President Barack Obama is being awarded NCHV's highest award

Recent VA News Releases



To view and download VA news release, please visit the following
Internet address:

http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel





Secretary Shinseki Addresses the National Coalition for Homeless
Veterans National Conference



WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 21, 2009) - Yesterday, the Secretary of the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Eric K. Shinseki addressed the
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans National Conference (NCHV) at
the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia.



"President Obama has made it clear that homelessness among Veterans is
unacceptable," Secretary Shinseki said. "We have a moral duty to prevent
and eliminate homelessness among Veterans."



The NCHV is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Veteran-specific service organization
whose 250-plus member organizations represent a variety of homeless
providers in 45 states and the District of Columbia. It was organized
in 1990 by a small group of community-based service providers who were
troubled by the disproportionately large percentage of homeless people
who are Veterans. It serves as the primary liaison between the nation's
care providers, Congress and the executive branch agencies charged with
helping them succeed in their work.



This year, President Barack Obama is being awarded NCHV's highest award,
the Jerald Washington Memorial Founders' Award. Shinseki said the
president's "early work as a community organizer provided him first hand
experience about the devastation that is homelessness-for individuals,
for families and for communities. Now, as our president and as our
commander-in-chief, he is committed to combating this stain on the
American conscience."



Speaking to the NCHV attendees, Shinseki said, "We look forward to
working with this coalition. Your community-level experience has helped
tens of thousands of Veterans with a variety of problems. Your
expertise is respected, and I look forward to being your partner as we
eliminate homelessness among Veterans. "



During the conference Secretary Shinseki announced that VA is creating a
national center on homelessness among Veterans. The center is VA's
first opportunity to develop, promote and enhance policy, clinical care,
research and education to improve homeless services, so that Veterans
may live as independently as possible in a community of their choosing.
The center will be co-located with the Philadelphia VA Medical Center
and the Tampa VAMC with the support of host-site academic affiliates,
the University of Pennsylvania and the University of South Florida.



Secretary Shinseki applauded NCHV for the work they are doing and
highlighted some of the programs VA has to assist homeless Veterans:



* Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program -- Established
since 1987, the program now has 132 sites with extensive outreach,
physical and psychiatric examinations, treatment, referrals and on-going
case management services.



* Domiciliary Care for the Homeless (DCHV) Program -- Started
with 13 medical centers, and has grown to 2,000 operation beds at 40
sites today. Rehabilitative residential services are offered on VA
medical center grounds or in the community to eligible Veterans.



* Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program --
Authorized in 1992, it provides grants and per diem payments to help
public and nonprofit organizations establish and operate supportive
transitional housing and service centers. Today, VA partners with more
than 500 community organizations and has authorized 15,000 beds through
the GPD program.



* Stand Downs for homeless Veterans are one- to three-day events
designed to provide homeless Veterans and their families a variety of
services. In 2008, more than 30,000 Veterans and 4,500 family members
received outreach services from Stand Downs aided by 24,500 volunteers.



* Project CHALENG (Community Homelessness Assessment, Local
Education and Networking Groups) for Veterans -- Started in 1993, a
nationwide initiative in which VA works with other federal, state, local
agencies and nonprofit organizations to assess the needs of homeless
Veterans. The last estimate of the number of homeless Veterans on any
given night was 131,000, a reduction of over 47 percent from previous
estimates of 250,000 used six years ago.

Why Vietnam Veterans break my heart and restore it again

by
Chaplain Kathie

I've been blessed to have veterans in my life since my life began. My father was a disabled Korean veteran. My uncles were WWII veterans. While they were still living, I met and married my husband, a Vietnam veteran. His father and uncles were also WWII veterans. Not bad considering we are only second generation Americans.

Ever since my life with my husband began, we've been active with veterans. I've been doing outreach work with them helping them to understand what PTSD is since 1982. It seemed only natural to do this. In all of these years, my heart has been broken over and over again because of all the suffering they have gone through, all so needlessly because they never received what they needed to heal beginning with the lapse of coverage from the media. If it were not for bad stories on Vietnam veterans for the last 30 years, there would have been no reporting on them at all. It's what the media does not report on that has restored by heart over and over again.

This past weekend we traveled with the Nam Knights from Orlando to Washington DC. While Rolling Thunder received the coverage for their ride on Sunday, May 24th, the Nam Knights rode on Saturday. We had about 400 Harleys roaring thru the streets of Washington, past Arlington National Cemetery up to The Vietnam Memorial Wall, parking a few streets away with a fantastic police escort getting us from one point to the other. They escorted us after a ceremony on the lawn near the Memorial to the Law Enforcement Memorial. Considering the Nam Knights is a group of Vietnam veterans, other veterans and Law Enforcement this memorial was important to them. The escort then blocked roads all the way from DC into Maryland for a feast provided by the VFW Post.

What does not get reported on is what the Nam Knights do other than once a year. They give back to this country as they have since they gave in Vietnam. The biggest thing Vietnam veterans did was fight for all other veterans. When they came home wounded by PTSD, they fought to have it treated and recognized by the VA and the DOD. Despite the fact other established groups wanted nothing to do with them, they didn't allow that to stop them. They started their own groups and made sure the power of their numbers along with the hearts of warriors, they would not be defeated in fighting for all veterans. Because they pushed to have the wound of PTSD treated, it began to be treated in police officers, firefighters, civilians after tragedies, accidents and crime.

Had it not been for them the older veterans suffering from what was called "shell shock" wouldn't have been treated. The Gulf War veterans wouldn't have been treated. Survivors of the Oklahoma bombing wouldn't have been treated. Survivors and witnesses of the multiple school shootings wouldn't have been treated. Survivors and witnesses of September 11th wouldn't have been treated. The troops and veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan wouldn't have been treated. With all of this, the police officers and firefighters, National Guardsmen and emergency responders wouldn't have been treated for doing their duty. With all of this, when they are informed of exactly how far reaching their efforts accomplished, they are stunned. They never thought about it. They only thought of doing the right thing.

Yet with this, they still die of PTSD and they still die homeless on our streets.

Vietnam veteran buried in Farmington
NewsWest9.com - Midland,TX,USA

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) - A veteran of the Vietnam War was buried in Farmington on Memorial Day, more than three months after he died at age 62 in Las Cruces.

Steve Nelson Baker was receiving treatment for post traumatic stress disorder shortly before he died. He was homeless when he died Feb. 2, and had been homeless off and on since his two tours of duty as a private in the Vietnam War.
click link for more

They still see their wound carried so deeply within them but push on with acts of kindness, with humility, seeking nothing than the help and hope they seek to offer to someone in need. Be it a soldier being wounded sent to Walter Reed to recover or coming into the area, they are there.

One of the Orlando Knights has a son serving now and his friend was wounded in Iraq. There was a donation taken up for him and his family and while a stranger to all the Knights, all gave what they could.

We had a family in a chase truck in case one of them broke down. They didn't have their Harelys with them. One of the Knights put out a request for rides for them so they could come with us to the Wall and within seconds, each one had a ride. Without helmets in hand another call was put out and four were offered when only three were needed. The best part of this story is that the man in the chase truck, a Vietnam veteran and Silver Star recipient had never seen The Wall before. He couldn't take his bike for the trip because he was hit by a car and his back was broken. That didn't stop him from making the trip from Orlando to DC. He drove the chase truck the first day and made sure the rest of the pack was safe considering there were drivers trying to cut into the group because they wanted to go faster and endangered the lives of the riders. His son took over after that and protected the group. With all he and his family were prepared to give to the rest of the Knights, they never thought of themselves and how they would be able to go with us to the memorial. They just wanted to help. Yet you will not read their story in the news paper or see it on the news. No one bothered to cover this day or the fact the Nam Knights was been giving back for 20 years.

NAM KNIGHTS OF AMERICA MC
AMERICAN MILITARY VETERAN
& LAW ENFORCEMENT
MOTORCYCLE CLUB
Parent Chapter: Carlstadt, New Jersey
with 36 additional chapters in New Hampshire (2), New York (6),
Maryland (2), North Carolina (2), Georgia (6), Florida (10), Massachusetts (3),
Pennsylvania (1), South Carolina (1), Virginia (1), Alberta (1)
and another in New Jersey (2)

About the Nam Knights
In the summer of 1989 a small group of Harley-riding combat vets of the Viet Nam War, who were also police officers, banded together to form the Nam Knights.

The Club was founded in New Jersey by Jack Quigley, now retired Undersheriff of The Bergen County Sheriff's Department. Jack served as a platoon sergeant with the 11th Motor Transport Battalion, First Marine Division.

Today, the Nam Knights of America Motorcycle Club has grown to 37 chapters in ten states and one Canadian province, with hundreds of members made up of veteran's of all eras as well as law enforcement personnel plus a few special and dedicated "civilians."

As Jack has said: "The club was formed to recapture the brotherhood its founding members shared while serving in Southeast Asia, and to help other veterans of all wars who are unable to physically or financially help themselves.

"The mission of the Nam Knights is to honor the memory of American Veterans and Police Officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty, to assist Veterans and Police Officers in their time of need, and to promote community awareness through sponsorship and participation in various community and fund-raising events.

"The Nam Knights Motorcycle Club continues to grow and thrive due to the extraordinary dedication of its members, their families and our benevolent supporters."

NAM KNIGHTS OF AMERICA MC
President's Message


Dear Visitor:

Our organization is pleased that you have the interest to surf into our web site. We are very proud of our site. NK Carl (Sgt. Maggot) Magnifico, NK David (Wrongway) Lewis and NK Steve (Slider) Mona have certainly put their expertise into compiling a most exciting and interesting web site. This is just an example of what a fine organization the Nam Knights of America Motorcycle Club is.

Membership is made up of 50% police officers (active and retired) and also 50% Viet Nam and other military era veterans, plus a few confirmed "civilians". The members who are non-police/non-veterans enjoy all the benefits of any member, although they cannot hold executive positions from 1st Sergeant At Arms up through the position of President. All members ride Harley-Davidson Motor Company or custom-built motorcycles with the appearance and construction of which is identical to a Harley-Davidson, and which engine parts are interchangeable with a Harley-Davidson with an engine displacement of 750cc or above.

The organization's main interests are to stress the importance of helping our fellow police officers and family members that may be in need of assistance. We also place a great deal of importance in the well-being of our veterans and to bringing out the message to the general public about our prisoners of war and those that are missing in action. We support legislation for the benefit of veterans and veteran's facilities, the advancement of studies and treatment of Agent Orange, Post Traumatic Stress and Hepatitis C. Many of our projects are to benefit the Paramus Veterans Home, police personnel and the betterment and enjoyment of motorcycle safety.

Again, I would like to thank you for your interest in our organization. If you will please sign our Guest Book and let us know your personal feeling about the web site, the Nam Knights, and/or our missions. If you are a Veteran of any conflict, please let us know that too. If you are an active or retired police officer, please let us know which department.

As President of the Parent Chapter, I feel that this is the best organization that I have ever had the privilege to be a part of and to serve. With chapters up and down the East Coast and one in Western Canada we have had many opportunities to meet more of our veteran comrades. We have grown very close and are able to share the importance of being veterans or police officers in our own way. We thank you for your support and help in the past and present in keeping the above issues alive.

To the many police departments that have helped us in the past with our functions -- helping to make them run smoother and safer -- thank you so much. Last but not least, those of you from the biker world: The only thing that I can say is thank you so very much for all the support that you have given us in the past. You have truly been very important and financially supportive in all that we have done to support our veterans and law enforcement personnel. It certainly is true that the biker is a person with a large heart, and not a person without honor. We thank you. To all the veterans' organizations and motorcycle clubs that have helped us in the past, we thank you for your support, interest and friendship in the Nam Knights Motorcycle Club.

Fred (Fritz) Reiman
President
N.K. Parent Chapter
NK1Fritz@aol.com

Please go to the site and thank them for what they do and have done no matter what some people think of them when they see them riding in packs down the street with their Harleys roaring engines, leather vests with the Nam Knights rocker on their backs because in their warriors hearts beats compassion beyond belief and a brotherhood that embraces acts of kindness. Considering they keep giving isn't it time we gave them at least a thank you on a guest book?

When you look into their eyes, you can see what makes a warrior live on. Knowing what they do and how much they give, my heart has been restored over and over again and I feel honored to know them and be counted as a Lady along with the other wives of these magnificent men. All of the wives are standing by their side and doing almost as much as they do.




If you see this on their back, thank them for all they do and have done for 20 years.

Sheriff Joseph M. Underwood Jr. recalls service in Vietnam

Sheriff recalls service in Vietnam


By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 10:35 AM EDT
Dowagiac Daily News - MI, USA
Cass County Sheriff Joseph M. Underwood Jr.'s great-uncle died in the Civil War on the same date he was wounded in Vietnam, Nov. 9.


Carl Biek and Ann Biek helped conduct the veterans tribute put on after the parade at Riverside Cemetery by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1855 and its Auxiliary.

His grandfather fought in World War I, his dad in World War II.

Underwood, Dowagiac's keynote Memorial Day speaker, recalled Monday being drafted for Vietnam and "going from a young, carefree 19-year-old" to traveling by train to a destination he thought was Fort Knox, Ky., but turned out to be Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

"What an experience," the sheriff said from the podium erected in front of City Hall. "You had to grow up very, very fast. We became trained and, in a short period of time, I found myself getting off the plane in Saigon on Christmas Eve. I'll never forget that day or that night, hearing gunfire, seeing flashes of light, hearing screams. The next day, seeing the wounded and those who died. This is what we had trained for. Were we ready for the next step?"

Underwood was wounded on Nov. 9 after serving 11 months in Vietnam.
go here for more
Sheriff recalls service in Vietnam

Insights on why people 'snap' and kill

It always seems to end up with the same question. "Why am I so angry" when veterans are coming to terms with PTSD. Anger is the only emotion they allow themselves to feel until they begin to heal. Anger doesn't hurt. Anger isn't "sissy ass". Anger was good and kept them alive while people were trying to blow them up and shooting at them. Anger will keep them from feeling any kind of pain now and being attacked by the emotions they used to feel, or at least they think it will. They grind their teeth in their sleep while dreams take control. They pound their fist and drive with rage and they walk away believing they deserve better without knowing what that "better" is. They just know they don't like themselves very much or anyone else for that matter. Can we really blame them?

How would you feel knowing you did the right thing for the right reason and then end up paying for it by suffering with PTSD? Ok, honestly answering that will have caused your body temperature to rise up. Then top that one off with finally understanding you need help to heal but are told your VA claim has been denied or the DOD doesn't believe you and is ready to kick you out claiming whatever is "wrong" with you was already wrong with you before you put on your uniform.

This kind of anger, they usually keep in control and allow themselves only so much of it to come out. Then there is the kind of angry reaction they cannot control. This article makes a lot of good points but there is a part of it they have dangerously wrong. It claims that "Experts say people who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder are unlikely to act violently while experiencing a flashback. The range of emotions that a PTSD patient feels during a flashback -- fear, anxiety, dread, a sense of shock -- usually does not lead to a violent action" but with a flashback comes what they cannot control. They are not in that same room at that moment but right back in danger with their lives on the line. The fight or flight instinct takes over and it's not their wife trying to snap them back to reality, but the enemy. Much like nightmares take them back into combat and wives have tried to wake up their husbands only to be punched out, it is not their wife they thought they were lashing out at. It was the enemy in their dreams. They have no clue where they really are.

The reaction of a family member and others to a PTSD veteran goes into determining the outcome. Awareness of what PTSD is and what it does offers tools to the people in their lives. Once wives are aware of where her husband really is in his dreams, she will get up out of bed, out of range and wake her husband up. Escalated violence avoided. If she knows what a flashback is, she will not make sudden moves, or yell and startle him, but instead will use a code word they set up to snap him back into reality. Again, escalation of violence avoided.

It is frustrating to live with someone taking you on a roller coaster ride of emotions never knowing what will set them off especially if you have no clue where any of it is coming from. Hurt feelings pile onto anger and it all builds up until things get so out of control marriages end, hatred begins to replace love and marriages end badly. It all reinforces the thought that anger is the only safe feeling they can allow themselves to have because everything else just hurts too much. So on this part, they are wrong. PTSD flashbacks and nightmares can and too often do lead to violence, just as they lead to reckless driving, getting into fights on purpose and thinking that everyone is out to get you.

From the reports so far, it appears that Sgt. Russel went thru this when he was told by some he had PTSD but someone else tried to tell him he didn't. The reports that his father said regarding tests indicate that. After wanting to dedicate his life to the military, they were telling him he was no good and he must have believed they were out to get him. This we'll know more later as things come out but if it is behind what he did, we need to face it and fix it. We can't do that if the "experts" still fail to know what comes with PTSD and what causes it.

Insights on why people 'snap' and kill
Story Highlights
Schizophrenia, brain tumors, seizures, alcohol and drug abuse are risk factors

Other warning signs include feelings of hopelessness and shame

If warning signs are strong, the person should be taken to emergency room

Even 48 to 72 hours of treatment for psychosis reduces the risk of violence
By Elizabeth Landau
CNN

(CNN) -- A University of Georgia professor shot and killed his wife and two other adults in Athens, Georgia, in late April, according to police. A U.S. soldier fired on fellow troops in early May at a counseling center at a base outside Baghdad, Iraq, killing five comrades, according to authorities.

While the full stories behind these particular shootings remain unknown, psychiatrists do have some sense of why some people "snap" and become violent.

In fact, although a person's snap into violence may come as a total surprise, in most cases there is a psychological buildup to that point, said Dr. Peter Ash, director of the Psychiatry and Law Service at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

"There's a pathway to violence that starts with some thinking and then fantasizing about a plan," he said. "There may be a more explicit planning phase that other people don't particularly notice."

The fantasy of killing others may turn into intention, leading the person to track victims and obtain weapons, Ash said.

The psychological buildup to a violent outburst with the intent to kill usually takes a minimum of a few days, said Dr. Lyle Rossiter, a forensic psychiatrist in Saint Charles, Illinois. However, in highly unusual cases, a person with bipolar disorder could experience a buildup of only hours, he said.

A person who has already decided to kill someone else may develop an "eerie composure," firmly believing that the moment to turn back has passed, said Dr. Charles Raison, a psychiatrist and director of the Mind/Body Institute at Emory University.

and this they got wrong, very wrong.

If delusions can contribute to violent behavior, what about flashbacks? Experts say people who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder are unlikely to act violently while experiencing a flashback. The range of emotions that a PTSD patient feels during a flashback -- fear, anxiety, dread, a sense of shock -- usually does not lead to a violent action, Rossiter said. The association between mental illness and snapping is controversial, some say. Most people with mental illness are not violent, said Dr. Roland Segal, a forensic psychiatrist in Phoenix, Arizona.

go here for the rest

Insights on why people 'snap' and kill

Iraq fight results in 1 DSC, 2 Silver Stars

Iraq fight results in 1 DSC, 2 Silver Stars

By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 26, 2009 5:49:44 EDT

The battle inside the farming complex on the outskirts of Samarra, Iraq, lasted less than 10 minutes.

But in that time, a high-value target responsible for weapons smuggling, kidnapping and murder was dead, as were 12 of his fighters. Six others were detained.

In the fierce fight to subdue them, three Special Forces soldiers suffered gunshot and shrapnel wounds. Their actions earned one of them the Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest award for combat valor, and two of them the Silver Star, the third-highest award for valor.

On May 14, the awards were presented to the three soldiers: Sgt. 1st Class Jarion Halbisengibbs, 27, receiving the DSC, and Capt. Matthew Chaney, 31, and Sgt. 1st Class Michael Lindsay, 30, each receiving the Silver Star. Adm. Eric Olson, commander of Special Operations Command, presented the DSC, and Lt. Gen. John Mulholland, commander of Army Special Operations Command, presented the Silver Stars during a ceremony at Fort Carson, Colo.

All three soldiers belong to 10th Special Forces Group.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/army_dsc_award_052309w/

What Steven Green’s Case Says About the Health of America’s Military

I've posted about Steven Green and this trial on my other blog at Screaming In An Empty Room and to tell you the truth, the comments left there show how little people think about what is an alarming thought. The troops, however noble and rare most of them are, there are some with clearly other reasons for going into the military. There were waivers given with two active military campaigns going on allowing people that would never be allowed to served otherwise in, people with criminal records, gangs and even medically unfit. Green's actions were appalling, reprehensible, but if we fail to take a look behind the obvious, we will learn nothing.

This is a great article on some thoughts behind the trial of Steven Green.

What Steven Green’s Case Says About the Health of America’s Military
Matthew Newton
Mental Notes
This past Friday, former U.S. Army soldier Steven Green was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of four Iraqi civilians in March of 2006. Green’s case, and countless others, have become an example of the military’s growing failure to properly screen recruits prior to enlistment (e.g. Green was one of over 5,000 soldiers granted conduct waivers in 2005). And the fact that news of Green’s sentencing came just as the nation started the Memorial Day weekend acts as a sobering example of not only the horrors of war, but the psychic cost to both civilians and veterans.

go here for more
What Steven Green Case Says About the Health of America’s Military

Death of Pfc. James Coon was too much for step-mom

Two years after the death of her step-son, Marie Coon committed suicide unable to overcome the grief of his death. When we think about the fallen, especially as we did this past weekend for Memorial Day ceremonies around the nation, we need to also acknowledge the families of the fallen. We remember the sacrifices once a year, but they remember them everyday and every year.

Stepmother's grief over Iraq death leads to suicide
By Theresa Harrington
Contra Costa Times
Posted: 05/25/2009 01:45:51 PM PDT

WALNUT CREEK — Marie Coon is an Iraq war casualty. But not in the traditional sense.

Her stepson's fatal injuries from a sniper attack in Iraq in 2007 ended up causing two deaths — his and hers.

"She was having a hard time dealing with Jimmy's death," her husband, Jim Coon said Friday. "She just kept saying how she missed Jimmy."

On Mother's Day — after struggling for more than two years to cope with the loss of the young man she loved as her son — Marie committed suicide by locking herself in the cab of a pickup truck at Lake Arrowhead with portable lighted barbecues and a pail of burning coals. She left a note, saying she wanted to be with Jimmy. She was 48.


"I'm just walking around pretty much in a daze," said Jim, 51, who moved with his wife about a year ago from Walnut Creek to Paradise in Northern California. "I'm hoping that she's in heaven. I'm hoping she's with Jimmy. If she's not, I hope she's having a great life wherever she is. I never wanted to see her get hurt."

Jim said he planned to attend Walnut Creek's Memorial Day service Monday with his daughter and brother, to honor his son Army Pfc. James Coon and Cpl. Sean Langevin. Both were Walnut Creek soldiers who died in Middle East conflicts.
go here for more
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_12446527

Pfc. James J. Coon 22 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Walnut Creek, California Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle in Balad, Iraq, on April 4, 2007

Troops in Iraq, Afghanistan honor their fallen at Camp Victory

Troops in Iraq, Afghanistan honor their fallen

By Chelsea J. Carter and Heidi Vogt - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday May 26, 2009 8:51:00 EDT

BAGHDAD — American troops on Memorial Day honored their fallen on two battlefields, one war winding down and another ramping up. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. military remembered the toll so far on the troops — more than 4,900 dead — with the outcome still unclear.

In Iraq, soldiers and Marines stood solemnly during a playing of Taps at Baghdad’s Camp Victory. They saluted a memorial of a single helmet propped on a rifle beside a pair of boots.

Thousands of miles away, in the Afghan capital of Kabul, soldiers left mementos at a similar memorial for two comrades who recently died.

“Memorial Day for us is intensely personal,” Gen. David McKiernan, the outgoing U.S. commander in Afghanistan, told a crowd at Camp Eggers. The training command based there has lost 70 soldiers since last Memorial Day.

“It is the empty seat in the mess hall, the battle buddy who is no longer here, or the friend who did not return from patrol. And it is the commitment to carry on with the mission in their honor,” McKiernan said.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/ap_iraq_afghanistan_memorial_day_052609/

Soldier’s death at Knox leads to changes

Soldier’s death at Knox leads to changes

The Associated Press
Posted : Monday May 25, 2009 14:21:58 EDT

FORT KNOX, Ky. — Indiana National Guard Sgt. Gerald “G.J.” Cassidy, who served his country in Bosnia and Iraq, died alone and ignored in a barracks at Fort Knox from an accidental drug overdose.

His fate left a legacy that has changed the lives of thousands of wounded soldiers, Army officials say. The Louisville Courier-Journal reported Sunday that his death in September 2007 led to improvements at Fort Knox and all 45 Warrior Transition Units nationwide devoted to healing war wounds and getting soldiers back to military jobs or productive civilian lives.

“Any time you lose a soldier, you have to go back and examine what you’ve done wrong. It’s very apparent that mistakes were made with Sgt. Cassidy,” said Lt. Col. Gary Travis, battalion commander of the Fort Knox unit. “Cassidy’s incident occurred during a time of transition.”

Cassidy began experiencing migraine headaches after a roadside bomb exploded about 11 feet from his Humvee in Iraq in August 2006. With diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injury, Cassidy returned to the U.S. in April 2007 and was sent to Fort Knox, which launched its Warrior Transition Unit that June.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/05/ap_SoldierMedical_052509w/

Veterans' Memories Can Haunt, But Also Heal, on Memorial Day

Veterans' Memories Can Haunt, But Also Heal, on Memorial Day
By Josh Farley (Contact)
Monday, May 25, 2009


POULSBO

So quickly the wounded came aboard USS Sanctuary that MaryAnne Harris recalls the "mud on their cammies was still wet."

Harris, a retired nurse and commander who served in the Vietnam War aboard the Sanctuary, a hospital ship, had once been unable to reminisce on the horrors she witnessed while on duty. Harris felt she would cry, "and never stop," she said.

But on Monday, Harris addressed a gathered crowd of veterans and non-vets alike at the Poulsbo waterfront gazebo at a Memorial Day ceremony, not only revisiting her Vietnam experiences, but encouraging others to let their own memories surface.

The event was hosted by Poulsbo American Legion Post 245 and Kingston VFW Post 2463.

She told the crowd of her post-traumatic stress disorder, which for years kept her from recognizing a holiday like Memorial Day.

But she would learn to face her fears, and — just as she helped heal the physical wounds during the war — Harris has learned to counsel veterans to face their own emotional wounds following combat.

One in three veterans suffer from PTSD, she told a crowd at the Poulsbo event. Some don't report it, and some even take their own lives, succumbing to it.

In 1991, Harris collected the courage to visit Washington D.C., and see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. At first she couldn't go to the site, because, "it represented my failures," she felt.

She finally went and began looking at the names on the wall. When she came upon a 19-year-old's name she recognized, Harris said she began to look back on her painful past.
go here for more
Veterans Memories Can Haunt, But Also Heal, on Memorial Day