DAV Recognizes President for Supporting Veterans Health Care Budget Reform
WASHINGTON, March 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Disabled American Veterans (DAV) National Commander Roberto "Bobby" Barrera today presented a personalized commemorative baseball bat to President Barack Obama to recognize his support for the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act and going to bat for veterans.
"The President's support of this advance appropriation act truly honors the service and sacrifice of our nation's disabled veterans and their families," said Commander Barrera. "His support for this initiative throughout the 2008 election campaign and as President has improved health care delivery to veterans by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)."
The law, signed Oct. 22, 2009, authorizes Congress to fund VA health care one year in advance at the start of each fiscal year. It effectively ends the funding delays that have plagued the VA and forced it to ration health care to veterans when Congress failed to pass an appropriations bill on time.
The commemorative DAV baseball bat was presented to President Obama by Commander Barrera, accompanied by DAV National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson and National Headquarters Executive Director Richard E. Patterson.
"President Obama's continuing support in the recently proposed $125 billion VA budget will provide expanded health care to a record number of veterans and includes $60.3 billion for discretionary spending, mostly for health care," said Commander Barrera. "That is nearly $4.2 billion more than the fiscal year 2010 appropriated level." The budget request includes advance appropriations recommendations of $54.3 billion for medical care programs for fiscal year 2012.
read more here
DAV Recognizes President for Supporting Veterans
Friday, March 5, 2010
Program provides service to veterans with PTSD
Dogs go the distance: Program provides service to veterans with PTSD
Mar 4, 2010
By Jennifer Caprioli (USAG Fort Huachuca)
FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. -- For over 40 years Ken Costich, a former Army colonel, has dealt with post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.
Lucien Mason, a former lance corporal in the Marine Corps has also coped with PTSD since he returned from Vietnam, more than 35 years ago.
Both men have endured medical treatment and sought psychological assistance from professionals, and both men are turning to service dogs as a last resort.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, PTSD is an "anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which physical harm occurred or was threatened."
"With all the great care Veterans Affairs has given me, they have not been able to find a medication for anger, depression, anxiety or the nightmares that worked for me," Costich explained.
"Medication works 50 percent of the time. Talk therapy, alone, works 30 percent of the time, and dogs work 84.5 percent of the time," said Alicia Miller, Army veteran and cofounder of Operation Wolfhound. "The dogs are proven effective. It's a much better deal for the veteran because they don't have to worry about the side effects of medication."
read more here
Program provides service to veterans with PTSD
Mar 4, 2010
By Jennifer Caprioli (USAG Fort Huachuca)
FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. -- For over 40 years Ken Costich, a former Army colonel, has dealt with post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.
Lucien Mason, a former lance corporal in the Marine Corps has also coped with PTSD since he returned from Vietnam, more than 35 years ago.
Both men have endured medical treatment and sought psychological assistance from professionals, and both men are turning to service dogs as a last resort.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, PTSD is an "anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which physical harm occurred or was threatened."
"With all the great care Veterans Affairs has given me, they have not been able to find a medication for anger, depression, anxiety or the nightmares that worked for me," Costich explained.
"Medication works 50 percent of the time. Talk therapy, alone, works 30 percent of the time, and dogs work 84.5 percent of the time," said Alicia Miller, Army veteran and cofounder of Operation Wolfhound. "The dogs are proven effective. It's a much better deal for the veteran because they don't have to worry about the side effects of medication."
read more here
Program provides service to veterans with PTSD
Alabama man charged under Stolen Valor was AWOL
Ala. man faces stolen valor charges
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Mar 5, 2010 15:23:08 EST
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — A Huntsville man has been charged with wearing military medals he did not earn.
Skyler Tarquin Smith was arrested by federal agents at an American Legion post Tuesday night, when he thought he was about to be inducted into a chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
Officials say he was wearing a uniform as well as a Bronze Star, Combat Infantry Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge and Purple Heart.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/03/ap_army_alabama_faker_030510/
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Mar 5, 2010 15:23:08 EST
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — A Huntsville man has been charged with wearing military medals he did not earn.
Skyler Tarquin Smith was arrested by federal agents at an American Legion post Tuesday night, when he thought he was about to be inducted into a chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
Officials say he was wearing a uniform as well as a Bronze Star, Combat Infantry Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge and Purple Heart.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/03/ap_army_alabama_faker_030510/
Become a “Bridge to Healing” for the military in your community today!
Lily Casura over at Healing Combat Trauma sent this link. It's a wonderful idea and very much needed. The problem is, it is not being repeated across the country. The good news is that more and more communities are stepping up.
News
March 4, 2010
Atlanta Christians Train to Provide Lay Counseling for Combat Trauma
by Cynthia Odom
To prepare for the return of the Georgia National Guard, which will be home by the first week in April, a group of caring Christians is training to provide spiritual care for combat trauma using Military Ministry’s Care & Counsel for Combat Trauma, co-produced with the American Association of Christian Counselors.
This 30-hour DVD training series, which they will view in 3-hour segments over ten weeks, is designed to train pastors and lay leaders to effectively care for wounded warriors by offering Christ’s love and power for healing restoration. The reality is that wounds of the heart, soul, and spirit are not addressed adequately by government services. Despite the valiant efforts of chaplains and many organizations and the commitment of billions of dollars, there remains a serious gap – the faith and hope gap.
For Christians, addressing this gap starts with the premise that God is the true healer and that Jesus Christ is the avenue to experience true recovery from the ravages of combat trauma, particularly those visited on the mind and emotions. For many of our veterans and returning warriors, this will be a long road – but there is hope. God can bring peace, calm and healing to war-ravaged souls.
Whether it’s the Veteran who has lived in the lonely isolation of combat memories for decades, or young Warriors just returning from their first combat horrors, the power of God, the power of God’s written word, and the community of God’s people around our nation can become powerful resources in this healing process. And this healing can certainly extend to military families and many others impacted by these mental, emotional, and spiritual wounds of war.
It is our prayer that tens of thousands of Christians from thousands of churches, just like those in Atlanta, join in the fight to build bridges between PTSD suffering and God’s love and healing power.
Become a “Bridge to Healing” for the military in your community today!
“He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me.”
Psalms 55:18 (NASB)
http://www.militaryministry.org/2010/03/04/atlanta-christians-train/
2 Pentagon police officers shot
2 Pentagon police officers shot
By Christine Simmons - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Mar 4, 2010 22:15:14 EST
WASHINGTON — A gunman coolly drew a weapon from his pocket and opened fire at the teeming subway entrance to the Pentagon complex Thursday evening, wounding two police officers before being shot and critically wounded, officials said.
The two officers suffered grazing wounds that were not life-threatening and were being treated in hospital, said Richard Keevill, chief of Pentagon police.
The suspect, believed to be a U.S. citizen, walked up to a security checkpoint at the Pentagon in an apparent attempt to get inside the massively fortified Defense Department headquarters, at about 6:40 p.m. “He just reached in his pocket, pulled out a gun and started shooting,” Keevill said. “He walked up very cool. He had no real emotion on his face.” The Pentagon officers returned fire with semiautomatic weapons.
Of the suspect, the chief said, “His injury is pretty critical.”
read more here
2 Pentagon police officers shot
By Christine Simmons - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Mar 4, 2010 22:15:14 EST
WASHINGTON — A gunman coolly drew a weapon from his pocket and opened fire at the teeming subway entrance to the Pentagon complex Thursday evening, wounding two police officers before being shot and critically wounded, officials said.
The two officers suffered grazing wounds that were not life-threatening and were being treated in hospital, said Richard Keevill, chief of Pentagon police.
The suspect, believed to be a U.S. citizen, walked up to a security checkpoint at the Pentagon in an apparent attempt to get inside the massively fortified Defense Department headquarters, at about 6:40 p.m. “He just reached in his pocket, pulled out a gun and started shooting,” Keevill said. “He walked up very cool. He had no real emotion on his face.” The Pentagon officers returned fire with semiautomatic weapons.
Of the suspect, the chief said, “His injury is pretty critical.”
read more here
2 Pentagon police officers shot
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Not all bad news on PTSD
It's no secret that I keep popping my cork on what is going on that is bad but today I was reminded of how much things have changed for the better for veterans in the last few years.
In 1982 when I got into all of this no one was talking about it and it was very lonely. Families didn't have any more clue of where to turn for help than the veterans did. The Internet was still not really known and self-help books were not done on PTSD. All there was to read were clinical books. Sometimes we could find some reports in newspapers, magazines like Time, but no one was talking about any of it. It was still very lonely in 2000 when I was trying to find a publisher for my book, but at least there were books with personal accounts proving to others that PTSD didn't have to end anything. What we're getting today is relatively new.
Now today, I was in training with a mental health facility and will be again tomorrow. I've taken so much training over the last couple of years that I'm stunned by the number of people wanting to take an active role in addressing PTSD, especially working with our veterans. I'll post more about this training over the weekend.
I have had many conversations with police officers and sheriffs when I travel and more of them are being made aware of the unique needs veterans have. They know most of the veterans getting into trouble are carrying around a load of pain inside of them and they are not close to criminal types but get into a lot of trouble because of what they went through. Another good thing just as there are veterans courts opening up all over the country.
Mental health workers are acknowledging most of the homeless veterans ended up that way because they didn't get the help they needed.
All good things happening.
The best thing about all of these training sessions is that most of the people taking these classes and going to conferences are working for the VA. It all makes me more hopeful for the sake of our veterans that sooner instead of later, they will all get the help they need to heal from what was asked of them.
I'll post tomorrow if time allows.
In 1982 when I got into all of this no one was talking about it and it was very lonely. Families didn't have any more clue of where to turn for help than the veterans did. The Internet was still not really known and self-help books were not done on PTSD. All there was to read were clinical books. Sometimes we could find some reports in newspapers, magazines like Time, but no one was talking about any of it. It was still very lonely in 2000 when I was trying to find a publisher for my book, but at least there were books with personal accounts proving to others that PTSD didn't have to end anything. What we're getting today is relatively new.
Now today, I was in training with a mental health facility and will be again tomorrow. I've taken so much training over the last couple of years that I'm stunned by the number of people wanting to take an active role in addressing PTSD, especially working with our veterans. I'll post more about this training over the weekend.
I have had many conversations with police officers and sheriffs when I travel and more of them are being made aware of the unique needs veterans have. They know most of the veterans getting into trouble are carrying around a load of pain inside of them and they are not close to criminal types but get into a lot of trouble because of what they went through. Another good thing just as there are veterans courts opening up all over the country.
Mental health workers are acknowledging most of the homeless veterans ended up that way because they didn't get the help they needed.
All good things happening.
The best thing about all of these training sessions is that most of the people taking these classes and going to conferences are working for the VA. It all makes me more hopeful for the sake of our veterans that sooner instead of later, they will all get the help they need to heal from what was asked of them.
I'll post tomorrow if time allows.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Troops near blasts will be checked right after from now on
New rules for troops hit by IED blasts
By Gregg Zoroya - USA TODAY
Posted : Wednesday Mar 3, 2010 13:39:26 EST
WASHINGTON — Troops caught near a roadside blast will be pulled out of combat for 24 hours and checked for a mild traumatic brain injury, even if they appear unhurt or say they are fine, according to a new treatment policy the Pentagon is planning to release.
“Very clearly, we’re sort of taking it out of their hands,” said Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who pushed hard for the policy change. “The sooner you’re able to treat somebody and get it right, the higher the probability you’ll reduce the long-term impacts [of brain injury]. So speed is really important here.”
The policy change stems from growing concerns that troops suffer a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) in combat — or more than one — and go undetected, Mullen told USA TODAY in an interview. “We need to treat ... more quickly and then we need to keep track of people,” he said.
The Pentagon is “likely to issue” the policy in the next several weeks, spokesman Bryan Whitman said.
A RAND Corp. study estimated in 2008 that 300,000 U.S. troops may have suffered this injury, many from a blast. About 100,000 troops have been diagnosed with mild TBI since 2003, with numbers increasing as military medicine has become more aggressive in screening for the hidden injury, according to Pentagon data.
read more here
New rules for troops hit by IED blasts
By Gregg Zoroya - USA TODAY
Posted : Wednesday Mar 3, 2010 13:39:26 EST
WASHINGTON — Troops caught near a roadside blast will be pulled out of combat for 24 hours and checked for a mild traumatic brain injury, even if they appear unhurt or say they are fine, according to a new treatment policy the Pentagon is planning to release.
“Very clearly, we’re sort of taking it out of their hands,” said Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who pushed hard for the policy change. “The sooner you’re able to treat somebody and get it right, the higher the probability you’ll reduce the long-term impacts [of brain injury]. So speed is really important here.”
The policy change stems from growing concerns that troops suffer a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) in combat — or more than one — and go undetected, Mullen told USA TODAY in an interview. “We need to treat ... more quickly and then we need to keep track of people,” he said.
The Pentagon is “likely to issue” the policy in the next several weeks, spokesman Bryan Whitman said.
A RAND Corp. study estimated in 2008 that 300,000 U.S. troops may have suffered this injury, many from a blast. About 100,000 troops have been diagnosed with mild TBI since 2003, with numbers increasing as military medicine has become more aggressive in screening for the hidden injury, according to Pentagon data.
read more here
New rules for troops hit by IED blasts
Report: Army denied aid to team under fire in Afghanistan
Report: Army denied aid to team under fire
By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Mar 3, 2010 15:52:03 EST
Pinned down at dawn in a kill zone and running low on ammunition, the company-sized patrol made an urgent plea from a remote spot in eastern Afghanistan: Send help.
Then they made it again. And again. And again.
Nearly two hours after the initial call for help, helicopter air support arrived — but not before the unit took heavy casualties. The delay occurred because Army officers back at the tactical operations center refused to send help and failed to notify higher commands that they had troops in trouble. In the end, three Marines, a Navy corpsman and a soldier were dead, along with eight Afghan troops and an interpreter.
Those are the findings of a new investigation into the Sept. 8 ambush involving a team of U.S. military trainers embedded with Afghan troops in Kunar province.
read more here
Army denied aid to team under fire
By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Mar 3, 2010 15:52:03 EST
Pinned down at dawn in a kill zone and running low on ammunition, the company-sized patrol made an urgent plea from a remote spot in eastern Afghanistan: Send help.
Then they made it again. And again. And again.
Nearly two hours after the initial call for help, helicopter air support arrived — but not before the unit took heavy casualties. The delay occurred because Army officers back at the tactical operations center refused to send help and failed to notify higher commands that they had troops in trouble. In the end, three Marines, a Navy corpsman and a soldier were dead, along with eight Afghan troops and an interpreter.
Those are the findings of a new investigation into the Sept. 8 ambush involving a team of U.S. military trainers embedded with Afghan troops in Kunar province.
read more here
Army denied aid to team under fire
Better VA care sought for suicidal vets
Better VA care sought for suicidal vets
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Mar 3, 2010 14:32:00 EST
An Iraq war veteran whose life fell apart after several friends died in combat and others — including his brother — killed themselves told a Senate committee that the Veterans Affairs Department’s suicide prevention programs were “not beneficial at all to me.”
Testifying Wednesday before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Daniel Hanson, who deployed to Iraq in 2004 with 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, said he sought VA help after his brother Travis, who had been undergoing treatment at a VA medical center, hung himself in 2007.
Crying as he spoke, Hanson said he sought help because “I really went off the deep end,” doing drugs and drinking every day as his marriage crumbled.
Hanson said he finished an outpatient program at the VA Medical Center in Saint Cloud, Minn., but attempted suicide about a month later, waking up from an overdose of prescription drugs to find himself in a psychiatric ward at the hospital on a 72-hour hold.
After his discharge, “there was almost no follow-up,” he told the committee. He quickly returned to using drugs and alcohol and feeling like he wanted to die.
read more here
Better VA care sought for suicidal vets
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Mar 3, 2010 14:32:00 EST
An Iraq war veteran whose life fell apart after several friends died in combat and others — including his brother — killed themselves told a Senate committee that the Veterans Affairs Department’s suicide prevention programs were “not beneficial at all to me.”
Testifying Wednesday before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Daniel Hanson, who deployed to Iraq in 2004 with 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, said he sought VA help after his brother Travis, who had been undergoing treatment at a VA medical center, hung himself in 2007.
Crying as he spoke, Hanson said he sought help because “I really went off the deep end,” doing drugs and drinking every day as his marriage crumbled.
Hanson said he finished an outpatient program at the VA Medical Center in Saint Cloud, Minn., but attempted suicide about a month later, waking up from an overdose of prescription drugs to find himself in a psychiatric ward at the hospital on a 72-hour hold.
After his discharge, “there was almost no follow-up,” he told the committee. He quickly returned to using drugs and alcohol and feeling like he wanted to die.
read more here
Better VA care sought for suicidal vets
Soldier sues, says 'Hurt Locker' is his story
Soldier sues, says 'Hurt Locker' is his story
By Alan Duke, CNN
March 3, 2010 4:13 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Soldier says he's basis for main character in "The Hurt Locker," wants credit, portion of proceeds
Film, up for nine Oscars, is about a bomb-disposal expert in Iraq
Writer and producer Mark Boal spent time with unit in Iraq, wrote Playboy article before screenplay
(CNN) -- A U.S. soldier who defused roadside bombs in Iraq wants credit for inspiring the main character in "The Hurt Locker," a movie up for nine Oscars this weekend.
Master Sgt. Jeffrey Sarver filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday claiming writer Mark Boal -- a journalist embedded with his Army unit in Iraq -- based the film's main character on his life.
"They literally transposed his life in the film and then claimed it was a work of fiction," said lawyer Geoffrey Fieger. "The only fiction was the claim it was a work of fiction."
Without directly denying Sarver's claim, the production company said it was "a fictional account of what brave men and women do on the battlefield."
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/03/hurt.locker.lawsuit/
By Alan Duke, CNN
March 3, 2010 4:13 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Soldier says he's basis for main character in "The Hurt Locker," wants credit, portion of proceeds
Film, up for nine Oscars, is about a bomb-disposal expert in Iraq
Writer and producer Mark Boal spent time with unit in Iraq, wrote Playboy article before screenplay
(CNN) -- A U.S. soldier who defused roadside bombs in Iraq wants credit for inspiring the main character in "The Hurt Locker," a movie up for nine Oscars this weekend.
Master Sgt. Jeffrey Sarver filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday claiming writer Mark Boal -- a journalist embedded with his Army unit in Iraq -- based the film's main character on his life.
"They literally transposed his life in the film and then claimed it was a work of fiction," said lawyer Geoffrey Fieger. "The only fiction was the claim it was a work of fiction."
Without directly denying Sarver's claim, the production company said it was "a fictional account of what brave men and women do on the battlefield."
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/03/hurt.locker.lawsuit/
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