Protecting veterans: Officials explore treatment court
By ANNE JUNGEN ajungen@lacrossetribune.com
His uncharacteristic behavior started with personal isolation that soon escalated to drunken driving and armed robbery.
Post-traumatic stress disorder after a tour in Iraq in late 2004 had festered inside the young war veteran, undiagnosed, his family unaware.
“We had no idea at that time what PTSD even was,” said the soldier’s Coon Valley father, who asked to remain anonymous.
His son, a former U.S. Army Calvary Scout, eventually was admitted to the Tomah VA Hospital and returned home in January 2006.
So did his PTSD.
Kitchen knives and aluminum foil began to vanish. He reeked of crack or methamphetamine.
“He looked terrible. He wouldn’t talk,” his father said. “That’s when I thought I would find him dead.”
He left home and stopped reporting to his probation officer. His mother immediately thought of him when she heard about a 2008 armed robbery at a North Side La Crosse tavern.
“I never thought in a million years I would do something like this,” the soldier later would tell the judge at sentencing.
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Protecting veterans: Officials explore treatment court
Monday, May 4, 2009
Dad's mental health affects children too
Dad's mental health affects children too
By Amy Norton
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Fathers' mental health problems may take a toll on their children's psychological well-being, particularly that of their sons, a new research review suggests.
The review, published online by The Lancet medical journal, found that when fathers had psychiatric conditions like major depression, drug or alcohol addiction, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), their children were at increased risk of mental health problems.
Boys seemed particularly vulnerable to the effects of their fathers' depression, the study found. Sons of alcoholic fathers were at increased risk of serious behavioral problems and substance abuse.
The findings may not sound surprising, but they shed light on the ways in which fathers' mental well-being affects their children -- a subject that has been much less studied than the role of mothers' mental health, according to the researchers.
"I think the main message is that mental health problems affecting fathers are important, partly because of the impact on the men themselves, but also because they can impact on families, including children," said lead researcher Dr. Paul Ramchandani, of the University of Oxford in the UK.
Men are generally less likely than women to seek help for their mental health problems, Ramchandani told Reuters Health, but it is important that they do so.
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Dad mental health affects children too
By Amy Norton
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Fathers' mental health problems may take a toll on their children's psychological well-being, particularly that of their sons, a new research review suggests.
The review, published online by The Lancet medical journal, found that when fathers had psychiatric conditions like major depression, drug or alcohol addiction, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), their children were at increased risk of mental health problems.
Boys seemed particularly vulnerable to the effects of their fathers' depression, the study found. Sons of alcoholic fathers were at increased risk of serious behavioral problems and substance abuse.
The findings may not sound surprising, but they shed light on the ways in which fathers' mental well-being affects their children -- a subject that has been much less studied than the role of mothers' mental health, according to the researchers.
"I think the main message is that mental health problems affecting fathers are important, partly because of the impact on the men themselves, but also because they can impact on families, including children," said lead researcher Dr. Paul Ramchandani, of the University of Oxford in the UK.
Men are generally less likely than women to seek help for their mental health problems, Ramchandani told Reuters Health, but it is important that they do so.
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Dad mental health affects children too
Camp Lejeune Veteran Marines Subject to Cancer
This has been an ongoing story but you won't hear it covered on CNN or any other news station. You would think they would want to report on something like this considering the Marines and their families are not aware of what they were exposed to.
Camp Lejeune Marines Subject to Cancer - Report Reversed
Drinking the water takes on a new meaning - especially if you were stationed in North Carolina.
If you or someone you know was stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC some 12 to 15 years ago - this may be of interest.
In a recent release, the administration admits that:
Up to a million people could have been exposed to toxins that seeped from a neighboring dry cleaner and industrial activity at Lejeune.
The toxins seeped into the water supply and the report that minimized the cancer threat for adults has now been discredited, according to federal officials.
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Camp Lejeune Marines Subject to Cancer
Florida man kills wife, 2 kids, himself, officials say
Florida man kills wife, 2 kids, himself, officials say
Story Highlights
Bodies of gunman, wife, 2 children found at Lakeland, Florida, home, officials say
Boy, 13, was chased down street, fired at, but got away unharmed, officials say
Gunman used a high-powered rifle with scope, authorities say
(CNN) -- A man shot and killed his wife and two of their children and then killed himself in central Florida on Sunday night, authorities said.
Troy Ryan Bellar, 34, used a high-powered rifle with a scope to shoot his 31-year-old wife, Wendy, when she tried to leave their home, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
Two of the couple's children -- 5-month-old Zack and 7-year-old Ryan -- also were killed, but a 13-year-old got away, with the father chasing and firing after him, officials said.
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Florida man kills wife, 2 kids, himself, officials say
Story Highlights
Bodies of gunman, wife, 2 children found at Lakeland, Florida, home, officials say
Boy, 13, was chased down street, fired at, but got away unharmed, officials say
Gunman used a high-powered rifle with scope, authorities say
(CNN) -- A man shot and killed his wife and two of their children and then killed himself in central Florida on Sunday night, authorities said.
Troy Ryan Bellar, 34, used a high-powered rifle with a scope to shoot his 31-year-old wife, Wendy, when she tried to leave their home, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
Two of the couple's children -- 5-month-old Zack and 7-year-old Ryan -- also were killed, but a 13-year-old got away, with the father chasing and firing after him, officials said.
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Florida man kills wife, 2 kids, himself, officials say
Vermont town rallies around wounded soldier
Here's a story that will warm your heart. Now this is how you really support the troops!
Vt. town rallies around wounded soldier
By Wilson Ring - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday May 4, 2009 9:57:56 EDT
HYDE PARK, Vt. — Greg Barnes is reluctant to say publicly what else he might need help with to make his home ready to accommodate the needs of his quadriplegic-soldier son because he’ll probably find it outside his front door.
Carpenters are donating their time, electricians have offered to do the wiring and concrete contractors have chipped in to build a foundation on what will become a handicapped accessible apartment for 21-year-old Andrew Parker that is attached to his parents’ home.
There have been car washes, a spaghetti dinner, bottle drivers and poker tournaments. A service group has donated a used handicapped accessible van; an architect designed, for free, the project to the specifications of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and a Web site has been set up to raise money and spread the word.
“I know there’s a lot of people who would like to help,” said Barnes, who didn’t ask for help after hearing his son had been wounded by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan the day after Thanksgiving.
“I wasn’t expecting anything. So it’s kind of hard to take. I’m not used to that,” said Barnes, who had begun planning to convert his garage into an apartment for his son before the community got involved. “I’m not a person who’d expect anything from somebody else or even ask for it.”
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Vt. town rallies around wounded soldier
Group helps soldiers when the military can’t
Group helps soldiers when the military can’t
SCOTT FONTAINE; The News Tribune • Published May 04, 2009
Tacoma – Service members contact Trisha Pearce in need of counseling. Spouses, girlfriends, boyfriends, relatives are welcome to get in touch with her, too. They may feel burnt out and worn down by the experience of fighting a war – or of loving someone who has.
But Pearce and her Puget Sound area organization are completely outside the military chain of command.
“By the time people call us,” the psychiatric nurse said, “they’ve already tried to get help elsewhere. Or they just want to be away from the whole military system. Whatever their reason, we get them help.”
It’s the work of Soldiers Project NW, a 14-month-old program that aims to help veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who, for whatever reason, aren’t comfortable using the numerous mental-health programs the military medical system provides.
Pearce asks for basic information and links the caller with a nearby therapist, who offers free sessions.
The military isn’t notified.
Pearce, who has 30 years experience in the mental health field, has been the project’s director for the past six months. She organizes meetings every few weeks to draw support from therapists across the area.
“I just think that we, as a community, need to get behind the military and help them out,” she said.
Forty-two therapists have signed up in Western Washington, but many are in the Seattle area. Pearce is from Stanwood.
More providers are needed in the South Sound area, Pearce said, where they can help service members from Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base. There are currently 11 providers in the South Sound.
Some patients have met regularly with their therapist for more than a year, while others show up for only one session. It’s not uncommon for a person to skip the first appointment with no explanation.
Only licensed therapists can offer services through the program, and meetings take place at a neutral site away from the service member’s installation.
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Group helps soldiers when the military cannot
SCOTT FONTAINE; The News Tribune • Published May 04, 2009
Tacoma – Service members contact Trisha Pearce in need of counseling. Spouses, girlfriends, boyfriends, relatives are welcome to get in touch with her, too. They may feel burnt out and worn down by the experience of fighting a war – or of loving someone who has.
But Pearce and her Puget Sound area organization are completely outside the military chain of command.
“By the time people call us,” the psychiatric nurse said, “they’ve already tried to get help elsewhere. Or they just want to be away from the whole military system. Whatever their reason, we get them help.”
It’s the work of Soldiers Project NW, a 14-month-old program that aims to help veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who, for whatever reason, aren’t comfortable using the numerous mental-health programs the military medical system provides.
Pearce asks for basic information and links the caller with a nearby therapist, who offers free sessions.
The military isn’t notified.
Pearce, who has 30 years experience in the mental health field, has been the project’s director for the past six months. She organizes meetings every few weeks to draw support from therapists across the area.
“I just think that we, as a community, need to get behind the military and help them out,” she said.
Forty-two therapists have signed up in Western Washington, but many are in the Seattle area. Pearce is from Stanwood.
More providers are needed in the South Sound area, Pearce said, where they can help service members from Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base. There are currently 11 providers in the South Sound.
Some patients have met regularly with their therapist for more than a year, while others show up for only one session. It’s not uncommon for a person to skip the first appointment with no explanation.
Only licensed therapists can offer services through the program, and meetings take place at a neutral site away from the service member’s installation.
go here for more
Group helps soldiers when the military cannot
National Guard increases casualty notification training
Guard increases casualty notification training
By David Mercer - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday May 3, 2009 17:41:59 EDT
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A few miles outside a small town in Illinois’ farm country, the chaplain driving Capt. Jon Cape to one of the toughest assignments of the young officer’s career pulled the car over to pray.
Cape made a simple request of God: To grant him courage as he knocked on the door of the military wife who was about to learn she was a new widow.
She answered the door. And he began, “The Secretary of the Army has asked me to express his deepest regret. ...”
“She didn’t believe it; she was kind of in shock, didn’t think it was happening to her,” said Cape, an Iraq war veteran and Illinois National Guardsman. “Of course, (she was) going through the denial phase — No this isn’t happening. Are you sure, are you positive...?”
Cape, 28, learned about such reactions months before in a training session.
That training is part of the National Guard’s new push in at least a dozen states to prepare more soldiers to deliver the news that a soldier died and to help the family in the months afterward. More soldiers are being killed with the heavy demand on guard units fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. And there are plans to send more troops to increasingly dangerous Afghanistan this year.
Since combat began in Afghanistan in late 2001, 85 National Guard soldiers have been killed there, including 12 from Illinois. All but one were members of the state’s 33rd Infantry Brigade, whose nearly 3,000 soldiers have been in Afghanistan since last fall. In Iraq, 436 National Guard soldiers have died since that war began in 2003, 15 from Illinois.
The casualty figures are far higher than anything the guard is used to dealing with.
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Guard increases casualty notification training
By David Mercer - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday May 3, 2009 17:41:59 EDT
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A few miles outside a small town in Illinois’ farm country, the chaplain driving Capt. Jon Cape to one of the toughest assignments of the young officer’s career pulled the car over to pray.
Cape made a simple request of God: To grant him courage as he knocked on the door of the military wife who was about to learn she was a new widow.
She answered the door. And he began, “The Secretary of the Army has asked me to express his deepest regret. ...”
“She didn’t believe it; she was kind of in shock, didn’t think it was happening to her,” said Cape, an Iraq war veteran and Illinois National Guardsman. “Of course, (she was) going through the denial phase — No this isn’t happening. Are you sure, are you positive...?”
Cape, 28, learned about such reactions months before in a training session.
That training is part of the National Guard’s new push in at least a dozen states to prepare more soldiers to deliver the news that a soldier died and to help the family in the months afterward. More soldiers are being killed with the heavy demand on guard units fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. And there are plans to send more troops to increasingly dangerous Afghanistan this year.
Since combat began in Afghanistan in late 2001, 85 National Guard soldiers have been killed there, including 12 from Illinois. All but one were members of the state’s 33rd Infantry Brigade, whose nearly 3,000 soldiers have been in Afghanistan since last fall. In Iraq, 436 National Guard soldiers have died since that war began in 2003, 15 from Illinois.
The casualty figures are far higher than anything the guard is used to dealing with.
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Guard increases casualty notification training
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Cowboys scout paralyzed after canopy collapse
Cowboys scout paralyzed after canopy collapse
Story Highlights
Rich Behm one of three Cowboys staffers seriously hurt Saturday
Behm's spinal cord severed by a fractured vertebrae, paralyzing him from waist down
Canopy over Dallas Cowboys' practice facility collapsed during thunderstorm
Team photographers were up in framework of structure, rode it down, witness says
A Dallas Cowboys scouting assistant suffered a broken back and has been permanently paralyzed after the collapse of the team's practice canopy during a heavy thunderstorm, the Cowboys announced Sunday. full story
Story Highlights
Rich Behm one of three Cowboys staffers seriously hurt Saturday
Behm's spinal cord severed by a fractured vertebrae, paralyzing him from waist down
Canopy over Dallas Cowboys' practice facility collapsed during thunderstorm
Team photographers were up in framework of structure, rode it down, witness says
A Dallas Cowboys scouting assistant suffered a broken back and has been permanently paralyzed after the collapse of the team's practice canopy during a heavy thunderstorm, the Cowboys announced Sunday. full story
Radio Host Erika Roman Killed In Crash, Boat Owner Sought
Radio Host Erika Roman Killed In Crash, Boat Owner Sought
Sunday, May 03, 2009 7:56:00 AM
FORT PIERCE -- The Florida Highway Patrol is looking for the owner of a boat who caused a fatal crash on the Florida Turnpike Friday.
Radio personality Erika Roman, known as “Your Chula” on Orlando's Power 95.3, swerved to avoid a boat lounge chair in the road, and wound up upside down in a canal.
About a dozen Good Samaritans tried to help her, but say they had trouble breaking the driver's window, and unbuckling her seat belt.
Troopers say right now the owner of the boat will be charged with failing to secure a load. They also say it would be up to the State Attorney's Office to pursue additional charges.
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Radio Host Erika Roman Killed In Crash, Boat Owner Sought
Sunday, May 03, 2009 7:56:00 AM
FORT PIERCE -- The Florida Highway Patrol is looking for the owner of a boat who caused a fatal crash on the Florida Turnpike Friday.
Radio personality Erika Roman, known as “Your Chula” on Orlando's Power 95.3, swerved to avoid a boat lounge chair in the road, and wound up upside down in a canal.
About a dozen Good Samaritans tried to help her, but say they had trouble breaking the driver's window, and unbuckling her seat belt.
Troopers say right now the owner of the boat will be charged with failing to secure a load. They also say it would be up to the State Attorney's Office to pursue additional charges.
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Radio Host Erika Roman Killed In Crash, Boat Owner Sought
Gathering gives military families support through grief
Gathering gives military families support through grief
May 2, 2009 - 4:39 PM
R. SCOTT RAPPOLD
THE GAZETTE
Robert Pirelli's pain was like a cancer, eating away at him, sapping his will to live.
Through a national nonprofit, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, he has found the answers he needed about the death of his son, Staff Sgt. Robert R. Pirelli, 29, a Fort Carson Green Beret killed in Iraq in August 2007.
He's also found the comfort of knowing he is not the only one hurting.
"When you come to TAPS, people say, ‘I know what you're going through,' and they really do know what you're going through," Pirelli said.
He came to Fort Carson from Boston this weekend for a TAPS grief seminar, one of 150 widows and mothers, fathers and brothers, fellow soldiers and friends, who gathered to remember loved ones lost to war and to find support in each others' stories.
"It lets the families know their loved ones' sacrifice is remembered and their life made a difference," said Bonnie Carroll, who founded TAPS two years after the death of her husband, Brig. Gen. Tom Carroll, in a 1992 plane crash.
At the time, there was no support system in place for survivors to keep in touch with other military families and people who served with their lost loved ones. She and the families of other people lost in the crash got together on their own.
Ronnie Barrett came from Johnson City, Tenn, for the seminar. His son, Sgt. Chad Barrett, with Fort Carson's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, committed suicide in Iraq in February 2008.
May 2, 2009 - 4:39 PM
R. SCOTT RAPPOLD
THE GAZETTE
Robert Pirelli's pain was like a cancer, eating away at him, sapping his will to live.
Through a national nonprofit, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, he has found the answers he needed about the death of his son, Staff Sgt. Robert R. Pirelli, 29, a Fort Carson Green Beret killed in Iraq in August 2007.
He's also found the comfort of knowing he is not the only one hurting.
"When you come to TAPS, people say, ‘I know what you're going through,' and they really do know what you're going through," Pirelli said.
He came to Fort Carson from Boston this weekend for a TAPS grief seminar, one of 150 widows and mothers, fathers and brothers, fellow soldiers and friends, who gathered to remember loved ones lost to war and to find support in each others' stories.
"It lets the families know their loved ones' sacrifice is remembered and their life made a difference," said Bonnie Carroll, who founded TAPS two years after the death of her husband, Brig. Gen. Tom Carroll, in a 1992 plane crash.
At the time, there was no support system in place for survivors to keep in touch with other military families and people who served with their lost loved ones. She and the families of other people lost in the crash got together on their own.
Ronnie Barrett came from Johnson City, Tenn, for the seminar. His son, Sgt. Chad Barrett, with Fort Carson's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, committed suicide in Iraq in February 2008.
For the father, coming here has been cathartic.
"I didn't realize until I got here there would be so many people with the same story I've got," he said.go here for more
http://www.gazette.com/articles/pirelli-52877-through-robert.html
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