Confessions of an over 50 college student
by
Chaplain Kathie
Hard to believe I'm heading into the 4Th week of college. Not that it is so hard the time has gone by so fast but that I survived this long! One thing wrong at a time, feeling totally lost learning how to use a MAC while trying to keep my PC from doing the death rattle, topped off with a heavy dose of tech programs that would make anyone my age want to run away. It hasn't been all bad. Some of these programs have me all excited about the potential these challenges will provide in the long run if my professors don't kill me first. I am attending Valencia Community College and going for a certificate in Digital Media and Post Production. It would be great to be able to find a job that pays after all of this but that was not the goal when I decided to go. I wanted to make videos a lot better than I have been. Teaching myself how to make them was one thing but these programs are amazing! They are also complicated but I am in a learning curve since I've been out of school so long.
Two years ago I trained with other people my age or older to be a Chaplain. Since then it's been one training after another, again with people in my age group. We all had the same problems along with a lot in common. Twelve years ago I went back to college for a certificate in Microsoft Office programs. That grouping was a blend of all ages and most of us were there because of our jobs. The "new" programs back then were required for most of the jobs people like me had been doing since high school. Speaking of high school, when I went nothing was done on a computer! We were lucky to have a typing class on electric typewriters. (It is like just having a keyboard attached to a printer and it is all powered by your brain connected to your fingers. No spell check!)
So now I am in class with a bunch of great kids my daughter's age and I feel like a proud Mom astounded by what they are able to do along with a heavy dose of possibilities as they think about what they want to do in life. They were flying through the lessons while I was still trying to keep my files off the desktop and put into the "docking" station at the bottom of the MAC. Once I finally figured out where all the minimized files I had went to, it was too late to figure out where the professor had jumped too. Thank God there is a great kid next to me to help me find what I thought was lost. I have an online class I totally blew and I'll be lucky if I can ever make up for giving that professor gray hair. Then I have an art class when for whatever reason, I'm doing well even though I used to have trouble connecting the dots. What really has me nervous is as hard as these three classes are, there is another one starting next month! Lord have mercy on me.
That leads me to the next point of all of this. I spent the last 15 years or so online trying to reach out to the younger generation almost as hard as I had been trying to reach the veterans from Vietnam. To be able to do it right, I had to learn how to use things from the world they live in and then run with them. People are still people no matter how old they are and something like PTSD does not change. The way we help them has to change or it will do little good. There are organizations all over the country, established and with plenty of knowledge along with power but what they don't have is someone to catch them up to speed on how people communicate now.
They don't want to read a book. They want to read a Facebook post or a Tweet. They don't want to watch a documentary, they want to watch a movie. They don't play bingo or board games, they play video games. While all the other things are find and dandy depending on the generation you are trying to deal with, all you do has to be geared to where they are. We can put our foot down and say they have a lot to learn from us. While that is absolutely true, we cannot forget that we have a lot to learn from them. Too tell you the truth, I learn a lot more from watching a report than reading one. I read way too many emails and then follow the links to a fraction of the posts you read here. Honestly, I am bored with the vast majority of them. I especially don't like the reports that have no emotion tied to them as if reporters are holding their noses having to report on a soldier's death just offering his name, age, maybe if you're lucky they'll toss in where he went to school but for the most part it is a blend of the DOD release and an obituary. Anything personal is just too much for them to pay attention to. I pass those right by because I won't glorify some hack that can't give a fallen solider a little bit of interest. Anyway, all that aside, since I am used to reading these reports, if I get bored, than don't you think someone not used to reading them would zone out and quit reading?
We have to keep up with them or we will be letting them all down.
If you happen to be in college with more life experience than most of your classmates have been alive, reach out a hand to them and don't you dare be ashamed you have to ask them for help. After all, think of it this way. They have no clue how to change the channel on the TV if they can't find the remote! We know what hardship is because we had to get up and do it all the time.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Solution for an Army epidemic at Fort Gordon
Solution for an Army epidemic Feedback...
Why is it important to give to Combined Federal Campaign?
Staff Sgt. E. Douglas Blair III
Special to The Signal
By Bonnie Heater Feedback...
When I started studying journalism in college I asked my professor what was in a great journalistic piece. He said that the trick was to take a subject and try to answer the questions that the normal person might have by the end of the article. This is no easy task with a subject like suicides in the Army and how to prevent them. The suicide rate has become an epidemic and if that word isn’t scary enough, then numbers like one Soldier every three days commits suicide should mortify you. In fact, according to the Department of Defense, the rate of suicides has increased from a record high of 128 in 2008 to a whopping 147 reported suicides in 2009 and over 170 this fiscal year. Nearly everyone has been touched in some form or fashion by suicide. Soldiers, like myself, are required to attend a class every six months or so and told how to deal with a fellow Soldier that is feeling depressed. Ask, Care and Escort have been the mantra of recent years and each Soldier is required to have an ACE card with them at all times. But what do we ask and how do we care and what if there is no one readily available to deal with a Soldier, friend, loved one, co-worker, etc. that has real feelings of suicide? The ACE card is like putting a bandage on a sucking chest wound (by the way, all chest wounds suck).
read more here
Solution for an Army epidemic
Why is it important to give to Combined Federal Campaign?
Staff Sgt. E. Douglas Blair III
Special to The Signal
By Bonnie Heater Feedback...
When I started studying journalism in college I asked my professor what was in a great journalistic piece. He said that the trick was to take a subject and try to answer the questions that the normal person might have by the end of the article. This is no easy task with a subject like suicides in the Army and how to prevent them. The suicide rate has become an epidemic and if that word isn’t scary enough, then numbers like one Soldier every three days commits suicide should mortify you. In fact, according to the Department of Defense, the rate of suicides has increased from a record high of 128 in 2008 to a whopping 147 reported suicides in 2009 and over 170 this fiscal year. Nearly everyone has been touched in some form or fashion by suicide. Soldiers, like myself, are required to attend a class every six months or so and told how to deal with a fellow Soldier that is feeling depressed. Ask, Care and Escort have been the mantra of recent years and each Soldier is required to have an ACE card with them at all times. But what do we ask and how do we care and what if there is no one readily available to deal with a Soldier, friend, loved one, co-worker, etc. that has real feelings of suicide? The ACE card is like putting a bandage on a sucking chest wound (by the way, all chest wounds suck).
read more here
Solution for an Army epidemic
Friday, September 17, 2010
Fort Bragg reassures homes OK after baby deaths
Bragg reassures homes OK after baby deaths
Chief of staff for 82nd Airborne says he’s confident housing is safe
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Sep 17, 2010 17:22:06 EDT
SPOUT SPRINGS, N.C. — Fort Bragg officials are telling military families they don't need to fear for their children's health while living in housing on the sprawling Army post.
The Fayetteville Observer reported military leaders held a community meeting Thursday at an elementary school in Spout Springs. They wanted to answer questions about an Army investigation of the unexplained deaths of 10 infants in Fort Bragg housing in recent years.
About 70 people attended the meeting.
read more here
Bragg reassures homes OK after baby deaths
also on this story
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
10 infant deaths investigated at Fort Bragg
Chief of staff for 82nd Airborne says he’s confident housing is safe
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Sep 17, 2010 17:22:06 EDT
SPOUT SPRINGS, N.C. — Fort Bragg officials are telling military families they don't need to fear for their children's health while living in housing on the sprawling Army post.
The Fayetteville Observer reported military leaders held a community meeting Thursday at an elementary school in Spout Springs. They wanted to answer questions about an Army investigation of the unexplained deaths of 10 infants in Fort Bragg housing in recent years.
About 70 people attended the meeting.
read more here
Bragg reassures homes OK after baby deaths
also on this story
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
10 infant deaths investigated at Fort Bragg
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer on President's Advisory Committee
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release September 15, 2010
President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts
WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key administration posts:
Jill Appell, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Pamela G. Bailey, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
C. Fred Bergsten, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Bobbi Brown, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Michael E. Campbell, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Lisa Carty, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Governor Chris Christie, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Michael Ducker, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Mayor Buddy Dyer, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations John B. Emerson, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Bill Frenzel, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Dean Garfield, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Leo W. Gerard, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Joseph T. Hansen, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
James P. Hoffa, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Robert Holleyman, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Sandra Kennedy, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Jim Kolbe, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Fred Krupp, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
David Lane, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Kase Lawal, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Robert A. McDonald, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Harold McGraw III, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Wade Randlett, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Robert W. Roche, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Matthew Rubel, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
David H. Segura, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Bob Stallman, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
John Surma, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Luis Ubiñas, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
President Obama said, “I am grateful that these highly qualified men and women have agreed to lend their talents to this administration as we work to boost our nation’s exports over the next five years. When ninety-five percent of the world’s customers are beyond our borders, it is crucial that we compete for that business and those jobs. And we need to do so in a way that is responsible and fair, and that levels the playing field for American workers. I look forward to the wise counsel these individuals will provide on these issues as we work together in the coming months and years.”
The Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations is tasked with providing policy advice on trade matters, and is made up of members who broadly represent key sectors and groups of the economy. The President will announce additional members to this Committee at a later date.
read more here
President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release September 15, 2010
President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts
WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key administration posts:
Jill Appell, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Pamela G. Bailey, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
C. Fred Bergsten, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Bobbi Brown, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Michael E. Campbell, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Lisa Carty, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Governor Chris Christie, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Michael Ducker, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Mayor Buddy Dyer, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations John B. Emerson, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Bill Frenzel, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Dean Garfield, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Leo W. Gerard, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Joseph T. Hansen, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
James P. Hoffa, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Robert Holleyman, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Sandra Kennedy, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Jim Kolbe, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Fred Krupp, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
David Lane, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Kase Lawal, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Robert A. McDonald, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Harold McGraw III, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Wade Randlett, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Robert W. Roche, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Matthew Rubel, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
David H. Segura, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Bob Stallman, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
John Surma, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
Luis Ubiñas, Member, Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
President Obama said, “I am grateful that these highly qualified men and women have agreed to lend their talents to this administration as we work to boost our nation’s exports over the next five years. When ninety-five percent of the world’s customers are beyond our borders, it is crucial that we compete for that business and those jobs. And we need to do so in a way that is responsible and fair, and that levels the playing field for American workers. I look forward to the wise counsel these individuals will provide on these issues as we work together in the coming months and years.”
The Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations is tasked with providing policy advice on trade matters, and is made up of members who broadly represent key sectors and groups of the economy. The President will announce additional members to this Committee at a later date.
read more here
President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts
When Stubborn Pride Takes Control, time to sort out excuses from issues
This was sent from Lily Casura over at Healing Combat Trauma and it is a wonderful piece written by a Vietnam vet trying to come to terms with life in this "new normal" world.
When Is PTSD NOT PTSD? When Stubborn Pride Takes Control
From the subject of "Eyewitness to Combat," a Vietnam vet, Marine, with 40 years of "experience" on the subject:
When Is PTSD NOT PTSD? When Stubborn Pride Takes Control
Editor's note: We're not giving you medical or psychological advice here; consult with your own health care practitioner for that. What we are doing is sharing a longtime PTSD sufferer's opinion with you about his own situation, on the off-chance that it may instruct or enlighten. We have the feeling, now that he's outed himself, others may quite enjoy learning the distinctions he shares from his own life. And when we say "others," we mean spouses, significant others and family members...
From the subject of "Eyewitness to Combat," a Vietnam vet, Marine, with 40 years of "experience" on the subject:
"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has many faces and it sometimes masquerades as a behavioral problem; conversely, there are times when behavioral abnormalities masquerade as PTSD. In other words, sometimes PTSD is mistaken for just stubborn Pride; and sometimes stubborn Pride is excused as PTSD. There is also a third face, the one in which we appear completely “Normal.” So the “trick” becomes knowing which one is in control – the PTSD one; the PRIDEFUL one; or the NORMAL one.
One of the most frustrating and difficult problems in sorting this out with traumatized MST or PTSD combat vets is that by their very nature, MST and PTSD sufferers are very complicated individuals, to say the least. It’s almost as if we are different people at different times. And in fact we are. My wife used to say she “never knew which one” of me “was coming home.” In other words: “PTSD really screws us up: mentally, emotionally, socially, personally, professionally and physically”. However on many of the occasions that get blamed on PTSD, it is in fact our own personality “quirks” that have intervened, kidnapped and magnified the suffering from PTSD. And in the healing process, this habitual behavior must be sorted out before any true healing can “stick.” It’s true that we can be healed from our PTSD “disorder” but also allow our pride, habitual bad habits and negative attitude to completely mask any real improvement.read more here
Michigan airman killed while disposing explosives in Iraq
Michigan airman killed while disposing explosives in Iraq
BY MATT HELMS
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
An airman from west Michigan has died in Iraq, killed while disposing of undetonated explosives.
Military officials on Wednesday notified the family of Senior Airman Jimmy Hansen, 25, that he was killed while on duty at Joint Base Balad, an air base about 42 miles north of Baghdad.
The Defense Department issued an official news release Thursday, saying Hansen died Wednesday of wounds from a controlled detonation.
"He went down to help a fellow Air Force member dispose of some undetonated explosives, and something went wrong," Hansen's brother, Rich Hansen Jr., told the Free Press on Thursday. "That's all we've got right now."
Read more: Michigan airman killed while disposing explosives in Iraq freep.com Detroit Free Press Michigan airman killed while disposing explosives in Iraq
BY MATT HELMS
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
An airman from west Michigan has died in Iraq, killed while disposing of undetonated explosives.
Military officials on Wednesday notified the family of Senior Airman Jimmy Hansen, 25, that he was killed while on duty at Joint Base Balad, an air base about 42 miles north of Baghdad.
The Defense Department issued an official news release Thursday, saying Hansen died Wednesday of wounds from a controlled detonation.
"He went down to help a fellow Air Force member dispose of some undetonated explosives, and something went wrong," Hansen's brother, Rich Hansen Jr., told the Free Press on Thursday. "That's all we've got right now."
Read more: Michigan airman killed while disposing explosives in Iraq freep.com Detroit Free Press Michigan airman killed while disposing explosives in Iraq
Arlington officials broke their word to Marine's Dad on disinterment
Marine's father: Arlington officials broke their word on disinterment
Scott Warner just wanted to make sure his son's remains were properly buried, but officials wouldn't cooperate
Scott Warner traveled to Washington from Canton, Ohio, this week for the disinterment of his son’s remains at Arlington National Cemetery. Warner wanted to be sure his son Heath, a Marine killed in Iraq in 2006, was buried in the right spot. He was worried because the Arlington National Cemetery scandal, uncovered by Salon in a yearlong investigation, had unnerved him, and some of his son’s burial paperwork contained disturbing discrepancies.
The media covered Heath’s disinterment Wednesday closely, including the conclusion that Heath was buried correctly. But that's far from the whole story.
"This thing has been portrayed as some big success story," Warner told Salon during a telephone interview Thursday as he drove back to Ohio. "It was a disaster. It was a desecration of honor."
It was also macabre. Warner says what really happened that day shows just how far the public trust in Arlington has evaporated and that the Army should be stripped of oversight of the cemetery. "Did I expect to be digging through my son’s casket looking for an arm? No," he said.
"For a family to go through what my family went through yesterday is beyond reproach."
read more here
Arlington officials broke their word on disinterment
Scott Warner just wanted to make sure his son's remains were properly buried, but officials wouldn't cooperate
Scott Warner traveled to Washington from Canton, Ohio, this week for the disinterment of his son’s remains at Arlington National Cemetery. Warner wanted to be sure his son Heath, a Marine killed in Iraq in 2006, was buried in the right spot. He was worried because the Arlington National Cemetery scandal, uncovered by Salon in a yearlong investigation, had unnerved him, and some of his son’s burial paperwork contained disturbing discrepancies.
The media covered Heath’s disinterment Wednesday closely, including the conclusion that Heath was buried correctly. But that's far from the whole story.
"This thing has been portrayed as some big success story," Warner told Salon during a telephone interview Thursday as he drove back to Ohio. "It was a disaster. It was a desecration of honor."
It was also macabre. Warner says what really happened that day shows just how far the public trust in Arlington has evaporated and that the Army should be stripped of oversight of the cemetery. "Did I expect to be digging through my son’s casket looking for an arm? No," he said.
"For a family to go through what my family went through yesterday is beyond reproach."
read more here
Arlington officials broke their word on disinterment
Camp Lejeune cancer link is not a rumor
To this day, after all these years, many ex-Marines have no clue about any of this. Some think it's just a rumor and they don't think it is real. How could anyone easily understand that serving this country would put them in danger on US soil on their own base? They simply haven't been paying attention to what has been released about toxic bases around the country any more than they have been told by the broadcast media about any of this. When they hear reports from friends or by email, they think is has to be a rumor or they would have heard about it watching the news.
Marines with cancer decry Corps' silence about tainted water
They tell Congress of their struggle to get full disclosure about contamination at Camp Lejeune.
By Kim Geiger, Tribune Washington Bureau
September 16, 2010
Reporting from Washington — When Peter Devereaux arrived at Camp Lejeune in December 1980, he had no idea that officials were looking into unsafe levels of toxic chemicals in the drinking water.
As a Marine stationed at the sprawling military base along the North Carolina shore, Devereaux said, he led a healthy lifestyle. When he was diagnosed in early 2008 with a rare disease — male breast cancer — Devereaux did not connect his illness to Camp Lejeune.
But six months after he'd had his left breast and 22 cancerous lymph nodes removed, he received a letter from the Department of the Navy informing him that in the 1980s, "unregulated chemicals were discovered" in the drinking water at the camp's Hadnot Point water distribution system.
Drinking water in various areas of the camp had been contaminated with trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene — chemicals used to clean metals and dry-clean clothes — and benzene, a chemical found in fuel. All are believed to cause cancer.
read more here
Marines with cancer decry Corps silence
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Murder-suicide at Johns Hopkins Hospital
Hospital Gunman Kills Mother, Self After Shooting Doctor
Mara Gay
Contributor
(Sept. 16) -- A gunman wounded a doctor inside Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital today, then fatally shot his mother and himself, police said.
Police had partially evacuated the building while pursuing the suspect.
The gunman, Warren Davis, 50, shot the doctor after receiving some upsetting news about his mother's condition, Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld told reporters.
"Mr. Davis was receiving some news about the care and condition of his mother just outside the doorway to that room when he became emotionally distraught," Bealefeld said.
read more here
Hospital Gunman Kills Mother Self After Shooting Doctor
Mara Gay
Contributor
(Sept. 16) -- A gunman wounded a doctor inside Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital today, then fatally shot his mother and himself, police said.
Police had partially evacuated the building while pursuing the suspect.
The gunman, Warren Davis, 50, shot the doctor after receiving some upsetting news about his mother's condition, Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld told reporters.
"Mr. Davis was receiving some news about the care and condition of his mother just outside the doorway to that room when he became emotionally distraught," Bealefeld said.
read more here
Hospital Gunman Kills Mother Self After Shooting Doctor
3 bodies found in wrong graves at Arlington
3 bodies found in wrong graves at Arlington
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Sep 15, 2010 15:44:59 EDT
WASHINGTON — Arlington National Cemetery has discovered three people buried in the wrong graves.
The Army said Wednesday that officials opened three burial sites last month and found that the remains in each had been interred in mismarked graves.
read more here
3 bodies found in wrong graves at Arlington
As you can read here, there have been problems with Arlington for a very long time.
We as a nation do a lot of talking about how much they mean to us. We have these elaborate ceremonies with honor guards, folding of the flags followed by presenting it to the families of the fallen with the words, "On behalf of a grateful nation" and then that is all we need to know. But our professed devotion to them should go so much deeper than that.
We should care enough to know all the facts before we send them into combat. We need to make damn sure the risk to their lives is worth it or not. We need to make sure they have the best plans, equipment and training possible. We also need to know if the medical end of the Department of Defense along with the Veterans Administration are prepared to care for the wounded for however long they need it. This and so much more need to be known before they are even sent.
When they are deployed, we need to hold the President and the Congress accountable for what is happening to them. If they tell us it will be quick, then we need to start to ask what is going wrong if it is taking much longer than they expected. We should ask if anyone is being held accountable for the planning failing and then ask what other plans are being implemented to finish the combat operations.
Some in this country are focused on spending cuts today but they were no where to be found when contractors were billing for things they didn't deliver on, paid for work done that caused the troops more harm and actions that may have even prolonged combat operations in Iraq. This was our obligation to the men and women we sent into Iraq and Afghanistan. It is our obligation all the time but we ignore it.
Some in this country did not want the troops to receive a pay raise but they wouldn't trade jobs with them. Some didn't want the educational bill to provide them with educations that would sustain the rest of their lives, the same lives they were willing to risk in service to this nation. Some in this country want to see the VA privatized, view it as a welfare program that should be cut and use it as a tool to cut the deficit so they can provide the wealthy 2% tax cuts funding their lives off the service of our men and women risking their's.
Yes, if you listen to some of the politicians, this is exactly what they say their goal is. These are the same people who claim they "support the troops" and are the patriots of the country but when all is said and done, they are the first ones to turn their backs on the veterans and the wounded.
We have a beautiful cemetery at Arlington but the beauty is only what you can see. To discover that headstones were used as drainage, burials were botched and what we cannot see was a cluster of disgrace, it is a reflection of the way we treat all of them. What we cannot see doesn't matter because it is easy to hide.
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Sep 15, 2010 15:44:59 EDT
WASHINGTON — Arlington National Cemetery has discovered three people buried in the wrong graves.
The Army said Wednesday that officials opened three burial sites last month and found that the remains in each had been interred in mismarked graves.
read more here
3 bodies found in wrong graves at Arlington
As you can read here, there have been problems with Arlington for a very long time.
STATEMENT OF MR BRIAN E BURKE
PRINCIPAL DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE ARMY
(CIVIL WORKS)
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS
UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ON THE ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
MAY 20, 1999
We as a nation do a lot of talking about how much they mean to us. We have these elaborate ceremonies with honor guards, folding of the flags followed by presenting it to the families of the fallen with the words, "On behalf of a grateful nation" and then that is all we need to know. But our professed devotion to them should go so much deeper than that.
We should care enough to know all the facts before we send them into combat. We need to make damn sure the risk to their lives is worth it or not. We need to make sure they have the best plans, equipment and training possible. We also need to know if the medical end of the Department of Defense along with the Veterans Administration are prepared to care for the wounded for however long they need it. This and so much more need to be known before they are even sent.
When they are deployed, we need to hold the President and the Congress accountable for what is happening to them. If they tell us it will be quick, then we need to start to ask what is going wrong if it is taking much longer than they expected. We should ask if anyone is being held accountable for the planning failing and then ask what other plans are being implemented to finish the combat operations.
Some in this country are focused on spending cuts today but they were no where to be found when contractors were billing for things they didn't deliver on, paid for work done that caused the troops more harm and actions that may have even prolonged combat operations in Iraq. This was our obligation to the men and women we sent into Iraq and Afghanistan. It is our obligation all the time but we ignore it.
Some in this country did not want the troops to receive a pay raise but they wouldn't trade jobs with them. Some didn't want the educational bill to provide them with educations that would sustain the rest of their lives, the same lives they were willing to risk in service to this nation. Some in this country want to see the VA privatized, view it as a welfare program that should be cut and use it as a tool to cut the deficit so they can provide the wealthy 2% tax cuts funding their lives off the service of our men and women risking their's.
Yes, if you listen to some of the politicians, this is exactly what they say their goal is. These are the same people who claim they "support the troops" and are the patriots of the country but when all is said and done, they are the first ones to turn their backs on the veterans and the wounded.
We have a beautiful cemetery at Arlington but the beauty is only what you can see. To discover that headstones were used as drainage, burials were botched and what we cannot see was a cluster of disgrace, it is a reflection of the way we treat all of them. What we cannot see doesn't matter because it is easy to hide.
Heroes Awards of Valor for 39 police officers and firefighters
39 area police officers and firefighters receive Heroes Awards of Valor
By Michael Brocker
Inquirer Staff Writer
There were moments when Upper Darby Police Officer Raymond Blohm thought about quitting his dream job and never returning to the streets again.
"I had doubts and, yes, a lot of sleepless nights at first," he said of a shooting this year that left him injured and struggling with questions about his career.
Blohm was among 39 police officers and firefighters from Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania suburbs, and Delaware who received Heroes Awards of Valor at the National Liberty Museum on Wednesday night. It was the fifth year that the Center City museum had honored these men and women - and an occasional canine - for their courage and service.
"What these guys do is just extraordinary heroism," said Doug Tozour, president of the National Liberty Museum. "The policemen and firefighters risk their lives without a thought. That's what heroism is all about. This award will help to get them a little more recognition."
The honorees are traditionally chosen by the heads of the Fire and Police Departments.
"We could have named hundreds more," Philadelphia Fire Capt. Kevin O'Mally said.
Read more: Heroes Awards of Valor
Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else
By Michael Brocker
Inquirer Staff Writer
There were moments when Upper Darby Police Officer Raymond Blohm thought about quitting his dream job and never returning to the streets again.
"I had doubts and, yes, a lot of sleepless nights at first," he said of a shooting this year that left him injured and struggling with questions about his career.
Blohm was among 39 police officers and firefighters from Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania suburbs, and Delaware who received Heroes Awards of Valor at the National Liberty Museum on Wednesday night. It was the fifth year that the Center City museum had honored these men and women - and an occasional canine - for their courage and service.
"What these guys do is just extraordinary heroism," said Doug Tozour, president of the National Liberty Museum. "The policemen and firefighters risk their lives without a thought. That's what heroism is all about. This award will help to get them a little more recognition."
The honorees are traditionally chosen by the heads of the Fire and Police Departments.
"We could have named hundreds more," Philadelphia Fire Capt. Kevin O'Mally said.
Diablo, a specially trained Belgian Malinois who supports the patrol and narcotic units of the New Castle County Police Department, received the K-9 Hero Award.
Read more: Heroes Awards of Valor
Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Portraits of the Fallen
Portraits of the Fallen
An artist named Kaziah Hancock paints portraits of fallen soldiers free of charge for their families as part of Project Compassion. Video by KARE 11/ Minneapolis/ St. Paul.
She painted almost 250 so far. Why? Kaziah says "I don't get into the political crap. I just love freedom." and she loves them.
An artist named Kaziah Hancock paints portraits of fallen soldiers free of charge for their families as part of Project Compassion. Video by KARE 11/ Minneapolis/ St. Paul.
She painted almost 250 so far. Why? Kaziah says "I don't get into the political crap. I just love freedom." and she loves them.
70 years on, Battle of Britain pilots remember
70 years on, Battle of Britain pilots remember
By JILL LAWLESS (AP) – 5 hours ago
LONDON — Owen Burns remembers the cold, the howling wind, and the silk underwear he wore to protect him from the bitter cold. Ken Wilkinson recalls the solitude of combat, Nigel Rose the perverse disappointment of coming back from a mission unscathed.
They are a dwindling band, these men with firsthand memories of the Battle of Britain, an aerial fight for survival that came to a head 70 years ago Wednesday — and marked a turning point of World War II. They are modest icons, happy to reminisce and keep the past alive, but reluctant to dwell on either their bravery or their fear.
"There were times when you were really frightened, without a doubt," said Rose, a former Spitfire fighter pilot who is still dapper at 92. "But there wasn't much time to be really scared in the air."
Between July 10 and Oct. 31, 1940, German bombers pounded Britain's ports, airfields and cities in a bid to destroy its defenses in preparation for either invasion or surrender. France had already fallen to Adolf Hitler and the British army had been evacuated in disarray from Dunkirk.
The fate of Britain lay in the hands of men, barely out of their teens, sent up in Spitfires and Hurricanes to confront waves of Luftwaffe bombers. They are known as "The Few," from Prime Minister Winston Churchill's tribute: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
Sept. 15 was the symbolic climax to the battle, a day of heavy fighting in which British pilots shot down 60 German planes — though British propaganda at the time claimed three times as many. It is now commemorated as Battle of Britain Day, and veterans are gathering in London Wednesday for the unveiling of a bronze statue of Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park, the Royal Air Force commander in charge of defending the capital and southeast England.
Of almost 3,000 British and Allied airmen who flew in the battle, more than 544 were killed. Almost 800 more died before the end of the war.
read more here
70 years on Battle of Britain pilots remember
By JILL LAWLESS (AP) – 5 hours ago
LONDON — Owen Burns remembers the cold, the howling wind, and the silk underwear he wore to protect him from the bitter cold. Ken Wilkinson recalls the solitude of combat, Nigel Rose the perverse disappointment of coming back from a mission unscathed.
They are a dwindling band, these men with firsthand memories of the Battle of Britain, an aerial fight for survival that came to a head 70 years ago Wednesday — and marked a turning point of World War II. They are modest icons, happy to reminisce and keep the past alive, but reluctant to dwell on either their bravery or their fear.
"There were times when you were really frightened, without a doubt," said Rose, a former Spitfire fighter pilot who is still dapper at 92. "But there wasn't much time to be really scared in the air."
Between July 10 and Oct. 31, 1940, German bombers pounded Britain's ports, airfields and cities in a bid to destroy its defenses in preparation for either invasion or surrender. France had already fallen to Adolf Hitler and the British army had been evacuated in disarray from Dunkirk.
The fate of Britain lay in the hands of men, barely out of their teens, sent up in Spitfires and Hurricanes to confront waves of Luftwaffe bombers. They are known as "The Few," from Prime Minister Winston Churchill's tribute: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
Sept. 15 was the symbolic climax to the battle, a day of heavy fighting in which British pilots shot down 60 German planes — though British propaganda at the time claimed three times as many. It is now commemorated as Battle of Britain Day, and veterans are gathering in London Wednesday for the unveiling of a bronze statue of Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park, the Royal Air Force commander in charge of defending the capital and southeast England.
Of almost 3,000 British and Allied airmen who flew in the battle, more than 544 were killed. Almost 800 more died before the end of the war.
read more here
70 years on Battle of Britain pilots remember
Fourmile Canyon Firefighters at Risk for PTSD
If you are a firefighter, no matter where you are or how long you've been one, if you have a hard time "getting over it" then go for help to talk things over and get it all out. You need professional help for one simple reason. People are not trained to listen to what you may need to say anymore than they are trained to know what to say to you in return. Talking about the event and how you feel about it helps you to heal. Don't put it off. The sooner you get help for what you went through, the better.
September 15, 2010
Fourmile Canyon Firefighters at Risk
BOULDER, Colo. - Many of the firefighters at the Fourmile Canyon Fire lived in the mountain canyons outside of Boulder, where the flames scorched more than 6,000 acres. Experts say that close personal connection to the fire could put them at risk for post traumatic stress disorder - PTSD. Dr. Neil Weiner, director of Clinical Services at the University of Colorado Depression Center explains.
"I think loss of those kinds of personal affects, of memories, potential financial losses all can congeal and really increase the risk of post traumatic stress disorder."
Weiner says some depression or stress for a few weeks after this sort of event is normal, including flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, or insomnia. He notes if symptoms linger for more than three months that can be a sign that PTSD has developed, and the individual should seek help.
read more here
Fourmile Canyon Firefighters at Risk
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Mom pleads guilty to stabbing soldier daughter
Mom pleads guilty to stabbing soldier daughter
Posted : Tuesday Sep 14, 2010 11:09:30 EDT
GREENVILLE, N.C. — A South Carolina woman has pleaded guilty in the February stabbing death of her daughter, a soldier based in North Carolina.
Multiple media outlets report that Linda Shannon of Bethune, S.C., pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder in federal court in Greenville.
The 50-year-old told investigators she snapped after her daughter, 32-year-old Autumn Shannon, called her a bad mother.
The active duty soldier stationed at Fort Bragg was found with multiple stab wounds and a large knife in her neck when military police arrived at her home on the post.
Court documents say Linda Shannon was staying with her daughter while the younger woman recovered from a car accident.
Linda Shannon is scheduled to be sentenced in New Bern in December.
Mom pleads guilty to stabbing soldier daughter
Posted : Tuesday Sep 14, 2010 11:09:30 EDT
GREENVILLE, N.C. — A South Carolina woman has pleaded guilty in the February stabbing death of her daughter, a soldier based in North Carolina.
Multiple media outlets report that Linda Shannon of Bethune, S.C., pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder in federal court in Greenville.
The 50-year-old told investigators she snapped after her daughter, 32-year-old Autumn Shannon, called her a bad mother.
The active duty soldier stationed at Fort Bragg was found with multiple stab wounds and a large knife in her neck when military police arrived at her home on the post.
Court documents say Linda Shannon was staying with her daughter while the younger woman recovered from a car accident.
Linda Shannon is scheduled to be sentenced in New Bern in December.
Mom pleads guilty to stabbing soldier daughter
Moving Wall comes to Sebring
John Vawter, commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4300 in Sebring, is organizing a fundraising effort to bring The Moving Wall, a half-sized replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, to Sebring in November. To bring the memorial to Sebring, Vawter needs to raise another $4,600.
Moving Wall comes to Sebring
By AIYANA BAIDA
Highlands Today
Published: September 14, 2010
SEBRING - The Moving Wall - a traveling half size replica of the Washington, D.C. Vietnam Veterans Memorial - is stopping in Sebring in November.
That's if John E. Vawter Sr., commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4300, can raise the remaining $4,600 to bring the wall here.
His mission to raise $10,000 to bring the Moving Wall to Sebring began last October. So far the organization has received $5,400 in donations from organizations like the Veterans Council of Highlands County.
With less than two months left, they need community support to help them raise the remaining money.
Raising the funds has been their biggest challenge.
"Money is scarce," Vawter said.
But Vawter has no doubts they will succeed.
read more here
Moving Wall comes to Sebring
Soldier admits killing two soldiers from Florida
Soldier admits killing 2 roommates in northern NY
(AP) – 5 hours ago
WATERTOWN, N.Y. — A Fort Drum military policeman admitted stabbing to death two Army buddies at their apartment near the northern New York military post and will be sentenced to 45 years to life in prison.
Spc. Joshua Hunter, who was raised in Ona, W.Va., repeatedly stabbed Waide James, 20, of Cocoa, Fla., and Diego Valbuena, 20, of Port Saint Lucie, Fla., last November in a duplex the three men shared near Fort Drum's main entrance.
The three friends had returned in spring 2009 from a yearlong tour in Iraq with the 10th Mountain Division, Hunter as a military policeman and the other specialists as drivers. Hunter's wife and parents say he returned from Iraq a changed man plagued by flashbacks.
read more here
Soldier admits killing 2 roommates in northern NY
(AP) – 5 hours ago
WATERTOWN, N.Y. — A Fort Drum military policeman admitted stabbing to death two Army buddies at their apartment near the northern New York military post and will be sentenced to 45 years to life in prison.
Spc. Joshua Hunter, who was raised in Ona, W.Va., repeatedly stabbed Waide James, 20, of Cocoa, Fla., and Diego Valbuena, 20, of Port Saint Lucie, Fla., last November in a duplex the three men shared near Fort Drum's main entrance.
The three friends had returned in spring 2009 from a yearlong tour in Iraq with the 10th Mountain Division, Hunter as a military policeman and the other specialists as drivers. Hunter's wife and parents say he returned from Iraq a changed man plagued by flashbacks.
read more here
Soldier admits killing 2 roommates in northern NY
VA Takes a Hard Look at SGLI/VGLI Program
When you read this you need to think of something. It has been going on for a long time but no one was talking about it. No one was talking so no one tried to stop it. Now that some brave soul said this is wrong, things are starting to happen for other families. Now that Veterans for Common Sense and Paul Sullivan, along with other groups got involved, Congress and the VA are doing something about it.
VA Made Secret Deal with Prudential
VA Continues to Ensure and Protect Servicemembers', Survivors'
Life Insurance Benefits
VA Takes a Hard Look at SGLI/VGLI Program
WASHINGTON (September 14, 2010)- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
has reviewed the account administered by Prudential that includes
Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) and Veterans' Group Life
Insurance (VGLI) programs to ensure beneficiaries are protected, being
treated fairly, and accorded the utmost care and respect. VA is also
ensuring that benefits are delivered in a transparent way that clearly
outlines all available options.
Since 1965, VA has successfully delivered life insurance benefits to
survivors of our Nation's Servicemembers and Veterans.
"The most important thing we can do is ensure that beneficiaries have
options that are clear, competitive, and come at no personal cost during
a time of emotional stress," said Veterans Affairs Chief of Staff John
R. Gingrich. "Providing clear and concise options for the beneficiary is
a top priority."
VA will continue to provide a full explanation of terms up-front,
increase clarity of options and more actively promote current financial
counseling to assist in decision making. These efforts will further
enhance the transparency that will continue to ensure confidence in this
important program.
The department will provide better clarity of payment options by using
new documents that ask the beneficiary to choose one payment option,
including a lump sum check, or a lump sum Alliance Account (retained
asset account) that allows beneficiaries the option to immediately write
a check for the entire payment or any lesser amount. VA will also
continue to offer the option for payment in 36 monthly installments.
VA worked with beneficiaries, regulators, and subject matter experts to
determine appropriate improvements to provide beneficiaries all benefits
due under current life insurance programs to include Alliance Accounts
in a secure and timely manner.
"Prudential has agreed to implement these adjustments, and the
department will continue to carefully monitor this program to ensure
that Servicemembers' and Veterans' beneficiaries are well-protected,"
said Gingrich.
VA is also taking the following actions:
* All SGLI/VGLI related information, including frequently asked
questions, website information and handbooks will be modified to clearly
and completely explain all aspects of the Alliance Account and all
options available to the beneficiary.
* VA will require Prudential to conduct a follow up contact with
beneficiaries whose accounts remains open after six months to confirm
the beneficiary understands the terms of the account.
* VA will clearly designate the source of correspondence by
removing the SGLI seal from all checks, forms, and correspondence and
replacing it to show that it is from Prudential, with the subtitle of
"Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance".
* VA will identify additional opportunities to encourage
beneficiaries to use the free financial counseling service.
* VA will, in coordination with the Department of Defense (DoD),
improve support to Casualty Assistant Officers and Transition Assistance
Program (TAP) Personnel by helping to prepare additional training
materials and instruction.
SGLI provides group life insurance for the Uniformed Services, such as
Servicemembers on active duty, ready reservists, and members of the
National Guard, among others. More information on the SGLI/VGLI program
is also available at http://www.insurance.va.gov/sglisite/sgli/sgli.htm
VCS in the News: VA Made Secret Deal with Prudential; Families Lose Millions to Insurance Giant
Written by David Evans
Tuesday, 14 September 2010 00:16
VA secretly amended Prudential's contract, allowing it to withhold payments to survivors of fallen soldiers
September 13, 2010 (Bloomberg Markets Magazine) - The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs failed to inform 6 million soldiers and their families of an agreement enabling Prudential Financial Inc. to withhold lump-sum payments of life insurance benefits for survivors of fallen service members, according to records made public through a Freedom of Information request.
The amendment to Prudential’s contract is the first document to show how VA officials sanctioned a payment practice that has spurred investigations by lawmakers and regulators. Since 1999, Prudential has used so-called retained-asset accounts which allow the company to withhold lump sum payments due to survivors and earn investment income on the money for itself.
The Sept. 1, 2009, amendment to Prudential’s contact with the VA ratified another unpublicized deal that had been struck between the insurer and the government 10 years earlier -- one that was never put into writing, Bloomberg Markets magazine reports in its November issue. This verbal agreement in 1999 provoked concern among top insurance officials of the agency, the documents released in the FOIA request show.
read more here
VA Made Secret Deal with Prudential
Here's a bucket list for living after combat trauma
Here's a bucket list for living after combat trauma
by
Chaplain Kathie
Two people can look at the same thing at the exact same time but see it differently. Why? Life experiences form the things they focus on. In the movie The Bucket List, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman end up in a hospital room with the same kind of cancer. Nicholson is rich while Freeman is working class struggling to get by. Nicholson lived his life for himself while Freeman lived his life for his family. This beautiful movie told a story on life experience. Nicholson didn't know how to care but he knew how to live and see the world. Freeman knew how to care but he didn't know how to live and enjoy living. They taught each other because of their life experiences and ended up being better for having known each other.
With Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, three soldiers can go through the same exact experience at the same exact time but see it three different ways. Life experience plays a role here too but so does their character. One may be fairly selfish, focused on their own survival more than what is happening around them. Another will focus on all of it, balanced between self and others. Yet a third will focus on everyone else first and then themselves last.
This third soldier has the qualities heroes are made of. They focus on others first and that is what compels them to set themselves aside for the sake of someone else. When you read the accounts of the Medal of Honor recipients included in their actions most of the time is the fact they were wounded but somehow managed to remain focused on other people instead of their own wounds. Their lives were in as much danger as others but they managed somehow to rise above all of the fears everyone else was going through.
Simple humans doing extraordinary acts are around us all the time. We read about average citizens risking their own lives to help someone else and we call them heroes. Then there are everyday stories we encounter but seemingly on such a small scale, no one else would pay attention to the outcome. A stranger helps someone up when they fall. Another gets out of their car to push a broken down car to the side of the road. Hospital volunteers go to sit with a lonely patient to just hold their hand, a listening ear or even something as small as a smile. All of these people we see everyday manage to set themselves aside for the sake of someone else. They have the same problems the rest of us do but while others focus only on themselves, they put others first.
When a soldier comes home with his/her life experience during combat, some take it all back with them. All the emotions, fears, heartache and anger come back to the civilian world. They worry about telling someone so that they won't "look bad" in someone else's eyes. They are the last people to ask for help because it is not in their character. They are the helpers. Once they understand that even helpers need to be helped, they begin to be more willing to accept it from someone else.
Usually as soon as they begin to open up and heal the first thing they want to do is help someone else. They have the life experience to know exactly what other soldiers are going through. They know they can help and that drives them more than their own desire for themselves.
There are heroes all across this country and they do extraordinary things everyday because they think of others first. They don't do it for medals or for honors. They do it because they care. They can do it because they have the life experiences to help them understand and they have the ability to care about a stranger enough to help.
The very factor within their character that enabled them to care enough to serve also created the conditions within them to be deeply affected by it but in the end, it is also what will compel them to help others one the other side of the darkness of PTSD.
Here's a bucket list for living
First seek help for yourself so that you can help others after.
Look at what haunts you in your combat life experience but watch the whole "movie" in your mind instead of just the moments that torment you. What were you feeling before it happened? What was going on around you? What did you intend to do? If it grieved you afterward then ask yourself how anyone with a "bad" soul would have managed to care at all? The last question to ask yourself is; Would you forgive someone else who went through the same thing and did what you had to do? Then forgive yourself.
Look at the people in your life. Did you love them? Did they love you? You are still the same person but for now you have some pain inside of you. What would you do if it was someone you loved? Would you try to help them or judge them? Would you want them to talk to you and would you be willing to listen so you could understand? Then allow them the same response to you. You don't have to get into gory detail or a moment by moment account to them. All you need to do is let them know what you are feeling at this moment and help them understand it. Leave talking about the gory details to the professionals getting paid to listen to you. Would you want to be left in the dark and wondering what you did wrong if someone changed the way they act around you? Then let them know so they stop wondering what they did wrong.
Be proactive in your healing. Be honest with your doctors and don't hold back. If you are given drugs that leave you feeling worse, tell them. If you are in a treatment program that isn't working for you, tell your doctor and ask for something else to try. Keep trying because there is no one size fits all treatment.
Do things that calm you down. Take walks, listen to soft music, watch movies without violence and play video games that have nothing to do with violence. Try meditation, Yoga, martial arts to help your body relearn how to calm down.
If you are having a hard time finding someone you think will understand what you are going through as a veteran, then try it as a person instead. We all have life experiences and most of us have had traumatic experiences to different degrees. Talk to them like a regular person. Start out with talking about how people die in normal life to help them understand how you feel about a friend dying in combat. Ask them if they ever saw a horrific accident and then help them understand how you cannot forget what you saw. You don't even have to tell them what it was. Just talk to them about what you felt afterward and how that has been bothering you. Other people have had traumatic events but they cannot rationalize how they were changed by them but once you start to talk to them, they begin to see the relationship between events and what comes after.
Other people may not be able to understand what it is like to be a combat veteran but they can understand what it is like to be a human with experiences that do in fact weigh heavily on someone's soul.
You'll be surprised to discover how much you can heal when you remember you are only human and no one is ever in a position when they don't need help from someone else.
by
Chaplain Kathie
Two people can look at the same thing at the exact same time but see it differently. Why? Life experiences form the things they focus on. In the movie The Bucket List, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman end up in a hospital room with the same kind of cancer. Nicholson is rich while Freeman is working class struggling to get by. Nicholson lived his life for himself while Freeman lived his life for his family. This beautiful movie told a story on life experience. Nicholson didn't know how to care but he knew how to live and see the world. Freeman knew how to care but he didn't know how to live and enjoy living. They taught each other because of their life experiences and ended up being better for having known each other.
The Bucket List (2007)
Directed by Rob Reiner. With Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Sean Hayes
With Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, three soldiers can go through the same exact experience at the same exact time but see it three different ways. Life experience plays a role here too but so does their character. One may be fairly selfish, focused on their own survival more than what is happening around them. Another will focus on all of it, balanced between self and others. Yet a third will focus on everyone else first and then themselves last.
This third soldier has the qualities heroes are made of. They focus on others first and that is what compels them to set themselves aside for the sake of someone else. When you read the accounts of the Medal of Honor recipients included in their actions most of the time is the fact they were wounded but somehow managed to remain focused on other people instead of their own wounds. Their lives were in as much danger as others but they managed somehow to rise above all of the fears everyone else was going through.
Simple humans doing extraordinary acts are around us all the time. We read about average citizens risking their own lives to help someone else and we call them heroes. Then there are everyday stories we encounter but seemingly on such a small scale, no one else would pay attention to the outcome. A stranger helps someone up when they fall. Another gets out of their car to push a broken down car to the side of the road. Hospital volunteers go to sit with a lonely patient to just hold their hand, a listening ear or even something as small as a smile. All of these people we see everyday manage to set themselves aside for the sake of someone else. They have the same problems the rest of us do but while others focus only on themselves, they put others first.
When a soldier comes home with his/her life experience during combat, some take it all back with them. All the emotions, fears, heartache and anger come back to the civilian world. They worry about telling someone so that they won't "look bad" in someone else's eyes. They are the last people to ask for help because it is not in their character. They are the helpers. Once they understand that even helpers need to be helped, they begin to be more willing to accept it from someone else.
Usually as soon as they begin to open up and heal the first thing they want to do is help someone else. They have the life experience to know exactly what other soldiers are going through. They know they can help and that drives them more than their own desire for themselves.
There are heroes all across this country and they do extraordinary things everyday because they think of others first. They don't do it for medals or for honors. They do it because they care. They can do it because they have the life experiences to help them understand and they have the ability to care about a stranger enough to help.
The very factor within their character that enabled them to care enough to serve also created the conditions within them to be deeply affected by it but in the end, it is also what will compel them to help others one the other side of the darkness of PTSD.
Here's a bucket list for living
First seek help for yourself so that you can help others after.
Look at what haunts you in your combat life experience but watch the whole "movie" in your mind instead of just the moments that torment you. What were you feeling before it happened? What was going on around you? What did you intend to do? If it grieved you afterward then ask yourself how anyone with a "bad" soul would have managed to care at all? The last question to ask yourself is; Would you forgive someone else who went through the same thing and did what you had to do? Then forgive yourself.
Look at the people in your life. Did you love them? Did they love you? You are still the same person but for now you have some pain inside of you. What would you do if it was someone you loved? Would you try to help them or judge them? Would you want them to talk to you and would you be willing to listen so you could understand? Then allow them the same response to you. You don't have to get into gory detail or a moment by moment account to them. All you need to do is let them know what you are feeling at this moment and help them understand it. Leave talking about the gory details to the professionals getting paid to listen to you. Would you want to be left in the dark and wondering what you did wrong if someone changed the way they act around you? Then let them know so they stop wondering what they did wrong.
Be proactive in your healing. Be honest with your doctors and don't hold back. If you are given drugs that leave you feeling worse, tell them. If you are in a treatment program that isn't working for you, tell your doctor and ask for something else to try. Keep trying because there is no one size fits all treatment.
Do things that calm you down. Take walks, listen to soft music, watch movies without violence and play video games that have nothing to do with violence. Try meditation, Yoga, martial arts to help your body relearn how to calm down.
If you are having a hard time finding someone you think will understand what you are going through as a veteran, then try it as a person instead. We all have life experiences and most of us have had traumatic experiences to different degrees. Talk to them like a regular person. Start out with talking about how people die in normal life to help them understand how you feel about a friend dying in combat. Ask them if they ever saw a horrific accident and then help them understand how you cannot forget what you saw. You don't even have to tell them what it was. Just talk to them about what you felt afterward and how that has been bothering you. Other people have had traumatic events but they cannot rationalize how they were changed by them but once you start to talk to them, they begin to see the relationship between events and what comes after.
Other people may not be able to understand what it is like to be a combat veteran but they can understand what it is like to be a human with experiences that do in fact weigh heavily on someone's soul.
You'll be surprised to discover how much you can heal when you remember you are only human and no one is ever in a position when they don't need help from someone else.
Leesburg says farewell to Marine who died in Afghanistan
Leesburg says farewell to Marine who died in Afghanistan
By Christine Show, Orlando Sentinel
September 14, 2010
LEESBURG — Dozens of American flags swayed in the wind outside a memorial service for Marine Sgt. Michael Bock Monday night.
More than 60 people gathered at Morrison United Methodist Church for a tearful farewell to Bock, who died from small-arms fire Aug. 13 while on foot patrol in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. Members of Patriot Guard Riders, a national group that provides escorts and support at military funerals, held flags outside the church doors.
During the memorial, the Rev. Karen Burris described Bock as a man who "believed in the Marines and in love for his country."
read more here
Leesburg says farewell to Marine
By Christine Show, Orlando Sentinel
September 14, 2010
LEESBURG — Dozens of American flags swayed in the wind outside a memorial service for Marine Sgt. Michael Bock Monday night.
More than 60 people gathered at Morrison United Methodist Church for a tearful farewell to Bock, who died from small-arms fire Aug. 13 while on foot patrol in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. Members of Patriot Guard Riders, a national group that provides escorts and support at military funerals, held flags outside the church doors.
During the memorial, the Rev. Karen Burris described Bock as a man who "believed in the Marines and in love for his country."
read more here
Leesburg says farewell to Marine
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