US taxpayers pay for computers for Iraqi kids, but they were auctioned off

Military: Where are PCs bought for Iraqi kids?

By Rebecca Santana - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Aug 27, 2010 16:38:53 EDT

BAGHDAD — The U.S. military is demanding to know what happened to $1.9 million worth of computers purchased by American taxpayers and intended for Iraqi schoolchildren that have instead been auctioned off by Iraqi officials for less than $50,000, the military said Friday.

The U.S. press release was a rare public admission by the military of the loss of American taxpayer money in Iraq and an equally rare criticism of Iraqi officials with whom the Americans are trying to partner as the military hands over more and more responsibility and withdraws troops from the country.

A shipment of computers intended for schoolchildren in the central Babil province was found to have been auctioned on Aug. 16 for $45,700 — before the computers could be sent to the province, the U.S. military said.

The computers were auctioned off by a senior Iraqi official at the southern port of Umm Qasr, the statement said.

“United States Division-South Commander Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks called for an immediate investigation into the actions of the Umm Qasr official to determine why computers destined for children to facilitate their education were approved for auction,” it read.
go here for more
Where are PCs bought for Iraqi kids

Facebook Virginia Tech blogger ordered by judge to join military

Judge orders man to join military

By Scott Johnson - The Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser
Posted : Friday Aug 27, 2010 13:00:19 EDT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A judge ordered an Alabama man to join the military as a condition for of his probation for a provocative Facebook message about the mass killing at Virginia Tech.

Zachary Lambert pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of harassing communications, and a judge in Montgomery placed the 23-year-old man on probation.
read more here
Judge orders man to join military

Supporters line procession route of fallen Marine

Supporters line procession route of fallen Marine

By KEITH MORELLI The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 27, 2010

Tears welled up in Tom Allen's eyes even after the procession carrying the fallen Marine passed by on Bayshore Boulevard. Allen didn't know the man, actually teenager, in the hearse. Lance Cpl. Nathaniel J.A. Schultz of Safety Harbor was killed in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on Saturday.

Allen has never met the corporal's family.

But it feels like a member of his own family has died, Allen says. He feels the same way every time he comes out to pay his respects to fallen soldiers at these processions.
go here for more
Supporters line procession route of fallen Marine

VA/NIH Award $6 Million for Substance Abuse Research

VA/NIH Award $6 Million for Substance Abuse Research

Studies to Fill Knowledge Gaps about OIF/OEF Service Members

WASHINGTON - The Department of Veterans Affairs is partnering with the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) to award $6 million in grants for
research examining the link between substance abuse and military
deployments and combat-related trauma.

"VA has a commitment to meet the full range of our Veterans' physical
and mental health care needs, and that includes addressing substance
abuse," said Dr. Joel Kupersmith, VA's chief research and development
officer. "This coordinated research effort is one more way we are
turning that commitment into action."

NIH agencies taking part in the initiative are the National Institute on
Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and
the National Cancer Institute.

Several studies will look at treatment seeking patterns -- why and when
Veterans ask for help, and why many don't. Scientists will also explore
treatment strategies, including cognitive behavioral therapy and
Web-based approaches, as well as the most effective therapies for
soldiers who have other disorders, such as depression and substance
abuse.

Researchers will also determine if early intervention can improve
outcomes. Other projects will focus on how Veterans readjust to their
work and families after returning from war.

Institutions receiving the grants include Brandeis University; Dartmouth
College; the Medical University of South Carolina; the National
Development and Research Institutes in New York City; the University of
California, San Francisco; the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; the
University of Missouri in Columbia; and the VA medical centers in West
Haven, Conn.; Philadelphia; Little Rock, Ark.; and Seattle.

"These research projects will give us important information about the
ways that combat stress and substance abuse affect returning military
personnel and their families," said NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow.
"This knowledge will be used to improve our prevention and treatment
approaches, which we hope will reduce the burden of combat-related
trauma. Working cooperatively with VA and other partners will help in
finding solutions for this shared concern."

VA NIH Award 6 Million for Substance Abuse Research

Katrina Five Years After: Hurricane Left a Legacy of Health Concerns

Katrina Five Years After: Hurricane Left a Legacy of Health Concerns
Friday, August 27, 2010
By Brian Donnelly


Five years ago, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf region, killing nearly 2,000 and displacing more than 250,000 others from Louisiana to Florida. This week, in a series titled "Hurricane Katrina: Five Years After," FoxNews.com looks back on the costliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States.

When Hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans, leaving a legacy of death and destruction in its wake, the storm's immediate effects were evident. But now, five years later, the long-term effects on the devastated population’s mental and physical health still linger.

A study released this week linked the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history with a high incidence of anxiety in Gulf Coast-area children displaced by the hurricane, while another found increased sensitivity to mold in children with asthma whose homes were flooded.

“Being exposed to transient home situations, not being able to get access to care and the adversity of just the recovery process fraught with so many difficulties added and compounded the stress and trauma of being exposed to the devastation and personal loss of life and property during the event of the hurricane and the flooding itself,” said Anthony Speier, psychologist and deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Behavioral Health for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. “So that kind of set the stage for increased vulnerability of the population.”
read more here
Hurricane Left a Legacy of Health Concerns




Katrina's toll includes rise in suicide, mental illness

By Pam Firmin McClatchy Newspapers
BILOXI, Miss. — The last five years have been a mental health roller coaster for many among the Mississippi Gulf Coast's post-Hurricane Katrina population.

Suicides are up since Katrina hit on Aug. 29, 2005. More people are seeking treatment for substance abuse, therapists say, and post-traumatic stress disorder is on the rebound.

Though suicide numbers were higher in 2004 than in the years immediately after the storm, they have climbed in the years that followed. In Harrison County, the largest county on the Mississippi Coast, the number of people who committed suicide has increased since the storm from 30 in 2005 to 32 in 2006, 36 in 2007 and 44 in 2008.

Read more: Katrina and toll on mental health

2 GIs accused of using water punishment on kids

2 GIs accused of using water punishment on kids

The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 26, 2010 19:12:06 EDT

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Two Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers who live in Yelm were accused of using water punishments on their children in January.

The Olympian reports both soldiers had served in Iraq but the incidents were unrelated.
read more here
2 GIs accused of using water punishment on kids

8 firefighters hurt at Fort Bragg construction site

8 firefighters hurt at Bragg construction site

The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 26, 2010 19:14:15 EDT

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Eight firefighters were injured Thursday after a fire started in a barracks under construction here.

Fort Bragg officials said that six firefighters suffered smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion, and were treated at Womack Army Medical Center. Two firefighters were transported to Cape Fear Medical Center.

The fire started Thursday morning in a three-story building under construction near the 4th Brigade Combat Team barracks.

A statement issued by base officials said the fire was extinguished about 1:30 p.m., more than three hours after firefighters first arrived on the scene.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/08/ap-army-bragg-eight-firefighters-hurt-082610/

"War is hell" - and so is the aftermath

Dealing with troubled vets crucial
Aug 26, 2010

Veterans who served in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan are offered mental health care upon re-entry to American communities, but the possibility of tragedy remains. Last Friday's double-murder and suicide by a Hawaii veteran treated for post traumatic stress disorder is an extreme example of the need for more perceptive -- even aggressive -- measures to prevent violent outbreaks.

Clayborne Conley, a former Hawaii Army National Guardsman, shot and killed acquaintance Kristine Cass and her 13-year-old daughter, Saundra, before turning the gun on himself. Conley had been afflicted with insomnia, combat nightmares, morbid ruminations, suicidal thoughts and alcohol abuse upon his return to Hawaii from deployment in Iraq in 2005, according to court records.

In the years following his discharge, Conley was convicted of misdemeanors of assault and terroristic threatening. He was acquitted by reason of insanity in January 2009 of burglary and criminal property damage after entering a stranger's apartment and throwing furniture off the lanai two years earlier. Conley was committed to the Hawaii State Hospital and released in May of this year.

There were a lot of comments left on this but this one stands out.

kamaainaintx 23 hours ago

This editorial is tragically on the mark for our family. I was in combat in Korea and 'Nam, our grandson was in Gulf War II. He took his own life three years ago after struggling with the demons of war that still were with him. He took no one 'with him' but the result was devastating to us, nonetheless. There were few signs that we saw along the way - he had been participating in a VA program where he lived - to no apparent avail.

Some have said (cruelly, we might add) that 'he must have had those propensities before he enlisted'. If so, they were well-hidden for many years. He showed no such traits. It has been said that "War is hell" - and so is the aftermath.

We encourage all who have loved ones who may struggle with PTSD to heed the warning signs (if there are any that are visible) and be proactive in getting all the counseling and assistance that may be available.


Read more: Dealing with troubled vets crucial

Last weekend I posted the stories from Wisconsin and Hawaii. Both about National Guardsmen coming home with PTSD and both killing others before taking their own lives.

There was a comment on this blaming Democrats as if any of this is new. All wars produced emotional damage done to other humans but someone decided that this had to be made political. Guess it didn't matter that the numbers have been going up while political hacks stuck their fingers in their ears and said this country couldn't afford to increase funding for the DOD and the VA to care for the wounded because there were "two wars to pay for" at the same time neither war was included in the Presidential budget until Obama added them in. Just a shame all the way around but if people want to turn everything into some kind of political finger pointing, they should at least know what they are talking about.

Helping veterans has to be more than talking about it

I read reports everyday on what is happening to our veterans when they come home just as I read reports about the great and growing need of the members of the military still serving. I read about this group followed by another group jumping onto the gravy train pretending to be "doing something" to address the need. What I end up seeing is tiny action being taken with a small percentage of those in need actually being helped. Our troops and veterans tug at the heartstrings of the people of this country and we are a generous bunch. Program after program begs for funding and more attention so they can "deliver the care" that we all know is needed but no one is asking for any proof what they say they do actually works. After all these years, when you read the following it becomes clear that what all of these groups say they are delivering is not enough to really make a difference.

U.S. official: Help us help vets
Jobs are ultimate solution, he says
BY GREG GARDNER
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, urged local leaders to hire, educate and help find resources to support tens of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans returning to the most difficult economy in decades.

Speaking Thursday to the Detroit Economic Club, Mullen called on small business owners, hospital and college administrators to work with the Pentagon and the Veterans Administration to prevent veterans with medical and social needs from falling through the cracks.

"Hundreds of thousands, we're not sure quite frankly, are exhibiting the symptoms of and will have post-traumatic stress that all of us need to deal with," Mullen said.

Ultimately, jobs are the real solution. Mullen said the G.I. Bill is as robust now as it was after World War II. Once veterans get enrolled in universities and community college, they also are more likely to find social services.

Homelessness among veterans also must be addressed, said Mullen, a Vietnam War veteran. He said it took nearly 10 years before significant numbers of homeless Vietnam vets began showing up.

Read more: U.S. official: Help us help vets

I am not saying we should stop supporting charities trying to help but we should be asking for proof of what they claim. We can see some groups making a difference, like Habitat for Humanity because we can see a house built. We can see it in homeless shelters because we see veterans in beds, being fed and provided with clothes. What we cannot see is programs that claim to be "curing" or healing them when we see the results in suicides, attempted suicides, homelessness, arrests and families falling apart all going up.

There are groups that claim to be doing something about PTSD and they have the publicity to make people believe what they say but when asked for specifics, asked to provide proof of their programs working, there is silence.

Hyperbaric therapy not proved to help PTSD


By Letters To The Editor For Friday, Aug. 27

I appreciate that your article on the use of hyperbaric oxygen for blast-related traumatic brain injuries made clear that there is no compelling evidence supporting the efficacy of this treatment for this condition, particularly when the patient undergoes therapy months or even years after his or her accident ("A Lot of Hot Air," Aug. 14).

The article does not, however, mention the serious potential for psychological harm that any unknown or unproven treatment carries, especially in a context of severely "dysfunctional" and desperate patients as described by the physical therapist Ray Cralle. The article should make clear that hyperbaric therapy has no known benefit for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. The fact that Mr. Cralle is "pleased with the success he has seen with his four veterans" does not constitute evidence of effectiveness or positive benefit in scientific terms.

In fact, your article incorrectly refers to Mr. Cralle's program as "a bold experiment." A true experiment, however, would require objectively verifiable criteria for defining a therapeutic effect, independent judges who do not have a vested interest in the outcome of the program, large control and treatment groups, as well as objective cognitive assessment both before and after treatment is received. In more basic terms, people receiving hyperbaric treatment would need to be compared with comparably injured people who did not receive any treatment at all. Ordinarily, such research is not designed, conducted, reviewed or published by physical therapists.

DAVID S. BUSH, PH.D.

Does it help some? Depends on who tries it and what caused the damage. There is no one size fits all. No one expects there to be one "cure" for all but we should expect proof of what people claim and not just for today but for followup proof that it lasts or is just a short fix.

When there are PTSD programs, we need to know if they work and if the family is helped to stay together. If not then we will see more homeless veterans. What no one talks about is what remains of the family members. How are they psychologically and emotionally? How are the kids adjusting? Does the family blame themselves for the veteran becoming homeless? Did they know all they needed to know to stay together? Did they get enough support but just decided they didn't want to do it anymore?

What about suicide and attempted suicide? Did the veteran get all they needed to be able to heal? Did the family know what they needed to know? Did they learn enough after to be able to forgive themselves and understand that it was not their fault? Where are the support groups? What about the extended family members and friends? Do they have support?

There is so much that is not being talked about. We will not be able to really get ahead of the drama being played in hundreds of thousands of homes everyday until we start to get answers to the rest of the story.

Homemade bombs kill 3 US troops in Afghanistan

Homemade bombs kill 3 US troops in Afghanistan
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN (AP) – 56 minutes ago

KABUL, Afghanistan — Homemade bombs killed three U.S. troops in southern and eastern Afghanistan on Friday, and a roadside bomb tore through a crowded market in the increasingly volatile north, killing three police and two civilians.

No other details about the attacks on the U.S. troops were given by NATO and the identities of those killed were not immediately released in keeping with standard procedure.

A total of 55 foreign troops have been killed in Afghanistan this month, including 35 Americans, according to a count by The Associated Press. July was the deadliest month for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion, with 66 killed.

U.S. troops make up about 100,000 of the 120,000-strong foreign military contingent in Afghanistan, most of them in the south and east where the Taliban is most deeply entrenched.
read more here
Homemade bombs kill 3 US troops in Afghanistan