Winding paths led victims to Iraq stress clinic

What is the answer here? What didn't work? We always end up asking the same questions no matter if these things happen in the military or in civilian life. While the military has to make sure they are doing the right thing and the best thing for the troops, the rest of us are asking what we could have done. It always happens that way. The people in the lives of all six men, the five killed and Russell's family are left to keep asking questions until all the investigations are done and then, well, they will probably be asking themselves questions for a very long time. All these lives changed forever in an instant. How much harder will it be if they learn this all could have been prevented if people had learned from the last 30 years what needs to be done and did it? That's the biggest problem we have now because there will be more cases when the men and women have been let down by the military they served.

"Dr. Matthew Houseal,,,,was there because he felt he needed to be."
Commander Springle wanted to "be proactive" and take care of the troops.
They all wanted to do their part. So who didn't do their's?

Russell's father said the military "broke him" and pushed him over the edge with some kind of tests. He said Russell was berated and belittled, made to feel worthless but from this report, Houseal and Springle were doing the right thing. Russell's commander sent him for help and knew he needed it enough that he took Russell's weapon away from him.

Could it have all been in Russell's mind? Paranoia is part of PTSD. They sometimes think all kinds of things are true when they just took things the wrong way. Did Russell have the stigma so deeply in his thoughts that no matter what anyone said he would have reacted badly? It's happened before. Denial mixed with paranoia can push people over the edge but it usually takes a very long time for the cycle to cut that deeply. Were there clues long ago and ignored until Russell was at the breaking point? Had past commanders ignored problems Russell was having? How often do the PTSD/stressed out troops attempt to hide and deny they are having problems until those problems get so bad and terrifying they snap as well?

The biggest issue is getting rid of this stupid stigma, making them think it's their fault or they are defective in someway instead of human in all ways. After all, considering where they're coming from, their normal. They come into this world as humans just like the rest of us but they have something inside of them that causes them to care, to give a damn about strangers and be willing to lay down their lives for them. When they survive traumatic events, they walk away with their own pain as well as the pain of others and depending on how deeply they are able to feel, they can get cut so deeply becoming so wounded they don't want to feel anything anymore. It all just causes too much pain.

If PTSD is caught and treated early, it stops getting worse and much can be reversed. The problem comes when it has had time to fester and claim more of the wounded much like an infection digs deeper without treatment.

Because of Vietnam veterans we know that it is never too late for them to begin to heal and reclaim parts of their lives but some damage cannot be healed. They learn to cope with it when they get help and they learn to find their own kind of normal in all of this. It is not hopeless but it take a lot of work and a lot of time and armies of people around them to help them. You'd think with the "brotherhood" of the military there would be plenty of people helping the soldiers needing help, but there are not and too few are trained to know what the hell they are doing. We've read enough of those reports over the last (almost) two years on this blog alone. So when does it change? When is it enough so that everything the military can hit this with actually happens? The troops have been deployed going on 8 years. Iraq and Afghanistan are no where near being resolved and will produce more and more deaths along with wounded. We can't even take care of the wounded we have already and the Vietnam veterans, Korean veterans, WWII veterans along with the Gulf War veterans, Somalia and Bosnia veterans are all still standing in line for their turn. Where do we put the ones the coming years will create? What can be done to prevent the next wounded like Russell from "breaking" from what we ask of them?

Winding paths led victims to Iraq stress clinic
By ALLEN G. BREED

Keith Springle, who grew up swimming and fishing off the North Carolina coast and seemed destined as a boy to join the Navy, was in Iraq because it was his duty as a military psychologist. Dr. Matthew Houseal, a 54-year-old Army reservist and psychiatrist, was there because he felt he needed to be.

Regardless of how they came to be there, both made it their mission to help their fellow service members cope with the stress of life in the combat zone. Soldiers like the Maryland rebel who liked tinkering with guns and despised "pencil pushers"; or the Peru native who, whether he was walking the streets of New Jersey or the dirt roads of Iraq, was a magnet for candy-seeking kids; or the shy video gamer from Missouri whose refusal to back down probably cost him his life.



Killed were Springle, 52, a Navy commander from Beaufort, N.C.; Houseal of Amarillo, Texas; Army Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, 25, of Paterson, N.J.; Spc. Jacob D. Barton, 20, of Lenox, Mo.; and Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr., 19, of Federalsburg, Md., who had met Russell shortly before the shootings.


(Rose Coleman Barton's Grandmother) Coleman said the Army told the family that Barton died trying to shield another man from the shooting.

"And he tried to talk the guy with the gun to put his gun down," she said.

Springle knew mental health issues in the past weren't being addressed and wanted to be proactive in treating the issues faced by soldiers and their families, said Staff Sgt. Robert Mullis from the Boone-based 1451st Transportation Company of the N.C. National Guard, who was part of a civilian outreach program with Springle.

"He saw it as preventive maintenance," Mullis said of Springle. "They've just been through some tough experiences. He was reaching out trying to try and stop a big beast before it got started."
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Winding paths led victims to Iraq stress clinic

Veterans, spouses learn 'new normal'

Veterans, spouses learn 'new normal'
By Kelly Jasper Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Cheryl Snover knew what to expect when her husband, Jeff Snover, returned from Iraq.


She was a volunteer with the Family Readiness Group, married to a man who was coming up on 18 years in the Army, and the daughter of a Vietnam veteran.

"I knew with my eyes wide open what was coming, and yet there were still surprises I wasn't prepared for," she said. "As a society, we shut people off. If you went to war, you didn't talk about it."

Though the Department of Veterans Affairs has the staff to address mental health, separation and reintegration issues, few programs address the long-range impact on veterans' marriages, said the Rev. Edward Waldrop, a chaplain at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center.

He's formed a support group for combat veterans and their spouses, a concept he will introduce to other VA chaplains across the country in June.

"What we're doing isn't being done anywhere else," the Rev. Waldrop said. "We're putting them in a situation with people who have been there, done that."
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http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2009/05/13/met_523752.shtml

Military missing symptoms of acute stress

Two stories highlight how the military is failing our troops. What's worse is there are a lot of people dead because two soldiers were not taken care of when they needed help. Both of these stories are on CNN right now. How many more were failed that didn't make the national news? Most of them are here on this blog but they were not one the cable news reports. They were just local news stories from states around the country found online. Maybe now with the national attention on this they may just move stories like cell phones in the White House Press room and Miss California off so they can make room for something that they can report on that will in fact produce something out of all of this.

Soldier's dad: 'He took matters in his own hands'
Story Highlights
Father of soldier charged in killings said threats were made against son recently

"They broke him. They ruined his life. They told him, 'You're an idiot,' " dad says

Army Sgt. John Russell charged in killings of five fellow soldiers

Military says he had exhibited erratic behavior in the past week


From Ed Lavandera
CNN


SHERMAN, Texas (CNN) -- The father of a U.S. soldier accused of killing five fellow troops at a stress clinic in Iraq says it wasn't combat stress that made his son kill. The dad says it was fellow soldiers who pushed him over the edge.

The father said he was not sure what sort of threats might've been leveled against his son. But he said stress-test technicians had "overstressed him."

"They broke him. They ruined his life. They told him, 'You're an idiot. You don't belong in here. We're gonna break you.' "

The military has not commented on the father's accusations. Sgt. John Russell is now in military police custody at Camp Victory.
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http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/05/13/soldiers.killed/index.html

Defense: Military missed soldier's symptoms before rape, killings
Story Highlights
Former U.S. soldier Steven Green convicted in rape of Iraqi teen, murder of her family

Green's defense lawyers trying to spare their client the death penalty

They argue nurse-practitioner failed to diagnose clear case of acute stress disorder

Nurse testifies soldier interviews took place under difficult conditions in Iraq



From Deborah Feyerick
CNN

PADUCAH, Kentucky (CNN) -- Defense lawyers trying to save their client from the death penalty argued Tuesday that former U.S. soldier Steven Green exhibited clear symptoms of acute stress disorder in Iraq and that a military psychiatric nurse-practitioner failed to diagnose the troubled infantryman and pull him out of combat.

Dr. Pablo Stewart testified that a military nurse-practitioner who examined Green some three months before the crimes "had the answers in front of her that clearly marks all the symptoms of acute stress disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder."

Yet rather than pull Green out of combat or follow up with additional care, Stewart testified, the nurse-practitioner prescribed sleeping pills and sent Green back to his traffic checkpoint in an area known as the "Triangle of Death," one of the bloodiest areas of the Sunni-led insurgency.

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http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/05/13/kentucky.iraq.rape.murders/index.html?iref=werecommend

3 Carson soldiers to receive high honors

3 Carson soldiers to receive high honors

By Dan Elliott - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday May 13, 2009 17:39:41 EDT

FORT CARSON, Colo. — Staff Sgt. Jarion Halbisen-Gibbs felt something like “a white-hot shot of lightning” pierce his gut when an Iraqi insurgent’s bullet tore through his small intestine and lodged in his buttock.

He and other Green Berets kept fighting, and when the September 2007 raid was over, 12 suspected Iraqi insurgents were dead — including the target of the raid, a man described by the Army as a high-value terrorist who was masterminding extortion and kidnappings.

On Thursday, the Army will give the Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest medal for valor a soldier can get, to Halbisen-Gibbs. Two of his fellow soldiers from the 10th Special Forces Group, Capt. Matthew A. Chaney and Sgt. 1st Class Michael D. Lindsay, will get the Silver Star, which ranks just below the Distinguished Service Cross.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/ap_army_carson_valor_051309/

Doctor Falsified Study on Injured G.I.’s, Army Says

Doctor Falsified Study on Injured G.I.’s, Army Says
By DUFF WILSON and BARRY MEIER
Published: May 12, 2009
A former surgeon at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, who is a paid consultant for a medical company, published a study that made false claims and overstated the benefits of the company’s product in treating soldiers severely injured in Iraq, the hospital’s commander said Tuesday.

An investigation by Walter Reed found that the study cited higher numbers of patients and injuries than the hospital could account for, said the commander, Col. Norvell V. Coots.

“It’s like a ghost population that were reported in the article as having been treated that we have no record of ever having existed,” Colonel Coots said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. “So this really was all falsified information.”

The former Army surgeon, Dr. Timothy R. Kuklo, reported that a bone-growth product sold by Medtronic Inc. had much higher success in healing the shattered legs of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed than other doctors there had experienced, according to Colonel Coots and a summary of an Army investigation of the matter.

Dr. Kuklo, 48, now an associate professor at the Washington University medical school in St. Louis, did not respond to numerous e-mail messages and telephone calls to his office and home seeking comment over the last two weeks. Walter Reed officials say he did not respond to their inquiries during their investigation.

Army investigators found that Dr. Kuklo forged the signatures of four Walter Reed doctors on the article before submitting it last year to a British medical journal, falsely claiming them as co-authors. He also did not obtain the Army’s required permission to conduct the study.
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Doctor Falsified Study on Injured
linked from ICasualties.oprg

Coalition for the Homeless to build new men's center with more services

Coalition for the Homeless to build new men's center with more services
Kate Santich Sentinel Staff Writer
8:43 PM EDT, May 11, 2009
ORLANDO - The Coalition for the Homeless announced Monday that it will build a new two-story residential center next to its old shelter in Orlando's Parramore neighborhood, providing up to 250 men with the counseling and training they need to steer them toward self-sufficiency.

Using federal funds from Community Development Block Grant programs, Orange County is funneling $5 million into the project and the city of Orlando will devote $1.6 million, potentially ending a long and sometimes-bitter fight over how to help single homeless men in the area.

"Today is a historic day," said the coalition's president and chief executive officer, Brent Trotter. "This new facility will allow us to provide more than a meal and a place to sleep for the night. … No longer will there be this waking [them] up in the early morning and sending them off to the streets for the day."

Over the past 22 years, the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida has grown from a church-outreach program to the largest provider of homeless services in the Orlando region, serving 650 men, women and children on an average night.
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Coalition for the Homeless to build new men's center with more services

Loss of firefighter son spurs mom's effort to help others

Loss of firefighter son spurs mom's effort to help others
Eloísa Ruano González Sentinel Staff Writer
5:43 PM EDT, May 7, 2009
Sherri Lang traveled a lonely path after her son, Ben, was killed on the job as a Polk County firefighter in 2004.

It's a path she wishes for no other. So Lang launched the Fallen Firefighter Survivors Foundation to help other families who have lost loved ones in the line of duty.

"I want to soften the blow," said Lang, 45, of Winter Haven. "I've already walked it. I don't want others to walk it alone."

Last year, 114 firefighters in the U.S. died on duty. Although fire departments typically pay for funerals, Lang said other bills pile up. She hopes to raise enough to help each family with a maximum of $2,000 to cover utility bills, mortgage payments and even funeral attire if needed.
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Loss of firefighter son spurs mom's effort to help others

Obama seeks to block release of detainee photos to protect troops

Obama seeks to block release of detainee photos
By JENNIFER LOVEN

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is seeking to block the immediate release of hundreds of photos showing U.S. personnel allegedly abusing prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan.

An Obama administration official said Wednesday that the president told his legal advisers last week that releasing the photos would endanger U.S. troops. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were private.

Obama wants the issue to go back to the courts, although federal appeals judges have ruled the photos could be released.

The top military commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan have told Obama that their troops could be in greater danger if new detainee abuse photos are released this spring.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
Obama seeks to block release of detainee photos

What kind of tests did the military do on Sgt. Russell?

Sgt. Russell had been in the military most of his life. Third tour plus two before this in other countries. It is not as if he is new to any of this. If he had problems we need to find out what kind of tests were done and if the tests sent an already stressed out career soldier over the edge or not. If they did, then how many others were sent over the edge as well?

Base Slayings Spur Probe of Mental Health Care
By Ernesto Londoño
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, May 13, 2009

BAGHDAD, May 12 -- The U.S. military said Tuesday that it is launching a probe to identify shortcomings in mental health treatment for troops deployed in war zones, after a soldier allegedly killed five fellow service members at a base clinic in Baghdad on Monday.

Military police officers took Russell into custody outside the clinic shortly after the shooting.

Perkins said Army criminal investigators are putting together a timeline of the events leading up to the shootings. He said he was not aware of a motive and did not know whether Russell knew any of the slain troops.

Russell's father, Wilburn Russell, 73, told the Associated Press on Tuesday that counselors at the clinic "broke" his son, by putting him through stressful mental tests but not clarifying that they were merely tests. The elder Russell said his son had e-mailed his wife sometime before the shooting and told her he had had two of the worst days in his life. He told her that "his life was over as far as he was concerned," the father said. Wilburn Russell said his son was not a violent man.
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Base Slayings Spur Probe of Mental Health Care

Army IDs soldiers shot by Sgt. at Camp Liberty

Army IDs soldiers shot by sgt. at Camp Liberty

By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 13, 2009 10:50:21 EDT

The Defense Department has identified the four soldiers killed Monday when a fellow soldier fired into a combat stress clinic on Camp Liberty, Iraq.

They are
Maj. Matthew P. Houseal, 54, of Amarillo, Texas;
Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, 25, of Paterson, N.J.;
Spc. Jacob D. Barton, 20, of Lenox, Mo.; and
Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr., 19, of Federalsburg, Md.

Houseal was assigned to the 55th Medical Company of Indianapolis, Ind.

Bueno-Galdos and Yates were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of Grafenwoehr, Germany. Barton belonged to the 277th Engineer Company, 420th Engineer Brigade of Waco, Texas.

The fifth service member killed Monday was identified Tuesday.
He was Navy Cmdr. Charles K. Springle, 52, of Wilmington, N.C.
He also was assigned to the 55th Medical Company.

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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/army_shooting_update4_051309w/

Combat veteran links stress to multiple tours

Combat veteran links stress to multiple tours
(NECN: Greg Wayland) - The Camp Liberty shooting is being called the deadliest case of soldier-on-soldier violence since the Iraq war began in 2003. It has once again thrown a spotlight on the problem of combat-related stress.

It happened here at the combat stress control center in the place they call Camp Liberty.

Just days ago, Lt. Colonel Beth Salisbury gave ABC News a tour of the facility.

Salisbury, who runs the center, was not hurt in the shooting. But the dead were two people on her medical staff and three soldiers awaiting treatment.

U.S. officials say Sgt John M. Russell was taken into custody shortly after the rampage and was due to leave Iraq soon. He was reportedly referred to the stress center by his superiors, presumably because of concerns about his mental state.

Army officials say Russell’s weapon had been taken a way but that somehow he got a new gun at the camp, entered the clinic, argued with staff, and then opened fire.

Paul Comacho, a ninth Marine division Vietnam veteran, heads UMass Boston's Joiner Center for the study of war and social consequences.

He says multiple combat deployments can be a major stress factor. Sgt. Russell was reportedly on his third deployment and at the end of a 15-month deployment.

“These guys have four tours. I mean it's the number of tours. I think you can't say anything particular. In general you can say there's a whole issue with the number of tours and what happens between these tours.
go here for more and video report



Combat veteran links stress to multiple tours

RIECKHOFF'S NON-APOLOGY TO VIETNAM VETERANS

This is from Larry Scott and pretty much sums up how I feel as well.

Mr. Rieckhoff, your non-apology is not accepted.

And, to the staff at IAVA: Keep Paul Rieckhoff away from all computers. He's the only person I know who can dig a hole with a keyboard.

Rieckhoff can claim what he wants in order to defend what he said, but the truth is, all you have to do is listen to him talk when he pops up on cable stations and know, he really isn't interested in Vietnam veterans or other veterans at all. It really is a shame because he can't understand he ended up insulting every other generation of veterans in the process. I wonder how many of those "other" veterans supported the IAVA and ended up shocked by what he said?

This is really beyond just slamming Vietnam veterans. The media has not been interested in them at all but they have been suffering from lack of care longer than the newer veterans. Not only are they still trapped in the monstrous backlog of claims, they are being treated to appointments cut back to make room for the newer veterans. Does Rieckhoff ever think of this? Does he use the media spotlight to bring this appalling treatment into the public's mind? No. Does he bring it to the public's mind that had it not been for the Vietnam veteran he just slammed, none of the understanding, as pathetic as it is, would have been available for "his kind of veterans" had they not fought for it and demanded it over 30 years ago and never gave up fighting for it for their generation as well as all other veterans? Does he acknowledge at all that because of the way Vietnam veterans were treated when they came home "his kind of veterans" have been treated with respect and appreciation by the public and people around the country are fighting like hell to make sure they are taken care of including the Vietnam veterans and their families?

Rieckhoff has had no use for me or this blog. After all, I can't gain him any attention. If he had been interested at all he'd see how hard this Vietnam veteran's wife is fighting for "his kind" of veteran as well as all veterans. We have one Department of Defense and we have one Veterans Administration supposedly taking care of all generations and if there is a problem with "his kind" of veterans then he needs to fully acknowledge there is a problem with ALL generations of veterans. I am so tied of the spotlight focused on just the newer veterans because people like Rieckhoff get their attention but people like Larry Scott don't. He's focused on what the VA does and does not do for ALL veterans! You'd think the media would get the message that as they focus on the newer veterans suffering we still have Vietnam veterans suffering after all these years and yes, they watch TV too! Plus they don't consider how many more Vietnam veterans there are than the newer veterans. Wonder what their ratings would be if they ever paid attention to them?

RIECKHOFF'S NON-APOLOGY TO VIETNAM VETERANS
IAVA chief claims remark was about who fragged the most and not meant as disrespect.

by Larry Scott, VA Watchdog dot Org



Sometimes I wish people would just do the simple and correct thing when they open their mouth to change feet: Apologize for an un-smart comment and move on.

But, no ...

Sometimes I wish people would just do the simple and correct thing when they open their mouth to change feet: Apologize for an un-smart comment and move on.

But, no ...

Most people have to explain and explain ... and explain some more in an attempt to make it appear that what they said really was correct and really wasn't meant to be offensive ... thus trying to put the onus back on the person(s) they offended.

Such is the case of Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).

Yesterday we reported that Rieckhoff, in response to a soldier killing five fellow troops in Iraq, said, in part:

"Unlike during the Vietnam War, today's military is a professional, all-volunteer force."

This remark greatly offended me ... as it did Veterans' Advocate Jim Strickland ... and, we let our feelings be known. It also offended many other veterans as noted by the angry comments at the bottom of the article.

Instead of just saying, "I'm sorry. It was an insensitive remark and doesn't reflect my true feelings. I apologize," Rieckhoff tried to explain his way out of it.
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http://www.vawatchdog.org/09/nf09/nfmay09/nf051309-1.htm

Vietnam Vet sent home from hospital in gown and IV still in?

Bey is a Vietnam veteran and unable to speak for himself. He couldn't have asked why they were sending him home like this but that does not excuse the fact it happened. What the hell is wrong with the staff that this happened at all?

Mom Furious After Vet Son Released From Hospital In Gown
Posted: 3:28 pm EDT May 12, 2009
Updated: 4:22 pm EDT May 12, 2009

PITTSBURGH -- A mother is up in arms after her son, a Vietnam veteran, is returned home from the hospital still wearing a gown and IV needle in his arm.

L. Coleman Bey is an Army veteran of the Vietnam War who receives medical treatment at the Veteran Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System. He was admitted Thursday because of low blood pressure and returned home Monday night by van service.
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http://www.wpxi.com/news/19441125/detail.html

Camp Liberty shootings leave a lot of questions

by
Chaplain Kathie

The killing of five soldiers at Camp Liberty in Iraq raises serious questions. Sgt. John Russell was reported to have gone to a Chaplain and sent to the stress clinic. It seems he was in denial of having a need for help. Obviously his commander thought differently and took his weapon away from him. Russell's father said the military "broke" his son. After a long career in the military, Russell was on his third deployment. With serving that long in the military, should it be found he was wounded by PTSD, then why didn't it sink in that he needed help to heal? It's not as if he was a new recruit. Has the military been doing a good enough job getting thru to the soldiers that there is nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to PTSD? If they had, would this have happened?

There is also the issue of the report coming out of Afghanistan with 60 Chaplains busy trying to "hunt down" souls for God and proselytizing within the military as well as the people of Afghanistan. Are they so busy breaking military rules and evangelizing that they are not focusing on the spiritual needs of stressed out troops and is this still going on in Iraq as well?

We know there is a shortage of Chaplains in the military. The Navy has offered scholarships to recruit Chaplains. We also know that when it comes to mental health providers, there are not enough psychologist and psychiatrists to take care of the growing need of the troops. Chaplains play a vital role, or are supposed to, when the troops need help. This leaves us wondering if the Chaplains are all trained to do the work and doing it to the fullest of their duties or are they concentrating more on proselytizing instead?

While it breaks our hearts to have the men and women serving this nation die because of combat, it is part of what happens when they serve and we accept the death more easily than we do when they die needlessly. It should never, ever be acceptable for them to die because they lack help. Sgt. Russell shot five people at a Crisis Center, so we know there are soldiers seeking help and therefore the military is addressing the need, but we still have to wonder what was said or not said setting Russell off. As reports come out, this question needs to be answered. If he does have PTSD, then what was not explained to him about it leaving him in such denial he turned around and shot five of his "brothers" instead of getting the help that was available at the Crisis Center?

We know by the fact so many are taking their own lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as back home, that the military is still not doing enough, just as the VA is not doing enough. Who is checking on what they are doing and fully investigating if what they are doing is the right thing or not? The programs the military has been using are clearly not working. Had they been working, would units have to come up with their own programs like the Montana National Guard? If the programs in the VA were working, would there be a need for so many other groups to come up with their own programs to take on the issue? Is anyone finding out what these answers are?

So how much time are we going to tolerate being wasted when lives are on the line?

We don't know yet how Sgt. Russell was treated by the Chaplain, what the Chaplain told him or what Russell understood. We do know he was breaking and this was in an email to his father. If he talked to a Chaplain was he forced to do it or did he do it because he wanted to? Was he on any medication? If not then why not?

Dr. Matthew Houseal one of the dead among Camp Liberty Shooting

Psychiatrist from Amarillo killed at Iraq clinic


AMARILLO, Texas (AP) — A Texas clinic official says a psychiatrist from Amarillo is among the five people shot to death at a military counseling center in Baghdad.

The executive director of the Texas Panhandle Mental Health and Mental Retardation says the wife of Dr. Matthew Houseal (HOUSE'-eel) told him Tuesday that Houseal was among the dead.

Bud Schertler said Houseal had been at the Panhandle clinic for 12 years. He says Houseal had volunteered to go back to assist in Iraq and was called up for duty. He says Houseal was due to return to the clinic the first part of June.

He says Houseal was married and had six children.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A Navy officer who spent his career helping service members deal with stress and a 19-year-old soldier from Maryland were among the five people shot to death at a military counseling clinic in Baghdad, family members and the Pentagon said Tuesday.

Cmdr. Charles Springle, 52, of Wilmington, N.C., was one of the victims of Monday's shooting, the Pentagon said. Shawna Machlinski, the mother of Pfc. Michael Edward Yates Jr., said two men from the Army came to her home on the Eastern Shore early Tuesday and said her son was also fatally wounded at the clinic by what they called "friendly fire."

One other officer and two enlisted soldiers also were among the dead, officials said, but their names have not been released.

Machlinski, who last spoke to her son on Mother's Day, said he had talked about the alleged shooter, 44-year-old Sgt. John M. Russell. She said he told her Russell was deeply angry at the military after three tours of duty in Iraq.
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Psychiatrist from Amarillo killed at Iraq clinic

Returning Soldiers Struggle with Traumatic Stress

Reporter Alyson McCarthy
Returning Soldiers Struggle with Traumatic Stress

Updated: May 12, 2009 09:04 PM EDT

Stress is one of the biggest killers of U.S. soldiers in Iraq, according to recent reports. One out of every five deaths has been non-combat related.

The VA in Las Vegas says nine full-time mental health specialists are dedicated to treating only post-traumatic stress disorder patients, including those just returning from Iraq.

That psychiatric treatment is also supplemented with anger-management classes, support group sessions, and family counseling, and the earlier the treatment, the better the outcome.

"War is ugly, and if you've never experienced it, you'll never know," said VFW Post 1753 Commander Leonard Wenson.

Wensome was a radio telephone operator with the Army's 173rd Airborne Division during the Vietnam War. Now he's commander of VFW Post 1753. He says the stress he sees in the young men and women returning from Iraq reminds him of Vietnam. "It's just as bad, if not worse, because these kids today are doing even more tours."
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Returning Soldiers Struggle with Traumatic Stress

Updates on Camp Liberty shooting

U.S. soldier charged with murder in Iraq shooting deaths
Story Highlights
NEW: Suspect struggled with fellow soldier over weapon, defense official says

Army Sgt. John Russell charged in killings of five fellow soldiers

Russell, 44, of Texas serving third tour in Iraq

Military spokesman: Russell referred to counseling, had gun confiscated recently

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. soldier who authorities say killed five fellow troops -- including a Navy commander -- at a stress clinic in Iraq on Monday apparently used a weapon he wrested away from another soldier, a Defense official said.


After getting the weapon, the soldier stole a military vehicle and drove to the clinic, where earlier he had been in a fight, the official said.

The shooter was identified as Army Sgt. John M. Russell, according to Maj. Gen. David Perkins, the military spokesman who briefed reporters in Baghdad, Iraq, on Tuesday. Russell has been charged with five counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault after the shooting at Camp Liberty, near Baghdad's international airport, Perkins added. Watch how the Army is handling the case »

A 44-year-old communications specialist from Sherman, Texas, Russell is serving his third tour in Iraq and has previously deployed to Bosnia and Kosovo, according to his service record.

His father, Wilburn Russell, also of Sherman, said Russell had e-mailed his wife saying he believed unidentified officers were trying to run him out of the military.

"As far as he was concerned, the military was the most wonderful thing that ever happened to him," Wilburn Russell said. "Evidently, he felt they turned against him and life was over. He didn't care any more, I guess.

"He broke. He just couldn't handle it."
go here for more
U.S. soldier charged with murder in Iraq shooting deaths
U.S. soldier: murder charges 3:50
CNN's Cal Perry reports on U.S. soldier charged with shooting and killing 5 fellow soldiers in Iraq.
U.S. soldier: murder charges

According to this report the stigma of PTSD lives on and keeps soldiers from getting the help they need.

Don't pay to see Dignity Memorial Wall, you already paid the price!

Once again an email came from part of my network of friends making sure I don't miss anything when it comes to our veterans. This one came in and it shocked me. There are many different ones traveling around the country. They are not all the same because they money made goes to different people. They operate on donations, not charging people to see them.

Just last month the Wall was at the Melbourne reunion. While there were many other things going on, the Wall was in a place all by itself, away from people making money, away from noise, where people could really pay respect to the names of those who sacrificed their lives. Asking people to pay to pay their respects is like charging them to go into a cemetery to visit a family member resting there.

Tickets on sale soon ....

NEW THIS YEAR! The General Admission area will be OPEN for the Friday Night Show. Purchase your reserve seat, come early and visit the exhibits, see the static displays and walk along the amazing Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall! This is a great opportunity to visit the Entertainment Center without the crazy crowds you'll see on Saturday and Sunday! Check out our ticket specials as well to take great advantage of the best entertainment value this summer!

Looking for tickets for a group or company? Then be sure to check out our Chalet programs that we also offer! Chalets are a great way to privately entertain just about any size group. It's the perfect solution for a company party, family reunion or really "wowing" those VIP clients!

Advance ticket sales end Thursday, August 27th at 5:00 pm.

GATE TIMES:
FRIDAY NIGHT, AUGUST 28 : Gates open at 6:00pm, show starts at 7:15pm
SATURDAY, AUGUST 29 : Gates open at 9:00am, show starts at 11:00am
SUNDAY, AUGUST 30 : Gates open at 9:00am, show starts at 11:00am

General Admission

Watch the show from the general admission area located off the flight line with easy access to concessions and the entertainment area. No seats are provided, so bring a chair or blanket and enjoy the show!

In honor of the many that have served our country The Oregon International Air Show will be giving FREE general admission all weekend long to all who are presently serving, or have served, in the military. This includes all active, retired and honorably discharged military. Just bring your DD214 or miliitary ID and a drivers license or other state-issued picture identification with you to the Show and you will be admitted at no charge.

Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is the most-visited National Park Service site in Washington, D.C. Even so, millions of Americans will never see or experience the impact of "The Wall" in their lives. To allow more people this opportunity, Dignity Memorial network providers created a three-quarter-scale traveling replica of the memorial in 1990.

Known as the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall, this faux-granite replica is dedicated to all Americans who served in Vietnam and honors all servicemen and women of the United States military forces. Each year the replica crisscrosses the country, allowing millions of visitors to see and touch its black, mirror-like surface inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 Americans who died or are missing in Vietnam. Every exhibition is sponsored by a local Dignity Memorial provider, with the help and support of area veterans groups and civic organizations.
This program is only available in the United States.

http://www.dignitymemorial.com/DignityMemorial/VietnamWall.aspx

UPDATE From Larry over at Nam-Vet
Dignity Memorial won't be part of Air Show
Larry,

Thank you for sharing your concerns with us regarding the location of the Dignity Memorial® Vietnam Wall in Portland.

For the last four years, Dignity Memorial providers have been a corporate sponsor of the Veteran’s Chalet at the Oregon International Air Show, annually hosting at no charge 300 Veterans and their guests to enjoy the Air Show as honored guests. Last year, Dignity Memorial providers and Air Show organizers began to explore the possibility of showcasing the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall as a special exhibit at the 2009 Air Show.

However, we have received expressions of disappointment from many Veterans that within the Air Show gates, the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall will not be free to all people as it has been in Portland and other cities in the past. We obviously misjudged the response of the Veteran community to this first partnership with an admission-based venue. We have heard clearly the voices of the Veterans disappointed in the decision to include the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall as an exhibit within the Oregon International Air Show, and we apologize to any Veterans offended by this decision. We researched placing our exhibit outside the Air Show gates but logistics, security and space limitations prevented this from being a viable option. Therefore, the decision was made to withdraw the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall exhibit from the Air Show.

go here for the rest

http://nam-vet.net/dignity_retained.htm

Illinois Soldier Dies in Afghanistan

Illinois Soldier Dies in Afghanistan
Officials say a 23-year-old Illinois Army National Guard soldier has died of a non-combat related injury in Afghanistan.

The Guard said Monday that Spc. Lukasz (loo-KASH') Saczek's death on Sunday is under investigation, but didn't give additional details.

Saczek, of Lake in the Hills in northern Illinois, was assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry based in Woodstock.

Officials say he enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard in July 2006. He was on his first deployment.

The Illinois National Guard has had 28 casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq since operations began.

go here for more

http://www.wifr.com/news/headlines/44776322.html

linked from ICasualties.org

Some US soldiers forced to steal water in Iraq

This is just more of what's been going on in Iraq part of the country never paid attention to.

Some US soldiers forced to steal water in Iraq

Rations and problems trigger desperate measures to survive intense heat

11:17 AM CDT on Tuesday, May 12, 2009

By JEREMY ROGALSKI / KHOU-TV Defenders

HOUSTON -- Take Houston’s heat on a miserable summer day and add 40 degrees, making temperatures 130 or more.


Next, add an extra 100 pounds of life-protecting gear to your body: bulletproof vests, guns and ammunition.

And then imagine not having enough water around to drink.

Stories of short supplies have haunted the U.S. military throughout the war in Iraq—things like inadequate body armor or unshielded Hummers. But while many soldiers say they had good access to water and even Gatorade, the 11 News Defenders discovered that others, stationed all over the country and during all phases of this desert war, say something else was often missing.

“We were rationed two bottles of water a day,” said Army Staff Sgt. Dustin Robey, referring to 1 to 1.5 liter bottles.

And he said that wasn’t nearly enough.

“You’ll see guys throw up, you’ll see them pass out,” he said.

Robey said it started early on in the war, and that he and other soldiers are paying the price to this day. In 2003, he said soldiers were given what was the equivalent of only a half gallon of water to survive on a day—all while dodging bullets in the blistering heat.
go here for more
Some US soldiers forced to steal water in Iraq

Linked from ICasualties.org

Commander Charles K. Springle Died in Iraq

DoD Identifies Navy Casualty


The Department of Defense announced today the death of a sailor who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.



Commander Charles K. Springle, 52, of Wilmington, N.C., died May 11 from injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident at Camp Victory, Iraq.



The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.

http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx

Camp Lejeune Navy commander is 1 of 5 killed at a stress clinic in Iraq

Posted: May 12, 2009 04:54 PM EDT

Updated: May 12, 2009 06:56 PM EDT

Reported by Claire Simms - bioemail
Posted by Debra Worley - email

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - A national tragedy hits home as the United States Army is trying to understand what drove a solider serving in Iraq to kill five people at a stress clinic in Baghdad Monday.

WECT has learned that 52-year-old Commander and Dr. Charles Springle of Wilmington, who was based out of Camp Lejeune, was one of the vicitms killed in the shooting.

Springle was one of two doctors in the group who died. He was a Navy Commander who was based out of the community counseling center at Camp Lejeune before he was deployed to Iraq in 2008.

"[He was] a terrific individual, engaging, fun to be around," said Bob Goodale with the Citizen-Soldier Support Program. "I missed him when he left and now I'm sick at the prospect of not seeing him again."
go here for more
http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=10349412

Sgt. John Russell was treated badly at crisis center according to email to his father

Soldier held in killings 'snapped,' dad says
He feels counselors at stress clinic where 5 died had pushed too hard
SHERMAN, Texas - The father of the soldier charged with killing five fellow troops in Iraq said Tuesday that he believes his son snapped after counselors in a military stress center "broke" him.

Wilburn Russell spoke with reporters in front of the northern Texas home owned by his son, Army Sgt. John M. Russell.

The elder Russell said his son was six weeks away from completing his third tour in Iraq before Monday's shootings at Camp Liberty near Baghdad.

His son was treated poorly at the military stress center and had said over e-mail that two recent days were the worst in his life, Wilburn Russell said.

He felt like "his life was over" and that he had "lived for the military," the elder Russell added.

go here for more
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30678715/

Baghdad killings reflect U.S. Army stress crisis

There are no quick answers here. There are no easy answers either. Iraq and Afghanistan will go on for a long time before all the troops are out. The mistakes made were made because the Bush administration would not listen to reason. Now, it's too late for far too many. This will take this entire nation to address what is happening to our troops and make sure they have what they need. This we can do and the answer to their problems is all of us.

Baghdad killings reflect U.S. Army stress crisis
By MARTIN SIEFF
Published: May 12, 2009 at 11:36 AM
WASHINGTON, May 12 (UPI) -- The tragedy at Camp Liberty, near Baghdad, where an American soldier shot and killed five U.S. personnel and wounded three others, has been at least six years in the making.

Army Sgt. John Russell was arrested after the shooting deaths at a stress counseling center outside Baghdad. He was serving with the 54th Engineer Battalion in southern Iraq. Russell had shown significant signs of stress and had his weapon taken from him before being sent to the stress treatment center.

The second point is that when controversial Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, his deputy Paul Wolfowitz and their team ran the Pentagon, they received a great deal of criticism for allegedly neglecting the well-being of American combat soldiers. The U.S. Army medical system, including its showcase institution of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, was the subject of embarrassing press exposes that led current Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Rumsfeld's successor, to fire his secretary of the Army and the head of Walter Reed. When current President Barack Obama took office, he also acknowledged the need to prioritize post-combat and post-service care for U.S. military veterans by appointing a widely admired and respected former Army chief of staff, four-star Gen. Eric Shinseki, as the Cabinet-level head of the Veterans Affairs Department.

The underlying cause of the growing stress on U.S. soldiers and Marines and their families has been the burden of dual and simultaneous ongoing wars since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

Rumsfeld and his planners never dreamed that 130,000 to 160,000 U.S. troops would be tied down in Baghdad over the next six years fighting an ongoing Sunni Muslim insurgency. The security situation in Iraq improved tremendously from January 2006 to January 2007 after Gates appointed Gen. David Petraeus to run operations there. However, since President Obama confirmed his plans to phase down U.S. troop levels in Iraq over the next year and a half to 30,000 troops, levels of violence, especially through suicide bombers, have been rising there again. And Obama has been moving to fulfill his campaign pledge to increase U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan.

go here for more

Baghdad killings reflect U.S. Army stress crisis

Two more non-combat deaths in Iraq

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.



Staff Sgt. Randy S. Agno, 29, of Pearl City, Hawaii, died May 8 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, of wounds sustained Apr. 27 from a non-combat related incident at Forward Operating Base Olsen in Samarra, Iraq. He was assigned to the 325th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.



The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.

DoD Identifies Army Casualty


The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.



Pvt. Justin P. Hartford, 21, of Elmira, N.Y., died May 8 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 699th Maintenance Company, Corps Support Battalion, 916th Support Brigade, Fort Irwin, Calif.



The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.

http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx

Paul Rieckhoff you should thank Vietnam Veterans and not slam them

Mr. Rieckhoff,
After you served your country and then turned around to start the IAVA to take care of the veterans of those two wars, it is shocking you have failed all other veterans.

All wars were fought with draftees, in case you didn't notice and this includes WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam. After Vietnam then it was up to the young to enlist. Unlike WWI, WWII and Korea, the Vietnam veterans came back in force to address PTSD. All other generations of mankind have been wounded by this but it took them to fight for it and it was their courage to take a stand that has placed this nation as far as we are today in taking care of the generation of veterans you care for. Did that ever dawn on you?

Do you think that Vietnam veterans had any less dedication to their brothers or to the mission just because some were drafted? How dare you? Did it dawn on you that with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans you also have people the standards were lowered for so they could boost manpower? How about gangs suddenly allowed in? How about criminals allowed in? Does any of this dawn on you? Do these facts end up reflecting badly on the rest of the men and women serving in the military today? Absolutely not. How can you even begin to use any kind of language that slams Vietnam veterans when they came home to make sure ALL generations of veterans were taken care of? How can anyone claiming to be serving veterans forget there are more veterans in this country needing this country as much as the newer generation but waiting far longer for it?

This is the part I can never understand about you and what you do. How many Vietnam veterans turned to you for help considering how much media attention you get only to be turned away? This part the media doesn't discuss but the veterans do. The other service organizations including Vietnam Veterans of America will help all veterans because they made it their next mission to live up to "Never again will one generation abandon another" but you don't seem to let that bother you one bit.

I've supported you and your organization in the past and posted a lot about what you had to say. From now on, if you say it, it will not be posted but if others from your organization do, I will post it. That is unless you apologize to the Vietnam veterans because had it not been for them, your generation would be screwed even more than they are now. By the way, do you know how many veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have parents that were Vietnam veterans? Want to bet some of them had been drafted too?

Learn something and maybe begin with watching Ken Burns The War and learn some facts about WWII to know about the drafted heroes of that war. Larry Scott is right and you are clearly wrong!

IAVA CHIEF, RIECKHOFF, DISSES VIETNAM VETERANS
Calls Vietnam veterans unprofessional and takes a swipe at all draftees.

by Larry Scott, VA Watchdog dot Org



In 2004, Iraq War veteran Paul Rieckhoff founded Operation Truth.

Operation Truth was an almost-anti-war, definitely anti-Bush organization funded by vast amounts of left-wing money ... which is not necessarily bad, but it always helps to know where the money comes from. (The editor at a well-known military web site names George Soros as the source of much of the funding.)

The goal was to co-opt veterans' issues by using the media contacts of the left-wing money ... to make the country think of "veterans" as those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rieckhoff became a star on such programs as the Rachel Maddow Show on Air American Radio and MSNBC-TV.

Realizing that he needed a broader base, Rieckhoff changed the name of the organization to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).

IAVA became a lobbying powerhouse on Capitol Hill. Even though Iraq and Afghanistan vets make up just 3% of the veteran population, and IAVA membership is just a few thousand of that 3%, IAVA became a loud voice.

Rieckhoff's agenda has always been a divisive force in the veteran community.

Because of Rieckhoff's work, we now have a two-tiered VA system, with vets from Iraq and Afghanistan getting priority treatment for health care and first-in-line status for disability claims ... while the other 97% of veterans just have to wait.

In fairness, Rieckhoff has worked hard for his constituency, and it has paid off ... to the detriment of other veterans.

Now, we see Rieckhoff's feelings about other veterans, especially those who served in the Vietnam War.

Today, it is reported that a GI in Iraq killed five fellow soldiers. Rieckhoff issued a press release about this, and said, in part:

"Unlike during the Vietnam War, today's military is a professional, all-volunteer force."
go here for more
IAVA CHIEF, RIECKHOFF, DISSES VIETNAM VETERANS

Update on soldiers killed at stress clinic at Camp Liberty

Baghdad Shooting Spotlights Combat Stress
Suspect In Murder Of 3 Soldiers, 2 Doctors Was On Third Tour In Iraq, Sources Tell CBS News

BAGHDAD, May 12, 2009



(CBS/AP) An American Army sergeant shot and killed five fellow soldiers following an altercation at a military counseling center in Iraq Monday, officials said. The attack drew attention to the issues of combat stress and morale among soldiers serving multiple combat tours over six years of war.

The suspect had been disarmed after an incident at the center but returned with another weapon, according to a senior military official in Washington, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation into the shootings was ongoing.

The U.S. military charged the suspect with five counts of murder, and one count of aggravated assault in the killings. Maj. Gen. David Perkins told reporters Tuesday that the charges were filed against Sgt. John M. Russell of the 54th Engineering Battalion based in Bamberg, Germany.

Perkins said the dead included two doctors, one from the Navy and the other from the Army. The other three dead were enlisted personnel.

Sources tell CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier the suspect was on his third tour of Iraq.

A recent Army study found soldiers on their third or fourth deployment are twice as likely to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Caught early enough, the symptoms including nightmares, sleep disturbances and rollercoaster emotions and hypervigilance, can be treated. But often troops won't ask for help, reports Dozier.
go here for more
Baghdad Shooting Spotlights Combat Stress



UPDATE from CNN Sgt. Russell was on his third tour of Iraq.

Soldier charged in deaths of 5 U.S. troops
Story Highlights
NEW: Official identifies suspect as Army Sgt. John Russell

NEW: Soldier faces five counts of murder, one of aggravated assault

Soldier allegedly fired on, killed five comrades at counseling center near Baghdad

Defense official: Suspect had been a patient at stress treatment center


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. soldier who fired on fellow troops in Iraq has been identified as Army Sgt. John Russell, and he's been charged with five counts of murder, a military spokesman said Tuesday.


U.S. troops get a safety briefing before departing Camp Liberty, Iraq, in December 2008.

Russell killed five people when he fired on other troops at a stress clinic at Camp Liberty, near Baghdad International Airport, U.S. officials said.

Along with five counts of murder, Russell also was charged with one count of aggravated assault, said Maj. Gen. David Perkins, who briefed reporters in Baghdad.

Russell is on his third tour in Iraq. He's with the 54th Engineering Battalion, based in Germany. He is in military police custody at Camp Victory.

There are no immediate insights on a motive, Perkins said.
go here for more
Soldier charged in deaths of 5 U.S. troops

Iowa Soldiers Watch For Signs Of PTSD

Master Sergeant Robert Warrington of the Iowa National Guard could not be taking a more pro-active role when it comes to traumatic events. Decompressing after events, talking about what happens, prevents it from being stuffed into the "back" of the brain.

Many of you know I belong to the International Fellowship of Chaplains. It's a great group of people, quiet heroes, showing up all over the country when traumatic events happen. They show up for police, firefighters and emergency responders. They also show up for victims. It doesn't matter if it is a human tragedy or crime or natural disaster. They take care of the person in need.

When police officers have to respond to take care of others, they are there to take care of the officers, being there so they can talk about what happened. While tactical debriefings are part of the job, they need to "decompress" as humans. This has been known for many years. To hear of it happening with combat forces is the best thing that could happen.

Iowa Soldiers Watch For Signs Of PTSD
Emily Price
POSTED: 9:15 pm CDT May 11, 2009
JOHNSTON, Iowa -- President Barack Obama says he's "shocked and deeply saddened" by news that a U.S. soldier opened fire at a counseling center in Iraq, killing five fellow soldiers.

The president met with Defense Secretary Robert Gates to discuss the shooting at a sprawling U.S. base on the western edge of Baghdad.

The president said Monday, "I will press to ensure that we fully understand what led to this tragedy, and that we are doing everything we can to ensure that our men and women in uniform are protected as they serve our country so capably and courageously in harm's way."

Iowa National Guard soldiers just went through mandatory Post Traumatic Stress Disorder training in March and April to learn the signs and symptoms and how to get help, according to Master Sergeant Robert Warrington.

Warrington was a platoon sergeant in Operation Iraqi Freedom from March 2006 through July 2007 with the 133rd Infantry based in Waterloo. During his tour, Warrington was in charge of 42 Iowa soldiers. He looked after their food, water, and perhaps most important, their mental health.

“We did have some stressful situations,” Warrington said.

For instance, a bomb blew up near Warrington's armored vehicle during a night time convoy.

“It was real loud. It took out all four tires on my truck, took out the windshield, my gunner got shrapnel in the face,” he said.

As the convoy ended that night Warrington made sure he and his men talked about what happened.

“I relayed the whole events of the day. What happened, what I should've done, what happened, what could've happened. That helped me decompress. Then the next morning I got up to see the chaplain with my crew,” he said.
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Iowa Soldiers Watch For Signs Of PTSD

Schofield soldier’s death being reviewed

Schofield soldier’s death being reviewed

The Associated Press
Posted : Monday May 11, 2009 21:17:33 EDT

HONOLULU — The Department of Defense is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a soldier from Oahu.

The Pentagon said Monday that Staff Sgt. Randy S. Agno of Pearl City died Friday at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington of wounds received April 27 in a noncombat-related incident at Forward Operating Base Olsen, Samarra, Iraq.
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Schofield soldier death being reviewed

Navy swine flu cases now at 23, all in Calif.

Navy swine flu cases now at 23, all in Calif.

By Susan Gvozdas - Staff writer
Posted : Monday May 11, 2009 17:09:21 EDT

The Navy is reporting that seven Navy personnel have tested positive for swine flu, bringing the number of cases to 23, a Navy spokesman said Monday.

Of the seven new cases, five are assigned to the San Diego-based amphibious transport dock Dubuque, which brings that ship’s total cases to 17. Pacific Fleet canceled the amphib’s June 1 deployment because of the number of crew members who required treatment.
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Navy swine flu cases now at 23, all in Calif

Bill: Ease Agent Orange claims for Navy vets

While this is great news, it comes too late for too many like my friend Capt. Agnes "Irish" Bresnahan. She died in Washington DC after going there for another hearing on her claim. She had PTSD and Agent Orange illnesses but died before she saw this day.

Bill: Ease Agent Orange claims for Navy vets

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday May 11, 2009 11:18:09 EDT

Saying “time is running out” for blue-water Navy veterans of the Vietnam War who have had difficulty proving their ill health is the result of exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange, the chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee has reintroduced legislation that would presume sailors who patrolled Vietnam’s shoreline faced the same risk as ground forces.

“We owe it to our veterans to fulfill the promise made to them as a result of their service,” said committee chairman Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif..

Filner has cited the same imperative in support of his effort to push through legislation providing pensions to World War II Filipino Scouts who served alongside U.S. troops but never got promised benefits.

He also is working on legislation that would provide a $1,000 monthly benefit to Merchant Marine veterans who aided the military during World War II.

In this case, Filner said that the Veterans Affairs Department, Congress and the courts have devised laws and policies that provide unequal treatment for Vietnam veterans.

His Agent Orange bill, HR 2254, would revise VA rules so that any Vietnam War veteran suffering from a health problem that could be the result of Agent Orange exposure would be presumed to have a service-connected disability. The bill would apply to veterans who received a Vietnam service medal and were deployed on the land or in the air and sea of Vietnam during the war.
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Bill: Ease Agent Orange claims for Navy vets

National Guard Soldier's PTSD diagnosis gets him bumped from Iraq tour

Soldier's PTSD diagnosis gets him bumped from Iraq tour
Barbara Barrett - McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — As 4,000 North Carolina National Guard soldiers bid farewell Tuesday for their second tour in Iraq, they head out without one of the brigade’s most honored platoon sergeants.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Chad Stephens, who earned a Silver Star for valor during a Baqubah firefight in 2004, isn’t going back this time.

Instead, he will remain in North Carolina, living with his wife and son in the small town of Ahoskie, continuing his work at the Guard’s armory in Williamston.


He was sent home in January from training at Camp Shelby, Miss., after coming forward with civilian medical records that showed Stephens, 41, continues to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder related to his first tour in Iraq.

During a daylong battle in Baqubah in June 2004, Stephens ran through heavy gunfire to pull a young gunner from a Bradley fighting vehicle. The gunner, Spc. Daniel A. Desens Jr., died from his wounds. Stephens remains close to Desens’ parents.

His story was told in The News & Observer in November 2007 in a series called “The Promise.” In it, he described the difficulties he faced getting help for combat-related stress.

Stephens also wasn’t sure whether he should return to Iraq.

Last fall, he was cleared by an Army medical doctor for the brigade’s second tour.

But he also carried paperwork from two psychiatrists — a civilian doctor and a Veterans Affairs doctor — that recommended he not return to a war zone.

Stephens said he brought up the paperwork during a meeting in January with a counselor at Camp Shelby, where the Guard was training for its deployment, because he didn’t want to withhold information.

“It screwed me,” Stephens said. “They sent me home the next day.”
go here for more
http://www.thestate.com/166/story/782542.html

Montana National Guard taking Yellow Ribbon Program to the streets

National Guard support-campaign helps vets, families
By MARTIN J. KIDSTON - Independent Record - 05/10/09
A team of soldiers and airmen with the Montana National Guard will take their message to the streets over the next few weeks to let their fellow service members know that help is available if needed.

For the second consecutive year, members of the Guard will cross the state to promote the Yellow Ribbon Program, which aims to improve the post-deployment process and the care soldiers and families receive when returning from battle.

Col. Jeff Ireland, director of personnel and manpower, said four teams of soldiers and airmen will conduct the meetings over the next few weeks.

The public push continues the Guard’s efforts to change its deployment culture and raise awareness on the programs available around the clock to those who need help.

“We want to take this information to the people of Montana so they understand what levels and types of support are available to service members and their families before, during and after a deployment,” Ireland said.

The Guard made a similar effort last May when it sent similar teams to Libby, Glasgow, Lewistown, Great Falls and Belgrade.
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National Guard support-campaign helps vets, families

Female veterans may face a higher risk of PTSD than their male counterparts

Women at Greater Risk for Depression and Anxiety

New HHS Report Released During National Women's Health Week Points to Importance of Resiliency


WASHINGTON, May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report released today on gender-based differences in mental health shows women are nearly twice as likely as men to suffer from major depression. The report addresses many other mental health issues facing women, including the effect trauma and violence can have on long term mental health, and outlines action steps for policy makers, healthcare professionals and researchers.


Action Steps for Improving Women's Mental Health, released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health (OWH), brings together the most recent research on mental health issues in women and explores the role gender plays in diagnosing, treating and coping with mental illness. It also points to resiliency and social support systems as key factors in overcoming mental illness. Other highlights include:

Rates of anxiety disorders are two to three times higher in women than men.
Having a history of violence, trauma or abuse is associated with increased risk of depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder and a tendency to engage in risky behaviors.

Female veterans may face a higher risk of PTSD than their male counterparts.
Family and other interpersonal connections in a woman's life may play an important role in building resiliency and offering protection from mental illness.

Acting Surgeon General Steven Galson, M.D., M.P.H., emphasizes, "Mental illness is often incorrectly perceived as a weakness, which prevents women from recognizing the signs and symptoms and seeking treatment. In order to reduce stigma, we need to encourage open, honest conversations."

go here for more
Women at Greater Risk for Depression and Anxiety=

American contractor gets probation in revenge killing in Afghanistan

This sounds like justice. Could you imagine seeing what he saw? I hope he gets help to cope with it.

American gets probation in revenge killing

He was military contractor in Afghanistan when colleague was set on fire
updated 4:08 p.m. ET, Fri., May 8, 2009
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A former military contractor avoided jail Friday for the revenge killing of a handcuffed Afghan detainee who had doused one of the contractor's colleagues with gasoline and set her on fire.

Don M. Ayala, 46, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge that normally would carry up to eight years in prison. But U.S. District Senior Judge Claude Hilton decided a sentence of probation was justified under the horrific circumstances that led Ayala to shoot and kill Abdul Salam in the village of Chehel Gazi on Nov. 4.

"The acts that were done in front of this defendant would provide provocation for anyone" who witnessed the scene, Hilton said. "This occurred in a hostile area, maybe not in the middle of a battlefield, but certainly in the middle of a war."
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30645926/

5 US soldiers shot at Camp Liberty in Iraq

Five US soldiers shot dead at Iraq base
51 minutes ago

BAGHDAD (AFP) — Five US soldiers were killed in a shooting at American base Camp Liberty in Baghdad on Monday, the military said in a statement.

"Five coalition forces members were killed in a shooting at Camp Liberty in Baghdad today at approximately 2 pm (1100 GMT)," the statement said.

It added that the incident was under investigation, without providing further details on who may have been behind the attack.
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Five US soldiers shot dead at Iraq base


UPDATE

Officials: U.S. soldier in Baghdad kills 5 troops
updated 3 minutes ago
Story Highlights
NEW: Official now says it's unclear if gunman is among dead

Source says U.S. soldier opens fire on fellow troops

Five killed and three others wounded in incident

Shootings took place at Camp Liberty in Baghdad
U.S. soldier in Baghdad kills 5 troops

UPDATE 5-11-09 2:25pm

Official: U.S. soldier kills 5 at Camp Liberty

By Robert H. Reid - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday May 11, 2009 13:17:53 EDT

BAGHDAD — A U.S. soldier opened fire at a counseling center on a U.S. base Monday, killing five fellow soldiers before being taken into custody, the U.S. command and Pentagon officials said.

The shooting occurred at Camp Liberty, a sprawling U.S. base on the western edge of Baghdad near the city’s international airport and adjacent to another facility where President Barack Obama visited last month.

A brief U.S. statement said the soldier “suspected of being involved with the shooting” was in custody but gave no further details. Nobody else was hurt, the military said. It was unclear what provoked the shooting.

In Washington, Pentagon officials said the shooting happened at a stress clinic, where troops can go for help with the stresses of combat or personal issues. It was unclear whether those killed were workers at the clinic or were there for counseling. No details were released about the gunman.
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U.S. soldier kills 5 at Camp Liberty

UPDATE
9:48 p.m.

Soldier kills at least 4 in clinic shooting
By Michelle Tan - Staff writerPosted : Monday May 11, 2009 19:53:35 EDT

An American soldier got into a verbal altercation with staff at a combat stress clinic on Camp Liberty, Iraq, returned to the clinic and shot five people Monday, killing at least four soldiers, said an Army official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The soldier, whose identity had not been released Monday evening, was in custody, officials said.
The shooting occurred at Camp Liberty, a large U.S. base on the western edge of Baghdad near the city’s international airport.
According to the Army official, details of the incident continue to emerge as investigators continue their work, but preliminary reports show the soldier was was being escorted to the clinic, for reasons not yet explained. Once inside, he got into a verbal altercation with the staff and was asked to leave. The soldier and his escort got back into their vehicle and began to drive away, according to the Army official.
At some point during the drive, the soldier got control of his escort’s weapon and ordered the escort out of the vehicle, the Army official said. The soldier then drove back to the clinic, walked in and began shooting, the official said.
Army reports show five people were shot; four of them, all soldiers, were killed. Their identities have yet to be released, pending notification of their families.
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Soldier kills at least 4 in clinic shooting

Support our troops is no longer a slogan. It's an action

While I have, or had, a Twitter account, I've never found the time to use it. That is why I'm posting this here. I hope readers of this blog will feel compelled to participate in this.

Dear Friends,
We all have people in our lives we consider heroes.
All of us at the Bob Woodruff Foundation would appreciate your support and participation helping raise $1.65M for our heroes returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan by participating in our TweettoRemind campaign. Through the power of the social web, Tweet to Remind campaign aims to raise $1.65 million by Memorial Day, May 25, 2009 to ensure our service members get the help they need as they integrate back into society.
This is a call to action, requesting you write a short blog post or tweet telling us who your hero is on Tuesday, May 12.
After I was severely injured while reporting on location in Iraq, my family and I realized we had a unique opportunity to reach out and help many of our nation's injured heroes. In January 2008, my wife Lee and I started ReMIND.org, an organization dedicated to raising money and awareness for service members injured in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as their families. Our current project is the TweetToRemind campaign, which asks individuals and corporations to donate $5.25 or more in an effort to raise $1.65 million by the end of the Memorial Day weekend.
I have so many heroes in my life who have affected me in so many ways. But after what my family and I went through more than three years ago, my greatest heroes are the doctors, nurses, medics, soldiers, pilots and others who risk their lives on a daily basis to save injured soldiers and bring them back to their communities. They did it for me, and my family and I can never thank them enough.
This is what I ask of you: on Tuesday, May 12 post a simple blog or tweet answering, "Who is your hero?" and asking them to do the same. Please link to your blog post from your Twitter account, a link back to
http://www.tweettoremind.org/ , and the ChipIn widget which you can copy onto your blog.
I hope you find it in your heart to support this effort on May 12 and throughout the campaign which ends on Memorial Day, May 25th.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Sincerely,
Bob Woodruff

"SUPPORT OUR TROOPS" IS NO LONGER A SLOGAN. IT'S AN ACTION. info@tweettoremind.org

ReMINDers
OEF and OIF veterans are eligible for free VA health care for their combat injuries up to 5 years after separation from duty. (VA)

Nearly 20 percent of U.S. service members returning from combat will report symptoms of PTSD or major depression. (RAND)

Nearly 90% of today's seriously wounded U.S. military service members are surviving. (VA)

Over 320,000 U.S. service members have sustained a TBI during deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. (RAND)

More than 1.64 million U.S. service members have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan since October, 2001. (DoD)

Costs resulting from PTSD and major depression for troops deployed since 2001 are expected to range from $4-$6 billion. (RAND)

As public concern over these injuries grows, policy changes and funding shifts are already occurring. (RAND)

Of those reporting a probable TBI, 57% have not been evaluated by a physician for brain injury. (RAND)

Processing times for veteran disability benefit claims has decreased from 230 days in 2001 to an estimated 145 days in 2009. (whitehouse.gov)

When combat stress exceeds the capacity of an individual to cope, literal injuries to the brain and mind can result. (RAND)

Symptoms and repercussions of combat stress include depression, anxiety, misuse of alcohol and drugs, strains in family functioning, separation and divorce. (RAND)

Nearly 5.3 million veterans will receive care at the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2009. (whitehouse.gov)

Medical science provides a better understanding than ever before of how to care for a new generation of service members suffering the psychological effects of warfare. (RAND)
Support our troops is no longer a slogan. It's an action.

Law would let military spouses keep residency

Law would let military spouses keep residency

The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday May 9, 2009 10:12:35 EDT

CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg is co-sponsoring a plan to help military families when they have to move to another state because of new deployment.

The bill would allow military spouses to maintain residency in one state when their family gets orders to move to another.

Currently, military men and women can maintain residency in their home state, regardless of where military orders send them. However, their spouses do not have the same benefit, meaning that with every move, they must update drivers' licenses, file tax returns in multiple states and change vehicle and voter registrations.

Gregg says the law also makes it less likely that deeds and titles of family property would be in the spouse's name.
Law would let military spouses keep residency/

Veterans Memorial in Clinton OH, a tribute to all who have served

Veterans Memorial in Clinton, a tribute to all who have served
By Ann Kagarise
The Suburbanite
Sat May 09, 2009, 05:08 PM EDT

Clinton, Ohio -
“We didn’t get the red carpet treatment when we came home,” Vietnam veteran, John Maurer, said.

The Canal Fulton resident served in the Marine Corp, delivering top secret documents.

“This is personal,” he said as he stared at the newly resurrected Vietnam Memorial Wall in Clinton.

“It’s about time to pay tribute to those who didn’t get to come home.”

Three-thousand-ninety-five Ohioans died in Vietnam.

“Ohio is either the third or fourth largest state to have lost casualties in Vietnam,” said builder Ken Noon from Summit Memorial.

Noon, a veteran, gave the lowest bid for the job and designed the layout.

“Other companies estimated the project,” he said. “I took the time to map it out. My wife put all the names in alphabetical order so I could be exact in how big the wall would be.”

The wall is 125 feet long, using 50 panels 30 inches wide and six feet tall. Each weighs a ton are eight inches thick.

This is the largest veteran monument in Ohio. The back of the wall depicts the history, cause and number of soldiers from Ohio who fought in each war, beginning with The War of 1812.

“This is actually a veteran’s park to honor all who served,” Noon said.

There will be 16 other momunents, one for each branch of service, canine units, Operation Baby Lift and D-Day.

A collage of local heroes will be set on a Heroes of Ohio Memorial wall for all those who served in some capacity since Vietnam.
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Veterans Memorial in Clinton

Will the "right" talking talents feel safe to complain now?

In 2001 when President Bush sent the troops into Afghanistan, the "right" talking talents on cable and radio didn't complain about the lack of planning the DOD and VA did when it came to getting ready for the wounded. Not many people complained about anything back then if Bush wanted it. The problem is, no one complained when the troops were sent into Iraq on top of Afghanistan. The VA budget was cut and nothing was in place to take care of the wounded created by two military campaigns.

With both producing more and more wounded, the VA had less doctors and nurses on staff than they had after the Gulf War. Claims were already backlogged and appeals delayed for older veterans but no one thought of any of them.

When the Washington Post came out with the report about the conditions at Walter Reed, the "right" talking talents on cable and radio went ballistic over the reporting and not that it was a fact the wounded were being treated as poorly as they were. This kept on with all the other reports coming out concerning the troops and including reports of contaminated water, exposures to depleted uranium, illnesses caused by immunizations, being fed spoiled food all the way up to being electrocuted in showers. None of them raised issue with the Bush Administration as the rest of the country was talking about all of it going on and the fact our troops were paying for it and our veterans were suffering because of what was not being done.

They were dying for attention from people like Hannity and O'Reilly and the rest of the people on FOX cable programs along with radio personalities like Rush. None of them complained about any of it leaving the impression on their listeners that all was well. After all, unless they had a family member on the receiving end of the suffering, no one would have a way of knowing anything.

When reports came out that suicides were rising and many killed themselves because they couldn't get into the VA for the help they needed, again there was silence from the "right" talking talents when they had the chance to raise the issue. When reports came out about homeless veterans, people like O'Reilly denied them and in turn denied them the help they could have received. Later when he was forced to admit there were homeless veterans, he dismissed them as being "drug addicts and alcoholics" as if they were no longer worthy of help from this nation.

Now President Obama is in charge, the man they love to hate, and I really have to wonder if any of them will finally begin to address anything the troops and our veterans need. Will they inform their viewers of any of the problems they have been dealing with for years? Will I ever be able to have a conversation with a listener to these people and not have them stunned with by the facts of the abysmal care the veterans have been receiving? It is not that the Republican voters don't care about the troops or our veterans because most of them are very active in doing things for them. They care deeply but when they are excluded from facts by people with their own agenda instead of providing them with information, there is little they will do because they simply don't know.

Yet if they do begin to complain about President Obama, will they be forced to acknowledge when the problems began? Will they be forced to admit the Republican majority all the years before caused most of the problems our troops and veterans faced? Will they be able to be honest once and for all and admit they were part of the problem because they kept defending Bush and the GOP instead of making them live up to their obligations?

Some fear "perfect storm" for VA with 2 wars, economy
By DAVID GOLDSTEIN
McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON -- From the economic crisis at home to a troop increase in Afghanistan, veterans' advocates are warning of a "perfect storm" that could flood an already beleaguered health care network for former service members.

Even with the troop count in Iraq scheduled to wind down, the demands on the Department of Veterans Affairs could increase.

"The crisis is not going away," said Paul Sullivan, the executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, a nonpartisan advocacy group. "Everyone thinks that with bringing the troops back from the war, things (at the VA) are going to get better. They're not."

The VA has treated 400,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans since 2001, but it's often underestimated how many of those former troops would need its help.

What impact the pullout from Iraq will have is unclear. President Barack Obama wants to withdraw around 100,000 of the 142,000 U.S. troops there by August of next year.

"It is something we need to be watching," said Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state, a leading veterans' advocate in Congress. "We don't yet know the percentage of those who will be coming home, but we do know there will be some. There is a combination of factors that are sending a big, yellow, blinking caution light."

Since 2001, the twin wars have stretched the VA's capacity as it's been called on to provide long-term treatment for the kinds of devastating physical wounds that have become signatures of modern combat, as well as a host of unseen, but no less searing, mental health traumas.

Veterans' advocates said they were concerned about the agency's ability to handle more patients since its health system already was operating at full tilt.
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http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/1041039.html

Glendora Center offers hope for Vets

Glendora Center offers hope for Vets
By Diana Sholley Staff Writer
Posted: 05/09/2009 02:47:07 PM PDT


GLENDORA - Bruce Solheim was determined not to let today's veterans suffer the same isolation and loneliness as those of the past.

The Citrus College history professor watched as the lack of socialization and support destroyed his older brother Alf when he returned from Vietnam.

"I saw how he was affected," said Solheim, who was 11 when his brother came home. "He never wanted to talk about it."

Alf eventually acquired Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, and with nowhere else to turn succumbed to drugs and alcohol.

Solheim was too young to help Alf, but now has the age, education, position, support and money to help others.

On May 14 Citrus College will host the grand opening of its Veterans Center, one of the largest and most comprehensive in the area. Everyone is invited.

Solheim, who served in the United States Army from 1978 to 1986, is hoping many will stop by check out the new digs, have a snack and attend the noontime ceremony.

"We are really proud of what we've done here and we want to share it with the community," said Solheim, the center's director. "Transitioning back into civilian society isn't easy. Without support veterans can face some very hard times, depression, even PTSD. Having a center like this can make their transition so much smoother."
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Glendora Center offers hope for Vets