD but went over the edge and "flipped out" to the point where he will remain in a "home" for the rest of his life.
There are literally hundreds of thousands of their stories and the newer veterans are able to tell their's because of the Vietnam veterans finding the strength and courage to begin to speak out about this wound that followed them back from hell.
There are still some using the words "crazy vet" but then they'd be the type of person to use derogatory terms to describe anyone of "lesser" value in their eyes. It's easier than facing the fact that "crazy vet" was willing to risk his/her life for them and they were paying the price for it.
Anyway, with all we have known and for how long we've known it, I still find it very interesting that it's all been forgotten as if all of this is new and they are just coming to grips with the need of our veterans. By 1978 there were 70 outreach offices for veterans but the VA is just now understanding how vital these centers are. This is a quote from the same pamphlet.
This is part of the reason I get so angry with the Vietnam veterans still suffering without help to heal and why the newer veterans have to suffer at all. We knew it too long ago to have been this far behind in any of this but the same studies are being done and the same research is being done as if any of this is knew instead of as ancient as mankind. Taking a look back at the historical aspects of warfare and knowing humans are still human is a good step but it also proves the point, "those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it" and in this case, leaving veterans to suffer because all the knowledge we gained was lost and no one will bother too look.
Chaplain Kathie
A rather ornery man said to me, "What do you know? I can track my ancestors back to the Revolutionary war!" as if telling me I didn't know what I was talking about. I smiled and stated, "Young roots. I can track mine back to the Trojan war. So what's your point?" War did not begin when the Patriots decided to get the British out of control. It didn't start when the Romans decided to conquer the world. It's started as soon as Cain killed Able.
Taking a look at the past generations of warfare in history is a great start to supporting the fact that what we now call PTSD has been around as long as man has. The only thing that really bothers me about this is too many people act as if they just began to study it. This is what I've been reading since I was handed a copy of it, now so old, it's yellowed and fragile.
This is when we knew it even though it had been happening to warriors since time began.
This is what we knew.
As you can see the term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was already being used and it can be tied into the Greek language. Trauma is Greek for "wound." You can also see that we knew there were 500,000 veterans of the Vietnam war wounded by it. It also warned the numbers would go up and they did. We knew a lot for over 30 years but some people are acting as if the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are the only ones suffering with it. The truth is that they are only the latest in a very long list of combat actions throughout history. It's just that no one did anything about it until the Vietnam veterans fought for it.
One of the little secrets about WWII is that there were many with PTSD and one of them was my husband's uncle. He was a Merchant Marine and his ship was hit by a Kamikaze pilot. He ended up with "shell shock" and spent the rest of his life living on a farm where he could be taken care of. Yes, PTSD can get that bad.
We have a friend, another Vietnam vet that came back home, worked up until last year even with PTSD but went over the edge and "flipped out" to the point where he will remain in a "home" for the rest of his life.
There are literally hundreds of thousands of their stories and the newer veterans are able to tell their's because of the Vietnam veterans finding the strength and courage to begin to speak out about this wound that followed them back from hell.
There are still some using the words "crazy vet" but then they'd be the type of person to use derogatory terms to describe anyone of "lesser" value in their eyes. It's easier than facing the fact that "crazy vet" was willing to risk his/her life for them and they were paying the price for it.
Anyway, with all we have known and for how long we've known it, I still find it very interesting that it's all been forgotten as if all of this is new and they are just coming to grips with the need of our veterans. By 1978 there were 70 outreach offices for veterans but the VA is just now understanding how vital these centers are. This is a quote from the same pamphlet.
"In its efforts to help these veterans, the million member Disabled American Veterans (DAV) funded the Forgotten Warrior Project research on Vietnam veterans by John P. Wilson, Ph.D. at Cleveland State University. That research resulted in providing counseling to these veterans in 1978. With 70 outreach offices across the United States, this DAV program served as a model for the Veterans Administration (VA) Operation Outreach program for Vietnam era veterans which was established approximately a year later."
This is part of the reason I get so angry with the Vietnam veterans still suffering without help to heal and why the newer veterans have to suffer at all. We knew it too long ago to have been this far behind in any of this but the same studies are being done and the same research is being done as if any of this is knew instead of as ancient as mankind. Taking a look back at the historical aspects of warfare and knowing humans are still human is a good step but it also proves the point, "those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it" and in this case, leaving veterans to suffer because all the knowledge we gained was lost and no one will bother too look.
Drum leaders learn combat stress timeless
By SARAH M. RIVETTE
TIMES STAFF WRITER
SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2009
FORT DRUM — The military leadership here took the conversation about combat stress back 2,500 years Wednesday night to the time of Sophocles and the age of the Trojan War.
The point was to show that cases of soldier's heart, shell shock or post-traumatic stress disorder — names from different eras of the same malady — transcends time and advances in warfare.
"This is an ageless phenomenon and we are just starting to take a scientific look at it," said Brig. Gen. Kevin W. Mangum, the rear detachment commander for the division and post. "We've called it different things, but these soldiers are facing the stresses never faced before."
The presentation was brought to Fort Drum by Walter Reed Army Medical Center to help start conversations on soldier and family reintegration after a deployment. The two-hour presentation has been shown at various military bases throughout the country, but Fort Drum is the first Army post to participate.
Based on feedback, Gen. Mangum said this was definitely something he would like to see happen at the brigade and battalion level so soldiers have an interactive way to talk about combat stress and the reintegration process. Brigade and other rear detachment leadership felt the same way.
"It's a different venue to talk about soldiers and these issues," said Col. Willard M. Burleson III, commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team. "It's human interaction and it's emotion. The impact of war on the soldier and the family has been the same since the beginning of time, and that combat stress hasn't changed."
There were three scenes from the plays "Ajax" and "Philoctetes." Both were soldiers during the time of the Trojan War and both were dealing with issues that stemmed from their service.
Ajax was enraged when he did not receive the armor of his fallen comrade, Achilles, and in madness slaughtered a herd of sheep and cattle. His wife, Tecmessa, and fellow sailors tried to talk him out of suicide but were unsuccessful.
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Drum leaders learn combat stress timeless
As Iraq war wanes, National Guard families still struggle
As Iraq war wanes, families still struggle
By Kevin Maurer and Mitch Weiss - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday May 2, 2009 8:55:48 EDT
HAMLET, N.C. — Spc. Jobel Barbosa had spent the past hour with his family in a parking lot after a public ceremony marking his unit’s deployment to a war that’s coming to an end. It was time to go.
As other National Guardsmen boarded a white bus behind him, Barbosa hugged his mother, two sisters, his daughter, his girlfriend and their baby girl, then turned to join the other troops. His four-day leave, the last time he would see his family for a year, was over.
“It takes everything I got to keep it inside,” he said.
While the gaze of generals has drifted east to Afghanistan, the last waves of American troops are headed into Iraq. Among them: 4,000 soldiers of the North Carolina National Guard’s Heavy Brigade Combat team, including the 76 men of Barbosa’s bomb-clearing unit, E Company, which departed days ago from its base in tiny Hamlet.
It is six years since the U.S. invaded Iraq, and fewer soldiers are dying there. That does little to console the families of those just shipping out — the troops’ absence at home causes as much strain there as their presence in a faraway combat zone.
“We’re praying nothing happens,” said Barbosa’s mother, Rosa Lamourt. “But you can never be sure.”
Back to the sandbox
Always on their mind
‘I have to stay positive’
Stresses on the children
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As Iraq war wanes, families still struggle
By Kevin Maurer and Mitch Weiss - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday May 2, 2009 8:55:48 EDT
[Editor’s Note: The 30th Heavy Brigade of the North Carolina National Guard returns to Iraq this year, including the 76 combat engineers of E Company. Most of them are from Hamlet, a close-knit community long abandoned by the good jobs that made it a prosperous railroad town. The Associated Press has followed several members of E Company and their loved ones in an occasional series as the unit trained for combat.]
HAMLET, N.C. — Spc. Jobel Barbosa had spent the past hour with his family in a parking lot after a public ceremony marking his unit’s deployment to a war that’s coming to an end. It was time to go.
As other National Guardsmen boarded a white bus behind him, Barbosa hugged his mother, two sisters, his daughter, his girlfriend and their baby girl, then turned to join the other troops. His four-day leave, the last time he would see his family for a year, was over.
“It takes everything I got to keep it inside,” he said.
While the gaze of generals has drifted east to Afghanistan, the last waves of American troops are headed into Iraq. Among them: 4,000 soldiers of the North Carolina National Guard’s Heavy Brigade Combat team, including the 76 men of Barbosa’s bomb-clearing unit, E Company, which departed days ago from its base in tiny Hamlet.
It is six years since the U.S. invaded Iraq, and fewer soldiers are dying there. That does little to console the families of those just shipping out — the troops’ absence at home causes as much strain there as their presence in a faraway combat zone.
“We’re praying nothing happens,” said Barbosa’s mother, Rosa Lamourt. “But you can never be sure.”
Back to the sandbox
Always on their mind
‘I have to stay positive’
Stresses on the children
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As Iraq war wanes, families still struggle
Fort Hood to host federal jobs fair
Fort Hood to host federal jobs fair
By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday May 2, 2009 8:21:10 EDT
Nearly 50 federal agencies, the Army National Guard and Army Reserve on May 11 and 12 will be at Fort Hood, Texas, for a pilot program aimed at connecting soldiers who are leaving the Army with federal job opportunities.
The continuum of service fair, organized by Human Resources Command, will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days at Club Hood on post. It is open to soldiers, veterans, family members and retirees.
“The purpose is … to showcase the benefits and opportunities of continuing in federal service,” said Col. Barbara Zacharczyk, chief of the force alignment division in HRC’s enlisted personnel management directorate. “We want to make sure that those soldiers who are going to be separated soon have all the information they need to make an informed decision. We’re trying to promote a lifetime of service. Soldiers have already signed up for service, and even when you retire, some people still want to look to serve in some way and we’re trying to facilitate that.”
Representatives from agencies such as the FBI, Secret Service, the Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security departments, the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Civilian Human Resources Agency, which can offer soldiers opportunities to work as civilians in the Army, will be at the service fair.
go here for more
Fort Hood to host federal jobs fair
By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday May 2, 2009 8:21:10 EDT
Nearly 50 federal agencies, the Army National Guard and Army Reserve on May 11 and 12 will be at Fort Hood, Texas, for a pilot program aimed at connecting soldiers who are leaving the Army with federal job opportunities.
The continuum of service fair, organized by Human Resources Command, will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days at Club Hood on post. It is open to soldiers, veterans, family members and retirees.
“The purpose is … to showcase the benefits and opportunities of continuing in federal service,” said Col. Barbara Zacharczyk, chief of the force alignment division in HRC’s enlisted personnel management directorate. “We want to make sure that those soldiers who are going to be separated soon have all the information they need to make an informed decision. We’re trying to promote a lifetime of service. Soldiers have already signed up for service, and even when you retire, some people still want to look to serve in some way and we’re trying to facilitate that.”
Representatives from agencies such as the FBI, Secret Service, the Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security departments, the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Civilian Human Resources Agency, which can offer soldiers opportunities to work as civilians in the Army, will be at the service fair.
go here for more
Fort Hood to host federal jobs fair
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