Veteran Gives Insight on Suicide Prevention
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2010 – When retired Army Maj. Ed Pulido was medically evacuated from Iraq in August 2004, he knew tough challenges were ahead, as he’d have to learn to live without his left leg.
But as he sat in his hospital bed at Brooke Army Medical Center on Fort Sam Houston, Texas, he began to realize that recovering from his physical disability was only a small part of that challenge.
“When my leg was taken away … I sat in the hospital bed not knowing what was happening to me mentally,” said Pulido, who medically retired after a 19-year Army career. “I remember those three weeks at Brooke where I thought about the fact that as positive as I am, I hit that dark place, and those hidden wounds were the ones that would cripple me at times when I just didn’t understand.”
Post-traumatic stress had taken form, and depression and anxiety began to take their toll. Suddenly, suicidal thoughts began to surface, the Oklahoma native said.
Pulido shared the story of his struggles yesterday with an audience of more than 1,000 military and other government agency health-care workers and officials gathered here for the 2nd Annual Suicide Prevention Conference sponsored by the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments.
The weeklong conference began yesterday and goes through Jan. 14 to give department health-care professionals insight to each organization’s programs and best practices in suicide prevention. Nearly 100 veterans who’ve experienced suicidal thoughts, such as Pulido, are expected to share their stories of survival.
read more here
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=57470
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Plant City FL mourning a proud soldier
Mourning a proud soldier
By DAVE NICHOLSON
dnicholson@tampatrib.com
Published: January 13, 2010
PLANT CITY - The nation's war on terror once again has hit home.
Army Spc. David A. Croft Jr. became the eighth local serviceman to die in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2004. A ninth Plant City area soldier was listed as a noncombat death in Kuwait.
Croft was killed Jan. 5, three days before his 23rd birthday. His death came a little more than two months after Army Spc. Eric N. Lembke of Plant City was killed in Afghanistan.
Croft, a Durant High School graduate on his second tour in Iraq, was scheduled to leave the war zone on Monday, Jan. 18.
He is survived by his mother, Vickie, three sisters and a brother.
His fiancee, Susie Clark of Brandon, said he was a brave, proud solider who liked serving his country. She said he seemed to blossom after joining the Army in 2005.
read more here
http://plantcity2.tbo.com/content/2010/jan/13/pc-mourning-a-proud-soldier/
By DAVE NICHOLSON
dnicholson@tampatrib.com
Published: January 13, 2010
PLANT CITY - The nation's war on terror once again has hit home.
Army Spc. David A. Croft Jr. became the eighth local serviceman to die in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2004. A ninth Plant City area soldier was listed as a noncombat death in Kuwait.
Croft was killed Jan. 5, three days before his 23rd birthday. His death came a little more than two months after Army Spc. Eric N. Lembke of Plant City was killed in Afghanistan.
Croft, a Durant High School graduate on his second tour in Iraq, was scheduled to leave the war zone on Monday, Jan. 18.
He is survived by his mother, Vickie, three sisters and a brother.
His fiancee, Susie Clark of Brandon, said he was a brave, proud solider who liked serving his country. She said he seemed to blossom after joining the Army in 2005.
read more here
http://plantcity2.tbo.com/content/2010/jan/13/pc-mourning-a-proud-soldier/
American military-aged population that is being asked to do virtually nothing in these two conflicts
They used to draft soldiers. This meant everyone had to do their part. We saw this especially with WWII when wives were showing up to work in factories as their husbands were deployed. We saw this during Vietnam, but the result of this draft was protests, burning draft cards and general ambivalence when they came home.
The worst thing about all of this is not just that the burden is carried by a tiny percentage of the US population, it's that so few seem to care at all.
Icasualties.org
US forces killed in Iraq 4,373
US forces killed in Afghanistan 958
The worst thing about all of this is not just that the burden is carried by a tiny percentage of the US population, it's that so few seem to care at all.
Icasualties.org
US forces killed in Iraq 4,373
US forces killed in Afghanistan 958
"It's quite unusual, the inequality," says Christopher Hamner, a military historian at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. "You've got the vast majority of the American military-aged population that is being asked to do virtually nothing in these two conflicts. And then a very small percentage is being asked to shoulder enormous burdens."
Repeated deployments weigh heavily on U.S. troops
By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY
WARDAK PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Army Staff Sgt. Bobby Martin Jr. has been fighting insurgents in Iraq or Afghanistan longer than the entire three years the Korean War lasted.
At age 34 and finishing a fourth combat tour, he has seen five of his men killed since 2003. Four died this year, including two on Martin's birthday in May. Thirty-eight cumulative months in combat have left him with bad knees, aching shins and recurring headaches from a roadside blast, ailments he hides from his soldiers.
Out of earshot of his troops, Martin concedes, "This is a lot of wear and tear."
American soldiers of the 21st century are quietly making history, serving in combat longer than almost any U.S. soldiers in the nation's past, military historians say.
For many, the fighting seems without end, a fatalism increasingly shared by most Americans. A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll conducted late last week found that 67% believe the U.S. will constantly have combat troops fighting somewhere in the world for at least the next 20 years.
read more here
Shortage of Majors behind Hasan's promotion?
Who can forget the images of that day as news reports came out that there was mass murder at Fort Hood? Can we forget the images of the days following it? Can we forget the shock felt when it was discovered a Major, a psychiatrists sworn to help soldiers, was the one found to be pulling the trigger?
As we were left speechless, reports came out about how Major Hasan was not a good student and was under performing leaving his superiors actions called into question. How could they let this man do what he did before the shootings? We may finally have the answer. There were just not enough Majors to go around.
Hasan was promoted from captain to major in May, military records show. Because of a shortage of majors in the medical corps, the promotion board was given the authority to promote captains who otherwise would not have been considered for a promotion, according to a U.S. military official who asked not to be identified in connection with discussing personnel matters possibly related to the Hasan investigation.
We make a lot of assumptions when it comes to the military. We assume the leadership roles are filled by the best and the brightest considering they have the lives of the lower ranks in their hands. Bad training leads to bad decisions and those bad decisions can produce a lot of dead soldiers. In the case of Hasan it looks like they just needed an increase in the numbers enough so that someone like Hasan was promoted up the food chain no matter what he was doing, what he was saying or how he felt about the soldiers he was supposed to be serving with.
All of this was not bad enough. In a time when suicides and PTSD rates increased, they wanted someone like Hasan acting as a psychiatrist? The report claims Hasan did not see many patients. What about the patients he did see? What was he telling them? Did he give them medications so they could heal or did he give them medications to make their condition worse? What does this say about the fact the troops find it very hard to trust anyone at all when they are dealing with PTSD and want to stay in the military but end up being sent to someone like Hasan? How many others are like Hasan out there unqualified, under-performing and possibly doing more damage than healing? If they did this with Hasan, we need to be asking how many others they promoted to fill the need no matter if they were worthy of it or not.
This was not bad enough. Hasan was also spouting off about his radical religious views at the same time the troops were risking their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan acting as if the people trying to kill the troops were doing the right thing.
Hassan was also disciplined for inappropriate conversations with patients about religion.
What Hasan did was worse than any action from any enemy because this enemy came from within.
Military review: Troubling signals from Fort Hood suspect missed
By Mike Mount, CNN
January 13, 2010 1:29 a.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Defense Department review to be released Thursday; official gives details to CNN
Review: Maj. Nidal Hasan promoted despite his extremist views on Islam, odd behavior
Hasan also had long record of lackluster performance on the job
Review will suggest military focus on looking internally for potential threats
Washington (CNN) -- An upcoming military review of the Fort Hood, Texas, shootings finds that the alleged shooter, Maj. Nidal Hasan, was promoted despite supervisors' concerns about his extremist views on Islam and odd behavior.
The review also says that a lack of communication between the U.S. military and a terrorism task force did not allow the sharing of information to determine whether he was a terrorist threat months before the shooting.
CNN was told details of the Pentagon review by a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the report. The official did not want to be identified because the report, requested by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, will not be officially released until Thursday.
read more here
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Virginia Wounded Warrior Program reaches out to veterans who need help
State program reaches out to veterans who need help
By Michael Martz
Published: January 7, 2010
Since terrorists struck the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, more than 230,000 troops have been deployed to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq from Virginia military bases.
Now, a state program is trying to help those coming back to find help for problems they might not even want to discuss.
The Virginia Wounded Warrior Program is using a tiny budget to reach a big problem -- veterans with behavioral-health problems, ranging from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder to traumatic brain injuries.
More than 813,000 military veterans live in Virginia, including more than 38,000 veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. And that doesn't include the families of service members who have been deployed.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as we're concerned," said Mary Ann Bergeron, executive director of the Virginia Association of Community Services Boards. "When they come back, families expect the same person. Well, they're not getting the same person."
read more here
State program reaches out to veterans who need help
By Michael Martz
Published: January 7, 2010
Since terrorists struck the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, more than 230,000 troops have been deployed to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq from Virginia military bases.
Now, a state program is trying to help those coming back to find help for problems they might not even want to discuss.
The Virginia Wounded Warrior Program is using a tiny budget to reach a big problem -- veterans with behavioral-health problems, ranging from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder to traumatic brain injuries.
More than 813,000 military veterans live in Virginia, including more than 38,000 veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. And that doesn't include the families of service members who have been deployed.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as we're concerned," said Mary Ann Bergeron, executive director of the Virginia Association of Community Services Boards. "When they come back, families expect the same person. Well, they're not getting the same person."
read more here
State program reaches out to veterans who need help
Helping veterans help themselves
Helping veterans help themselves
By JOYCE McKENZIE
jmckenzie@tampatrib.com
Published: January 6, 2010
TEMPLE TERRACE - Connie Blaney is a staunch believer in liberty and justice for all.
In her former role as an administrator for the Hillsborough County Public Defender's Office, however, she witnessed the inequities of a government founded on those very principles.
She said she was saddened by how our society fails to provide for honorably discharged veterans, many of whom suffer the effects of post-traumatic stress syndrome, who find themselves penniless and living on the streets.
For that reason, Blaney has devoted the last four years of her time and money to providing shelter and helping to secure social and financial resources that enable homeless vets the opportunity to regain the self-esteem she believes they deserve.
In 2006 she founded Liberty Manor, a nonprofit organization that offers affordable, transitional housing for male veterans and is designed to help them support themselves.
Blaney and her husband, Bill, with the help of contributions from the community, have purchased and renovated four homes - Liberty I in Tampa, Liberty II on the border of Temple Terrace, Liberty III in Carrollwood and Liberty IV in Largo.
All facilities are filled to capacity, which means that at any given time 48 fewer veterans are on the streets. Some of the men serve as housing directors, and others strive to live on their own. Blaney estimates the organization has assisted close to 300.
"I've been very blessed," said Army veteran Bill Brown, 47, who was referred to Liberty II a couple of months ago. "I really felt comfortable from the first day I came here. It gave me more insight on other veterans, and I now know I'm not the only one who has problems. And Connie goes nonstop in her efforts to help us."
read more here
Helping veterans help themselves
By JOYCE McKENZIE
jmckenzie@tampatrib.com
Published: January 6, 2010
TEMPLE TERRACE - Connie Blaney is a staunch believer in liberty and justice for all.
In her former role as an administrator for the Hillsborough County Public Defender's Office, however, she witnessed the inequities of a government founded on those very principles.
She said she was saddened by how our society fails to provide for honorably discharged veterans, many of whom suffer the effects of post-traumatic stress syndrome, who find themselves penniless and living on the streets.
For that reason, Blaney has devoted the last four years of her time and money to providing shelter and helping to secure social and financial resources that enable homeless vets the opportunity to regain the self-esteem she believes they deserve.
In 2006 she founded Liberty Manor, a nonprofit organization that offers affordable, transitional housing for male veterans and is designed to help them support themselves.
Blaney and her husband, Bill, with the help of contributions from the community, have purchased and renovated four homes - Liberty I in Tampa, Liberty II on the border of Temple Terrace, Liberty III in Carrollwood and Liberty IV in Largo.
All facilities are filled to capacity, which means that at any given time 48 fewer veterans are on the streets. Some of the men serve as housing directors, and others strive to live on their own. Blaney estimates the organization has assisted close to 300.
"I've been very blessed," said Army veteran Bill Brown, 47, who was referred to Liberty II a couple of months ago. "I really felt comfortable from the first day I came here. It gave me more insight on other veterans, and I now know I'm not the only one who has problems. And Connie goes nonstop in her efforts to help us."
read more here
Helping veterans help themselves
Does Central Florida have a serial killer?
Are 19 slayings along I-4 the work of serial killers?
By Walter Pacheco, Orlando Sentinel
9:58 p.m. EST, January 11, 2010
The first body was found the night after Christmas in 2005.
LaQuetta Mae Gunther lay in a fetal position, partially naked, on the floor of a dark Daytona Beach alley — a bullet hole in the back of her head.
Since then, three more women with known criminal histories have been found slain execution-style in this Central Florida beachside city best known for its love of motorcycles, auto racing and sunbathing.
When the fourth victim was discovered, Daytona Beach police knew they were looking for a serial killer.
According to the FBI, the four killings are among 28 in Florida that are unsolved and connected to serial killings that the bureau suspects were committed by long-haul truckers.
read more here
Are 19 slayings along I-4 the work of serial killers
By Walter Pacheco, Orlando Sentinel
9:58 p.m. EST, January 11, 2010
The first body was found the night after Christmas in 2005.
LaQuetta Mae Gunther lay in a fetal position, partially naked, on the floor of a dark Daytona Beach alley — a bullet hole in the back of her head.
Since then, three more women with known criminal histories have been found slain execution-style in this Central Florida beachside city best known for its love of motorcycles, auto racing and sunbathing.
When the fourth victim was discovered, Daytona Beach police knew they were looking for a serial killer.
According to the FBI, the four killings are among 28 in Florida that are unsolved and connected to serial killings that the bureau suspects were committed by long-haul truckers.
read more here
Are 19 slayings along I-4 the work of serial killers
Homeless Vets get motel assistance from cold
Homeless Vets get motel assistance from cold
Updated: Sunday, 10 Jan 2010, 11:39 PM EST
Published : Sunday, 10 Jan 2010, 11:39 PM EST
By Derrol Nail
TITUSVILLE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - A local homeless organization is extending the stay for 22 veterans at a local hotel to keep them safe from the freezing temperatures outside. The National Veterans Homeless Support organization is paying about $20 a night for each of the twelve rooms occupied by homeless veterans at the Super 8 in Titusville.
The N.H.V.S. president and founder, George Taylor found the men in the woods, on the street, and at homeless encampments across Brevard County. To go out and find them out in the woods and bring them in, was a task.
read more here
Homeless Vets get motel assistance from cold
Updated: Sunday, 10 Jan 2010, 11:39 PM EST
Published : Sunday, 10 Jan 2010, 11:39 PM EST
By Derrol Nail
TITUSVILLE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - A local homeless organization is extending the stay for 22 veterans at a local hotel to keep them safe from the freezing temperatures outside. The National Veterans Homeless Support organization is paying about $20 a night for each of the twelve rooms occupied by homeless veterans at the Super 8 in Titusville.
The N.H.V.S. president and founder, George Taylor found the men in the woods, on the street, and at homeless encampments across Brevard County. To go out and find them out in the woods and bring them in, was a task.
read more here
Homeless Vets get motel assistance from cold
‘Real Warrior’ Describes Post-traumatic Stress
‘Real Warrior’ Describes Post-traumatic Stress
By Elaine Wilson
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2010 – When Staff Sgt. Megan Krause returned home from a deployment in Iraq in 2006, she thought the scariest moments of her life were over.
At her homecoming, “I ran to my mother in that hangar; we both cried tears of joy,” said Krause, now an Army Reserve medic attached to a combat engineering unit in Pennsylvania. “I told her it was over and I was fine.
“Boy, was I wrong.”
Krause later found herself waging a terrifying war with post-traumatic stress disorder. She described the battle and her road to recovery here today during the Real Warriors Campaign session at the 2010 Suicide Prevention Conference sponsored by the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
Krause said she hit rock bottom while a student at Penn State University about two years after her deployment.
“It was when I found myself face down in the mud pit, in the middle of a pigpen in State College, Pa., running from the insurgents that I thought were chasing me, that I realized I had not yet survived,” Krause said. “I might not have been having suicidal ideations, but I was well on my way to killing myself.”
read more here
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=57454
By Elaine Wilson
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2010 – When Staff Sgt. Megan Krause returned home from a deployment in Iraq in 2006, she thought the scariest moments of her life were over.
At her homecoming, “I ran to my mother in that hangar; we both cried tears of joy,” said Krause, now an Army Reserve medic attached to a combat engineering unit in Pennsylvania. “I told her it was over and I was fine.
“Boy, was I wrong.”
Krause later found herself waging a terrifying war with post-traumatic stress disorder. She described the battle and her road to recovery here today during the Real Warriors Campaign session at the 2010 Suicide Prevention Conference sponsored by the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
Krause said she hit rock bottom while a student at Penn State University about two years after her deployment.
“It was when I found myself face down in the mud pit, in the middle of a pigpen in State College, Pa., running from the insurgents that I thought were chasing me, that I realized I had not yet survived,” Krause said. “I might not have been having suicidal ideations, but I was well on my way to killing myself.”
read more here
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=57454
3 killed in shooting at Georgia workplace
3 killed in shooting at Georgia workplace
January 12, 2010 4:34 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Camouflage-clad suspect arrested after fleeing in a pickup truck, police say
Death toll is 3 in shooting at business in Kennesaw, Georgia, authorities say
Five people were shot in attack, Cobb County Fire Lt. Dan Dupree says
Kennesaw is about 25 miles north of Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- Three people were killed and two others wounded Tuesday in a shooting at a Penske truck rental business in suburban Atlanta, authorities said.
The shooting occurred at 1:57 p.m. ET at the business in Kennesaw, Georgia, said Cobb County Fire Lt. Dan Dupree. A suspect is in custody, Dupree said, and there were a total of five victims.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/01/12/georgia.workplace.shooting/index.html
January 12, 2010 4:34 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Camouflage-clad suspect arrested after fleeing in a pickup truck, police say
Death toll is 3 in shooting at business in Kennesaw, Georgia, authorities say
Five people were shot in attack, Cobb County Fire Lt. Dan Dupree says
Kennesaw is about 25 miles north of Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- Three people were killed and two others wounded Tuesday in a shooting at a Penske truck rental business in suburban Atlanta, authorities said.
The shooting occurred at 1:57 p.m. ET at the business in Kennesaw, Georgia, said Cobb County Fire Lt. Dan Dupree. A suspect is in custody, Dupree said, and there were a total of five victims.
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/01/12/georgia.workplace.shooting/index.html
Help sought in abandoned baby case at Polk
Help sought in abandoned baby case at Polk
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jan 11, 2010 12:55:00 EST
FORT POLK, La. — Fort Polk police are asking for help in finding the person or persons who abandoned a newborn at a fire station on Dec. 6.
The infant, now in foster care, is a male who is either black, Hispanic, or biracial. The military says the baby's estimated age at the time of abandonment was between two and 14 days.
The infant had been wrapped in a polyester quilt blanket. The blanket featured a design of brown teddy bears and yellow stars over a blue-and-white checkered pattern.
Officials believe the infant was delivered in a place other than a hospital and are concerned about the mother's welfare.
Anyone with information on the case can call the Military Police investigations office at (337) 353-8226.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/01/ap_abandoned_baby_011110/
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jan 11, 2010 12:55:00 EST
FORT POLK, La. — Fort Polk police are asking for help in finding the person or persons who abandoned a newborn at a fire station on Dec. 6.
The infant, now in foster care, is a male who is either black, Hispanic, or biracial. The military says the baby's estimated age at the time of abandonment was between two and 14 days.
The infant had been wrapped in a polyester quilt blanket. The blanket featured a design of brown teddy bears and yellow stars over a blue-and-white checkered pattern.
Officials believe the infant was delivered in a place other than a hospital and are concerned about the mother's welfare.
Anyone with information on the case can call the Military Police investigations office at (337) 353-8226.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/01/ap_abandoned_baby_011110/
Increase in suicide rate of veterans noted
They say they saved 6,000 but the successful suicides went up anyway? So who is asking what is being done that there was an increase in successful suicides as well as attempted ones they managed to "save" with suicide prevention?
It's not just that the suicide numbers have gone up that needs to be considered. It is also the unsuccessful ones that need to be addressed before they try again. How many times have you read about a veteran committing suicide only to find out from the family this was not their first try? What makes them try it in the first place? Until we know this, the numbers will keep going up. Given the fact most of them don't ever see a therapist to go with their bottles of medications, this is a part of it. What kind of follow ups do they receive after they seek help from suicide prevention? Are they sent to just stand in the ever increasing long line of others waiting to live? With the backlog of claims there is the issue of no income. Do they think this adds to a veteran wanting to die because they were wounded in combat and now can't support themselves of their families because of it? Do they think it adds to what they are dealing with when they end up regretting surviving?
It's not just that the suicide numbers have gone up that needs to be considered. It is also the unsuccessful ones that need to be addressed before they try again. How many times have you read about a veteran committing suicide only to find out from the family this was not their first try? What makes them try it in the first place? Until we know this, the numbers will keep going up. Given the fact most of them don't ever see a therapist to go with their bottles of medications, this is a part of it. What kind of follow ups do they receive after they seek help from suicide prevention? Are they sent to just stand in the ever increasing long line of others waiting to live? With the backlog of claims there is the issue of no income. Do they think this adds to a veteran wanting to die because they were wounded in combat and now can't support themselves of their families because of it? Do they think it adds to what they are dealing with when they end up regretting surviving?
Increase in suicide rate of veterans noted
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jan 12, 2010 6:35:01 EST
WASHINGTON — The suicide rate among 18- to 29-year-old men who've left the military has gone up significantly, the government said Monday.
The rate for these veterans went up 26 percent from 2005 to 2007, according to preliminary data from the Veterans Affairs Department. VA officials said they assume that most of the veterans in this age group served in Iraq or Afghanistan.
If there is a bright spot in the data, it's that in 2007 veterans in the group who used VA health care were less likely to commit suicide than those who did not. That's a change from 2005.
In recent years, the VA has hired thousands of new mental health professionals and established a suicide hot line credited with "rescues" of nearly 6,000 veterans and military members in distress.
The military has also struggled with an increase in suicides, with the Army seeing a record number last year. While the military frequently releases such data, it has been more difficult to track suicide information on veterans once they've left active duty.
The VA calculated the numbers using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers from 16 states. In 2005, the rate per 100,000 veterans among men ages 18-29 was 44.99, compared with 56.77 in 2007, the VA said. It did not release data for other population groups.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/01/ap_vet_suicide_011110/
Maj. Hasan's superiors ignored what was going on
DoD review: Hasan superiors ignored concerns
By Richard Lardner - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jan 11, 2010 18:19:55 EST
WASHINGTON — In late December 2004, one of the officers overseeing Army Maj. Nidal Hasan’s medical training praised him in an official evaluation as a qualified and caring doctor who would be an asset in any post.
But less than a week later, a committee at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center that oversees student performance met behind closed doors to discuss serious concerns about Hasan’s questionable behavior, poor judgment and lack of drive.
Disconnects such this were a familiar pattern throughout Hasan’s lengthy medical education in the Washington area, according to information gathered during an internal Pentagon review of the shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, and obtained by The Associated Press.
The review has not been publicly released, but the emerging picture is one of supervisors who failed to heed their own warnings about an officer ill-suited to be an Army psychiatrist, according to the information.
As Hasan’s training progressed, his strident views on Islam became more pronounced as did worries about his competence as a medical professional. Yet his superiors continued to give him positive performance evaluations that kept him moving through the ranks and led to his eventual assignment at Fort Hood.
read more here
DoD review: Hasan superiors ignored concerns
By Richard Lardner - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jan 11, 2010 18:19:55 EST
WASHINGTON — In late December 2004, one of the officers overseeing Army Maj. Nidal Hasan’s medical training praised him in an official evaluation as a qualified and caring doctor who would be an asset in any post.
But less than a week later, a committee at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center that oversees student performance met behind closed doors to discuss serious concerns about Hasan’s questionable behavior, poor judgment and lack of drive.
Disconnects such this were a familiar pattern throughout Hasan’s lengthy medical education in the Washington area, according to information gathered during an internal Pentagon review of the shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, and obtained by The Associated Press.
The review has not been publicly released, but the emerging picture is one of supervisors who failed to heed their own warnings about an officer ill-suited to be an Army psychiatrist, according to the information.
As Hasan’s training progressed, his strident views on Islam became more pronounced as did worries about his competence as a medical professional. Yet his superiors continued to give him positive performance evaluations that kept him moving through the ranks and led to his eventual assignment at Fort Hood.
read more here
DoD review: Hasan superiors ignored concerns
Military misconduct may be sign of PTSD
He's a drunk. He's a druggy. He's a bully. He's cold. All of these labels are placed on them everyday, usually by the people in their lives who should know them the best, their families.
When "they suddenly change" there is a reason for it so no family should ever be off the hook just because they didn't understand PTSD. They knew them all their lives, knew their character and their moods, just as they knew the what they were capable of. They closed their eyes to what came home with them, not wanting to know what happened "over there" no matter where the "there" turned out to be. It didn't matter if it was Vietnam, Bosnia, Somalia, Iraq or Afghanistan or Kuwait or another other nation. The biggest problem is, no one pointed out to the families there are always reasons people change.
How do you go from being a hero in the eyes of your family into being a waste of life or a problem bigger than the family wants to deal with? How do you go from being a buddy watching someone's back, fully trusted with their lives into being a reject from the military you served proudly for 5, 10, 20 years? Drastic changes in anyone do not happen without a reason but this is what happens everyday.
Commanders will still close their eyes to the records of service if all of a sudden they are a discipline problem. Families still kick veterans out of the house if suddenly they become someone else, like a stranger living with them. Unless everyone opens their eyes, seeing the history of these men and women, their futures will be damaged because no one saw what was behind it today.
When "they suddenly change" there is a reason for it so no family should ever be off the hook just because they didn't understand PTSD. They knew them all their lives, knew their character and their moods, just as they knew the what they were capable of. They closed their eyes to what came home with them, not wanting to know what happened "over there" no matter where the "there" turned out to be. It didn't matter if it was Vietnam, Bosnia, Somalia, Iraq or Afghanistan or Kuwait or another other nation. The biggest problem is, no one pointed out to the families there are always reasons people change.
How do you go from being a hero in the eyes of your family into being a waste of life or a problem bigger than the family wants to deal with? How do you go from being a buddy watching someone's back, fully trusted with their lives into being a reject from the military you served proudly for 5, 10, 20 years? Drastic changes in anyone do not happen without a reason but this is what happens everyday.
Commanders will still close their eyes to the records of service if all of a sudden they are a discipline problem. Families still kick veterans out of the house if suddenly they become someone else, like a stranger living with them. Unless everyone opens their eyes, seeing the history of these men and women, their futures will be damaged because no one saw what was behind it today.
Military misconduct may be sign of PTSD
Navy doctor gives warning
By Amanda Carpenter
In 2007, a high-ranking Navy doctor sent a sobering warning to colleagues: The service may be discharging soldiers for misconduct when in fact they are merely displaying symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
By doing so, the anonymous doctor noted in a memo to other medical administrators, the service may be denying those troops their rights to Veterans Affairs benefits — including treatment for medical conditions they incurred while serving on the battlefield.
In the future, any military personnel facing dismissal for misconduct after a deployment should be screened first for PTSD, the memo said. The recommendation was never implemented.
High-ranking Navy doctors who oversee medical care for the Marines say such screenings would help avoid sending troops back into society without the ability to get treatment for combat-induced illness from the very government that dispatched them to the battlefield.
read more here
Military misconduct may be sign of PTSD
If a "dummy" like me knew why didn't the experts?
If a "dummy" like me knew why didn't the experts?
by
Chaplain Kathie
There are many things I just don't understand. No one would ever ask me how to fix a car but I drive one. No one would ask me to do a tax return even though I did accounting for over 20 years I never really understood the tax rules. No one would ask me to do a lot of things most people do on a normal basis but PTSD is what I do know about and it's all normal to me. It's been my life for over 27 years now. I live with it, study it, track it and do my best to share the wealth of knowledge gained along with how to avoid making the same mistakes I made. It is because of this I knew PTSD would get worse, harder to treat because no one was ready for what was coming, had very little understanding of the cause of PTSD even though they were trying to "cure it" and worse, trying to prevent it. So why didn't the experts know?
This is the part that always gets me angry. I am an average person living a very un-average life. Even with the news reports lately on PTSD, most people have not heard a word about what it is. Yesterday I was doing a presentation to a group of women for a college alumni. When I do these for non-veterans, I try to make the presentation fit into their own lives. I explain about traumatic events and how those events never really leave them so they can remember the depth of pain they felt and then begin to understand PTSD when it comes to our military men and women along with the veterans.
Once they understand how memories take hold, they can understand the reality of flashbacks when the response is fully physically involved as the mind travels back in time to the event itself. When the group begin to think of events in their own lives, they end up opening up with their own pain coming closer to understanding the depth of PTSD turmoil. Arriving at this place of awareness, they were shocked to hear about the numbers of suicides and attempted suicides. Common sense told them that since we've been trying to address PTSD since 1978, we should be a lot better at addressing it and the numbers should have gone down instead of up. If the experts really knew what they needed to know, there would be very few active military suicides and even less veteran suicides. All the signs are pointing to a massive failure with no accountability.
From Veterans For Common Sense
This was what they knew a year ago and we have to ask what they have learned since then when the numbers kept going up.
We knew about the risk of redeploying them in 2006!
Then we have the issue of what happened at Fort Hood and the fact a Major did the shooting. Did Major Hasan have anything to do with these deaths? More? What did he tell the soldiers seeking help to heal? Did he give wrong medication? What did he tell the soldiers he treated?
Substance abuse? We knew about this a long time ago too!
Better than nothing does more harm than good but did they learn anything?
BATTLEMIND: A Guide to PTSD for Military Members and their Spouses
by: Combat Infantry Bunny
Sat Dec 29, 2007 at 13:48:29 PM EST
.........From my understanding from those deployed, they are already requiring soldiers about to redeploy this, but my friend said it was just lumped in with all the other random redeployment briefings and no one really cared.
In addition, PTSD is a post-deployment thing and a refresher is sometimes necessary. Anyway, reading this brochure and explanations for PTSD really made sense, especially when I realized I pretty much fit every description re: PTSD behavior. Again, it made me realize I had made the right decision to seek help and I hope that everyone that reads this will forward it to any military personnel they know who may have PTSD and/or to their families who may be trying to understand what their soldier is going through, I think the following explains it very well:
Battlemind is the Soldier's inner strength to face fear and adversity with courage. Key components include:
• Self confidence: taking calculated risks and handling challenges.
• Mental toughness: overcoming obstacles or setbacks and maintainingpositive thoughts during times of adversity and challenge.Batttlemind skills helped you survive in combat, but maycause you problems if not adapted when you get home.
Every letter in B-A-T-T-L-E-M-I-N-D, refers to a different behavior, as shown below:
Buddies (Cohesion) vs. Withdrawal
Accountability vs. Controlling
Targeted Aggression vs. Inappropriate Aggression
Tactical Awareness vs. Hypervigilance
Lethally Armed vs. "Locked and Loaded" at Home
Emotional Control vs. Anger/Detachment
Mission Operational Security vs. Secretiveness
Individual Responsibility vs. Guilt
Non-defensive (combat) driving vs. Aggressive Driving
Discipline and Ordering vs. Conflict
While he does say that Battlemind does have some good points the first point made was that it was introduced lumped in with a bunch of other stuff. This was first reported by the BBC that uncovered only 11 1/2 minutes of Battlemind are provided when they arrive "in country" along with the two days of operational briefings they have to get through.They will be left thinking they can toughen their minds enough to not have to face PTSD and that also means that if anyone does, they are not tough enough. This includes their buddies and some of the others in their unit they may not happen to like very much and if they should end up wounded by it, well then, they must not be tough enough either. This is why Battlemind does not work and as a matter of fact very well could contribute to the increase in suicides and attempted suicides.
None of this is new. Because it keeps getting worse, all of it, reports produce nothing much other than a lot of talk and bad results, we should be asking what they have learned and why they still have not learned what was known over 30 years ago.
by
Chaplain Kathie
There are many things I just don't understand. No one would ever ask me how to fix a car but I drive one. No one would ask me to do a tax return even though I did accounting for over 20 years I never really understood the tax rules. No one would ask me to do a lot of things most people do on a normal basis but PTSD is what I do know about and it's all normal to me. It's been my life for over 27 years now. I live with it, study it, track it and do my best to share the wealth of knowledge gained along with how to avoid making the same mistakes I made. It is because of this I knew PTSD would get worse, harder to treat because no one was ready for what was coming, had very little understanding of the cause of PTSD even though they were trying to "cure it" and worse, trying to prevent it. So why didn't the experts know?
This is the part that always gets me angry. I am an average person living a very un-average life. Even with the news reports lately on PTSD, most people have not heard a word about what it is. Yesterday I was doing a presentation to a group of women for a college alumni. When I do these for non-veterans, I try to make the presentation fit into their own lives. I explain about traumatic events and how those events never really leave them so they can remember the depth of pain they felt and then begin to understand PTSD when it comes to our military men and women along with the veterans.
Once they understand how memories take hold, they can understand the reality of flashbacks when the response is fully physically involved as the mind travels back in time to the event itself. When the group begin to think of events in their own lives, they end up opening up with their own pain coming closer to understanding the depth of PTSD turmoil. Arriving at this place of awareness, they were shocked to hear about the numbers of suicides and attempted suicides. Common sense told them that since we've been trying to address PTSD since 1978, we should be a lot better at addressing it and the numbers should have gone down instead of up. If the experts really knew what they needed to know, there would be very few active military suicides and even less veteran suicides. All the signs are pointing to a massive failure with no accountability.
Healing the Wounds of War Downtown
“Once you go through an experience like [combat] you are permanently changed,” said Iraq war vet Eduard H.R. Gluck, a Worth Street resident and photojournalist who receives counseling at the Vet Center. “But you don’t have to allow it to change you just in a negative way. You have to work towards trying to find balance and peace.”
The Vet Center program began in 1979, a recognition by the government that Vietnam veterans still faced adjustment problems years after the war had ended.
From Veterans For Common Sense
Suicides: Today the Department of Veterans Affairs released data to the Associated Press indicating that the suicide rate increased 26 percent for veterans aged 18 to 29, an issue first publicized by Veterans for Common Sense and CBS Evening News in November 2007.
We here at VCS extend our condolences to the families of our veterans who completed suicide. VCS calls upon President Obama, Defense Secretary Gates, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Shinseki to immediately implement a strategic casualty plan with a significant mental health component.
A long-term casualty care effort must start with quickly hiring more mental health professionals, examining every soldier before and after deployment (as required by law), and providing prompt access to high-quality care. This is critical because multiple deployments to war increase the risk of PTSD (and therefore suicide) by three-fold.
VCS also recommends that VA and DoD expand their anti-stigma efforts and encourage our service members and veterans with mental health symptoms to seek care soon, when treatment is most effective and least expensive.In addition, Paul Sullivan of Veterans for Common Sense, said, "VCS remains deeply concerned about the enormous physical and psychological strain repeated deployments to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are causing our troops. As many as 800,000, or 40 percent, of the two million troops sent to the two conflicts deployed twice or more, according to the Department of Defense."
Sullivan also said, "VCS urges the Department of Defense and the VA to implement a casualty plan for our military and veterans. Such a plan should include hiring more mental health professionals immediately to perform medical exams on all troops before and after deployment to spot medical problems early, when treatment is most effective and least expensive. The Department of Defense and the VA must also expand their anti-stigma efforts, especially with training for both officers and non-commissioned officers so they know how to spot brain injury or other mental health symptoms and then promptly refer soldiers for treatment."
Read more about multiple deployments, PTSD, and suicide plus our VCS advocacy for our soldiers and veterans.
This was what they knew a year ago and we have to ask what they have learned since then when the numbers kept going up.
Soldier Suicides In Afghanistan Rose Sharply Last Year
WAR STRESS
By MATTHEW KAUFFMAN The Hartford Courant
January 14, 2009
Soldiers in Afghanistan committed suicide in record numbers in 2008, in step with a dramatic spike in combat deaths in the country, new military figures show.Seven Army soldiers committed suicide in Afghanistan last year, compared with 15 suicides in total during the previous 75 months of Operation Enduring Freedom, according to figures from the Defense Manpower Data Center.Col. Elspeth Ritchie, a top Army psychiatrist, said military officials during the past several years have tracked an increase in mental health problems among soldiers serving in Afghanistan. In 2004, she said, anxiety and depression were far less common among soldiers in Afghanistan, compared with those in Iraq. But by 2007 and early 2008, soldiers in Afghanistan were suffering depression and anxiety at the same rates as their counterparts in Iraq, she said."In Afghanistan, there are considerable barriers for providers getting to the troops due to the difficulties in travel and weather, compared to Iraq," Ritchie said.click link above for more
We knew about the risk of redeploying them in 2006!
Repeat Iraq Tours Raise Risk of PTSD, Army Finds
By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, December 20, 2006
U.S. soldiers serving repeated Iraq deployments are 50 percent more likely than those with one tour to suffer from acute combat stress, raising their risk of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the Army's first survey exploring how today's multiple war-zone rotations affect soldiers' mental health.
More than 650,000 soldiers have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001 -- including more than 170,000 now in the Army who have served multiple tours -- so the survey's finding of increased risk from repeated exposure to combat has potentially widespread implications for the all-volunteer force. Earlier Army studies have shown that up to 30 percent of troops deployed to Iraq suffer from depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with the latter accounting for about 10 percent.
The findings reflect the fact that some soldiers -- many of whom are now spending only about a year at home between deployments -- are returning to battle while still suffering from the psychological scars of earlier combat tours, the report said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/19/AR2006121901659.html
VA diagnosing higher rates of PTSD
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jan 16, 2009 16:18:25 EST
More than 44 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who have sought treatment at a Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility have been diagnosed with one or more possible mental disorders, according to the agency’s most recent summary of veteran health care.
click link for more
Then we have the issue of what happened at Fort Hood and the fact a Major did the shooting. Did Major Hasan have anything to do with these deaths? More? What did he tell the soldiers seeking help to heal? Did he give wrong medication? What did he tell the soldiers he treated?
Fort Hood investigating death of another soldier in barracks
Dallas Morning News - Dallas,TX,USA05:47 PM CST on Tuesday, January 6, 2009
The Associated Press
FORT HOOD, Texas – Army officials are investigating the death of a soldier found in his barracks at Fort Hood on New Year's Day.Staff Sgt. Kevin M. Marsh, 41, of Friedens, Pa., was found dead the night of Jan. 1 by officers from his unit after a concerned call from a family member, said Maj. David Shoupe, a Fort Hood spokesman.Marsh was assigned in June to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Rear-Detachment. He served twice in Iraq, in 2003-04 and in 2005-06, as a gunner and vehicle commander.His medals and awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Army Service Ribbon and the Combat Action Badge.Authorities were already investigating at least five deaths at Fort Hood from late July to September at the sprawling post that's home to about 52,000 troops.
click link above for more
Substance abuse? We knew about this a long time ago too!
Links between PTSD, substance abuse explored,,dah!
I'm really sorry but I can't help myself,,,,,dah! They've had over thirty years to notice this....It's called self-medicating and has been documented since the Vietnam Veterans came home!
Links between PTSD, substance abuse exploredBy Kelly Kennedy - Staff writerPosted : Wednesday Jan 7, 2009 18:20:34 ESTAt a two-day conference for civilian and military researchers, doctors produced one idea after another for treating and preventing substance abuse in service members with post-traumatic stress disorder.As the ideas bounced from person to person, they tried to tie them together in ways that could make sense in a military setting: They must be accessible to many people at once, they must be cheap, they must be proven, and they must be easy.
Better than nothing does more harm than good but did they learn anything?
BATTLEMIND: A Guide to PTSD for Military Members and their Spouses
by: Combat Infantry Bunny
Sat Dec 29, 2007 at 13:48:29 PM EST
.........From my understanding from those deployed, they are already requiring soldiers about to redeploy this, but my friend said it was just lumped in with all the other random redeployment briefings and no one really cared.
In addition, PTSD is a post-deployment thing and a refresher is sometimes necessary. Anyway, reading this brochure and explanations for PTSD really made sense, especially when I realized I pretty much fit every description re: PTSD behavior. Again, it made me realize I had made the right decision to seek help and I hope that everyone that reads this will forward it to any military personnel they know who may have PTSD and/or to their families who may be trying to understand what their soldier is going through, I think the following explains it very well:
Battlemind is the Soldier's inner strength to face fear and adversity with courage. Key components include:
• Self confidence: taking calculated risks and handling challenges.
• Mental toughness: overcoming obstacles or setbacks and maintainingpositive thoughts during times of adversity and challenge.Batttlemind skills helped you survive in combat, but maycause you problems if not adapted when you get home.
Every letter in B-A-T-T-L-E-M-I-N-D, refers to a different behavior, as shown below:
Buddies (Cohesion) vs. Withdrawal
Accountability vs. Controlling
Targeted Aggression vs. Inappropriate Aggression
Tactical Awareness vs. Hypervigilance
Lethally Armed vs. "Locked and Loaded" at Home
Emotional Control vs. Anger/Detachment
Mission Operational Security vs. Secretiveness
Individual Responsibility vs. Guilt
Non-defensive (combat) driving vs. Aggressive Driving
Discipline and Ordering vs. Conflict
While he does say that Battlemind does have some good points the first point made was that it was introduced lumped in with a bunch of other stuff. This was first reported by the BBC that uncovered only 11 1/2 minutes of Battlemind are provided when they arrive "in country" along with the two days of operational briefings they have to get through.They will be left thinking they can toughen their minds enough to not have to face PTSD and that also means that if anyone does, they are not tough enough. This includes their buddies and some of the others in their unit they may not happen to like very much and if they should end up wounded by it, well then, they must not be tough enough either. This is why Battlemind does not work and as a matter of fact very well could contribute to the increase in suicides and attempted suicides.
Army suicides rise as time spent in combat increases
By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAYFORT LEWIS, Wash. — Josh Barber, former combat soldier, parked outside the Army hospital here one morning last August armed for war.A cook at the dining facility, Barber sat in his truck wearing battle fatigues, earplugs and a camouflage hood on his head. He had an arsenal: seven loaded guns, nearly 1,000 rounds of ammunition, knives in his pockets. On the front seat, an AK-47had a bullet in the chamber.The "smell of death" he experienced in Iraq continued to haunt him, his wife says. He was embittered about the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that crippled him, the Army's failure to treat it, and the strains the disorder put on his marriage.Despite the firepower he brought with him, Barber, 31, took only one life that day. He killed himself with a shot to the head."He went to Fort Lewis to kill himself to prove a point," Kelly Barber says. " 'Here I am. I was a soldier. You guys didn't help me.' "
None of this is new. Because it keeps getting worse, all of it, reports produce nothing much other than a lot of talk and bad results, we should be asking what they have learned and why they still have not learned what was known over 30 years ago.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Fighting in Afghanistan leaves 5 U.S. troops dead
Please keep their families in your prayers. As you pray for them also remember that with these 5 deaths are other soldiers grieving for their lost brothers. When we read about one death, we also must acknowledge those they left behind.
Fighting in Afghanistan leaves 5 U.S. troops dead
Three service members die today in a clash with militants in the south, another dies in separate fighting in the east, and a fifth member with a NATO-led force is killed a day earlier in the south.
By Laura King
January 11, 2010 9:06 a.m.
Reporting from Afghanistan -- Three American troops were killed today in a clash with insurgents in southern Afghanistan, which is likely to be the scene of escalating battles in coming months. A fourth U.S. service member died today of wounds suffered in separate fighting in the east, near the border with Pakistan, military officials said.
Also today, NATO's International Security Assistance Force disclosed the death of another American service member in an attack a day earlier in the south.
read more here
Fighting in Afghanistan leaves 5 US troops dead
Multiple Deployments Lead to Major Increase in PTSD Cases
Multiple Deployments Lead to Major Increase in PTSD Cases, New Study Says
Tuesday 05 January 2010
by: Mary Susan Littlepage, t r u t h o u t Report
Soldiers with multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan are more than three times as likely as soldiers with no previous deployments to screen positive for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression, according to a new study published by the American Journal for Public Health.
Additionally, soldiers with multiple deployments are more than twice as likely to report chronic pain and more than 90 percent more likely to score below the general population norm on physical functioning.
For the study, researchers assessed the effects of prior military service in Iraq or Afghanistan on the health of New Jersey Army National Guard members preparing for deployment to Iraq. Researchers analyzed anonymous, self-administered pre-deployment surveys from 2,543 National Guard members deployed to Iraq in 2008. They assessed the effects of prior service in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) or Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom) on mental and physical health.
"Those experiencing multiple deployments are most at risk, with the Office of the US Army Surgeon General reporting mental health problems in 11.9 percent of those with one deployment, 18.5 percent with two deployments and 27.2 percent with three or four deployments," the report stated.
Amy Fairweather is an expert in veterans' issues and is director of the Coalition for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, a clearinghouse of more than 45 agencies serving a myriad of needs associated with deployment in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
"What we're seeing is a people who are having more serious PTSD when they're called up for an additional deployment, and that triggers a lot of mental health issues - in fact, suicidal action in some cases," Fairweather said. "But it's also mixed with a lot of conflicting feelings of guilt" in that if people have PTSD, they are a danger toward other people, but Fairweather said they may think, "Who am I to try to get out of this? Who am I to complain?" when fellow soldiers are going through the same hell.
Fairweather also is director of the Iraq Veteran Project for Swords to Plowshares, a community-based, not-for-profit organization that provides counseling and case management, employment and training, housing and legal assistance to homeless and low-income veterans in the San Francisco Bay area and beyond.
Tuesday 05 January 2010
by: Mary Susan Littlepage, t r u t h o u t Report
Soldiers with multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan are more than three times as likely as soldiers with no previous deployments to screen positive for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression, according to a new study published by the American Journal for Public Health.
Additionally, soldiers with multiple deployments are more than twice as likely to report chronic pain and more than 90 percent more likely to score below the general population norm on physical functioning.
For the study, researchers assessed the effects of prior military service in Iraq or Afghanistan on the health of New Jersey Army National Guard members preparing for deployment to Iraq. Researchers analyzed anonymous, self-administered pre-deployment surveys from 2,543 National Guard members deployed to Iraq in 2008. They assessed the effects of prior service in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) or Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom) on mental and physical health.
"Those experiencing multiple deployments are most at risk, with the Office of the US Army Surgeon General reporting mental health problems in 11.9 percent of those with one deployment, 18.5 percent with two deployments and 27.2 percent with three or four deployments," the report stated.
Amy Fairweather is an expert in veterans' issues and is director of the Coalition for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, a clearinghouse of more than 45 agencies serving a myriad of needs associated with deployment in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
"What we're seeing is a people who are having more serious PTSD when they're called up for an additional deployment, and that triggers a lot of mental health issues - in fact, suicidal action in some cases," Fairweather said. "But it's also mixed with a lot of conflicting feelings of guilt" in that if people have PTSD, they are a danger toward other people, but Fairweather said they may think, "Who am I to try to get out of this? Who am I to complain?" when fellow soldiers are going through the same hell.
Fairweather also is director of the Iraq Veteran Project for Swords to Plowshares, a community-based, not-for-profit organization that provides counseling and case management, employment and training, housing and legal assistance to homeless and low-income veterans in the San Francisco Bay area and beyond.
In any case, the Pentagon's data indicate that between 2003 and 2008, 43,000 troops "deemed medically unfit for active duty by their physicians were deployed to Iraq," the report stated. Also, the report stated that the Office of the US Army Surgeon General found that "multiple deployments have adverse effects on work performance during deployment, with multiple deployed soldiers being more likely than are others to report limitations in their ability to work effectively."
read more here
Vietnam veterans mentor to other veterans
New Mentor Program Helps Area Veterans Adjust to Civilian Life
Posted: Jan 04, 2010 5:49 PM EST
by Kristen Elicerio
For a lot of veterans combat service, repeated deployments or drug and alcohol abuse make the adjustment back to civilian life difficult.
A new program aims to help soliders adjust and steer clear from troubles with the law.
"This is a mentors program where we have mentors deal completely outside the court system as early as possible when a veteran is identified as having some legal issues. Whether a victim, or a witness or a perpetrator," said Judge Todd Bjerke.
Mentors in the program help further push vets towards getting help.
"This is a way to maybe reach people who have not asked for help or were not aware of help. If we can get them into the VA system, get them some assistance, maybe mediate some legal problems, I see that as a big plus for this community," said Veteran Services Officer Jim Gausmann.
Mentors who were sworn into the program Monday are also veterans.
read more here
http://www.wkbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=11767126
Posted: Jan 04, 2010 5:49 PM EST
by Kristen Elicerio
For a lot of veterans combat service, repeated deployments or drug and alcohol abuse make the adjustment back to civilian life difficult.
A new program aims to help soliders adjust and steer clear from troubles with the law.
"This is a mentors program where we have mentors deal completely outside the court system as early as possible when a veteran is identified as having some legal issues. Whether a victim, or a witness or a perpetrator," said Judge Todd Bjerke.
Mentors in the program help further push vets towards getting help.
"This is a way to maybe reach people who have not asked for help or were not aware of help. If we can get them into the VA system, get them some assistance, maybe mediate some legal problems, I see that as a big plus for this community," said Veteran Services Officer Jim Gausmann.
Mentors who were sworn into the program Monday are also veterans.
read more here
http://www.wkbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=11767126
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Oklahoma City vets’ claims being rejected
None of this is new, it is just worse than it was. My husband's claim took six years to have approved and a friend of his saw his claim rejected for 19 years. While some will say the claim was finally granted, what it takes to get from admitting they need help, especially with PTSD claims, to getting them is more hell than anyone would ever put up with in civilian life, but the veterans are all expected to just deal with the system and wait. Wait for money when they can't work because they were wounded in service? This isn't right and never has been right, never will be right making them wait for what they need from us.
Oklahoma City vets’ claims being rejected
Many armed forces veterans in Oklahoma are having trouble receiving disability payments
BY ANN KELLEY The Oklahoman
Published: January 10, 2010
Four times Gary Endsley has applied for disability compensation for health problems he thinks are related to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. Each time Endsley has been turned down by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
With each rejection letter he’s flooded with more disappointment and frustration, and feels that he’s "being called a liar” about his military record, he said.
"I’m beginning to feel like I had been better off going to Canada and skipping the war,” said Endsley, 65, of Oklahoma City.
Endsley is one of many armed forces veterans living in Oklahoma and wrangling with Veterans Affairs over disability compensation.
Nationally, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs processed more than 1.1 million claims in 2009, including 25,396 for Oklahoma, said Jessica Jacobson, spokeswoman for the agency’s regional office in Dallas.
The Oklahoman requested the number of Oklahoma veterans denied disability compensation for 2009, but Jacobson Friday said those numbers were not available.
She said the caseload has increased 50 percent since 2000, with Afghanistan and Iraq military servicemen and women returning home and the aging population of other war veterans, as well as the initiation of new U.S. Department of Defense benefits and recent court rulings.
Read more: Oklahoma City vets’ claims being rejected
A story by an Army wife is not from a TV show
Real military life is not what you see on TV.
The lives of veterans after war become America's secret. The civilians are under the impression all is well until a report comes out proving everything they think they know about how this country treats veterans has been wrong. Usually reports about what is really going on cause such an outrage by the American people, the government manages to make swift changes because voters will not let our veterans be mistreated by anyone. While the bureaucracy in Washington manages to muck things up, the American people are fiercely loyal to the troops when they serve and to the veterans they become.
Things changed since Vietnam veterans came home mistreated but they changed for all generations of veterans because these Vietnam veterans refused to surrender to the powers of the government and they forced them to act on addressing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as well as Agent Orange and the rest of what was wrong with the way our veterans were treated. Things also changed because the Internet linked them together so they no longer felt isolated, discovering the power of their united numbers could move mountains and those mountains did in fact move.
Fast forward thirty years and we find reports online about PTSD, suicides, homeless veterans, divorces, suffering and we also read about healing because they shared their stories and made it all personal to the rest of the population. Things changed because they had the courage to speak out. The current members of the military and their families however, do not have the same ability to speak out without paying a price for it.
Carissa Picard spoke out and paints a picture of military life few others will ever know. Do all marriages end up like her's? No but considering the divorce rate in the military it's obvious these marriages are in trouble for more than just the usual reasons people have when getting divorced. They have to live where they are told to live for however long they are told to live there. Their kids end up going through different schools in different states so often they have a hard time making friends because they think they'll end up moving again. Wives end up not being able to work because there are only so many jobs they can hold close to base allowing them to be able to pick their kids up from school while their spouse is deployed. Yes, it's even hard when both parents are in the military.
Maybe things will change in the military because people like Carissa show there is a big difference between watching TV shows making us think we know what military life is about. Lord knows they need more support than they are getting and this can come when we are able to understand some of what they really face.
Please read what she has to say about her life as a real Army Wife.
"The Unit" (2006) Covert warriors. Unsung heroes. Plot:Hour long show which looks at the life of American super-secret operators.
"Army Wives" (2007) The army has its code... the wives have their own.
Plot:
About a woman who marries a soldier and moves her family onto an Army base, where she becomes friends with other women whose husbands are in the military.
The lives of veterans after war become America's secret. The civilians are under the impression all is well until a report comes out proving everything they think they know about how this country treats veterans has been wrong. Usually reports about what is really going on cause such an outrage by the American people, the government manages to make swift changes because voters will not let our veterans be mistreated by anyone. While the bureaucracy in Washington manages to muck things up, the American people are fiercely loyal to the troops when they serve and to the veterans they become.
Things changed since Vietnam veterans came home mistreated but they changed for all generations of veterans because these Vietnam veterans refused to surrender to the powers of the government and they forced them to act on addressing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as well as Agent Orange and the rest of what was wrong with the way our veterans were treated. Things also changed because the Internet linked them together so they no longer felt isolated, discovering the power of their united numbers could move mountains and those mountains did in fact move.
Fast forward thirty years and we find reports online about PTSD, suicides, homeless veterans, divorces, suffering and we also read about healing because they shared their stories and made it all personal to the rest of the population. Things changed because they had the courage to speak out. The current members of the military and their families however, do not have the same ability to speak out without paying a price for it.
Carissa Picard spoke out and paints a picture of military life few others will ever know. Do all marriages end up like her's? No but considering the divorce rate in the military it's obvious these marriages are in trouble for more than just the usual reasons people have when getting divorced. They have to live where they are told to live for however long they are told to live there. Their kids end up going through different schools in different states so often they have a hard time making friends because they think they'll end up moving again. Wives end up not being able to work because there are only so many jobs they can hold close to base allowing them to be able to pick their kids up from school while their spouse is deployed. Yes, it's even hard when both parents are in the military.
Maybe things will change in the military because people like Carissa show there is a big difference between watching TV shows making us think we know what military life is about. Lord knows they need more support than they are getting and this can come when we are able to understand some of what they really face.
Please read what she has to say about her life as a real Army Wife.
Invisible Casualties of an Invisible War
Carissa Picard
http://sites.google.com/site/carissapicard/
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